#Also this was back with Jodie could do things and was awesome
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Jessica Biel for CosmoGirl October/November 1999 by Jodi Bryson
Find out why this 7th Heaven star is the coolest friend a girl could have!
"I'm definitely weird," Jessica Biel confesses as she digs through the knick-knacks in her bedroom. "I have some really wild stuff." She points out her collection of vintage sunglasses, a bunch of so-bright-they're-blinding wigs, dozens of phone numbers taped to the wall, and her favorite Abercrombie & Fitch ad. "He is the hottest Abercrombie model ever," she says.
The 17 year old star of 7th Heaven just finished her third season on the show and aced her junior year of high school. Now she's flinging clothes around her bedroom to prep for a European vacation with two of her closest friends. "I want to go someplace I've never been with people I really love hanging out with," she says. "I want to see some amazing things."
Jessie has that I'll-try-anything-once outlook down pat. She started her career as a model, but at 14 decided to give acting a whirl. Like in a Hollywood fairy tale, she flew to L.A. and had just a few auditions before scoring the primo role of Mary Camden.
Jessie works on 7th Heaven six days a week, nine months a year. But as soon as she steps off the set, straight-arrow Mary vanishes and the real Jessie charms everyone around her with warp-speed chitchat about her big plans for the future (a backpacking trip with her best friend, college, and maybe a second career as a photographer). Clearly, Jessie is ready to take on the world. First stop, Europe!
The Big Trip
"I have no idea what to expect," Jessie says of her European vacation, "but I just can't wait to eat that good food!" Is she worried about travelling to strange countries where she doesn't know a soul? "No, I'm very excited. My mom has a checklist of things for me to do before I go: Make copies of my passport, driver's license, and credit cards; pack these things close to my body but separate from my wallet. My mother has planed it all out -- I just gotta do it."
Jessie makes a surprisingly small pile of clothes at the bottom of her bed, then crams it into a backpack. "I'm honestly taking one pair of pants, a T-shirt, a couple pairs of shorts, a few tank tops, a sweatshirt, a bathing suit, and two pairs of underwear that I'll keep throwing in the sink. My camera is the most important thing."
In addition to taking tons of snaps, Jessie has dreamed up the coolest way to keep track of her European adventures. "Instead of a private diary, I'm going to take a big book, like a communal journal, and anyone can write in it," she says. "If someone says, 'Can I see your journal and write a little entry?' that's cool. It will be nice to look back and read what we all did and what we felt together." Bon voyage!
Best Friends
Her travelling companions are her friends Shane Nelson and Light Dreamer Eternity. "Light rocks so hard," Jessie says. And even though she lives in L.A. now, Jessie is still supertight with her best friend from her hometown of Boulder, Colorado, who's also named Jessie. "I have pictures of Jessie and me stuck all over my room," she says. What's her secret for maintaining such strong friendships? "There's never the silent treatment," Jessie explains. "If I was in a fight with a friend, I would just call and be like, What is the deal? What did I do? What do we need to talk about? How can we get it over with?" Jessie's the kind of friend who wouldn't let you stay mad at her.
A Special Guy
Will her absence make anyone's heart grow fonder? Jessie let it slip that she has a long-distance boyfriend, but then she wouldn't spill a single detail! (And believe us, we begged!) But she did share her sure-fire hook-up advice. "I'm pretty forward with guys," she says. "I'll just walk up to somebody and I'll be really blunt and say, 'What a great-looking person you are! Have an awesome day.'" Does that really work? "Well, I don't say that to a guy because I want him to be my boyfriend," she says. "I just want to tell him." What guy could resist?
Prom Night
Unfortunately, Jessie didn't get to take her secret boyfriend to her junior prom. "I promised Beverley Mitchell [who plays her younger sister Lucy on 7th Heaven] that I'd go to her friend's prom. And she made me promise that I wouldn't back out. I found out a week later that my prom was the exact same day! So I missed my prom to go to another prom with this kid who didn't have a date," she says. She didn't skimp on glamour for her first prom experience: She wore an elegant white cami-and-skirt combo with superhigh-heeled sandals. "It turned out that we had a good time, but Bev totally owes me!"
Bad Behavior
Jessie doesn't always play it so straight and narrow. There's a sneaky story about the pink flamingo hanging from her bedroom ceiling.
"We had just sold our house in Boulder, Colorado, and I loved that house," she says. "I wanted to see it one more time. When my best friend Jessie and I drove up to it, my eyes welled up -- there was a pink flamingo sticking out of my front yard! It was the chessiest thing I'd ever seen. I was not happy with that flamingo. I thought, This has to go. So I ran and ripped it out of the ground. I busted to the car and yelled, 'Go, Jessie, go!' and we just took off. I pulled out the stick and put the flamingo in my suitcase, and took it home with me," she says. "I don't think the family even knew it was missing." Um, Jessie...they do now.
BRIGHT FUTURE
Even though Jessie's a totally fearless adventurer, she still gets homesick for Boulder. "I miss the people, I miss the mountains. It is so laid-back there," she explains. Does she ever see herself going back to settle down in the Rocky Mountain foothills? "I have one more year of high school, which seems like it's going to take forever -- and then I'm on my own! I can be wherever I want to be!" Look out world -- here she comes!"
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Watsonian vs. Doylist Explanations and Keeley/Jack
God what an awful title. Bear with me.
Here's a quick explainer/refresher on Watsonian vs. Doylist explanations for things that happen in a text. The terms come from the Sherlock Holmes stories. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote them over a broad span of time and did not keep detailed notes, so there are a lot of continuity errors in them. For example, let's say that a character named John Smith in one story is referred to as James Smith in another. Both are Detective Smith, chief of police, and Holmes refers to the events of the first story in the second, so you know they're supposed to be the same character.
A Watsonian explanation is one that Dr. Watson would give, operating within the text's world. In this case, that the man is named John James Smith and sometimes goes by his middle name among friends.
A Doylist explanation brings in the author and external constraints on the text. So the Doylist explanation is that ACD forgot and didn't check back.
Neither way of interpreting a text is wrong. Watsonian explanations produce the best fanfic. But Doylist explanations are sometimes useful as a check on expectations and a reframing to step back and look at the text in a bigger picture.
Looking at the Jack/Keeley relationship, possible Watsonian explanations for why they broke up this week are that it was an impulsive relationship from the get-go without much foundation; class differences being too much; mismatched expectations around behavior codes; Jack being irredeemably evil (not supported by the text).
A Doylist explanation is that Jodi Balfour was only contracted for four episodes and not available for the extensive reshoots the season ended up requiring.
Again, you're not wrong if your reaction is "the showrunners should have taken more care to tell the story within the constraints they were under." They could have! They could have come up with a different flashpoint for the breakup. They could have paced the whole thing better (please @ god they could have paced it better). And they could even have made Jack/Keeley endgame, staying together for good within the text--but if they had done that, Jack would not have appeared on screen again, and it would be a relationship we heard about and didn't see, because JODI BALFOUR WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO SHOOT MORE SCENES AS JACK.
That's what I mean about Doylist explanations helping to temper expectations. It is 100% awesome to write fanfic to fix how this storyline disappointed you. It's the best. Write five novels about Keeley and Jack having the best life ever. Do it now. But keep in mind that what you could get WITHIN THE TEXT was always within certain constraints.
(Deeply ingrained homophobia and misogyny are also Doylist constraints on the text, btw!!!! Can't dismiss those either.)
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Honestly, the issue with characters like Claire and Charlie and the whole being a hunter business is the fact that SPN already had female hunters, Ellen and Jo. They were killed off. Not gonna lie, I personally really liked their death scene, both because wow, what a way to go out, but also because it was so futile. Like they died for nothing. Lucifer still managed to resurrect Death. Yeah, their death scene worked.
Anyway, the point is: If later season SPN wanted to introduce female hunters, make characters that are female hunters and introduce them as such. Don't introduce a geek, a child, most people likely didn't remember, and two police officers and force the mould of hunter on them. It comes across as weird, fanservices-y and unrealistic. Kripke didn't spend five seasons establishing that hunters live on the fringes of society and often devoted their whole life to this business, for you later season writers to walk all over that and make every Johnny of the street a hunter.
Heck, I didn't even mind Jody and Charlie as characters before the whole hunter bullshit. I think, as bit characters, they work nicely. They are fun, and bringing them in for specific non-hunter tasks like getting law enforcement of the boy's back or cracking some code, which is too complicated for Sam, could have worked. It's the later seasons insisting on making them hunters, which is dumb. Nobody asked them to make them hunters. Who thought this is a good idea?
Exactly. Hunters got into it not because they wanted to but because they lost a loved one and wanted to find out the truth.
Charlie read the SPN Books online and BAM she's an instant hunter.
The wayward bunch think its a cool thing to do and OH SO SIMPLE.
Jody was an awesome character until the actress got too big for her boots.
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Day 23 Jody the Explorer
But Diego, where's the fucking map!
I had a very restless night, anxious about both driving and kayaking in open waters. I got up at 5.15am to organise myself and psych myself up for the day's events. I forgot it would be dark at 6.15am when I had to leave for Praia de Albandeira to meet Filipe Tidy for my kayak tour to Benagil Caves. So several degrees of difficulty, a manual car, driving on the other side, it's dark, I don't know where I'm going (fingers crossed Siri works)...So, I got out of the "gates" and about 1km in Siri says "make a u-turn at the roundabout". WTF, what does that mean? I had made a wrong turn and here, there's so many one way streets, and some of them are very narrow (I had to put my side mirrors in), one wrong turn can cost several minutes and Filipe told me not to be late!
As I got further I built up my confidence. Re-connecting with manual driving was the simpler bit, remembering which side of the road to be on all the time was quite another experience. I had a 30 minute drive and was told yesterday to be careful as there was a dirt track down to the beach. I realised for two reasons why 7am was the best time slot to have chosen. Firstly, less people on the road, as it was really single vehicle only, and also as you'll see in the photos, apart from my little group of three plus the guide, there were only a handful of other tourists at the cave and they left, so my photos had no-one interrupting the awesomeness of the caves. Last year in summer, the government shut the caves to kayaking as people were injured from the chaos and probably their stupidity.
The ocean was so calm and being in a double with Felipe was even better. It was a bit cool to begin with, but warmed a little as the two hours continued. It was such an incredible experience, the only thing that could have made it better would have been seeing dolphins nearby, which is possible.
So, now that I had wheels and my mojo and it was only 9.15am I needed a plan. First to Porches Pottery for coffee and to browse the pottery. The cafe wasn't open and the pottery was not my taste, but I used the car and their bathroom to do a quick change. I then did a quick google for the best coffee and cake in Porches, which led me to Café Aurora. The owner had no fresh homemade cakes, but the coffee was ok. Her and her son couldn't recommend any decent pottery. It was a neat café and the son said they have their crowd of locals who visit and I saw a few of them dribble in while I was there. The son recommended a visit to Armação de Pêra, another beach side village. Again I googled best coffee and cakes and ended up at O Rei das Bolas de Berlim. Crap coffee (made with UHT as is frequent in the local pastelerias) and an ok pastel de nata and a custard donut! The beachfront area was lovely to walk along, but Praia da Rocha and surrounds is much better. I jumped back in the car and headed to Silves to look at what I might have missed yesterday. This time I chose to avoid highways as well as tolls, and ended up on some single lane only, back country roads wandering statistically what the riskiest proposition is!
Silves was pretty warm like yesterday and the mercado wasn't fully operating, some of the stores were closed and I was getting hungry. The son from the Porches café mentioned that Café Inglês was good. He did say on the weekend for music. I had one of the specials, creamy cheese bacalhau (cod)! As much as Mum's tuna mornay was ok as a kid I thought the world may have progressed since those days in the 1970s and 80s. It was ok, but a bit pricey at €14.
