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what-gs-watching · 7 months

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"And I can guarantee you, it will be a night to remember."

Okay. I’m getting my wit’s about me. Sort of. It’s a process. But it’s also probably why I’m about to go all Charlie from It’s Always Sunny with his crazy conspiracy board (seriously though, this took me three days to write) about Good Omens episode 4. Because y’all, it’s the 1941 episode. And there’s sooo much going on. Pivotal, heart wrenching shit.

The most important of the ‘present’ stuff happens in the opener, of course. Aziraphale is driving back from his fun little romp in Edinburgh when he sees a hitchhiker on the road, but he’s resolute in not stopping, he’s trying to get home to Crowley. Only after he sees the hitcher a few times and almost hits them does he relent, and guess who climbs in the car - Shax.

She knows who he is, she starts talking about the Bentley and wondering why it had never been upgraded. She wants information from Az, she insists that Crowley is hiding Gabriel and we all know he’s not a good liar, but he does his best. At one point she says she’s confused as to why Crowley would risk destruction for Aziraphale, she says “you don’t seem his type at all.”

Michael Sheen, sweet sweet Michael Sheen and his mastery of facial expressions, just tips Aziraphale’s eyebrows, just a bit, just perfectly so. You can hear him thinking ‘giiiiiirl you don’t know shiiiiit’ and. I. love it.

She also says “I remember 80, 90 years ago hearing that you and Crowley were an item, didn’t believe it then….” and she’s trying to mess with his mind. He again tells her that Crowley isn’t with Gabriel and he doesn’t know where Gabriel is. She asks him to let her out in the middle of nowhere, says he’s already told her where Gabriel really is, and when he gets all huffy asking how he’d done that, she says “You didn’t, you have now.”

Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of Shax. She’s the one pushing this entire situation, I mean sure Beezlebub says she wants to find Gabriel but Shax is a bootlicker and she’s ratcheting the entire thing up to 11. In an extremely annoying, fumbling way. Always so fumbling.

Whatever, though, it’s fine. We need to dig into the past.

Of course we all remember the 1941 scene in the first season. And, if we’re clocking our timeline right, 1941 is the first time (that we know of) that Aziraphale and Crowley see each other after their dustup in the 1860’s. When Crowley asked for holy water. And Aziraphale outright refused, not wanting to provide a suicide pill. When Azirphale said they were ‘fraternizing’ and Crowley was incredulous about it, an argument ending with both of them insisting they didn’t actually need the other one.

So like 80-ish years in between, right? But then Crowley literally hot-steps into a church because Aziraphale is playing spy games that he doesn’t understand.

My theory? After their little tiff, Crowley realized pretty quickly he’d gone too far (too fast) with Aziraphale, my dude doesn’t have anyone else to fraternize with, let’s face it, and he missed Az. I have to assume he’s had low-level Aziraphale detection since they met (alright, maybe it’s not so low-level, I’m sure it’s jacked up as fucking high as it can GO), so he just had to bide his time and wait for sweet little Az to get into one of his rescuing situations, because he so loves being rescued, and it would allow Crowley to apologize in his own way. You know, instead of actually explaining why he needs the holy water in the first place.

Baby girl had to have had a plan in mind, because the entire story after the church burning? Hard ‘doting boyfriend’ vibes. He was gonna make Aziraphale want to be friends again. The internet seems to think that when Crowley saved Aziraphale’s books from the bomb, that’s when he realized he was in love with a demon, and that could be - and if it was, the rest of the night absolutely solidifies it, with the way Crowley comes for him. All of the heart eyes, all of the squealing.

So, they escape from the church. And then we see the three German idiots in hell, being processed by Furfur, who, it had been established prior, wanted to get out of his shit desk job and into something better. Fucking Shax of course, tells him to be on the lookout for any good information and to bring it to her, she’ll help him out. She’s the worst.

The Germans of course say they don’t belong there, their plans were cocked up by someone named Crowley and his friend and Furfur puts it all together. So he tells them they can go back to earth and be free of hell’s grip if they help him find proof that Crowley and Az are working together. After our favorite two have driven off, we see the Germans reanimating, and eating a drifter’s brain for good measure.

In the Bentley, (everytime I hear Crowley say “lift home?” in the scene before all nonchalant, my brain breaks a little) Aziraphale is still gripping his books and he tells Crowley he did a very nice thing and then says “there must be something I can do for you in return…” and I enjoy the implications y’all have assigned to this little exchange. We all love suggestive, dark horse Aziraphale.

It blows (haha I’m sorry) past Crowley though, and he takes them to a theater in the West End so he can deliver some bootleg booze, which of course turns out to have been shattered in the bomb drop. The theater owner is livid about it, and distraught over losing her magician for the night and immediately Aziraphale offers his services in ‘prestidigitation’. Because of course he thinks he’s a magician. That’s so Aziraphale.

Back at the bookshop Az is aflutter at this opportunity and Crowley thanks him for getting him off the hook, to which Az replies a little hesitantly “that’s what friends are for.” Clearly he’s also feeling bad about their last interaction and he’s trying to make up for that, and the church rescue all at the same time. But I have to assume he’s terrible at magic and I think Crowley does too but again, he’s all in on being a doting boyfriend. Both of them are working so hard to get back to a good balance with each other.

Crowley sits and lets Az practice some close-up tricks on him and he does a terrible American accent pretending to be an audience member. He encourages Aziraphale so delicately while suggesting he needs some bigger, better tricks for the show. He isn’t mocking him, he isn’t condescending, just supportive. When Crowley says they should buy a trick and Aziraphale insists the shop is for professionals only, the way he says “You, my Nefertiti fooling fellow, are about to perform on the West End Stage. If that doesn't make you a professional conjurer, I don't know what does” is loving, with only the slightest tinge of amusement.

At the magic shop, the two poke around, while being followed by German zombies, and Crowley picks up a trick that the shop owner opens, covering them both in confetti. There’s a meme out there with this gif that just says :excited demon noises: and that’s exactly it. He’s so tickled the entire time.

Meanwhile, the shop owner tries to suggest amateur tricks to Az but he’s not having it and his eyes fall on something called the ‘bullet catch’ which requires a rifle, and as we find out, a trusted confidant with a steady hand that Aziraphale has to really trust because a handful of people have died attempting it.

So he pulls Crowley aside after saying “I’ve got the perfect man for the job” and he swears he’ll do all the tricky bits, all Crowley has to do is fire the gun. He’s so excited and sure of himself and he assumes Crowley has plenty of experience with firearms and Crowley agrees to do it, sticks his hand out for a shake but Aziraphale grabs it with both hands and glows and wiggles and shakes vigorously. It’s another fun little adventure for Aziraphale.

They get a little manual that’s supposed to explain the trick and off they go to the show because who needs to know how to actually do it, they’ve got miracles. They’ll be fine.

The zombies follow of course, and take up in the back of the theater and then summon Furfur. Aziraphale’s magician name is “Fell the Marvelous” and they give him a ridiculous intro and he slinks onto the stage and he’s so nervous, it’s sweet. Az is really all in on the human experience - he took magic lessons and he wants to be so good at it that he just dives in without really thinking it through.

He asks for a volunteer from the audience, indicating he needs a marksman, and all the hands go up except for Crowley, which is very on brand. He’s sweet boyfriend right now, but he’s nervous and yet, up to the stage he goes. Of course, in the background, Furfur has activated a miracle blocker so when Aziraphale tries to warm up the crowd by turning a turnip into an inkwell, it doesn’t work. He tries a few times, Crowley tries from the wings, and he realizes what’s happening. Kid pulls out the manual from his coat and frantically flips through it. They’re in actual danger. Ya know, like they do.

When he joins Aziraphale on the stage they both confirm their miracles aren’t working, but Az knows they need to plough ahead with the trick. He tells Crowley to load the gun and he looks a little unsure and confirms he hasn’t actually fired a gun, “not as such”.

Meanwhile, as they pass the gun between themselves, Furfur takes a polaroid.

The anxiety between them is palpable. Az instructs him that he’ll need to fire on Aziraphale’s signal. They stare each other down. Crowley aims at him clumsily, he’s supposed to aim for his mouth but shoot past his ear. Neither one of them bothered to learn the trick at all, whatsoever. And they’re in it.

Aziraphale seems to mouth something. There’s a post out there from Neil Gaiman confirming the sweet summer child said “trust me”.

So, he gives the signal. And in my mind Crowley maybe shuts his eyes a little bit and just goes for it. And it works, no one gets shots and Aziraphale pulls a bullet out of his mouth and the crowd goes wild. Furfur is disappointed, but it doesn’t matter, he got what he needed.

Afterward, they’re in a dressing room and Az is absolutely tickled pink, he’s floating around with a boa and he asks Crowley if it really went well and he gets the affirmation that he needs. Az needs encouragement, all of the time, and it’s always all the better coming from Crowley.

But their celebration is interrupted by Furfur, ready to have his own little moment. He introduces himself to Az and says he knows Crowley but Crowley truly seems not to recognize him whatsoever (which is the first time this happens in the season, but isn’t the last. Crowley has cobwebs y’all, and I know we are all curious as to where they came from).

The point, he says, is that Crowley is in violation of the infernal code because he’s cavorting with an angel. He pulls out a little booklet that educates demons on angels of earth, open to Az’s page. The way he butchers Aziaphale’s name is wonderful, and gives Az the opportunity to correct him in a perfectly stern and authoritative way.

(Side note: if you blow up the page you can see that Az is classified as dangerous, and it says that if anyone runs into him, they shouldn’t approach and instead contact Crowley immediately. Boy has been protecting that sweet little angel's head for so long. But to be fair, he is potentially dangerous, guardian of the eastern gate, and all.)

Crowley tries to pass the whole thing off as coincidence but Furfur has the instruction manual for the trick, citing needing a “trusted stooge and confidant.” He tells them not to try anything funny because of the miracle blocker, and then he says to Crowley, “Shall we?”

The demon is unaffected though, he says “we shan’t” and he lays himself right out on the couch he’s been sitting on, covering his face with his hat. They don’t know about the photo of course, but each of them get a look at it and Furfur says Crowley can expect a legion to come for him in the morning, he should enjoy his last night on earth.

He then tells the zombies they’re free to go, but surprise! They’re gonna need to stay zombies. Hell’s deals are always trash. Don’t forget that, kids.

Next thing we know, Furfur is back down, ready to show off his proof and get his promotion. Shax is looking on, interested, but when the envelope is opened, it’s just a flier for the girlie show, polaroid nowhere to be found. Our heroes have pulled one over on him.

Back at the bookshop, Crowley is impressed with Aziraphale’s skills. He tries to recreate how he recovered the photo and swapped it, but of course he can’t. It worked when it mattered, and that’s all that matters.

And then Aziraphale goes for it, he says “I knew you’d come through for me. You always do” and he’s using a quieter tone and it’s more of an acknowledgement of their relationship than Crowley’s gotten in a long time, maybe ever. Crowley just says “well, you said trust me” and Aziraphale’s voice goes up a little bit and he says “and you did.”

That’s the entire Arrangement, gang. They trust in each other that both will protect the fragile, whatever it is that they’ve forged, from everything. It’s not about helping out with the odd temptation or blessing, it’s about the fact that the only thing they have is each other. Which is why Aziraphale refused the holy water, and also why Crowley asked for it.

True to his nature, Aziraphale insists that if Crowley was as evil as he says he was, he would have walked away from the trick, from the situation, but the demon says that you can’t just see things in black and white, you need to blur the edges. And Aziraphale actually agrees, he says there could be something said for shades of gray. Light gray, of course. And they just smile at each other.

SO my question is, all of this is lovely, right? They’re back to the two of them, whatever that might be, everything mostly worked out and Crowley thinks he’s successfully navigated their last fight and so does Az. Aziraphale is even starting to admit that maybe he could step out of the confines he’s trapped in (sometimes).

But the next thing we know (from a timeline standpoint) is Aziraphale delivering a thermos full of holy water 20 some-odd years later and desperately saying “You go too fast for me, Crowley.”

That poor angel spent twenty years thinking about 1941 and he’s got to be feeling guilty. Maybe he realized what the holy water could really be used for - after all, his love for human pageantry almost got Crowley dragged back to hell. Again. Like his need to do the holy thing had done in 1827. And his newfound interest in shades of gray could make everything even more dangerous. Especially with the way Crowley had treated him that night, the books and the trick and he never even tried to deny the compliments Az showered him with, and Aziraphale’s own feelings.

So maybe it does make sense after all. Doting boyfriend was too much for him. I imagine him purposely avoiding Crowley at all costs through those years, until he could work up the nerve to deliver that thermos. He stepped out of his box ever so slightly and it almost ripped his only friend from him. All of the mini-sodes in this season are really about Aziraphale trying to get to gray (Crowley getting him there, so slowly, so patiently) and he does, and then it’s horrible somehow.

Do I now kind of want an entire season about the years between 1941 and 1967? Yes, obviously.

The point is, Aziraphale is still in his goddamn box throughout the season even though he’s more accepting of doting boyfriend as a general concept, and they’re still not fucking talking about any of it. Because that’s the Arrangement, and doing so would definitely skew more toward the dark shades Crowley prefers. 6,000 fucking years and the shade is still agonizingly light. It’s too light and y’all really need to find the correct hue and fast.

Because in the present, Shax gets authority to amass as many demons as possible, and attack the bookshop, that asshole.

And Aziraphale returns home and Crowley thrusts a box of plants at him and coos to the Bentley about missing him and he asks how it went and Az unconvincingly says nothing weird happened at all but they aren’t hearing each other, they never ever hear each other properly.

But, Crowley’s awning of a new age has failed, and so it’s Aziraphale’s turn to mess with human emotions that he doesn’t (quite) understand. Whickber Street Shopkeepers Association monthly meeting, here we come.

#good omens season 2 #what g's watching #good omens #aziraphale x crowley #ineffible husbands #gomens #fell the marvelous

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orionsangel86 · 3 years

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SPN Conspiracies - Applying Logic to Chaos

Its been over 2 months now since the Supernatural finale aired. I am still so angry, hurt, and confused by it and I don’t think I will ever get closure unless someone like Andrew Dabb, or Jensen Ackles, actually opens up and gives us an explanation that makes sense.

What annoys me most right now is people trying to gaslight fans into believing that we should accept the narrative we have been given at face value: That the finale was always planned to be that way, that Destiel was never on the cards, that there was no Network interference, that the only changes made were due to covid and were minor at best.

This harmful gaslighting is FALSE.

NO ONE KNOWS THE TRUTH OF WHAT HAPPENED.

Look, I don’t agree with some of the crazier conspiracy theories. I don’t believe that there was some huge campaign among the CW Network execs to remove anything remotely gay out of homophobia. I don’t believe that the finale was changed because of some desire to make it into a Walker promo. I don’t believe that the finale was really bad on purpose in protest by Dabb for not getting to do an ending he truly wanted. I don’t believe that Dabb left us smart fans a bunch of secret messages in the finale to hint that he was on our side all along and that everything was fake.

I do, however, believe that all of these conspiracy theories have some elements in them that are plausible. At least, more plausible than the bullshit narrative mentioned above that some people are pushing in some desperate attempt to defend the Network (which imo is really strange behaviour anyway - why would anyone care about a TV network with a history of terrible behaviour?!?)

We have facts, based on information provided before the covid lockdown, which for some reason, people like Misha have since backpeddled on. So let me try to outline some of the information that makes no sense.

Below the cut I go on a deep dive into the conspiracies and statements I have heard about the SPN finale and try to make some sense of this whole fucked up situation. It gets long.

1. “Cas was never gonna be in the finale”.

False: We have many fan accounts of Misha confirming that he was filming the finale. We have video evidence of Misha confirming he was going back to film the finale after the lockdown. We have confirmation from fans in Misha M&Gs from March that he had about 5 days of filming left.

We also had fan accounts of discussions with Alex Calvert (I think) where he confirmed the final shot of the final episode was all four of them though I would LOVE if someone can find a source for this.

2. Okay, Misha was gonna be in the finale, but only as Jimmy Novak

False: I heavily side eyed Misha when he said this. But I think I can come up with a plausible explanation for it. Per above, Misha was supposed to film for 5 days. This does not align with the half a day he described of filming as Jimmy Novak. My own belief is that after Cas was cut from the finale (for whatever reason we don’t know) someone (probably Jensen Ackles) put up a fight and complained that Misha should be there for the final episode. The writers probably tried to come up with a way to bring Misha back without having to deal with Cas, and pitched the idea of Jimmy Novak being in Heaven. Misha, obviously annoyed about this, turned this stupid pitch down.

3. Destiel was never a thing, never planned, never part of Dabb’s ending. Bobo and Misha pushing the confession was the part of the season that was Wrong.

False: We have a SPN writer on record saying that Castiel’s confession was the first thing written for Season 15 when the writers returned to the writers room. If it wasn’t planned, why was it the first thing written, why does it align so well with the rest of season 15? Look I know some people either a. hate destiel and refuse to see it even if it slaps them in the face, or b. have major heteronormative goggles on, or c. are just homophobes in denial, but 15x18 fits in perfectly with the narrative of season 15. Everything Cas says, everything that happened in that scene was so in character it just works. It fit. If you just rewatch the season whilst applying some critical thinking skills and pay attention to the narrative and character arcs, trust me, the confession fits in with pretty much every other plot point, and character story in the season.

Also: We have known for a while that the network did market research into Destiel, wanting to know if it would go down well or not. They were well aware of its popularity and considering it. Where would this have come from if not pitched by the showrunner? Dabb must have at least been considering it. If you take all of Dabb era into consideration, starting with mid season 11, all the way through the season 12 build up, season 13 grief arc, and then Bobo’s Destiel break up arc in late season 14, early season 15, it is clear that there was some toing and froing on the issue of Destiel, but ultimately, I still believe that Dabb was on board. He wrote 13x01 for christs sake. No way he wasn’t taking it seriously.

