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Alright, addressing several points:

First, the examples @kim-and-ron gave of Ron keeping things to himself are all things that happened after the first episode. They're fairly recent problems, so I don't blame Ron for trying to solve those by himself.

And he didn't keep his self image issues a secret in "Ron the Man", nor did he keep his fears about their future a secret either in "Graduation". So those don't count as examples to your point.

Now, to my point: those were recent problems, but in the past Ron has told Kim about every other problem he's had; Wannaweep, gnomes, robotic horses, etc. Before the first episode, he had never kept his issues a secret from Kim.

@gothicthundra I do agree that it's totally reasonable to still be learning things about each other, and I will concede my point about Shaun as his reign of terror probably began fairly recently.

But if you can agree that the frequency of game nights meant Ron should have known about them, then surely you can agree that the bullying, which was more frequent, is something Kim should have known about?

And, these aren't just people who are mean to Ron, these are people who were attacking him, threatening him, and stealing his money. Since kindergarten.

Are we supposed to believe that at five years old, Ron decided to handle people beating him up and stealing his money on his own?

Are we really going to believe that, in the entire time it's going on, he never had an injury from them, or Kim never wondered were Ron's money has gone?

Or are we supposed to believe that Ron lied about those things, when he's canonically a terrible liar and had no reason to lie in the first place?

He's been getting robbed and attacked since kindergarten, and we're really supposed to believe it never came up before?

As for how I'd fix that scene in "Monkey Fist Strikes", here:

Ron: "I know you and Larry don't have a lot in common, but is game night with him and your Aunt June really so bad?"

Kim: "It's not the game, it's that I'm forced to listen to him talk about his conventions or his "LARPs", and that I've been forced once a month since I was three years old. Last month I learned more than I ever wanted to about that Fortress game."

And there, we have an exposition that explains things to the audience without Ron being ignorant of something that should've come up by now.

And, even though no one's asking, I have a proposal for fixing the issue of Kim not knowing Ron was getting bullied in "Mind Games".

Firstly, we'd have to have the bullying start recently, like Middle School.

Secondly:

Kim: "When you told me you were getting bullied, I thought you were just getting made fun of. I didn't realize it was this bad, and my advice definitely wouldn't have helped. I'm sorry I didn't help earlier."

Ron: "Yeah, I didn't know how to say it, and I figured just avoiding them would work fine. But, thanks."

Kim: "That's what friends are for. You can always come to me if you need help. And I'll try to listen better in the future."

Ron: "Thanks, KP. And hey, it's the same for me, you know?"

Kim: "I know, you'll always be there for me."

Rufus: *chirps*

Ron: "And Rufus!"

Kim: "And Rufus."

And, one final point:

I can kind of see the point about Ron keeping some of his problems to himself, but it seems strange that he never told Kim about his interest in baking. That's not a problem that needs solving, it's a new interest that he was eager to try and share, so why wouldn't he share it with Kim?

Honestly, I am grateful to everyone who's commented on this. I do enjoy hearing everyone's points, even if I don't agree with them.

Kim and Ron's dynamic seems...off. They don't seem like they've been best friends for ten years, it'd make more sense if they had only recently become friends, like in middle school.

And I'm not just saying that because Kim can be mean and judgmental at times, especially towards Ron. I'm saying that because, despite being best friends for 10+ years and living next door to each other, they don't seem to know things about each other that actual long-term best friends would.

"Monkey Fist Strikes" - Ron is aware that Kim dislikes her cousin Larry, but never knew about the monthly family game nights that have been going on since she was three.

"Mind Games" - Kim had no idea that Ron's been getting bullied since kindergarten. This especially makes no sense as this is something Ron would've asked Kim for help with. It definitely should have come up at some point.

"Two to Tutor" - Kim is genuinely surprised that Ron is good at baking, even though he's been doing it since he was eight.

"Hidden Talent" - Ron is unaware that Kim can sing, or that she has trouble hitting the high notes. Bonnie was able to obtain a video of this event, but somehow Ron was still unaware of it before now.

"Showdown at The Crooked D" - Ron is unaware that Kim has an uncle and a cousin, even though Kim actually seemed excited to see Joss.

"Bad Boy" - Kim is completely unaware of the existence of Ron's evil cousin Shaun, despite this being another thing that would make sense for Ron to ask Kim's help with.

I understand that they need a way to explain stuff to the audience, but can you imagine being someone's best friend for ten years, living next door to them, and not knowing about their family and interests?

Would they really be your best friend if you two knew so little about each other?

Would Kim grow as a character if she did the whole “young character reacting realistically to trauma” via Finn Martin, Anne Boonchuy and Luz Noceda?

She would probably grow as a character, at least a little bit, if she did that. It would at least make her more sympathetic to Ron's fears, so she wouldn't be constantly dismissing them all the time.

(Of course, I'm upset that she's constantly dismissing Ron's fears when she knows they were caused by traumatic experiences, but that's for another time.)

So, yeah, probably. And I think it'd be very interesting to see that.

It'd be nice to know that even the girl who can do anything experiences fear and trauma. And that experiencing those things doesn't keep her from being a hero, and it's not bad to seek counselling for it either.

It'd be really cool to see, I would love that.

Wow, thanks! I genuinely appreciate the reply.

As for Kim's flaws being potential, I actually do agree with you. Those flaws could have led to interesting character development. The problem is that they didn't.

Kim never really stops being controlling. She never stops being jealous. And she only really starts treating Ron as a partner better after they start dating.

I would have loved it if those flaws had led to Kim growing and developing as a character, but they didn't. From the beginning, Kim was supposed to be perfect, so they rarely acknowledged her flaws, and didn't have her grow and learn from them.

This was, in part, caused by the show having an episodic nature; each episode stood alone and you didn't need to watch previous ones to understand the plot. It was detrimental to character development.

And, while I doubt the creators were misogynists, I'm not surprised that two grown men had trouble writing teenaged girls, as that problem still persists to this day.

I agree, Kim's flaws were potential. Unfortunately, they didn't actually lead to anything, and I feel like it's perfectly valid to complain about that.

But you managed to articulate my main point about Ron better than I could have, and I do enjoy you taking the time to interact with my posts! It means a lot to me, even if we don't agree.

You have a lot of gripes about Kim as a character? What about Ron though? Do you think they handled his character better then the rest?

Oh, good question! Yes, and no.

No because Ron is portrayed as a loser and a freak, the butt of many jokes within the series.

And so many people, females included, find themselves relating to Ron more than Kim, so it's a little bit insulting that the character most like them was the "loser" of the show.

And yes, because Ron actually got more character development than Kim.

And, while Ron has been known to be selfish at times, it doesn't usually cause harm to others.

There was "Ill Suited" where he stole Kim's battle suit to join the football team, but he had no way of knowing he could be putting others in danger as he had no idea Dementor was after the suit or had a way to control it.

And Kim called him out for it.

Whenever Ron is behaving badly, neither Kim nor the narrative will hesitate to call him out on it.

Most often, Ron puts Kim's interests before his own. And he certainly treats Kim better than she treats him.

So, Ron is treated as a joke, and often puts Kim's needs ahead of his own. When he behaves badly, he is called out on it. And for this reason, I think he was handled both better and worse than Kim

First off, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to reply to me. It doesn't happen often, so I do appreciate it.

Secondly, I'm going to politely disagree with you.

To address some of your points:

I will agree with you that Kim would try to hide an embarrassing incident from her childhood, and that Ron would probably have forgotten it, so I will actually agree with you on that one.

Ron agreed to forget that Shego and Kim get their eyebrows waxed in "Stop Team Go", so I agree with you there.

But it's revealed that Kim asked Ron to help her when her braces got stuck to Walter Nelson's in the eighth grade, so it seems like Kim calls Ron when something embarrassing happens. So him not knowing about the singing incident does seem unusual.

I can kind of see your point about Ron having his own interests, but he's been known to tell Kim about all of them; wrestling, video games, boy bands, etc. He's never had an interest Kim didn't know about, so her not knowing he bakes seems unusual.

He started baking after getting a toy oven for his eighth birthday, something Kim was around for, so it seems like something he'd tell Kim about almost immediately. For him to not tell Kim about it is unusual.

I appreciate your perspective on the family situation, but Kim and Ron aren't Latin American; they're from Colorado. Kim doesn't have a lot of cousins she hasn't seen since childhood. Larry's been coming over to her house once a month since she was three, and she at least keeps in touch with Joss via email.

Ron lives next door to Kim, so the fact that he never noticed Larry going over to Kim's house is unusual.

I can be more understanding of not knowing about Joss, since it does seem like they haven't seen each other in person in a while.

Ron doesn't strike you as the kind of character who would ask for help with things like that? No offense, but when was the last time you watched the show?

Ron is known to whine and complain about everything, especially to Kim. He asks for Kim's help with anything, so the fact that he never asked for help with bullies, either the ones at school or his cousin, is unusual and out of character for him.

He's known Kim longer than he's been bullied, longer than Shaun's been alive, and isn't afraid to ask for her help, so it seems strange that Kim never knew about either of those instances.

In "A Sitch in Time" it's revealed that they met when Kim saved Ron from bullies, albeit in the alternate timeline it was Drakken, Killigan, and Monkey Fist as toddlers, so it doesn't make sense that Ron wouldn't ask Kim for help with that.

I will grant that we don't know what event lead to them being friends in the unaltered timeline, but I feel my point still stands.

I have nothing against them still learning new things about each other, given that they're at that age where they're still learning new things about themselves, so I can understand not knowing some things about each other.

Ron's interest in boy bands was a fairly recent development, he didn't even like them before the episode.

Kim's obsession with designer brand clothes probably didn't happen until she had her own spending money.

Those are understandable things to just be learning about each other.

But the specific things I mentioned in my original post are things that they would've been reasonably expected to know each about each other by the start of the show.

Kim and Ron's dynamic seems...off. They don't seem like they've been best friends for ten years, it'd make more sense if they had only recently become friends, like in middle school.

And I'm not just saying that because Kim can be mean and judgmental at times, especially towards Ron. I'm saying that because, despite being best friends for 10+ years and living next door to each other, they don't seem to know things about each other that actual long-term best friends would.

