#“only liquor anoints you” are you KIDDING ME.

[fizzseed]

When that sky rains fire on you, and you’re persona non grata I’ll tell you how I’ve been there too and that none of it matters.

Taylor Swift — The Albatross Good Omens (S1E1, S2E6)

[cassiesdaydreams]

💛⚠️SPOILER ALERT FOR FABLE SMP⚠️💛

Hello! I’m Cassie and I go through a lot of name crises! I was up at 1 am on my Snapchat stories picking each fable characters, including Fable and Isla’s Taylor Swift(The Tortured Poets Department)’s song! Some may not line up with the said characters or their arcs but this is just what I thought for each character. (I promise I’m just a fan and not a die hard swiftie.) As of 7/23/24 I have officially left the fable fandom to move on to other things, loved the time here.

As of now, i wont be supporting Taylor Swift. Thank you and goodnight

•Rae

In my ever so humble opinion, I thought Rae could have been the song Cassandra, all because “So *they* killed Cassandra first, cause she feared the worst” but if you remember in season 3, when Icarus threw the sculk bottle at Rae (I can’t remember the name of the episode) They could have killed him(Rae) and obviously Rae and Icarus being brothers and all, of course he’s gonna worry about him (Icarus). Really, the song Cassandra is about the Greek myth but like.. that’s irrelevant.

•Violet/Centross

When I started this I remembered how Centross was in the little “cell” under (I’ll say the name in which the season permits so s3 is Icarus and 1&2 is Sherbert) Sherbert’s house in season 2. As soon as I realized that, I said “Fresh Out The Slammer” because jail is also called a “slammer.” So “Fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to.” In my mind I thought it meant “I’m out and i know where to go.” But it was one am and I didn’t get far with this one.

•Athena

I said that Athena was “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” because of one line. “Im a real tough kid, I can handle my sh*t, they said babe you gotta fake it till you make it and I did.” It’s. So. Season. One. Coated. Sherb gaslighting Athena coded.

•Ven

I said Ven was “So High School” because Wet birds frfr. In the wise words of my cousin “Truth, Dare, Spin Bottles, you know how to stab Fable and I know Aristotle.” Of course, season 3, Icarus stabs Fable at the end, and Ven’s a writer (his elytra is book wings and that’s so cool)

•Icarus

Icarus is just “The Alchemy” because 1.) They’re an alchemist and 2.) Him and Ven. This song is just wetbirds coated “Cause the sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me honestly who are we to fight the alchemy?” Also this kind of connects me to season one at the end of corruption because of “What if I told you I’m back?” And the resets by “This happens once every few lifetimes” representing when Fable would rip a page out to save them from death. Need I say more?

•Wolf

Listen when I was putting this together, my cousin never watched Fable but she said “Fortnight” for Wolf and I thought oh damn, this could be real coated honestly but like honestly “I love you it’s ruining my life” is kinda coated to me

•Ocie

Ocie is just straight up “The Albatross” because this girl is just like “Cross your thoughtless heart, only liquor anoints you, she’s the albatross, she is here to destroy you.” With Ocie being able to control the ocean, she could be the one “here to destroy you” the “terrible danger” the “death you chose.”

•Momboo

Okay so yall remember season one when she went to the prison to try and help Sherbert become uncorrupted? Yeah they just said “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) and I don’t have a lot more to say about this.

Another thing about Momboo is that she can connect to Ocie cause sisters supremacy. But, there’s a line in The Albatross that says “Wise men once said one bad seed kills the garden” and it’s just so neat to me

•Fable

Fable I hate you a lot guys this is the worst dad like ever. He’s “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” because he definitely is. First he kills his siblings and literally doesn’t care for his stepson like please we get it icarus is biological and you don’t like Rae cause Enderian is a part of him but like for real. Then you try and KILL YOUR OWN KID??? like please. Give him the worst dad who ever lived award.

•Isla

Aw look it’s mother!! I highly believe that if she could she would name her kids “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus” but she wanted to remember her dad, for Rae. And Fable definitely named Icarus, but I can’t help but headcanon it

•Haley

Everytime I think of Haley, I only have season one to turn to for instances. I always think of the way she was a traveler, and how she left her home to find somewhere new. So I always think of “So Long, London” not meaning a lover/person like the song is talking about, but talking about the place she loved.