4. It’s always been about the brothers. The finale just stays true to what Supernatural is all about.

*rubs temples* Fundamentally FALSE: The show has time and again reasserted the message of “Family don’t end with blood”, as well as the messages of AKF and YANA. Sam and Dean may be at the heart of the show, but a heart can’t exist without a body to support it. Without bones, and lungs, and blood, and muscles, and a BRAIN. The finale abandons the shows core messages. It forces the characters back into their season 1 characterisations and the whole thing becomes hollow and souless. But I’m not here to complain, I’m here to lay down the facts. Dean’s heaven was supposed to be surrounded by loved ones right? We know OG Charlie Bradbury was gonna be in his Heaven, we also know CAS was gonna be in there. So this idea that the finale as it currently stands was how it was meant to be is wrong. Dean was supposed to die and reunite with his found family and loved ones. This alone would have been a far better ending than the one given. Do I think this was solely a covid issue? Fuck no.

The randoms that WERE in the finale are proof alone that they could have got people in and quarantined. We also have several actors on record saying that they WOULD have quarantined for the finale had they been asked to return but they WEREN’T.

Lies have been told. Samantha Ferris and Chad Limberg have confirmed that we have been lied to about the original plans for the finale.

This alone is proof enough that there is more plausibility in some of the conspiracy theories than any bullshit narrative some people are pushing in defence of the barbaric mess of a finale we were given.

So lets address some of the conspiracy theories now:

Conspiracy No.1: The CW Network reviewed Supernatural during the covid break, and due to homophobia, refused any Destiel arc that wasn’t already filmed, shut down any potential reciprocation from Dean, and forced Dabb to change his finale.

I don’t think this is entirely what happened. But I do think it is very strange how there is a such a huge disconnect particularly in Dean’s characterisations between what had come before the lockdown, and what came after. The one fact we have here, and please someone provide a source if you can find it because I know there is one, the finale script was still going through changes up to only 2 weeks before it was filmed. We know that there was some weird editing in 15x18 (which was still in post and uncompleted before lockdown) and we know from Jensen’s own mouth that there was more to the confession scene on Dean’s side that was cut. We also know that this isn’t the first time that Destiel heavy moments have been changed in post - the prayer scene is another big scene that went through a lot of changes and Bobo fought to have his script play out the way he wanted it.

There are certain things that in my own opinions, are basically true of SPN which I have put together from years of keeping one eye on the writers room, the network, and all the various comments made. My opinion is this:

The writers room has always been split on Destiel. Some writers heavily supported making it canon, others did not care, or were against it.

The Network considered it over the course of several years, did market research, green lit it, then changed their minds, possibly several times over the course of Dabb’s era. Destiel was pitched to the Network early in Dabb era.

The crew on set were also split. Some people heavily supported it, and worked to assist the reading, whereas others did not care/did not support it. The same can be said for the editing room.

Bob Singer supported the subtextual homoeroticism, but never supported bringing it into text (this is an opinion, but I think it aligns with everything we know about him.) IMO Bob Singer also supported subtextual homoeroticism between Sam and Dean - the guy is gross is what I’m saying. He isn’t exactly a progressive person.

Fun fact - a while back our old enemy Sera Gamble went on a Twitter rant about writers rooms and the ways a script goes through changes. I don’t think this was in relation to the SPN finale wank but she basically inadvertantly confirmed that the Network can step in and make sweeping changes to a script if they want to and if they decide they don’t like the direction of a story. Sera Gamble confirmed this as a fact.

Now. I’m not saying that this is what the CW did with Destiel. I just think its very strange how pre lockdown, the last thing filmed is a heartfelt homosexual declaration of love between Dean and Cas, and we have a finale script that Misha had not seen, but knew that he was meant to film as Castiel for 5 days (5 days on set is over half of an episode as far as I know). Then all of a sudden, Covid happens, and Cas is cut from the finale completely, a desperate attempt to bring Misha back only as Jimmy Novak takes place, which Misha rightly refuses, leading to a finale which makes zero sense narratively and appears in every way completely and utterly butchered.

The only explanation provided by anyone involved is that Covid meant changes had to happen - but that covid didn’t change the actual story at all.

But this makes no sense because we know that Cas was cut from the finale. This is FACT. Do not let anyone gaslight you into thinking otherwise. Misha was preparing to quaranting to return to set as Cas post Covid, so whatever happened to cut Cas from the finale, it wasn’t Covid.

I’m gonna have to Occum’s Razor this and say that the most logical explanation here is the one that is most likely true. Someone got cold feet with the Destiel story, and to prevent any possible interpretation that included Dean reciprocating, any hints of Destiel were removed from the finale script, including Castiel’s whole appearance.

Now, this isn’t me saying I think that Dabb’s original finale was full of Destiel love confessions and a homosexual kiss or whatever, but I am asking you all to really think about it and ask yourselves WHY Cas would have been totally cut from an episode he was supposed to be in at LEAST half of?

We will probably never know the real reason Cas was cut, but he WAS cut. I’m not saying it was all homophobia, but some fuckery went down.

Conspiracy No. 2: The CW Network changed the finale to make it into a Walker promo because they only cared about raising up Jared and not Jensen and Misha as they were losing them anyway.

I don’t agree with this in terms of the finale being butchered solely to make it into a Walker promo. There are however moments in the finale that are clearly supposed to be Walker Easter Eggs and added to excite fans of Jared/Sam in particular such as Sam’s gratuitous and unnecessary topless scene, as well as the call on the “case in Austin”.

I will take this moment to say something pretty damn controversial though.

*Deep breath*

The fact is, Dean Winchester has been the “lead” character of Supernatural’s narrative for years now, with Sam often being sidelined and not given great storylines himself. Even in Season 15, right up until the finale, I myself felt bad for Sam sometimes because so much of this show has become all about Dean. Jensen Ackles is clearly the better actor when it comes to emotional story arcs, so the emotional heart of the story has most often leant on him.

So you can understand my confusion, when this is turned on its head in the final episode, to make Sam carry all the emotional weight, and have the most lines/screentime, and story resolution (even if his story resolution was just as crappy as Dean’s).

If we pretend that Destiel is not a thing, and ignore Cas’s confession, the story change in the finale from Dean focus to Sam focus is still rather suspicious. Again, I’m not saying I completely approve of or agree to the conspiracy theory that Walker influenced the butchering of the script, but I can believe that perhaps a note went down from the CW to someone like Bob Singer, to emphasise Sam/Jared more than they perhaps would normally, because the CW wanted to shine the spotlight on Jared to raise excitement for Walker.

I can also believe this note might have said something like “we wanna cater to fans of Sam/Jared the most - don’t do anything to piss them off.” but now I am getting into my own conspiracy theories so by all means dismiss this as me being bitter.

Conspiracy No.3: Dabb purposely made it bad, as a secret message to Destiel fans that he had been silenced, by layering meta clues into the episode that he knew fans would notice.

I doubt this one is true. Though some of the theories are quite compelling. The old vampire silent movie theory for instance starts off quite well, but loses me the moment it brings up Urban Dictionary slang.

Sometimes I have just had to accept that Supernatural is a bad show that is sometimes accidentally a masterpiece. However, some writers really did go That Deep with their stories - anything by Ben Edlund or Steve Yockey for instance, their episodes are meta masterpieces with a hundred different layers of beautiful subtextual storytelling and are a joy to analyse. Bobo Berens has certainly done some A+++ work especially now we KNOW that he was working hard all this time to bring Destiel to canon text (so any analysis of Destiel in the subtext in his episodes is very accurate). There have been many other key elements analysed over the years which have been confirmed true. Cas’s death in Season 12, Dean’s time as a demon in season 10, Season 11 ending in unity of dark and light, these were all plot points predicted by meta writers just by analysing the narrative. Sometimes the writers really have been very smart and they do add things to the show to aid us in our meta.

Richard Speight Jr for instance, confirmed that SPN has a visual library that the production team use to give clues and hints in the narrative. Pizza, for example, always means a lie has been told. Whenever Pizza is being eaten or even just mentioned on screen, there is dishonesty in that particular moment.

The beers also have a very specific message and the one thing I can’t let go about the finale, was that Dean was drinking El Sol beer. The beer his dad gave him, that was terrible.

El Sol has been used in the show to indicate something being wrong, a fake reality, or another lie, for the longest time. It is the beer of deception.

The fact that in the final episode of this entire show, Dean is in Heaven, supposedly at peace, and then he gets handed an El Sol beer to drink? Thats a HUGE red flag for any meta writer watching who can read SPNs visual library.

If they had given him the Margiekugel beer of family then it would make sense. Dean is in Heaven, with Bobby, his family, at peace. Margiekugel should have been the beer of choice. But nope. El Sol. Something is wrong.

I don’t know if it was Dabb, or Singer, or some disgruntled ADs and crew members who added these elements into the finale, but their very presence confirms some message of Wrongness.

I could go into a huge rant about Vampire Mimes not making sense and the very glaringly obvious symbolism of cutting out peoples tongues too, but that is high school level film analysis. It’s obvious. It means to silence someone. There is validity in interpreting this as Dabb saying he was silenced. I don’t know how true it is, but i can’t 100% dismiss it, because as I said, this is high school analysis levels of obvious subtextual storytelling.

So in summary, whilst I don’t think that Dabb intentionally went out of his way to sabotage his own script, and leave a breadtrail of secret messages for savvy fans to put together to confirm that he was silenced by an evil network into not getting what he wanted... I do think that there is validity in questioning these odd choices for the finale. Cutting out tongues? Vampire Mimes? El Sol beer?

The evidence is somewhat compelling is all I’m saying. I don’t believe the full conspiracy theories, but as I have said many times before, some fuckery went down.

So What Do I Believe?

That some fuckery went down and whatever company line they are pushing is bullshit.

I believe that the original script included Cas (since thats fact). I believe that the original script probably always had Dean dying on a vampire hunt (due to Jensen’s issues with it and in particular, his sarcastic comments about vampires in the past year or so which in hindsight are hilarious and prove he never really came to terms with Dean’s idiotic death). I believe Dabb’s original script was some less crappy version of what we got, which potentially included showing Jack rescuing Cas from the Empty and resolving the outstanding Empty plot points (potentially this was actually a 15x19 plot since Mark P commented that his final scenes were supposed to be with Jack and Cas), had Cas reunite with Dean in Heaven and had them have a discussion about Cas’s confession. I believe that there was probably a lot of back and forth over how to handle that with some people wanting Dean to obviously reciprocate and others believing they should keep it ambiguous. I believe that Dean and Cas would have reunited with Charlie Bradbury, and Bobby Singer, and possibly others (though if this was the case it must have been very early on since no one ever looped in Sam Ferris, Chad Linberg or any other Roadhouse people).

I believe that Sam’s ending probably didn’t change much, but I do feel that initially they were planning on him ending up with Eileen, because it is the only thing that narratively makes sense. Cutting Eileen and giving him a blurry wife is something I won’t ever understand and Jared’s bullshit explanations are quite clearly pulled out of his ass to appease bronly types. I believe the reunion on the bridge would have included Cas and Jack, with a final shot of all four of them together, at peace (as this aligns with Alex’s comments from around a year or so ago that the final shot was all four of them). (I also am not sure it was always supposed to be on a bridge since the foreshadowing in an earlier episode showed Dean, Cas and Sam all in the Roadhouse together).

I believe that script went through countless changes and redrafts, and not even production people or the types that some fandom people claim as their “sources” would even have seen those early scripts, since even Misha never saw it. I believe that these rumours of Dabb never having Cas in his finale and ignoring all Destiel elements likely come from people who only saw later versions, weren’t party to network discussions and felt bitter about the final scripts they did see (being the crappy butchered one that was ultimately filmed). Those “sources” are now spreading rumours to discredit Dabb.

I obviously believe Dabb is a weak ass pushover who either didn’t care enough to fight back, or gave up since he’s been stuck with fucking Bob Singer on his back for years, but I will NEVER believe he didn’t care about the DeanCas love story, because he has been one of the few writers who has championed for it for years. You can’t look back at Dabb’s episodes in earlier seasons and claim he didn’t care. Dabb was a writer whose creative ideas were beaten out of him by an unforgiving Network only concerned about where their future money was coming from. Do I think he gave up too easily? Yes. But I also have one other huge reason for not believing the bullshit about Dabb being this anti-Destiel villain.

Bobo. Because if Bobo truly believed Dabb was gonna fuck that up at the end, I don’t think he would have given us Cas’s love confession to begin with. If he had known it was gonna end like that, I think he would have reconsidered, because had Cas not confessed his love, I don’t think he would have been cut from the finale. Bobo - a gay man, would not have wanted such a horrible message for queer fans being put across in the show he worked so hard on. He started writing that confession scene the day they returned to the writers room. Dabb would have been there, would have seen what he was writing, probably discussed it with him, after all, other episodes were written with the confession in mind. No way was Dabb planning to fuck up the ending knowing what Bobo was giving us. Nope.

Something went very wrong over lockdown. Someone, somewhere up the chain of power caught wind of the confession scene in 15x18, realised that it demanded a resolution which would make Dean Winchester, their protagonist, queer, and pulled the plug. I believe this did not come from a place of homophobia, but of bad business sense.

The CW is constantly trying to win the approval and attention of the one demo group that they seem to fail at getting the most: young straight men. Supernatural was one of their only remaining shows that appeals to young straight men, and Dean Winchester is more often than not the fave character of those young straight men who project onto him. Making Dean Winchester, established Han Solo of Supernatural, queer and in love with his best friend in the finale would have come across as a betrayal to those young straight men. The CW probably feared they would lose that demo group for good, and with a show like Walker starting soon with Jared at the helm, they couldn’t take the risk.

Hence there was probably a whole bunch of back and forth script redrafts with the Network, with Dabb and Singer fighting to make a finale that would appeal to everyone. There was most likely no way that they could bring Cas back without addressing what had already been filmed, because any resolution of that plot would either a. make Dean queer, or b. address it awkwardly by having Dean reject Cas (this storyline would probably have been slammed by critics worse than the finale because it meant addressing it. It might have got the attention of LGBTQ activist groups and caused a bigger shitstorm than what we got). The best option was therefore C. Bury it and Cas, pretend it never happened. Never address it again and distract Dean with other things. Hope that Destiel fans will accept no answer from Dean as ambiguous enough to imagine a future reunion rather than shutting it down with a rejection, and still keep hold of the blissfully ignorant heteronormative straight boys so they can carry over to Walker when it starts.

I also believe (controversially probably) that there was concern that any resolution of Dean and Cas would have overshadowed network darling Jared Padalecki. If Dean and Cas had come together in the finale, with a very clearly textual homosexual reunion, then that would have been all anyone talked about. The reviewers, the critics, the audience, everyone. It would have been nothing but Dean and Cas (and look, if they did think this, they were right, Destiel trending over the US ELECTION.)

So what is the network to do, when they are losing the two stars who would get the most attention from this storyline? The one star they were holding on to and getting his own show, relegated to third place in the finale of the show where he was first on the call sheet? Nope. That’s pretty unacceptable. Even without Walker I can imagine people at all levels side eyeing the Destiel thing over the years. This IS a show about two brothers, and their relationship should be the core relationship, we can’t have one brother pushed aside in the finale to make way for a queer relationship that will get all the attention instead. It was never gonna get approved for this reason ALONE.

At the end of the day, if I look at it from a business perspective, it makes far more sense that the CW shut down Destiel, rather than “oh Dabb never cared and ruined it because he’s an idiot.” The writers cared, and had built on that story over years. But their mistake was leaving any Destiel resolution to the finale. If they had instead gone and got Dean and Cas together in early season 15, then they could have ended it in a way that satisfied everyone. Destiel wouldn’t have threatened pulling focus away from Sam and Dean, and the show could have gone out on a high.

When I lay out all the conspiracy theories, and line them up next to the cold hard facts, the conspiracy theories in some way or another, make more sense. To believe the company line, the narrative we have been fed, is to ignore your own eyes, ears, and memories pre March 2020.

All I’m asking people to do is take a look at the show, the narrative presented in the show, and the information presented above. I’m not telling you to believe what I’ve written here, half of which is just my own opinion. I’m asking you to ask yourselves if it makes sense to you. Because it sure as hell doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied.

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sortasirius · 3 years

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What the Fuck Happened to the SPN Finale?

Okay so here it is, my Charlie Kelly style manifesto.

Before I get into it, I recognize that I will look like this to many of you, and that’s okay, I understand:

Secondly, your personal Takes about the writers don’t interest me, I don’t need to hear them. This, as I’ll explain, is going to remain a writer positive blog, and that’s the end of it.

Third, and most importantly: some of what I’m going to talk about is fact, and some is highly educated speculation. I will notate what is speculation, just so there’s no confusion or hot takes in my inbox that I’m a conspiracy theorist or stirring shit up for no reason.

A list of what I’ll be discussing

The episode in regards to the rest of the season

The episode issues: length, editing

Scene placement and speculation of scenes cut

The scrubbing of Jack, Cas, Eileen

Network involvement and general timeline of when things were cut

Misha: theories on where he was, official company line, why we can’t expect to hear anything directly

The silence of the cast post episode (in Misha’s case, mid episode) and what this might mean

Jensen speaking with Kripke about the ending: why it doesn’t mean what you might think (also why kripke remained positive on the ending)

Walker, and why this episode had a major shift

Why the network would do this or get involved

Why the writers of the show simply aren’t the bad guys here, and what I “want” out of this post, since I know it’ll get asked

This is very long and under a cut, but I hope you’ll give it a read.

The Episode In Regards to the Rest of the Season

So, I’ve discussed this already here, but it’s the most obvious thing to me, and that’s the way this episode simply doesn’t fit with the rest of the season.

These people in this room have, truly, been nothing but consistent when it comes to their arcs, especially this season, and the marked dropoff in quality for the finale episode is just too sus to discount to me. Dabb’s whole focus has been character-based. In his seasons, we’ve moved far away from MOTW and bro-codependency, the found family taking it’s place. Does it really sit right to anyone that that was all thrown away in literally the last episode of the entire show?

This is speculation on my part, but as a writer myself, there is no way I would be happy or willing to stamp my name on something that I didn’t think would, at the very least, wrap up the season+ character arcs that I and my team had been crafting.

And before anyone comes in here saying, “well GOT did that!” Bruh. The writing was on the wall for GOT long before the final episode. You could tell that the showrunners just wanted to be done (not only from the plot, but from the fact that they lobbied for a shorter season). Miss me with that, it doesn’t apply here. Andrew has, besides Singer and J2, been with the show longer than anyone. He cares, he is meticulous and detailed, and this ending feels worse than anything Bucklemming has ever written, let alone Dabb.