"Monkey Fist Strikes" - Ron is aware that Kim dislikes her cousin Larry, but never knew about the monthly family game nights that have been going on since she was three.

"Mind Games" - Kim had no idea that Ron's been getting bullied since kindergarten. This especially makes no sense as this is something Ron would've asked Kim for help with. It definitely should have come up at some point.

"Two to Tutor" - Kim is genuinely surprised that Ron is good at baking, even though he's been doing it since he was eight.

"Hidden Talent" - Ron is unaware that Kim can sing, or that she has trouble hitting the high notes. Bonnie was able to obtain a video of this event, but somehow Ron was still unaware of it before now.

"Showdown at The Crooked D" - Ron is unaware that Kim has an uncle and a cousin, even though Kim actually seemed excited to see Joss.

"Bad Boy" - Kim is completely unaware of the existence of Ron's evil cousin Shaun, despite this being another thing that would make sense for Ron to ask Kim's help with.

I understand that they need a way to explain stuff to the audience, but can you imagine being someone's best friend for ten years, living next door to them, and not knowing about their family and interests?

Would they really be your best friend if you two knew so little about each other?

Kim and Ron's dynamic seems...off. They don't seem like they've been best friends for ten years, it'd make more sense if they had only recently become friends, like in middle school.

And I'm not just saying that because Kim can be mean and judgmental at times, especially towards Ron. I'm saying that because, despite being best friends for 10+ years and living next door to each other, they don't seem to know things about each other that actual long-term best friends would.

"Monkey Fist Strikes" - Ron is aware that Kim dislikes her cousin Larry, but never knew about the monthly family game nights that have been going on since she was three.

"Mind Games" - Kim had no idea that Ron's been getting bullied since kindergarten. This especially makes no sense as this is something Ron would've asked Kim for help with. It definitely should have come up at some point.

"Two to Tutor" - Kim is genuinely surprised that Ron is good at baking, even though he's been doing it since he was eight.

"Hidden Talent" - Ron is unaware that Kim can sing, or that she has trouble hitting the high notes. Bonnie was able to obtain a video of this event, but somehow Ron was still unaware of it before now.

"Showdown at The Crooked D" - Ron is unaware that Kim has an uncle and a cousin, even though Kim actually seemed excited to see Joss.

"Bad Boy" - Kim is completely unaware of the existence of Ron's evil cousin Shaun, despite this being another thing that would make sense for Ron to ask Kim's help with.

I understand that they need a way to explain stuff to the audience, but can you imagine being someone's best friend for ten years, living next door to them, and not knowing about their family and interests?

Would they really be your best friend if you two knew so little about each other?

Would you say Kim was better in the last season? How much did she grew as a person?

Hmm...tough question. My answer may not be the most popular, but...

On the one hand, Kim's competitiveness seems to have died down, so I'll give her that.

On the other hand, I mentioned that it was a bit unfair of Kim to keep expecting Ron to pay for nice dates to expensive restaurants without coupons and not offer to pay for them herself, or how annoying it is that she not only had the job handed to her, but Monique literally begged her to take it. ("The Big Job")

And, while I can somewhat understand her jealousy of Yori, she shouldn't have let that interfere with a mission. Nor was she sympathetic towards Ron about being forced out of his room for a baby sister he didn't even know he was getting. ("Big Bother")

It wasn't cool of her to be hassling Monique to break an NDA when Kim herself likely already knew what the consequences would be for Monique if she did, nor was it cool to have Wade look over the contract for loopholes. ("Fashion Victim")

And she's still rude and judgmental about Larry's interests, which happen to be interests that Kim knows Ron shares. ("Larry's Birthday")

So, while Kim's competitiveness seems to have died down, her need to control everything is still an issue, and she's still unnecessarily judgmental about other peoples' harmless interests.

So I guess Kim improved a bit, but still has some issues to work on that aren't fully addressed.

Sorry if that's not the answer you were looking for.

Would you be open to a sequel series to Kim Possible?

Kind of? That really depends on what direction the series is going to go in.

Are they going to acknowledge Kim's faults or just remove them and act like they never existed?

Is Ron going to keep being the bumbling sidekick or get better character development?

Those are the biggest questions.

I've written my own sequel series, but I'm open to other series that go in different directions.

I mostly just want Kim's faults acknowledged, especially to a point that Kim herself has to acknowledge them and work on them.

So, yeah, I'm open to it, but I'm not interested in a sequel series that ignores those problems entirely, even if it does also remove them.

Thoughts on Yori and do you ship her with Ron?

I actually really like Yori and wish we had seen more of her.

She was unfalteringly, unconditionally supportive of Ron. And he definitely wasn't getting a lot of support back home at the time.

She wasn't jealous of Kim, ever. She was happy for Kim and Ron, even if meant Ron was no longer an option.

If things were different, Ron/Yori would have been a great couple, and I do like to imagine it sometimes.

But, for all her support, Yori wasn't a sidekick. She was extremely skilled, fiercely powerful, unafraid of combat, and willing to face danger to do what's right.

A lot like Kim in those ways, but supportive and patient towards Ron where Kim isn't.

I wish we had seen more of Yori because I feel like she could have helped Ron work on a lot of his issues, like his lack of confidence, and led to some great character development for him. Even if they had never ended up being a couple, their friendship would have been amazing as well.

Thoughts on Bonnie?

I have been waiting for this ask.

I'm probably going to get hated for it...

I don't think Bonnie's as bad as we're supposed to believe she is.

Sure, Bonnie's catty, mean, rude, petty, shallow, selfish, and more.

But that seems to be targeted 90% to Kim, 5% to Ron, and 5% to everyone else.

In other words, Bonnie doesn't seem overly mean to anyone but Kim.

Her fellow cheerleaders are seen hanging out with her instead of Kim quite often. And if someone as nice as Tara or pragmatic as Crystal prefers hanging out with Bonnie over Kim, there's probably a good reason for it.

And it might be the fact that, had it not been for Kim, Bonnie would've never stooped to sabotage in the first place. ("Return to Wannaweep")

Or it could be the fact that Bonnie can actually keep her commitment to the squad, and was willing to put in a lot more work to help the squad. ("Number One")

(I still don't think she willingly gave up the Captain position, especially not to Kim.)

Or that she would've been better able to be Chair of the Dance Committee, since she could fulfill her obligations and get Smash Mouth to perform, but Kim didn't care if Bonnie was better, Kim's own pride and ego, and rivalry with Bonnie, were more important than actually getting the job done. ("Queen Bebe")

Even Ron couldn't see a problem with Bonnie being the Chair of the committee.

(And I still have no idea what "throne" Kim was referring to.)

I wouldn't blame other people for deciding Kim is too competitive to hang out with regularly. She doesn't seem to put a lot of value in enjoying things, just doing them, and doing them the right way (her way).

And from what we've seen of Bonnie's romantic relationships, she dates guys who are genuinely nice and doesn't seem to be very mean to them either. She says Brick is "cute" when he can't think, instead of just calling him stupid or dumb. And the date we've seen her on was to a horror movie, so either Bonnie likes horror movies, she let Brick pick the movie, or some combination of both.

(I don't blame her for dumping soda in Kim's lap, Kim was talking throughout the movie, and being rude and condescending about it to boot.)

And from what I remember of high school, no one who's as mean as Bonnie supposedly is would actually have that many friends. They wouldn't even really have a lot of followers.

And Bonnie didn't just win the vote for Captain unanimously, she won it with everyone other than Kim being enthusiastic about her being Captain.

I think Bonnie's biggest issue with Kim is that Kim quite literally has things handed to her, doesn't have to work for much, and people are too enamored by the hero to notice the person. And Kim treats her best friend horribly which, shockingly, is not something we actually see Bonnie doing.

I think Bonnie's biggest issue with Ron is that Ron is so slavish towards Kim, and Bonnie sees it as pathetic and loser behavior. When Ron distances himself from Kim, she not only has no problems hanging out with him, but dates him, or tries to, and is unequivocally supportive of him. Which is...interesting, as it implies her issue isn't with Ron himself, but with how Ron acts around Kim.

But more to the point: the "mean girl" of the show treats people better than our hero does, and that says a lot about both of them.

Thoughts on the Ron/Monkey Fist rivalry?

They were great foils to each other; Monkey Fist craves power and is obsessed with monkeys, while Ron doesn't desire power and is afraid of monkeys.

But Ron is the one meant to become the Mystical Monkey Master.

Honestly, it was probably Ron's humbleness and the fact that he doesn't want power that made him worthy of it in the first place.

You know, only pure of heart can become the Monkey Master, or something like that.

One thing that irks me though is, even though Monkey Fist knows Ron is meant to be the Monkey Master, and thus usurp the power from him, he still refers to Kim as his arch-foe.

Which makes no sense.

He should be declaring Ron as his sworn enemy because Ron is the one meant to take the Monkey Power from him and Kim is just a teenage girl who saves the world.

But, then again, the show is all about Kim.

Kim's the one who saves the world and Ron is her bumbling sidekick, so of course Kim is his arch-foe, even though Ron is the established, pre-destined threat to his plans.

It's probably his ego that keeps him from acknowledging Ron as his arch foe, but I'd still think it'd be cool if one of the villains, other than Gil, actually viewed Ron as a serious threat.

And Monkey Fist is the perfect mandrill for the job.

Ron Deserved Better

Ron deserved better, from a narrative standpoint. Ron was capable of being more than just Kim's sidekick, and it would've been great to have that emphasized more.

In "Tick-Tick-Tick" Ron is the one who comes up with the idea of using hot sauce to short out the tick and a straw to remove it.

In "Bueno Nacho" Ron figures out how to work the laser after messing around with it for less than a minute.

In "Attack of The Killer Bebes" Ron is the one who made the connection that Kim's dad was the next target, came up with the plan to protect him and find out who was behind it all, and made an extremely convincing disguise in less than a day.

(I know Kim wasn't aware of any of this because she wasn't around, but Kim walking off the mission because she was mad isn't a good look for a hero. However, that's not the point of this post.)

In "Sink or Swim" Ron displays stealth, cunning, quick-thinking, improvisation, resourcefulness, and bravery. Even Kim acknowledges this, but only this one time.