Back in the car at 3.05pm to try and grab my race bib for Thursday's run from Tourist Information, get to the gym, grab some items for the Seven Hanging Valleys hike tomorrow with Rosie, shower and to happy hour drinks at the Moonlight Bar by 5pm. I almost made it by 6pm! So here's the reference to "where's the fucking map". En route home my iphone decides to overheat and nothing works until it cools down! Nowhere to pull over so I just follow the signs and luckily it comes back on before I hit the hectic traffic in Portimão. At one point the police were behind me, then an ambulance with sirens was trying to get around me going up a tiny one way street. I aborted the Tourist Information, concentrated hard to get home and had to make a cup of tumeric tea to calm down.
I was looking forward to the Moonlight Bar expat happy hour drinks on Tuesday night, but it was not really pumping. I met Jim Young, who tells me he is an independent music producer from the UK. He rattles off some names I haven't heard of until he mentions Sting and Simon Cowell and assisting one of the Britain's Got Talent contestants win. He and his wife Sue are a lovely couple who spend a lot of their retirement in their campervan in Portugal.
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The Road So Far: Season 9
It took a while, but we made it! The timing was rough, but season 9 is officially over. If you haven't already, check out my other commentaries with the "ashla chick flick moments" tag.
Season 9 was a ROLLERCOASTER. Starting with Sam almost dying, then Cas leaving, the whole Gadreel fiasco (not even CONSIDERING Kevin), Charlie and Garth, the Mark of Cain, Metatron, and ending with Dean's death. From start to finish, the whole season is action-packed and still ends on a cliffhanger.
There are so many fantastic episodes this season. 9x04 Slumber Party, 9x05 Dog Dean Afternoon, 9x07 Bad Boys, 9x08 Rock and a Hard Place, 9x12 Sharp Teeth, and definitely 9x23 Do You Believe in Miracles? Some honorable mentions: 9x15 #thinman (I personally think the Ghostfacers are great. Sue me) 9x20 Bloodlines (a solid episode, but not the best of the group. I'd love to see a spin-off though) 9x21 King of the Damned (Dean vs. Abaddon was awesome, if a bit scary. Crowley was also great in this episode) and, of course, 9x11 Firstborn (do I really need to explain this one? The tension, Crowley and Dean, the entire thing is cinema). Overall, I would say my favorite is Dog Dean Afternoon. Apparently there's a lot of discourse about this one, but I think it's a fun, light-hearted Monster of the Week with lower stakes to provide some relief from all of the crazy going on.
I think the boys had more equal storytime this season. Sam + Gadreel filled the first half, while the Mark of Cain took the second half. They also seemed less polarized (which sounds crazy, I know, but hold on). Obviously Sam & Dean argued the whole season about Gadreel. However, unlike previous arguments, I could actually see both sides. Sam wasn't wrong here, but Dean wasn't either. Dean's life has been dedicated to keeping Sam safe, but at what point does it become about Dean's mental health instead of Sam's well-being? And later, the Mark is clouding Dean's mind. Sam can see it, but Dean is under its influence and refuses to listen. They've started to go back to their season 1 selves, where Dean is "shoot first ask questions later" and Sam has to reign him in. Even people who don't interact with the Winchesters very often can see it.
The side plots this season were interesting. It felt like they were trying to get a lot of the side characters out of the way. Garth got out, Kevin died, and Charlie left, but I guess Jody is still around and they met Donna, so they're not completely isolated.
If I were to rank the seasons, I think this would go somewhere in the middle. The over-arching plot was good, the one-off episodes were good, but it didn't really strike me the way some of the others did. It was an emotional season, sure, but it wasn't like earlier seasons.
The rollercoaster is only gonna get worse. Obviously Dean is a demon now, so that has to be resolved. Season 10 presumably still follows the Mark of Cain and Metatron, but I can only imagine what crazy things will happen in between.
Posting is gonna slow down (season 10 will probably a little faster than 9, but it won't be the same as the summer). I have school and work and *shudders* socializing, so I won't have as much time to watch. Miraculously, I still have Netflix, so we'll see how far that gets me. I'll see you soon with season 10. Carry On!
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Squirrel catapult
#SQUIRREL CATAPULT PATCH#
#SQUIRREL CATAPULT UPGRADE#
#SQUIRREL CATAPULT CODE#
#SQUIRREL CATAPULT PROFESSIONAL#
The areas where there are bubbles, you did wet sand however they are still there. Maybe this was a one time thing and it just happened to be my car.***RESPONSE to owner***I have no complaints about the hood as it’s honestly beautiful. I’m not hopeful in the longevity of the paint and hate feeling the way I do about the money I invested in it. I feel I spent a lot of money and wanted a great job, hence why I upgraded to high end paint, and chose a shop with great reputation and reviews. While Scott’s prices are reasonable, and they are friendly, I’m not happy with my paint job. Hopefully it will, but it’s been over a month. There is also orange peel I was told will go away when paint cures. However, here we are over a month later and I still have solvent pop in multiple places. He even offered to pay $100 toward my first wax, which he did. He repaired the clear coat peeling, and my truck looked nice and shiny. He worked on it all day, wet sanded and buffed it I think. So I brought it back and show all this to Scott, he tells me he will give me a call when truck is ready.
#SQUIRREL CATAPULT PATCH#
When I washed it, a patch of clear coat literally started peeling off. In between that time I did wash my car as I was told it was okay to wash but to baby it since paint was still curing. I felt it was nice that he would resolve the issue. I called Scott and he told me to bring it back and we scheduled a date and time to bring it back in. I also noticed solvent pop(patches of tiny bubbles) in multiple areas on the left side of the vehicle. A day later when the sun was shining I could see swirls everywhere. When I picked my vehicle up it was gloomy and rainy.
#SQUIRREL CATAPULT UPGRADE#
I opted to upgrade to the high grade paint job Scott offers. Scott and Jody seem like great, hard working people, which makes this review so much harder. This company had awesome reviews and were super friendly and easy to work with when getting a quote and getting scheduled in for service. With that being said, I wanted to invest in a new paint job. I paid a lot of money for this vehicle and plan to keep it forever. I also had minor damage to the right side of bumper from the previous owner. I brought my GMC Yukon XL in to Scott, due to the factory paint being completely faded on the roof, and the hood was. Thank you Scott and Jody for making my Girl looking like Brand New! read moreĪs much as I hate to leave a review like this, I feel it’s necessary given my experience. He even cleaned my headlights as complimentary. It doesn't matter to him if you're driving an inexpensive or very expensive car, he will treat it with great care and attention.The flawless workmanship and quality are unmatchable. Look no further and don't waste your time anywhere else because Attitude is the Place for the best Car Paint Job. If Scott was not available at the moment, he will call back in a timely manner.Now, about the Paint job, all I can say is WOW! WOW! WOW!.
#SQUIRREL CATAPULT PROFESSIONAL#
She was Professional and very patient with me. When I call, Jody always picks up the phone. Understandably, my car is getting a major work done. Before I made my final decision, I called the shop numerous times because I've tons of concerns/questions. I was impressed that he actually gave me a hard copy of estimate and no surprise hidden costs. When I brought my car to their shop, Scott was Professional he advised to what is only required to be done to my car. I chose Attitude Custom Painting because of Scott and Jody's top notch Customer Care. It took me a long time to look for someone to paint my car. I am very particular about who works on my car and I scoured the Internet for the. This is Roberto and I am using my wife's email address.My 2008 Honda Civic is the Love of my life and my wife knows that.
#SQUIRREL CATAPULT CODE#
1972 Mercury Montego N Code 429 – RestoMod.
Attitude Custom Painting Testimonials – 5/2004 back to 2002.
Attitude Custom Painting Testimonials – 5/2006 back to 10/2005.
Attitude Custom Painting Testimonials – 4/2006 back to 1/2006.
Attitude Custom Painting Testimonials – 4/2008 back to 1/2006.
Attitude Custom Painting Testimonials – 9/2008 back to 12/2007.
Attitude Custom Painting Testimonials – 6/2008 to – 12/2010.
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@the-social-recluse replied to your quote “Yaz is smart and capable and has a lovely singing voice”:
As far as I know, it’s the “Nothing is canon therefore everything is” stance (actually that applies to DW in general, not just its extended universe)
huh.
so for all we know River Song, Clara Oswald and Ashildr/Me may be out there havin’ a laugh and saving some other portions of the universe with All-American pancakes?
#that feel when tumblr breaks and it means you have to start over and all your long-ass tags are lost to the ether.. fuckers#I'm not new-new to DW fandom but I sure did take my sweet damn time getting into it (gdi lou WHY NOT SOONER)#so all the explanation is appreciated. still not entirely sure how that works and what it means - so many possible consequences#but hey - I'm taking it all like the rest of DW: with loads of suspension of disbelief and trust that somehow I'll understand eventually#the-social-recluse#Doctor Who really is something else. def one of the few shows that make me go back and forth rewatching eps to follow certain plot lines#sometimes I feel like doing a whole rewatch starting with Nine. but then I remember that a) I don't own all the seasons on DVD#and b) I already cried so much watching the first time around and I don't think I could take it all again#(I had quite the breakdown over Rose and Donne. then the Ponds and then with Clara I just completely lost it)#(and like I feel most of Twelve was heavy hitting and heartwrenching and intense like the eyebrows. and Clara was IT for me. still is)#(and don't even get me started on Bill and Heather. not ready just yet. for now I'm living in au land and fic territory)#(where everyone lived and gets to hang out and flirt and blush and make stupid idiots of themselves over pretty girls)#and tbh sometimes getting out of that mental headspace really fucking hurts bc it feels so empty and pointless.#prob how the companions feel when it's all said and done and the Doctor leaves. because how could anything measure up to THAT#so idk-. lots of feelings there#also. is anybody else getting weirdly caught up in saying phrases in Jodie's accent? bc I sure as fuck am.#used to be Clara's. but that was way easier to channel. Jodie's is a bit harder for me ngl.#and overall it's prob a foreign speaker of english type thing - picking up on accents and what sounds odd and different but awesome#lots of imitation in learning new languages there is. picking up what stands out. the unfamiliar sounds in familiar words.#but that's sth to ramble on about at some other point in time
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Legend of the Sea Devils spoilers below
This... was an episode, I guess? It has so little interest in exploring any of the potentially great elements it brings to the table, though. The return of the Sea Devils could be fun! I like the Silurians and Sea Devils because they’re not evil and have a very legitimate claim to Earth unlike alien invaders, so there should be added depth every time they’re the antagonists. But nah, this is just a faction of evil Sea Devils who want to flood the Earth. You could literally substitute them with any random alien menace and the episode would be the same.
Just like you could substitute Zheng Yi Sao with a fictional character and nothing would change, because she’s a glorified extra. I’m not sure why this era keeps bringing in historical figures that it never wants to actually do anything with. What a waste.
I liked the scene at the end where the Doctor and Yaz are skipping stones and talking, because they actually feel like real people who genuinely care about each other, but the rest of the Thasmin stuff is handled so weirdly. Yaz is in love with the Doctor but didn’t seem ready to open about it until forced into it by Dan, who then tells the Doctor about Yaz’s feelings without her permission (which Yaz seems uncomfortable with in this ep?), and now the Doctor seems to feel pressured to reciprocate in some way without having shown any signs she actually feels the same, but also can’t do that because she doesn’t want to go through the pain of getting too involved in a relationship that won’t last. So it’s all just kind of awkward.
Also I hate having to say this because I like Jodie and I never want to contribute to the unnecessary levels of negativity towards her, but sometimes her acting just isn’t it. I’ve talked before about the way Thirteen is hardly ever portrayed as confident and in control, but there’s also a frequent lack of playfulness that drags down what should be funny moments. When Dan steps out in the pirate costume, it’s supposed to be light and comical, but Thirteen’s reaction is played too seriously, like she’s genuinely upset. Jodie always defaults to shocked/worried/grave/tense. That can work in scenes like the one at the end where she and Yaz are having a very vulnerable conversation, but most of the time it feels off for the Doctor. It reminds me of the miscalculation in tone during Six’s era (I say this as the world’s biggest TV!Six apologist) that I think put a lot of people off, where the Doctor and Peri sometimes came across as genuinely antagonistic towards each other instead of playfully exasperated.