Additionally, I’ve seen a lot of people say that Dabb was never behind Destiel, that it was all Bobo and Meredith and no one else. That is reductive to the point of insult of the work Dabb has done to get this greenlit. This man did not write the s13 Dean grief arc to be slandered like this. That being said, YES, Bobo and Meredith were the leads on the DeanCas arc this season, but ANDREW IS THE SHOWRUNNER, TO GET EVEN THE CONFESSION APPROVED BY THE NETWORK HE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THEIR BACKS. AND HE DID.

Finale Issues

So, now that we’ve gotten the fact that this episode doesn’t hit on any of the major themes the show was barrelling towards all season, let’s discuss the fact that the episode is just...weird.

Not only is it shorter than any other episode (I think with the intro and the credits/crew thing at the end, it was around 38 mins), but it was also...idk, 90% filler?

One of the lovely humans in the POLOL server did the legwork here, and broke it down:

This is weird, y’all. Most series finales are LONGER than normal (Lost, SOA, Longmire are the ones I can think of off the top of my head), and for the final episode to be this? I saw more than one person point out that we only really needed 19 episodes, what was the point of 20? AND THAT’S EXACTLY IT? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS FINAL EPISODE IF THIS WAS ALL WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET?

It simply doesn’t make any sense, the first half of the episode was rushed, a final monster hunt gone wrong, but in the second half? Nothing really happened? Sam lived his entire life and Dean just drove around. It doesn’t make sense to have all the emotional arcs left unaddressed in an episode that definitely needed some kind of spark.

Here’s the speculation I have: the episode seemingly went through a lot of changes between the initial inception of the final season and when we actually got it, but I think it would have been passable (as in, we wouldn’t be sitting here asking each other why each arc feels incomplete) until the editing room got ahold of it. The only think that makes this episode make sense is network fuckery. Truly, that is the only thing. It explains the weird, cuts, the rushed pacing of the first half followed by nothing in the second half, the double montages of “Wayward Son” back to back, and Dean just...driving around for the last half of the episode.

Scene Placement and Speculation of Scenes Cut

Before I get into this section, the info of the shots in the episode I have come from a source that @occamshipper got a week or so before the finale. She’s talked about this here.

So here’s what Min was given:

1-5: 1 INT MEN OF LETTERS – DEAN’S ROOM Dean is greeted by Miracle

6-10: 6 INT MEN OF LETTERS – HALLWAY/SAM’S ROOM Sam has his routine

D1 1 11-15: 15 EXT FARM HOUSE Establishing

N1 1/8 16-20: 19 Dad’s journal, marker, drawing of masked man in journal.

21-25: 23 INT IMPALA – PMP Driver picks the music

N2 1 3/8 1,2 26-30: 28pt2 INT BARN: A face from the past

28pt3 Sam and Dean say goodbye

28pt4 Shot early for technical reasons, presumably the overhead shot

N2 31-45: 41 INT MEN OF LETTERS – SAM’S ROOM Sam’s alarm goes off D4 1/8 1 46-60: 56 INT N7glasses for Sam, laptop.

So...it all fits right? It all tracks with the actual episode, where it lands, etc. The issue is between shots 29-40 which were apparently “too big to spoil.” Uh. Where are they? And where’s 28 pt4?

After Dean dies, the next scene is Sam burning him, then shot 31, the shot of his alarm going off.

So. Where are those 11ish shots?

PLUS we have the boards, which are scenes we KNOW were actually shot:

As well as scenes for 20 that were shot in 19.

It’s just...weird, it’s weird and again hits on the fact that the episode is so short and like 80% montage.

The Scrubbing of Jack, Cas, and Eileen

So now we have to reckon with the fact that Eileen was last mentioned by Sam after she got snapped by Chuck, Jack’s last mention is that he’s off being God somewhere, and Cas’ last mention is a ~knowing look~ between Dean and Bobby.

I’m sorry, make it make sense:

???????? That’s the end if it? They don’t need to be discussed after this??? It’s just simply not something a writer would do, they would not introduce these characters, these arcs, without thinking there’s going to be some kind of follow through here.

So not only were three major characters (including two leads and both of the original characters’ love interests) completely wiped from the finale episode, it was as though Sam and Dean never even needed them, which just...ain’t it.

So why Eileen and Jack too? Why not just take Cas out of it if they were afraid of the gay? Because, ultimately, the episode went back to Kripke’s original story: just the bros, they only need each other and no one else. They don’t want anyone else, they don’t need anyone else. Easier to go back to something they knew was successful than trust the writers and their audience and take a big leap.

Alex even said he shot for 20 with “some of the guys” here. What happened to that footage?

The complete 180 of it all still shocks me, I still cannot believe that we were essentially at the finish line, and the network just stopped short, and decided to go run another race, at the expense of the arc of this fifteen year legacy show.

Network Involvement and When Things Were Cut

Okay, now into the juicy stuff.

So I’ve pretty well established that network fuckery is clear, but how much did they get involved, what was the original intent?

Well again, we may never actually know what Andrew’s original script was, but I think, at the least, it would involve Dean speaking his truth to Cas and Sam living a life with Eileen.

Now, it seems today, that Misha said that Jimmy Novak was supposed to be in the finale in one iteration of the script, and while initially my brain was like “that truly makes no sense and he’s either straight up lying or telling a half truth,” I think what may be happening is Misha talking about as much as he can right now.

So Jimmy right. Weird as fuck. Why would he been in the Roadhouse and not Cas? My current thought (this is about as reachy as I’ll get) is that Jimmy had no lines, could he have been in the Roadhouse as a red herring, like it said “Jimmy” in the script but it was just Cas in human clothes, a way to get around the network saying Cas couldn’t be in the final scene. Also, you’ll notice that Misha didn’t say that Cas wasn’t supposed to be in the ep at all, just Jimmy in the last scene.

All this to say, there have clearly been multiple versions of the script, getting lighter and lighter with Cas and Eileen as the network pulled further and further back. Remember, Dabb has to get things approved before they get shot, and if the network kept asking and asking and asking to cut Cas and Eileen, he had to find a way to work around it. Granted, I still think that if we had been able to get a Dabb script that wasn’t torn to shreds in editing, it wouldn’t be so bad. It may not be what a lot of us wanted (Dean speaking his truth to Cas and a reciprocation), but doing everything he could to give it to us in subtext or visual clues.

Plus, in all honesty, my man can’t keep his story straight anyway. He said twice in his panel that the Empty and offscreen Heaven ending weren’t his original ending either.

In addition, remember that Jensen did ADR post episode 18, AND said in a meet and greet last weekend that Dean’s reaction to Cas’ confession was “cut down.” (Source here). Many of us clowns got excited when we first heard about ADR, because we thought it would be upping the ante on Dean’s reaction, but I remember being a little sus when it was just crying. My speculation on that is that they cut out Dean actually SAYING something, @winchestersingerautorepair spoke about that here.

The biggest sins were, in my opinion, committed during editing, where the network got too gun shy and sliced the episode until it was nothing but a heartless bro-fest of a finale, not mentioning anything about the other major characters that we all love, and letting the boys just suffer in separation until Sam died and finally joined Dean in Heaven. The editing came by cutting all the major emotional beats between anyone other than Dean and Sam, leaving the skeleton of the story intact, just shorter and less...poignant than it was ever supposed to be.

Misha

We know Misha was in Vancouver, we know he quarantined, but we also know he wasn’t in the final scene, when he spoke about being in the last moment of the show months ago. We were not crazy, he was there, he quarantined, and, in all likelihood (speculation but fitting with the timeline), he actually may have shot something (not much, but something).

I have sources here, here, here, and here showing where Misha was at that time.

Remember, the man was completely open about coming back until they finished shooting (look at this thread). The switch happened, just like everything else, halfway through them shooting.

Please also remember Jake Abel posting his “Where’s Misha” video here. Jake isn’t malicious, he isn’t being nasty here. Misha was there, and everyone that’s trying to convince people he’s wasn’t just...isn’t telling the truth about it.

This is one of the things that makes me really mad, because they’re literally attempting to gaslight people into thinking, “oh we were totally wrong he was never supposed to be there” WHEN HE WAS THERE, WE KNOW HE WAS THERE.

So we’ve already heard from several people (Meghan Fitzmartin, Jay, a PA on the set of 19 (WHO WAS NOT WORKING FOR 20), Misha himself) that this was all down to Covid restrictions. Ultimately, as this post says, we’ve heard FIVE versions of where Misha was. None of it makes sense, but the Covid protocol seems to be the company line that others are repeating.

You may ask: why? Why lie to all of us when we have questions? Why, in Jay’s case, say that we’re all spreading false lies to stir up trouble, when we just have questions and things that do not make sense. Simply? Warner Brothers is absolutely massive. These people have their careers to protect and are likely all under NDAs. They want to work for WB again and don’t want to burn bridges, including Misha. It sucks, but that’s why it’s unlikely that we’ll hear someone come out and say, “yeah we’re lying to you.”

Silence of the Cast Post Episode

So this is...probably the worst part of all this, at least in my opinion.

The guys had all been pretty excited about the end of the show (especially Jared, but Jensen’s panel last week was Jensen as happy and jokey and positive as I’ve ever seen him. He was so excited about episode 18, about what it meant for Dean and for Cas, and I just cannot buy that he would have been that excited unless he thought there was something more in the episode.

Misha live-tweeted the episode, and was watching it with his kids. It’s well known that Misha and the kids don’t watch the show because it’s too scary, and let’s ask ourselves, why would he have them watch an episode that he’s barely even mentioned in?

He also stopped live-tweeting at a very specific point in the episode (Dean’s death) and has not mentioned Supernatural since then.

None of them, not Jared, Jensen, Misha, or even Alex, said anything about the episode for nearly 36 hours, when Jensen posted a salty photo on instagram. It’s just...not what you’d expect for the end of a 15 year show, when the cast and crew are so close to the fans, so close to each other.

My theory? They didn’t know. They thought Misha was, at least, going to be in the episode in some way, and when he wasn’t, they decided not to say anything.

You really think that Jensen “Heller” Ackles would have been so excited about the end of the show last week if he thought Cas wasn’t going to be in it at all? Nah son, doesn’t make any sense.

Even today, in Jared and Misha’s panels, they seemed sad and...more than a little careful, both saying that there were things they couldn’t say, both talking around things that we all have questions on.

Jensen Speaking with Kripke

So this is where a lot of people are getting fodder to take shots at the writers, saying that Jensen hated it from the beginning, but I don’t think so. I actually think I know what Jensen went to him about, and it wasn’t the lack of Cas or the weird pacing or the montages (which I don’t think were there when Jensen got the script); I think it was the manner of Dean’s death.

I know a lot of people were upset about that, upset with how...normal it was, coming off an episode where they literally beat God. I actually didn’t mind it, I thought it was an interesting thematic take to be like: you can be a hero all your life, but sometimes shit happens, and you just die.

But imagine how hard that was for Jensen to read. He would run to Kripke for that, because for him, Dean dying by being impaled by a piece of rebar had to be tough to swallow.

So, why didn’t Kripke say that? Why didn’t he say, “oh well he had a problem with Dean’s death, none of that other stuff was in the script.”

Guys. Why would he get involved? He’s not going to burn bridges any more than anyone else is. He said the ending was good because it’s the easy thing to do, it’s simple, will cause him no problems in his career, and he can just ignore the people trying to engage with him on it.

Walker

Something else to talk about is the major shift this episode had from the rest of the season: the shift from Dean to Sam. I am NOT saying that Sam isn’t important, he definitely, absolutely is, but it was DEAN who really needed to wrap up his arc, Sam just needed to move on, get married to Eileen, become the leader he was always meant to. So what changed? What was with the shirtless scene, the Austin number and random case there, most of the episode being heavily Sam focused, going through his entire life in a montage?

Anyone else notice the 375 Walker promos, or Jared’s little spiel about Walker and how he hoped SPN fans would “come along for the ride.”

It’s...kinda obvious? CW wanted to appeal to who they think the key demographic of SPN and Walker is: rural areas in the South. It would explain a lot, why so much editing, why so Sam focused, the Austin number, the number of Walker promos, all of it.

I’m not saying this is fact, I don’t know that it is, but it is a little suspicious that even in Jared’s panel today, he talked A LOT about Walker and how he hopes SPN fans will watch it.

Why Would the Network Get Involved?

Simply put: $$$

If they think Walker can be the new SPN, and that those crazy SPN fans liked it originally, it’s a lot safer to go with the “original intent” of the show than do something risky (like making one of your two original leads queer).

And? They don’t care. They don’t care that the episode didn’t make sense, they don’t care that all the emotional arcs were left hanging, they don’t care by (potentially) smashing together two of Dean’s monologues (one to Sam, one to Cas) that it came of as...gross. ( @curioussubjects wrote a beautiful post showing how part of that death speech was likely meant for Dean here). They don’t care, they never have, they just want to make their money and move on from the too-loud fandom that fought for representation too hard for too long.

It can’t help but feel insidious, which, honestly, it might be, but it really all comes down to the next cash cow, which, they think, is Walker, even at the cost of the fifteen year legacy show.

The Writers and What I Want

So here it is, all this weird, sus shit laid out on the line. And you know what? To me, there is no way to blame the writers, because they didn’t want this.

I don’t think Dabb and Bobo would have gone ahead with the confession in 18 without thinking that there would be some closure to that arc, they wouldn’t have done that not only to the fans, but for the sake of their own story as well: no writer wants to start something that they can’t finish. (And this applies to both Cas and Eileen).

Here’s a basic rundown of what I think happened: they had a clear arc from 18-20, ending in reciprocation at some level from Dean, Sam marrying Eileen, Hunter Sam as the new Bobby, Dean in heaven with Cas and big roadhouse reunion at the end. Covid prevented a good amount of that. Network had to stare at big gay 18 for six months, got cold feet. Thought about Walker, target audience and alienation of the rural areas if it went full gay. Misha quarantined and likely shot something (not much), he was then cut by execs and went home. They likely added in lines referencing Eileen and Cas to make it clear but more subtextual. They wrap, editing gets it and hacks it to pieces, so we get a shorter episode that’s mostly montages and jarringly bro-centric with nothing else. Arcs are left hanging. Dabb gets episode but it’s too late, there’s nothing he can do. Actors aren’t told so they can continue to do positive PR for the ending, they all found out at the same time we did: hence almost complete silence about the finale.

And you know what? They warned us. I talked about it here, but they’ve been telling us all season that Chuck wasn’t the writer, he’s the network. I don’t think, still, that they thought it would be cut up like this, into something so unsalvageable that it’s been panned by almost everyone, even people who didn’t care much about Dean and Cas.

Finally, a masterpiece can be ruined by editing, and while I’m not sure even the script they ended up shooting on was a masterpiece (due to the network meddling already), but to me it’s blatantly obvious that it’s no one but the network that caused this, that took away closure for Dean, Cas, and even Sam.

So what do I want? Nothing really, there’s nothing we can do, but I wrote this mostly to show people that the writers are not your enemy. In fact, to the people trashing them? You’re doing exactly what the CW wants you to: blame the obvious targets, blame Misha, blame Jensen and Jared, blame Dabb. Scream and yell at them on Twitter and about how the show is ruined because of them. The network keeps their engagement levels high, they don’t get as targeted for their behavior, and just keep moving along.

Just, please, think about who did this, Mourn the show, be angry, but not at the people who fought tooth and nail for this for literal years, not the people who wanted it more than we did, not the people who cannot say anything because of their careers and the NDAs they’re bound by.

Someone is going to spill eventually, but until then, we just have to wait, and continue to be loud.

#my writing #my meta #supernatural #spn #spn finale trash fire #MY MANIFESTO IS DONE

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cuteasamuntin · 2 years

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Do you think Charlie Cox should voicce Matt Murderdock in the Spider-Gwen solo film when we get it, or do you think they should get someone new for him, like ASA Butterfield or someone? Because those three background cameos in the first film are going somewhere, you don’t do three cameos unless you want to take it somewhere.

While I delight in all opportunities to hear Charlie Cox speak or watch him act, I think his apparent return to the MCU means that he can’t voice Murderdock in an animated Spider-Gwen film. That is, he could, but then everyone would be drafting conspiracy boards about the Sonyverse and MCU colliding, and I simply cannot take the psychic damage that would entail. Spider-Gwen and the Sonyverse as a whole deserve to be their own thing and not just get sucked into the MCU amalgam.

I’m not sure I would want to hear Asa Butterfield specifically as the voice of Matt, and people probably think of him for it because he auditioned for Spider-Man and was in Sex Education. His voice is also a little young-sounding for an adult version of Matt, in my opinion.

My big name actor pick: Christian Bale with a decent Manhattan accent (as opposed to whatever the hell overdone Staten Island my guy was out here doing in Newsies) would be cool, and his voice is expressive enough to do a good job of it, based on his other voice acting

My blorbo from my shows pick: Santino Fontana just has a great, expressive voice with impressive range. He was amazing in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and I specifically listened to You as an audiobook because he’s the narrator. If he can make me hot for a functional alcoholic and a stalker, I think he can do Murderdock just about perfectly. I’m love him, your honor.

My on-skills-alone pick: Joe Morton, who is in Scandal and voiced Ringmaster in the Hawkeye season of the Wastelanders radio plays, would do a fabulous job of capturing Murderdock’s charm and danger. His voice is just nice to listen to, and he has quality live action and voice acting credits to his name.

My causing-problems-on-purpose pick: I think Ben Affleck would be a pretty good voice for Matt again (there’s a reason he was cast the first time, and his Nick Dunn and Bruce Wayne are such smarmy assholes that clearly he can give the people what we want from Murderdock). Also, the conspiracy boarding about that Daredevil movie being in the Sonyverse would be hilarious, actually.

#matt murderdock #Matt Murdock #marvel #Sonyverse #spider-Gwen #Spider-Man #anon ask #ask #one Jew many opinions #Muntin’s Marvel Murmurings

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no-stabbing-wednesdays · 3 years

Text

The Conspiracy Job

I made a post about the “Eliot’s semi-famous identities” conspiracy here and @what---i-dated-a wanted a fic, which got my muse going. So, here it is, and also on AO3

An amazing version of the same concept by @copperbadge was linked in the notes and I recommend you all read that too! The Job Interview Job

The Conspiracy Job

“Oh, not again!”

The others, busy drawing up plans for their latest con, looked over at Hardison.

