#1x02 In Bad Waters

[clewis]

Phoebe Tonkin as Cleo Sertori H2O: JUST ADD WATER (2006-2010)

[mepuppy]

Let It Ride - Supernatural rewrite

A.N.: I do not own the characters, nor the storylines. I'm simply adding a twist to the episodes. Please feel free to help me out with constructive criticism on the story or the writing. Sorry for the mistakes, not proofread and english is not my first language. Here's the secon episode, I hope you like it.

1x01 1x02

Word Count: 8k

1x03 - Dead in the Water 

The Impala is parked in front of a building with a sign that says THE Lynnwood INN, with the Harley next to it. Inside the restaurant Dean is sitting with a basically empty plate in front of him while he circles obituaries in a newspaper.

“Hey, look at this one” he turns the paper and shows Y/n the one circled saying: CARLTON, SOPHIE - The Carlton family is sad to announce the death of their beloved daughter in a tragic swimming accident. Sophie Carlton, 18, was having her [...] Lake Manitoc WI, an [...] suddenly [...] 

The girl tries to think where she heard about Lake Manitoc before, because the name sounds familiar. “Where did I hear this name befo…” She starts but a waitress approaches.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asks, looking only at Dean who looks up and grins around the pen he's chewing on. But before anyone can say anything Sam comes over and sits down.

“Just the check, please.” He says and the waitress nods and walks away, once she’s out of earshot Dean drops his head, then looks at Sam.

“You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while.” As Dean points to Wendy walking away; she's wearing short shorts, y/n gets up and grabs her crossbody bag. “That's fun.”

Sam looks at him then at y/n, who hands him the newspaper rolling her eyes. “Dean found something.” She turns around and heads outside. Dean follows her with his eyes before turning to Sam.

“Here, take a look at this,” he says with the situation passing right over his head “I think I got one. Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, eighteen, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out. Authorities dragged the water; nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago.” he explains handing the waitress the credit card when she approaches.

“A funeral?” Sam asks when she leaves again.

“Yeah, it's weird, they buried an empty coffin. For, uh, closure or whatever.” Dean makes a face and looks through the window seeing y/n getting on her bike with the helmet still in her hands.

“Closure? What closure? People don't just disappear, Dean.” he looks up to his brother 

“Other people just stop looking for them.” he raises one eyebrow.

“Something you want to say to me?” he asks when the waitress brings the receipt back and they head outside to meet with y/n.

“The trail for Dad. It's getting colder every day.” Sam looks at Dean like he doesn’t understand english.

“Exactly. So what are we supposed to do?” the older brother asks, looking at the Impala next to the Harley.

“I don't know. Something. Anything.” he throws his hands in the air as they approach the girl waiting for them.

“You know what? I'm sick of this attitude. You don't think I wanna find Dad as much as you do?” he turns to the youngest and his brows come together.

“Yeah, I know you do, it's just… ” he starts but Dean continues.

“I'm the one that's been with him every single day for the past two years, while you've been off to college going to pep rallies…”

“We will find John, okay? But until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there. Right?” Y/n cuts Dean off and looks at the two men with her helmet in the air, halfway to putting it on. “C’mon. Wisconsin, right?” she asks and puts the helmet on. Sam rolls his eyes. “How far?” she turns to them as they get in. 

The Impala drives past a sign that reads ‘Welcome to Lake Manitoc, WI’. Dean puts his arm out the window and points at the sign, and the girl holds a thumbs up.

They drive until reaching the Carlton house. The engines stop and they get out of their vehicles. Dean knocks on the door and a young man opens it.

“Will Carlton?” Dean asks 

“Yeah, that's right.” Will answers nodding his head.

“I'm Agent Ford. This is Agent Hamill and Agent Clover. We're with the US Wildlife Service.” Dean holds up an ID. “Can we ask you some questions?”

“Uhm, sure.” Will says and closes the door behind him heading to the lake. Bill Carlton, the father, is sitting on a bench on the dock. Will brings the trio around to see him. “So I guess you want to hear the story, right?” he looks at Sam who nods. “She was about a hundred yards out. That's where she got dragged down.”

“And you're sure she didn't just drown?” y/n asked.

“Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer.” Will says with a sad chuckle “She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as in her own bathtub.”

“So no splashing? No signs of distress?” Sam asked him and he looked over at the tallest man.

“No, that's what I'm telling you.”

“Did you see any shadows in the water? Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?” y/n stepped around Sam to look at Will.

“No. Again, she was really far out there.”

“‘You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?” Dean tries.

“No, never. Why? Why, what do you think's out there?” he whips his head to Dean and asks worried.

“We'll let you know as soon as we do.” y/n tells him and turns around. She and Dean started head back to the car.

“What about your father?” Sam asks, pointing with his head at the older man. The other two stop and turn back. “Can we talk to him?” 

Will turns to look at Bill, then turns back. “Look, if you don't mind, I mean...he didn't see anything and he's kind of been through a lot.”

“We understand.” Sam nods and turns around heading to the car. 

“So, now what? Police station?” Dean asks.

“I think is our best option right now.” y/s says, mounting her bike again.

Inside the police station the Sheriff is talking to them. “Now, I'm sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?” he sounds confused.

“You sure it's accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister.” Sam explains to the sheriff what was told to them.

“Like what?” They walk into the Sheriff's office, he motions to chairs in front of his desk “Here, sit, please. There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake.” They all seat “There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness Monster.”

Dean looks at his brother and best friend, but then scoffs to the sheriff “Yeah.” He laughs. “Right.” the two glance at Dean

“Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still…” Sheriff Jake sits down. “We dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep, just to be sure, and there was nothing down there.”

“That's weird, though,” y/n starts “I mean, that's, that's the third missing body this year.” she says, tilting her head.

“I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about.” he tells looking at her and she nods. “Anyway…” Jake sighs and leans back “All this...it won't be a problem much longer.”

“What do you mean?” Dean asks, getting confused.

“Well, the dam, of course.” the sheriff looks at Dean. Sam nods.

“Of course, the dam. It's, uh, it sprung a leak.” Dean tries to save looking at y/n and back at the sheriff.

“It's falling apart,” Dean nods “and the feds won't give us the grant to repair it, so they've opened the spillway. In another six months, there won't be much of a lake. There won't be much of a town, either. But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that.” he looks between the three hunters.

“Exactly.” Sam nods.

There’s a tap on the door and a young woman enters. “Sorry, am I interrupting?” The trio stand up.”I can come back later.”

“Gentlemen, Madam, this is my daughter.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dean.” Dean shakes Andrea’s hand.

“Andrea Barr. Hi.”

“Hi.” y/n says waving at her with a tight smile. Ans Sam raises his hand to give her a little wave too.

“They're from the Wildlife Service. About the lake.” Jake tells his daughter and she nods with an understanding in her face. A boy walks in, around Andrea.

“Oh, hey there. What's your name?” Dean crouches to be at the little boy’s height. He walks away without speaking and Andrea follows.

“His name is Lucas.” the sheriff says looking at Lucas and Andrea as she gives him some crayons out of a box e he starts drawing.

“Is he okay?” y/n asks the officer looking at them too.

“My grandson's been through a lot. We all have.” he stands and goes to the office door. “Well, if there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know.” They all leave the office

“Thanks. You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?” Dean asks looking more at Andrea than the sheriff as he asks

“Lakefront Motel. Go around the corner. It's about two blocks south.” she says smiling and pointing in the direction.

“Two—would you mind showing us?” he asks, pretending to be confused, Andrea laughs.

“You want me to walk you two blocks?” she retorts, resting one hand on her hip.

“Not if it's any trouble.” he tries one last time, smiling charmingly. Sam looks at y/n from the corner of his eye and sees her rolling her eyes softly.

“I'm headed that way anyway.” Dean’s smile spread even wider. She turns to Lucas placing a kiss on the top of his head, looking at her father and saying “I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three.” then looking at the boy again “We'll go to the park, okay, sweetie?”

“Thanks again.” Sam says following Dean and Andrea. Y/n smile and go after them.

Andrea is leading them through the street, with Dean by her side and the other two following behind. The car and bike left around the station. “So, cute kid.” Dean says smiling at her.

“Thanks.” she answers as they cross a street.

“Kids are the best, huh?” he throws back at her. Sam and y/n look at each other. Andrea glances at him and ignores him. They keep walking, until stopping in front of a building that says LAKEFRONT MOTEL.

“There it is. Like I said, two blocks.” she motions to the building.

“Thanks.” Sam says and she looks form Dean to Sam smiling, then looking back.

“Must be hard, with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line.” she leaves, calling back over her shoulder “Enjoy your stay!”

“'Kids are the best'?” y/n asks looking at the older man with a mockingly smile on her face.

“You don't even like kids.” Sam continues.

“I love kids.” Dean retorts back

“Name three children that you even know.” Sam teases 

Dean thinks and comes up empty. Sam waves a hand and walks into the motel with a laughing y/n following him. Dean scratches his head. “I'm thinking!” he follows the other two.

Inside the motel room, y/n gets out of the bathroom drying her hair in a towel, wearing a tanktop and some jeans, while Dean goes through his clothing. Sam works on his laptop. “So there's the three drowning victims this year.” he says changing tabs.

“Any before that?” Dean asks, grabbing a shirt and smelling it.

“Uh, yeah.” he skims through the article he has opened  “Six more spread out over the past thirty-five years. Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it's picking up its pace.”

Dean tosses a pair of pants onto a bed together with the shirt he separated before. Y/n goes behind Sam to look at the screen. “So, what, we got a lake monster on a binge?”

“This whole lake monster theory, it, it just bugs me.” Sam shakes his head as he says it. Dean comes over to read over Sam's shoulder standing next y/n.

“Why?” she asks looking at the back of Sam’s head.

“Loch Ness, uh, Lake Champlain, there are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts, but here, almost nothing.” Sam looks at the Tribune homepage “Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it.” he scrolls to the comments section of an article. 

Dean points at something. “Wait, Barr, Christopher Barr. Where have I heard that name before?”

Sam reads from the page. “Christopher Barr, the victim in May.” he clicks a link, opening a new page. 

The trio read the article: LOCAL MAN IN TRAGIC ACCIDENT. The picture loads: it shows a police officer with Lucas.

“Oh. Christopher Barr was Andrea's husband, Lucas's father.” y/n says leaning over Sam’s shoulder to look at the man on the screen, her bare shoulder pressed against Dean’s, that looked in her direction and encountered the low neckline of her tank top.

“Apparently he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned. Two hours before the kid got rescued.” Sam skims through and clicks the picture for a better look, then scratches his head. “Maybe we have an eyewitness after all.”

“No wonder that kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over.” y/n say looking back at Dean, who hurries to meet her eyes, swallowing.

“Okay, let me just hit the shower and we can go to the park and meet them, what do you say?” he asks her and Sam who nods.

Kids are laughing and playing. Andrea sits on a bench and watches Lucas, who is at another bench coloring and playing with toy soldiers. “Can we join you?” Sam asks, looking at her.

She looks up at the trio. “I'm here with my son.” she answers.

Dean looks over at Lucas. “Oh. Mind if I say hi?” he doesn't wait for an answer and goes over to Lucas.

“Tell your friend this whole Jerry Maguire thing is not gonna work on me.” Sam sits next to Andrea, while y/n walks a bit and stops looking at the other kids, closer to Dean than to Sam.

“How's it going?” Dean kneels down next to the bench where Lucas is coloring; when the boy doesn't even look up, Dean picks up one of the toy soldiers. “Oh, I used to love these things.” He imitates guns and explosions, then tosses the toy soldier down when the boy still doesn’t look at him. “So crayons is more your thing? That's cool. Chicks dig artists.” y/n smiles and shakes her head looking down.

Lucas has a pile of drawings on the bench. Dean takes a look. The top one is of a big black swirl; the second one is of a red bicycle. Dean holds the bicycle one up “Hey, these are pretty good. You mind if I sit and draw with you for a while?” he picks up a crayon “I'm not so bad myself.”

Dean sits on the bench, picks up a pad of paper, and starts drawing. “You know, I'm thinking you can hear me, you just don't want to talk.” he glances quickly at the boy “I don't know exactly what happened to your dad, but I know it was something real bad. I think I know how you feel. When I was your age, I saw something.” he pauses “Anyway. Well, maybe you don't think anyone will listen to you, or, uh...or believe you. I want you to know that I will. You don't even have to say anything. You could draw me a picture about what you saw that day, with your dad, on the lake.” he stops drawing and looks at Lucas “Okay, no problem. This is for you.”

Dean holds out to Lucas the picture of stick figures he drew. “This is my family. That's my dad. That's my mom.” Dean chokes a little when showing the woman in the drawing which makes y/n look at them “That's my geek brother. That’s my weird best friend, and that's me.” he says pointing at each figure as he speaks. after a pause he continues “All right, so I'm a sucky artist. I'll see you around, Lucas.”

Dean heads back to y/n.  “You okay?” she asks putting one hand on his arm and he nods, motioning for her so they can go back to Sam and Andrea.

As they approach Andrea and Sam they hear Andrea speaking “Lucas hasn't said a word, not even to me. Not since his dad's accident.”

“Yeah, we heard. Sorry.” Sam answers her and she nods.

“What are the doctors saying?” y/n asks curiously.

“That it's a kind of post-traumatic stress.” as the woman answers y/n sees Lucas looking at the picture Dean drew for him.

“That can't be easy. For either of you.” Sam looks at her.

“We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot. It's just...when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw…” She trails off

“Kids are strong. You'd be surprised what they can deal with.” Dean says, trying to comfort her, and his eyes meet y/n’s for a second. She turns her head and sees Lucas leaving the bench and heading for the group.

“You know, he used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth. Now he just sits there. Drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish…” she stops short when Lucas walks up, carrying a picture. “Hey sweetie.” But Lucas doesn’t look at her, instead he hands Dean a picture.

“Thanks” Dean looks over and y/n and Sam, then back to Lucas. “Thanks, Lucas.” It's a picture of a house, and the boy heads back to the bench.

Inside the motel room again, y/n is crossed leg sitting on a bed cleaning up guns and Dean on the edge of the same bed putting the clean parts together again when Sam opens the door and comes in, making the other two look at him. “So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie.”

“What do you mean?” the girl asks him. He sits next to them.

“I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead.”

“He drowned?” Dean frowns

“Yep. In the sink.” Sam explains making y/n widen her eyes.

“What the hell?” she asks shifting in the bed “So you're right, this isn't a creature. We're dealing with something else.” she shakes her head looking at the youngest.

“Yeah, but what?” he turns his body to her who gets up and starts pacing in front of the bed.

“I don’t know. Water wraith, maybe? Some kind of demon? I mean, something that controls water…” Dean tries to elaborate. After a short pause realization hits Sam and y/n at the same time Dean continues “Water that comes from the same source.”

“The lake.” “Yeah.” the girl and Sam say at the same time. “Which would explain why it's upping the body count. The lake is draining. It'll be dry in a few months.” Sam finishes his trail of thought

“Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it's running out of time.” y/n looks at both the men sitting in front of her. “And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere.” 

Dean stands up. “This is gonna happen again” he goes to the chair close to the door and sits down to put his shoes on. “soon.” Y/n gets closer to him and he hands her one of her boots between putting his on.

“And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton.” Sam says, looking at them.

“Yeah, it took both his kids.” Dean hands y/n her other boot and goes back to the bed to grab the gun they were cleaning.

“And I've been asking around. Lucas's dad, Chris—Bill Carlton's godson.” he follows his older brother with his eyes.

“Alright. Let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit.” y/n grabs the door handle and looks back at them. They head to the Impala and get on.

Arriving at the lake they head to the dock, where Bill is sitting with his back to them. “Mr. Carlton?” y/n says softly. The older man looks up. 