•Arisanna

I thought long and hard about what could be a thing about Arisanna, and I came up with Clara Bow, showing that she is the reflection of Soraza “you look like Clara Bow in this light, remarkable.” And how Soraza looks like who came before her, and who came before said other.

•Will

I was trying to figure out Will and I said “thanK you aIMee” because it’s like Will saying f^ck you to Fable for hurting his homeland. Hurting his culture and messing it up. Once again, it was like 1:30 here and I just was going through the stages of tired.

•Addie

I said Addie was “The Bolter” because she was reclusive but I also didn’t know much about her. She has a very pretty character design even though I don’t like spiders. (also the bolter is just a good song)

•Aax

is just “How Did It End?” Coated to me and honestly I have no reason for it. I honestly have no reason for a bit of this but maybe how did it end? was for him and Theo? I know we don’t know a lot about him so I’m headcanoning that. But I’m not sure haha

•Caspian

I think I said “The Prophecy” for Caspian because of him being trapped in the end prison and also looking for someone who he loved. Especially for the line “Please I’ve been on my knees, change the prophecy” being in jail being the prophecy, “…don’t want money, just someone who wants my company” meaning he wants someone who knows they’d want him around.

•Ulysses

I said “Peter” because I think when it comes to medical things, he’s the leader. So “forgive me Peter, my lost fearless leader” but honestly this song just makes me ramble on and on and on to be honest so I’ll stop the drabble about “Peter” here haha

•Jamie

For Jamie I said “Robin” because obviously, Jamie is a bear (and I find that cool actually no one knows) also the lines that say “You got the dragonflies above your bed, you have a favorite spot on the swing set, you have no room in your dreams for regrets” just makes me think of childhood innocence between him and Easton.

•Easton

I seen Easton as “I Hate It Here” with everything that went on between Sherbert and Momboo (Season 3, glitched death) so they would be like “I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind” which is honestly coated and I can’t pinpoint why.

•Galahad

I see Galahad as “Florida!!!” And I don’t know why. I kinda just see them as someone who wants to escape from their troubles. They want to get away but not in the sense Easton wants to. He’s tired of the fighting. They’re tired of Fable and the wars.

•Seven

Seven is just “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” because he’s a robot and as I see it, better off powered down permanently and broken down.

•The Whole Fable Cast

Honestly, this has been such an rollercoaster for me with figuring everything out about quixian and lore after missing a stream or two after being at an amusement park. Thank you for the best 3 years! Because every story has a manuscript, the song for the whole cast is “The Manuscript.”

Now all thats left is the manuscript, one last souvenir from my trip to your shores. Now and then we reread the manuscript, but the story isn’t ours anymore

The manuscript could be the vods by the way.

[itsuki-minamy]

K SIDE: PURPLE 03

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

* Chapter 1 * Chapter 2

Days go by.

The summer afternoon to hear Higurashi's voice, the long autumn night to sweep away the golden fallen leaves, and the winter morning when the breath was white and cloudy, Yukari spent nothing.

No noticeable change occurred. Yukari only went up one age and one grade, and other than that, he continued the same daily routine.

In the same days, he sometimes remembered Taka-san's words. He is sure that one day he will find something that appears to be "it." Unfortunately, that "someday" has not yet arrived. Yukari wasn't even sure if it would come. In his eyes, there are more people in the world who don't have pretty things.

Will I ever be such a person? Vaguely thinking about it, as he passes his days.

Beautiful things were found because of the garbage.

The man was crouched in a pile of garbage bags and was screaming loudly.

Yukari looks at him with cold eyes.

It was summer, in the morning. Sayuri's claim that cleaning the front of the store is Yukari's job, and that the morning sun will be very strong the next day after drinking a lot of sake, has caused Yukari to get up early.

The morning in the bar is not pleasant. This is because the morning light cruelly reveals the various ugliness that the darkness of night has gently hidden. Scattered cans and bottles, pools of spit thrown by someone, a flock of crows poking them, and a drink with no front and back.

He liked to see people getting drunk, but he didn't like to drink. Drinking alcohol and exposing yourself is completely different from being drunk and exposing yourself to ugliness. He doesn’t even want to see it, like blacking out and sleeping on the street.