“What is it?” Sophie asked.

He brought his display up on the large screen at the front of the room.

“Someone’s just searched a bunch of Eliot’s old aliases, all at the same time.”

Parker frowned as she looked at the screen. “That doesn’t sound good.”

Eliot was on his feet immediately, concern clear on his face.

“Who is it? CIA? FBI? KGB? Mossad?”

“Give me a second,” Hardison said. “No, I don’t think so. They’re not being flagged on any databases. Someone’s just googling them.”

Eliot relaxed slightly and rolled his eyes. “It’s not those damn conspiracy forums, is it? I thought you got rid of those.”

“I did! They haven’t posted anything, they’re just looking. Oh, they’re here in Portland.”

Eliot tensed again at that, but Hardison shook his head.

“Relax, man. It’s a family house; a couple of dentists and a fifteen year old. If they post anything I’ll take it down, nothing to worry about.”

On the other side of Portland, Julia stepped into her friend Marcie’s bedroom and her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. Marcie was connecting red threads between grainy, printed-out images on her corkboard and empty bottles of Gatorade littered the desk.

“You have to cool it with this, dude.”

Marcie turned to face her, her hair a mess and her eyes red from lack of sleep, and Julia sighed.

“You look like freaking Charlie Kelly!”

“There’s something here, Jules. I’m sure of it.”

“It’s a couple of athletes and a singer who happen to look similar. It’s hardly the scoop of the century.”

“Look similar? Look similar? Julia, they are completely identical! There are exactly three possibilities.” She held up three fingers in her friend’s face as she counted them off. “Triplets, clones or one ridiculously talented guy.”

“Okaaay, and which one do you think it is?”

“I don’t know,” Marcie answered, turning back to her board. “Triplets? Why would they have different names and hide it? One guy? He’d have to be able to sing and play guitar, baseball and hockey. Why wouldn’t you own up to having that kind of talent? Why go to different places with different names? Clones? I’m leaning clones.”

“Clones? Come on, Marcie.”

“It’s the most logical explanation.”

“You think someone cloned a human being just to create a one-hit-wonder country singer and some short lived athletes?”

Marcie shrugged. “It could be a trial run or an experiment or something. And you remember that anything I ever said on the forums would mysteriously vanish? I went to look after Jacques Labert turned up and every single forum post was gone! Every one! Doesn’t that sound like a government conspiracy to you?”

“It’s weird,” Julia admitted. “But I think you might be taking this a little too far. If the government were making clones, why would they let them get famous so people could discover it?”

“But they weren’t that famous. Think about it, what were the chances that someone would connect them? There were only ever a couple of us posting on the forums. If I hadn’t happened to be visiting my uncle in Palmerston when Roy Chappell was playing and then gone to Saddle and Spurs for my birthday, I’d never have known.”

Her eyes widened as a horrifying thought occurred to her . “Then Jacques Labert turned up in my city! What if I’m the connection?”

She swung back to the board and began to write her own name. Julia grabbed her hand.

“Marcie! You’re not the center of a government conspiracy! Besides, who’s this fourth guy again?” She asked, tapping one of the photos in the corner. “You didn’t have anything to do with him, did you?”

“No,” Marcie conceded. “And I told you about him, remember? He’s an animal rights activist who was on the news in San Lorenzo a couple of years ago, talking about dog fights in the Presidential Palace. And he’s Canadian. That’s why it’s so exciting that, after almost two years of nothing new, Jacques Labert, Canadian hockey player, suddenly appears. Was the guy on the news Jacques Labert? If there really is more than one of them in the first place!”

Julia grimaced, increasingly worried about Marcie’s obsession with this wild conspiracy. “He was on the news where?”

“San Lorenzo. It’s this tiny European country. Here look.” Marcie sat at her desk, tapped the name into Google and turned her laptop towards Julia.

Julia scrolled through a few pictures of the idyllic Mediterranean island, then stopped suddenly and pointed at one of them.

“Wait, who’s that?”

“Oh, that’s Rebecca Ibañez. It’s a tragic story,” Marcie explained, as she clicked on the link and showed her some clearer pictures. “A couple of years ago, the same time maybe-Jacques Labert was there, there was an election and her fiancé won. But, just as the results were announced, supporters of the former president tried to assassinate him and Rebecca stepped in front and took the bullet for him.”

“She was assassinated?”

“Yes, isn’t it awful?”

Julia shook her head. “She can’t have been.”

“What?”

“She’s my brother Zachary’s acting teacher.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I went to see his play last week and I met her. Her name’s Sophie Devereaux and she’s definitely not dead.”

Marcie looked at her in amazement, a grin breaking out across her face . “And she was in San Lorenzo at the same time as Jacques-Roy-Kenneth! There might be even more to this than I thought!”

Julia, almost as invested as Marcie now that her brother’s odd director was mixed up in this, pulled up a chair and looked on excitedly as her friend brought up another google search.

Back at the Brewpub, the crew were working out the kinks in their plan while waiting for any sign of the internet sleuth trying to share their ideas about Eliot’s multiple identities.

When the computer pinged again, they all turned to see which of his aliases had been flagged this time, only for their eyes to widen in horror as the search term flashed on the screen.

“Rebecca Ibañez” “Sophie Devereaux”

Sophie gave a gasp that almost turned into a choke. “Wha- wha- what?”

Eliot turned to Hardison, furious. “Oh sure, just dentists and a teenager! Fix. This.”

“I’m trying!” Hardison said. “I can’t find any connections to anything. They look clean.”

“Then look harder!”

Wait, I have something. It’s the kid’s computer.”

“Who’s the kid?” Nate asked.

Hardison pulled up a Facebook page. “Marcie Taylor. She’s a sophomore. She used to post on those stupid Eliot forums that I had to take down every week after Memphis. It was pretty harmless, but I’ve no idea why she’s suddenly looking at Sophie’s aliases.”

He scrolled down the page looking for any kind of hint, when Sophie called out to him to stop.

“Who’s that with her? She looks familiar.”

A few more clicks and Hardison had a name.

“Julia Gutmann. She’s in the same class.”

Gutmann?” Sophie groaned. “I know why she’s familiar. That’s Zachary’s little sister.”

“Zachary? Your acting student Zachary?” Nate asked disbelievingly.

“Yes, she came to our play last week.”

Nate shook his head. “I told you to use an alias at that theater.”

“But I wanted to do this as me,” Sophie protested.

Eliot turned back to Hardison. “So, let me get this straight. The aliases and digital trail that you set up to be uncrackable by international governmental organizations are about to be blown apart by a couple of high schoolers?”

Hardison glowered at him. “They’re only looking at old aliases and they were all burnt when we had to leave Boston anyway. It’s not that bad.”

“Sophie’s still using Sophie,” Eliot argued, nearly yelling now. “And I was only just Jacques Labert and in this city. Now they’ve tied me and her together. How did they even do that? That’s way more than some fifteen year old girls should be able to accomplish on Google.”

“Okay, okay. Don’t panic. They were looking at photos of San Lorenzo. That’s how they found a picture of Sophie."

Sophie glared at him.

"Hey!" he protested. "You're the one who jumped in front of the cameras! I can't control the entire internet you know, and I think the people of San Lorenzo would have noticed if every image of their martyred heroine suddenly vanished.

“It’s just bad luck that Julia had met you. But why were they looking at…” Hardison groaned. “They found that video of Eliot and the puppy somehow.”

“Why didn’t you take that down?” Eliot snapped.

“It’s a thirty second feature on the news from two years ago in a country smaller than Iceland! It wasn’t my top priority!”

“Dammit, Hardison!”

“So, our cover’s going to get blown by kids?” Parker asked, incredulously.

“No,” Nate insisted. “Well, maybe. But we can manage this. Hardison, don't let them post anything. Sophie, call Zachary. Let’s go steal ourselves some silence.”

#leverage #eliot spencer #the eliot conspiracy #alec hardison #parker #sophie devereaux #nate ford #leverage fic #my fic #this is basically crackfic #purely dumb but hopefully entertaining

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lazywitchling · 3 years

Note

how did the player’s handbook shape your witchcraft? i just bought a copy, and now i’m curious what your thoughts are!

This one is maybe a little more complicated than the Tolkien one, so stay with me here. I'll do my best to explain.

For me, luck and chance are kinda 'sacred concepts'. That's maybe not the right term to use, 'cause it sounds borderline religious. But it's important to my worldview.

I'll be real, I just typed out a massive paragraph that absolutely read like the Charlie Day conspiracy board meme, and then I deleted it.

So let's just say this: The odds of the entire cosmos and all of history and humanity lining up exactly as it did to bring you to my inbox today? Well that's a really big fucking coincidence.

A lot of people say that our existence has to be because of some divinity, some higher power, God or gods or The Universe or whatever, because there has to be something bigger than us writing the story, right? There has to be some higher power pulling the cosmic strings, right? Because otherwise, why are we here? Why do we have consciousness? What is the meaning of life? Is our small human existence really just... one... big... cosmic... coincidence?

My answer: Yep! Sheer chance.

"Oh wow, Jes, that's a really dim view of things, isn't it?"

Nope! No no no, because see... "Chance" is not all there is. Because we also have narrative.

I met my best friend through tumblr because she happened upon a blog of mine via the broken tag system of this blue hellsite. Total coincidence, right? Well, yeah. But while our meeting was chance, our friendship is not. I had to place significance on her being in my life. She had to place significance on me being in hers. We happened to cross each others paths via chance, but our narrative, the story we are constantly telling ourselves about our own lives, said "Hey, this person is cool and I want to talk to her more." The meeting was coincidence, but we made it important. We said "This person is important to me, and I am going to make the effort to talk to her more."

What was the cosmic ~*~meaning~*~ of that meeting? Well, nothing, until we gave it one. We made it significant.

idk, I'm thinking also on what ei-len said a while back: "The witch is a component of the spell". This might be a stretch of that quote, but stay with me here. I see a lot of people around witchblr see things that they think are omens, signs, deities reaching out to them, something. And they go ask other witch blogs "I saw a crow on my way to work! What does it mean??" My answer: Nothing on its own, really. But it's not on its own. You saw it. You are a part of the story here too. What does it mean to you at this time? Don't remove yourself from the equation here. A crow on its own is just a crow being a crow. But if you're walking through the park and you're sad and you're wishing for a sign from the universe that everything is going to be okay, and then a crow shows up in your path, and you love crows and they're your favorite animal, and it just happened to show up right when you needed it to... well. That's something special, isn't it? Now it's a sign. It's a sign because you were there! And you are part of this sign, too!

Now what the FUCK does this have to do with D&D?!

Roll a D20. What's it land on? 5. Damn. Roll another one. What's it land on? 17. Ooh yay! Roll another one. Natural 20!! FUCK YEAH!!!

Every single side on that die has the same chance of coming up. You have as much of a chance of rolling a 5 or a 12 or a 17 as you do a nat20 or a nat1. But we (or Wizards of the Coast, rather) have decided that certain numbers mean certain things. We've put meaning to chance. And we use that to create stories, adventures, emotional connections, big epic tales where we're the heroes who save the world.

Your narrative affects chance, it affects what you roll for. And then that roll, the chance, in turn affects your narrative. It shapes your story. And again through the cycle, your story affects chance once again. And on and on and on.

Life kinda works that way too, if you pay attention.

#it still sounded like the Charlie Day Conspiracy Board #I apologize #anyway #witchy meta #the lady

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loquaciousquark · 4 years

Text

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E111 (Redux! Oct. 13, 2020)

Gooooood evening good evening good evening, all! I started the VOD late for this recap and somehow the first four or so minutes of the show have a Twitch audio copyright claim, so I am reduced to only reading Brian's lips when he asks if we're on the internet. Hilariously, Marisha's background room is a comfy-looking blue/gold fabric wall with a ceramic colorful abstract lamp and a yellow silk scarf over the lampshade, and Taliesin's is an industrial looking games room in grey and black with multiple monitors, overhead speakers, and mysterious metal fixtures behind him. What a treasure this group is, honestly.

Tonight's guests: Marisha Ray & Taliesin Jaffe, discussing episodes 110 and 111 again. I wildly speculate once more about what might have caused their absence: jury duty? Sam appearing on The Masked Singer? Something to do with the animated show? One day, we’ll know, one day... (One day this “copyrighted audio” section will come back from the wars, too. Ugh!) Finally! The audio comes back to reveal Brian discussing the endless reality of digital meetings and Marisha talking about (I think) her glare-reducing glasses she’s wearing. Welcome to the New Age (welcome to the New Age, to the New Age).

Announcements: Marisha suggests checking out Dimension20, another live tabletop gaming group, which premieres live on Wednesdays at 4pm (CollegeHumor).

Brian immediately wants to know how they feel about the revelation that Molly is alive. Taliesin’s personal reaction: he “knows some things” he can’t talk about and is aware of several possibilities that might be going on, but had a sneaking suspicion that there would not be a body for them to find. He says it’s almost all there for anyone to see in past material. Marisha’s personal reaction: she just wants to know how she’s doing with her theories, & was trying to block Tal’s face out deliberately as she was going off on her theories in the last episode. Taliesin says he thought her ideas were pretty good!

Cad has no clue what to think - it’s like listening to your friends talk about Buffy. Marisha thought it was a 50/50 Molly would still be there, but Beau had no idea. Not that it mattered, because as soon as Matt went through with it the reveal still blew their minds. Tal laid out his plans for the character with Matt during Campaign One (towards the end) after they all got their VM tattoos.

It is a “horrifying and gross” thing to dig up a body, and Beau was pretty reluctant to do it. Tal, as Cad: “Sometimes dead’s better.” The moral quandary of trying to speak with a dead friend was very different here than the frequent occasions they used the spell in C1.

Taliesin says his poker face is very bad, so it’s easier for him to over-react and let it all play out. The only other player he can see very easily from his place in their current setup is Travis, and because he knows Travis doesn’t watch TM, tweet, or participate in social media, he admits he thoroughly enjoyed watching Travis freak out at his freaking out. He says he only knew about 20% of what Matt described at the end of that episode. He was picking things to mug to increase Travis’s surprise. I love this so much.

Taliesin provided the table left leg shake; Travis provided table right. Ha!

Beau is really accepting her role in the Cobalt Soul. It’s good when “as a person, you feel like you can settle into your calling. Sometimes you can do more from the inside than fighting from the outside.” It’s a mirrored but opposite path of Keyleth from C1; Beau felt like she was too good for her duty, while Keyleth thought she wasn’t good enough.

Caduceus is not a big believer in jumping to conclusions. He does have an idea/notion of the “city of the undead” and thinks all this necrotic energy must come from somewhere, and wonders if this is the “capital of anti-death.” He’s willing to believe whatever he sees. This is one of the few things that trigger a bit of loathing and disgust in him. It was terrifying that the Wildmother didn’t know anything.

Beau is pretty confident in her Charlie Day impression laying-out-the-research last episode. She enjoyed taking the things that were known & extrapolating around them; this is a huge facet of Marisha’s own personality and she really enjoys it, so she built a character this time that would allow that kind of puzzle-solving. It’s also why she repeatedly notes when Beau journals, so she can avoid metagaming. Trent’s mention of Vess Durogna’s tomb raiding was completely circumstantial, and the only reason she’d made the connection to the Tombtakers was because she’d recently reviewed those notes for a separate unannounced project. Sometimes she tries to make connections and Matt is like, “It was...just descriptive. Just flavor. The curtains were red...” and she has to discard a paragraph of notes. She feels like it’s still something they have to do because of “look at what he does! Look! It’s totally valid!”

Cosplay of the Week: @kitsunstudios with a gorgeous Caduceus with a very intricate silk vest.

Caduceus’s takedown of Trent! One of my favorite moments in the entirety of C2. Taliesin felt Trent was an asshole; Caduceus felt sorry for him because of how dumb he thought he was. Caduceus’s response was "this is the dumbest man I’ve ever met in my life. He’s so dumb! Is nobody going to tell this guy how dumb he is? Oh, they’re all freaked out. Somebody needs to tell this guy he’s an idiot before somebody gets hurt.” (Marisha: “Before?”) Tal says it was the product of several years of therapy and many drunk conversations with Whitney Moore. It was from a genuine place of concern from Caduceus. “How are you allowed to have this much power and be that dumb?”

Brian loved how funny it was to watch everyone tiptoe around Trent and then Caduceus bulldoze through the end of the meal.

Taliesin: “Damage doesn’t make you interesting or better. It’s not what makes you good. Character isn’t found in damage. Just recovery.”

Brian & Marisha commiserate going through the stage where believing surviving something automatically made you a stronger person, better for the pain; instead it just meant you had to pick up the pieces after. Marisha talks about how strength through survival may be true for some people, but it shouldn’t be considered a necessity. Taliesin talks about how he used to think he had to be miserable to write. Brian talks about how believing he liked reading and writing miserable things only limited him for years.

Marisha feels it’s a C2 theme that almost all the PCs have someone trying to handwave or take credit for their accomplishments or explain their pain as being for their own good (Trent, Beau’s dad, Obann). She thinks it’s interesting to see all the various ways people try to take credit for your work/delegitimize you as a person. She loves that RPGs allow you to explore these odd moralities in interesting ways. The only way to fight it is to have a sense of your own self-worth, which is a problem a lot of the M9 started with.

Caduceus likes everyone, and really likes people who appear to need role models (Eodwulf). “With the right friends and the right bar and the right attitude, I think he’d be okay. Come over here where it’s so much better. That seems like an exhausting friendship that you have there.”

Marisha loves the mix of personalities in the M9; Veth, Cad, & Jester were all “we kind of like them!” after the dinner, and she immediately made eye contact with Travis and they both shook their heads. She knows Beau has to go along with it for Caleb’s sake for now, but she & Fjord are pretty sus of Trent’s proteges.

Beau is less concerned about Artagan’s relationship to Jester because “he showed his ass--she’s less worried about Jester now because a little of the magic is gone.” It’s a little like becoming an adult and realizing your parents are also just adults & human. Caduceus wasn’t suspicious of the Traveler for a long time until they got to the island. Aside: Taliesin loves the pantheon in D&D. “The notion of attempting to apply common Western conceptions of religion to a world where you have a pantheon of interventionist gods as baseline makes no sense to me. Everyone admits that every other god is there and doing shit; it has more in common with ancient Rome than anything else.” Now that he knows it was a con, he feels the wind had been taken out of it. He does have a sense that Jester’s gotten back together with an ex: “I hope that I’m really happy for you.” They’re both interested to see how Jester navigates the new relationship.