In "Animal Attraction" Ron figures out that getting Rufus to eat corn dogs would make him heavy enough to press the button to release them. Simple? Yes. Effective? Also, yes. And most importantly, a plan that Kim had failed to come up with on her own.

In "Royal Pain" Ron manages to use a mini golf prop to stop a bad guy, aimed in such a way that Prince Wally, who was being held in the bad guy's grip at the time, wasn't harmed.

In "The Twin Factor" Ron manages to not just evade Kim and Shego, but trick Shego into undoing his bindings and lasts against them long enough for Jim and Tim to finish their silicon-phase disruptor.

In "Job Unfair" Ron used sneezing powder on Drakken, which managed to take both Drakken and Shego out of the fight. Simple, effective, and clever.

In "Naked Genius" Ron's mangler was actually a fairly decent weapon, especially considering he was just throwing random things together. And his idea to use it against all the armor was brilliant.

In "The Fearless Ferret" Ron actually makes a decent hero at the end, despite the fact that his mentor was a delusional man.

In "Exchange" Ron manages to kick a tree, that then splits cleanly and falls over. That is not a normal amount of strength. He also manages to make his clothes disappear during Bo practice, which, though embarrassing, is also a bit of an impressive feat.

In "Hidden Talent" it's stated that Ron proved quantity was better than quality, but Ron was actually good at half of the acts he performed; tap dancing, ventriloquism, and water glasses.

In "Return to Wannaweep" Ron figures out how to use his new beaver-like mutation and his surroundings to defeat Gil, and figures it pretty quickly.

In "Partners" Ron and Monique manage to build a donut-launching system relatively quickly, and it proves extremely useful in distracting a mutant dinosaur.

In "Oh Boyz" Ron manages to help the Oh Boyz escape by having them use their dance moves to throw off the motion-detecting lasers. He also taught himself their dance moves just by watching them.

In "Triple S" Ron actually did a decent job of staying on the tray and holding the umbrella. I'm not surprised people thought it was a new sport; an average person doing that on accident wouldn't have been able to stay on it at all.

In "Bad Boy" Ron builds dangerous and powerful devices, and has the foresight to track the Kimmunicator's frequency. And the only thing he switched with Drakken was morality, not intelligence. Thus, it's reasonable to assume that Ron is extremely intelligent, he's just not trying.

In "Overdue" Ron goes on several missions alone to retrieve a library book.

In "Stop Team Go" even Shego acknowledges that Ron turning evil again is very bad. And he sends a bunch of Wegos flying through the air immediately afterwards.

And, of course, Ron's powers come into full bloom in "Graduation".

TLDR: Ron was capable of being more than a sidekick, a solo hero in his own right, and it would've been nice if the narrative hadn't treated him as Kim's inept and clumsy sidekick, even when he's being amazing.

Bonus: In defense of his clumsiness, and less than stellar grades, Ron mentions in "The Fearless Ferret" that he has "a slight stigmatism" but that his doctor says he shouldn't need corrective lenses. As someone who needed glasses at Ron's age, and someone who had astigmatism, I can say this; Ron's astigmatism may not be bad enough that he is legally classified as visually impaired, but even with slight astigmatism, it can still make things blurrier than they should be and mess up his ability to see detail, read, and screw with his depth perception.

In other words, Ron isn't horribly clumsy or stupid, he just can't see.

What are your thoughts on the Tweebs?

Well, the original pitch bible had them as sociopathic geniuses...

Which is kind of a horrible way to describe ten-year-olds. End of.

Jim and Tim are energetic, hyperactive, rambunctious geniuses with a tendency towards taking apart household appliances to build things.

They don't respect Kim's boundaries and work hard to embarrass her.

James and Ann don't seem to be big on disciplining their kids or regulating their behaviors.

And Kim is constantly commenting on how she wanted a sister, thinks of them as freaks, and doesn't think they're human.

Frankly, I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to be nice to her after dealing with that for a lifetime.

Especially after they went through the trouble of helping her on a mission and she used mind-control chips on them afterwards.

The same ones they had freed her from.

The same ones she said were unethical to just make.

I know that when my older sibling spent my entire life telling me how much she never wanted me, I wasn't exactly inclined to be nice to her either.

(We're doing better now, but it took an acknowledgement and an apology on her part before I was even willing to try. I think it'd be nice if Kim did this, too.)

But even though they had nearly helped embarrass Kim out of existence in "Blush", it's clear that they hadn't known what was going to happen, and thus hadn't intended to cause that much harm to Kim.

So it doesn't seem like Jim and Tim are as "sociopathic" as the creators had originally intended for them to be.

TLDR: They aren't really different from how any other ten-year-old boys would be if they were geniuses, had access to advanced technology, had parents who don't discipline or regulate them, and had an older sister constantly talking about how much she hates them.

So I can't really blame them for how they turned out.

Would you?

What are your opinions on Mr. Barkin?

Barkin shouldn't be an educator. Or allowed to be in charge of children.

He runs the school like it's the military.

He admitted to disliking Ron since Ron gave him a weird look in the ninth grade.

He assigns extra homework to Ron just because he can.

He refused to let Ron specifically leave the classroom at the bell despite letting everyone else go just so he could assign him extra homework for no reason.

And demanded that the homework be on his desk at 7:00 despite the school not being unlocked until 7:30.

And gave Ron more homework for pointing out that they don't unlock the doors until 7:30.

He took a whole letter grade off of Ron's assignment in "Ron The Man" just because Ron's bar mitzvah certificate hadn't been signed.

(If Barkin wasn't grading most of Ron's assignments, do you think Ron's grades might be higher?)

He humiliated Bonnie at graduation when she didn't deserve it.

(Seriously, Bonnie's squabbles with Kim and Ron are not something Barkin should be humiliating her for. The punishment was disproportionate to the "crime".)

And the one time anyone's in actual danger, he completely panics.

That being said, he also praised Ron's personal hero essay.

And was proud of Ron's impressive culinary skills.

Let Ron take charge in "Sink or Swim".

And had no problems assigning detention to Kim when she had deserved it.

Barkin mentions in "Graduation" that Ron reminds him a bit of himself, so Barkin is probably trying to prepare Ron for the things Barkin's faced. It just isn't having the desired affect.

I think that Barkin genuinely cares about the students, even Ron, but is in no way qualified to care for them.

Truly, I don't think Barkin is a completely irredeemable person, but he clearly has issues to work out, as shown in "Fashion Victim" by his break from reality, and needs to fix those before he's placed in charge of anyone ever again. If he's ever placed in charge of anyone again.

Bonnie Deserved to Walk at Graduation

Okay, I'm going to say it: as horrible as Bonnie was throughout the series, she didn't deserve that kind of humiliation at graduation.

First of all, Barkin should know how to contact Bonnie, or her mother, to let them know before the ceremony that Bonnie wouldn't be graduating.

Second of all, the one test that Bonnie missed should not be weighted enough to cause Bonnie to not graduate. Especially when she was apparently a Salutatorian. (Second highest GPA in the class, she tied with Kim for the title.) At worst, she loses the Salutatorian title, but not flunk completely.

Third of all, the reason nothing happens in the last week of school is because the grade books are closed, and no assignment given after that point is actually counted towards their grade. So even though Bonnie missed that pop quiz, it shouldn't have mattered anyways.

Unless Barkin was breaking the rules, which wouldn't surprise me.

So, it seems the only reason Bonnie was told at the ceremony that she wouldn't be graduating is because Barkin decided he wanted to publicly humiliate Bonnie.

And a 40+ year old adult wanting to humiliate a barely legal former student of his seems wrong.

(Note: I don't think there was anything sexual behind his motivation for humiliating Bonnie, but it still seems wrong.)

Especially when the humiliation seems disproportionate to any slight she might have done to "deserve" it.

For all Bonnie's done to embarrass and antagonize Kim and Ron, she never goes public with it.

The closest we get is in "Hidden Talent" when she shows a video of Kim failing to hit the high notes while singing to hurt Kim's confidence, but Kim and Ron are the only ones around at the time to see the video. It doesn't count as "public humiliation".

So it doesn't seem right to humiliate her in such a way when she never stooped to that level herself.

You have a lot of gripes about Kim as a character? What about Ron though? Do you think they handled his character better then the rest?

Oh, good question! Yes, and no.

No because Ron is portrayed as a loser and a freak, the butt of many jokes within the series.

And so many people, females included, find themselves relating to Ron more than Kim, so it's a little bit insulting that the character most like them was the "loser" of the show.

And yes, because Ron actually got more character development than Kim.

And, while Ron has been known to be selfish at times, it doesn't usually cause harm to others.

There was "Ill Suited" where he stole Kim's battle suit to join the football team, but he had no way of knowing he could be putting others in danger as he had no idea Dementor was after the suit or had a way to control it.

And Kim called him out for it.

Whenever Ron is behaving badly, neither Kim nor the narrative will hesitate to call him out on it.

Most often, Ron puts Kim's interests before his own. And he certainly treats Kim better than she treats him.

So, Ron is treated as a joke, and often puts Kim's needs ahead of his own. When he behaves badly, he is called out on it. And for this reason, I think he was handled both better and worse than Kim

The most frustrating thing about Kim is how she's immune to criticism. Her apologies are almost always met with the other person apologizing, even when they shouldn't have to.

"But Kim apologizes and learns her lesson! She grows and matures past those things! It's not fair to hold it against her forever!"

Does she? Let's review:

"Bueno Nacho" - Apologizes for getting mad at Ron for outshining her at the job. Not for forging an application for him or guilting him into taking the job in the first place.

Bonus: This is the first of Kim's apologies, and she consistently apologizes for the most minor transgression of the episode, ignoring all the other ones.

"Attack of the Killer Bebes" - Says she'll support Ron because he's her best friend, but doesn't actually apologize.

"The New Ron" - Apologizes for saying Ron needs a new haircut. Not for forcing him into one. Not for not caring how much he hated it. Not for stealing his hat. Not for humiliating him. Tries to throw in a lesson at the end that it's what's on the inside that counts, ignoring that fact that she was the one who forced him to change in the first place.

Bonus: Once again, Kim only apologizes for the most minor transgression.