“No ship, Sherlock” was a funny line though, as was the “Sea Devil!” “Land parasite!” exchange. Wish I could say I was impressed by the rest of the dialogue but it was as stiff and clunky as ever. I’m not especially enthusiastic about RTD coming back but I do look forward to hearing better writing at least.
“You’re one of the greatest people I’ve ever known.” Can you... can you actually name a single fact about Yaz though, Doctor? Name one thing you like about her. Characters are always telling Yaz she’s great but the show refuses to actually let her be awesome. Maybe these lines would feel less hollow if she did more than just stand around saying “that’s not good” when the Doctor tells her the Sea Devils want to flood the Earth.
Anyway, I didn’t want to be so mean, but I’m afraid it’s a 5/10. I went really easy on S13 with my ratings but The Vanquishers finally used up the last ounce of goodwill I had.
10/10 though if we’re counting the Master’s look in the next time preview
Can’t wait to be let down by his characterisation one last time ❤︎
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The Mid Air Walk and Jet Black Mystery Train are some of my favorite arcs too! Bust my absolute favorite has to be the 2.5 special, Dual Mystery on a Full Moon Night. The Black Org, Haibara, and Hattori all in one episode, this one has it all! Plus the reveal of Jodie and the FBI was fun.
But enough about me, it's time for your next Secret Santa message:
Please, tell me, who is your favorite character and why are they so awesome?
-Your Secret Santa
Aaah, yes, that is a fantastic arc! I remember the first time I read it - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. :)
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you, Santa, but the answer to your question kind of got away from me.
Short version: Kuroba Kaito is a flash bastard and I love him.
For the longer version (aka a love letter to Kuroba Kaito), please read on!
I adore characters who are VERY good at what they do, which is something that DCMK spoils me for in general. Kaito fulfills this to the nth degree for me, thanks to his many diverse talents. Magician, thief, acrobat, actor, makeup expert, marksman, genius, the list goes on.
In DC, he's seen from the perspective of Conan and other characters who see him as a showman, eternally showing off (and showing them up) with impeccable flair. I'll never not love his Midair Walk, and the shock that I felt right alongside Conan as I tried to figure out HOW in the hell KID had managed it. I love being an audience member for the Kaitou KID show, to get to enjoy that moment of 'oh my god, he has so much style' and then also get to see Conan unravel the details for us afterwards. In MK, that showman flair is still very present, but we also get to experience the effort and struggles Kaito contends with to be able to pull off his daring heists. Much as I love seeing everything go exactly as planned (with some space for necessary improvisation along the way), seeing the hard work that goes on behind the scenes is wonderfully satisfying and makes me even more impressed by Kaito's talent. Watching Kaito be clever and talented enough to come out on top, despite all the odds in his way, is truly delightful.
I also might have a type, and that type is quippy, intelligent acrobats (why yes, Spiderman and Nightwing are my two favourite superheroes, how did you guess?). There was no way I was not going to fall for Kaito.
Beyond his impressive skill set, I am endlessly fascinated by Kaito's versatility and flexibility as a character, both in the realm of his disguise/acting abilities and in him as a person. He's funny and charming and clever, but also dorky and lonely and more than a little crazy.
He's the practical joker who pulls crazy stunts to make someone else smile. He's the bored genius who revels in the opportunity to face challenges that are actually challenging. He's the gentleman thief who's always at least two steps ahead of his pursuers. He's the master of disguise who could be literally anyone because both his acting and makeup skills are just that OP. He's the consummate liar who enjoys talking circles around people but sometimes just desperately wants someone to confide in about what his life is actually like.
I love that Kaito's all of these things and that he can be self-contradictory (as we all are) without feeling unnatural with it. Even though canon usually limits us to seeing one or two of the aspects of his personality at a time, it's clear that they're all still there under the surface, impacting his actions and decisions.
I can't talk about why I love Kaito without also talking about his relationship with Conan/Shinichi. It is fantastic to watch the way he and Conan balance each other: they each recognize their equal in the other, and thoroughly enjoy squaring off against each other as a result. They also make a great team, when they do end up on the same side. Similarly, Kaito's obvious pride in Conan when he figures things out (even Kaito's own tricks) is so adorable.
They both carry so many secrets and I feel like it gives them a sense of kinship to know that, despite everything, there's another person out there who faces similar struggles and who, just maybe, can accept them for who they really are, mysteries and secret identities and intelligence and all. There’s a trust there that I can’t get enough of.
Tying onto that, one thing I particularly love about KID is that he's not actually a villain, even when he's acting in opposition to Conan and the police. He's a challenge and an opponent and a rival, but he's too fundamentally good to ever qualify as a villain imo (custom KID hannin silhouette notwithstanding).
Kaito is the guy who actively puts himself at risk to help others, like 'stealing' the clock tower, or saving Lupin the dog, or protecting Jody Hopper from Snake, or watching out for the shounen tantei in the Kichiemon house. And don't even get me started on the number of times he's saved Conan from certain death by falling off various high things. He is one of the kindest people in this series, imo, but he hides it so well that most people don't notice. Unlooked for kindness makes me soft, especially from a character who is technically filling the role of a criminal.
Another aspect of Kaito's personality that I personally find fascinating is his relationship with gender. He's equally as comfortable and confident in any disguise and, while that could be ascribed to his skills as an actor, I don't know many teenage boys who would be that nonchalant about presenting themselves according to such diverse gender expectations. For example, I love how Conan harasses Kaito about his tendency to wear female disguises in the Iron Tanuki case and it doesn't bother Kaito in the slightest (’it's cuter that way’ is also the most amazing response). I also enjoy watching him use disguise-appropriate flirtation techniques on his targets with no apparent discomfort about switching from one collection of gender norms to another.
Also A Study in Scarlette has firmly convinced me that Kaito wears lacy underthings simply because he likes them, which is a head canon hill I will die on.
And on THAT bombshell, I'm going to stop talking before I actually turn this into an essay. Orz
TL;DR: Kaito is a flashy, kind-hearted chaos gremlin and I adore him.
#dcmk#kuroba kaito#it's loving kaito hour#honestly I could keep going#but it would probably devolve into keysmashes and hearts#I just love him lots okay?#meta
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Could the same SPN finale make a little more sense with some additions/changes?
I’ve had the idea for this post stuck in my head for days now, but with every new conspiracy theory and every new eventuality in the fandom, it became difficult to cool down enough to write something less ship-related and more narrative-focused.
What Supernatural and non-SPN fans have to understand is that a lot of us have expressed disappointment and frustration after 15x20, not because of Destiel (that’s just one part of the whole problem), but because the finale doesn’t make sense. Everything was leading up to something beautifully crafted until the end of 15x19. Beyond that, it’s hard to understand what happened. The story rendered all the character growth irrelevant, invalidated the themes of free will and “family don’t end in blood”, regressed to the original brother codependency they spent 15 years trying to overcome, made a queer non-binary character in a male vessel and a deaf female character basically disposable, and kept the show’s reputation of queerbaiting and misogyny until its very last breath.
That’s not going out with a bang! At least not a positive one. We all were ready to mourn Supernatural, but we wanted to feel proud of its legacy, and somehow TPTB managed to tarnish that legacy in less than 45 minutes. What a way to ruin the other more than 13,600 minutes of story!
It doesn’t matter who is to blame (The CW, Robert Singer, Andrew Dabb). It doesn’t matter why it happened (homophobia, censorship, marketing for Walker, bad writing). What matters is that at the end of the day, the finale that aired is what we got and that’s going to hurt for a long time. It hurts even more when we realize that the same finale could have easily made more sense, even without being perfect.
That’s what I want to do in this post. I want to show you how things would have been less jarring (for the fandom), while still keeping the goal to please the general audience.
Before I begin rewriting 15x20, I have to mention that I talked to my conservative boomer sister about the finale. She hasn’t watched the second half of season 15 yet (she’s waiting for Netflix to have it), but she’s been watching the show for a long time (she introduced me to it 8 years ago). She’s the perfect example of a viewer from the general audience. Loves the show but doesn’t give a second thought to it and definitely isn’t paying attention to character development or themes. Doesn’t engage with fandom, actors, or any of the show’s social media. Pure GA! When I told her the series finale had aired, she asked me about it and I refused to give her spoilers. Because of that, she told me the ending SHE wanted. She said she would be happy with either of two possibilities: the boys retiring and finally living a normal life OR they going to heaven and finding peace at last. She saw Sam and Dean as a unit, which means: both retiring or both going to heaven. AND she saw Cas as part of that, too. She wasn’t so sure about Jack. And for her, we could use the “Eileen who?” and it wouldn’t be a joke. She didn’t remember her.
NOW IT’S TIME TO WRITE A NEW VERSION OF 15X20 (KEEPING 15X18 AND 15X19 EXACTLY THE SAME AS THEY AIRED). This will be a very long post:
The opening remains almost the same. No “Carry on my wayward son” to induce feels. Too soon and too predictable! (Reasoning: Everyone was expecting it to play right there, so it would bring more tears at the end)
In the opening, after the scene where Jack says “People won’t need to pray to me or sacrifice to me”, we also see the scene from 15x19 where he says “I won’t be hands on”. Then we see the rest of the opening as it was. (Reasoning: People needed to be reminded that Jack would NOT intervene and that’s why later on, he would NOT save Dean).
We get the same montage, but when Sam takes a break from his morning run, we see him reading a message on his phone. A simple: “Hey Sam, what’s new?” from Eileen. Sam smiles fondly and begins to type a response we don’t get to see. The next scene continues the same, Sam making breakfast. (Reasoning: A text was a very simple way to show that Eileen was alive and still in communication with Sam).
The montage slowly ends as Sam enters the library (not after he sits down). He seems to be talking on the phone but we only hear an “I’ll tell him. Bye”. As he walks towards the table, he tells Dean: “Charlie says hi. Mentioned something about Stevie’s perfect scrambled eggs we have to try.” Dean’s answer is “Awesome!” (Reasoning: Just ONE line was needed to unbury Charlie and her girlfriend. ONE LINE).
Sam sits down, opens his laptop and everything continues the same. The title card shows for the last time.
YOU SEE? In the first 4 minutes they could have acknowledged that THREE WOMEN were alive and safe: Eileen, Charlie and Stevie. It wasn’t hard! Don’t blame bad writing on Covid! Now let’s continue.
Sam and Dean arrive at the Pie Fest just the same. Dean goes to get some “damn pie” and Sam takes out his phone. He dials and when someone picks up, he says “Hey, Jody, how are ya?” We don’t hear the rest of the conversation. The scene moves to Dean coming with his 6 portions of pie. Dean sits down and Sam tells him, “Talked to Jody. The other hunters haven’t had much work lately.” “That’s good, isn’t it?”, Dean says. All we get from Sam is “Yeah.” So, Dean looks at him and asks “what’s wrong?” like it happened in the episode. (Reasoning: Again, a couple of lines to make sure the people that were killed in 15x18 are safe and remembered by the boys in 15x20. Why is this important? Because they’re family!)
The conversation about Sam’s sad face happens the same. Sam is the one that mentions Cas and Jack. (Reasoning: Because this episode was so Sam-centered, it’s obvious he was the protagonist in the finale. If we see him communicating with Eileen, Charlie, and Jody, then it’s NORMAL, even expected of him to be the one to bring up Cas and Jack). Without these additions, it’s harder for people to understand that most of the finale was NOT from Dean’s POV but from Sam’s.