However, it cannot be cleaned without moving. Yukari sighed and crouched down

"Uncle? Are you alive?"

There's no answer. The man simply repeats humming. Mishakuji called again, confirmed there was no answer, then stood up and yelled back.

A minute later, Mishakuji returned with a bucket full of water in his hands. As it was, he threw it in the man's face without any consent.

"Wow, what is that?"

A bucket of water was very effective. When the man jumped to his feet, he turned his black-and-white eyes and looked around. Yukari looks at him and says clerically.

"It's annoying that they sleep in front of the store. Please sleep somewhere else."

"Um, sorry, boy."

The man suddenly looked back at Yukari as he rubbed his wet beard.

"No, are you a girl?"

"I'm a guy."

"Well, boy. I'm sorry. I was so hungry I thought sleeping would calm me down."

The man's belly rumbled.

"That doesn't seem to work. Hahaha."

Yukari shook his head slightly at the face of a laughing man.

Looks like he hasn't had a drink. Certainly there is no liquor left on his face or on his breath. As the word goes, he probably slept here just to avoid starvation.

"Please wait a bit."

After leaving the man, Yukari entered "Hanawarabe". Sayuri, who was washing herself, asks mysteriously.

"Ah? Have you finished cleaning yet?"

"Sister, you had a surplus of baguettes. Could you please take it with me?"

"Okay, but what? Are you going to feed the pigeons?"

"Something similar."

When he returned with the baguette to where the man was, he was standing up and growing. Yukari involuntarily stopped and looked at the man.

It was big. Was he close to two meters? The body wrapped in dirty work clothes is full of muscles and looks like a giant old tree. He doesn’t feel intimidated by that habit, perhaps due to the fuzzy atmosphere that reminds you of an awake cat.

Seeing Yukari return, the man softened his eyes.

"Sorry to bother you, boy. I'm leaving now."

"Here you have."

Saying that, Yukari offered a baguette. The man rolls his eyes.

"I will give it to you."

"Eh?"

“I thought it was annoying and you were drunk, so I covered you with water, but it was my mistake. I apologize for that. If you are hungry, please eat it."

The man repeatedly compared the baguette to Yukari, and then smiled a lot on his big face.

"I can't take it! I'll take it, boy!"

He raised his hand and thanked him, and the man snatched a baguette from Yukari. It's as big as Yukari's arm, but it flattens out in no time. After swallowing every last piece, the man hit his belly with a "Bread!"

"Um! It's a bit short, but it was good! I'm thankful!"

"You are really hungry."

“I have not eaten anything in the last three days. I hold a grudge against my uselessly large figure. I'm hungry, even though I'm not doing anything."

Yukari looked at the man. The man notices the line of sight and laughs like he's shy.

"No, I'm sorry. You were in the middle of cleaning. Thanks again. Then I'm going."

When he bowed with his large bent body, the man turned his back on Yukari and started walking.

Yukari calls out to his back.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

Interestingly, the man turned around. After getting lost for a moment, Yukari asks.

"What's your name?"

The man blinked only once, then turned to Yukari correctly,

"My name is Isshin Hase. You took care of me, boy."

When he smiles, he calmly walks away.

While cleaning the front of the store again, Mishakuji rebels against his actions.

Why do I ask your name?

There are many homeless people in "Niibangai". Some also know their names. However, that man named Hase is a "foreigner". It comes from a place he doesn’t know and goes to a place he doesn’t know. He had never cared about the name of a human, but why did he care?

It was disconcerting, but no response was given. Anyway, he will never find it again. If so, it is useless to think about it. He forced himself to say it, and Mishakuji dismissed that idea.

However, that did not happen.

++++++++++

"Eh? Mishakuji-chan, did you run out of Jinjaeru?"

Sayuri, who was looking inside the refrigerator, said that about 10 minutes before the store opened.

Yukari, who was in the backyard, quickly checks the inventory before answering.

"I guess so."

"Oh, sorry. I was so busy that I forgot to manage my inventory..."

Sayuri grunts as she scratches her head. As he returns to the store, Yukari...

"So why don't you get it from "Massive Boys"?"

"Massive Boys" is a gay bar run by Taka-san. It was a lot like "Hanawarabe", and when something like this was missing, it was a relationship of mutual compatibility.

Sayuri clasps her hands and says with a gesture of adoration.