Bonus+: There's a scene where Kim gets mad at Ron for "abandoning" Rufus, but, having watched the episode recently, I can say that's not what happened; Ron, despite not having pockets, still carried Rufus around with him, Rufus wandered off on his own. Ron probably wasn't too worried because Rufus does that frequently. And he does gently chastise Rufus for wandering off anyways. Thus, Kim's anger at Ron was not justified, and likely just because she was looking for an excuse.

"Coach Possible" - Never actually apologizes for driving her brothers' soccer team so hard they cry. Doesn't apologize, but does get fired from a job she didn't want in the first place, and mopes about it.

"October 31st" - Doesn't apologize for the lying or putting other people in danger. Doesn't acknowledge that she was putting other people in danger.

Bonus: How would Monique's family react to finding out one of Monique's party guests destroyed their garage door? Probably not happy, and banning Kim from their property until she can pay off the replacement wouldn't seem unreasonable.

Bonus+: I doubt the people asking Kim to retrieve the Centurion Project would've been happy to find out how it got stuck to her in the first place. I imagine Kim would be getting much fewer retrieval jobs after that.

"The Twin Factor" - Doesn't apologize for using mind control on her brothers. Tries to justify it and, though her parents clearly disapprove, isn't punished for it.

"The Ron Factor" - This would have been a great episode about Kim learning she takes Ron for granted and apologizing, but instead, despite doing practically nothing in this episode, she still has credit handed to her.

Bonus: The Global Justice scientists said the results of their study into "The Ron Factor" were complete and that Ron was a non-factor, but there's a movie about how Ron is vital to Kim's success, so clearly this is false. Perhaps they meant they couldn't replicate it?

"Adventures in Rufus-Sitting" - Lies to Ron about how it went watching Rufus. Doesn't apologize for not taking it seriously. Doesn't apologize for accidentally endangering Rufus. Just lies to him about how it went.

Bonus: My sister has mentioned to me that how someone treats a pet says a lot about how they view the pet's owner. So Kim's treatment of Rufus says a lot about her opinion of Ron.

"Return to Wannaweep" - Doesn't apologize for not taking Ron's concerns seriously or sabotaging Bonnie. Even Dr. Lurkin apologizes for not taking Ron's concerns seriously. And then Ron tries to give a lesson about how if Bonnie and Kim weren't so busy competing with each other, one of them could have won the Spirit Stick, as though Kim and Bonnie are equally to blame for it.

Bonus: Someone who hasn't known Ron as long as Kim has, has enough respect for Ron to apologize to him, when Kim consistently fails to do so.

"Bonding" - Apologizes to Bonnie for an unintentional comment about Bonnie's weight, quicker than she's ever apologized to Ron, and more sincerely as well.

Bonus: Despite not actually intending to insult Bonnie, Kim still has enough respect for her to apologize. More than she usually does for Ron, her "best friend".

"Fashion Victim" - Apologizes to Monique for being jealous, but not the things she did that could have cost Monique her future in the fashion industry.

Bonus: If Monique was hassling Kim to break an NDA and trying to get a tech guy to find a loophole so she could, would we think Monique should be forgiven so easily?

And consistently doesn't apologize to Ron for dismissing his fears, concerns, and feelings.

So, Kim apologizing to Ron is very rare, almost non-existent.

It's been mentioned to me that some relationships don't require explicit apologies or that love means never having to say you're sorry.

I say that's stupid.

If you care about someone, and you hurt them, you should want to apologize and make things right. Even if it seems like you don't need to say it, you should still show you're remorseful in some way.

And Kim doesn't.

Kim Possible: Episode Reviews

I don’t intend to comment on every episode, just the ones I haven’t talked about yet or the ones I feel need to be given more in-depth discussion. Let’s begin:

“Tick-Tick-Tick” - First episode, not much to complain about here, but I do have one thing that irks me; the detention gang are never seen or mentioned again, with the exception of maybe Mike, as a guy who looks just like him is seen on the football team in a later episode. He is not addressed by name, however, so I’m not going to assume it’s Mike. The point of the episode was that Kim learns the detention gang are not all that bad, but then they’re never seen or mentioned again. They’re not even in the background. It kind of defeats the purpose of the lesson.

I also feel like this episode would have been a good chance to play into Kim’s “driven to excel” traits and have her hate the idea of detention because she’s afraid of how it will affect her future, and she learns one detention won’t ruin her future. You know, a reason for thinking detention is for losers, instead of just her being a cheerleader.

“Bueno Nacho” - I did mention in a previous post that I hate that Kim forged an application for Ron before ever talking to him about it. Honestly, they could’ve just had Kim entice Ron to take the job by mentioning some kind of benefits i.e. employee discount, one free meal while on shift. There was no reason for Kim to unilaterally make the decision, and she seems majorly controlling for doing so. Your protagonist’s mistakes should come from a lack of knowledge, not a lack of consideration. You can teach people to communicate, you can’t teach them to care.

“Attack of the Killer Bebes” - I wish the creators had delved more into Kim’s feelings. She thinks Ron being a cheerleader would be mortifying, and she hates the idea of him as the mascot. But we never learn why. There’s a line at the beginning that would indicate Kim just wanted something for herself, but the creators don’t expand on that. Instead, we get Kim just insulting Ron for the rest of the episode. It would have been more interesting if it was about Kim struggling to keep something for herself without Ron, and learning that even with Ron as the mascot, cheerleading will still always be her thing. Your protagonist should have deep thoughts and feelings that get explored, not just hinted at.

“The New Ron” - One of my most hated episodes for the way Kim treated Ron, but my rewrite would probably fix it. Ron agrees to a new haircut to appease Kim, and tries to like it but he’s miserable and he stays miserable. Kim learns she can be too pushy sometimes and needs to lay off, and Ron learns his best friend cares more about his feelings than his appearance, so it’s okay to say no to her. Your hero shouldn’t be causing harm to others just because she wants to; that’s not a hero, that’s a villain.

“Number One” - A few options for rewrites; Kim actually tries to prove she’s the better captain instead of just expecting Bonnie to fail on her own, or Bonnie stays captain and we get to explore how Kim handles not being in charge. Your character isn’t skilled and talented if she has everything handed to her instead of working for it.

Also, it would be nice if Will was actually competent, instead of taking credit for the mission. Give Kim an actual rival. Seriously, a highly-trained government agent isn’t on par with an amateur? It’s ridiculous. Your female protagonist isn’t good if you have to dumb down the world to make her shine.

“Sink or Swim” - Minor change; with how big Barkin is, and his military experience, he should’ve made more noise while being abducted. We could’ve had a shadow drag him off while he tells Kim to warn the others. That would’ve played into the horror movie parody quite nicely.

“Crush” - I feel like instead of Kim ignoring a call from Wade that was definitely important because Wade doesn’t make social calls, she should’ve just not gotten a call. I mean, how would Wade even know Ron was trapped in the closet anyways? Ron doesn’t have a Kimmunicator. It wouldn’t change much to be honest, and it also wouldn’t have Kim ignoring an urgent attempt at communication.

“October 31st” - Kim should take more precautions with the bracelet. Maybe it gets stuck to her wrist because the tweebs grab it and it gets stuck to her wrist in the ensuing fight. There’s also the issue of lying, but we could just have her nervous about spending time with Josh and having that be enough to set off the armor. That way, it’s basically the same plot, but without Kim being thoughtless, reckless, and deliberately misleading everyone she cares about.

“The Twin Factor” - Honestly, I would take out the whole “gag” about Kim using mind control on her brothers. The whole point of the episode is that mind control is wrong and bad, but the point gets muted when our hero is doing it to children. I’m not sure what gag I would replace it with, but nothing that jokes about mind control. I like that Kim’s parents were upset, but they should’ve been more upset. Outraged, even. And Kim should’ve faced actual consequences.

“Job Unfair” - I’m not sure this episode had a lesson. If it was meant to be “all jobs are important” then the lesson is pointless by having the “janitor” revealed to actually be a Canadian spy. Instead, we could have Kim decide to focus on her work-study anyways, and learn how to disable the weather machine by sheer coincidence, because the janitor is an actual janitor and not secretly a spy. As for Ron’s mentor, it could be revealed that the spy had been trying to get to Kim, but she was already taken by the janitor so he went to Ron instead.

“Grudge Match” - This episode had a scene where Ron mentions people might think he and Kim were on a date. Instead of using this as a moment to hint at Kim and Ron ending up together, Kim mocks and insults Ron for that statement. We could have Kim and Ron nervously discussing whether people think of them as a couple, before Kim (or Wade) brings them back to focus, but Kim mocking and insulting Ron for insinuating people might think they date is not a good way to hint at the endgame ship.

Also, I feel like instead of Kim “fudging” by telling Ron he might stand a chance with Zita, we should have her actually believe it could happen. This is a guy she supposedly develops romantic feelings for later, but instead of hinting at that, she apparently thinks he’s so much of a loser that even a girl none of them know anything about could do better.

“The Ron Factor” - I understand they had to change the ending of the episode because it was too sexist, but this episode chronologically takes place after “A Sitch in Time”, where we learn Ron is essential to Kim’s success (though no one remembers that timeline so I’ll cut them some slack there) and Ron defeated the villain this time. Not Kim, Ron. If they didn’t want it to seem like Ron was the secret to Kim’s success, they shouldn’t have made that a plot point of the movie, nor should they have Ron defeating the villain. Kim did almost nothing in this episode aside from telling Ron he was getting a big head (which he was) and complaining about GJ thinking Ron was the secret to her success (again, he was).

“Adventures in Rufus-Sitting” - I’ve talked about this episode before, so my rewrite is simple; have Kim take actual precautions with the microchip. We could still have Rufus accidentally eat it; maybe while looking for a snack he finds it and eats it. But Kim took no precautions with the top-secret microchip she was meant to guard, and that is seriously disappointing. If your female protagonist won’t take basic precautions with things she’s supposed to guard, she’s not a good guardian.

“Exchange” - When Kim decides she likes Hirotaka, she has Wade track his movements to arrange an “accidental” run-in with him to ask him out. She’s known him for less than a week and is already stalking him. It’s creepy and obsessive and this needs to not happen. Honestly, that whole scene could go like this; Kim returns from a mission, notices Hirotaka, panics, plays cool, decides to ask him out, continues as canon. If your female character is stalking her crush, it’s not funny, it’s creepy.