Dean’s “if we don’t keep living, then all that sacrifice is gonna be for nothing” stays the same. (Reasoning: I believe it’s necessary that the show sticks to the importance of “letting go” and “what is dead should stay dead” for the first time ever because the message is “even when you lose someone you love, you can still find some form of happiness and keep living, for you and for them, because that’s what they would have wanted”. Bringing someone back means “I can’t live without you”, and that’s just more codependency. It’s how the demon deals began in the Winchester family –Mary being the first one to do it. This would explain why Dean didn’t ask Jack to bring Cas back, as he asked Chuck. He understood Jack was NOT going to interfere anymore and accepted it. Besides, when Cas saved Dean from hell, Dean thought he didn’t deserve to be saved. This time that Cas saved him, Dean finally feels worthy enough to accept that YES, HE DESERVED TO BE SAVED ALL ALONG, just as much as he deserved to be loved by that angel of the Lord. In this scene, Dean also says that the pain is not gonna go away, which means that from HIS PERPECTIVE, it still hurts that Cas is not there. The problem is that the finale is not showing his POV but Sam’s.
Sam pies Dean on the face just the same. (Reasoning: That part was just to avoid ending the scene on a sad note).
Everything related to the case happens exactly the same. (Reasoning: At this point, people don’t really care about the MoTW, they care about Sam and Dean).
NOTE 1: The case is important to show that even when the Winchesters are finally free of Chuck’s influence, they CHOOSE to keep hunting. It isn’t something they do out of revenge or because it is their destiny anymore. Maybe they were forced into the life at first, but they’ve learned to find joy in saving people. Being hunters is who they are. However, the fact that a job application was shown on Dean’s desk is also important because it means he was willing to explore what else was there for him besides hunting. Maybe he could find a balance? Maybe he was thinking it was time to quit? We will never know! The thing is that Sam only finds out about it when he goes into Dean’s room after his brother is dead, so maybe that’s when it hits him that Dean wanted to explore his options, and Sam starts to think it’s time for him to do the same.
NOTE 2: I believe the masks the vampires are wearing is something we can blame on covid. If they had their faces covered, it was easier to use people from the SPN crew for some scenes, instead of using more actors unnecessarily.
NOTE 3: When Sam and Dean arrive at the barn, we get 3 visuals to remember Cas in the same scene (those are for the fandom, not for the general audience): a) the barn, obviously; b) the bag that resembles Cas’ trenchcoat so much that many people thought that’s what it was; and c) two feathers hanging on Dean’s right when he opens the trunk.
The scene with the throwing star happens the same. (Reasoning: The episode is still told from Sam’s point of view, so it makes sense that he fondly sees his brother as a man child).
Jenny the vampire? Uhhh… I mean, it’s not the best piece of writing I’ve ever seen, but it’s not the worst, so okay. That stays the same. (Reasoning: There is none, but she’s not what really ruined the finale, so whatever!)
Dean still dies impaled on a rebar. (Reasoning: OK. HERE ME OUT!!! I hate as much as everyone else that Dean is killed. I think it’s lazy writing, but that’s what we got and I can’t change that in this re-write, so if killing Dean is what we have to work around, then, memes aside, death by rebar is better and here’s why. There’s no one to blame for Dean’s death: no Chuck (the boys were willingly hunting even after Chuck was defeated), no vampires (they were all killed and were no real threat, so it was impossible for Sam to begin a quest for revenge against all vampires. What was Sam going to blame? A rebar? Can you kill it? Hunt it? NO. It was an ordinary death, a stupid accident. Just like any person can die at any moment by slipping on a banana peel. Is it a good death? No, but it’s good to know he doesn’t die trying to save Sam or Cas, because Dean Winchester is NOT willing to give up his life in exchange for anyone else’s anymore.
Sam takes out his phone and says he’ll call for help, but his phone is more visible to the audience. He dials and it’s almost to his ear when Dean stops him and Sam hesitantly hangs up. (Reasoning: People have complained that Sam didn’t call an ambulance, but actually he tried to. It’s just that people missed that part, maybe?)
After Sam puts his phone back in his pocket and says “OK” to Dean, he adds, “I’ll pray to Jack”. Dean’s immediate answer is: “No hands on, remember?” “But Dean”, Sam says, and Dean interrupts him with “OK listen to me” and tells Sam what to do with the kids they rescued. (Reasoning: Jack is God now and how come Sam didn’t remember? The viewers remembered, so it was necessary to include a line that ruled the option out and that showed Dean didn’t want Jack to intervene. The rest was fine).
The lines “You knew it was always gonna end like this for me. It was supposed to end like this, right?” disappear completely from Dean’s monologue. (Reasoning: This is the most problematic part of Dean’s dying speech. He fought God and earned free will, he is no longer controlled by fate or destiny. Accepting that he is supposed to die on a hunt regresses his character development and denies his desire to keep living. This was a total mistake and should be removed).
Instead, if going to heaven is the ending TPTB wanted to give Dean, at least he should say something more empowering. Sam tells him that both of them are going to take the kids somewhere safe. Dean answers and the scene follows like this: “No. Sammy, we made our choice, didn’t we?”, he smiles with difficulty. “We were free to write our own story and we did. We decided to keep saving people, hunting things. Because it’s what we love despite the risks.” (Reasoning: If Dean’s going to die it doesn’t have to feel like it was always meant to be that way. He should die knowing that he exerted his free will until his last breath).
The rest of the dialogue between Sam and Dean happens almost the same. Except that instead of Dean saying “‘cause when it all came down to it, it was always you and me. It’s always been you and me”, he says “’cause when it all came down to it, we’ve always had each other’s backs. Always.” And instead of Sam saying “Don’t leave me”, he says “I still can try to save you.” (Reasoning: It sounds way less codependent without diminishing the importance of their love and support for each other).
Besides, let’s change Dean’s “I’m not leaving you” for “You don’t have to be alone. You’ve still got family.” The rest stays the same word by word. (Reasoning: Dean reminds Sam that “family don’t end in blood” and there are still lots of people out there who love Sam and will be with him).
“I love you so much, my baby brother” stays exactly the same. (Reasoning: Dean always had trouble to express the big L word. I always believed and said many times that before Dean could say “I love you” to Cas or any other character, he had to say it to Sam. So, this is important as part of Dean speaking his truth).
The last part when Dean insists Sam tell him that it’s okay stays the same. (Reasoning: It’s the final moment when the codependency cycle breaks. No more running in circles).
The forehead touch between them stays the same. (Reasoning: I think I would do something similar if my sister were dying. I know there are w*ncest shippers out there, but it shouldn’t matter because the moment feels appropriate for that kind of goodbye).
See? There are changes but not too many. That’s why I’ve been saying that it was easier to get it right, yet they still managed to screw it up.
The second montage stays the same. (Reasoning: Life goes on, but of course Sam has to mourn).
The call about a case in Austin remains the same. (Reasoning: It’s the only part of the episode where someone from the found family is mentioned, so I think that Donna’s name is perfect in that moment. However, without the other additions I’ve made in this re-write, that off-hand mention feels too little. Its purpose was to tell the viewers that if Donna was alive, so were the others, but the way the episode was executed gave us an isolated Sam, incapable of having friends and a family without Dean).
After 30 minutes of Sam’s POV, let’s finally see the last bit of Dean’s POV that we’ll ever get.
Dean arrives in Heaven and Bobby receives him. All their conversation stays almost the same, except that after mentioning Rufus and before saying “and your mom and dad…”, Bobby adds an “Ellen and Jo let me borrow their place”. (Reasoning: If you’re gonna put the man outside the Harvelle’s place, at least mention them for Jack’s sake!).
Besides, after Bobby tells Dean that Sam will be along and that time in heaven is different, Dean gives a small smile and says, “Well, there’s no rush. I want him to have a long, happy life.” Bobby answers with: “I would expect nothing less from you, boy” and tells him he got everything he could ever want, etc., just like it happened in the episode, and finishes by asking “What are you gonna do now, Dean?” (Reasoning: It’s important we know for sure that Dean is NOT codependent anymore and that he doesn’t expect to have a miserable afterlife just because his brother is not there yet).
Instead of saying “I think I’ll go for a drive” Dean says, “I think I know what I want” and walks towards baby. Bobby still tells him to have fun. (Reasoning: “Know what I want” is ambiguous enough to help us introduce the last piece of the puzzle, the one thing Dean’s wanted for many seasons and has never been able to express).
The biggest change is coming:
Dean gets on the Impala and has a moment of silence while he contemplates the wheel. He begins to pray: “Hey, Cas, you got your ears on? I hear you’ve been busy working on this updated Heaven with Jack. You were right about him, Cas. You had faith in him and he saved us all. You could always see the best in everyone, even when they couldn’t see it themselves. Even when I couldn’t see it myself. There’s so much I want to tell you. Maybe you can visit sometime. I hope prayer’s still a thing up here.” (Reasoning: Dean’s side of the confession was unaddressed and that was terrible writing. If there was no way to get him to speak his truth textually, at least take him as close to it as possible).
We listen to a flutter of wings and a “Hello, Dean” from the back seat. We don’t see Cas, but the camera shows us Dean’s cocky smile and he says “Took you long enough.” He turns around slowly. End of scene. (Reasoning: The flutter of wings confirms that angels have their wings back and ties that loose end. The final “hello, Dean” was highly anticipated and it made sense. If Misha couldn’t be there to film, for whatever reason, or if the problem was the kind of conversation Dean and Cas would have, then don’t show it, but leave the door open. Let us know that the two characters were reunited and will talk, but whatever Dean has to say is so private that it’s not for us to hear, only for Cas.
We finally hear “Carry on my wayward son” and get a montage that begins with Sam playing with his kid. Then we see Dean driving, super happy, and Sam living his life to the fullest. We still get Sam’s Blurry Wife, BUT… we see pictures of Eileen in the living room (not just of John, Mary, Sam, and Dean). We also see photos of Jody, Donna, Charlie, and AU!Bobby. (Reasoning: FAMILY DON’T END IN BLOOD).
The scene where Sam is wearing the party wig and looks miserable inside the Impala is cut and nobody talks about it ever again because it never existed. We get a scene of Sam teaching his son how to fix the car instead. (Reasoning: First of all, don’t give Sam a life where years later he’s still in pain. Second of all, the fucking wig was a crime).
Sam’s dying scene stays the same. The only thing is that his son signs a couple of phrases to him before actually speaking. (Reasoning: More confirmation that Dean Jr. is Eileen’s son).
We hear the final “Evanescence-like Carry on my wayward son”. Again we see the photos and there’s family other than the Winchesters there. (Reasoning: Obvious at this point).
The rest is exactly the same. The show began with two brothers and it’s okay if the last scene is with the two brothers reunited in Heaven. At this point, the other parts of the story are acceptable enough for us to feel happy that they get to see each other again after years of a happy (after)life.
Now look me in the eye and tell me this was too hard to execute. I still think that bad writing is a thing we can’t deny here, adding to the possible meddling of the Network. Maybe Dabb wanted us to hate the finale because he couldn’t get away with what he truly wanted. If that was his intention, then kudos to him. He and The CW really gave us a finale that only 30% of the fandom liked.
I hope you guys have enjoyed this and it helps to give you some peace of mind. In my heart, this was the finale we got. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t drop the ball either.
#supernatural#15x20#spn 15x20#spn finale#rewrite#dean winchester#dean deserved better#cas deserved better#destiel#the characters deserved better#we deserved better#it was easier to get it right#yet they screwed up big time#alternate ending
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Expect the Unexpected: dadstiel father's day ficlet
based off this anon's genius ask
They were late. Not that they actually had a strict schedule to stick to, but when it came to hunts, Claire didn't like to mess around. She did take this very seriously after all.
But the drive took longer than expected and they didn't get to the motel until around three am, and it took them longer to get out of bed this morning, which was admittedly Claire's fault. And they forgot to steam out their suits with the bathroom shower, so now they're late, in slightly wrinkled suits, speed walking through the parking lot at almost ten thirty am. And yeah maybe Claire's freaking out a bit, but what if the messy suits give them away, or what if another hunter got here already? Maybe they should run? The parking lot is empty so it's not lik-
"Hey, slow down, I don't think they bodies are going anywhere" Kaia laughed, gently grabbing Claire's hand to pull her back.