My internet goes out, of course. I panic for a second, thinking I’ve lost everything above, but all is well! Thanks, Form History Control addon!

Marisha loved punching Artagan, but regretting rolling so poorly. “I miss violence.” Dani lets us know it’s been about four episodes since the last battle.

There’s no way the Cobalt Reserve doesn’t have a single document on the Eyes of Nine. Beau believes “there are no real secrets” because people are just bad at not writing things down. For there to be no information at all seems really suspicious for her.

Fanart of the Week: @oddalchemist on twitter with some awesome Beau conspiracy red-thread boards overlaid a distant shadowy Molly walking away.

Caduceus feels a little guilty for really enjoying his time right now with the M9 and not wanting to go home. He’s starting to suspect that he’s going to go home very different than when he left. “He has the softest problems. I don’t know if I want to move back in with Mom & Dad.”

Beau is trying to get comfortable with the idea of being happy. Jester is probably Beau’s first real best friend & one of the first healthy female friendships she’s ever had. As long as she still has Jester in her life, she doesn’t care. For Yasha... “At the end of the day, Beau is a lonely person and has always been a lonely person. And I think you kinda reach this point where once you’re not lonely anymore, you can kind of come out of the fog and realize that was horrible! And terrifying! And is even more terrifying now that I know what I could have, and I don’t want to go back to that. At the end of the day Beau doesn’t want to be lonely anymore. There’s always been that flirtation with Yasha, but everyone had to figure their own shit out. And now it feels like it’s coming out a little bit of that haze, maybe this actually could be...” There are a lot of ways they complement each other & are good-different from each other. Marisha believes people can be attracted to more than person at once.

Caduceus doesn’t think nature turned against him on Rumblecusp, it was just a reality of nature being dangerous and violent. “He has a complex relationship with nature.” He doesn’t expect special treatment.

Thoughts on the mansion: “Man, it’s nice to be seen.” Marisha: “I don’t know how I ended up becoming the Scanlan of this campaign, but I’m living for it.” It felt like an echo of “I’m better for having known you.” They compare Marisha taking specific notes on the campaign to Liam taking specific notes on people’s favorite tapestries, comics, etc.

They talk about missing theme parks and daydream a park version of the mansion in CritRoleLand. It’s lovely.

Taliesin never expected Divine Intervention to work; he just wanted to roll some dice. He’s still processing what he saw/heard. They all agree it was very useful in the Vokodo fight.

Vilya! Marisha: “Ah! Ah! Ah!” As a player, Marisha was so deep in Beau’s eyes she didn’t pick up it was Vilya at first (especially since Matt really emphasized they should not be looking for C1 NPCs). Marisha’s brain melted. She bawled her eyes out on the ride home after that episode. Right after it ended, Laura told Marisha “Keyleth finally gets her happy ending,” and it makes Marisha emotional again since Keyleth’s story ended so bittersweetly. She talks about the very real feelings of “just wanting them to be happy, though!” She went back and listened to all her old Keyleth playlists. Everyone was teary after the episode. “Everyone has these 100% real memories of being these characters and having these good times.”

And that’s that for that! Thanks for your patience, all, and is it Thursday yet?

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long post for ts

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cullen-collective · 4 years

Text

Happy Birthday Wifey! @bellasredchevy your charisma, humor, intelligence, and beauty overwhelm me and I'm so proud to be a person who's allowed to know you. I hope your day is effervescent!

"Whatcha doing?"

Bella jumped, startled, and tumbled off the bed. Luckily, her laptop managed to stay on the bed just barely. Unluckily, Edythe was already seated behind it, tucking one of Bella's earbuds in and raising a perfect eyebrow.

Bella stared up at her from the floor, once again stunned by the way Edythe's face moved as she listened to the laptop-

Shit. Stunning over.

Bella sat up too quickly, resulting in a sharp pain behind her eyes. She ignored it. "Edythe, don't-" she began, only to be cut off.

"Is this... a conspiracy theory video?" Edythe leisurely turned her face toward Bella's, grinning down at the brunette and she slowly turned pink.

"Maybe."

"You don't believe this, do you?" Edythe asked, her voice full of amusement and her grin fixed firmly in place.

Bella scowled. "Okay, Miss Creature of the Night." She hoisted herself off the floor and shoved uselessly at Edythe, which only made her laugh. When she wouldn't budge, Bella shrugged and plopped herself onto her girlfriend's lap, stealing back her earbuds. "You're one to talk, Cullen," she remarked, "considering before I met you my life was entirely free of vampires and werewolves."

Bella thought she was deflecting her embarrassment pretty well. She'd never admitted her love of the wacky and weird to anyone before. She leaned into Edythe as the redhead put her arms around Bella's waist, settling her legs on either side of her, one bent at the knee.

"That's true," she said, "but Mothman isn't real."

Bella's eyes narrowed. "How could you possibly know that?"

She felt Edythe's chuckle through Edythe's chest and against her back. "Emmett went looking for eight solid months once."

Bella snorted. "I'm not really going to take your word for it that he doesn't exist." She turned to give Edythe a skeptical look. "Emmett searching for eight months doesn't seem like enough time."

Edythe beamed at her. "You're really adamant about this stuff, aren't you?"

Bella shrugged, attempting nonchalance. "Well, it isn't like you said there's no Bigfoot."

"There isn't."

Bella gasped. "You shut your mouth!"

Edythe burst out laughing. "Not every story is true, Bella!"

"But you can't know for sure!" Bella was gesturing wildly at the laptop. "You're old, but not that old! You have no idea if they ever existed!"

Edythe was still giggling, but she shook her head. "Okay, love, I acquiesce. You win."

Bella unplugged the earbuds so they could both listen to the video. "Darn right, I win," she grumbled.

Edythe opted to play with Bella's hair instead of arguing, which Bella was grateful for. At least she didn't have to hide her wilder theories from her girlfriend anymore.

There was a sudden knock at her door. She glanced at Edythe, questioning which entrance she'd used. Edythe shrugged and nodded, letting her know that Charlie knew she was here.

"Come in!"

Charlie opened the door to reveal Jacob Black behind him, his long hair down and damp from the rain outside.

"Jake's here," Charlie said, giving Edythe a nod. Edythe smiled at them both benignly, giving Jake a little wave.

"I can see that," Bella said. "Come on in, Jake."

Charlie stepped aside to let him into the room. "You kids want some pizza?" he asked, giving Bella a brow raise.

Bella beamed. "Sure, Dad, thanks."

"I'll call you guys when it gets here," he said, giving the three of them a quick salute and a smile before shutting the door.

Jake flipped down onto the other side of the bed. "I was gonna see if you guys wanted to wakeboard down at First Beach. Got special permission to let the bloodsucker over the line and everything."

"Why can't we?" Bella asked, leaning her head back as Edythe combed her fingers through Bella's hair.

Jake gestured to the window. "Lightning."

"Another time, then," Edythe said serenely. "Thanks for the offer, Jacob."

"Yeah, well," he said, smiling, "you're not half bad in a fight, and if we stick this one on a board she'll need as much supervision as possible."

"Hey Jake," Bella asked, ignoring them discussing her welfare right in front of her once again, "you believe in Mothman, right?"

Jake scoffed. "Duh."

Bella shifted to face Edythe. "Hah!"

Edythe rolled her eyes. "Insanity is never far from a friend," she mumbled.

#twilight #twilight saga #edythe cullen #bella x edythe #bella swan #happy birthday love #thats my wife

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omahdon · 5 years

Video

youtube

Comic dub of an Overwatch fancomic by @artbytesslyn - featuring the voices of @totalspiffage, Elsie Lovelock, Tiana Camacho, @hnilmik and myself!

So hey! It's been a while since we last Overwatch AWNN'd. We should maybe talk about that some time; but for right now, let's talk about this little bit of theater that is a partial adaptation of the third part of the on-going Ghost series! Basically, Tesslyn approached me to do this comic dub, the rest of the cast was on board for dubbing it, and so here we are now with another part of this unfolding mystery and conspiracy. A conspi-tery, if you will! Well, maybe not. Widowmaker and Reaper sure have the best conversations about death/dying and finding comfort in the ever-dwindling number of heartbeats that separate them from a permanent residence in the cold earth. What a cheery pair of pals they are! Also, for everybody who commented on previous videos with "But what about Moira?" as a key vector for why Reaper and Widowmaker are the way they are: WELL LOOKEE HERE SUM! What a most delicious reveal, indeed.

Anyway, sorry about the Overwatch AWNN not happening nearly as often as it once did, but we've all been doing quite a bit of stuff besides! The clip section showed some of that, but I thought I'd go indepth with some of it. For example, Kimlinh Tran's performance as Louis in Ghost Giant is absolutely phenomenal! It's a very cute and sweet game, but it also deals with depression and how children aren't necessarily emotionally equipped to deal with that, and the lengths they'll go to in order to make things "normal" again.

Tamara Fritz getting to voice a character in Warframe is a pretty big deal, and she was actually a guest of honor at this year's TennoCon (a con for all things Warframe) so that's a wonderful recognition of her skills and experience! Tiana Camacho is pretty much a household name for voiceover work at this point; she's popping up in all sorts of places, and the clipshow I have here is but just a small sample of the everything she's been doing (and will do oooOOOOooooh)! And I don't think I even need to say anything about what Kira Buckland has done, because you probably already know it; but just in case, a couple of highlights: NieR:Automata, Kakegurui, Violet Evergarden, Octopath Traveler, and The VeggieTales Show (!) to name a few!

Natalie van Sistine is the voice of Emily in the Overwatch AWNN series, so hearing her voice Black Widow in DEATH BATTLE! Black Widow VS Widowmaker is absolutely hilarious; the layers of meta on that are absolutely delicious, because this basically means that Tracer has TWO deadly assassin girlfriends, she just doesn't know it yet. Elsie Lovelock is the singing voice for Charlie for the upcoming animated series Hazbin Hotel, and you should definitely check out the trailer for that if you haven't already (IT'S GORGEOUS) and then consume everything related to it, pretty much!

Finally there's me, Edwyn Tiong, what did several voices for Unavowed! The game got nominated for several awards, including Excellence in Narrative for the 2019 Independent Games Festival, and won Best Acting from Adventure Gamers for the 2018 Aggie Awards! So that's all pretty cool. "I played a face-eating demon in an IGF-nominated game" is a factual statement that I can say proudly! I'm also still working on Freedom Planet 2 in the writing department so that's a thing I'm doing as well!

So yeah, that's what's been happening with us right now. Will there be more Overwatch AWNN after this? MAYBE. Who can say?

If you enjoyed that, why not support me on ko-fi or watch some of my other comic dubs?

#Overwatch #comic dub #team talon #talon squad #team edge #widowmaker #reaper #sombra #amelie lacroix #gabriel reyes #olivia colomar #mercy #moira (overwatch)#angela ziegler #moira o’deorain #sticky #voice acting #featured

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rockandrollstorytime · 4 years

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Rock and Roll Storytime #9: The Decline and Death of Brian Jones

I’ve probably made it no secret that I have a freaky-ass memory throughout the course of this series, and this won’t be an exception. Aside from many of the exact dates, I can remember exactly how I got obsessed with Brian Jones.

It started in May 2019 while I was goofing off in art class. I was trying to write about the 27 Club, being obsessed with Kurt Cobain at the time, when I found myself captivated by a certain other blonde in the club.

I don’t know what kept me around. Maybe it was the delicate features framed by silky blond hair. Maybe it was the complicated story of his life. Maybe it was his mysterious death, and my drive to find out what really happened. Or maybe it was that shitty movie they made about him in 2005.

Whatever the reason, I stuck around. I’ll even put it this way: “Came for the morbidity stayed for the music. “

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

It took me about a week or two to come up with my first theory between wondering what the hell I was getting myself into and trying to decide whether I should watch Stoned. I found out very early on that Brian had developed asthma at the age of four after a bout of croup. Knowing that asthma attacks can result in death, I didn’t think it unlikely that Brian could have drowned as a result of an asthma attack. In my research, I found an article stating that chlorine mixing with organic material can trigger symptoms of asthma attacks and allergic reactions.

I knew I’d need more evidence though but given that I didn’t want to be too intrusive this early on, that would be a slow process. If there was one thing I held on to, it was my firm resolute to not fall for another murder conspiracy so soon. It didn’t end so well for me the last time.

As I was trying to piece together what exactly happened to Brian Jones, I was also beginning to find out the story of how he got to that point in the first place.

There are many reasons I have love-hate relationships with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and their treatment of Brian Jones is by far the biggest one.

Where the story of Brian Jones’ decline really starts is at the Ealing Club on 7 April 1962. It was here that a young Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Dick Taylor saw Brian “Elmo Lewis” Jones take the stage for the first time. The next month, Brian put an ad in the papers for musicians to come join a band he was starting. He quickly brought together Ian Stewart, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Dick Taylor, and Tony Chapman. The band, which Brian dubbed “The Rollin’ Stones,” gave their first performance on 12 July 1962, though there seems to be some confusion over who was playing drums that night. Bill Wyman replaced Dick Taylor on 7 December 1962, and Charlie Watts replaced Tony Chapman on 9 January 1963.

In the early days, Brian served as the Stones’ manager. It ended up being this very thing that led to the first cracks in this fortuitous partnership.

First thing’s first, Andrew Loog Oldham came along, and in May, he became the Stones’ manager. He only really had eyes for Mick and was one of the ones who led the subsequent whispering campaign against Brian. Not helping anything was when, on 13 October 1963, the others found out that Brian had been paying himself an extra £5 ($5.58). These were expenses he deducted because he believed that should be his pay, considering he was doing much of the work at this time. (I can sort of relate; I’ve suffered through high school group projects).

On the economics side (lord knows, that’s more Mick’s thing than mine), Bill Wyman has since stated that the Stones were making £193 ($215.38) a week. Adjusting for inflation, Brian was deducting roughly £87.26 out of £3,608.53. For the Americans in the crowd, that’s roughly $114.20 out of $4,722.66, once adjusted for inflation. Granted, across the board, that’s roughly 2.5% of the band’s total income at this point. Still, even that much might matter when you’re a bunch of starving artists.

When Paul Trynka summarized why everybody was pissed in his book, Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones, he said that for Mick, it was because he was a student at the London School of Economics. Five pounds is five pounds. Meanwhile, Keith was pissed because he, like everyone else in the band, was under the impression that they were earning equal pay in this group effort.

Pro-tip: If you start a band and feel you should be paid more because of how much of the work you’re doing, please disclose this with your band and work out an arrangement that will be beneficial to everyone. Otherwise, shit gets ugly.

Brian also didn’t help his case by insisting on staying in fancier hotels than the others (he was a bit of a neat-freak and a narcissist).

Keith later said, “He had an arrangement with (Eric) Easton, that as leader of the band he was entitled to this extra payment. Everybody freaked out. That was the beginning of the decline of Brian. We said, ‘Fuck you…’”

Meanwhile, Ian Stewart (who had been ousted from the band earlier that year) stated, “When we started playing outside London, Brian said, ‘I’m the leader of the group and I think I’ll stay at the best hotel. All the rest of you can stay in a cheaper hotel.’ Of course, the rest of the Stones just laughed at him, and that was it from then on. It was all over for him as the leader. He started to isolate himself because of this attitude.”

With one little five-pound note (and an ego trip), Brian had set in motion his entire downfall.

It might seem petty to myself and plenty of other Brian Jones fans, but lord knows, I’m not Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, or Andrew Loog Oldham. Besides, I have no idea how I’ll feel about all this in five years.

Meanwhile, I must confess that I almost did fall into that mindset of believing Brian was murdered. In June 2019, I was in Paris, on a trip across France led by my French teacher. Somewhere between trying not to lose my mind in a big city and taking awkward selfies at Jim Morrison’s grave, I, being overly chatty, started talking to one of my peers about music-related topics. I told her Brian’s entire life story as I understood it at that time, having been obsessed with him for a little over a month at that point. In my haste though, I unintentionally managed to convince her that Brian had been murdered. Despite not meaning to, I did end up entertaining the possibility, both for her and myself, for at least the rest of the night.

Besides, at the time, I was drawing blanks in trying to find hard evidence that Brian wasn’t murdered. I had one (water-logged) book saying he wasn’t, and a (shitty) movie and another book saying he was.

And then, at some point, I regained my senses, and not because of how ridiculous Brian’s death was when depicted in the movie Stoned. (For fuck’s sake, there was a shooting star in the sky at the moment of his death and he showed up as a ghost in the last five minutes). It really had everything to do with how much I regretted believing Kurt Cobain had been murdered.

I once again gathered my resolve and decided to go back on the hunt for more clues.

The second part of Brian Jones’ decline undoubtedly involves his tempestuous relationship with German-Italian actress Anita Pallenberg. The two started dating after a Rolling Stones concert in Munich on 14 September 1965 and developed a close bond, thanks in part to Brian’s ability to speak German. She gave him the confidence he needed to go against Mick and Keith and helped him become the fashion icon he is still remembered as today.

The Who’s Pete Townshend later had this to say: “We hung out a lot from about 1964 to 1966. Part of the time he was seeing Anita Pallenberg. She was a stunning creature. I mean literally stunning. It was quite hard to maintain one’s gaze. One time in Paris I remember they took some drug and were so sexually stimulated they could hardly wait for me to leave the room before starting to shag. I felt Brian was living on a higher plane of decadence than anyone I would ever meet.”

However, their relationship was also highly abusive. They would verbally and physically abuse each other. In fact, one time, Brian broke his wrist while the two were on a trip in Tangier. Though Brian said it was the result of an accident, Christopher Gibbs and Bill Wyman have both stated that it resulted from an altercation with Anita (though sources vary about whether he broke his wrist on a metal window frame or her face).

Of their relationship, Keith had this to say, “I would hear the thumping some nights, and Brian would come out with a black eye. Brian was a woman beater. But the one woman in the world you did not want to try and beat up on was Anita Pallenberg. Every time they had a fight, Brian would come out bandaged and bruised.”

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I’d go so far as to say that the one good thing that came out of their relationship was the fact that Brian composed the soundtrack for her movie Mord Und Totschlag (A Degree of Murder).