Interesting to note: Hirotaka looks a lot like Will Du’s original concept Ken Du.

“Queen Bebe” - Honestly, I do have complaints about this episode, and I’ve mentioned it in a previous post, but I’m not actually sure how I’d go about rewriting it. Kim’s inability to fulfill her obligations (that she volunteered for) is not only disappointing but also letting down her school. I can kind of understand her refusal to ask for help, especially from Bonnie, but at the very least, clubs and committees should be hesitant to let her join in the future because of this.

“Hidden Talent” - Not cool of Ron to sign Kim up for the talent show without talking to her about it first, but it definitely wasn’t cool of Kim to threaten Ron with physical violence over it. He might not have seemed afraid, but that doesn’t make it okay.

Honestly, it would be very in character for Kim to sign herself up because of anger and pride, so there was no need for Ron to do it.

“Return to Wannaweep” - Kim sabotages Bonnie, her own teammate, just because she wants a plastic stick painted gold. A stick she admits to only wanting so Bonnie can’t have it. Sure, Kim’s competitive. But this kind of competitiveness, sabotaging her own teammate to make herself stand out more, would get her kicked off the squad. Obviously, if they want Kim and Bonnie sabotaging each other, they should have Bonnie start it. Your heroine doesn’t get to be called a role model when she’s starting conflicts for her own personal interests.

Also, despite Gil having tried something evil before, Kim refuses to take any of Ron’s concerns about him seriously because she’s too preoccupied with her rivalry with Bonnie. A heroine ignoring potential danger because she doesn’t care is not a good heroine.

“Blush” - I can understand Kim wanting to go on a date with Josh, but he would’ve understood Kim needing to stay home for her own safety. She was at risk of literally disappearing.

“Oh Boyz” - Sure, everyone stopped liking the Oh Boyz, but the timing implies Kim stopped liking them specifically because Ron started liking them. I just feel like there’s too much of that in this show; Ron’s interests being “uncool” or “embarrassing”.

“Rewriting History” - This episode introduced interesting new layers to the characters and their relationships, except it didn’t because it was all a dream. I hate that. Honestly, I feel like the episode should have just ended with Kim saving Drakken and Shego and clearing her great-aunt’s name. No “it was all a dream” shenanigans.

“Showdown at the Crooked D” - Kim tricked Ron into going. He told her he wanted to laze about for the summer, she invited him to a place called The Lazy C, and then deliberately didn’t tell him until after they arrived and he had no way to back out that it was a working ranch. A lie by omission is still a lie. Your female hero shouldn’t be doing this to her friends.

"Emotion Sickness” - Another episode that could’ve hinted at Kim and Ron getting together, but instead Ron seemed uncomfortable with the whole idea. Nervous. Terrified. It didn’t seem like he wanted to be in a relationship with her. Having one character be uncomfortable with the idea of dating another is not a good way to hint at a ship.

"Bonding” - Mostly I hate that both Bonnie and Barkin were given character development, and then it’s gone for the rest of the series.

“Bad Boy” - Another episode to hint at a ship, and it didn’t do a good job. Having both characters be uncomfortable with the idea of dating each other doesn’t imply a ship either.

“Team Impossible” - As I mentioned, most of my frustration with this episode comes from the reason they gave for wanting Kim out of the business; profit. There are so many valid reasons, and Team Impossible could’ve been mentors. If you need to make the professionals incompetent for your character to stand out, your character isn’t good enough.

“And the Mole Rat Will Be CGI” - Honestly, my big issue here is that Kim, once again, is ignoring Ron’s feelings on something that will affect him.

“So The Drama” - I made a whole post about this, so I’ll be brief. Getting Kim and Ron together by introducing a “perfect” guy for Kim and then removing him as an option completely is lazy writing. I understand it was supposed to be the end of the series, but while we see a lot of Ron pining over Kim, we don’t see any of Kim possibly having feelings for Ron. The implication is that, if Eric were still an option, Kim and Ron wouldn’t be together. That’s not true love, that’s Ron being Kim’s rebound guy.

“The Big Job” - Kim complains about Ron using coupons to fund their dates, to high end expensive restaurants, but she never offers to pay. She is asking for more from Ron than he is able to give. And she, once again, has things literally handed to her. In this case, Monique literally gives her a job just so she could inspire Ron to get one.

“Fashion Victim” - I find it hard to believe Kim didn’t know she was risking Monique’s and Wade’s futures by trying to get them help her break the NDA Monique signed. She has worked on top-secret projects before; she’s definitely signed a few of those. Your heroine shouldn’t be risking others for her own gain.

“Grande Size Me” - The movie this episode was based off of has been proven to have been faked. This whole episode would need to be rewritten.

TW: This episode contains scenes that would be triggering for people with body image issues, eating disorders, or fears of Kaiju.

I did have more thoughts, but they felt too nitpicky. I tried to stick to the ones I had major problems with, and bolded the advice I would give on how to avoid some of those problems.

The Adults of the Possible Universe

The villains are bad in obvious ways, but the civilian adults have issues too, theirs are just more subtle.

James Possible:

Almost no concern for the dangerous things his boys build because he was just like that at their age.

Doesn’t usually know about Kim’s missions until after she gets back, and is okay with it as long as she’s not out with some boy.

Threatens to launch Ron into a black hole if he breaks Kim’s heart in “Emotion Sickness”.

Ann Possible:

Like James, doesn’t know about Kim’s missions until she gets back, and is okay with that.

Expressed concern over Kim forcing Ron into a haircut in “The New Ron”, but did nothing else, not even when Kim made it clear Ron didn’t get a say in the matter.

I understand these two have careers that keep them occupied, but it doesn’t really excuse neglecting their children. I understand normal teenagers don’t save the world, but even if they did, parents would still want to know where they’re going.

Mr. Stoppable:

Adopts a girl and turns Ron’s bedroom into a nursery, moving his things into the attic, in the time Ron was at school, and doesn’t tell him ahead of time.

Mrs. Stoppable:

Adopts a girl and turns Ron’s bedroom into a nursery, moving his things into the attic, in the time Ron was at school, and doesn’t tell him ahead of time.

Doesn’t tell him he’s going to Camp Wannaweep until the bus gets there.

Stops taking his calls while Ron is at Camp Wannaweep.

We don’t really see enough of them to know if they’re okay with Ron going on missions, but they certainly have a bad habit of making drastic life changes for Ron without telling him.

Mr. Barkin:

Power-tripping; admits in “Bonding” that he’s hated Ron since the ninth grade because Ron gave him a “funny look” and gives Ron extra homework just because he can. (Here’s an interesting question; If Barkin wasn’t the one grading most of Ron’s assignments, do you think Ron’s grades would be higher? It makes sense that Barkin would grade Ron more harshly just because he could.)

Does not inform high school students of changes made to field trip plans until the last minute. Examples: “Return to Wannaweep” and “Cap’n Drakken”. Though I might believe he also didn’t know until the last minute, he still shouldn’t be taking the students to places they hadn’t previously agreed to go to.

Approaches running a high school likes it’s a boot camp, and really shouldn’t be in charge of teenagers.

Not much else needed to say about Barkin; he approaches everything, including running a high school, like it’s boot camp, so the fact that he’s still there is amazing. Middleton High needs more teachers.

I’m not saying they’re all bad people, but these issues are pretty serious and should’ve been addressed in the show. The only time any of them is addressed is within the context of how it affects Ron, and so those concerns aren’t taken seriously.

So I saw @ultimateinferno theorizing about this, and I want spoilers hidden under a cut on my blog, so I’m making a new post rather than reblogging to add to his excellent theory/meta. There are *major Rhythm of War spoilers* mixed with theorizing under the cut.

Ultimateinferno makes a good argument that Lift is the one who is eventually going to deal with Taravangian!Odium. This is *perfect*.

Lift’s “I don’t want to ever change.” You know what? If she kills Taravangian she’s going to get the opportunity to absorb Odium and ascend. Either her boon is going to give her the strength to resist taking the power so that she can deal with it some other way (maybe she could team up with Rysn??? I wonder what kind of affect shattering Odium would have...) OR she *will* take the power, but because of Cultivation’s boon it won’t affect her ability to think clearly.    

Heh, although, Lift, as she is right now, but with the power of a shard might be a whole different kind of problem. As Yanagawn points out, “She often does what she isn’t supposed to.”

All right mirror me, roll perception

Having problems finding new players?

Just hurl dice at the mirror until your reflection starts pulling its weight and stats up an Elf Ranger.

I just saw “Snowbaz” referred to as “Saz” and honestly, I’m kinda digging it

I actually think the best way for Soma to "avenge" on RCiel is for him to find out the twins' issues, realising RCiel is just like past him to Mina, and actually forgiving him: like I want to see Soma telling R!Ciel off right into his face that he's just an immature and insecure child who struggles and failed to control his beloved brother and has no worth to be avenged on, then return to Bengal after claiming he'll always be his little brother's friend no matter how pissed off RC might be...

Hey Anon! Nah, nah, as much as I want Soma to become our!Ciel’s Agni, I really hope he helps taking real!Ciel’s operation down and won’t forgive him.

To explain: I definitely agree with you that, even though the main theme of this series is revenge, it is slowly demonstrated to be a painful and dangerous path that won’t bring any good, even less comfort or solace. 

Therefore, our!Ciel, Soma… following the revenge path will only bring them more pain, in a similar fashion to UT who won’t be able to move on and heal by focusing on the past (bringing back dead loved ones) rather than on the present/future (saving our!Ciel from Seb and protecting the rest of them++). 

That’s why I agree with you that it’s not good development for Soma to be the one killing the twin out of revenge for Agni, simply because he indeed will gain much more solace by helping our!Ciel (”becoming his Agni”) with realizing that he belongs with his family and friends as who he is. 

In other words, we don’t know what Soma understands about the current situation yet. However, because revenge brings nothing good, trying to achieve it would lead him into a dark abyss that he probably won’t come back from. 

That doesn’t mean that Soma has to forgive real!Ciel though. Agni’s death was unnecessary, unfair and extremely violent. Besides, real!Ciel is an antagonist who, because he’s dead, is far beyond redemption. Therefore, the narrative won’t benefit from anyone forgiving him. 