"Well, can you please? You don't have to hurry."

"Okay, I’m going."

Meanwhile, Yukari left the store.

As the night wore on, "Niibangai" was booming. Yukari is walking in the everyday landscape, out-of-tune voices are heard in the shops here and there, swarms of drunks crossing their shoulders, foreign tourists taking pictures of the atmosphere in the alleys, etc. Walk steadily.

At that moment, an angry voice was heard and Mishakuji paused for a moment.

Being a city of bars means that there are many drunkards and drinkers.

Regardless of the former, the latter is often off the label of reason. Cursing is a frequent occurrence and often turns into a fight. Sayuri also told him not to come near if there was a lot of commotion.

To make matters worse, it seemed to stem from Yukari's fate.

“It's crazy, right? Get out!"

He hears such a scream from the open door of "Massive Boys". The drunks who pass by on the street look at him for a moment and leave as he is. Nobody wants to get in trouble. Neither did Yukari.

However, the next voice he heard turned towards Yukari against the flow of people.

"Hey, calm down. You see, drink some water."

It's Taka-san's voice.

Anger intensifies even more at the voice that tries to calm.

"Oh, don't touch it, this is crazy! Yeah?! Hey, are you listening?"

"Look, it's a nuisance to other customers. Let's talk about that in the back?"

"Hey? I'm on the table! Not only did the face get worse but the ears too?"

Tangled, two men came out of "Massive Boys". One is Taka-san, a muscular man in a dress. The other was a man wearing an open-necked shirt and a dark blue jacket.

"Hey! Hey You are listening? Hey!"

The man was clearly irrational. His face is red and black, his eyes are sunken, and he may be drunk. Taka-san keeps smiling while getting hit by the man many times. It is probably because he knows that in this place you can only solve things calmly and calming the other party.

However, the man was furious even with that smile.

"What the hell are you laughing at?! How many times do you think I'll kick your ass?"

Taka-san's expression turned cloudy for the first time at that strong voice.

"Hey. That's..."

"You're stupid? Is it the same for others? Not well!"

He seemed to be anointing himself with the fire of his anger. The man hit his fist on Taka-san's nose, swelling his blood vessels.

"Ugh..."

"If you don't like it, it's the end! We are!"

The man pressed harder on Taka-san's upper body, who was suddenly hit and recoiled. Taka-san's huge body shuddered, and he stabbed his bottom against the wall.

The drunks stop in the midst of the manifested confusion and form a circle at a great distance.

In it, the man slowly drew a knife.

"I will. Hey. I will!"

Taka-san doesn't move like he's frozen. He is looking at the gleaming knife with an incredible gaze. The other spectators, like this, don't even scream, let alone stop him. The moment he seems to have stopped, the man stumbles a step.

Yukari stood in front of him.

"What? What is it, kid?"

Yukari is not scared by the murderous look. Taka-san, who crouched behind him, made a hasty voice.

"Mishakuji-chan? What are you doing?! Go away!"

"I do not like."

Yukari doesn't look back. However, he was looking at the man in front of his. Gently look at the red-black puffy face, liquor-stained neck, and irrational eyes.

"You are not beautiful."

He just said that.

The meaning of the word was not transmitted to man. Still, the intention was conveyed. Hate and contempt. He put enough anger into the hand holding the knife to cross the last line.

Yukari just looks at the knife that swung up.

Even if the blade stopped just before touching the eyebrows, he was still looking at him without closing his eyes.

"Great courage, boy."

When he turned his eyes towards the voice, before he knew it, a large work clothes was standing right next to him. Yukari muttered inadvertently.

"Hase-san?"

When their eyes and Yukari's met, Isshin Hase smiled a big smile.

"Oh, do you remember?"

"What the hell is that?!"

The man screamed with black and white eyes. It is not surprising. A giant about six feet tall, who shouldn't have been there until just a second ago, put his belt aside and stopped his hand holding the knife on the edge.

Hase looked at the man. The smile that floats in the mouth takes on a fierce tone.

"Me? I am…"

What happened in the next moment was an unforgettable and lifelong event for Mishakuji.

The ubiquitous belt magically moved in Hase's hands. Hase did all that movement in just half a moment, moving the knife, lifting his jaw, and thrusting at his throat.

"Guh..."