"I know, but we said we'd get there by nine thirty an-"
"Claire. The case isn't gonna disappear if we're forty five minutes later than we wanted to be. Okay?" Kaia assured, as she forced Claire to stop walking for a moment.
God why did she always have to be right?
"I know I know it's jus-okay fine" Claire sighed in defeat, but Kaia rewarded her with a quick peck on the lips, and pulled her inside.
They both flashed their badges with practiced confidence, and were easily lead to the correct room. The secretary didn't even bat an eye at their slightly wrinkled suits.
Yeah so maybe Claire was freaking out for noth-
"Agent Joel, and this is my partner Agent Cyrus"
Fuck. There's no way
(read rest under the cut)
"Clai-"
"Agents. I didn't know you were also assigned this case"
Because standing over the dead body on the examining table, was Castiel and Jack, in that ratty trench coat and a too big suit respectively.
Well, apparently another hunter did beat them to the case.
"Uh could you give us a moment to confer?" Cas asked attempting to hide his surprise, and the coroner nodded and left without a word.
"Claire! Kaia! I didn't know you guys were working the case too!" Jack started surprised, running over to give each of them a quick hug. They had met a ton of times over the past year, sometimes he even came and hung out at Jody's. And after the initial shock of Cas having a three year old who looked like he was twenty, Claire honestly liked the kid.
"Hey Jack, Cas. We didn't know you guys would be here either? I guess wires got crossed or something?" Kaia shrugged as she gave a little wave to Cas. But before Claire could say anything, Jack was tugging Kaia off to the side, talking a mile a minute about god knows what. And Cas was making his way, over to Claire.
"Hello Claire. I'm sorry I had no idea you two would be working this case. Jacks just been begging to go on another hunt, and this was the closest one to the Bunker. But we can try to find a diff-"
"Nono it's not a big deal. We can just find a different case. It wouldn't be fair, since the kid seems pretty excited about it" Claire said trying to shrug it off.
It's not like she was emotionally attached to this particular case, but it's been a while since her and Kaia had been on a hunt alone. So yeah maybe she was looking forward to it, bu-
"Well, maybe we could all work the case together? That is, if you'd want to?" Cas offered with a slightly nervous smile.
Okay so, it's not that Claire doesn't like Cas, she's seen him a lot over the years, they text and talk all the time, and he's been there for her a lot lately. Claire actually really likes the guy, but it's not like she's gonna tell him that, but it's just-Cas always treats her like she's the same naive teenager she was when they met again six years ago. And she's grown and learned a lot, she's a professional hunter now. At least Dean, and hell even Jody, gets that, they see the changes, but Cas.....
Claire glances over his shoulder to see Jack and Kaia laughing as to themselves, and she feels something pull in her chest as she quickly looks back to Cas.
Damnit.
"Uh sure, could be fun I guess? Besides we haven't seen you or the kid in the a while, but you have to explain why there's four FBI agents working this single murder case" Claire asserts, but Cas smiles brightly anyway.
"Deal" Cas agrees with a little tip of his head. God what a fucking dork, Claire thinks with a fond eyeroll.
“Also, Joel and Cyrus, really?” Claire teased as she walked over to join Kaia and Jack.
“I let Jack pick them out, and he insisted on picking our favorite singers” Cas sighed fondly, causing Claire to tip her head back in laughter.
And just like that the Coroner came back in, and they each took turns asking the routine questions, Jack with maybe too bright of a smile on his face. The guy was twenty-five, and his friends dared him to spend a night alone in this local old house that was apparently, haunted for real. And when his friends went to pick him up in the morning, they found him bleeding out in the foyer, with giant gashes all over.
So they decided to check out the house first, where Kaia and Jack both got tossed across the room by some creepy looking guy with a giant meat cleaver. Which basically confirmed Claire's theory of it being vengeful spirit, and they went back to Cas and Jack's room to research who the guy might be. So simple salt and burn.
And overall, things were actually going really great, Claire got to spend time with Kaia, plus she got to see Jack and Cas and share some laughs doing what she loves. She also got to help Cas show Jack some of the ropes, give him some hunting tips, which was awesome, since she's never gotten to be the teacher in this situation.
"Alright so tonight, why don't Kaia and I check out the house to make sure it's really gone, while Jack and Cas go find the guys grave?" Claire suggested as she stole a french fry off of Kaia's plate, who hummed in agreement
"Oh we get to burn the bones? I've only gotten to do that once before!" Jack began loudly, but quickly changed to a whisper after a warning look from Cas, they were in a crowded diner after all.
But the only one who hadn't spoken was Cas, who's face was scrunched up in thought.
"Claire I'm not sure splitting up is the best idea" Cas supplied carefully, which made Claire roll her eyes in annoyance.
God there he goes again, acting like Claire's some dumb kid. As if she hasn't handled herself just fine for years.
"C'mon Cas, me and Kaia hunt alone all the time, hell I've even done a ton of solo hunts. It'll be more effective this way, you burn the bones, and if it doesn't work we'll know immediately and figure out another way to waste the guy" Claire continued and watched as Cas looked from Jack to Kaia and back to Claire, sighing in defeat.
"Okay, but we'll all stay on the phone in case burning the bones doesn't work" Cas bargained, which Claire assumed was fair, and they all went back to eating happily.
So they split up, Claire and Kaia set up a salt line in the foyer, rock salt guns loaded and ready to go, with Cas and Jack on speaker at the cemetery. But of course, torching the bones didn't work. So now they had a pissed off, homicidal spirit chasing them with a giant meat cleaver, as Claire and Kaia raced around the house looking for the object it might be attached too while Jack and Cas yelled through the phone.
So yeah things were going pretty great actually.
Until they weren't.
"Cas I had it handled, I didn't need-"
"Claire I know, but it already sliced your arm and it was lunging right at yo-"
"But I was fine. I can take care of mys-"
"Claire, I know that-and please stop throwing your arm around you're going to reopen the wound-Claire, I was only trying to pro-"
"Well I didn't ask you to, I didn't ask you for any of this. I'm not some dumb little kid. I've been doing this for years, and I'm good at what I do, I can handle some stupid spirit. And I certainly don't need you to protect me from anything, since you did a pretty shit job of that already" Claire shouted, turning to look at him.
And when she caught sight of his wide, ashamed eyes, she felt something drop deep in her stomach, all of the fight draining out of her.
"Cas no I didn-I just-" Claire groaned running her hands through her hair, daring a glance over at Jack and Kaia who were frozen on the bed, looking at her with a hint of sympathy in their eyes. Her eyes darted back to Cas who's looked the same, except they were mostly filled with guilt.
Great. Just fucking great.
"Ya know what, I'm gonna run to the drug store-get some more bandaids. I'll be back" Claire huffed slamming the door behind her, and trudging across the motel parking lot to her car.
As she walked into the drug store, her mind was racing, rage still burning away in her stomach, and she mindlessly examined each box of bandaids.
This was stupid. The hunt was over, the guy was dead, turns out his murder weapon was the obejct they had to destroy. So it doesn't even matter anymore, but Claire's just so-
She tossed a box of bandaids back on the shelf. Maybe she should have just let Cas heal-no. Just another thing Claire thinks he needs to do for her.
And where does Cas get off trying to assume what's best for her? She can handle herself just fine, she's almost twenty four for gods sake. She's been hunting on her own for years now, and she's damn good at it, even Jody says so. She's grown and learned a lot so why can't Cas fucking just back off? And who the hell does Cas think he is, anyway? She doesn't need him to protect her, she doesn't need someone to save her, definitely not Cas of all peop-
With a huff Claire shoves another box back on the shelf, maybe a bit too aggressive and digs her palms into her eyes to ground herself.
What is she doing?
She forgave- or as close to forgiveness as you can get with this kinda thing- Cas a long time ago. She didn't wanna live with that rage and pain anymore, it was weighing her down and it fucking sucked. So she's made "peace" with it. And if she's really being honest, she really does like Cas a lot, he's like some doofy, powerful guy, who says some of the weirdest and funniest things she's ever heard. Plus, he sure as hell cares a lot, and he's tried to make it as "right", as possible and respected what Claire wanted.
But just because Claire's made peace with it and thinks he's a good guy, doesn't mean she's not allowed to be pissed.
Claire quickly swipes a brand of bandaids and gauzes she's used before, and weaves her way through the aisles. But she catches something out of the corner of her eye that has her stopping in her tracks.
A Father's Day display.
Something drops deep in the pit of her stomach, as her heart leaps into her throat.
And she's instantly transported back to age five, with memories of homemade cards, barbeques in the backyard, and her dad with a bright smile as he carefully opened her gift. A new tie.
She feels her phone buzz in her pocket, effectively breaking her out of the trance. She quickly swipes at her eyes before reading it.
It’s an apology from Cas.
Claire feels herself rubbing at her eyes again, the grief and pain of loss mixing with guilt and affection and confusion and anger all at once, struggling to gain dominance.
But before she can even process it all, another text come through, asking if she can grab some of Jack's favorite snacks, with way too many emojis.
And before she realizes it, a wet laugh escapes, as she squeezes the phone in her hand. She quickly glances back up at the display, a small, somber smile pulling at her lips.
And she makes a choice.
The next morning they’re all lingering in the parking lot before saying their goodbyes. Claire offered to check them all out, dragging Jack along before leaving Kaia and Cas alone.
"Here, you should be the one to give it to him" Claire says quickly stuffing a bag in Jack's hands.
"But it's from all of us?" Jack questioned, familiarly tilting his head, and Claire couldn't help but smile.
Last night Claire went back to the drugstore, now with Kaia and Jack in tow under the guise of picking up dinner. They each signed the card, even convincing Kaia to write something too. Jack even insisted on getting him one of those cheesy #1 Dad mugs, because apparently even though Cas didn't need it, he liked to drink coffee.
"Yeah I know, but you picked out the mug. So you can give it to him later" Claire assured, and quickly stalked across the parking lot with Jack in tow.
Jack can just hide it in his backpack and give it to Cas when they get home, so he can read their messages in a place where Claire is preferably, not present.
But to Claire's horror, annoyance at her own self because she should have seen this coming, Jack immediately handed Cas the gift.
"Happy Father's Day! It's from all of us, I know it's early but I thought you should open it while we're all together!" Jack declared with a bright smile, while Kaia gently found and squeezed Claire's hand. Cas just looked over at Claire and Kaia, confusion swimming in his eyes
"We all picked it up from the drugstore when we went to grab dinner last night. Thought it might be nice" Kaia answered evenly, but Claire could tell she was nervous. She knew she was worried about how Kaia fit into this fam...well whatever it was.
Cas simply nodded as he worked to recover from his initial shock, he slowly pulled out the mug first, smiling as he read it.
"I picked out the mug! But Claire put the quotes around the Dad, she said you'd think it was funny" Jack informed him, which only caused Cas to chuckle warmly as he pulled out the card.
Claire thought her heart might hammer out of her chest as she leaned into Kaia's touch. Damnit, why couldn't the kid have just waited until he was home.
"Thank you. All of you, thi-this means so much" Cas choked out, voice thick as he finished reading with a disbelieving smile. He hugged Jack first, pressing a kiss to his head.
"See, he loved it? You should talk to him" Kaia suggested in a no nonsense tone, pressing a kiss to Claire's lips before walking towards their car. Cas stopped her of course, wrapping her in a tight hug, and Kaia whispered something Claire couldn't make out, before she pulled Jack over to the other side of the lot. Claire looked at Cas, noticing his eyes were shining, and quickly looked at a rock on the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"That was very kind of you. You didn't have to do all that for me" Cas said softly as he cautiously approached Claire, leaving some space between them.