I hope I managed to explain properly. Thanks for passing by and have a nice day. :))

A Theory on Ciel’s Real Name

A question we’ve all been pondering ever since Yana revealed Ciel wasn’t actually Ciel.

I’ve had this theory in mind for a while but after a few of the recent chapters I decided this theory might be very possible.

What if Ciel’s real name is Finnian?

First off on the cover page of Chapter 132 we can see Vincent reading this book called ‘Fenian Cycle’ to the twins.

The Fenian cycle is a collection of short stories centering around this character called Fionn mac Cumhaill (his name is translated to Fionn in modern Irish but was also known as Find and Finn in old Irish) and his warriors the Fianna. Basically, Fionn is the son of the the late Cumhaill (the former leader of the Fianna) and was always on the run and in hiding as a child from the men who slain his father. The current leader of the Fianna did not want Fionn to take his rightful ownership as the leader of the Fianna. This can parellel with how Vincent was slaughtered and how Our Ciel was always seen as the weaker and timid child compared to Real Ciel who was depicted as the braver and stronger of the two. Not to mention Real Ciel is the rightful heir to the Watchdog title and the Earl of Phantomhive, not Our Ciel. It is also worth noting that in the recent chapters where Real Ciel has mysteriously and grandiosely reappeared he seems to have this underlying vendetta to get his title back. To make things simpler, it’s as if Real Ciel is trying to 'steal’ Our Ciel’s 'title’ as the Queen’s Watchdog and although he is the rightful heir, Yana has made us all read through and experience Our Ciel carrying out the Watchdog duty so in a way, we are able to empathise with him as being the 'rightful’ person to do this job and that this duty 'rightfully’ belongs to him.

What follows from the story is that Fionn showcases how great and omnipotent he really is and eventually regains his leadership of the Fianna and spends the rest of the story roaming Ireland, carrying out the duties of the Fianna. This parallels greatly with Kuroshitsuji as Our Ciel proves he is capable of the Watchdog title and being an earl. He is calculating, dexterous, and vigilant. And we as readers watch as he masterfully carries out the Watchdog duties throughout each arc.

What I’d like to point out next is this:

Notice that look of surprise on Our Ciel’s face in the left hand corner panel when he sees Finny. I interpreted this as Our Ciel seeing a reflection of himself (or his past self) in Finny somehow. Both of them were kidnapped and locked up and used as 'lab rats’ for heinous, nefarious reasons.

I think Our Ciel also recognised the distant, faraway look in Finny’s eyes as somebody who has gone through an equally heartwrenching, dark experience as he has.

Granted, they both also watched as their loved ones/close friends were brutally murdered right before their very eyes.

This was Finny when he watched a doctor gun down two of his fellow inmates:

And this is Our Ciel watching his twin brother, Real Ciel (whom he seems to have a very close relationship with based on the flashback chapters) getting stabbed right before him:

I found it really interesting how similar Yana drew both of these panels when showing how both these characters witness the murdering of their loved ones/close friends (especially the eye panels where she highlighted the pure shock in them). 

There are other interesting parallels that could possibly hint that Our Ciel’s name is actually Finnian. Both Finny and Our Ciel were branded (one with a slave mark and the other with a tattoo) to indicate whom they belonged to.

And in this sense, it shows how both were being treated as mere objects instead of actual human beings.

Moreover, one compelling fact is that both Our Ciel and Finny were the only ones to survive their horrendous ordeal (I’m not taking Real Ciel into account because as of now we are unsure as to whether he actually survived or was revived or is some form of developed Bizarre Doll, although I would place my bet on the latter as there is no possible indication whatsoever that he could’ve survived). In addition to this, in order to escape from their cruel captors they both sought to killing them.

This was the doctor that shot Finny’s fellow inmates:

And I think this panel speaks for itself:

So I assume this was one of the reasons why Our Ciel spared Finny’s life on that day and hired him as a Phantomhive servant. Finny reminded Our Ciel of himself (or again, his past self) in terms of how they were both victims of human greed and savagery.

I found other interesting links that could possibly hint at Our Ciel’s name being Finnian. One of them is how both Our Ciel and Finny are caring, selfless individuals who tend to think about the people around them first rather than themselves (in Our Ciel’s case, I suppose this trait was more dominant before the kidnapping and the whole cult event that ensued).

Also, Our Ciel was depicted as a naïve, wide-eyed innocent child which is basically Finny in a nutshell.

And here’s a bonus picture of a̶ ̶c̶u̶t̶i̶e̶ Our Ciel getting really mad because Real Ciel told him that it was silly to believe in something he hadn’t seen before (and if you do believe in Santa then by all means you do you).

What really striked me is how similar Finny is compared to the younger version of Our Ciel. I’ve already cited the evidence as shown above but this revelation only further strengthens my belief that Ciel’s possible name could be Finnian.

I think it’s also worth mentioning that out of all the servants Finny seems to be the closest to Our Ciel and remember, Finny was the only one who saw through Real Ciel when he first entered the manor.

I also find it interesting how Finny was the only one that Our Ciel allowed to be near him and to tend to him during the Emerald Witch Arc. 

During this time Our Ciel had broken down completely and reverted into the part of himself whom he vowed he’d never be anymore. So why was Finny the only person who was allowed to be near Our Ciel during his extreme mental breakdown? Even Sebastian whom Our Ciel seems to 'trust’ the most was rejected and thrown aside. Well, I’d like to think that was because Our Ciel could relate to Finny in some way. Since I’ve mentioned how similar younger version of Our Ciel and Finny actually are, considering how Our Ciel has relapsed into his 'old’ self, 'the one who died on the altar’, I’d assume he found comfort in Finny because Finny represented him. He allowed Finny to stay because Finny could understand and empathise with him. Kind, innocent, selfless, and caring. These were all prevalent traits Our Ciel possessed before he was tortured by the cult. And these are all the traits that Finny possesses after he was rescued from the lab (granted, I’m sure Finny had kindness and a sense of closeness with his fellow inmates but these characteristics did not have the opportunity to grow or nurture until he was rescued by Our Ciel). What’s also interesting is how Yana illustrates Our Ciel and Finny’s relationship being far more prominent than with the other Phantomhive servants. 

With the way this is worded, I can only assume it was Our Ciel who actually invited Finny and not vice versa so this shows that he feels comfortable in Finny’s presence. Again we are presented with parallels between these two characters and I’d like to think that it’s not all just a coincidence. 

Bonus indications that Our Ciel is actually a Finnian/Finny:

1) I’m probably being a little too far-fetched here but both Our Ciel and Finny had injections during their time in captivity.

I know it’s kind of a “So what?” point but knowing how Yana loves to add in obviously ridiculous and ridiculously obvious hints I thought this was worth taking note.

2) Take a look at this panel.

Judging by how Our Ciel says “Um…” before stating his name I assume he hasn’t prepared himself for a situation like the one unfolding before him to occur. Also, he was unprepared for the first test that he had to pass through in order to become recruited as one of the circus members. He had no idea as to how or when Sebastian would help him until his darts were surprisingly hitting the target after every single throw. This means that Ciel was utterly and completely unaware of how things would play out when he arrived. So, back to my original statement, the fact that he paused and THEN claimed his name was Finnian could be an instinctive and reflex statement as again, he was caught off guard and responded with the first thing that came to his mind. Why Finnian? Perhaps because that was his name?

Then we have Joker responding with, “That’s a grand name,” and we know for a fact that Vincent mentioned this:

The fact that Joker says 'grand’, not 'beautiful’ or 'nice’, could indicate that even he himself has not heard of the name often (if ever) and is amazed by how a mere 'pageboy’ could possess such a name. Moreover, the word 'grand’ itself has royal connotations to it, giving one the impression of something majestic and glorious just like how the Phantomhives are perceived as.

So there you have it! Of course, this is all mere speculation and nothing is confirmed, some of the points made could also be bias on my part so you may take this with a grain of salt. As always, you are free to tell me your own opinions on this if you want! Thanks for reading~

Jordan Novet's CNBC Article

Microsoft is contributing $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.

Google is contributing $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.

Meta is contributing $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.

Amazon is contributing a similar amount of $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in December that he would contribute $1 million individually

Apple CEO will do the same as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and contribute $1 million to President Donald Trump's inauguration fund.

All for the sake of advancing Artificial Intelligence's rapid acceleration to become a global power.

CNBC

Microsoft contributes $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund

Microsoft would like President-elect Donald Trump to make sure that U.S. artificial intelligence policy in the next four years will support

Love and Redemption – Bailin

Behold! A meta about Bailin from Love and Redemption, if there’s anyone interested. It’s quite long, so be warned...

Many thanks to my dear @nieninque-nyerea for huge help with the translation from my mother tongue - I would never have the mental strength to do it by my self!

Bailin

Bailin is a complicated character... and that's the reason why it's so sad that all opinions about him are so simplified and can be summed up in three words "he's the worst". Because he isn't... and at the same time, yes, he definitely is. As you can see, the situation is complicated. It's honestly quite surprising how much people want to simplify his actions and character, especially considering the complex psyche of the main trio (or quartet, depending on viewer's philosophy) which makes the whole story so interesting, compelling and surprising (with a help of the wonderful secondary characters, but shh :)). I guess human desire for simple, black and white answers is our greatest superpower…

I would like to start with a small polemic about whether Bailin is a villain. I realize I'm being a bit loose with the terminology here, but I'd argue that he is not a villain. "What?" I hear the indignant voice of the internet – as if we didn't have enough evidence that in the end it was all his fault! (And there really is plenty of evidence.) If I may, I would call Bailin more of an antagonist, someone who is in opposition to the hero – if we consider Si Feng  the hero of the story, then completely deliberately, if the hero is Xuan Ji/Rahu Ketu, then Bailin is in opposition which he himself is hardly aware of, or at least does not admit to. As horrible as Bailin's actions are (and they are), what's really interesting are his motivations. So, enough of the quibble – what is really Bailin's deal?