“We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.” Sam asks tilting his head

“We're from the, the Department—” Dean starts but Bill cuts him off.

“I don't care who you're with. I've answered enough questions today.” he looks back at the lake, looking tired.

“Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there?” y/n tries looking at the man with a worried expression, Dean looks over at her.

“Mr. Carlton, Sophie's drowning and Will's death… we think there might be a connection to you or your family.” Sam continues

“My children are gone. It's...it's worse than dying. Go away. Please.” Bill says, choking on the words.

The trio respect the man and head back to the car, knowing they won’t be able to get much from him.

“What do you think?” Sam looks back at the other two.

“Aw, I think the poor guy's been through hell.” She says looking in the distance to the man sitting on the lake “I also think he's not telling us something.” she turns back to them

“So now what?” He leans on the Impala.

Dean passes his hands through his hair turning around and goes still facing the Carlton house.

“What is it?” the girl asks him.

“Huh.” he tilts his head and pulls something from his back pocket. “Maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something.” He unfolds a piece of paper and shows her the picture Lucas brought him at the park. The Carlton house is drawn. Dean looks at her when she turns to examine the house and Sam comes over to see the drawing.

“Okay then. To Andrea’s house.” she looks back at him and meets his eyes. After a couple of seconds she turns and heads to the car. The two men follow her to their respective seats.

On the way to Andrea’s house, the boys dropped y/n back at the motel. She went into their room and sat at the small table on the corner opening up the laptop to do some research. She typed and while the page loaded she grabbed one of her packages of chocolate chip cookies to snack on. She struggled a little to focus on the articles about post-traumatic stress on children that popped up, skimming through the abstracts that were showing and opening some every now and then.

“What is happening to you?” she asks out loud thinking about Lucas, what he's been through, and what he was, still, experiencing with his drawings. She thought about what she went through when she lost her parents for that nest of vampires when John saved her. She though about how she could always talk to Dean and Sam about everything, including when the grief and sadness were suffocating, and how, Dean especially, understood a little what she was feeling.

The older man was always her rock, and she tried to be the same for him. She could always see how John left all the responsibility of Sam safety on his shoulders, and when she arrived in the small family he instantly took her safety in his own hands too, so she would do everything in her power to help him with Samand their chores. They both had to grow up so fast and not too long after he started trusting that she would everything to protect Sam from harm's way and from the truth.

When her phone rang and Sam’s name flashed on the screen, pulling her out of her thoughts about the man that was the main character in her thoughts for so long and the family she found after losing her own.

“Shoot, Sammy.” she says after answering the call.

“I already told you two. Sammy is 12. It’s Sam now.” he retorts and girl can picture the younger man rolling his eyes.

“Dream on, Sammy.” She smiles “Did you already leave Andrea’s?”

Sam sighs “Yeah, so Lucas gave Dean another drawing.” 

“The kid draw another house.” y/n heard the other brother’s voice in the distance. “Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died.” 

“I was doing some research.” she gets up and goes to her boots to put them on “There are cases… going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions,” she puts the phone between her shoulder and her ear, putting her right boot on “psychic tendencies.”

“Whatever's out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow? I mean, it's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns.” Dean’s voice sounds anxious.

“All right, we got another house to find.” Sam says into the phone and describes the drawing to her “He drew a yellow house with a red bike in the front. With a white tall church by the side.”

“The only problem is there's about a thousand yellow two-stories in this county alone.” Dean replies quickly

“Yeah, but see this church? I bet there's less than a thousand of those around here.”

“Okay, yellow house, red bike and tall white church, right?” y/n jumps into the conversation again but doesn’t wait for an answer “I’m leaving the motel going north, whoever finds it first calls the other. Bye.” and she hangs up, not wasting any more time.

After some 30 minutes driving her Harley, looking for the house Sam described her phone rings with a message.

Found it, come find us.

And another one with an address followed. She asked the woman that had just passed her the directions and headed the way the latter pointed.

She spotted Sam and Dean approaching a white church while Dean held up a drawing and looked at it. Dismounting the bike, she whistled making the two brothers turn to look at her. After catching up to them she holds her hand to Dean grabbing the picture he hands her. And the church is exactly the same.

“Nice job!” She smiles at him, looking at Sam before heading to the house with the two following her. Sam knocks at the door and a elderly woman opens up.

“We're sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we’re with the newspaper, writing a story about local kids. Does a little boy live here, by chance? He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle.” Dean asks the oddly specific question.

“No, sir. Not for a very long time. Peter's been gone for thirty-five years now.” the lady knits her eyebrows at the trio, and after a pause goes back inside leaving the door open and they follow her. There’s a picture of a little boy on the table by the entrance. “The police never… I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared.” She stops at the living room and turns back to them. 

Y/n takes a look at the room and nudes Dean showing the toy soldiers on the coffee table. “Losing him—you know, it's...it's worse than dying.”

They all glance at each other remembering Bill’s words from earlier.

“Did he disappear from here? I mean, from this house?” Sam asks the older lady.

“He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up.” she answers

Dean walks over to a wall and picks a picture off the mirror. There are two boys in the picture, one with a bicycle. He shows the back of the picture, that reads: Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, nineteen seventy.

They thank the woman and head straight to Bill Carlton’s house. Inside the Impala y/n reassess the basic points. “Okay, this little boy Peter Sweeney vanishes, and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow.”

“Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?” Dean says sternly.

“And Bill, the people he loves, they're all getting punished.” Sam half ignores his brother

“So what if Bill did something to Peter?” Y/n looks through the rear view mirror to Sam

“What if Bill killed him?” He answers her question with another question

“Peter's spirit would be furious. It'd want revenge. It's possible.” Dean states making a turn.

Arriving at the Carlton house, Dean pulls up. The trio go to the house but stop short hearing an engine on the back. Turning around they see Bill Carlton going out on the lake in his boat. They start running to the end of the dock, yelling at the same time.

“Mr. Carlton! You need to come back!” “Come out of the water! Turn the boat around!” “Mr. Carlton!” But Bill ignores them and keeps going. The water rises up and flips the boat over. And both the man and the boat vanish, making the three stop. 

They head straight to the police station, needing to talk to the sheriff. Inside Lucas is sitting in a chair, rocking back and forth. Andre is sitting next to him, holding a paper bag and a plastic container in one hand and letting the other hand rest on her son’s back. When the two brothers and the girl entered the stations she looks over

“Sam, Dean, y/n.” she stands up leaving the container and bag on her chair “I didn't expect to see you here.”

“So now you're on a first-name basis. What are you doing here?” the sheriff comes from his office.

“I brought you dinner.”  Andrea turns and grabs the container handing it to her father.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't really have the time.” he says taking the container anyway.

“I heard about Bill Carlton. Is it true? Is something going on with the lake?” she says, lowering her voice.

“Right now we don't know what the truth is. But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home.” he looks from his daughter to his grandson with worry in his eyes.

Lucas looks up and whines, looking stricken; he jumps up and grabs Dean's arm. “Lucas, hey, what is it?” he tries to hold the boy’s hands “Lucas.” his mother goes and tries to pull him from Dean but his hold is tight “Lucas, it's okay. It's okay. Hey, Lucas, it's okay. It's okay.” 

Andrea manages to pull Lucas away from Dean and leads him outside. The boy doesn't look away from Dean. Jake throws down his jacket and goes into his office. The three hunters follow. “Okay, just so I'm clear, you see...something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill—who is a very good swimmer, by the way—into the drink, and you never see him again?”

Dean glances between Sam and y/n. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

“And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake? And what you're describing is impossible? And you're not really Wildlife Service?” y/n opens her mouth surprised but doesn’t say anything. “That's right, I checked. Department's never heard of you two.”

“See, now, we can explain that.” Dean starts but Jake raises one hand.

“Enough. Please. The only reason you're breathing free air is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So, we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again.”

“Door number two sounds good.” Sam says while y/n narrows her eyes

“That's the one I'd pick.” Jake answers and turns around. The trio leave.

They leave the station and head for the Impala. Dean begins driving, and y/n sees him trapped in his own thoughts. They go straight to the motel and start gathering their stuff. “I need a ride to go get the Harley.” Y/n gets out of the bathroom with a case that holds her toiletry things and looks at Dean.

“Sure, let’s go. We’ll be right back.” he says looking over his shoulder at Sam.

Once in the impala she turns her head to look at him. “You know, what Sam said yesterday yesterday. About you not liking kids. You have to know I can see right through that bullshit, right?” she smiles playfully at him.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” he replies but she can see the tiny smile trying to break his features.

“Yeah, right.” she turns back to the street and after a pause continues “I don’t like how this case ended. I don’t know…”

“I know. Me too.” he steals a glance at her “It just still feels weird.” he stops the car right by her bike and she gets off.

“Thanks” she mounts her bike and he follows her back to the motel. After loading everything on the vehicles the moon was already high on the sky and they took off. Getting to an intersection, Dean stops by a traffic light and y/n comes up to the drivers side and stops there. There’s a sign that says I-43 North to Milwaukee is to the left. When the light turns green after a few moments, and the car doesn’t move the biker honks at him “Green.” Y/n looks at Dean.

“What?” The man blinks and frowns at her.

“Light's green.” She repeats and points to the traffic light.

Dean starts driving and turns right. Y/n chuckles a little and follows him.

“Uh, the interstate is the other way.” Sam says looking at his brother.

“I know.” He replies 

“Dean, this job, I think it's over.” Sam’s eyebrows pull together trying to understand his brother.

“I'm not so sure.” He tells the youngest

“If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest.”

“All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't done? You know, what if we've missed something? What if more people get hurt?” Dean looks over at Sam quickly.

“But why would you think that?” Sam frowns confused.

“Because Lucas was really scared.” He tilts his head a little “Look, I just don't want to leave this town until I know the kid's okay.” He tells his brother, and steals a glance from the bike behind them.

“Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?” Sam asks, a playful tone in his voice.

Dean looks at Sam through his mirror again and rolls his eyes. “Shut up.”

When they arrive at the house Sam asks one more time as they walk to the door. “Are you sure about this?”

“It is pretty late, cherry pie.” Y/n looks him in the eye. He rings the doorbell. A heartbeat later, Lucas opens the door, desperately afraid.

“Lucas? Lucas!” He tries but the kid runs back inside with the three hunters following him.

Water is pouring out from under the bathroom door and down the stairs. Lucas starts pounding on the bathroom door. Dean pushes him over to y/n and kicks in the door. The boy grabs Dean, so Sam runs into the bathroom and sticks his arms in the tub, trying to pull Andrea, who’s submerged completely in a dark water, out. She is pulled back under, but y/n helps Sam pull until Andrea is all the way out. She starts coughing up water.

Y/n grabs a towel and covers the woman when she starts panting. Sam and Dean take Lucas to the living room and y/n helps Andrea up, holding her by her arms to steady her. They go to her room and the hunter looks at the woman one more time “You okay?” When she nods y/n turns and steps through the door, stopping in the hallway “I’m right here, alright?”

After a couple of minutes, Andre meets her in the hallway and they go to the living room, where the others are. “Honey!” Andrea goes and hugs Lucas, who was standing by Dean’s side. Y/n gets closer to the other two hunters looking between them. 

“What now?” she whispers, frowning. The two brothers look at her “We can’t leave them here. This thing is clearly still after something.” she continues. 

Andrea takes Lucas to another room to put him to bed. The hunters try to speculate on theories but can’t come up with much and after a while the mother comes back and sits down at the table sighing. Sam goes to sit by her side. Y/n and Dean look at each other and she asks the mother. “Do you mind if we take a look around?” she asks getting closer to the table and looking at Andrea.

“No, go ahead.” she looks up at the girl and answers. Dawn is breaking outside. 

“Can you tell me?” Sam looks at her when his brother and best friend start looking around the things on 

“No.” she shakes her head looking at her hands. The other two start  looking through notebooks on bookshelves “It doesn't make any sense.” the woman started crying “I'm going crazy.” She puts her face in her hands.

“No, you're not. Tell me what happened. Everything.” Sam reassures her

“I heard...I thought I heard...there was this voice.” she starts unsure.

“What did it say?” he asks, curiously. Y/n taps Dean and shows him some scrapbooks on the side.

“It said...it said 'come play with me'.” she sobs “What's happening?”

Dean pulls out a scrapbook that says "Jake – 12 years old" and opens it, flipping pages while she looks at it with him. When he turns the page she spots a lot of kids and points at it. He closes it again and they go to Sam and Andrea; he puts the book down in front of the woman, open to the picture of the boys. 

“Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?” he asks her.

“What? Um, um, no.” she looks quickly through the page “I mean, except that's my dad right there. He must have been about twelve in these pictures.” she shows one of the kids in the corner. Moving her finger over to another picture of Jake as a child, one where; he is standing next to Peter. Dean looks at the other hunters.

“Chris Barr's drowning. The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It must have been to the sheriff.” he states.

“Bill and the sheriff… they were both involved with Peter.” y/n points out.

“What about Chris? My dad… what are you talking about?” the woman looks concerned.

Dean looks sideways and spots Lucas in his pajamas looking out the window. “Lucas?” he turns around to look at the boy and so does the rest. “Lucas, what is it?” the boy opens the door and walks outside. Everyone follows.

“Lucas, honey?” Andrea tries to get his attention but the boy only stops after a couple of seconds. He then stops and looks at the ground, then at Dean.

“You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?” Andrea pulls Lucas back to the house. Sam goes back to the impala and fetches some shovels from the Impala, before they start digging. Y/n's shovel clanks against something. They dig with their hands.

“Peter's bike.” the girl says when Dean pulls out a red bicycle form the ground.

“Who are you?” they hear a voice and turn around to find Jake, pointing a gun a them.

“Put the gun down, Jake.” Sam says carefully. Dea drops the bicycle.

“How did you know that was there?” he asks eyeing the bike on the floor.

“What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike?” Dean starts narrowing his eyes.

“You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried.” Y/n tells him when Andrea starts coming in their direction.

“I don't know what the hell you're talking about.” he looks between the two and shifts the gun in her direction. Dean takes a tiny step in her direction.

“You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago.” Dean accuses the sheriff “That's what the hell I'm talking about.” he says when Andrea gets to them.

“Dad!” she exclaims.

“And now you got one seriously pissed-off spirit.” Dean finishes his train of thought.

“It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It's gonna drown them.” y/n tries to explain to the man. “And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does.” 

“Yeah, and how do you know that?” he narrows his eyes and tilts his head.

“Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton.” Sam tells him and he looks back at the youngest.

“Listen to yourselves. All of you. You're insane.” he looks exasperated.

“I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us.” Dean starts and and y/n hear the annoyance in his voice.

“And if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust.” she explains trying to give Dean time to calm down.

But Dean didn’t chill and started again “Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake.” 

“Dad, is any of this true?” Andrea looks at her dad worried.

“No. Don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous.” he doesn’t take his eyes off of the hunters.

“Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me.” she comes closer to the older man and Jake finally looks at her “Tell me you… you didn't kill anyone.” Jake looks away and doesn't answer “Oh my God.” she turns around.

“Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time, it got rough. We were holding his head under the water. We didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank.” he explains looking between the hunters and his daughter. “Oh, Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some ghost? It's not rational.”

“All right, listen to me, all of you. We need to get you away from this lake, as far as we can, right now.” Dean starts and y/n looks at the lake, spotting Lucas going down to the lake. She gasps and starts running.

“Lucas!” she yells. They all run up to the dock. Lucas is leaning over the side, reaching for a toy soldier in the water.

“Come play with me.” a voice of a little boy echoes through the lake.

“Lucas!” Dean exclaims when he comes closer to y/n.

