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Ten years ago, now! Ten years. And I only discovered it a year and a half ago.

Day in Fandom History: November 3…

Two Brothers, named Wirt and Greg, got lost in the woods on their way home where the duo meets with the Woodsman, he warns them about a dangerous creature lurking out of the open named “the Beast”. The first episode of Over the Garden Wall, “The Old Grist Mill”, premiered on this day, 9 Years Ago.

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Case in point

OVER THE GARDEN WALL (2014) cr. Patrick McHale

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So true

There really is no other show that captures the essence of fall like Over The Garden Wall is there

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YES

YES

YESSSSSS

"I'd destroy the world to protect you" but it's a parent/child relationship

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This is SUCH an interesting take on the show

Okay I just wrapped up the annual Over the Garden Wall rewatch and it’s late and I don’t know how well I’ll be able to articulate these thoughts but:

The Beast knows it’s in a story

The Beast knows it’s in a story, and it knows how people react to stories, and that’s horrifying in a series based out of folklore and fairy tales and storytelling tradition. The Beast preys on people by knowing how they’ll react to stories. The Beast acts frustrated that Greg used a honey comb for a “golden comb” and a spiderweb on a stick for a “spool of golden thread,” but it’s baiting a trap - by exploiting that same fairytale logic, Greg is going to die of exposure in the cold while he waits for the sun to “set” in a cup

Because of course Greg will wait to see the sun set into the cup. Of course the Woodsman will keep the lantern lit. That’s how the story should go. The Beast is a parasite sucking blood out of a perfectly arranged Grimm fairy tale about the martyrdom of parenthood.

The only way to properly defeat it is to actively defy the story being set out ahead of you. Over the Garden Wall says, over and over again, that Wirt will sacrifice his life for Greg. “You are responsible for you and your brother’s actions,” the show says. The original pitch bible for the series said that Wirt would sacrifice himself for Greg, that he’d die to take responsibility for Greg-

And then Wirt stops and says “Wait. That’s dumb” and immediately shatters the story that’s been set up for him, and that’s how he defeats the Beast.

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LOL

Also, the Four Of Them interacting, I love it

The Woodsman: How did none of you hear what I just said?

Wirt: I’ve been zoned out for the last two and a half hours.

Greg: I got distracted about halfway through.

Beatrice: Ignoring you was a conscious decision.

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Well, guys. My OTGW playlist is officially and exactly one day long.

This is actually very funny to me.

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I LOVE that Sara is a summer girl, I am keeping that headcanon, it is perfect for her and YES

Sara the bee 🐝

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They are so sweet and I'm glad someone else agrees, they deserve the best

I hear that today is the Father’s day in some countries, so have my fave father & daughter from the far woods 💕

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did I try

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Ridiculous. Not possible.

Baffling to me that somebody could just “move on” from OTGW.

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Same, my friend. Same.

Someone I know just said that they "saw OTGW once and moved on" and that is honestly the weirdest sentence that I have ever read.

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Old otgw aesthetics

“The Old Grist Mill”

“Hard Times at The Huskin’ Bee”

“Schooltown Follies”

“Song ofthe Dark Lantern”

“Mad Love”

“Lullaby in Frogland”

“The Ringing of the Bell”

“Babes in the Wood”

“Into the Unknown”

“The Unknown”

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YES YES YES

Wirt stops faltering over what he thinks he could do or couldn't do! He just does what he knows needs to be done without wondering whether or not he can do it! He stops thinking less of himself by thinking of himself less, and that's what gives him the power to break the edelwood!

The Beast runs on deceit! He can only hold power by making people believe he holds power, because otherwise he's shown to be the weak flame he is! Making people believe they can't do anything, and that they're only struggling against his might, when all along they just have to see he's the one struggling to keep them deceived!

The Woodsman has always been able to beat the Beast! The Beast knows the Woodsman can take him down, and that's why it's so important that HE'S the one who stays lost! That's why the Beast works so hard to keep him deceived all this time!

And the funny part is, to get home, Wirt and the Woodsman (in a way) have to do the same thing - stop struggling, stop playing the game, and just do what they know needs to be done! It feels different to them (like failing vs not failing the responsibility to the person in their care), but the sense of action is the same!

UGGGHHHHH THE THEMES IN THIS

When Wirt stops striving –when it’s no longer a question of if and how they are getting home, but yes, no stop-gaps are acceptable, we’re going now –is when Wirt is able to crack the edelwood branches off of Greg.

(Interestingly, same with Wirt waking up as Greg follows the Beast. He’s got something to do.)

(Also: Wirt gives the Woodsman the lantern, essentially giving the Woodsman power over the Beast who has had power over him for a long time.)

(The Woodsman has always had the power, but the Beast runs on deceit. The fact that it’s the Woodsman lost in the Unknown, and his daughter was never in danger, is very characteristic.)

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Oh my goshhhhh I love Characters' Favorite Books headcanons!!

And honestly, this kinda just makes sense. Greg's very much an animal kid, befriending (or trying to befriend) every non-monstrous animal in the series besides Fisher Fish (who I think he probably would've befriended anyway if he'd had the chance). Oh, he'd be so excited to show Jason Funderburker all the books.

And of course he forces Wirt to read it to him and do the voices. Very awkward for him at times, especially with some of the more unusual voices. But I bet he gets into it sometimes. He's good at dramatic readings when he gets into it.

(Depending on whether it's before or after that Halloween, he could channel some Unknown-dwellers for the voices...)

Greg OTGW is a Redwall fan. This only just came to me, but I know in my heart that it's true.

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Baby

WHERE WAS THIS DUB WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR IT AND WHY THE HELL IS GREG SO CUTE

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I'm dying

them