As I’ve previously written about, when Mick and Keith were charged with drug possession in February 1967, lawyers told the Glimmer Triplets (Mick, Keith, and Brian) that since they were the most visible of the Stones, they should leave the country. So, Brian and Anita left Britain, heading for Morocco. However, Brian was already in no condition to travel, and he fell ill with pneumonia in Toulouse. He ended up spending a few days there (including his 25th birthday), while Keith and Anita met up in Tangier. There, she started an affair with Keith behind Brian’s back (Keith even confirmed in his autobiography that she made the first move).

When Brian finally arrived, he could tell that there was something going on between Keith and Anita. Keith was apparently shy around girls at this stage in his life but was more confident around Anita. Meanwhile, Anita was now a bit more open around Keith. Not much is certain about what happened next. What is known is that Brian paid for the services of two prostitutes and that there was an incident between him and Anita that night. Keith said that he threw food at her and humiliated her. Bill claimed that he beat her to the point where she was scared for her life. The less said about Stoned, the better.

Regardless, whatever Brian’s actions really were, it was over between him and Anita. Keith convinced her that if they didn’t get the hell out of there, Brian might try and kill her. The next day, Mick, Keith, and Anita fled Morocco, leaving Brian stranded for the next two days.

Brian’s father later blamed his son’s downward spiral on Anita breaking his heart. Others, such as Linda Lawrence, suggest that it was Mick and Keith’s betrayal that hurt him far more than Anita’s.

In either case, he never really forgave Keith. Beyond that, his drug and alcohol consumption only worsened.

This part of the Stones’ history is… tricky. Of course, I can’t condone Brian for his behaviour, but Keith, and especially Anita weren’t entirely in the right in this situation. Ultimately, Keith and Anita stayed together until 1980 and had three children (one of whom unfortunately died in infancy). Besides, I understand Keith’s actions the most out of everyone, given that he had a noble intent in getting Anita away from Brian’s increasingly toxic behaviour. Of course, it’s also important to note that Brian and Anita were 25 and 24 respectively at the time of this incident, and beyond that, they were young and impulsive, with unfortunately predictable results, given that they both could be volatile.

I may have an infatuation with Brian, but sometimes, something’s got to give.

Fifty-two years after that clusterfuck, I was continuing my research into the life of L. B. H. Jones as the fiftieth anniversary of his death came and went. A week or two later, I decided, despite some reservations, to get Bill Wyman’s book, Stone Alone.

Say what you will about Bill (I know at some point I’ll be commenting about the travesty that was his relationship with Mandy Smith), but I figured that if I wanted to know about the early Rolling Stones, he’d be one of my best sources. At the very least, he’s the only one who’s given Brian any sort of credit for his accomplishments instead of solely focusing on his failures like Keith tends to do. As I was flipping through random pages, I learned that Bill had written about one of Brian’s many illegitimate children. He called her “Carol,” for the sake of anonymity, and in it, he discussed the matter of her being diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. She and Bill even applied some of her symptoms to things Bill observed when he was with Brian. In that one instant, what happened to Brian the night he drowned seemed to make perfect sense.

One of the things that had made putting the clues together so difficult from the very start was that Brian had punctate haemorrhages (tiny bleeds normally found in shaken baby syndrome) in his brain, which indicated that he’d been thrashing around quite a bit in his final moments.

Temporal lobe epilepsy can’t be cured, but it is manageable to a degree with medications. Brian, however, was never diagnosed, which is why we can’t be certain that he had epilepsy. There is no doubt in my mind that if Brian did have epilepsy, it would’ve gotten worse over time, given that Brian received no treatment. Carol speculated that Brian likely chalked up many of his symptoms to being hungover. Even then, he might not have realized that something was happening with his brain.

While I was typing up my theories though, I remembered that I’d found his toxicology report not long beforehand. As I read it, I found out that the drug that was in his system was likely Mandrax, which he had been prescribed in the days before he died. When I looked up Mandrax, I discovered that it was a brand name for Quaaludes. It can cause mental confusion, ataxia, seizures, and impaired decision-making, among other negative side-effects. The impaired judgment would explain why Brian decided it’d be a great idea to go swimming after he’d had sleeping pills and alcohol…

I still didn’t consider my work done, but this was the closest I’d come to having answers yet.

Speaking of Brian and drug abuse, the third key to understanding what happened to Brian, is to look at his two drug convictions.

However, I already talked about this (quite recently too), so I’ll try and keep this section brief.

As Mick and Keith were formally charged with drug possession on 10 May 1967, Brian found his home being raided by police. Although he’d been tipped off about their arrival, they still managed to find a handbag with cannabis in it, as well as methamphetamines and cocaine. It could be argued that the evidence was planted, but there is no way to prove this. In court, Brian confessed to doing cannabis but denied doing anything stronger (even though there’s pictures of him tripping on LSD early in 1967). The Stones’ new manager, Allen Klein, told him to stay away from the other Stones. However, this had the effect of further isolating Brian when he needed his bandmates the most.

On 30 October 1967, Brian was sentenced to three months in prison for cannabis possession and another nine months for allowing cannabis to be smoked in his home. He was additionally fined. After a rough night in prison, he was released the next day, awaiting appeal, though he was left shaken by that experience.

On 12 December, Brian went to appeals court, where his psychologist argued that Brian would become suicidal if he went to prison. Brian was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered by the courts to seek professional help.

Lord knows, at this point, Brian might have been making an honest-to-God effort to get off drugs, but on 21 May 1968, police raided his house again. This time, they found cannabis hidden away in a ball of wool in the process. This usually inspires more impassioned arguments from Brian Jones fans that the evidence was planted. Brian himself said that he would swear until the day he died that he didn’t commit this second offense. Because he was still on probation at the time of this second arrest, he was facing a long jail sentence if found guilty.

On 26 September, Brian was found guilty of drug possession for the second time. However, the same judge who sentenced him to a year in prison the first time took pity on him. Instead, he fined Brian and gave him a stern warning to not show up in court again.

As you can see with the attached pictures though, the trials only helped speed up Brian’s downward spiral, and he shut down mentally.

Honestly, I think the trials are a large part of the reason Brian went downhill as fast as he did.

Meanwhile, back in the present day, it was September now, and I was starting to get into the swing of being a full-time college student. While I was procrastinating, as usual, I was messing about on Google and I happened upon Brian’s autopsy report. Fact about me: this was far from my first time reading either autopsy reports or death certificates, so I decided to give it a look. After all, I could understand quite a bit of the medical jargon, which I blame on the fact that I loved reading medical books in elementary school. Couldn’t hurt, right?

Was the report perfunctory? Yes. Were there mistakes? A few that stood out, such as Brian’s height being given as 5′9″ when he was 5′6″, and his age being listed as twenty-six as opposed to twenty-seven.

However, that report did reinforce my most recent conclusions that Brian had overdosed on sleeping pills, which was exacerbated by alcohol.

I knew now that Mandrax had once been prescribed to treat anxiety and insomnia, which Brian likely suffered from following the stress of two drug trials that both resulted in convictions. This was also a time before doctors realized the addictive properties of Quaaludes. For all I know, Brian might not have been keeping the best track of how many pills he was taking (which is also how Keith Moon died).

Going back to the long, sordid story of Brian’s collapse, the fourth major reason he found himself being kicked out of the band he founded was that he stopped contributing to the Stones’ music.

In the documentary Crossfire Hurricane, Mick stated, “You certainly didn’t know if he was going to turn up and what state he was going to be in and then, what he was going to be able to do in that state. What job could you give him? And then, one time, when we sat around, on the floor, we played, in a circle, playing “No Expectations”. And he picked the guitar and played a very pretty line on it which you can hear on the record. And that was the last thing I remember him doing that was Brian. Or, the Brian that could contribute something very pretty and sensitive and it made the record sound wonderful.”

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Some people have compared Brian to someone who wants to quit but doesn’t want a confrontation (Brian, believe it or not, wasn’t exactly keen on confrontation). Instead, he puts in the smallest effort he can, if that. In fact, Brian had wanted to leave in 1967, but Mick convinced him to stay.

Perhaps Brian’s fate might have been different if he’d gone with his gut in 1967.

Brian still contributed to much of Beggars Banquet. By 1969 though, it seems as if he’d completely given up on the band he’d founded. He stopped showing up to the studio, and if he did come, he’d be too intoxicated to play. In fact, there were points where Mick and Keith would turn off his amp, if not tell him to just go home. It got to the point where he (barely) appears on two songs on Let It Bleed: “Midnight Rambler” and “You’ve Got the Silver.”

Frequent Stones collaborator Jack Nitzsche later said “Brian came up to me, looking pretty shaky, and asked me what I thought he should do- he didn’t know where he fit[ted] in. I told him to just pick up a guitar and start playing. Then he walked over to Mick and asked, ‘What should I play?’ Mick told him, ‘You’re a member of the band, Brian, play whatever you want.’ So he played something, but Mick stopped him and said, ‘No, Brian, not that- that’s no good.’ So Brian asked him again what to play and Mick told him again to play whatever he wanted. So Brian played something else, but Mick cut him off again- ‘No, that’s no good either, Brian.’”

Marianne Faithfull, Mick’s girlfriend at the time, told a friend that Brian had sent Mick several letters over a period of several weeks while Mick was away. One that she’d opened said “Please let me come back in. I’ll play bongos, anything, but please let me come back in.”

…I need a moment to recollect myself.

Some fifty years later, I was still trying to make it through my first semester of college. I got myself a book about the 27 Club, figuring there might be something that would aid me in my research. There, I learned that, reportedly, Brian had not only been taking Mandrax, but also Piriton (hay fever medication), black bombers (which had been prescribed to him a mere ten days before he died), and Valium. That’s on top of an inhaler that would later be found to cause heart palpitations.

A couple of months later, I decided to look up the side-effects of every drug that Brian had ever taken, be it proven fact or allegation. That part of my research isn’t quite finished yet, but what I’ve found with the five medications that Brian was taking around the time of his death proved to be particularly shocking.

For the sake of brevity, I can’t list every side-effect. What I did notice is that some included side-effects of tachycardia/bradycardia, confusion, loss of coordination, impaired decision making, hyperactivity, seizures, and stomach problems. Some, like the uncoordinated behaviour, were noted by those who were there, such as Janet Lawson, who realized that Brian had taken sleeping pills that night, based on him muttering that he’d taken “sleepers”. Others could be a no-brainer, given that Brian had an enlarged heart and liver, in addition to suffering from bronchial troubles and pleurisy.

My immediate thought was, “Jesus, Brian, what the hell were you doing to yourself?”

And now for the final part of Brian’s story: the last twenty-five days of his life.

The Stones wanted to go on tour again, this being their first in two years. Due to Brian’s convictions, Stones management discovered that he probably wouldn’t be able to receive a work visa in the U.S. On 8 June 1969, Mick and Keith drove down to Cotchford Farm to tell Brian that he was fired. They brought Charlie along in case Brian decided to put up a fight. However, Brian agreed to back out gracefully, possibly knowing that he’d burned too many bridges at this point. The next day, Brian released a statement, which painted the decision to leave as being his own. He capped it off with “We had a friendly meeting and agreed that an amicable termination, temporary or permanent, was the only answer. The only solution was to go our separate ways, but we shall still remain friends. I love those fellows.”

As I’ve said though, how Brian truly felt about this turn of events will forever remain a mystery.

In the days before he died, it has been suggested by those close to him that Brian was planning on starting another band. Some believe he was going to bring in Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon. Jimi’s camp has since denied that Brian ever approached Jimi. There are also lingering questions regarding whether Brian had given up hard drugs or if he was still taking them. I doubt the latter, considering the well-documented stress of the drug trials.

The picture above was taken nine days before Brian died. Honestly, I do believe there was still some hope for Brian (I can even see it in his eyes). Whether he would’ve recovered or not and whether he’d still be alive today will forever remain up to conjecture, as that’s another possibility that followed Brian to the grave.

Wednesday, 2 July 1969 was host to hot, muggy weather that exacerbated Brian’s asthma. He spent his last day alive with at least three people: Anna Wohlin, his 22-year-old, Swedish girlfriend, Janet Lawson, a registered nurse who was dating Stones minder Tom Keylock, and Frank Thorogood, a 43-year-old builder who’d been doing work on Brian’s property at the time.

Details of Brian’s final day are sketchy, and there are some disagreements over what exactly the people involved did throughout the day. For example, there are disagreements about whether they watched television or not. Some would argue that this is clear evidence that Brian was murdered. I would posit that three of the four parties involved had been drinking. Even if everyone was sober, in a situation such as this, human memory can be extremely unreliable. For example, hundreds of witnesses were interviewed on the night Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, but no two accounts are alike. What we know had to be stitched together from witness accounts in which everyone claimed to have seen or heard something different.

What seems to be the most agreed-upon version of Brian’s death is that he decided to go swimming. Anna was reluctant and had to be persuaded to join in. Janet, the only sober person among the group, decided against swimming, most likely to keep an eye out for everyone else. Janet said in her witness report (recorded on the morning of July 3, 1969) that she strongly felt that Frank and Brian were in no condition to swim. She also recalled that Brian had great difficulty in standing on the diving board, being helped not-so-successfully by Frank. Even after that, his movements in the water seemed sluggish.

I don’t know, but if that were me, I would’ve called emergency services right there and then.

According to Janet, Anna was the first to return to the house, followed by Frank about ten minutes later. When Janet next went out to check on Brian sometime around midnight, she found him face-down in the deep end, and “immediately sensed the worst.”

She ran back to the house to get Frank and Anna, and with their help, got Brian out of the pool. She immediately began resuscitative efforts, despite knowing Brian was already dead. Anna later claimed that she felt Brian’s hand briefly grip hers. However, when paramedics arrived, they pronounced Brian dead in the early morning hours of 3 July 1969.

Brian’s official cause of death was given as drowning by immersion in fresh water, partly as a result of liver damage and the ingestion of drugs and alcohol. To be precise, 1,720 micro-gms of an “amphetamine-like substance” and the alcohol equivalent of three-and-a-half pints of beer were found in Brian’s system.

In short, it was death by misadventure.

As seems to be the case when a young celebrity dies under tragic circumstances, conspiracy theories have since risen regarding Brian’s death. The following list is taken from Paul Trynka’s book. For the sake of brevity (such as it is), some of these will be combined into one section.

1. The most predominant of these theories states that Frank Thorogood drowned Brian. Whether it was second-degree murder or manslaughter as a result of rough horseplay will usually vary between sources. Brian reportedly asked Janet to get his inhaler shortly before his death. The story then goes on to state that Frank drowned Brian and participated little in the efforts to save Brian’s life. It should be noted that Janet did state in her original testimony that she’d asked him to call emergency services.

The main reason people will give about why they believe that Brian was murdered is that Tom Keylock claimed to have heard Frank confess on his deathbed to the murder. However, Frank’s daughter, Jan Bell, has denied that such an exchange could have happened. There was never a point where Keylock had spent any time alone with her father. Furthermore, he’d only been admitted with a respiratory problem, and thus could not have known that he was on his deathbed. She also claimed that on the morning of Brian’s death, Frank saw an argument between Mick, Keith, and Brian over the name “Rolling Stones.” During the fight, Keith allegedly pulled a knife on Brian. If this did happen, it was likely earlier in the year.

In addition, Janet and Anna have since claimed that Brian was murdered. Janet later claimed that much of her original testimony was suggested to her by investigating officers and that Tom told her to hide the fact that she was his girlfriend. Anna claimed that she was spirited back to Sweden in the immediate aftermath of Brian’s death, where she allegedly miscarried Brian’s child. One of Anna’s friends later said that her belief that Brian had been murdered was a recent development. It’s also notable that neither witness came forward until after Frank died. Many of Anna’s recollections about Brian, such as him being focused on music are also contradicted by others who were close to Brian at the time.

Keith later said, “I knew Frank Thorogood, who made a ‘deathbed confession’ that he’d killed Brian Jones by drowning him in the swimming pool, where Brian’s body was found some minutes after other people had seen him alive. But I’m always wary of deathbed confessions because the only person there is the person he’s supposed to have said it to, some uncle, daughter, or whatever. ‘On his deathbed he said he killed Brian.’ Whether he did or not I don’t know. Brian had bad asthma and he was taking Quaaludes and Tuinals, which are not the best things to dive under water on. Very easy to choke on that stuff. He was heavily sedated. He had a high tolerance for drugs, I’ll give him that. But weigh that against the coroner’s report, which showed that he was suffering from pleurisy, an enlarged heart, and a diseased liver. Still, I can imagine the scenario of Brian being so obnoxious to Thorogood and the building crew he had working on Brian’s house that they were just pissing around with him. He went under and didn’t come up. But when somebody says, ‘I did Brian,’ at the very most I’d put it down to manslaughter. All right, you may have pushed him under, but you weren’t there to murder him. He pissed off the builders, whining son of a bitch. It wouldn’t have mattered if the builders were there or not, he was at that point in his life when there wasn’t any.”

(You’re telling me he can apologize for telling Mick to get a vasectomy, but not for even a fraction of the shit he’s said about Brian?)

In 2005, this version of events was turned into the appalling movie Stoned, which featured Tom Keylock as an adviser and was based on claims made by Janet Lawson and Anna Wohlin. The director, Stephen Wooley, claimed to have researched the material for this story over a period of ten years. Really, it feels less like ten years of research, and more like one week. From what I could tell, it did seem that Brian’s death was manslaughter, but honestly, it was too confusing. Frank seemed damn determined to drown Brian in that moment. The movie (quite literally) drowned on arrival.

2. In 1983, Nicholas Fitzgerald wrote Brian Jones: The Inside Story of a Rolling Stone. In it, he claimed to have been a close friend of Brian Jones (his cousin, Tara Browne, actually was a close friend of Brian’s). Not only that, but he claimed to have seen Brian’s “murder.” He claimed that he and 19-year-old Richard Cadbury (who passed away before the story came out) visited Brian at Cotchford Farm the day he died. Allegedly, Brian told Fitzgerald all about his plans to start up a supergroup with John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix, saying “Don’t say anything… it could be dangerous!”

(As keen as I am about the idea of John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, and Brian Jones being in the same band, you can probably tell that I think this story is a load of bullshit.)