Unable to even raise his voice, the man stabbed into his knee. The knife slides out of his hand and makes a click.

Staring at the fallen man with wide white eyes, Hase leaned on his shoulder and said.

“Miwa Meishin style, master. My name is Isshin Hase. If you have any complaints, always come to me."

Yukari's eyes burned at everything that had happened.

Yukari saw a sinking step, a fluid hand and amazing strength lurking between breaths.

Things I've never seen before. He has never touched it in his life, it is his hometown.

"It’s beautiful."

That was it.

[diabhals]

SAY YOUR PRAYERS // a wip by @diabhals ↳ psd by @pilipalea

❝ do you really think we can save this world without burning it down first? without desecrating it? you don’t know the meaning of salvation. you don’t know the meaning of cut glass between your teeth, cheap liquor swilling round your belly. if i swallowed a burning match, tell me — what would happen? a death or a resurrection? ❞

INFO

genre // urban fantasy status // outlining / conceptualising pov // third person unlimited themes // redemption / recognition / friendships made and broken / young, dumb kids in a cruel world / power / gods and mortals / the power of storytelling

SYNOPSIS

the god-touched world shimmers with heat hazes of their power, buckles under the storms of their wrath. people wear their patrons’ names like armour, like shackles, like marks of pride or shame. deals are made in dark corners, with dark beings of too many eyes and too many mouths. angels fill their lungs with cigarette smoke and regret. 

ravka has no patron, just a broken jack daniels’ bottle and arrogance enough to fill the world. edith has nothing but her books, an empty attempt to understand the silence. emmie’s necklace of gold distracts godly hands from the softly tempting flesh of his neck. june drinks poison and spits prophecies from chapped lips. they are nothing but the dregs of not-quite-humanity.

when the hungering begins, the whole world holds its breath, crumbling in slow motion. people, places, gods fall. consumed. suddenly everything seems ripe for a revolution - and there’s a wolf-eyed girl with a broken jack daniels’ bottle waiting in the shadows. waiting for her chance to remake the world.

CHARACTERS

ravka // the messiah; a godly bastard. her heritage, divined by june in the rain-tears on a car window, speaks of power beyond imagining and greed beyond comprehension. always a little too sharp for the world, a little too hungry -- but if you look closer you’ll see she’s nothing more than a lost, forsaken little girl.

edith // the acolyte. she hoards knowledge like others hoard wealth, muttering the names of scholars in her sleep. if only she can know, if only she can quantify, then maybe she can begin to understand why the gods she loves so much have abandoned her. failing that, at least she’ll know how to kill them.

emmie // the priest; by far the best and the softest. marked from birth by a prophecy he doesn’t understand, but hell, when has a little mortal peril hurt anybody? always there to gather up the pieces of his friends and put them back together again, never expecting the same in return. when he breaks, it will break them.

june // the prophet, mind clogged with the words of gods. harsh words, drunk words, loving words: words that remind him that humanity is made in their image. the anointer, the herald of salvation, who finds doom slipping from between his teeth like a broken record.

TAGLIST

if you want to be on the taglist, please let me know! tagging some mutuals i think would be interested: @newdivinities @energydeficient @vviciously @fartistically​

[shirtlesssammy]

14x13: Lebanon

Then:

300 Episodes, guys. I’m just going to point everyone to this article again because it sums up so eloquently what makes this show so special.

Now:

Oh, I see, we’re starting off with the visual symbolism right away in this episode.

Dean and Sam are at a pawn show looking for “the good stuff.” The proprietor takes them to the back room (and Jesus, I’ve got to word my sentences better *shudder*), and shows them one-of-a-kind occult memorabilia. (Hands of Glory, gris-gris bags, anointed dove’s blood --which of these will save Dean in the end?)

They’re looking for the skull of Sarah Good, specifically.

The shop owner pulls the skull out from a locked vault, tipping the brothers off that this man killed the real owner of the skull, a fellow hunter who died a week past. When he was found, cut in half, his place had been cleaned out. The shop owner pulls out dragon’s breath and flame-throws the brothers across the room. He then pulls out a sword called Chrysaor, and chitchats about how he killed the other hunter, and how he’s going to kill Sam, before Dean just shoots him in the back. They pack up the stuff and head home.