The answer is very surprising in its simplicity – it's all about doing good. That's right - Bailin is unable to see his actions as problematic, let alone evil, because he firmly believes that whatever he does, he is acting in the service of what is „right“. Terrible is the surprise at the end of the story for him and his subjects, who got dragged along by the unbreakable strength of his conviction that what they are doing is right. (Flying Snake is the only exception, and even his dilemma it is not about the goodness of Heavenly Realm, but about the choice of duty vs friends.) It is not unusual in stories that even a completely unadulterated villain, let alone an antagonist, is convinced of the rightness of his behavior and the hero is primary someone who ignores his motivations and constantly stands in his way, and is therefore in the villain's/antagonist's interest to get rid of them. (We could include the relationship between Bailin and Si Feng into this category.) It is considerably less common when the antagonist is not aware of his opposition to the hero, and is even convinced on fundemental level that everything he does is only helping the hero - even if it‘s the very disintegration of hero's personality. And that is exactly the relationship between Bailin and Xuan Ji/Rahu Ketu. When one looks back at all of Bailin's actions, crimes, and even wilful acts it's actually surprising that his plan isn't more sinister and his motivations far darker. After all, Bailin really wants victory over the enemy (in his case, the victory of Heavenly Realm over demons), and in doing so he does not stand out from the ranks of other characters on both sides of the conflict. What makes Bailin truly unique is the radicality and disproportionality of his solutions, which often not only worsen the entire problem, but in several cases directly cause a brand new one. And all of this happens while Bailin is fully convinced of his truth, his rationality and the infallibility of his own decisions.

And that brings us to what is Bailin really like. Bailin does not have to be inherently evil to be destructive - both to himself and to others. He only needs two characteristics to do this, and both can be summed up in one problem - the lack of (appropriate) self-reflection.

These two characteristics are paranoia and lying to himself (especially in emotional matters).

Bailin belongs to that group of people who believe there is someone after them. Who? Everyone, anyone. The world is full of tricks and traps, you can't trust anyone, except maybe those you have authority over, and even there you're on a thin ice. You can't rely on anyone - and trusting someone emotionally is out of the question! It is always necessary to count on the worst possibility imaginable and look for the worst conceivable motive in others. Bailin's decisions in their monstrosity unsurprisingly match this mindset. Why wouldn't he decide for the worst possible solution, when he is convinced that only his own alertness and preparedness prevent others from using similar weapon against him?

To paranoia is strongly linked lying to oneself. In the world as Bailin sees it, is no place for weakness, hesitation, trust, let alone feelings. All of these things make Bailin (in his mind) an easy prey. Feelings most of all – for him to have feelings for anyone would be a tragedy indeed! It is necessary to fight against these things, or rather to deny their existence, not only in front of others, but above all in front of yourself. All unpleasant feelings and unexpected emotions can be rationalized! Woe be him who tries to impose feelings and emotions on you while you are working so hard for the good of Heavenly Realm! The problem is that Bailin is a good liar - he manages to manipulate a number of characters throughout the story, but he doesn't manipulate anyone better than himself.

Such relationship with reality can be deadly enough on itself, but the circumstances of Bailin's life take it to a truly terrifying extreme. Bailin is no nobody, he is the king of Heavenly Realm (I don't know the exact title), and the ongoing war with demons directly affects him. The very necessity of winning would justify a lot in Bailin's eyes. And into that comes Rahu Ketu and the much-hated feelings and emotions. Bailin does not understand himself - or, more precisely, does not want to understand himself. He is in a complicated situation and he knows only two things for sure. First: there is a war that is not going well, and he must win it – but it is the demons who hold all the triumphs in the form of their strongest general. In order for Bailin to win, he will have to get rid of this obstacle. Second: It is the same demon general that he must get rid of, without whom he cannot imagine his life. But Bailin doesn't like to think about that.

Bailin's paranoia does not allow him to accept or even imagine any other solution to their situation than victory, preferably an absolute victory – the enemy cannot be trusted, just as one cannot trust any peace designs, even should the enemy party come up with them. If Bailin doesn't attack first, in the fastest and smartest way, they will definitely lose! Of course, he can't even trust that „friend“ who sits and drinks with him so often, Bailin mustn't be fooled! Although he might wish they could sit together like this forever...

The solution Bailin will choose is a truly horrifying display of rationalized paranoia.

He is not committing a war crime, he is just doing what is necessary for Heavenly Realm to win! (Regarding the war crime: I'm sure poisoning a peace messenger would fall in this category. And yes, Bailin didn't know what message Rahu Ketu carried, but he would have known if he had listened to him. But he won't because he convinced himself such thing is not possible – that it will be either his solution or his loss. But even if we give him the benefit if doubt for not knowing, the attack was still made by trickery during friendly negotiation.)

And it's not like he wants to keep Rahu Ketu with him at all times, so he can never leave him, faithful and stripped of any identity that could possibly cause them to become enemies again! No, he is merely providing a weapon for Heavenly Realm which they never had and that will guarantee their victory!

And he doesn't at all take revenge on all the demons (including Rahu Ketu) when he orders God of War to slaughter her own people and her king. No, he's just making sure the rebellion will never happen again! So what – God of War will never even remember who she is, or realize who she killed, so why would it matter???

All altruistic and selfless reasons! In one move Bailin won the war and got rid of all his enemies. How could that be wrong??

In the same way it is later absolutely necessary that Xuan Ji does not regain her senses - not because she could then fall in love and forever leave Bailin for Si Feng, but because she could then become terrible, evil (or rather rightfully pissed off) demon and destroy the whole world! And if that strategy fails, then it's necessary to get rid of Xuan Ji, Si Feng and Jade Cup, because evil demon, war, and the destruction of the world are all serious problems - they don't necessarily have anything to do with the fact that Bailin really does not want to meet Rahu Ketu again and face him after all the things he had done to him.

From Bailin's point of view all of his decisions seem reasonable and sound. Logical. As if there really was nothing else to do. Of course, the problem is that Bailin's perception of the world is anything but reasonable and sound. It's paranoid and distorted – the demons are asking for peace after all, Rahu Ketu's feelings are sincere and he's not plotting any treachery or attack, Si Feng isn't after him... we could go on. Bailin can pass off his paranoia as rationality only by the force of his will and his own lies. But he indeed has a strong will and had believed his own lies a long time ago.

And so finally, Bailin stands before us as we know him - in his own eyes, and in the eyes of many, the paragon of goodness, purity and fighting for the right thing, especially in a world where the enemy could be everywhere, even (or maybe especially?) among one's closest people. Bailin shines so brightly precisely because he firmly believes that what he is doing is right. He relies on his own abilities and his own judgment, because his suspiciousness does not allow him to trust the judgment and motives of others. He is controlling, dominating even , because deep down he fears abandonment (without acknowledging it) and he is not able in front of himself to call love by its real name - he'd rather dress it up in a guise of usefulness and calculation, because what he fears most of all is to be loved only to be betrayed. If that should be the case, isn't it less painful to betray first?

Rahu Ketu is the person Bailin loves in all his complexity, including the potential danger he represents. God of War is the same beloved person, robbed of everything that could threaten Bailin – loyalty to the enemy, knowledge of her past, awareness of her own self; she is ideal because she is Bailin's and she cannot leave or betray him – she would be leaving and betraying her only identity. (Or rather Bailin thinks she can't, but life sucks...) Xuan Ji, on the other hand, is for Bailin the worst possible version of the same person: she's another erasure, a desperate attempt to recreate the person God of War was before her rebellion. But this time she doesn't know or love Bailin and her will is her own. She is not burdened by Rahu Ketu's consciousness, and yet Bailin has to watch her "worst" instincts win for nine lifetimes. When the tenth life comes, Bailin panics and heads down to Earth to get her back under his control before it's too late. But alas, it's too late already – while he wasn't with Xuan Ji, someone else had been... Bailin has hurt all three versions of his beloved person – denying or trying to deny each of them the right to freedom, an independent life and, what is most painfull, their own identity. Rahu Ketu states many times that he is not Xuan Ji and wants nothing to do with her, even though Xuan Ji undoubtedly is a part of him – but it's the part that was forced on him, that he was bound into, and for that Bailin can't be so easily forgiven... And Bailin, high above everyone in his white clouds but unable to admit the truth, says: "I didn't do anything wrong, just what was necessary!"

So what's the conclusion? Is Bailin really "the worst"? As I said in the beginning – he is, as well as he isn't… but for me Bailin is primarily tragic figure. He is definitely the person whose decision will negatively affect the largest number of people. His decisions are some of the worst. But his motivations... are surprisingly pure, although absolutely misguided. Bailin doesn't want to commit evil – he just hasn't realized that he is doing exactly that. What is worse – conscious malice or a mistaken belief in one's own sanctity, is up to everyone. Bailin's actions and their appalling utilitarianism cannot be very well defended, but I would find extenuating circumstances in his motivations.

And it's not only that - perhaps the most telling part is the end of Bailin's story. Because in the end Bailin submits and admits his fault. Yes, a higher up must appear - Bailin is too convinced that the world, as seen through his paranoia, is the real world so it is impossible for anyone but the ultimate authority to open his eyes - the most powerful one and the one with "the patent for the truth", the one in whose interest was Bailin convinced he has been acting. Metaphorically speaking, Bailin must cry out upwards: I did it all for You and for the sake of  Heavenly Realm! And he must hear emperor's „no“ to find humility. But Bailin‘s humility is real - such humility can only exist in someone who was not only truly convinced that he was doing the right thing, but who also sincerely wanted to do the right thing. Bailin's humility is beautiful in its tragedy - although Bailin had a habit of listening mostly only to himself, his ego is not what matters the most to him. The prosperity of Heavenly Realm is what matters the most, so the knowledge of his own failure is therefore more painful to him than any punishment.

Simply put, Bailin has a beautiful “Am I a baddie?” moment, and the most tragic part of the whole situation is that this really is a brand new information for him. What should he do with himself now?

All that remains is to drink the offered cup, resigned to his fate.

It's a different punishment than voluntarily giving up one's powers – that was an acknowledgment of incompetence, of mistakes. I surrender that with which I have done much evil in the name of good. I'm giving up my powers because I can't no longer trust myself.

This is a different kind of punishment - it carries hope. It carries within itself a new chance to get it right.

Perhaps at the very end, Rahu Ketu isn't really asking for a punishment, but for a sign of trust - a sign of the biggest change Bailin will have to go through.