“Lucas! Baby, stay where you are!” Andrea tries yelling. Then Lucas gets pulled into the water.  Y/n reaches the edge of the lake and jumps in the water. Jake stops when he sees Peter’s head visible above the water. Dean and Sam keep running to the end of the dock and dive in after y/n. “Oh my God!” She takes off her jacket to jump in.

“Andrea, stay there!” Sam tells her when he sees her preparing to dive. Y/n comes up again to catch some air and goes under again. Andrea prepares to argue but Sam continues “We'll get him! Just stay on the dock!” Sam dives under again. Dean comes up. A minute later, so do the other two.

“Sam?” the woman asks and he shakes his head. “Dean?” he does too looking around the water.

“Lucas, where are you?” Andrea asks desperate while Jake takes off his jacket as the other three dive back down. Jake wades in and Andrea looks over.

“Peter, if you can hear me...please, Peter, I'm sorry. I'm so… I'm so sorry.” He starts looking at the water as he goes in.

“Daddy, no!” Andrea screams at him.

“Peter. Lucas… he's, he's just a little boy. Please, it's not his fault, it's mine. Please take me.” the older man cries. Y/n, Dean and Sam come up for air again.

“Jake, no!” Dean yells at the man entering the water. Peter surfaces.

“Just let it be over!” he begs the little boy and Jake is dragged down.

“Daddy! Daddy! No!” Andrea yells and the trio dive down again. “No!” Sam comes up shaking his head and Andrea mouths another 'no!'

Dean comes up, holding Lucas, who isn't moving. Y/n comes up after a minute and looks at Lucas in Dean’s arms. 

The three hunters leave the motel room that they went back to take a shower. Dean opens the car door and Sam tosses a duffel in. 

“Look, we're not gonna save everybody.” Sam tells them when he sees both their expressions

“I know.” “Yeah.” they answer.

“Sam, Dean, y/n.” They turn around and spot Andrea walking up with Lucas.

“Hey.” the trio says to them.

“We're glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road.” She tells them and Lucas is carrying a tray of sandwiches and hands them it. “Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself.”

“Can I give it to them now?” Lucas asks his mother and the hunters widen their eyes.

“Of course.” Andrea smiles and kisses the boy’s head.

“Come on, Lucas, let's load this into the car.” he says taking the boy back to the impala.

“How you holding up?” y/n ask Andrea, still looking at the two.

“It's just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?” she answers looking at the girl’s profile.

Y/n nods, looks at her and gives a tight smile resting a hand on her elbow before turning and heading to the Harley to put her bag on the back seat. Sam sighs. “Andrea, I'm sorry.” he tells them and she shakes her head.

“You saved my son. I can't ask for more than that. Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that.” she says going to the car with Sam. 

They hear Dean talking to Lucas when they get close “All right, if you're gonna be talking now, this is a very important phrase, so I want you to repeat it one more time.”

“Zeppelin rules!” the boy say, and his mom smiles.

“That's right. Up high.” Dean holds his hand up for a high-five and the boy obliges, grinning. “You take care of your mom, okay?”

“All right.” the boy says looking at his mom and y/n turns and leans against her bike.

Andrea goes closer and kisses Dean. Y/n’s stomach drops, but she holds her stance. “Thank you.”

Dean’s expression is stunned, he thinks a minute, then scratches his head and goes around the car stealing a glance at y/n’s direction, who’s already mounted on her bike looking at the display. He can see her sighing.

“Sam, move your ass. We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road.” he tells his little brother and gets in the car, followed by Sam. They start the engine and follow the Harley that’s already leaving honking when she passes the mom and son. Sam and Dean smile at Andrea and Lucas waving goodbye. They all drive away.

Taglist: let me know if you want to be added or removed.

@stillhere197 @lmhf1 @un-expectedly

[shinelikethunder]

kripke: show creator; seasons 1-5 showrunner; wrote or co-wrote 1x01 pilot, 1x02 wendigo, 1x09 home, 1x16 shadow, 1x22 devil’s trap, 2x01 in my time of dying, 2x22 all hell breaks loose part two, 3x01 the magnificent seven, 3x16 no rest for the wicked, 4x01 lazarus rising, 4x07 it's the great pumpkin, sam winchester, 4x10 heaven and hell (story), 4x22 lucifer rising, 5x01 sympathy for the devil, 5x09 the real ghostbusters, 5x22 swan song, 6x22 the man who knew too much; directed 2x20 what is and what should never be, 4x22 lucifer rising

gamble: seasons 6-7 showrunner; wrote or co-wrote 1x03 dead in the water, 1x12 faith, 1x14 nightmare, 1x21 salvation, 2x03 bloodlust, 2x08 crossroad blues, 2x13 houses of the holy, 2x17 heart, 2x21 all hell breaks loose part one, 3x02 the kids are alright, 3x07 fresh blood, 3x10 dream a little dream of me, 3x12 jus in bello, 3x15 time is on my side, 4x02 are you there god? it’s me, dean winchester, 4x09 i know what you did last summer, 4x17 it’s a terrible life, 4x21 when the levee breaks, 5x02 good god, y'all, 5x07 the curious case of dean winchester, 5x13 the song remains the same, 5x21 two minutes to midnight, 6x01 exile on main st, 6x11 appointment in samarra, 6x21 let it bleed, 7x01 meet the new boss, 7x10 death's door, 7x17 the born-again identity, 7x23 survival of the fittest

edlund: wrote 2x05 simon said, 2x12 nightshifter, 2x18 hollywood babylon, 3x03 bad day at black rock, 3x09 malleus maleficarum, 3x13 ghostfacers, 4x05 monster movie, 4x08 wishful thinking, 4x16 on the head of a pin, 5x04 the end, 5x10 abandon all hope, 5x14 my bloody valentine, 5x20 the devil you know, 6x03 the third man, 6x09 clap your hands if you believe, 6x15 the french mistake, 6x20 the man who would be king, 7x02 hello cruel world, 7x09 how to win friends and influence monsters, 7x15 repo man, 7x21 reading is fundamental, 8x05 blood brother, 8x13 everybody hates hitler, 8x21 the great escapist; directed 6x20 the man who would be king, 7x21 reading is fundamental

[impossiblepluto]

11. Least favorite character?

15. Have you learned any Mac Hacks?

16. What’s your favorite cold open?

Least favorite character?

When I remember that he exists it's Russ. Bad guys insist on calling Mac "Angus." He just seemed kind of skeevy and slippery to me, and I kept expecting the story to reveal he had sinister or at least extremely selfish plans and was using Mac and the Phoenix for his own nefarious purposes.

Otherwise, it's James. Bad guys insist on calling Mac "Angus." But James serves my purposes and makes Jack's character even more compelling. I wouldn't trust the show to handle it well, but I think he offers a lot for the fanfic authors to use and explore

Have you learned any Mac Hacks?

I haven't finished writing it yet but years ago I found this article about this group of doctors who were on a hiking/climbing trip and intubated and bagged an injured hiker with a water bladder until a rescue team could get to them.

Last winter, I was able to test the "use your car's floor mats for traction if you get stuck in snow or ice." And in theory I know how to get out of quicksand. I've written very few Mac Hacks.

What’s your favorite cold open?

I love the conversation and belt grab of 1x02, and Riley imitating Jack so Mac can think of 2x21 but I think my favorite has to be 1x12. We've got the vocal styling of Jack Dalton. Drugged Jack unable to hold back how he really feels. Jack thinking for a minute that Mac was shot and is dying on the other side of the door. And a great big hug

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

Love, Death + Robots : Volume 1

The animation were incredible and so different from each other.

But the show should have been named "Kill, Death + Robots".

My favorite one was again the three robots exploring the apocalyptic earth and lucky thirteen wasn't that bad at all.

So here a review for each episode :

Three robots (1x01) : I love those three robots, the way they are discovering each human tradition was well done. I really liked the part about the cats being the god of them all. It's also the fragility of the human race.

Beyond the Aquila rift (1x02) : The animation was amazing. From the beginning you know that it will end badly. It's the idea of what's real. Terrible story, I really didn't expect that.

Ice age (1x03) : The only episode with true actors. I also liked the mini world in the freezer, being the repetition of the same story, the same cycle.

Sonnie's edge (1x04) : It's about monster fight in a pit controlled by human. The end is really unexpected.

When the yogurt took over (1x05) : the story was very stupid and ridiculous, but I liked the demolition of human satellite.

The secret war (1x06) : It was the best SGI animation from the entire volume, every detail was so well done. However, the characters should have spoken in Russian and at the end, the episode became too much like a video game.

Sucker of souls (1x07) : I was sure from the first moment of the episode that it will concern vampires, but I don't understand what they were looking in the first place, in this tomb? Also, why Gary has a girl's voice, that doesn't make sense. And I really liked the importance of cats in this episode too.

The witness (1x08) : Every animation is different, this one was very different from the other, like animation on drugs too. Why there isn't any one in this town? Why the man has the key of the flat? It seems that the two of them are stuck in a loop in which he killed her and the other she killed him.

Suits (1x09) : Poor cows. It was honestly a weak episode. What was the point of it?

Good hunting (1x10) : First of all why the characters do not speak in Mandarin? And why it couldn't be a love story between Jan and Ling instead of this horrible story, even if the end is good.

The dump (1x11) : Is about a monster who survive on garbage, I called it "le monstre des poubelles".

Shape-Shifters (1x12) : I really hate war, but I think they want to show us, who are the real animal during war?

Fish night (1x13) : From the beginning, there was a foreshadowing of what will become later in the episode. The animation with the ocean sea was amazing, the desert becomes a sea of glowing fishes. It also shows us that the young boy becomes a fish, suggesting his descent to death.

Helping hand (1x14) : The episode was disgusting, but I presume it's about surviving and not dying in the atmosphere.

Alternate histories (1x15) : If only an application like this could exist. It's called multiversity.

Lucky 13 (1x16) : The story in itself was a bit sad, but cute. The ship sacrifice itself.

Blindspot (1x17) : The only episode with a happy ending I presume, but it's a shame that we don't know why this microchip is so important.

Zima Blue (1x18) : The episode with a bittersweet ending, the last art of Zima, beneficing himself at the end.

Some quotes:

"- You've seen one post-apocalytic city, you've seen 'em all." (Robot 1 - 1x01)

"- No. Indeed, it was their own hubris that ended their reign, their belief that they were the pinnacle of creation that caused them to poison the water, kill the land and choke the sky. In the end, no nuclear winter was needed, just the long heedless autumn of their own self-regard. (Pyramid robot) - Are you okay? (Orange robot) - Yeah, sorry. Thought that would sound better than, "Nah, they just screwed themselves by being a bunch of morons." (Pyramid robot - 1x01)

"- And what makes you so special? - I'm not special. Unique." (1x04)

"- Now, hate that was something I had to learn. You don't come into this world with hate." (1x04)

"- Everyone sees what they want to see." (1x04)

"- Do try to at least act excited. (Doctor) - Mercenaries are like hookers, pretending to be excited costs extra." (Mr. Flynn - 1x07)

"- Well, at least I'll die young and beautiful." (1x09)

"- You know what I think? It's all in the attitude. The right attitude can sell anything." (Young boy - 1x13)

"- God damn company penny pinchers, am I right? (Bill) - Why pay two when one'll do?" (Astronaut - 1x13)

"- I had to make a wee sacrifice to the great nothing." (Astronaut - 1x14)

"- In spite of all his success, Zima was still dissatisfied and what he did next was, for many, too extreme a sacrifice to make for art." (Clare - 1x18)

"- But you're a man with machine parts, not a machine that thinks it's a man. (Clare) - Sometimes, it's difficult even for me to understand what I've become. And harder still to remember what I once was." (Zuma - 1x18)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, December 27

CORDELIA: I just am not the type to settle. Y'know? It's like when I go shopping. I have to have the most expensive thing. Not because it's expensive, but because it costs more.

~~BtVS 1x02 “The Harvest”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Unfair (Buffy, Faith, PG) by badly_knitted

Unexpected Extraction (Xander, Assassin's Creed xover, T) by madimpossibledreamer

Your Laughter (Buffy/Spike, M) by cawthraven

Unexpected Extraction (Xander, Assassin's Creed xover, T) by arcanedreamer

Giles x reader - cursed trickster (unrated) by specialagentlokitty

Cangel: Merry Christmas (unrated) by vampandvisiongirl

[Chaptered Fiction]

Vamp for Rent 15/18 (Spike/Xander, M) by Forsaken2003

Stand Ins and Stunt Doubles, Chapters 1-13/? (Xander, The Avengers xover, T) by dogbertcarroll, Narsil

Ecstasy: A Sexy Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fan-fic Fantasy, Chapter 1/? (Buffy/Angel, M) by TheUnbrokenSpell

New York, Chapter 43/43 Complete! (Giles/Xander, M) by drsquidlove

Christmas Cheer on the Hellmouth, Chapter 9/9 Complete! (Buffy/Faith, T) by QuillBard

Under the Water, Chapter 9/? (Willow/Oz, M) by dwinchester

The Protector and The Slayer, Chapter 2/? (Ensemble, Buffy/Angel, M) by GeneralGrievous123

To Be Hers, Chapter 25/? (Buffy/Spike, unrated) by faefawn

The Coven, Chapter 9/? (Willow, Giles, T) by heckate

I'm Only Your Darkness, Chapter 17/18 (Buffy/Faith, E) by Karnstein99

Red on Red, Chapter 10/? (Buffy/Angel, T) by Empire_of_the_Words

Return of the Soulless Vampire: BTVS S9 Rewrite, Chapter 49 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Hoomanbeans

[French language] Les deux Phénix, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Faith, M) by Friday Queen

The Freak Show, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by hulettwyo

Cherry On Top, Chapter 18 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxineeden

It's Easy Time, Until It's Not, Chapter 29 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by hulettwyo

Mirror, Mirror, Chapter 16 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by scratchmeout

Closer, Chapters 10-62 (Buffy/Spike, R) by all_choseny

Destiny or Choices Made?, Chapter 38 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by charmed4lifekaren

Something Lost Something Found, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Safire

Old Fashioned Romance, Chapter 5 (Xander/Steve Rogers, Marvel xover, FR21) by calikocat

The Freak Show, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by hulettwyo

It's Easy Time, Until It's Not, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by hulettwyo

What the Drabble?, Chapter 59 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84

Mirror, Mirror, Chapter 16 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by scratchmeout

Closer, Chapters 10-62 (Buffy/Spike, R) by all_choseny

Blood and Dust, Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Blackoberst

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: my poor little meow meows (Angel, Spike, worksafe) by genericaces

Icons: Christmas Icon Pack (Ensemble, worksafe) by onegirlinallthewrld

[Reviews & Recaps]

Teachers Pet sure is…an episode! Here are some things I actually liked by edgarallanhoetry

Ohhhh never before realized that Angel the episode forecasts their entire relationship by edgarallanhoetry

PODCAST: HELLMOUTH HOMOS: Consequences by Fear Queers

PODCAST: Episode 45: Bad Girls (w/ Rayne) by Gym Was Cancelled

PODCAST: Episode 9 - Puppets, Reanimation Theory, and Organ Harvesting (The Puppet Show) by The Sunnydale Diaries

[Recs & In Search Of]

REC: Top 10 Spuffy fics I’ve read (Dec 2023) recced by mcgnagallsarmy

ISO: [active roleplayers who would be interested in creating storylines together. BtVS/Spuffy + more fandoms/ships] by tatirps

ISO: ** Amelia Searching For 1x1 Discord RP Partners ** My Muse: Buffy Anne Summers by ofbadblood

ISO: ** Amelia Searching For 1x1 Discord RP Partners ** My Muse: Faith Lehane by ofbadblood

ISO: [does anyone know where I can find the scooby gang and Wes, gun, Cordy & Fred in 32-34mm miniature?] by Key_Structure8703

[Fandom Discussions]

Early season 3 Fred and angel dynamic funniest thing in the world by all-seeing-ifer

can’t stop thinking about how willow’s addiction arc was fumbled by legallights

[Parallels: Faith - Willow in S3/S6] by juanabaloo

[...] the topic of what I thought was the worst season popped up. Without hesitation, I said season 6 by ammyamarant

idk why xander was giving a hard time to anya for wearing a rabbit costume by davinaclare

Question: "Back To The Beginning" continued by multiple posters

Why isn’t Inca Mummy Girl on Disney+? by ihateirony, multiple users

Would Wesley have felt guilty about Faith if she had died in season 4? by LightBlueSky55

[can we give Eliza her credit for playing someone as unhinged as Faith in general? I’m stunned by her performance in Angel S1 Ep18/19] by pengchod

First time watcher [opinion on Xander] by tvcriticgirlxo

Watching season 6 this time around in my 30s makes me really feel for Dawn by Phidwig

Rewatching Season 6 and I think they shouldn't have revealed Buffys secret so soon by Inspirational_Owl

Buffy/Angel [Does Buffy feature on Angel after this S1 episode?] by pengchod

How much time between season 7 and 8? by DuneRiderr

Is faith older or younger than Buffy? by kaitalina20

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Join the editor team :)

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Sara now I need your pitch for Jam Cielo Grande summer fic. Did they meet Luz? Were they friends? Did they actually learn to board? I have questions now.