In Lebanon, Kansas, outside the local theater, a group of teens sit around talking about Sam and Dean as if they are the urban legends that they started hunting at the beginning of this show (and they really are at this point).

(I also still stand firm on the idea that Dean owns that movie theater. I mean, only horror movies? A movie theater in a town of 250? Just saying.) (Natasha: Headcanon accepted)

The boys pull up in their completely inconspicuous car and without locking the doors (!?!) they head to the liquor store/bar. The bartender knows them as the Campbell brothers, and he isn’t far off. For two brothers that have quite the range of aliases, it’s not very original. Sam is eager to catalog all the goodies they have in the backseat of Baby.

The kids outside continue to wonder about Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack (oof, the Jack thing especially is weird--like, I got serious Klopek vibes here.) One girl, Max, is clearly smitten with another girl, who before taking off comments on how awesome the Impala is.

Meanwhile, still in the liquor store, Sam is still doing research on all their goodies (YOU PRECIOUS LITTLE NERD) and finds an item called a Baozhu, a pearl that grants wishes, or more specifically it gives “you what your heart desires.” Before they can formulate a plan to use this on Dean, Dean watches Baby drive away. OH.

OH. NO.

They see Eliot, the only remaining teen, and he doesn’t know much (and he doesn’t want to die --MY GOD, the look and Sam and Dean’s faces then.) Max stole the car (of course she did!). They head to the local post office to hopefully get Max’s address. And this bit is SO fun. Sam has a whole lot of puppy dog charm at times so it’s extra fun to see him not even try and fail so hard here. Dean, that gregarious ladies man knows what to do. It’s evident that he already has a friendly relationship with Marta, the postal worker, so he knows about her clear crush and he uses it to his advantage.

Sam is appalled. They get the place where her mom works though, so Dean’s charms pay off.

Caitlin, Max’s mom, works at the local pizza place. She’s understandably angry when she finds out what happened. Max should be in school. The other employee informs them that it’s skip day and all the kids are probably at a house on the outskirts of town. (Dean’s confusion over skip day breaks me….he never stayed in a school long enough to probably learn this is a real thing for teens. SIGH.)

And sure enough, that’s where Baby and all the occult objects are. Max’s crush almost starts to play with the cursed teddy but the pizza delivery saves the day. Ok, not really, because the cigar box of John Wayne Gacy opens up, allowing what can only be his ghost to escape into the house.

One boy, Ethan, goes into the bathroom when things get cold, and I start chanting don’t kill the person of color, c’mon show (I mean, they already did in the opener, but I digress). It’s all good though, just as Sam and Dean arrive at the house, Ethan comes running out. He saw a ghost of a clown and he’s out of here. Good plan, Ethan.

The brothers rush the party as FBI. I’m dying, like how real is this cover to these kids that see you all the time, guys? Eliot is equal parts in awe and disbelief. They find the cigar box right away, and as Dean mockingly jokes about Sam’s struggle with his love of serial killers and his hatred of clowns, Sam’s busy trying to burn the thing. They manage, but not before Eliot, Max, and her crush watch it all go down. Oops.

The brothers are forced to sit the trio down and explain what they do. They also tell them that others can’t know about it.

Back at the bunker, Sam finds the pearl and Dean is instantly ready to jump into the spell. Sam wonders if they should wait for Cas or call their mom, but Dean just wants to get to it. 

Dean holds the pearl and wishes for Michael to be out of his head, but he’s granted something completely different. The bunker’s lights go dark and a figure with a shotgun appears. When the lights come back on, Dean and Sam find their long dead father in front of them. AGGHH.

I understand the importance of PR and how big of a ‘get’ it was to have Jeffrey Dean Morgan back on the show, but a small part of me wishes I could just exist in the show and really feel the surprise at his return.

Much like his sons, John is equally confused about the situation. He wonders why Sam isn’t in Palo Alto, and then, because Sam is a full grown man now, he asks what happened to him. Dean asks him what year is it for him. 2003. Sam corrects him with the real year.

They all sit down for a very necessary glass of brown liquid. The boys fill their father in on the road so far. (I love how this kind of plays the same way that Dean’s summary to Marie in episode 200 did. So unbelievable, and yet, here we are.)