After Fitzgerald and his friend visited a pub, they returned to Cotchford Farm at about 11:15 PM, leaving their car some distance from the house. (Keep in mind, the coroner said that Brian died somewhere between 11:30 PM and 12:00 AM). There, he and his friend saw three men holding Brian under the water, whilst two other people stood by. Suddenly, a man, likely Keylock, jumped out of the bushes and told Fitzgerald to scram, lest he be next.

He refused to give a formal statement to the police. What I don’t think the dumb fuck was counting on was that police would investigate his ass, considering that withholding information could’ve resulted in him being charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact. The police determined that the evidence Fitzgerald gave was “bizarre, full of unverifiable claims that, he, too, had escaped murder attempts, that Cadbury might have been involved with the murderers, and that Cadbury, too, had died ‘in mysterious circumstances”. Detective Chief Superintendent J. F. Reece summarized it best when he said that Fitzgerald was a “Walter Mitty type person” and that he’d come up with the allegations to promote his book. In fact, the book itself had even more ludicrous allegations, such as how Tom Keylock had overseen the whole thing. It got to the point where Eddie Kramer called the story “silly.” John Lennon, meanwhile, believed that Brian was another victim of the drugs scene, and even dreaded him coming on the phone (another reason I don’t believe the supergroup was in the cards for Brian’s future, regardless). Also, Fitzgerald mostly relied on the testimony of those who had already passed away, such as Suki Potier, one of Brian’s girlfriends, who died in a car crash along with her husband in 1981. One of the few living witnesses Fitzgerald claimed to have run into, James Phelge, denied ever having met him.

Also, pro-tip, if you’re going to claim to have been a close friend of someone you’re claiming was murdered, don’t sell your story to the tabloid that got him busted for drug possession. Just saying.

3. In 1990, A. E. Hotchner published Blown Away: The Rolling Stones and the Death of the Sixties. In it, he claimed that Brian’s childhood friend, Dick Hattrell, and a random Cockney named "Marty” had knowledge that Brian was murdered. He claimed that Rich (sounds better to me than Dick) visited Brian shortly before he died and became worried about him. Later, he bumped into someone who claimed to have witnessed Brian’s murder. Marty claimed to have witnessed the murder, claiming that two other women were there, including Linda Lawrence (mother of one of Brian’s sons) who was spirited out of the country following Brian’s death.

In reality, she last saw Brian in 1968.

Similarly, Hattrell has since stated that the story was nonsense; he never visited Brian at Cotchford, and he never said Brian was murdered. Marty has since kept his mouth shut.

Really, it just doesn’t hold up when closely scrutinized.

4. David Gibson claimed to the Brighton Evening Argus that, while he was fitting carpets at Brian’s home, Brian and Anna were absent throughout the better part of the day. When they returned later in the evening, Brian begged Gibson not to leave. Gibson, meanwhile, believed Brian had been murdered and that Tom Keylock was responsible. Some, like Sam Cutler, claim that Gibson saw Princess Margaret at Cotchford Farm, which has led to speculation that Brian was killed to protect her reputation. Gibson never went to the police, and probably believed that he’d been subject to threats and murder attempts. However, aside from Brian’s paranoia and belief that someone was out to get him, Gibson’s story doesn’t line up with many of the other conspiracy theories.

5. Geoffrey Giuliano in his 1994 book Paint It Black claimed that a man named “Joe” said that he’d held Brian’s head under the water for shits and giggles (not something one would normally do for shits and giggles). The thing is though, Giuliano’s book largely recycled content from previous books on the subject, and beyond that, made elementary mistakes, such as claiming that Frank had fled the scene, when in reality, he was there when police officer Albert Evans arrived at about 12:10 AM. It was later found that the tape he’d sourced some of this information from was a fake, made for American radio programmes in New York.

6. Given that Tom Keylock was a bit of a dishonest/disliked character in life, it should come as no surprise that some of the theories focus on him too. In 2009, Sam Cutler claimed that after Brian’s death, Allen Klein (himself a sleazeball) hired some PI’s to investigate Brian’s death and that they’d discovered that Tom was responsible. While Tom did try to pin the blame on Frank and told Janet to conceal her relationship with him, and it is known that he apparently stole some of Brian’s belongings after he died, that does not make one a murderer. It’ll certainly make him a slimeball, but that doesn’t mean he’s a murderer. Meanwhile, in 2013, Cutler claimed confusion as to whether the Klein report even existed. I think at this point, it’s safe to call it a hoax.

In addition, while it is more likely that Tom would have been the murderer instead of Frank, he does have a rather rock-solid alibi in that he was at Olympic Studios and was the one who received the call that Brian had died. Really, any theories that try to say he masterminded a huge plot to have Brian killed and make it appear as an accident tend to raise more questions than it answers.

Let’s all make no mistake though, the police did jump to conclusions rather quickly, there are several obvious mistakes in the autopsy findings, and not to mention, police failed to control the area, which is likely how Tom was able to steal Brian’s belongings and possibly have some destroyed.

Meanwhile, I myself believe that Brian’s death was accidental. Likely, it was the result of a cocktail of prescription medications, alcohol consumption, maybe a side-effect or two resulting from that, and possibly even heart failure or liver disease. Perhaps Brian fainted (which, I honestly hope for, given how painful it is to drown), and with no one around to notice his plight, he quietly slipped away.

I know there’s no way to prove this, given that the police don’t have a good reason to dig up Brian’s bones and it’s probably far too late for a second toxicology report, but given the available evidence I’ve been able to find, I believe this is the most likely version of events.

Truly, a sad ending for a man, who didn’t even have a chance to get back on his feet before fate (and a lifetime of drug/alcohol abuse) intervened.

Whenever I read about Brian’s life story, I always find myself interested by the mistakes, intrigue, and betrayal that seemed to plague Brian’s life from the outset. There are a multitude of what-ifs that honestly make this tale haunting, such as what might’ve happened had Mick and Keith not bullied Brian so severely. There’s also what might have happened if both the Stones and the authorities had better understood the effects of drug use and had the resources and compassion to better deal with Brian’s situation. Most hauntingly, there’s the question of what might’ve happened had someone been near Brian in his final moments and had the opportunity to save him.

I think the biggest reason I keep coming back to his story is that his life as a whole was very conflicting. It honestly inspires both condemnation and sympathy/pity, even in me.

Even if Mick and Keith would rather forget that Brian was ever a part of their band, it is my honest belief that people will continue to discover Brian Jones, whether it be through the 27 Club or through some other means, and I hope that they take the time to learn his story.

youtube

Sources/Further Reading: https://www.drugs.com/illicit/quaaludes.html https://asthma.net/living/swimming-pools-triggers/ https://www.drugs.com/sfx/ergotamine-side-effects.html https://www.drugs.com/sfx/valium-side-effects.html https://www.drugs.com/sfx/amphetamine-side-effects.html https://www.drugs.com/sfx/chlorpheniramine-side-effects.html Stone Alone by Bill Wyman Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones by Paul Trynka Brian Jones: The Untold Life and Mysterious Death of a Rock Legend by Laura Jackson https://clearcomfort.com/why-asthma-allergy-sufferers-should-avoid-chlorine-pools/ http://timeisonourside.com/chron1967.html http://timeisonourside.com/chron1969.html http://www.timeisonourside.com/chron1963.html http://www.timeisonourside.com/chron1962.html https://www.inflationtool.com/british-pound/1963-to-present-value?amount=5 https://people.com/music/anita-pallenberg-rolling-stones-keith-richards-brian-jones-love-triangle/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/the-27-club-a-brief-history-17853/ https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-jones-found-dead/ https://www.denofgeek.com/us/culture/music/281978/the-rolling-stones-and-the-mystery-of-brian-jones-death https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/brian-jones-sympathy-for-the-devil-182761/ https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/15989/brian-jones-it-was-murder https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-jones-murdered/ https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/just-why-was-brian-jones-so-important-to-the-rolling-stones/ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/obituary-brian-jones-189861/ https://www.oxfordtreatment.com/prescription-drug-abuse/tuinal/

#brian jones #the rolling stones #mick jagger #keith richards #charlie watts #bill wyman #ian stewart #this got long #but i felt i should explain all of this in one go #rock and roll #cw: death #cw: drugs #cw: domestic abuse #cw: drowning #man brian's life was a bit of a clusterfuck

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angrypedestrian · 5 years

Text

THE TIME IDIOTS EPISODE 410 TITLED “Tricky Dick’s Family Fun Time Jamboree” MY THOUGHTS:

So on the scale of legends presidents, this Nixon is light years better than the Lyndon Johnson from last season. Not a high bar, but he did manage to sail over it so, congratulations Dick

But do not get me wrong, it is also comically bad

for those keeping score at home the scale is from Johnson to Obama i am right and will not argue about this

grant and washington barely count so they’re in the middle

but dear god i can’t believe that the catalyst for this episode’s events is just Liar Liar but with Richard Nixon

NO ARTFUL NUDITY god

sara: grownups fight, it’s normal, it’s fine. i have definitely had normal healthy adult relationships before

ray: we actually weren’t-

sara: I’VE NEVER HAD A FEELING IN MY LIFE LETS GO KIDNAP NIXON

Zach vs. Legends understanding of government bureaucracy part 1639

THAT IS NOT HOW THIS WORKS. HE WOULD NOT BE ACTING DIRECTOR

what even is hank’s JOB

...what is gary’s job

ALSO zari and nate probably can’t date because of BUREAUCRACY

BUT WHAT DO I KNOW

NOTHING APPARENTLY!!!

crochet club??? for my babies??? I LOVE IT

everyone gets a craft! and then there’s legends craft night it goes exactly as you expect and charlie ends up in the med bay

an aside: zari in a suit? yeah

mona going “grrr”? the cutest thing I have ever seen

mick: i can’t believe this is happening again

force ghost len, descending from the ceiling: WELL, PERHAPS THERE IS A SOLUTION TO THAT PROBLEM MICHAEL

sara, you must be in a state because you are leaving john and mick...in charge of a Youth????

also that’s not where walter reed is

also charlie couldn’t also dress up as a doctor too, like anyone would notice?

lovin’ this funky royalty free background music-they got one extra tom wilson episode with that kind of creative budgeting!

but then we throw it right away again with Free Ride

which was wasted as background music tbh

hell YEAH gideon, you tell hank fuck YOU

sara’s version of punch bug involves knives

it’s the most dangerous game at the league

this episode was a riff on movies made for 50 year old men and me, and those demos alone, so thank you phil

phil: what do kids love? 70′s road/bandit movies, right?

phil: i’m so hip

nixon...have you ever met a hippie?

is there...a reason they need to all be wearing the shirts?

no, no there is not

canonically, john is a fan of the Lonely Island

he knows all the words to Ras Trent and you actually can’t tell me I’m wrong!!!

sara: i’m a great mentor, god. you’re so fucking lucky mona

Gary, your conspiracy board is so good baby

buuuuttttt, a gary nora combo? unexpectedly great

mona, you idiot. i mean that with love, but dear lord

nate INSISTED they dress up in the sheriff outfits

nate: we need to make sure we’re-

hank, already dressed

nate: oh, shit, maybe i am related to you

DJ ZARI HOLY SHIT

we could def get a whole episode of this and i would be VERY happy

fucking billy joel

that ALONE would make nate a springsteen fan instead

fuck billy joel

nathaniel stop trying to sympathize with your dad he’s BAD

i know it’s complicated but like fuck your dad dude

oh right, nora’s from the future, she’s like, ultimate generation z like Zari and so was essentially born inside a computer and intrinsically understands them

useful!

nora bb i missed you! i’m glad you’re back

ray, EVERYONE used a strategy guide to beat the water temple in OoT

ain’t no shame in that

the acting involved in the inhalation and expelling of the truth bug? where are the emmys??

academy? are you listening????

sara: i have NEVER had a FEELING in my LIFE, and i am NOT. STARTING. NOW.

mona: uhhhhh...sara launched herself into the sun?

mick: eh, she’ll come back

mmmmmmm that john and sara combo!!!

i LOVE them

they’re similar enough that they can actually get through to each other

matt ryan is an excellent winker

‘i don’t hear gender’ please shut up nate

mona’s gonna fuck some shit up!!!

i am PUMPED

maybe we should have cut away for that cgi transformation tho

anyways she’s doin it!!

KILL EM ALL fuck YEAH

nate handcuffing ray

well i’m sure that’s not the first time

ray: it’s not!

i bet hank fucking voted for nixon too

john’s really getting knocked the fuck out a lot this season

mmmhmmm yeah right shut the fuck UP hank

fuck this dude makes me mad

the actor they have playing wolf-mona is great and is probably not paid nearly enough

sara: this is a you not me situation do not think i will be following my own advice

sara: also if anyone tries to hurt you i will kill them

RAY AND NATE LOVE EACH OTHER NEVER FUCKING FORGET

my beautiful beautiful boys, these irl dragon bros

steelatom never dies!!!

and even outside of a shipping context, their canonical platonic love for one another should be taught in schools to children, like, fuck the goddamn patriarcy love your bros wholeheartedly!!

sara y’all have been stuck on a never ending road trip from hell for the past four years what do you think you have been doing this whole time?

lol charlie dissolved the us government

whoopsie gotta go fix that real quick!!

i can’t believe they remembered zari was in an ARGUS dystopian future!!

good job show!

hoo boy can’t wait for them not to deal with the amaya in the room with nate/zari

i am all for this ship, they’re fantastic, HOWEVER, it will be a crime when they don’t ultimately discuss it

I REALLY DO NOT LIKE NERON’S HOLE FACE

i do NOT

Wow Rest In Piss to Hank, guess they ran out of money to keep paying Tom Wilson, which is a shame

also guess i was wrong about the funeral next ep

but that does mean nate’s grandma is alive!! i was concerned

NEXT WEEK: oh that promo gave us...nothing. i can’t fucking believe we’re gonna get a bollywood musical number.

i mean, i can, but like, i have to at least pretend otherwise these lists lose their whole impact

#legends of tomorrow #legends of tomorrow spoilers #i LOVE a good road movie #and so does phil #because we are both middle aged men #HOWEVER not really who watches the cw #but anyways #the time idiots #my thoughts as i have them

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legionofcrows · 5 years

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Should we just accept the ending as bad writing and think differently in our head or does everyone just not care about Clary (Luke, Izzy,...) and it was meant to be like that? Show how much she’s given and not getting any recognition at all just how it was all over the series.

Based on the way the final hour and a half of the episode was proportioned (by this I mean time spent on wrapping up the main plot line of the series vs the time spent on the “happy/satisfying ending” for the characters) I’m going to say it’s bad writing and we can all take what we would like to accept from the finale and fill in with what we wish we had seen.

For example, personally I would keep Luke becoming a shadowhunter again, but I would not make him happy about it even in the slightest. I don’t see him as being okay with returning to shadowhunter life when that was when he made some of the worst decisions in his life. I see him needing convincing by other characters that he has the potential to use both his shadowhunter status and downworlder status to do a lot of good. I’d probably plant the seeds for the downworlder deputies we saw in the flash forward--make it his idea.

Given the last 3 seasons of the show I find it completely impossible to imagine a world in which Luke Garroway and Magnus Bane do not care at all about what happened to Clary. They love her with their whole hearts and not acknowledging that in the flash forward is unfathomable to me yet it happened.

Luke went full Charlie Kelly with his conspiracy board when Clary disappeared the first time. He shut himself up in a hotel room for days trying to figure out how to get his daughter back. What part of that says he wouldn’t be completely on board with Jace’s check-ins? Jace was the one who had to reign him in the first time.

Magnus held a private vigil when he thought Clary had died. She was the only shadowhunter he had any interest in helping in season one. She’s Biscuit. She’s the sweet little girl he used to watch get completely lost in drawing. She’s the girl he risked everything to protect for years.

Some people argue “well a year has passed they’re probably over it” you don’t get over losing a child. You just don’t. And you certainly don’t do it in just a year. If anything that first year after you’ve lost someone is probably one of the hardest. It is completely out of character for Luke and Magnus especially not to have some kind of reaction to this. They didn’t just throw out Clary’s character development they threw out crucial parts of two of the main characters.

so yeah, it’s bad writing

#asked and answered #Anonymous

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douxreviews · 5 years

Text

Legends of Tomorrow - ‘The Getaway’ Review

"My friends and I here are time travelers, we’ve kidnapped Nixon and we’re headed to Disneyworld."

The Legends serve up a giant sugary treat to help us get down a couple of awkward bitter pills. They don't need to get to Disneyworld, we're on an emotional rollercoaster already.

See what I did there?

There is a philosophy of screen-writing that, if at all possible, having the protagonist confront their emotional problem should be the solution to solving whatever their plot-related problem might be. See, for example, Craig Owens defusing a spaceship by declaring his unspoken love, or more subtly, Willow's lies finally being brought to light curing the Scooby Gang's amnesia.

It's easy to see this as being formulaic, but really it's just a matter of solid storytelling and remembering to give your narrative an emotional core. With the caveat that if it's done too awkwardly it's a one way ticket to schmaltz-town. See, for example, Craig Owen blowing up Cybermen with the power of father-love.

So, when I observe that this episode of Legends of Tomorrow is a textbook example of solid comedy overlaid onto a situation wherein one character is avoiding dealing with the emotional consequences of recent events, only to pivot to heartbreaking pain and reconciliations as the characters learn to honestly deal with their emotions, that's not a criticism. Doing that kind of thing well is a real skill, and they pull it off here quite well. Again, "Tabula Rasa" is a great example of the all-comedy to suddenly-way-too-real-drama pivot. It's done badly much more often than it's done well, so what we have here is well worth praising.

It helps enormously that the jokes in the jokey parts are pretty much all laugh-out-loud funny. The swallowable bug that makes you tell only the truth is 100% uncut phlebotinum, but it's grade-A phlebotinum, and it leads to Mick Rory confessing his desire to grow out his hair like Fabio, so let's all agree to cherish it forever. The phlebotinum-iness of it is made even more easy to take due to the fact that it's only used to cause Sara to blurt out those hurtful truths to Mona, which drives Mona away from the team. The painful truths that Sara has to confront to fix the situation, in which she both confesses how much she's hurt by the loss of Ava and how much she's failed Mona by not being there for her are all completely coming from herself and her own heart, which gives them genuine emotion and validity far beyond 'magic made me say it' plot contrivances.

The takeaway here, future screenwriters, is that you can only use the phlebotinum for the jokes. The genuine emotional responses have to be just that – genuine. I promise that that's the last time I will use the term phlebotinum in this review.