"Yeah well, I don't know. I saw the cards at the store and I thought it might be nice..." Claire trailed off, braving another glance at Cas who's eyes were a little misty. Her eyes flitted to the side to see Kaia giving her an encouraging and a nod towards Cas, before turning back to Jack.
Well, it's now or never.
"Look Cas. I'm sorry I blew up yesterday, and I appreciate your-your apology. But I don't need you to protect me, you gotta know I'm not some dumb-"
"Claire, I know. You've become an incredible hunter, I'm not worried about your hunting skills or think that you need protecting. I just worry and want to protect you because I care about you" Cas stated sincerely.
Oh.
And yeah she knows Cas cared and she knows he was only trying to help, and maybe logically she knows that Cas was't acting like that because he thought she was a some inexperienced crap hunter. But hearing it is just-
Something warm swims in her stomach, as her heart thumps against her chest, as she swallows thickly.
"Listen, about the card, I- I know you aren't him, and you'll never be him okay? So you aren't my dad and I’m not looking to replace but-but you're kinda-you've kinda been like a Da-a figure lately and I know you said you care and I appreciate-and I car-I feel lik-"Claire attempted to choke out, but the next thing she knew, she's stopping and flinging her arms around his neck, hoping it'll convey everything she wants to say.
And it must, because Cas' arms wrap tightly around her, and she finds herself grabbing the back of that ratty trench coat, smiling to herself for a moment.
When they pulled away Cas gives her a soft smile, as she quickly wipes at her eyes.
"You and Kaia should come for dinner next Friday at the bunker. Deans texted me about it six times, and I'm sure Jack would love to show you his room....if you wanted that is-of course you don't hav-"
"Yeah Cas, that actually sounds kinda nice. Haven't had a chance to bother Dean in a while, anyway" Claire shrugged with a smile, which he easily returned.
And later as Claire drove back to Jody's, one hand on the wheel, the other loosely grasping Kaia's, she found herself really looking forward to next Friday.
Tag list:
Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed💛
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#yes billy joel and miley cyrus what of it.#so i actually forgot i wrote most of this and then i spent a really long time debating whether or not to post it#also this is so long for like no reason so im sorry asfhakfhabd but yay claire!!!!!!!!!!!#air quotes dad mug is funny TO ME. i like to think that cas never stopped doing air quotes bc it made dean laugh#i actually had a fluffier fathers day fic but here have some angst#(i am very dean coded so im sorry if claire is TOO much dean asdhfskfjhs)#happy fathers day to CAS<333333#bec writes#claire novak#castiel#kaia nieves#jack kline#dadstiel#dadstiel fic#ficlet#idk how to tag this?#userzaddy#qaslight
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How RE Village (8) SOLVED almost every problem that I had with RE Series
Okay - a few weeks ago I made a post that was “The ones that suffer the most” where I showed and explained my main problems with Chris and Jill and the RE series in general
RE 1 is my fav game of this series and probably one of my all time favs, I player every RE there is to be played except 4 (because I dislike Leon, sry)
Recently, specially after 4, the franchise had a few problems, specially in writing/map design/lore
Resident evil 5 for example (I love this game) but it has it flaws, Chris there is only driven by anger and action - Sheva is used as a tool for lore exposition and to be Chris’s new partner
PLEASE: be aware that game at that generation didn’t have much lore - with some exceptions, like God of War 1 2 3 were a simply game with a simple lore, and the most recent GoW has evolved a little bit in the storytelling
Until we hit rock bottom in RE6 - I know a lot of people like this game, but this is only and action game, bad writing and generic stages.
Chris there is so mistreated that makes me mad (if you want to read more about this go to my other post “the ones that suffer the most”)
Until RE7 appeared, Capcom had a new engine and they wanted to do a game that was more horror like - since RE is know for being a Survival horror game.
I liked 7 - some people complained about Ethan being without emotion and others complained about the mold, a few didn’t like the FEAR vibes from Eveline.
I personally enjoyed the game, I thought RE series was going back on track, that game has it’s problems but it was really nice compared to what we had in 6.
After that game I had a conversation with my best friend and I said that I wanted a game that portrayed Umbrella’s fall since the only game that shows this is Umbrellas Chronicles (and that is most a resume of what happened)
And I said: “Bro, I wish that when they made that game, they could tie some mythological lore and human evolution before Umbrella - using Spencer, this would solve LOT OF STUFF and open new ways to handle this series”
and guess what - this happened in RE8 and kudos to the one writer that did that, i have my gratitude.
RESIDENT EVIL 8 is probably one of the BEST RE games that we had IN YEARS
And I want to address all thing that I loved in this game and do some predictions to what will happen in the next games.
“WELL WELL IF IT ISN’T ETHAN WINTERS” (The Father of the year)
My father was not a great guy... really, so I want to be the best dad ever, I really want be like Ethan - a guy who is ready to sacrifice and fight every monster in the way to save my family.
Ethan was a character that in RE7 was used to make us fell like that it was us in the Baker’s house, so that is why he didn’t had that much personality (in my opinion) but they changed that in RE8, here he has nice dialogues AND a diary
He has one of the best story line in the whole REverse, a guy that did EVERYTHING in his power to save his daughter - and you saw that playing the game, every sentence line that he delivered, he tried to save others too and even tho Chris said to him stay put ... but he couldn’t, he had to go to the altar, he had to help Chris, he had to go forward and keep going, specially after having the tools to face Heisenberg.
The plea from a father, that was his last wish, after he heard that Mia was alive he knew that someone had to stop that monster, he made a promise to his daughter “Daddy won’t let those weird fairy tale monsters get you” so he trusted Chris, to be the one that teaches his kid how to be brave and strong
I will not address Chris and Rose situation here because this is Ethans part and he deserves completely all the spotlight, his sacrifice was 100x times better than Steve (CV)/Piers(6)
My cheers to Ethan Winters - You have my respect !
Revelations -> RE8
So leaks from earlier times said that RE8 sucked and Revelations 3 was amazing
Revelations FYI is know for using old tales in RE stories
Revelations 1 - Dante’s Inferno
Revelations 2 - Frans Kafka
Revelations 3 - Dracula
But since RE8 sucked, Capcom said to the REV3 team that they could make REV3 become RE8 and they accepted
Revelations series is one of the best in the games, they handle Jill in a way that I love, Claire and even Barry - so they deserve all the spotlight for making this awesome game - you CLEARLY can see that they love this series and that they treat all the characters with the love that they deserve.
Keeping that in mind, they are the same team that made Rev 2 and in REV 2 we have this file here
So they had a plan for Jill and we can see that in RE8 - I will address that later but keep that in mind - this team cares for the old characters, they were the ones that brought Barry back to the games :V
Chris Redfield
This is a hard one, because he is my fav character and I usually have the most critics regard him, since I’ve expect a lot from Capcom
In the latest games they made him kind dumb, only muscles type of guy and an alcoholic that let all the people in his surroundings die (RE5,RE6,Vendetta)
RE6 treats him the WORST
But in RE8 he had an amazing part in the storyline, it was obvious that he wasn’t evil and they FIXED HIS EYE COLOR - FINALLY
I still don’t like the model face that much but it’s way better than 7 - so I believe Capcom, I still feel that he need more jawline
But let’s go to the most important thing - here he really feels like a squad leader and a veteran, he has his team but he is the one in the front line, he covers and ask for help when he needs, everything about his line delivery makes you feel like “Woah, this guy is a badass, he is not some stupid guy only driven by emotions”
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FINALLY GETTING THIS RIGHT
If you remember my post about the ones that suffer the most / Jill is also in that list and I will talk about her a little bit later but if my guess is right RE8 saved her character aswell
Another thing that I enjoyed here is the fact that he is kind of a mercenary / Neo Umbrella kind of guy, even tho he is one of the founders of the BSAA
So I will give you all my score to this game:
9/10
I won’t give 10/10 because of some technical issues, the cursor lock didn’t work and mouse sensitivity was i dunno, not the best.
RE8 and the future (PREDICTIONS) - Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, BSAA, Neo Umbrella, Ada Wong and Rosemary
First let’s look Rose
The first time I saw Rose all grown up - I thought to myself : She has the same problem as Eveline (age a lot faster than normal)
But she also absorbed Miranda’s power since the metalicite (something like this) thought that she was a better host. - so maybe she will live longer or something because I doubt that they will do a 14 years time skip.
This is not the same as Terra Save logo (Claire’s job) but it kind reminds me of it - her shoes appeared at least 3 times in this cut scene so maybe they are trying to show some hints with this
She really reminds me of Jodie (Beyond two souls, a game where a girl has a lot of power and the gov uses her in missions and stuff, but she also is learning how to be her own person)
Another thing here is that they don’t have a logo in this car, it really reminds me the car that Chris as using in RE8
This supports the theory that Chris’s organization is dealing with her instead of the BSAA, the she is a hot headed girl and that she had a lot of powers.
So here you can say that she is just a kid because she is a teenager, but what if she actually grows older really fast (like Eveline) maybe this is just 1 year later / 2 yrs later. (after RE8)
So this is the tricky part, this is Chris’s guard/soldier, someone that Chris trust to stand by her side, in my mind I do believe that Chris is kind of a father figure to her, so when this guys says this he is thinking about hot head Chris but she replies “Yeah” thinking about Ethan - (she has the mold memories, so she can actually remember Ethan’s memories)
Now let’s look at this
BSAA
So in REV1 is hinted that BSAA is not the best organization in the world, but since our heroes work there we think that they are the good guys right ?
In REV 2 (it’s important to remember that the team that created RE8 is the same from the REVELATIONS and they had this file here in REV2)
This email is from Jill and what does Jill have ? T-Virus
Wesker is a different case since he was a project and she had the vaccine but this would make a lot of sense if they had this tests with Jill to get the T-Virus
If that is the case, they explained Jill’s absence in the main games, could even explain why Chris left BSAA and opened a new window to a lot of possibilities
My Predictions:
- Chris had trouble dealing with BSAA and Jill’s case, he wanted to get her out of there, maybe he removed her from there but that resulted in him being expelled from the force
-Jill may or may not know what they are doing with her blood, but she will have a huge part in the BOW used by BSAA
-Chris is married to Jill (sorry- I had to place this here, in a perfect world he has two kids with her and they all love aunt Rose)
-Chris will hopefully be a father figure to Rose and they will be in a game together since in the end they came to get her
-Rebecca is still involved in BSAA activities (leak from new REV3) if you consider Vendetta canon, she maybe the one that used Jill’s sample of blood to create the virus soldiers
-Barry maybe retired
-I don’t think Leon will be in this game, but he will get his RE4 Rmk
- I do believe RE9 will be release after Code veronica rmk and MAYBE they will do a game about Umbrella’s Fall (Chris and Jill in Europe against Red Queen and BOWs)
But that is it, you can see a lot of elements from old RE games in RE8, they tried to do something really smart and the game felt amazing to play, that was something else and it’s been a while since a player a RE game that made me feel that way <3
#resident evil#resident#evil#village#re8#chris#dad#redfield#rosemary winters#rose#mia winters#ethan winters#re9#predictions#jill valentine#valenfield#Rebecca Chambers#t virus#umbrella#code veronica#claire redfield#bsaa#miranda
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Thank You
To everyone in the Cyberpunk 2077 community
I’d like to take some time to talk about something that will never cease to amaze me and it’s about how much we’ve all done as a community in a few months of love for this game. When I first came here, I remember seeing the beginning of some swaps for romance scenes done with the classic method. We were all going crazy over it, everyone who couldn’t romance the person they wanted in game especially.
I wondered… if this is possible, what will it look like in 6 months? But I never thought in less than that, we would be where we are now…
New clothes, hair, nude models, fixes, camera mods and many others were popping at an insane rate! I remember not being able to keep up and I still can’t! Think about where you were those last months thinking : « I’ll never be able to do that! » or « I don’t think it’s possible, but I’ll give it a shot! ».