Just as Sam is about to tell John about Mary’s return, Mary returns to the bunker. And, the way John’s voice breaks when he says “Mary”. GUH. I’m done. Mary’s staggered walk to his embrace, hrm. I just feel like she’s seen too many shapeshifters and ghosts and whathaveyous to just believe it’s really John in two seconds. Soul Mates, amirite? Setting aside my disbelief, it’s a rather sweet reunion. Dean can’t believe that he’s watching his parents make out, and Sam motions for them to get the hell out of the kitchen.

In the hallway, Dean’s all sunshine and rainbows, but Sam, whose mind is not swayed by happy emotion like his elder brother, urges caution. Messing with time never goes well. Dean’s just happy his family is back together (*whispers* just wait until Cas isn’t Cas anymore…) Dean just wants one family dinner.

*Emotional John and Sam Scene Alert*

In the bunker library, Sam and John talk. John admits to screwing up a lot with his sons. The heartbreak in Sam’s eyes just murders me. Sam has always been one to push forward to not deal with the emotions of the situation, so to have John openly recognize his errors to Sam’s face is so good. This John is two years into Sam being gone from the family business. Two years of not being around his son. He recognizes that he’s been given a gift to talk with Sam the way that 2005/season one John didn’t. John brings up the fight before Sam left for Stanford, but Sam assures him that it was so long ago. And sure, John did some seriously shitty stuff, but it’s all so in the past, that Sam doesn’t remember that stuff as much as how he thinks of not getting to say goodbye to his dad.

They’re crying. I’m crying. This is good stuff, guys. John earnestly apologizes to Sam. Sam gets it. And I’ll just be in the corner processing this moment for the next 100 episodes.

Mary hands Dean the shopping list and Dean heads out - only to have Sam decide to accompany him. Sam’s on board! It’s time to embrace the gift of Dad. Once in town they split up the errands, only to find that nobody in the town recognizes them. Sam gets humorously spurned again by the postal employee, only to discover a wanted poster of Dean in a nearby window. So it’s not just you this time, Sammy.

Meanwhile, after getting denied friendship at the bar, Dean searches on his phone to uncover what alt-Sam and Dean are up to. Sam’s a black-turtleneck-wearing TED-talk-giving attorney who espouses a raw food diet and, far worse, no hobbies and no family as the keys to success. “Who hurt you?” I want to say but I think we ALL know the answer to that.

Dean’s hunting and wanted for multiple beheadings which...sounds about right. Sam realizes that bringing their dad forward in time has created a temporal paradox and if they don’t fix it then they’re going to become their alternate selves. “What else changed?” Sam asks.

Well, I’m glad you asked, Sam! Amidst some dramatically blowing leaves appears the angel we all love to hate - Zachariah. Cue wing flapping noises (BWAAAH!) and Castiel strides out of the shadows to stand beside him.

Zachariah: Come on, Constantine

Castiel: I don’t understand that reference.

Us: [incoherent screeching]

They’re a few feathers short of a flight, but Castiel and Zachariah swan into the local eatery where the teens are enjoying some late night pizza. Zachariah demands to know who’s been messing with time. If nobody fesses up, Zachariah is gonna sic Castiel on everyone. Castiel will kill until he gets answers - or maybe just kill. Castiel does everyone’s favorite wing display and we’re FINE AND HAVE ZERO EMOTIONS ABOUT IT.

Sam and Dean spot the mysterious celestial light and race to the eatery. Zachariah recognizes the Winchesters immediately, but Cas doesn’t know Dean or Sam at all. Zachariah muses on the Winchesters’ fate...Heaven had big plans for them until their dad disappeared. (And apparently the apocalypse fizzled out without John’s poisonous vendetta and Sam getting dragged back into the life.)

“Cas, you know us,” Dean says and then flinches when Castiel says that he doesn’t. I know, Dean Bean, I know.

Unfortunately for all involved, fisticuffs ensue. Castiel isn’t holding anything back in his fight with Dean. Sam kills Zachariah with an angel blade (bet he never imagined they’d be so commonplace on Earth in the alt-future). In retribution, Castiel beats the shit outta Sam and then starts to choke the life out of Dean. Castiel, not knowing Dean, is unmoved by his pleas. BUT WE ARE MOVED! 

Sam uses his blood to draw an angel banishing symbol and sends alt-Castiel off to parts unknown. Thank you, show, for not killing alt-Cas.