Well they said the spent time wakeboarding in 1x02 so they must’ve at least tried to learn. It would not surprise me if they had some sort of week with a new water activity every day, so wakeboard one, windsurf another, waterskiing next, etc. If they properly learned them all is debateable, but I think they weren’t super bad either. I mean, they’re roller skaters, so they do have that balance plugged in since before. I think they were doing it pretty fine and had fun doing it too.

If they met Luz? I think they did. I don’t know how close friends they were with her, but I think they hung out a bit. I was about to say they probably hung out at the karaoke, but then I remembered they hadn’t fixed that place yet. But, it’s possible they sang songs around a firecamp. Who knows, maybe this is the place where Yam learned to play guitar ✌🏼

[whatsaweekend]

The Rings of Power 1x02 Thoughts (and also been spoiled for some Big Things):

I don’t take notes or anything so these are just immediate and probably jumbled thoughts.

Plot moving along a bit. Galadriel met Halbrand a lot earlier than I thought she would. Charlie Vickers is very handsome 😔 already he’s manipulating me.

Anyway I totally looked away or something last episode and had no idea how Galadriel wound up in the water lmao I was too lazy to rewind. She jumped??? Idk.

We’re in Eregion with Celebrimbor and Elrond. Exposition and Fëanor mention, apparently he brought his one (?) smith hammer to Middle-Earth with him even though he had other things to worry about lol. Celebrimbor longs to make something powerful and not trinkets. Wanting to be seen separate from his grandfather, considered the greatest/mightiest elf to have lived? (with the greatest a downfall). Foreshadowing the creation of the Rings.

We also have Durin, I’m assuming THE Durin. They gave him a wife Disa (lovely but needs a beard) and two children. I’m don’t remember if we ever got an immediate family tree for him from Tolkien. Maybe? Maybe sons. I think the only female Dwarf ever named was Dis, Thorin’s sister. Anyway he’s mad because his friend Elrond has not been to see him in 20 years, which considering Elrond is immortal, doesn’t seem bad lmao he’s also mad Elrond wasn’t at the wedding, but since he’s informing Elrond he got married and had children at THIS visit, did Elrond even know he was getting married?

I like the way Robert Aramayo speaks as Elrond.

Gandalf I’m pretty sure is with the hobbits. Or Harfoots, I guess. Wondering if everything shown is actually happening linearly. Gandalf technically shouldn’t be there yet but I can wave that aside.

With Arondir and Bronwyn there’s a tunnel being dug wherever they are. Arondir was snatched but Bronwyn managed to kill an orc. Apparently orcs have not been seen in years. I’m trying to figure out what the hell Theo found. My immediate thought was Saruman’s staff??? But who knows that’s probably definitely wrong. Something of Sauron’s? His crown??? I’m forgetting exactly what the thing looked like, I’ll look closer next episode

The episode was fine. It’s still trying to get its feet.

[katehuntington]

Title: In Bad Waters - part fifteen Word count: ±6250 words Episode summary: Still in possession of the Winchesters’ belongings, Zoë meets up with the hunters on her next case. When it turns out to be a little more complicated than anticipated, she accepts their help in order to make an important deadline. Part fifteen summary: The hunt is over, and Zoë and the brothers go separate ways. Episode warnings: Dark! NSFW, 18+ only! Descriptions of domestic violence/child abuse. Drug use/addiction. Angst, gore, violence, character death. Description of blood, injury and medical procedures/resuscitation. Swearing, alcoholism. Supernatural creatures/entities, mentions of demon possession. Descriptions of torture and murder, drowning. Illegal/criminal practices. Mentions of nightmares and flashbacks. Author’s note: Beta’d by @winchest09​ and @deanwanddamons​. Also a deep bow to @fangirl-and-medstudent-help​​ who was very patient with me when I asked about a hundred medical questions. Thanks, girls!

Supernatural: The Sullivan Series Masterlist

S1E02 “In Bad Waters” Masterlist

     The lights of the suite switch on when Zoë slips the keycard in its holder by the door. After the assault she suffered earlier today, the Hampton Inn hotel management provided her with a bigger and better accommodation. Although she doesn’t plan to spend another night in Paragould, she took the generous offer.      Dean enters the spacious room as well, Sam following close behind, in case his brother needs assistance. It bugs the hell out of the older sibling, who has grumpily told him that he’s fine a couple of times already. Yet, he allows the hovering, because honestly; he doesn’t feel so fresh.

     On the way over, Zoë told him to lose the soaked shirt, which contradicted Dean’s instincts, because he has never felt this cold in his entire life, despite the heaters blowing air into the Chevy at level inferno. Even now, he can’t stop himself from shivering, his teeth clattering every now and then, despite his favorite leather coat that he’s wearing, the only clothing item that didn’t get drenched.

     Exhausted, he plops down on the kingsize bed, to out of it to comment on the luxurious suite. Closing his eyes for a second, he rubs his forehead, trying to rid himself from the throbbing inside his skull. He coughs again, the involuntary action burning his lungs. It’s a painful yet ironic sensation, because he didn’t expect to feel like his airway is on fire after drowning in a fucking lake.

     “Get out of those wet clothes, Dean,” Zoë tells him sternly, nodding at his jeans while slipping her Harley Davidson jacket on a coat hanger. “We need to warm you up.”

     Normally, he would have had at least three sly remarks ready, but not this time. Instead, he nods with a sniff, bending down to untie his shoelaces with shaky fingers. Sam drops one of their duffel bags on the other side of the bed, pulling out a clean pair of jeans, one of Dean’s henley’s, a hoodie, socks and underwear.      “I’m gonna take a shower first,” Dean says, pulling off his soaked boots.

     “Absolutely fucking not,” Zoë intervenes, setting up her extensive medical kit on the nightstand. “I made quite an effort to bring you back to life, so it would be an awful waste of my time if you go into shock and die on the bathroom floor.”      Sam raises his eyebrows at that, much like Dean, who lets his hand slip from his face.      “How else am I gonna get warm, ‘cause I’m fucking freezing,” he returns, his voice still hoarse.      “By raising your temperature slowly. Sam, can you grab a towel and fill that hot water bottle we got from the front desk? And get the extra comforters from the other bed.”

     While the younger Winchester goes to collect the required items, Zoë opens the lid and takes out an ear thermometer from the metal briefcase, placing a clean probe tip on the end while she sits down next to the battered hunter. Dean flinches away from her when she cups his face firmly to hold him in place, earning an annoyed glare from the former med student.      “Would you like me to use the regular one? Because I’ll give you one guess where I’d have to stick that. Now, sit still,” she orders, pulling his ear back to insert the device into his ear canal.      “Jesus, you’re not the one for bedside manners, are you?” Dean mutters, but cooperates either way.

     Zoë doesn’t respond, waiting for the thermometer to beep. She retreats it when it does exactly that and reads the display. “You’re at 95.2.”      “That low?” he says, unpleasantly surprised.      She nods, placing the small device on the side table. “That’s what happens when your main generator loses power. The central heating shuts down real quick when your heart stops beating.”

     Dean sniffles, very much aware of the fluid that is still creeping up his throat. He fights the urge to cough again and clears his throat uncomfortably, when Sam returns with the hot water bottle under his arm, white towels with the Hampton Inn logo on them in one hand and two thick duvets in the other.      “Dry yourself off and put on something warm, then wrap yourself in these.” She takes the comforter and lays it on the bed next to the older Winchester, before folding the water bottle in one of the towels. “Here, keep this close to you. Don’t lay down and don’t fall asleep,” she warns. “I’m gonna freshen up.”

     She gets up and muffles a grunt behind gritted teeth, her cracked ribs once again reminding the huntress of her current fragile state. Adrenaline pushed down the pain in the midst of action, but now that the dust has settled, it’s back at full force. Picking up her bag on the way, she heads to the spacious bathroom, locking the door behind her. Not really ready for the sight, she peels her wet top from her skin while she stands in front of the nine ft. wide mirror. Dark bruises greet her when she discards the tank top, her bra following suit. They match the colorful display on her right cheekbone and the black and blue fingerprints on her neck.

     “Wonderful,” she muddles, continuing to strip down, the soaked through fabric smacking against the nature stone tiles. She has no idea how she’s gonna ride all the way up to the Canadian border with an injury like this, but she doesn’t have a choice. Time isn’t exactly on her side.

     After a shower, Zoë runs a towel over her head and blow-dries her brown locks quickly. Usually, she allows her curls to dry naturally, but wearing a helmet on wet hair is anything but pleasant, not to mention that she will have to deal with a fogged up visor throughout most of the trip.

     She puts on clean underwear and hoists her leather biker pants up her legs, cursing under her breath at the ache that sears through her side with even the slightest movement. Something needs to be done, because she won’t last an hour on the Harley. Before she steps outside the bathroom, she secures her bra clasps. Not bothered to put on her top just yet, she pops her head from behind the door.      “Sam?”      The tall young guy looks up and for a second she wonders if he can actually see her through the fringe of brown damp locks.      “Can you grab me some KT tape from my med kit?” she asks, nodding at the briefcase next to Dean, who is huddled up in the exact spot where she left him, wrapped in the thick comforters.      “Sure,” Sam obliges, getting up. After rummaging for a few seconds, he finds what he’s looking for and turns to the bathroom to hand it over, but apparently she has different ideas.      “Get in,” she tells him.

     Perplexed, but not brave enough to hesitate and give her a reason to scold at him, he enters the large room, which could easily be considered a mini spa. A large jacuzzi is situated in the corner, a walk-in shower next to it. There’s even a sauna, the wooden benches shielded off by a glass wall. It’s nothing like the shabby motel rooms he and Dean usually coop up in. His admiration for the luxury comes to a sudden stop when his absent gaze lands on Zoë. Like a virgin teenager who walked in on his friend’s older sister, he stares at her for a short second, eyes wide and blown away. Shit, she’s not wearing a shirt.

     “Done gaping?” she responds, bored, placing her hand firmly in her unharmed side. “I need to tape my side and I can’t reach properly.”      Feeling caught, he shifts his attention to the KT tape in his hand. “Uh… y-yeah, sure,” he stammers, fiddling to open the package.      Rolling her eyes, she snatches the small box from his hands and opens it. “I swear to God, Sam, get yourself together. You’ve seen me in less.”

     Uncomfortably, the younger Winchester runs his fingers through his hair. Why is he being so awkward? Or maybe the better question is; why can’t he keep his eyes off her? He tries his best not to stare, but when he does, he notices the dark bruises on her ribs.      “Damn it, Zo. She got you good,” he huffs, worry replacing the uneasiness.      “It’s not that bad. I just need to secure it before I hit the road,” the tough woman mutters, peeling the plastic away from the sticky coating. She turns her back to Sam, moving her brown wavy hair over her left shoulder and out of the way. “You need to place the first strip diagonally and downward, starting from just below the scapula. You might need to lift my bra a little.”

     Somewhat nervous, the thoughtful guy rubs his hands together first, not wanting his touch to be cold. After handing him the medical tape, she lifts her right arm, hissing at the stretch.      “Right here?” he asks, lifting the wing of her lace bra, before sticking one end of the strip right below her shoulder blade.      She nods, breathing out a shuddering breath. “Yeah.”

     Sam handles her gently, the pads of his fingers not as rough as she expected hunter’s hands to be. In silence he works, focussed on his task. Zoë watches him in the mirror, a small smile of amusement pulling at the corners of her mouth, despite the discomfort. His eyebrows are knitted together in concentration, hazel eyes tracing her bruised form. After a few more instructions, he secures the second strip with the same precision. Zoë can’t deny nor ignore the current that his touch sends through her body, and it has her intrigued.

     “One more. Vertical along my side,” she says, her voice softer than she has spoken to him all evening.      The younger Winchester tries not to gulp visibly, holding the enchanting woman still, while he smoothens the final strip down her bruised rib cage. He’s careful to prevent pressure on the sensitive area, not wanting to hurt her, but she shivers anyway. When he directs his gaze on her in their reflection, Sam notices it’s not pain that has her shuddering, because her challenging eyes tell a different story. They behold a hint of curiosity, interest... lust even.

     Not sure how to cope with the tension that hangs in the air, he clears his throat and lets his finger slip from her beautifully toned and proportioned body, averting his eyes from the mirror.      “I’m - uh - I’ll let you get dressed,” he stutters, awkwardly pointing his thumb over his shoulder before he heads to the door.      “I’ll be right out,” she promises, picking a clean shirt from her bag.

Zoë watches him leave, smirking at his behavior. He really doesn’t know how to act around her, and it’s highly entertaining. There is a definite pull she experiences towards him, an attraction that she can’t quite place, but it’s not something she can dwell on. This case will be the last one they worked together and tonight will be the last time she ever sees him. But before they go separate ways, she needs to give his brother a thorough check up, even though she doesn’t like his company half as much as Sam’s. Suck it up, Zo. You’ve got work to do.

     Refreshed and dressed, she enters the master suite again, Dean still on the side of the bed, wrapped up in comforters like a burrito. Zoë’s plump lips press together in a thin line, because now is not the moment to make fun of the hunter, who without a doubt feels miserable.

     “Alright, let’s give you your physical exam so I can hit the road, huh?” she suggests, sitting down next to the older Winchester brother, taking her stethoscope from her briefcase and hanging it around her neck, after which she picks up a blood pressure gauge as well. “Stretch out your right arm.”

     He shrugs the heavy comforter off his bare shoulders, silently obeying his physician’s orders. Again, Dean misses the perfect opportunity for a dirty comeback, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. Although Zoë hasn’t known him for long, she did pick up on his usual demeanor, lightening the mood with a witty comment and some dark humor. Now, the joker is awfully quiet.

     “Y’know, you guys can have the room for the night,” she offers. “It’s paid for anyway.”      “Nah, I feel fine. Besides, if we don’t leave tonight, we’re gonna be late for our wolf hunt,” Dean replies, watching her strap the cuff around his upper arm.      Sam leans against the wall, observing the skilled woman as well. He hates to admit it, but Dean has a point. “He’s right. Today was the first night of a full moon, we won’t have much time if we stay any longer.”      “I’m just saying it might not be a bad idea to rest up,” Zoë points out, squeezing the rubber pump that’s attached to the cuff, filling it with air until circulation is cut off. “But you two kamikaze morons do what you gotta do.”      Sam scoffs at that. “You’re one to talk.”