But we have to also acknowledge something about this episode. All the jokes and the post-breakup heartache and teambuilding are at least partially on display here to help us to get past the one, big, awkward, clunky plot correction that this episode needed to make happen.

This was the episode that needed to make Hank Heywood not the villain of the season anymore.

It will be interesting, later on, to find out exactly when and to what extent the plans for the season changed, but it seems abundantly clear that change they did. The Hank of the first half of the season was an unmitigated bastard, with the occasional moment of charm. He was being built up to be the face of the 'government turns monsters into evil monster soldiers' plotline. At least, it seems reasonably clear that that was what was happening to the monsters. That wasn't a spoiler, just my assumption about what Hank was doing with the monsters when he had them tortured. However, at some point they appear to have decided that Hank needed to be redeemed, and so we do a lot of back-paddling here in a short space of time to justify Hank suddenly deciding to let the Legends go when he finally had them dead to rights in order to make things right with his son.

Now, that's a fair story to tell, and I think they would have pulled it off easily if that's where they'd been intending to go all along. But here, in this episode, it feels very much like a retcon/course correction, and I just didn't buy it. Having the demon Neron in Dez' body kill Hank immediately after his redemption, and setting up things so that Nate thinks Nora killed him, thereby setting up a Nate/Hank rift, just felt contrived to me. I'm sorry about that, because the rest of this episode was fantastic, but there it is.

Still, we shouldn't complain too much over one awkward bit of plot housekeeping. It was great to see all the Legends together, more or less, and a road trip in an RV was just what they needed.

Aim for the horsies! Wait... .wrong show...

So what have we learned today?

We've learned to stop asking questions, since nobody seems to care about causality anymore. The Legends can watch Nixon's 'incorrect' version of the 'Not A Crook' speech from a future vantage point, then go back to change it so it doesn't happen. But then Mona becoming a were-kaupe in the middle of a restaurant goes totally unnoticed by history, not to mention the theft of an RV and a patrol car.

I don't know, I think maybe I should just enjoy having a show with time travel in it that doesn't get too concerned about temporal physics. As the MST3K them song so eloquently stated, 'If you're wondering where he eats or sleeps, or other science facts/ Then repeat to yourself, "it's just a show, I should really just relax."'

Sound advice.

Everybody remember where we parked.

Nixon's famous 'I am not a crook' quote was from a televised Q & A that was, in fact, at Disneyworld on November 17, 1973. The Legends pick Nixon up pre-emptively in Washington D.C. a few days before that, but apparently Nixon's truth telling was already an observed problem by the White House staff. We hope that after the events shown they got around to going back for Charlie. The running joke of realizing that they'd forgotten her was very, very funny. I'd forgotten her too, the first time it came up.

The Time Bureau still appears to be in 2018, although they didn't directly say so. Zari once again appears to be a conduit between the 2018 Bureau and wherever in time the Legends are at the time. It's just a show. I should really just relax.

Abrupt redemption arcs can be quite painful.

Quotes:

Mick: "What? No Redford? No Sundance. No indie film. No artful nudity. We gotta fix this!"

Gary: "I’ve always wanted to untangle a conspiracy. I’ll need a bulletin board… index cards… I already have yarn, I’ve been getting into crochet." Zari: "Yeah? Me too." Gary: "We should start a club." Zari: "We’ll talk."

Mona: "Grrr."

Agent: "Here that? The truth. Something is very wrong with the President."

Hank: "Siri… Alexa… Gideon! Fire up the ship!"

John: "A bit on the nose, no?" Sara: "We left subtle back in Mexico."

Mona: "You know, I’ve never been in a car that’s a room before."

John: "Not to bother you, but we’ve lost the ship, drugged the President, and I’m stuck in the back with her."

Sara: "Maybe it’s best if we all just don’t talk."

Sara: "Maybe that’s what family is – the family you don’t mind being annoyed by."

Bits and pieces:

-- The group truth telling scene was comedy gold.

-- It looks like they're definitely setting up Zari and Nate as a couple. Sigh. Oh well, I'll learn to live with it.

-- We finally get a Ray and Mick pairing on their own mission, and we barely get to see any of it. That was disappointing.

-- No Ava this week. I wonder if that was for the plot convenience of Hank being in charge, or if Jes Macallan had another commitment. It was probably the right choice to take her completely off the board while we process things with Sara.

-- Several clever plot details this week. Zari's solution to communicating with the RV and Nate's plan for getting Hank's password were both nicely done.

-- This was the first time they've found a way to use Charlie's powers that didn't make her feel too powerful to be part of the team.

-- Whoever's idea it was for all of them to have changed into t-shirts that read, 'Barnes family vacation – Our family is a trip!' should be given anything they ask for, immediately.

-- John's little 'not really a speech' to Sara was a nice bit of dialogue writing.

-- Having a were-kaupe on the team who retains their personality and reason and who can transform on command kind of works.

-- Despite the way she was set up for being blamed for Hank's death being a little contrived, I like the way they got Nora back onto the board here. I hope they don't go the obvious route with Nate wanting revenge.

-- Did they ever give even a handwave explanation for why Zari is working at the Bureau and not on the Waverider now? I mean, from the Bureau's perspective. I get from Zari's point of view why she's there.

So much funny. So much emotional honestly. Just a little bit of clunky plot mechanics.

Three out of four forbidden red toilet buttons.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

#Legends of Tomorrow #Sara Lance #John Constantine #Ray Palmer #Mick Rory #Zari Tomaz #Mona Wu #DC Comics #Arrowverse #Legends of Tomorrow Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 6 years

Text

tuesday again no problem

the end of the semester is Very Close but behind A Lot of Work I Do NOT Want To Do

here’s what i’m

listening to

um WHO ISN’T LISTENING TO HAYLEY KIYOKO’S NEW ALBUM i also have charli xcx’s boys on loop, which has maybe my favorite music video ever

reading

okay, so fishblr pointed me towards this book The Dragon Behind the Glass, which pointed me toward The Lost City of Z, and now I’m deeply into failed Amazon exploration expeditions and the early commercial pet trade and I’ve just put Waugh’s A Handful of Dust on my library holds list HOW DID I GET HERE

watching

stephen’s galaxy has FUCKED ME UP i gotta rework my conspiracy theory board where everything is connected by red strings

playing

fallout new v/egas dlc l/onesome road has ALSO FUCKED ME UP if anyone wants to yell at me about Ulysses hit me UP i don’t know why I’m being cautious about spoiling a ten-year-old game’s dlc but here we are

#very short bc i have no brain at alllllll

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riotgrlpossum · 6 years

Text

Secret Santa

Hey @beaniejared!!! Merry Christmas! I’m your secret santa for @dearevanhansensecretsanta! Here’s some Connor/Jared theatre fluff for the soul. <3

In Kleinsphy We Don’t Say I Love You We Say Fuck You And I Think That’s Beautiful

2204 Words, Rated T for inane amounts of swearing

Connor groaned loudly. The prickly school carpeting was making his back numb, and the lack of sleep inherent to tech week made his entire body feel like he was pumping cough syrup instead of blood.

The bright, fluorescent lights of the booth boring into his brain were not helping.

“Jared!” He whined, covering his eyes with his hoodie. “It’s two in the fucking morning. When are we going to leave?”

Jared didn’t look up from his equipment. “You had the chance to get a ride home with Zoe, Evan, and Alana two hours ago,” He said.

Connor rolled his eyes. “I didn’t know you would be staying so late. I thought if Alana Beck, our ever diligent stage manager, was leaving then you wouldn’t be far behind. You’re generally known as a slacker -”

“You can’t see right now but I am flipping you off -”

“Besides, I would rather be trapped here until dawn than in sitting next to Evan in the backseat of my sister’s car while she and Alana suck face. Yannow, I think he’s still scared of me.”

“He’s not scared of you, he’s just skittish. Like a fucking… chipmunk or something. A sweaty chipmunk.”

Connor snorted.

“And,” Jared continued. “For your information, I can be very diligent. I only slack off on things I don’t care about. Programming the lighting board takes time and patience. Something you actors wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh blow me, Kleinman.”

“Maybe later. Right now I’m working.”

“I’m not even an actor, you know,” Connor said. “I’m not talented. I’m just one of like… five guys who tried out. And like… making me the sadistic dentist? That’s just blatant typecasting.”

“Shut up, Connor. You and I both know that you’re good at this.”

Connor sat up and smirked.

“What was that?”

“Fuck off.”

“Was… was that… was that a compliment?”

“I hate you.”

“From Jared Kleinman?”

“Why are you like this?”

“Did the Amazing Asshole Jared Kleinman just give me a compliment?”

Connor had slowly made his way over to Jared’s chair, until he was right in his face.

“You’re the worst, you know that?” Jared said, a fond smile ghosting over his lips.

Connor shrugged. He was half expecting Jared to lean forward and kiss him, with their faces being so close together, but he instead turned back to his computer with a soft hum.

Connor glanced at the screen. It was full of codes and colors and buttons that he didn’t understand, but he could glean that Jared would not be done for awhile.

He jumped on the the counter next to Jared’s workstation, resting his legs on one of the many plush chairs that occupied the space.

“You aren’t supposed to be up there,” Jared said.

“Mkay, but consider this, I don’t give a fuck.”

Jared rolled his eyes absentmindedly, but didn’t press the issue any further.

“Ya know,” Connor said after ten minutes of insufferable silence. Connor hated silence. And stillness. He’d had ADHD when he was younger. Sometimes he thought he still had it, but his dad had said he’d “grown out of it” and that “adults don’t have ADHD.” “I used to get really high up here sophomore year.”

“Oh, Jesus, that was you?”

Connor shrugged. “Not just me. Charlie Davis and Alan P. were there too.”

“Alan P.? Dana P.’s older brother?”

“Yeah. He was a senior when we were sophomores.”

“There’s no way he was a stoner. He’s going to like… an Ivy League school.”

“So? Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive. But yeah. Alan P. is a major pothead. He was my first kiss, too.”

“Were you guys high?”

“As a kite.”

“Kinky.”

“Fuck off.”

“What’s that even like?”

“Getting high?”

“Kissing while high. Or getting high. I dunno. Both?”

“Getting high is like… I dunno. It just chills me out. It makes Big Bang Theory watchable, if that helps. And kissing while high is… it depends. Kissing Alan while high was whatever. Cause I didn’t really have a crush on him, it just sort of happened? So it was like… ‘whoa you taste like weed but also have a mouth, that’s fun.’ I dunno what kissing someone I really liked high would be like.”

Jared nodded noncommittally. “So you really didn’t like Alan P.?”

“No? Why?” Connor raised an eyebrow. “Holy shit are you jealous?”

Jared blushed slightly. “No. Fuck you.”

Connor cackled. “Don’t worry, Jared. You’re the only boy I want to kiss. High or otherwise.”

“Connor, that’s gay,” Jared said, a smile pulling at his lips.

“cONor thAT’S gAy,” Connor mocked, doing his best impression of the Spongebob Parrot meme.

Jared laughed softly. Connor loved Jared’s laugh. It wasn’t a particularly melodic or dulcet laugh, it was kind of cackley, and to the untrained ear it would sound mocking, but it was perfect for Jared. It was rough around the edges, kind of disarming at first, but also gleeful and unapologetic. Jared was different and odd and unexpected and Connor thought he was perfect. Jared went back to his programming. Different combinations would light up the stage, and Connor could barely tell the difference between most of them, but Jared would shake his head and change something minute twelve hundred times before he actually inputted a queue. Connor admired the laser focus that Jared had. The only thing Connor could do for a continuous amount of time was read. He also liked to dance or play video games, but neither of those things were still. Connor had to be really high to sit in stillness. Jared seemed to relish in the monotony of inputting codes and tweaking HTML.

Connor abruptly jumped off of the counter, landing less than gracefully. Jared jumped at bit at the sudden movement.

“What the fuck?”

“I need your keys.”

“My… keys?”

“Yes. Your keys.”

“Uh…”

“I’m not going to abandon you at the school, Kleinman. Just fucking trust me.”

Jared let out a beleaguered sigh, but reached into his backpack and tossed Connor his keys. They were attached to a first generation Pokemon lanyard. It was adorable.

“Cool. I’ll be back in like twenty minutes.” Connor started for the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Sucking dick for meth!” Connor called as he walked down the hallway to the stairs.

“Bring me some back!”

Connor chuckled. Jared was such a dork.

He walked down the stairs, then left the janitor’s closet that held the passageway to the booth, and exited the school, the brisk night air chilling him to the bone. He left one of the many blocks of wood that littered the floor of the scene shop in the door so that he could get back in.

Jared’s car was a cherry red monstrosity that had over a hundred thousand miles on it and a steering wheel that was held together by duct tape. It could only play cassettes and didn’t get FM radio. Connor absolutely loved it.

He opened the passenger seat door, and was washed over by the smell of dirty laundry, fast food, and Jared. He sat on the cracked leather seat, putting the key in the ignition and stepping on the break. Connor loved driving. His parents took away his car after his last suicide attempt, which, okay, was fair, but it still sucked. It was a weird dichotomy, understanding the measures his parents took to ensure his safety but at the same time being angry and stifled by their constant worry and restrictions.

He flipped on the radio, turning on NPR. His and Jared’s favorite radio show was on. Coast to Coast. It was a conspiracy show that talked about everything from aliens to bigfoot to demonic black eyed children that haunted people until they went insane. It was great. Connor and Jared would stay up until dawn listening to the broadcast in their respective rooms, texting each other back and forth. Gregg Noory was talking about some sort of miniature black hole that scientists were working creating on which had the possibility to destroy the entire world. Driving down a road in the dead of night listening to him talk made the hairs on Connor’s arms stand up. It was exhilarating.

He swerved in to the nearly empty convenience store parking lot. The fluorescent lights illuminated the air around the store like an edgy CW drama. Not that Connor watched edgy CW dramas. He just happened to sometimes be in the room when Zoe was watching them.

He entered the store and grabbed a basket, then headed towards the freezer section. Connor grabbed a carton of rocky road and threw it in. He turned to open the doors again but realized something that felt earth shattering.

He had no fucking clue what kind of ice cream Jared liked.

He couldn’t just text him and ask him, that would ruin the whole romantic shtick. But he couldn’t get the wrong kind of ice cream. Connor came from a family that took ice cream very seriously. One wrong distinction between chocolate and rainbow sprinkles could be the difference between civility and throwing around microwaves. (Connor liked rainbow sprinkles because he was gay and awesome, and Zoe liked chocolate ones because she was a dweeb.)

Connor pulled out his phone and shot a quick text.

To: Hansen

what kind of ice cream does jared like

To: Connor Murphy

What? Why? It’s three am?

To: Hansen

i know what fucking time it is asshole what kind of ice cream does jared like

To: Connor Murphy

Why are you awake? You should be asleep, Connor.

To: Connor Murphy

And cherry garcia.

To: Hansen

pot. kettle. black.

To: Hansen

also, cherry garcia?? fuckin weirdo

Connor grabbed the cherry garcia and dropped it in the basket nonetheless. He also picked up a package of plastic spoons and two water bottles. A suspiciously red-eyed twenty something checked him out and Connor drove back to the high school, not taking notice of the speed limits because it was three in the morning and he had ice cream in the car.

He entered the school, jogged up the stairs, and dramatically kicked open the door to the booth. Jared was still in front of the computer, ever so slightly adjusting shades of pink.

“I’m fighting against every fiber of my being not to make a ‘honey, I’m home,’ joke right now,” Connor said, setting his bounty down on the counter.

Jared turned towards him. “What did you get?”

Connor pulled out the ice cream, flashing a smile.

“Connor, we aren’t allowed to have food up here.”

“I’m pretty sure we also aren’t allowed to be here past midnight so…”

Jared furrowed his brow. Connor smiled wider and handed him the pint of ice cream and a plastic spoon.

Jared opened his mouth to protest, but Connor cut him off.

“Stop being such an Alana and eat the ice cream, Kleinman.”

“Wow. Rude.” But Jared pulled the top off of the carton and tried to pull out a giant scoop, breaking his spoon in the process.

Connor handed him another spoon.

“Fuck off,” Jared muttered.

Connor grinned. “I didn’t say anything.” He opened his own ice cream and dipped his spoon in.

Jared paused, turned back to his computer and grabbed his phone. A song Connor recognized as being from Next To Normal started blaring from the speakers meant for the God Mic.

Connor smiled, and in a moment of bravery, leaned over and pecked Jared on the lips. Even though they’d been dating for a few months, they were shy around affection, both expecting the other to reveal that the whole relationship had been a prank or a lie.

Jared’s face went red, splitting in to a wide grin.

The ate their ice cream in relative silence, occasionally cracking jokes or singing along to Jared’s musical playlist. At one point, Connor put down his spoon and did an entire dance routine in the cramped booth.

“How the fuck have you memorized the entire dance to King Of New York?” Jared asked, incredulous.

Connor shrugged. “I might have a small crush on Ben Cook…”

“Don’t we all.” Jared looked up in fake wistfulness, then looked back at Connor. “So, Newsies is a favorite of yours then?”

“Oh, God no.”

Jared stared at him, offended. “Okay then, Mr. Judgy. What do you like?”

“Off the top of my head? Fantasticks, Apple Tree, and Hair.”

“Oh my god, what are you, seventy?”

“Oh go blow Steven Schwartz, asshole.”

“How can you not recognize that we are in a new golden age of musical theatre?!”

“Okay then, what do you like?”

“Next To Normal, Spring Awakening, and Cats.”

“Cats?!”

“Okay listen -”

“I cannot believe I’m in love with someone who likes Cats!”

“Cats is - wait. In… In love?”

Connor stopped dead. The late night and the free flowing banter and the being alone with Jared has loosened his tongue, and he’d ruined everything.

“I mean… I just… no! Fuck! Of course not, I’m just… I meant to say… I… fuck you!”

“Connor.”

Connor stared at his hands, trying not to freak out.

“Connor!”

His head snapped up, and he looked at Jared.

“I… I love you too.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Cool.”

“Very cool.”

“Insanely cool.”

“Fuck off, Kleinman.”

#i hope you like it lol #dear evan hansen #dear evan hansen secret santa #kleinsphy #conman #connor murphy x jared kleinman #my writing #kath speaks #kath shut up

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