Even if I didn’t have a clue at that time, I stayed and continued to believe that it was only a matter of time. That we could all help heal each others’ heart together, no matter the ship. I’m not only talking about mods, but everything we did here that helps us go through this difficult time together. People we met and those who became close. It’s more than just playing a game, it’s making real connections with fictional characters, but also through them to other people.
Here we have a chance to be who we are inside, free and loved by people who understands. CDPR failed the launch and didn’t keep their promises, but one thing I’m sure of, is that if it didn’t happen, many of us wouldn’t be here, including myself.
But the worst is over and now, it’s time to heal.
I’d like to give all my gratitude to every fan, artist and modder who made all this possible. I won’t tag anyone, cause really, I thank everybody here.
- All the writers, visual and audio artists who made the characters and their stories feel real.
- All the modders who had everyone’s back.
- All the console players who shared their art, passion and support and don’t give up.
- All those who digged into the files, the lore and the game in general, who shared their analysis, point of view and made us laugh to death with their posts.
- All those who like and reblog because they like the content or to support the bloggers.
- And of course, all the workers at CDPR who cared or continue to care enough for this project to become one day, what it should have been.
I hope I’m not forgetting anyone, but if I do, share it in the comments ;)
We might have expected a finished product, a ground breaking game, but I know this is just the start of something bigger. In bad times, something stronger and better always comes out in the end. Might sound cliche, but it’s always true.
« Maybe it did take a crisis to get to know yourself; maybe you needed to get whacked hard by life before you understood what you wanted out of it. » - Jodi Picoult
Keep up the awesome work you all do and take good care everyone, of yourself, each other and of your fictional friends ❤️❤️❤️
#cyberpunk2077#fandom#v#johnny silverhand#jackie welles#goro takemura#hanako arasaka#panam palmer#saul bright#mitch anderson#judy alvarez#kerry eurodyne#rogue amendiares#river ward#viktor vector#misty olszewski#evelyn parker#claire russell#delamain#peralez#meredith stout#sandayu oda#yorinobu arasaka#michiko arasaka#dum dum#lizzy wizzy#adam smasher#t-bug#everyone else#lavendermilkandhoney
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Thoughts on 13x05:
In a nutshell, a lot of incoherent screaming.
- I loved Yaz. She is sheer perfectism in this episode. Taking control of the situations, being the Doctor and all. I thought I’d be wary of the three years skip, but no. It works out! She’s honestly so awesome this whole series so far. can’t be squeamish. The dealing of the bomb. She’s having to be strong, effective, no hesitation. But then we have the private moment of emotion.
- THE HOLOGRAM. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
- seriously, the hologram. The thought that the Doctor made that just bfore Yaz called about the angel gets me. How many times has Yaz listened to that? The ‘I’m missing you’ bits as well. d y i n g.
- The Doctor. Oh my. Oh my.
First, the theory on Answok’s identity being Tecteun was right! I thought so and what a reveal. Ahh, she’s such a cruel cold woman. But such good characterisation. And the Doctor’s reaction to the reveal. The whole scene was perfect.
Even in the division between universes, the Doctor is still trying to save her universe. I think 13 was absoulutely amazing in her whole scenes. Jodie’s acting was top notch as well.
- THE FOBWATCH. Okay, literally dying. Also the Doctor’s little snarling grin when she’s offered the chance to have her memories or the universe, since she’ll always choose saving the universe over herself. But that manipulative oh, but you could take your friends thing. ahhh.
- I love the Yaz-Dan-Jericho team up. She’s really the doctor-like figure with her two companions. And they bring some funny scenes! One lump or two. Fetch your dog/fetch your human. Oh my I laughed my socks off. Not only was the hermit hilarious, but Dan’s look and then Karvanista’s reaction to the message. Literally hilarious.
- The liverpool guy. The look on his face when Yaz tells him she’s looking to try and fix everything. Also, he’s seen things - it makes me think about how Claire saw visions, and Jericho’s a study of all that. Just nonformed curious thoughts, but I can’t wait to see how it all pans out next episode.
- The Grand Serpent. Ahhhh. He’s literally been snaking throughout UNIT’s whole history! The way he kills people is very creepy - but also he said a long time and place ago I had someone else to do this for me. So - he’s Vinder’s old leader. Vinder, who was exiled for presumably a long time. He led a place that we see from Vinder is now in ruin. He says a long time. Bel’s pregnant and is in the same time piece as Vinder (from their near miss). What the hell is the time line for their people? How far has the Grand Serpent hopped?
But yes. Creepy murders. And the TARDIS is in UNIT’s hands? Or was?
- Bel and Vinder, missing each other by literal moments! argh! But: Vinder. Did he plan to get into that passenger then? Also, Diane seemed pretty pumped to see a gun - why does she want one so badly? Bel and Karvanista is a hilarious go-up-ahead I didn’t predict and love.
- Kate! That explains entirely why UNIT’s gone, because she’s had to go into hiding. I loved her definace in the face of the Serpent. Such a fierce woman - can’t wait to see her next episode!
- Swarm and Azure walk in like party crashers then. Swam killing Tecteun - ahhh. That is such vengence for Swarm. But the Doctor’s face! Her choice of what to do with the woman stripped away.
- And the fobwatch. The memories. Oh my. They’re going to force it all back into her.
- SONTARANS. I love the tie in! All the threads are picked up so well and weaved in, and flux really feels like a well written story overall so far.
In conclusion: I need to rewatch this episode immediately, and I loved it. It was hilarious, fun, high tension and packed.
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Just watched 14x13 Lebanon.
Will preface with the fact that this was a bit of my commentary on the previous episode, and that I do think John Winchester was a crap parent
Lebanon was a pretty good episode, actually. I know some people hate it, and I started off prepared to seethe every moment that John was on screen. but then I managed to get one foot out of the John-crit zone and put it in Sam and Dean’s shoes, and looking at it from both perspectives? The episode has a lot of nuance to it.
Spoilers for this 14x13 Lebanon (obviously)
Overall I think the most important thing to remember about this episode: the theme is that some things are too good to be true.
I knew which episode it was, but I was surprised because I thought it has been in season 15, and then John didn’t show up for a while, so I thought I was wrong until the Pearl came up.
I gotta hand it to Jensen. When John appeared, there were so many emotions packed into Dean’s face in that first short scene, I had to rewatch it several times to get them. Part of it was simple shock, but I could also see… something a little like panic in his face, along with Waay too many emotions for me to name.
The conversation between Sam and John was… I started off mad and then focused more on Sam’s perspective and realized that… yeah, Sam isn’t the same person he was last time he saw his dad. And he didn’t get closure. He never got a chance to get real closure on it, and then here, he did, at least in some form.
Also, interesting thing I noticed- I could see the beginnings of how it could turn into another argument, and John said something that seemed a little accusatory, “you didn’t have a problem talking about it before you left,” and then Sam was like “nope, not gonna argue, not gonna do it, REDIRECTING-“ Which, after what Dean said in the scene before—
—Sam doesn’t want to mess this up for Dean. No way is he gonna start a fight, not now, not when they just got their dad back.
I don’t like the last line of Sam and John’s conversation: “But you did your best, dad. You – you fought for us, and you loved us, and… that’s enough.” Because honestly- it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t. And… dammit he could have done better. But then again, that’s Sam’s dad, and he’s been dead for over a decade, and sometimes people tend to put rose-colored glasses on over the past. So I’ll still happily condemn John’s parenting but I won’t condemn Sam just because he’s unable to see things for what they are in this case.
Now- my absolute favorite part of this entire episode is the section of Sam and Dean going to get groceries and noticing things are changed, and realizing “oh shit, what else is different?”
One, gotta love Dean for implying that Sam being a kale nut is a worse thing than Dean being considered a serial killer by society (which, it’s not like society is wrong??). Like, ah yes, wonderful priorities there, Dean. You’re a wanted killer with your face up in the town, but clearly Sam giving a lecture about the wonders of kale is a much worse thing. (If you can’t tell, I’m being incredibly sarcastic here)
And then here. Castiel’s appearance. I was screeching watching this. Completely freaking out- so much adrenaline. I bet if I’d taken my pulse it would have been skyrocketing-
This was followed by the scene of Castiel and Zachariah in the restaurant, which was Awesome, very clearly highlighting the difference that Dean and the Winchesters made in Cas’s life (later this will be relevant in the Confession - “You changed me, Dean”).
*cue me posting an unnecessary amount of screenshots*
Castiel unfurls his wings—
(Note the messy hair from flying around everywhere. Not the same as his old haircut, but they did what they could with Misha’s hair at the time)
Notice that Dean’s got the angel blade point down, and when he attacks Castiel, he’s using the blunt end to hit him, not the sharp end
(On the other hand, Sam uses the sharp end of the blade to swipe at Castiel. No judgement from me here, Sam sees this as “not our Cas” while Dean still sees this as “my Cas, I can talk him away from Heaven again.”)
Then, the most interesting thing here- when Cas pins Dean agains the wall, Dean’s not even trying to fight Cas here.
See how his hand settles on Castiel’s chest? Not really pressing, just touching. His other hand is gripping Castiel’s wrist, I imagine to try to remove enough pressure from his neck that he can speak. Trying to use his connection to Cas to get Castiel to stop hurting him. And it doesn’t work. Castiel stares him the eyes, not even a flicker of doubt or questioning.
You’ll note that I referred to alternate Castiel in this episode as exclusively “Castiel” and not “Cas.” Because it’s not Cas. Cas is the angel that saved Dean from Hell, and the angel that’s been by Dean’s side for 11 years (at this point in time). And this Castiel has not done that. So he is not Cas.
I’m reminded of the scene wayy back in season 5 where Cas beats Dean up in the alley for trying to give up and give in to Michael. There, Dean actually encouraged Cas to kill him, at the end, and Cas softens. Can’t exactly parse out the parallels there because my brain isn’t working, but there you go.
Now, probably my favorite conversation with John is this one, with Dean.
Right here. The way that Dean says “I have a family.”
It feels almost defiant. “I do have a family. I have Sam, Cas, Mom, Jack. My mother, my brother, my best friend… and I have a son, we all have a son. And beyond that, I’ve got Jody and Donna and Claire and the girls. I do have a family. Yeah, it doesn’t look like the apple pie life, the white picket fence, wife and kids, and yeah, our son is the child of Lucifer, and yeah, I’m in love with my best friend who’s an angel in a man’s body, and I wouldn’t trade him for any woman, and you’d hate that. But they’re my family. And I’m good with that.”
It’s proud, it’s a little defiant, it’s also a little bit of a reassurance, as we see from John’s smile afterward. I don’t think John caught the hint of a challenge in there.
I loved that moment. That might be my favorite line in the entire episode. “I have a family.”
I also like… Dean’s acceptance, “I’m good with who I am.” Part of that… I think it’s both a good thing and a sad thing and also a half lie at the same time. I think he’s good with who he is, in the sense that he’s accepted that he and Sam are the people that have to fill this role in the world, y’know, saving everyone. I think he loves the people he’s with, he loves his family and wouldn’t trade them for anything, not even having John back. No way would he ever trade Cas or Jack or Sam, or Mary, for anything else, ever.
It’s sad, though, because it’s like… he can’t imagine who he’d be if he had a different life. Yes, he’s had a few runs at an apple-pie life, but they weren’t happy, there was always something wrong nagging at him. He… I think he believes there’s no way for him to be happy, and that this is the best he could have.
I’m not even sure how to analyze the goodbye scene. I mean, the clearest thing here is just so much grief from everyone. They got a taste of their father back, and now he has to go back to being dead. There’s so many complicated feelings for both of the brothers, because of the complicated relationship with John, but in the end? They can’t help but love him, and they can’t help but feel grief at losing him. I won’t fault them for that.