     Her head cocks in his direction, staring him down intimidatingly, but Sam doesn’t budge and arches one eyebrow at her knowingly. His attitude annoys Zoë, and yet she doesn’t bite his head off. If circumstances were any different, she would have gladly spent at least the night in this luxurious suite and added several more, but she simply can’t. Wanting to avoid the reasoning behind her departure by all costs, she drops the matter.

     Instead, she pulls the stethoscope from behind her neck, widens the headset and places the tips in her ears. She then continues to place the diaphragm just above the crease of the elbow, while allowing the cuff to deflate. Blood begins to flow through the brachial artery again, causing a beat to thud against Zoë’s eardrums, and she reads the systolic pressure on the meter. Once the blood vessels remain open and the pounding sound stops, the closest what the Winchesters have to a doctor reads the meter again.

     “Your BP is 125 over 80. For a guy who lives off gas station food, pizza and burgers, that’s pretty damn healthy,” she comments, hooking the stethoscope around her neck again.      “Great. So can I go now?” Dean is about to rise up from the bed, but Zoë  grips him on the junction between his neck and his shoulder, pushing him down to sit on the bed again.      “Did I say I was done?” she snaps back at him.

     Dean bites his tongue when he feels her nails dig into his shoulder. He wants to yelp and call her names, yet he doesn’t, because Sam shoots him a warning glare. He argues with his little brother in silence, the younger sibling’s wide eyes sending death threats when Dean’s upper lip twitches while hinting at the woman who currently has a tight hold on him. He then shakes his head and gives in, too tired to have this discussion.

     Zoë ignores the tension all together. “Well, if you aren’t gonna stay, do you mind starting to load up the car, Sam? I wanna check out as soon as I’m done here,” Zoë states, giving him something else to do other than lurking over her shoulder.      “Sure,” the tall hunter says, and begins to gather their things, including the wet clothes Dean discarded earlier.

     When Sam has left, the tough Winchester drops his head, blinking a couple of times, clearly not feeling his best. Zoë monitors him closely; she had a hunch he was keeping up appearance in order not to worry his sibling.      “So now that your brother is out of the room, how are you really feeling?” she asks, removing the cuff from Dean’s arm. “And cut the bullshit. No one expects you to feel fine after flatlining.”

     The hunter looks up at her from under heavy eyelids, trying to figure out what her intentions are. He assumes she’s asking to determine further medical action, and so he drops the act.      “I - uh… I feel off, man,” he admits, pinching the bridge of his nose again.      “Headache?” she wonders, storing the sphygmomanometer away.      He nods, swallowing hard.      “Let me guess; you’re experiencing dizziness, decreased muscle strength, and feel like you could sleep for a week?” Zoë fills in for him.      “Sounds about right,” Dean sighs.

     Zoë puts in the ear tips of her stethoscope again in order to examine his heart, holding the bell between her second and third digit. She places the diaphragm on the right of the sternum, tracing his ribs under her fingertips to determine the right spot in order to hear the aortic valve. A stillness falls over the two, as Zoë concentrates to dissect the sound of Dean’s steady heartbeat, her other hand still holding him by the shoulder, her touch much more gentle this time around.

     Not wanting to disturb her focus, the older Winchester brother allows his gaze to wander, spending this rare moment without them yelling at each other to admire her. Whenever the tough as nails huntress boils his blood, he tends to only see the ugly side of Zoë Sullivan, but right here in this peaceful serenity, her beauty stuns him. Her face is slightly turned away, the profile of her sharp jawline and slightly upward pointed nose brought out by the warm light on the nightstand. She’s close enough for him to smell the coconut shampoo lingering in her freshly washed hair. Only now does he realize that his shivering has stilled, but he’s not sure if it actually has to do with his body temperature steadily going up, or that her soft touch is what calms his tremors. He’s not used to kind contact, a hand on his shoulder, a sweet ruffle through his hair like his mother used to do, but deep down, he craves it.

     When she shifts the bell of her stethoscope to the left side of his chest, Dean glances to her hand still gently gripping his tattooed arm, which is decorated with a short sleeve that fans out over his shoulder blade. Shades of black display what he stands for, symbols and sigils mixed with personal references to his life and the people who mean the world to him. He only now realizes she has been studying the piece of art forever edged in his skin, while she was listening to his heart.

     When Zoë is sure the pulmonic valve of Dean’s heart sounds normal as well, she slides the bell of her stethoscope to listen for the heart sounds on the right, but when the hunter flinches under her touch, her eyes dart up at his. “That hurts?”      “A bit. It’s fine,” he claims, shifting somewhat on the edge of the bed.      “Sure I didn’t break a rib?” she ponders, feeling the tender area in the center of his chest, where the first stage of a bruise is surfacing. “I worked your chest pretty hard.”

     Dean looks up at her, perplexed, as if it only now dawns on him what lengths Zoë went to save his life. She performed CPR on him, used all her capabilities to bring him back from the infinite darkness that was about to swallow him whole. Capabilities Sam doesn’t have, simply because he’s not trained to give medical aid. It hits Dean like lightning; if she hadn’t been there, he would have died.

     “Zo?”      The huntress shifts her attention from the sound of the mitral valve opening and closing, to her patient’s genuine eyes. The twenty-six year old tough guy seems that much younger all of a sudden, not sure how to get across what he wants to say.      “You - uh... If it wasn’t for you, I… y’know--”      “Don’t mention it.”

     Dean carefully glances up at her, meeting a small smile. A silent huff leaves his lips when he realizes she just returned his own words to him. Words he spoke in response to the huntress, when she tried to express gratitude for his rescue, earlier this afternoon.     “Well then, guess we’re square,” he comments. “Too bad I wasn’t conscious for the mouth-to-mouth action.”      “Ah, there he is. I was wondering when you were gonna feel good enough to start behaving like a jackass,” Zoë sniggers. “Your heart sounds fine, I’m gonna check your lungs now. Take slow breaths, okay?”

     With an amused smile on his lips, Dean does as told. Concentrating, the woman who would have aced med school listens to his respiration, using the stethoscope as an amplifier. Like she was taught, she starts at the left upper zone, then the right, comparing the two sides, before she moves down.      “Can you inhale a little deeper for me?” she requests.

     The hunter pulls in a big breath through his mouth, the action igniting a fire in his chest, similar to the time when he was a teenager, when he had a neglected cold that turned into something worse. He tries to fight another hacking fit, but loses the battle, quickly turning his head away from Zoë and coughs violently. When he settles, she continues the examination.      “Pain?” she wonders, although she has an idea what the answer might be.      “Burns,” he manages to say, his voice hoarse.      “Try again, take it easy this time,” Zoë encourages.

     After moving the diaphragm across her patient’s bare chest, she removes the medical instrument and takes a seat on the side of the bed as well, placing the bell on his back now. Staring at nothing in particular, she lets the sense of hearing take over completely. Brown eyes slightly shift from left to right, narrowing at a certain point.      “What?” Dean wonders, noticing a hint of discontent in her expression.      “Your lung sounds are a little faint; you still got some fluid in there,” the huntress explains, putting her stethoscope away. “It should clear by itself, your blood will absorb it, but if that cough gets worse, you're gonna need to see a real doctor.”      “You seem like a real doc to me,” he shrugs, covering the compliment by clearing his throat. “Haven’t had a check up in years.”

     Zoë casts her gaze down, appreciating the words, but unable to thank him for it. “Let’s keep it that way. Take these.”      She takes a small plastic bottle from her briefcase, a prescription on the side. “With the swamp water you took in, you’re likely to develop pneumonia without antibiotics. Take two tonight. The coming days, one in the morning, one in the evening, never on an empty stomach, until the bottle is empty, alright? If it hurts, you can take Ibuprofen, but don’t go over the maximum dosage. You want me to pack you some?”

     Somewhat stunned, Dean nods and takes the bottle between his index finger and his thumb. The doctor role Zoë is fulfilling right now, brings out an attentive and empathetic side of her, which he hasn’t seen yet to this extent. His injuries aren’t downgraded, he’s not told to man up and keep going, like his father so oftenly does when he suffered an injury on a hunt. He’s not used to this kind of care, but he values it.

“Thanks.”

The simple word that falls from his lips in a whisper has Zoë shift her eyes to him in surprise. She clearly wasn’t expecting a ‘thank you’, but doesn’t call him out on the sentiment. Her smile grows a little wider and for the first time since their reunion, Dean sees the innocent Californian surf girl he remembered from back in the days.

     The huntress takes out the thermometer one last time, inserting it in his ear. He doesn’t move away this time, but slightly leans into her. The device beeps and she pulls it back.      “96.8; you’re getting there. If you want you can take a shower now, just not too hot.” She removes the tip and gets up, throwing it in the trash can. “You’re all set.”      “Alright,” he says, putting the water bottle aside and picking up a towel and his clothes.

     He retreats to the bathroom and appreciates the spacious rain shower, and returns to the main suite, dressed in a warm hoody and dry jeans.      His brother is back as well. “Ready to hit the road?”      Dean nods, putting on his leather coat and straightening the collar. “Let’s go.”

     The three hunters check out and walk out towards the parking lot five minutes later. The Impala is parked in front of the building across from Linwood Cemetery, the black paint job shimmering beautifully in the pale moonlight. Zoë approaches her bike, carrying a saddle bag over her shoulder and her helmet in the other hand, as the boys walk over to their car. Instinctively, Dean moves around to the left side of the car, but Zoë stops him.      “You’re not driving,” she decides, as if it’s her call to make. “Unless you wanna be a road hazard.”      “Oh, c’mon,” the owner of the car complains, redirecting a glare from the woman in their company to Sam, who is waiting for the keys with a smirk. After rolling his eyes, he tosses his brother the keys and drags his feet to the passenger side.      “Sleep upright for a night or two,” the med student suggests.      “Why the hell would I do that?” Dean returns, puzzled.      “Because I reckon you don’t want to suffocate during the night.” She raises an eyebrow at him. “It’s called secondary drowning, asshat.”      Dean scoffs. “That’s a thing?”      Zoë chuckles at his obliviousness. “That’s a thing.”      “Noted,” Dean says, shoving down his warm jacket coat.

     “You made your deadline,” Sam reminds her, leaning his arms on the hardtop while looking over as she checks the time.      “Not yet, but at least I’ll make it in time for the big show,” she smiles faintly. “What about you two? Texas?”      “Yep, Waco,” Sam specifies.      Zoë nods. The Winchesters can tell from her reaction that she knows the place.      “When you’re in town, stop by at Honeybee Ham & Deli. I tell ya, their ham and turkey is awesome,” Zoë recommends.      Dean smiles happy as he pictures the plate full of juicy meat. “Will do.”      “What about you?” the younger sibling wonders.      Zoë climbs in the saddle of her Road King, which faces the two men. She doesn’t put her helmet on just yet, though. Her small smile disappears when she’s confronted with what’s coming. “I’m going up north,” she answers vaguely.

     A silence follows and Dean glances at Sam over the top of his car. They can both sense that something’s up.      “If you need a hand--” Sam starts carefully.      “No, I don’t. Really guys, you need to stay out of this one. It’s not your fight,” Zoë says, stern.      “Complicated case?” Dean comments.      “It’s just something I need to take care of. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the help you gave me here, but this is personal business,” she answers, looking from one to the other. “Whatever you do, don’t follow me.”      “We have our own personal business to take care of,” Sam assures.      “Your Dad?” the huntress assumes.      “We want to find him. He’s probably after that thing that killed Mom and Jess by himself,” Sam states, determined.

     For a moment Dean observes his brother, aware of the strong mindedness in his voice. He could fight him. Hell, he can start an argument with him right now, but what would it matter? Sam isn’t easily convinced otherwise, not when it comes to this. He wants to find Dad and kill whatever brought so much misery upon them so desperately, that it’s becoming an obsession. When he returns his gaze Zoë, he’s caught off guard by her, who stares directly at him. She has been reading him all this time.      “Seems like you do have your own personal business to take care off,” she states wisely, hanging her helmet on the handlebar.

     “Sure you can ride?” Dean checks with her.      Zoë glances at him, but he isn’t mocking her, the oldest Winchester son actually has a solid point. She doesn’t feel great at all. Her head is still throbbing from the blow she took during her physical fight with Laura; she probably suffered a mild concussion. A 520 mile bike ride isn’t going to improve the ache in her bones either. She would love to go back into the Hampton Inn and get some sleep, which she normally does after an exhausting hunt. This time things are different, there’s just too little time.      “I don’t have much of a choice,” she sighs. “I should get going.”      “Be careful,” Sam offers.      Zoë only responds with a smile and looks down at her biker boots. It’s funny, all this time she has been fighting the Winchester boys, but now that she’s about to leave, she’s lingering.

     “I hope you’ll find John,” she says out of the blue.      Surprised, the brothers take her in. Where did that come from? The huntress notices the surprise on their faces, because she continues to explain herself.      “He’s your father. I know he can be a pain, but he’s family. Treasure that as long as you can.”

     Sam watches Dean nod agreeing, and he too realizes that she’s right. The last time he saw his father, they had a huge argument. Ever since, he has been afraid that he might never see his dad again, that he will never get the chance to say he’s sorry. That’s what he is, because he regrets yelling at him, he regrets picking a fight. He knows he’s not the only one to blame, but he bailed on both his brother and his father and chose his own path. He stands by that decision still, but he does realize how much his actions hurt them. The youngest Winchester is done fighting his Dad, he just wants to make sure he’s alright. Zoë knows loss. She lost her father in an unforgivable and certainly unforgettable manner. It’s that fact that makes both Dean and Sam understand that these wise words are coming straight from the heart.

     The huntress looks at them with a calm expression on her face, a satisfied one, and yet a glint of sadness is noticeable in her eyes. She doesn’t expect to see them ever again. Not wanting to wait until the goodbye becomes sentimental, Zoë kicks the ignition, the characteristic Harley Davidson rumbling loud in the night.      Before she can put on her helmet, Dean calls out for her. “See you around.”

     As he watches her response, Zoë keeps quiet. Not likely, she realizes, not pronouncing the words out loud. She gives them a last nod, pulls the helmet over her head, turns the throttle, and with a loud roar her Harley hits the highway. The  brothers watch the single red taillight get smaller, then she disappears out of sight. Silently, they stare at the road ahead, both thinking about what she just said. Sam is the first one to reply to it.

     “Did she just… say goodbye?” he checks, making sure he didn’t just interpret her words wrong.      Dean doesn’t respond and forks his fingers together while leaning his forearms on top of the car. Pondering, he stares down the street.      “As in… for good?” Sam adds.

     He glances at his older sibling, who opens his car door. Sam takes his example and settles in the driver’s seat. Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac sounds from the speakers as soon as the younger Winchester turns the key in the ignition.      “Are we going after her?” Sam wants to know, before he drives off.      “No,” Dean responds, annoyed by the fact that for a split second, he was thinking about it himself. “She’s a big girl, Sam. She can take care of herself.”      “That’s what you said last time,” his sibling bounces back.      “That was just bad luck. It’s not our job to protect fellow hunters, it’s our job to protect innocents,” Dean brings to mind.      “If Zoë's in trouble, she's innocent.”      “Believe me, Sam. I believe Zoë is everything but innocent,” the oldest of the two disagrees.

“I don't know, man. I think she’s after something big, or something big is after her,” Sam sighs, staring through the windshield in the direction where Zoë vanished just moments ago.      “So she’s onto a big fish,” Dean returns nonchalantly. “If she needs our help, she’ll call.”      The driver scoffs. “No, she won’t.”      Dean glances aside and observes his brother for a moment, confused by his brother’s motives. “I thought you were so determined to find Dad?”      “I am,” Same confirms.      “Then why the fuck do you care so much for some girl? We have better things to do. There’s a werewolf on the loose last time we checked and I don’t see why we should be bothering ourselves tracking down a hunter who’s fine on her own and is not keen on our company,” Dean rambles annoyed, after which he quotes her. ‘Whatever you do, do not follow me’. Her words, dude.”