Back at the bunker, they fill John in on the “temporal paradox” situation Sam sussed out. John calls Sam an “egghead” for it and CAN WE NOT JUST -__-

Dean reveals that with John gone, Sam stays out in California and their mom never gets brought back to life. She’ll fade away soon.

“Me versus your mom, that’s not even a choice,” John says. I one hundred thousand percent agree.

I really feel for Mary, though. Sam tells her the bad news in the kitchen. When they destroy the pearl John will go back to the original timeline and everything will get set to rights again. The oven timer goes off while Mary cries. It’s dinner time. :(

John tells Dean that he never meant for Dean to carry on the supernatural fight. He’d intended for the fight to end after Yellow Eyes died and wanted Dean to have a normal, peaceful life with a family after that. I am really, really trying to roll with the soft vibe of this episode but give me a break, man! USE YOUR WORDS if that was your intention. You’re the one who sculpted Dean “I’m a weapon who doesn’t matter as a person” Winchester, after all. Anyway, Dean tells his dad that he HAS a family. Damn straight, Dean.

Family dinner starts out a bit awkward what with the whole “John metaphorically dying�� at the end of it. John encourages everyone to be grateful for their brief time together, however. Maybe Dean’s wish brought John forward AND made him more gentle for the reunion too? Yes, that’s what I’m going with. Yep. Just a totally normal family meal. Everyone relaxes at John’s suggestion and begins to enjoy each others’ company. Honestly, it IS lovely to watch (personal salt about John aside). I’m happy for them, even if I am waiting in the wings with a broom to shoo John out of the bunker.

Afterwards, Sam and Dean wash dishes in the kitchen. Sam rails against how unfair it is that they have to send John back...he wishes things were different. Dean tells Sam that meddling with time travel is ultimately a selfish act. He doesn’t want to become the bad guy who foists the apocalypse and world-saving on others so they can live some other life. “I don’t know who that Dean Winchester is and I am GOOD with who I am. I’m good with who you are. Because our lives? They’re ours. And maybe I’m just too damn old to wanna change that.” I LOVE THIS!!!!!!

For Dean Looks Good with a Healthy Self-Image Science

Mary and John hold hands tightly while John says his farewells to Mary, Dean, and Sam. He’s proud of them, and I’m HAPPY for the catharsis that Sam and Dean need. (Mary, I’m afraid, is probably more of a wreck now.) John tells them he loves them. Dean tells John he loves him. We all love everyone and also love having emotions.

Sam crushes the pearl.

John fades away.

Around Lebanon, things get set to rights. The cafe tables from their fight with Castiel and Zachariah are repaired, the wanted poster fades to a fun run advertisement, and the teens remember that Sam and Dean hunt monsters. The two girls who flirted their way through the first part of the episode hold hands. <3

At the bunker, Cas walks in after John has faded away. “What happened?” he asks.

“Well there’s a story,” Dean tells him.

Back in the past, John sleeps in the Impala when a phone call from Dean wakes him up. John remembers his experience like it was a dream...but it was a GOOD dream.

Natasha: So, @inacatastrophicmind has a good visual summary of my feelings about John Winchester. I can’t personally let the memory of John Winchester fade into starry nostalgia, you know? But even so, I enjoyed this episode for what it is. Soft forgiveness and self acceptance were welcome things to see. And how great were the Winchesters’ interactions in Lebanon?

Boris: We’re not John apologists on this blog. How he raised his sons, how he treated both of them, was abhorrent and possibly unforgivable, but it’s not our call how Dean and Sam process this gift that they feel they’ve been given. I do find this whole reunion believable. They love their father and he was all they had for a very long time, so I’m willing to sit back and absorb the healing that this episode is doing. John’s return isn’t the gift, it’s the realization of how far they’ve come and who they are -because of and despite John Winchester--that’s the gift.

Some Pearls of Quote-dom:

They always talk too much.

Oh, cataloging. Fun.

Where do they even come from? Them or that weird sidekick with a trenchcoat.

A serial killer clown. This is like the best/worst thing to ever happen to you because, you know, you love serial killers but you hate clowns.

God bless kale, am I right?

Earth: where you’re always stepping in something.

This town...it’s always been a little muddy for us.

Who’s been playing back to the future?

I am so proud of you boys.

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