In short, I wanna give Dean a gigantic hug and also give him therapy-
And then Cas coming back to the bunker when he did. I bet he sensed something and headed back to the bunker as fast as he could. Also, no clue what he experienced during the whole “Castiel and Zachariah are alive” thing. I imagine it’s possible there were two Cas’s running around for a bit? Because Mary didn’t get affected by the pearl. And Sam was there with his own memories, despite there being videos up of him doing things in the parallel universe. As for Cas, he’s part of Dean’s group of “people” so my guess is two Castiels running around for a little bit.
I like how Dean looks at Cas at the end. He’s relieved to have his angel back.
In summary-
The theme of this episode is “some things are too good to be true.” John came back, the four of them got their moment together, but John couldn’t stay. Things were good for that single afternoon, because everyone was just happy to see each other again, but it sent so much stuff into chaos that it couldn’t last, it had to be undone. And even then, if they’d tried to keep going with it, I know it would have degraded, the illusion of perfection would shatter, and they’d fall into old habits, old arguments and new ones.
And so it had to end.
#THIS IS NOT JOHN APOLOGISM#JOHN IS A TERRIBLE PARENT#HE MAY HAVE APOLOGIZED BUT THAT DOESN’T ABSOLVE HIM OF HIS ACTIONS#john winchester#spn 14x13#spn Lebanon#dean winchester#sam winchester#mary winchester#castiel#jack kline#destiel#supernatural#Ender’s musings
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If you’re Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, or Jared Padalecki.
STOP.
Read this post.
Dear J2M,
This is an open letter for you three written by a couple of unhappy passionate fans.
We write this to you because we know at least one of you has a secret Stan account and creeps on the destiel hashtag from time to time. Don’t lie. (Ahem. Misha Collins. Looking at you, Sir.)
With the subtle hints and possibility of a revival, us here at BarrenHeart (Bee and Jay) have some thoughts on what we think a reboot/continuation/revival would look like if it was done well.
Note: we don’t speak for the whole fandom(obviously). And we don’t even speak for all of the Cas/destiel fans. This is from our observation of the fandom after 15x18 and the finale, plus our own opinions.
Here are our demands suggestions for the potential revival.
--Castiel--
First things first. Castiel is brought back.
And by that, we mean he is either shown to be rescued from the empty, Jack rescues him from the empty, or by some other means, that man is not left there to suffer for all of eternity.
Castiel is a lead character.
Not a guest star, not “and Misha Collins.” No. Misha Collins gets to be in every d*mn episode. He is an equal lead alongside Dean and Sam. Which leads into the next point.
Castiel gets his own storyline.
It can be connected to Dean in some way, but he needs his own arc, y’all. Don't care what that is, but he IS his own character. So, some form of personal growth or whatever needs to happen. He is a badass and deserves a good storyline. Also…
Give this M-- F-- (mother father) his wings back!
Yes, he died without ever having his wings return to their full power. Like? We know he was nerfed so he wouldn't overpower Sam and Dean. Prove to us that he can be a fully powered badass and still work alongside Sam and Dean. No need to get rid of that.
Human!Cas does not mean pathetic Cas.
There is a divide on whether Castiel should stay an angel. Personally, we like human Cas. However, human Cas was shafted in the series. If you make him human in any way, shape, or form, he’s gonna still have to be a badass. Don’t whimp him!
He can be a good hunter/pretend FBI agent just like Sam and Dean!
So, make him one! Let him do more cases. On his own. With other people. With Sam. With Dean. He can fight without powers, too.
Give him love!
For the love of freaking Jack, let that man know he is loved by people. Not even mentioning anything romantic, he still needs platonic love y’all. Let Sam say it, let Jack say it. Let anyone in his family tell him that he is loved. Not once in this series did Cas hear that anyone loved him. So, fix it!
New style, anyone?
Cas needs other clothes! Please now. The black trenchcoat we never saw in-show? Boss. Cas in a black leather jacket? Coolness. Hunter plaid? Do it.
Confession Resolution
Speaking of love, come to some conclusion please about him and Dean. Give a resolution somehow, somewhere. We personally don’t really care how it’s done, but there needs to be something said here. You cannot just drop a confession there and just leave like it never happened. So, talk about it.
Adding this, I swear, if this is bros only, you WILL lose Cas fans. So, think about what you’re doing.
--Sam--
Sam is important!
Now, personally we have a soft spot for Sam. His character arc in Season 1-5 was great. Demon blood, powerful Sam was amazing. So, don’t sideline Sam. Seriously. We are gonna say in an unpopular way (as if this post isn’t already unpopular to some), but Sam got sidelined real hard in the last few seasons of the show. Now, was that what Jared wanted? Don’t know. But, Sam needs his own storyline too that isn’t just revolved around Dean. Figure it out.
Witch!Sam
Speaking of which, let this man be powerful. Sam is best when he has powers. Sorry but also not. He has been given all of Rowena’s (who is arguably the best witch around) spell books and decides to not really do much with it? No. He’s becoming a BAMF witch. Full-out, no word spells and shit. End point.
Sam in Charge
He’s not just a baby brother. He’s a grown man. Give him room to grow. Allow him to be a leader. Let him lead a group of hunters, witches, a whole team of people! He’s strong on his own, too. He's a big boy. Prove it.
He should fall in love.
Like, get married and all that. It’s a part of his arc, so keep it there. No blurry wife, my god! Personally it should be Eileen. She’s a badass. They also have a lot in common! Holy hell. They make a good team. So, keep that suggestion in mind.
Let him have the hero’s journey.
We want a good ending that shows growth for this character! He saw himself as a freak with powers, so…maybe he can use his powers now in a way that in empowering instead? Let him have an ending that doesn't just return to the beginning. Let him have gone through all of this changed for the better.
Don't be creepy.
Still keep the brotherly bond with Dean, but don’t make it weird, y’all. Don’t. Please.
Sam as a dad.
He can have a kid. But, Dean Jr? Eh. You might want to reconsider some other (Bobby) possibilities.
--Dean--
Now, with Dean, I wanna make this clear.
DO NOT K word THIS MAN.
This man here has dealt with unbelievable trauma, suicidal thoughts and even almost died by suicide in the show (okay, it was for another reason, but still!) He dies way too many times in this show. It’s not new anymore. Perhaps, when the show was newer, death might have been a bittersweet ending. But, now. It’s tarnished. It happened too much and the message of “carry on” got tainted to mean “there is only peace when you die.” That’s not okay.
Resolve his issues!
He has so much pain and trauma. Let him seek help. Let your audience know that it’s okay to process these emotions. Let him heal. He deserves it.
Dean’s internal struggles
This is piggybacking a little off of point two, but Dean has a lot of things he needs to figure out. We feel like his journey is more internal. While processing his trauma, he needs to learn that it's okay to be himself. This could include things about himself that he feels ashamed of or scared to admit. Things he may have repressed or suppressed over time. No more hiding who he is or brushing it off or making jokes. Be your true self, Dean. It's time.
Dean’s still important, of course
That said, Dean should still be integral to the overall narrative of the plot. Of course he's gonna go head to head with the Big Bad of the season/limited series, but he really should focus on what's inside first before he can take this monster down.
The Bro bond
No more dependent/unhealthy bond with Sam. Of course they are family and brothers, and will always be close. That's perfectly fine. However, its important to note that Dean was Sam’s mom/Dad most of his whole life. And, well, that never came to a resolution. Please let Dean resolve this issue. Sam is grown and older now, and even though Dean will always feel protective of him as his Big brother, Dean shouldn't feel like his life only revolves around taking care of Sam. There is more to Dean and his life.
Dean is complex
Also, Dean is not only about cars, burgers, and pie. It's like some of the writers forgot this. There are so many things/interests of Dean’s that are really cool and add to the complexity of his character. Keep those things.
He needs to resolve his issue with Jack.
He never said sorry to the kid. Not once after telling Sam that Jack wasn't family. He needs to tell Jack he is loved.
Speaking of which, Dean needs to tell Cas he loves him.
Okay. Who knows if you will make destiel reciprocal at this point.
Do we think Dean would have reciprocated based on context clues and what we have seen in the show? Yes.
Do we think this love is romantic? Yes.
Do we think you'll actually fully make it canon in a reboot/continuation? Eh.
Regardless, Dean loves Cas, so make it known.
Other demands considerations.
‘The found family’ needs to not be forgotten.
All the friends that were made along the way need to be included. What happened with Garth was great, actually. Do more of that. And by that, we mean include Jody and Donna. What are the girls doing now? Wayward sisters anyone? Bring Kevin back. Don't leave him to roam the earth all along like that. Either make him human again like Eileen or send him to rest in Heaven.
Where’s Eileen?
Hello??? Where? Tell us she made it back.
Claire
No idea if you can get Kathryn Newton back, but it would be cool at least for one episode. Please. Kaia? Resolve her storyline.
Also, Charlie.
Wtf happened? That was not resolved. We love Felicia Day. Charlie’s friendship with Dean is amazing. She deserves a few episodes.
Crowley!
Seriously. What happened to Mark was super disappointing. You gotta bring him back. His death wasn't great. Bring him back and give him his damn line already!
Jack!
I'm not fully on the Baby!Jack train, but he does deserve a normal life. He's three years old technically. He had no normal life whatsoever. He deserves that. So, give him that.
More Rowena please!
That's it. She's awesome.
Have a wedding.
No, really. Someone's gotta get married. Our pick: Sam and Eileen. Charlie is also a good contender for having a wedding with her partner, too. So there. Weddings are happy. We want a happy ending.
I will reiterate. Team free will lives. That's it.
Okay. Now, moving on to the next part of this. The elephant in the room. The thing a lot of us actually want from this, but frankly, we aren't sure if you'll do it.
Explicit Destiel.
If you've read this far J2M, then you're probably wondering when this was going to be addressed. So, here are the stipulations on destiel.
Go big or go home.
Yep. We said it. Make it explicit, full out, no ambiguity.
Honestly, you might be thinking what you could do to make it explicitly canon? Well, since there were tons of people who still think Cas’ love confession was just a platonic exchange between two bros (like wtf? How?), you're gonna have to spell it out for people.
But, some things that we may perceive as romantic, some people may not.
--Like, holding hands could be considered platonic between two men to some people.
--Cheek kissing could also be considered platonic to some people.
Not to say we need Jensen and Misha doing full on *** scenes to prove anything, but something more than a hand hold. Okay? Okay.
What we’re saying is basically, you're gonna have to kiss. On the lips. Yep.
So...I guess you'll have to figure out how you want to do that.
On when to make it canon:
You can decide if it makes sense to make it canon towards the beginning or towards the end. Honestly, there could be an argument for either. If it's made canon earlier, you could prove there can be a relationship alongside the main storyline. If you wait until the end, you'll leave fans wondering if you'll actually do it. But, the kiss being the major event of the finale could be worth it. Whichever you do, remember there are upsides and downsides to both.
Other other considerations:
Just realize who your fanbase is now. We’ve grown and changed. Like Becky, your fans have gone through a huge change in what they want from the show. Is the fandom all on the same page? Nope. Will they ever be? No.
You will not please everyone. That's a given. But, a lot of fans want to see the show wrap up in a better way than what we got. Destiel fans aside, the finale was not great overall. There are plenty of negative finale reviews that have nothing to do with destiel.
On top of that, society is changing. Slowly. The attitudes in regards to lgbtq media is quite different than before. You have the chance to make history. Really. If you make this canon, that will be a part of your legacy. You'll hit the news. I mean, 15x18 wasn't even the finale and it trended #1 that day.
We suggest that if you do decide to make it canon, it’s meaningful and you take the time to do it right.
So, consider your fans. Consider the part of the fandom that trended your show over the election. Consider the fans that trended a fictional wedding on Valentine's Day. Consider Misha/Cas fans who felt slighted. Consider your LGBTQA + fans. Just, think about what the reboot could achieve. What it could mean to a lot of people.
As always, we just want happiness and peace when we are done.
Thanks for reading Misha J2M.
Sincerely,
Bee 🐝 and Jay 🐦
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