     Sam gives in with a huff; maybe he’s right. Zoë made it pretty clear that she doesn’t want them on her tail. Maybe they should just let her be. But deep inside he feels it eating at him. His gut tells him that something bad is going to happen to her. Contemplating on the choice, he stares ahead.      “Seriously, if you want me to believe that you don’t have a major crush on her, you’ll have to do better than this.” Dean’s brows are raised as he looks aside.

     His younger brother glares at him, but decides not to respond. Dean is making fun of it, but he’s not sure himself how he feels about Zoë. She’s such a mysterious girl, with a dark sense of humor and a peculiar personality. She’s fierce, rapid on the counter, sarcastic, confident, smart. An amazing huntress with a big heart, even though she might act like she couldn’t care less. He can’t help but to be curious about her. Why? He can’t put his finger on it. There’s a connection between them, if they like it or not.

     Sam decides to change the subject, determining their new destination. “So? Waco then?”      “Waco it is,” Dean agrees.      Sam turns the Impala around, when they hear a strange clunk coming from the back of the car as he drives over a speed bump while exiting the parking lot of the Hampton Inn. Uh-oh, he realizes, assuming his brother heard it too.      “What is that?” Dean says out loud, looking over his shoulder. “Did you close the trunk? Stop the car.”

     Sam does as told and in the middle of the exit, Dean gets out. Sam stares in his back mirror, waiting for the inevitable. He already noticed the damage when loading up the car, but didn’t have the courage to tell the person who loves the Impala so dearly. That, and he wanted to give Zoë a head start. When he rolls down the window and pokes his head out, he sees Dean, boiling in rage.            “What’s going on?” Sam asks, pretending to be unaware.      He gets out and joins his brother, beholding the back of the Impala. The paint of the trunk is scratched, leaving the Chevrolet damaged by the shovel that Zoë used as leverage to break open the trunk. For a moment, Sam just stares at the car without saying a word. Dean, on the other hand, grits his teeth so hard that his brother can hear them grinding. His face looks like a volcano that is about to erupt as he clenches his fists, trying to contain his anger.

     “Insulting Baby is one thing, but this -” Dean hisses furiously, “this is unforgivable. I’m gonna kill her, I am so gonna fucking kill her!”      “Calm down,” Sam tries to ease him.      “Calm down?!  She fucked up MY CAR!!!” he shouts as he turns red.

     He slams the trunk and pushes it down hard, but it doesn’t lock as it should. Then he strides back to the front and gets in on the passenger side again. Quickly, Sam sits down behind the wheel, not wanting to piss him off even more. Dean is about to detonate; one wrong move, comment or facial expression and he will explode.            “Get the fuck going,” the owner of the classic car growls, squeezing the blood out of his hands around his cellphone, tempted to call perpertrator.      Sam gulps, surprised that the device doesn’t break in half, and uncomfortably leans back before he hits the gas. The day that Dean got this car from Dad, he learned a very important lesson; if you mess with the Impala, you mess with Dean.

     “For the record,” the older Winchester starts off. “This isn’t the last time we will see Sullivan.”      “It isn’t?” Sam carefully questions.      “Oh, we’ll see her again,” he snaps. “And I’m gonna kick her fine little ass when that time comes.”

      Poor Zoë, Sam can’t help but to think. She’s probably laughing that same fine little ass off right at this very moment, as Dean so poetically described it. A part of him hopes they will indeed never run into her again, because she is going to feel his brother’s wrath. What are the odds anyway? America is a big country; she is only one of over 320 million people in this nation. Sam glances ahead into the dark night and grins, because something tells him that their paths will collide again. Maybe even sooner than expected.

Well, that’s it! Episode 2 is wrapped up, now on to the next one. 

Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to like or reblog my work, shoot me a message or buy me coffee (Link to Kofi in bio at the top of the page).

[alittlehurtwithyourcomfort]

Moon Knight Whumplist

Characters: Steven Grant/Marc Spector/Unnamed Alter(s) (Played by Oscar Isaac) 

Age Rating: TV-14 (Teen and up)

Show available on Disney+

Genre: Superhero/Superpowers, Mystery, Action

Synopsis (via Marvel): Steven Grant discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among powerful gods of Egypt.

(The styling of this whumplist is inspired by @love-me-a-lotta-whump​ who has an amazing blog, go check them out!)

!! TW’s for mild blood/gore as well as death and violence !!

This list may contain spoilers for the show!

______________________________________________________________

1x01: confusion, blackouts and dissociation, anxiety, crying, scared, threatened and chased, terrified and shaking

1x02: confusion and worry, panicking/anxiety, assumed hallucinations, restrained/handcuffed, scared, pushed and falls from a building (no consequences), rough fight, hit by a car (no consequences)

1x03: blackouts/dissociation, bloody, under gunfire, exhausts himself/overuses power, “this is surprisingly painful”, passes out, unconscious, concern for him

1x04: still unconscious, dragged, rolls down a sand dune, falls down a hole (comedic), scared/worried, chased, shot twice in the chest and falls into water, unconscious, hallucinations/dream world (see spoiler note 1), stumbling, confused, scared

1x05: bloody face, confused, sedated (tw: needles), scared, heavy breathing, sees bad memories, (in memories: bloody, almost commits s*icide), sees more bad memories (tw: childe abuse), scared and confused, fought

1x06: sad, confused, coughing/brought back to life, rough fight, knocked down and energy sucked out of him (?), crying out in pain, blacked out/dissociated, confused and worried, sweaty and hesitant, (see spoiler note 2)

______________________________________________________________

SPOILER NOTES:

Spoiler note #1: It’s revealed in episode five that Steven and Marc are in the afterlife and have died. 

Spoiler note #2: Jake Lockely (another alter) is revealed at the end of the episode to be fronting and working with Khonshu, unbeknownst to Marc and Steven.

[aceofwhump]

Do you know of any programs be it shows or films that have poisoning as the main thing? From secret poisoning the kind for controlling or revenge poisoning?

I do love good control or revenge by making them ill/sick or reliant on others.

Bonus points if you know of other whumpers that gif it 😳😀

Oh yeah there's a ton of good poisoning episodes of tv shows. here's a list for ya:

Merlin 1x04 The Poisoned Chalice when Merlin purposefully drinks from a poisoned cup. Also 5x08 when Morgana gives him poison

Once Upon A Time season 7. Hook has a poisoned heart that pains him when he gets too close to his daughter

General hospital April 2021. Harrison Chase is poisoned and it lasts for a while.

Dark Angel season 2. Logan Cale is infected with a genetically targeted retrovirus that is activated when Max touches him. Basically her touch poisons him.

The Mentalist 5x02. Jane drinks poisoned tea.

Free Rein episodes 3x01, 3x05-3x10. Pin is being poisoned by bad water

MacGyver 1x11 (the 1980s MacGyver). Mac is injected with a poison in order to extract information from him

Hawaii Five-0 1x23 Danny is poisoned with sarin

Supergirl 2x22. Mon-El has been infected with the Medusa virus when the bar he works in is poisoned

Hallmark movie Hailey Dean Mystere: Deady Estate. Jonas is poisoned

Emerald City 1x02. Lucas is poisoned by the woman they're staying with.

NCIS 2x22 SWAK. When Tony is sent an envelope full of black plague and he gets sick

Power Rangers Samurai 1x17-1x18

[disneydeb1928]

PLL Original Sin - Intro Song

Time for - I hyper-fixated and overanalyzed the Intro scene with the Masked Man (Referred to as "MM" because I don't - like many - believe him to be "A"). Here, are a few things that I observed (Warning: It's a lot)

"MM" has a copy of Imogen's sonogram in addition to a picture of her. -> Implication: She is the only one of the girls who has something extra along with their picture.

“MM” has a missing person’s flyer for Mouse, which lists her DOB as 3/13/92, which is March 13th, 1992. -> Implication: If that’s Mouse’s real DOB, then she’d be 30 years old. The girls (who are 15-16 years old) would have been born in 2004/2005. Episode 1x07 has scene in 2012 and this episode is centered around Mouse. If she were born in 1992, she would be 20 in 2012, which doesn’t match up for being kidnapped. If she were born in 2004/2005, she would be 7 years old. Whatever this is supposed to mean, I don’t think it’s actually Mouse’s birthday. But perhaps, it’s in reference to something about Angela or “MM”. Because Angela was born in 1982, so in 1992, she would have been 9/10 which would make more sense.

There is a shot where "MM" is pulling angrily at some pears and there appears to be a small section of white skin peaking from underneath his sleeve (pictured below). -> Conclusion: "MM" is Caucasian.

The Briefcase Contents (Picture Below)

Top Left Lid: Picture of Imogen and her mother hugging each other. (Appears in 1x01)

Bottom Left Lid: Unknown photograph.

Top Center Lid: Mirror.

Top Right Lid: The Ticket for the Halloween Horror-O-Thon for "October 31" "Afternoon Matinee" "3:00 PM". (Seen in 1x05)

Bottom Right Lid: A note that says, “YOU’RE A BAD MOTHER” (that will appear in either 1x06 or 1x07) pinned using a safety pin.

Top Left Bottom: Old doll.

Center Bottom: Spirit Queen Crown (From 1x02)

Top Right Bottom: Pink diary/journal (Davies, from 1x04)

Then some jewelry randomly everywhere, mostly pearls

You can also notice, off to the side some other interesting things. For instance, Imogen's polaroid is clearly right above the briefcase. There is the bloody ballerina shoe from 1x01 and it's covering what appears to be what might be the news article that Imogen found in 1x03 about Angel's body being found. Also, a bunch of camera equipment (because it wouldn't be PLL without weirdness)

The Journal Entries - There are 3 separate journal entries seen throughout the intro. They are some of the ones I imagine Imogen found ripped out of her mother's journal (seen above)

Journal Entry #1: Is seen a few times throughout the intro. All together, it says, “October” “The girls-” “I have a new project” _ “Angela Waters” “_I got put in the same lab group as her today and she is just as tragic” _ “athletic dose of” “far away,” “something a(j)-” “-nd of…(” “-nd little wet” “innocent” “want to die _ she” “doesn’t (wise, she didn’t drink or smoke”. -> Implication: I would gleam that Angela and Davie first began to interact in October after they got placed in the same lab together. Which would make sense, since the girls' told her that Halloween was an "initiation".

Journal Entry #2: It says, “December 31 1999” at the top. “It’s the last day of the millennium!!!!! People on the news on(?) kids baggin cause they’re worried all the computers in the world might crash or something when the year starts. I don’t really ?_ but I guess ? lot.”

Journal Entry #3: Only has the date, "Jan 3, 2000". -> Implication: Depending on how you want to consider "2 days later", this could have been when Angela's body was found. No wonder Davie would want to get rid of it or "MM" would want it.

[shinelikethunder]

writing credits, seasons 1-6 only because this post is long enough:

kripke: 1x01 pilot, 1x02 wendigo, 1x09 home, 1x16 shadow, 1x22 devil's trap, 2x01 in my time of dying, 2x22 all hell breaks loose part two, 3x01 the magnificent seven, 3x16 no rest for the wicked, 4x01 lazarus rising, 4x10 heaven and hell (story), 4x22 lucifer rising, 5x01 sympathy for the devil, 5x09 the real ghostbusters, 5x22 swan song, 6x22 the man who knew too much; show creator; seasons 1-5 showrunner

kripke & siege: 4x07 it's the great pumpkin, sam winchester

siege: 4x12 criss angel is a douchebag, 4x18 the monster at the end of this book, 5x05 fallen idols, 5x12 swap meat, 5x17 99 problems

tucker: 2x04 children shouldn't play with dead things, 2x10 hunted, 2x16 roadkill, 2x20 what is and what should never be

gamble & tucker: 1x03 dead in the water, 1x12 faith, 1x14 nightmare, 1x21 salvation

gamble: 2x03 bloodlust, 2x08 crossroad blues, 2x13 houses of the holy, 2x17 heart, 2x21 all hell breaks loose part one, 3x02 the kids are alright, 3x07 fresh blood, 3x12 jus in bello, 3x15 time is on my side, 4x02 are you there god? it's me, dean winchester, 4x09 i know what you did last summer, 4x17 it's a terrible life, 4x21 when the levee breaks, 5x02 good god, y'all, 5x07 the curious case of dean winchester, 5x13 the song remains the same, 5x21 two minutes to midnight, 6x01 exile on main st, 6x11 appointment in samarra, 6x21 let it bleed; 4 episodes in season 7; seasons 6-7 showrunner

gamble & humphris: 3x10 dream a little dream of me

humphris: 2x07 the usual suspects, 2x14 born under a bad sign, 3x05 bedtime stories, 4x04 metamorphosis, 4x14 sex and violence

humphris & shiban: 1x20 dead man's blood

shiban: 1x06 skin, 1x07 hook man, 1x11 scarecrow, 1x15 the benders, 2x02 everybody loves a clown, 2x09 croatoan, 2x15 tall tales, 2x19 folsom prison blues

edlund: 2x05 simon said, 2x12 nightshifter, 2x18 hollywood babylon, 3x03 bad day at black rock, 3x09 malleus maleficarum, 3x13 ghostfacers, 4x05 monster movie, 4x08 wishful thinking, 4x16 on the head of a pin, 5x04 the end, 5x10 abandon all hope, 5x14 my bloody valentine, 5x20 the devil you know, 6x03 the third man, 6x09 clap your hands if you believe, 6x15 the french mistake, 6x20 the man who would be king; 7 episodes in seasons 7-8

carver: 3x04 sin city, 3x08 a very supernatural christmas, 3x11 mystery spot, 3x14 long-distance call, 4x03 in the beginning, 4x11 family remains, 4x15 death takes a holiday, 4x20 the rapture, 5x03 free to be you and me, 5x08 changing channels, 5x15 dead men don't wear plaid, 5x18 point of no return; 7 episodes in seasons 8-11; seasons 8-11 showrunner

dabb & loflin: 4x06 yellow fever, 4x13 after school special, 4x19 jump the shark, 5x06 i believe the children are our future, 5x11 sam interrupted, 5x16 dark side of the moon, 5x19 hammer of the gods, 6x04 weekend at bobby's, 6x07 family matters, 6x13 unforgiven, 6x18 frontierland; 5 episodes in seasons 7-8; 2 solo episodes in season 8 (loflin); 29 solo episodes in seasons 8-15 (dabb); seasons 12-15 showrunner (dabb)

glass: 6x02 two and a half men, 6x08 all dogs go to heaven, 6x12 like a virgin, 6x19 mommy dearest; 11 episodes in seasons 7-10

charmelo & snyder: 6x06 you can't handle the truth, 6x14 mannequin 3: the reckoning, 6x17 my heart will go on; 6 episodes in seasons 9-11

matthews: 6x05 live free or twi-hard, 6x10 caged heat, 6x16 and then there were none

[afan1]

The Wilds: Season 1 Rewatch

SPOILER WARNINGS – While it is an episode recap, there may be spoilers for the entirety of season 1 of The Wilds. Continue reading at your own risk if you haven’t seen all of it yet.