Will you drink? Will you relinquish the control, you've clung to, the one for which you've ruined so many lives? Because of which you ruined my life? Will you overcome your fear and walk with me into the unknown? I already know what it's like to lose control, what it's like to be tossed around by forces more powerful than yourself and don't even know your own name - will you dare? Can you surrender yourself to the world and the people in it with the faith that they won't hurt you?

Will you drink with me?

Some thoughts on Sam & Dean’s handgun preferences

Or: why Sam has more guns, but Dean is the better shot

So I can’t find much proper meta about the weapons (and even the SPN wiki was making mistakes.) But I think there’s a goldmine of good character stuff here. Ryan Steacy has been the SPN armorer since the beginning of the show, and he’s put some really nice thought into the boys. Respect, love, appreciation for him. 

So… I’ll just jump right in, shall I? 

Dean’s M1911A1

Dean carries the baddass American pistol. It’s very macho, very MURICA. The 1911 was the service gun during WWI & WWII, right up through the Korean war. So it gets (and deserves) a lot of love. They have a reputation for needing more maintenance than some modern pistols, but considering how often Dean’s just sitting there, casually cleaning while chatting with Sam, he probably sees this as more a feature than a bug. He’s a natural mechanic. Firearm maintenance is probably relaxing and zen for him. 

(I do think that for Sam it’s more a stressed-based compulsion. He tends to do it when he’s feeling helpless or scared. In “Hello, Cruel World” Dean interprets Sam’s gun-cleaning as sign that he’s in a bad headspace. 

BOBBY: Well, at least he’s not curled up under the sink.  DEAN: Yeah, no, he’s just sitting there silently field stripping his weapon. 

And Hallucination!Lucifer sees it as evidence that Sam’s suicidal. Sam goes for a more traditionally low-maintenance pistol, and I kinda think Dean may clean it for him a lot of the time.)

But anyway. Dean’s 1911 holds large .45 caliber Colt ACP rounds - which means it can only fire seven shots before he has to reload. (Sam’s pistol, by the way, can fire seventeen shots in a row.) 

And people who like the 1911 say this is fine. The bullets are so big and the gun is so powerful that seven shots is all you need. (You hear the phrase “stopping power” or “knock-down power” a lot.) But there are also the people who think that the 1911 is just over-powerful, and it isn’t worth it to sacrifice carrying capacity and accuracy for pure force. 

Because yeah, it is harder to be a really good shot when you’re using .45 ACP rounds. Target shooting teachers will probably start you off with baby .22mm bullets, then slowly move you up to something bigger (bigger bullets = slower bullets = less accurate bullets. Also more recoil, which makes everything harder.) This guy is kind of intense, but puts it well when he says “every step up the caliber ladder means another round of very serious training.” 

But hey, Dean is a better shot than Sam

Like, I don’t think it’s ever explicitly stated, but of course he is? 

Their entire childhood, it would have been Sam going back to the motel room early to study or do his homework, while Dean dutifully puts in another three hours shooting coke cans off fenceposts. 

This also helps explain his choice of handgun. Dean uses a less accurate pistol with a smaller carrying capacity because he can. He knows he’s going to hit the thing the first time. And if he’s going to be fighting literal wendigos, I guess he wants the holes he pokes in them to be as big as possible. 

(plus all this classic Americana does kind of go with the Impala) 

Sams’ Taurus PT92AFS

Sam spends the first season borrowing Dean’s Smith & Wesson 5906. It’s very clearly Dean’s - it fires .45 ACP rounds (Dean’s preference) and Dean sometimes actually loads it before handing it over to Sam. Since Sam doesn’t actually want to be a hunter though most of S1, this makes perfect sense. 

Then in S2, Sam gets his Taurus PT92AFS – basically, a budget version of the  Beretta M92. In a lot of ways, the Taurus is the souped-up Honda civic you get when you can’t afford a Ferrari. (and in both cases, you’ll totally get people saying they’re being smart by not paying extra for the brand name.) 

A Taurus  PT92AFS is a practical and cautious choice. It’s not the least bit flashy. It’s light and accurate, it carries a lot of rounds, and they’re little .99mm rounds, which are more budget conscious and accurate than .45 ACP rounds.

Partway into S2, Sam’s Taurus gets nickel plating and pearl grip. Possibly Sam did this so his gun would match Dean’s. Or possibly Dean customized Sam’s pistol as a gift. (it’s the firearm equivalent of painting racing stripes on your car.) Either way, it’s a pretty darn cute touch. 

Sam’s Taurus Judge (his “witch killer”) 

“For an unknown reason, Sam appears to prefer using this gun for firing witch-killing bullets rather than loading his regular pistol with them. In contrast, Dean uses his Colt M1911A1 for witch-killing bullets rather than employing a similar practice.” 

@supernaturalwiki, it’s because the witch-killing bullets Sam makes are .45 ACP, not .99mm. They wouldn’t fit in Sam’s normal Taurus PT92AFS. He makes them for Dean, so of course he makes them in a caliber that Dean prefers. 

Sam’s Taurus Judge is a close-quarters backup piece that fires five shots. This is just in case Dean (the better shot) isn’t able to take out the main threat. Hilariously, the Judge is a revolver that chambers both .45 ACP rounds and shotgun shells. This means Sam can load it up with rock-salt shells or witch-killing bullets or silver bullets. So you know. Whatever’s on the menu that day. 

Soulless!Sam’s Heckler & Koch Mk23

Sam switches over to this when he loses his soul, then switches back to his Taurus products when he gets his soul back. When Soulless!Sam and Sam!Sam fight in their vision quest, they fight Heckler & Koch vs Taurus. 

The Heckler & Koch Mk23 is designed to have the power of Dean’s 1911 and the carrying capacity of Sam’s .99mm handgun. So it’s huge, and very intimidating. It’s waterproof, crazy durable. It’s made by a fancy schmancy German defense contractor known for their precision engineering and their popularity with the special forces. H&K weapons are also known for being crazy expensive. This pistol would have set Sam back at least $2,000 (and for reference, you can get a Taurus PT92AFS for $500, easy.) So, either Soulless!Sam killed someone with a Mk23 and looted it, or somehow raised 2K very quickly. And I’m not even sure which option is more terrifying. 

But the Mk23 still has that vibe of practicality and caution that Sam seems drawn too. (’Over-prepared’ is a good word to describe it.) It’s still an in-character choice. Just, Soulless!Sam is more brusque and intimidating when he’s dealing with persons of interest, as opposed to Sam!Sam’s softer, more approachable manner. And I think those two attitudes are pretty well represented by the H&K Mk23 and the Taurus PT92AFS respectively. 

Interestingly, the H&K Mk23 does not fire Sam’s normal .99mm bullets. It fires the larger .45 ACP caliber rounds. And Soulless!Sam can get away with this because - I’m pretty sure Soulless!Sam is a much better shot than Sam!Sam. 

SAM: Ever since I came back, I am a better hunter than I’ve ever been! Nothing scares me anymore. ‘Cause I can’t feel it. 

Like again, why wouldn’t he be? Soulless!Sam is ice cold, steady heartbeat in a crisis. Marksmanship is a mental thing as much as it’s practice, and Soulless!Sam’s hands aren’t shaking. And that’s why he eventually switches back to his Taurus PT92AFS. It doesn’t matter if your shots are more powerful, if they don’t hit anything. 

(he still does have that H&K Mk23, though. He cleans it when he’s in a bad mental place. It’s not like he borrowed it from the Campbells or anything.) 

tl;dr

Dean uses big slow American bullets, because he’s a good enough shot to compensate. Sam uses little, accurate European bullets, and he uses a lot of them (because he’s cautious, and not quite as good as shot as his brother.) The witch-killing bullets Sam makes are a larger caliber, because he makes them for Dean. He’s got a little revolver that can take them, but he’d prefer it if he didn’t have to use it so much. 

Soulless!Sam is both a better shot, and not adverse to giant expensive German handguns acquired though less-than-legal means. So he switches over to a pistol that shoots giant bullets, and lots of them. 

(Also, disclaimer: I do not pretend to be a firearm expert. I’m just here to have fun.)

THE AO3 site for STAR TREK: ERIDANI is open for you guys to sign up to make your own stories/art/whatever based on the episode plots, or just to read the lore/posts on the collection the creator @purple-iris made (plus some artwork from me!) !!!

This AO3 work aims at centralizing all information regarding the character biographies and episode synopses for the Star Trek: Eridani fan project, a for-fans-by-fans series. This series will be hosted as an opened prompt meme challenge, with the prompts being the various episode summaries written by purple_iris_bloom ( @purple-iris ) and ghostofgoldendays ( @parallelfallout) , the co-creators and hosts.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64461667/chapters/165521569#main

If you wish to read the characters biographies, meta analysis and episode synopses more easily on AO3!

It also aims to be a ressource/reference for anyone wanting to start thinking about writing or creating something for the Eridani Project...

One of the fun things about writing is how, sometimes, you accidentally write things a certain way, and then, weeks later, you realise that what you wrote actually has significance to the story, and it adds a cool little detail to some aspect of the plot or characterisation.

In Fortune's Rule, I've written Starkiller bowing in the presence of his master. Just today, though, I realised that the more proper Sith thing would be to kneel. The true explanation for the bowing instead, of course, is that it was entirely unintentional and in fact carries absolutely no meaning whatsoever. I was a little sloppy and didn't think things through sufficiently.

However, in-world, it looks like some sort of choice on Vader's part. He taught his apprentice to bow (more a Jedi thing, I think?), rather than kneel (a Sith thing, and more subservient). Perhaps Vader's Anakin is showing a little bit, in not wanting to make Starkiller demonstrate the extreme subservience that a Sith master usually expects from their apprentice (i.e. that Sidious expects from him). At the same time, I think it also fits with Vader's character. He's a military leader, not a political one like Sidious, and as such probably prioritizes utility over ceremony. There's no need to bother with the whole kneeling thing, when a bow will do.

I love things like this, because they show how, for all that a lot of planning and intentional symbolism may go into writing, sometimes what the reader sees as significant is just a surprisingly functional mistake. (And it also makes me wonder how much of the stuff we analyzed in high school lit classes was intentional, and how much was coincidental.)