1x01 Recap 

1x02 Recap

1x03 Recap

1x04 Recap

1x05 Recap

1x06 + 1x07 Recap

The Wilds | 1x08: Day Sixteen + 1x09: Day Twenty-Two

Favorite Quote

“I might be a horny bitch, but I’m not going to scrub my teeth and my labia with the same brush.” — Fatin Jadmani

“Not bad. I mean it looks like you get your hair cut at salon staffed by toddlers, but not bad.” — Toni Shalifoe

Personal Highlights of the Episode

(1x08)

Fatin’s reaction when Leah goes on her tangent in the Morning America reenactment. It screamed, “girl, we talked about this. Stfu” lol

The girls high af is the funniest thing

All of Shelby’s scenes. They’re brutal, vulnerable, intense. Mia’s acting was great, the storyline was great. The buildup to Shelby’s mental/emotional break was gradual all season and really made it seem authentic and real… probably my favorite episode of season one.

(1x09)

Leah confiding in Fatin. These girls have bonded so much from start to finish. Short of Martha/Toni and Rachel/Nora, all these girls came to the island with little to no history and now they can be vulnerable, show their dark side and not worry about the ramifications of doing so. 

Leah’s mental break (again) and that Leatin moment.

Lychee tree. Need I say more.

Things I Didn't Catch the First Time

(1x08)

Shelby reciting the prayer that her father says when he holds the meeting to ‘help’ Kyle with his sins.

“God made you this way, and God only does beautiful.” Yet, the fact she’s gay when God made her that way is a sin. Dave, you’re talking in circles my man.

The cross necklaces Shelby wears in her flashbacks aren’t the same as the one she wears now. Also, Shelby doesn’t have her cross necklace on in the interviews, but she still has her earring in, so the agents couldn’t have confiscated their jewelry, or they would have taken that too, right? This may be a sign to where Shelby’s headspace is regarding her religion at that point in time.

(1x09)

Fatin straight cheesing when Leah is spouting her crazy before dashing into the water.

Observations / Theories / Questions

(1x08)

Do you think Nora knew Gretchen would have intervened with the pilot, or do you think she was genuinely excited about being rescued at this point?

Shelby drank like half of the liquor that was in the bottle after Dot handed it over to her. I would've been done in after like 3 sips.

“Uh oh, shark week for Rachel.” – oh, you have no idea Fatin.

Shelby with all them posters of girls on her wall. Uh huh, that lines up.

When Shelby takes her teeth out in front of the agents, the break in the plastic is quite evident. I wonder if that means anything or it’s just representing that she was the one unsettled in her skin and now she’s more comfortable with herself (otherwise she would have hidden her fake teeth like she did with the girls at first)

(1x09)

Doctor Ted… despicable. It’s always the ones you least expect too. 

As someone with absolutely zero rhythm, watching people dance is always fascinating to me

The fact that it took nine episodes until someone decided to sharpen a branch into a weapon. Nine episodes and twenty-two days.

Toni is a teddy bear when she’s crushing. She’s like a sour patch kid – sour, then sweet.

Rachel only diving in the water when it was about someone else and not her. It really shows what kind of character she has deep down. Rough exterior at times, but genuinely cares for her people.

It’s to be assumed that Martha gave up dancing, correct? Just another reason to hate that mf’ing ‘doctor’.

I actually kind of like Agent Young. I hope he’s not actually a piece of shit. I feel like he and Alex (Susan too, perhaps) may be the only redeemable people on Gretchen’s team going forward.

Is the goat a parallel to Martha losing her innocence/abandoning her ‘fantasy’ world? Or am I just missing something bigger here?

Field Notes

(1x08)

Field Note #092 – For those playing along, this is the second time we’ve seen Fatin use a random object as a fake “microphone.” First her toothbrush, now Martha’s hairbrush. It’s something she’s done since she was little; in her living room wall there’s a photo of her at four years old, hosting a fashion show using a red-white-and-blue Bomb Pop as a microphone.

Field Note #093 – The surviving girls have all been issued comfortable clothing for their quarantined recovery. Something interesting to note: Shelby and Rachel have been issued sweatshirts of the same color.

Field Note #094 – Back home in Texas, Shelby blew out and straightened her hair every day.

Field Note #095 – Shelby’s dad owns this faith-based spinning studio, which is called All Rise Cycling.

Field Note #100 – The bowling alley is one of the main hangouts for high schoolers in Fort Travis, Shelby’s hometown. On weekend nights, it’s basically either that, the all-night diner off the highway, or a patch of woods next to the cemetery that everyone calls “The Smoke Hole.”

Field Note #101 – Becca’s all-time high bowling score? 249. Shelby’s? 94.

Field Note #103 – Toni is a collector of mementos. She’s got a cigar box full of souvenirs that she carries with her whenever she moves to a new home.

(1x09)

Field Note #109 – To describe her after-school drink of choice, Martha says “pop,” which gives her away as a Midwesterner. Based on where they live, here’s a breakdown of how our girls refer to sugary carbonated beverages: Martha and Toni say “pop”; Rachel, Nora, Fatin, and Leah say “soda”; Shelby says “coke.”

Field Note #111 – Nora’s fishing net is made from suitcase mesh.

Field Note #112 – Nora was a pioneer of the thumb-holes-in-sleeves look at her middle school. She used to cut the holes herself and reinforce the edges with a needle and thread until it became a style and you could buy shirts with pre-made ones.

Field Note #114 – Shelby has already mentioned that she once took down a ten-point buck. Her dad offered to have its head stuffed and mounted, but Shelby declined. She told him it wouldn’t match the aesthetic of her room… but deep down, something bothered her about celebrating the death of an animal in that way.

Field Note #115 – This is Martha’s first year not having to share a room with her sisters. She got her brother’s room when he moved out. In the ridiculously hot summer of 2014, one of his sticks of deodorant melted into the carpet. If you sniff deeply enough, you can still detect a whiff of pine-scented endurance anti-perspirant.

Field Note #116 – Toni is demonstrating experienced wilderness peeing position: butt behind the heels, knees behind the toes, peeing down an incline so it doesn’t splash back on her.

~~~

Shelby Curse Count: 3 + 0 (14 total)

[destielshippingnews]

Edvard's Supernatural Rewatch and Review: 1x16 Shadow

In my analysis of this episode, I will discuss Dean’s understated intelligence, the hunting life as a metaphor for trauma, a silly altar, Kripke’s bad treatment of his female characters, and Sam being a pissy bish.

Supernatural’s sixteenth offering is an outing directed by Kim Manners and written by Eric Kripke. It is rated 8.5/10 on IMDb based on over 5,300 votes. It is an important plot episode as we discover that the conflict between John and the Yellow-Eyed Demon is heating up and could have very lethal consequences for the Winchesters. The actual writing for this episode is spotty and does not do a good job of presenting the characters as the writer wants us to view them: Sam is supposed to be Mr Smart University Man who is good with research and good at hunting, whereas Dean is supposed to be the air-headed, womanising himbo kind of man Kripke seems to resent for some reason. What the writing does, however, is show us Sam being mostly useless but earns his keep on occasion, whereas Dean is the true mvp (‘most valued player’) of the episode.

Unfortunately for the aforementioned plot, the show takes a three-episode break from the overall story for the space of episodes 1x17-1x19. This thin spreading of plot is one of the things I disliked about the show when I first watched it almost 14 years ago, and it would still be an issue if I still watched Supernatural for the story. Which I do not: I watch it for Dean.

Whilst we are on the subject of Dean – which we were not – I want to address a problem I have with both Kripke’s writing of him AND the general fandom’s perception of him: his sexual exploits. I will discuss the latter first: The Show tells us time and time again that Dean engages in much coitus with a plethora of womenfolk. I repeat, The Show tells us this, but television is a visual media and one of the basic precepts of visual media is ‘show, don’t tell’. The Show can tell us whatever it pleases about Dean’s adventures in copulation, but what it tells us is not in keeping with what it shows us.

How many women has Dean actually been shown with in the show so far? Only one: Cassie, a woman he was ‘in love’ with a few years previously. Certainly he has been flirty with women, e.g Jess in 1x01 Pilot, Haley in 1x02 Wendigo, Amy Acker in 1x03 Dead in the Water, Layla in 1x12 Faith, but nothing actually happened with any of them. He was in the (men’s) toilets for a long time in 1x15 The Benders, but other than that, the next time I can assume he had sex with anybody is 2x18 Hollywood Blues when he did the horizontal tango with the actress in the caravan. After that, the twins (at least one of whom was presumably female) in 3x01 The Magnificent Seven, the barmaid in 4x05 Monster Movie, Anna in 4x10 Heaven and Hell, Lisa in the time he spent with her between the end of 5x22 Swan Song and roughly 6x05 Live free or Twi-Hard, and then maybe one woman every two years until series 12, whereafter… nothing. Not a single woman.

This does not mesh well with what we are supposed to believe. Of course we do not see all of the boys’ lives, but we do not see nearly enough of Dean’s sexual interactions with women (or men) to have any actual reason to think he is as promiscuous as we are told. Yes he is flirty, but there is very good reason to believe he had to learn to be flirty as a child in order to keep Sam fed when John was away. It could simply be that his flirty nature is one of the roles he steps into in order to help him get through different situations: he knows how to flirt with women, and can be comfortable when he adopts that persona. How often he actually goes through with that is another matter altogether, and what he actually thinks and feels about sex is up for debate. My thoughts are that he does not like it quite as much as he says he does, but perhaps puts on the act because John, Sam, and others expect or demand it of him. I refuse to discuss toxic masculinity, but John and Sam’s expectations and demands of Dean because he is a man are undoubtedly poisonous.

Kripke, however, wants us to believe Dean is a himbo, a man-slut, a f*ck-boy, and a man-shaped hormone. Why else would he put lines such as ‘do you mind doing a bit of thinking with your upstairs brain?’ into his self-insert Sam’s mouth and not have Dean answer back if he did not want us to think Dean is an air-headed scarlet woman? More on this later when I discuss Kripke and Sam both sounding like women who hate men.

I will return to the very beginning of the episode: the cold open was generally effective and successful with lovely cinematography, use of shadows, and atmospheric sound design. Meredith WAS a bit of an idiot walking down creepy alleys in the middle of the night by herself with earphones in. It was also rather weird how quickly her panic abated as soon as she locked the door and set the alarm in her flat. Paula R Stiles wasted no time in her review pointing out that Meredith should have turned all the lights in her flat on and kept them on all night if she were that scared, but instead she blithely toddles over to her answering machine and listens to her messages. Conveniently, the messages fall silent as soon as we see Meredith’s heart getting ripped out. Funny, that.

Actually, let’s backtrack a moment. I said we see Meredith’s heart getting ripped out. This as only half-true: since Meredith is not a man, we do not see violence enacted on her, we just see the shadow.

Exit Meredith and enter Dean and Sam on a street in downtown Vancouver Chicago. There are a few things I like about the following scene: number one is the adorable security alarm company boiler suit, as much as Dean hates it and having to pay for it. Dean makes it very clear the outfits are expensive and the money comes out of his hard-earnt money. Later in the show, such costumes are infrequent and the boys opt instead for simply posing as FBI agents most of time. More’s the pity, because my dopamine level shot through the roof seeing Dean playing dress up.

I also enjoyed the sassy landlady, short though her role was. But the most noteworthy part of the scene for me was Dean spotting the symbol in the blood on the carpet. Other than revealing that Dean is a closeted Evanescence fan, it showed both his impressive working knowledge of occult insignia and his ability to link things together and spot patterns. People both within and outwith the show are keen to call Dean stupid, but he is anything but. He is not educated, but he is highly intelligent and knows a lot about the world he and Sam are in which Sam does not. His ability to spot patterns is also another bit of evidence for Dean having Asperger’s.

Bear this in mind as I jump forwards to a little later in the episode when Dean finds the meaning of the symbol and tells Sam about it over the phone, only to be met with Sam’s surprise that Dean knows how to research. ‘Name the last book you read,’ is Mr Me Smart University Man’s response, delivered with a superior, arrogant grin on his face. Sam’s concept of intelligence seems to be reading books and academic success, and a person who does not read books cannot be intelligent.

Quite apart from the fact that history, science, and craft magazines exist which are exceedingly educational, academic success does not guarantee intelligence: it guarantees specialisation and expertise in one area. Dean has this without academic success: how many times over the course of the show does he rebuild the car after an accident? How much knowledge of the occult does he have which we only get to see fleeting glimpses of? And how much lore and mythology does he know by heart whilst Sam has to ferret through books and websites. Is there a single pop culture reference he does not get? And he does read: it is canonically acknowledged that he likes Kurt Vonnegut. He also seems the type to be a fan of Cormac Macarthy and Stephen King, but back to the point: shut your gob, Sam.

The misplaced arrogance is especially glaring and grating in this episode because Sam does not actually do much at all for the first two thirds of the episode. Kripke wants us to believe Sam is awesome and cool, but he does nothing useful in Meredith’s flat while Dean spots the pattern in the blood. Dean does the research while Sam sits in a car. Drop it, Sam.

And did I mention Dean’s home-made EMF reader? The one Sam mocked him for making in 1x04?

It would be remiss of me to ignore the fact Dean had a dig at Sam with his ‘drama dork’ comment at the beginning, but that actually came off as a sibling joke. A little puerile and immature, but not mean-spirited, unlike Sam’s two jibes at Dean in this episode. Even the difference in their reactions says a lot: Sam is utterly unperturbed by Dean’s joke, whereas Sam’s ‘Do you mind thinking with your upstairs brain?’ wiped the smile off Dean’s face and had him rushing to explain himself like a child fearing punishment.

Whilst on the subject – please bear with me, Dear Reader, I am almost done with my Sam-bashing – I would like you to cast your mind back a few minutes to the beginning of this analysis: Sam’s pissy comment about Dean’s sex drive sounded like exactly the kind of thing a woman who hates men would say. There was absolutely nothing about Dean’s behaviour in the scene suggesting he was only thinking about sex. Sam’s comment was an unnecessary escalation meant to shame. You might be wondering ‘how did you get that from one sentence?’ If so, please go and look at what I wrote about Sam’s pissy, controlling behaviour in 1x13-1x15 for some context, or take a look at the offence and resignation of Dean’s face in this episode after Sam says ‘Name the last book you read’.

Paula R Stiles and I are in complete agreement about Sam’s view of Dean: he is an embarrassment, an interruption in his life, an idiot, and a burden. This has been true since 1x01, and it will remain true until the end of the show.

By the way, apropos the bar scene: do we know which bartender’s number Dean got? We see him talking to a barmaid, but their conversation did not seem like they had got far enough to exchange numbers, and Dean left her as soon as he saw Sam enter the pub. Curious... Meg’s Chad Michael Murray line also seemed to interest Dean while Sam was clueless. The camera also cut away to Dean’s face for some reason. Curious...

As for ‘Dad’s friend Caleb’, Dean already has his number on his phone, so who is the Caleb whose number is written in the notebook under the information about the daevas? Curiouser and curiouser.

Mentioning Chad Michael Murray brings me to the next big point of this analysis: Meg. I have to admit I did not like Meg much at all when I first met her 14 years ago, and to this day this first incarnation of Meg simply does not do anything for me. A mix of the writing and acting choices make her feel like a Bad Ass BitchTM and it does not tickle my frusset pouch. She sounds arrogant and annoying. No wonder Sam liked her. The second incarnation of Meg is more to my liking.

‘Dude, cover your mouth!’ What an incredibly rude way to talk to a stranger who was clearly clearing his throat, not coughing. Note also that Sam does not speak up for Dean at any point during this exchange (like he did not call Missouri out for being a mega bish), nor offer a real apology for the things he said. Sam is the show’s POV at this point, and it stands to reason that what Meg said is supposed to be the viewer’s takeaway from the exchange. We are supposed to think Dean treats Sam badly in spite of what the show shows us. Sam’s lame ‘He means well’ only serves to underscore the fact Sam thinks Dean treats him badly, and he does nothing to challenge Meg’s views on their dynamic.

That being said, I noticed that Kripke wrote the only recurring female character so far as a mega bitch and I did not like it for several reasons. The first reason is that is sucks to bring in a character who differs from the main two only to write her as a mega bitch, as if we would not notice the only woman is being written as a bitch. The second reason is that nobody in their right mind would ever say the things she said to Dean at first meeting unless they was an extremely good reason to do so. This made her feel unrealistic and hard to take seriously.

The third reason was Dean’s face after the bitching and his words outside the pub afterwards. He was perfectly justified in being upset by what Sam said about him, but Sam just brushes it aside so he does not have to deal with it. Rather than ‘I made a mistake, I shouldn’t have said what I said, and I’m sorry for bitching about you to strangers again’, he gives non-committal platitudes and lame reassurances that are as flimsy as something which is very flimsy. ‘Yes, yes, sorry, whatever, it’s not important, now let’s change the subject.’

In addition to the bitching, there is the fact that Sam was angry at Dean for telling Cassie about the hunting life in 1x13 Route 666, yet what Sam did was much worse and far stupider. He knew at that point that he was in danger and there would be ‘people’ following him, but he still could not help himself having a bitch about his idiot brother to the first person who would listen. Dean knew Cassie for a few weeks, but Sam knew Meg for all of a few hours before he starting spilling his secrets.

And the show wants us to think Dean is the stupid one.

One thing I did appreciate about Meg was the minimum amount of pontificating and snarky Bad Ass Bitch dialogue in the loft at the end. She did talk, but she was still doing stuff, even if the creepy rapey vibes of sitting in Sam and Dean’s laps while they were tied up was creepy and rapey. She is also serving somebody else and following somebody else’s orders, a fun-house mirror version of Dean.

The loft confused me for a long time, but before discussing that: Sam wants Dean to think Dean is stupid, and Sam clearly thinks he is smart. But please note, Dear Reader, that Sam followed Meg into the big scary building after a suspected murderer alone. That would have been the time to call Dean for back-up, but nope: Sam decides the prudent course of action is to climb up a lift shaft all by himself. Were you dropped on your head as a child, Sam?

Anyway, the thing which confused me about the loft was: why? Why did Meg have the altar in the loft rather than her home? It took until this evening when I was washing my hair and thinking of my analysis that I realise a few things: her flat was a small space with people above and below who would hear any loud noises going on there. That could cause problems for her plan, since she cannot have her daevas ripping people apart without the neighbours hearing. It would also be hard to lure Dean and Sam into a trap if she were not seen doing anything untoward such as entering a creepy building.

The black altar, by the way, looked like no effort had been put into it, and was taken directly from an emo-rock music video. Not that there is anything wrong with emo music: I am quite partial to a bit of My Chemical Romance on occasion. But you have to admit the altar looked cheesy.

Before continuing, I want to briefly outline something a friend recently explained to me: the hunting life as a metaphor for trauma, particularly generational trauma. People only enter the hunting life after a traumatic event such as the death of a friend or family member, or are raised into it by these same people. Normal people cannot see the world of monsters and demons, i.e. the life of a traumatised person, and when they get a glimpse of it, they run as fast as they can in the opposite direction. Normal people simply cannot handle it. The only people who can are those who have suffered the trauma of losing somebody, but most are doomed to die young and bloody.

Hunters are the only ones who can fight the monsters, but the more they fight, the greater the risk of getting hurt and the higher the likelihood of taking severe damage and dying. This works as a metaphor for facing trauma: if we ignore it, it might not get to us. Perhaps. We might even be able to live for decades with only infrequent encounters with monsters/trauma. Then again, we might not. Ignoring the problem is no guarantee of safety once we know the problem exists.

Even if we try to ignore the monsters/trauma, we might not ever even be able to fit back in with the normal people again. We know the other world is there, and that the normal world is simply a facade. It is always there trying to pull us back in, sometimes subtly, sometimes with a shepherd’s crook.

Dean was traumatised by the loss of his mother at the age of four, and after that John piled trauma upon trauma on him. ‘Hunting’ is the only life Dean knows, and the only place he believes he could ever fit. The normal world is a foreign place to him and his behaviour is too alien for normal people to understand. The world of monsters and hunters terrifies normal people, and they are quick to reject hunters and their ilk because they are too scary, just like the behaviour of traumatised people is often scary, uncomfortable, and difficult for people who do not understand. Even other hunters struggle to get Dean because each hunter’s experience is individual.

Sam was too young to be effected directly by Mary’s death in the way Dean was, but it drew him into the hunters’ world all the same. However, he was shielded from the brunt of the trauma in a way Dean simply was not: Dean was exposed to all the horror, whereas Sam was kept in the dark. John’s neglect had a serious negative impact on him, but it was mostly second hand. Dean was the buffer between Sam and the horrors of the hunters’ life, which is one reason why he was able to rebel and leave for university: he believed there was a way out, and he took it.

With this in mind, a discussion of the scene in the hotel room before Dean and Sam go to the loft is in order. The trauma of Jess’s death drew him back into hunting, but he still believes there will be an end to it one day and that he will be able to return to his old life. He believes that killing Azazel will be the end of his hunting life, i.e. that the worst of his grief will be over. Dean, however, believes it will never be over because he knows nothing else than hunting and has never been allowed to be anything else.

‘Dude, what’s your problem?’ - I forget that Dean’s mask is so well fitted that other people struggle to see past it, or even that it’s a mask at all. I honestly cannot be angry at Sam for not seeing this because he just does not understand why Dean is so upset, no matter how clear it is to me.

On the other hand, I do not understand how Sam can think it would be okay to abandon Dean. Dean is not Sam’s responsibility, true, but human relationships are not founded on only doing things because they are responsibilities. We do things because we want to help the people we care about, not because it is our duty to do so. Although perhaps this is more evidence to prove that Sam does not really care about Dean unless he is losing him.

I think this scene also shows that – in spite of fandom consensus – Sam is really not very good at all with reading other people’s emotions motivations or emotions. Given Dean’s emotional state when Sam announced his intent to leave him, the only reason Dean could have asked the question ‘Why do you think I cam to get you at Stanford, huh?’ is because he wanted to underline the fact he went to get Sam because he wanted Sam’s help, and he wanted to be with Sam again (Winc*sties, leave it!) and get his family back together. That is blindingly obvious to me, but I have had to learn to read people’s motivations and to actively interpret and understand them. Sam, apparently, is clueless here, whereas Dean is much more in tune with his thoughts and feelings. I have touched on this before, so constant readers should know this.

That said, the reason for Sam joining Dean was not to find John, or even to help Dean. It was to get his revenge on Jess’s killer. He did choose to join Dean, but only due to a lack of better options. Nobody else he knew could help him. However, one of the reasons Sam’s relationship with Dean is so strained is that he associates Dean very strongly with John. In fact, rather than seeing Dean as an individual with his own thoughts, feelings, and ideas, he regards him as simply an extension of John’s will. Sam finally managed to escape John, but is now forced to ally himself with Dean, whom he resents through no fault of Dean’s own.

Dean’s presence reminds him of John and the disastrous experience of growing up with John. I have said before that Dean bore the brunt of John’s abuse and Sam seems blissfully unaware of the majority of what his elder brother suffered, yet Sam clearly has his own issues that make it hard for him to be around his family. He wants to separate himself from John in order to heal and move on: the corollary of that is he wants to cut Dean out of his life because of his association with John. From Sam’s perspective, this is understandable, whether he knows this is what he is doing or not.

Dean knows much better than Sam that their life as a family was far from perfect, but he has nothing else. John made family the core of Dean’s identity, and he is utterly lost and hollow without it. Sam, however, sees Dean’s invitation as a trap. It would cut him off from the life he wants to live and doom him to a life like Dean’s. This is perfectly understandable, but Sam comes off as callous and patronising. He says things he thinks Dean wants to hear in order to take the edge off his words, but the actual substance of what he says sounds like ‘I have my own life to lead, sorry.’

The result, though, is that he comes off as callous and patronising. He says things he thinks Dean wants to hear in order to take the edge off his words, but the actual substance of what he says sounds like ‘I have my own life to lead, sorry.’

So what is Dean supposed to do? He has no life to ever go back to, and is instead doomed to be John’s tool for the rest of John’s life. Screw him, though, am I right? Let’s just abandon the traumatised man to deal with his trauma in an environment which makes it impossible to recover from trauma.

Paula R. Stiles’s thoughts run parallel to mine here, and I quote: ‘Dean gets upset. He wants his family together again and since he has no life outside of hunting, can’t conceive of it all ending. Sam rather coldly tells him that he has no intention of hunting forever and wants a “normal life”, of which Dean can’t really be a part (since, it’s implied, but not said, that Dean is not normal and deserves to be abandoned to his fate, much like the MOTWs he hunts). O the irony.

And this comes after Dean left John yet another unanswered voice mail. I know he claims to hate chick flick moments, but Dean needs a hug, a mug of hot chocolate, and a tartan blanket here.

And yes, it is time for that part of my analysis again: Jensen’s acting, Dear Reader! Dear Reader, Jensen’s acting!

Sam: ..things will never be the way they were before. Dean: Could be.

The subtlety, his facial expression, his nervous smiles-which-are-not-smiles, the tears in his eyes. Dean here knows he has no possible argument to make to convince Sam. He knows Sam does not really care about him nor want to spend any more time with him than necessary. 'Could be...'

Dean's rejection sensitive dysphoria is on full display in this scene, and this moment here shows the heart of his abandonment anxiety: he believes he is worthless and unlovable. And his final look after Sam says Dean will have to let him go his own way: at first it looked like anger, but after I took a second I saw somebody straining to keep as much of himself hidden and controlled as possible.

I feel exactly what he is feeling, and I cannot begin to understand how people miss this stuff. If only, if only he could have been cast as the lead in a show with better writers and a better budget.

Apropos John, when Dean told Meg that John would not walk into her trap, one’s mind is drawn back to when Dean was dying in 1x12 Faith and John did not come to see him or save him, nor even return his phone calls. One is also reminded of 1x09 Home when John did not answer Dean’s call about the ghost in the house Mary died in. The underlying implication here is perhaps that Dean believes John will not try to save him. Remember that when rewatching 1x12 Faith.

After the daevas yeet Meg out of the window (and there will be consequences for that), Dean and Sam return to their room to find Daddy Winchester lurking in the dark. How exactly he managed to find them is not explained: episode 2x07 The Usual Suspects informs us Dean and Sam have a practice whereby when separated they look for the first hotel in the directory and always take a certain room. Whether this is a code of conduct Dean and Sam have been following ever since in order to allow John to locate them if need be I do not know. At this point, I would not put it past John to have known exactly where Dean and Sam have been for a very long time, and to even have been in the vicinity many times, but has refused to let them see him, or even know he is near. Shady, shady behaviour.

As for the reunion scene itself, it clearly shows where we are supposed to focus our interest. Dean and John’s reunion is distant, shallow, unemotional, in spite of Dean willingly embracing John instead of drop-kicking him out the window as he deserves. They hug, but little dialogue of any variety passes between them, nor anything of substance. I see a beaten little boy hugging the dad who beats him hoping it will never happen again if he can just be better, but The show does nothing with this. It is glazed over.

Instead, it is Sam who gets the apology, the catharsis, and the heartfelt reunion. Given it is the first time Sam and John have properly spoken for years, it is also the first time in a significant length of time Dean and John have seen each other for the best part of a year, if not more at this point. Sam might believe Dean is John’s favourite, but how he can persist in this false belief is quite beyond me: Sam is clearly the favourite son. Dean loves (and hates) John, but I do not think John loves Dean: he is simply a useful tool to be taken for granted.

This reminds me of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Sam is the son who left and squandered all his money on wine and women, only to be welcomed back by his father who orders for celebrations to be held. The faithful son, however, who had laboured in his father’s fields all day, every day for years without such parties is understandably aggrieved by this, but his complaint is dismissed by his father: All that is mine is yours, etc. The parable tells us the father has treated the faithful son well, but the story is from the father’s perspective. Who knows how he actually treated his faithful son? Forget moral messages. The faithful son had every right to be pissed off after all the years of work he had put in, only for his wayward brother to be given the red carpet treatment.

Sam is the prodigal son, and Dean the faithful son. I cannot wait for John’s comeuppance, but at the same time Dean’s reaction was completely in character. Most of the wounds John inflicted on Dean’s psyche are yet to be revealed, and will continue to exact their toll over the next 311 episodes of the show, but knowing what I know, I both sympathise with Dean’s relief to see John again, and want Dean to be free of John forever. That is the only way he can be free of the man John wanted him to be, and free to be the Dean he wants to be.

While John hugged Prodigal Sam, Dean stood in the background watching. The camera even does a focus pull so that Dean is in focus and Sam and John are blurred. Dean has something like a smile on his face, happy to see his brother and father together again, but almost wistful, sad.

Luckily, the huggy pukefest is swiftly broken as the daevas yeet John into the kitchenette and proceed to eviscerate him. A quick cut away to outside the building reveals Meg alive and well, controlling the daevas with her amulet, then the camera is back on John. I was disappointed I did not get to see John torn apart. Note they focus on him, not all three: Dean is knocked around a little but Sam is ignored.

In spite of his quick thinking in using the flare (where exactly he learnt that light would cause them to dissipate is never revealed. Gary Stu Sam to the rescue!), Sam does the silly television thing where he tells the audience what he is going to do before he does it. This breaks my suspension of disbelief because it gives the daevas a moment to react and stop Sam doing whatever it is he is going to do. I think exactly the same every time a character sneaks up behind a monster or bad person and says something to get his/her attention rather than just shooting/stabbing him/her in the back before s/he realises what hit him/her.

The episode ends with John leaving Dean and Sam at dean’s insistence – ‘to protect him’ because John is in danger as long as he is around his sons. He is also in danger by himself, and surely three of them together would be better able to hide and fight off enemies, but whatever. Eric Kripke logic, I suppose. Why on Earth John was there in the first place if he knew his presence puts his sons in danger is beyond my ken, but I am quite sure Kripke thought it would be dramatic and cool. The man has some good ideas, but his execution is poor.

While on the subject of Kripke, earlier I discussed his bad treatment of women, but he also treats men badly in his shows. Women are fridged in one way or another too often (although in fairness hatred from female fans does not help), but almost all violence is against men. This is also true of his current project The Boys. To be honest, I got sick and tired of the show about half way through series two, and only kept watching for Jensen and Soldier Boy. What soured me against the show was the excessively graphic violence against almost exclusively men, with at least two instances of on-screen sexualised violence against men ending in graphic, bloody, painful death.

The violence, blood, and guts itself did not bother me, so let me put it this way: women complain about women being nude on screen more than men, but we see much, much more of men’s blood and gory inside bits than women’s. Women complain that female nudity objectifies them, but by the same logic the ubiquitous nature of violence directed almost exclusively at men deadens people to violence against men. The show is supposed to be liberal and progressive, but it seems rather regressive in its squeamishness to depict violence against women – especially not if a man is the perpetrator – and its treatment of men as cannon fodder.

It is also regressive in its treatment of gay/bi men. The first 15 minutes of The Boys 3x01 introduce two of perhaps three gay/bi men who have been acknowledged as gay/bi on the show, only for them to engage in weird, drug-fuelled sex and for one of them to die a horrible, bloody, sex-related on-screen death. Well done, Kripke, very well done. That is a perfect example of Bury Your Gays. “Look, we have gay sex on our show, aren’t we liberal, progressive, and inclusive! Psyche, now they’re dead. Screw you, gays.” I was supposed to laugh, I presume. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and wished I were watching Dark Angel instead.

Wait, Dark Angel – in spite of its good qualities – has the occasional noxious undertone of violence-against-men-is-funny-when-women-do-it-because-girl-power-or-something. Such violence includes Max hitting Alec across the head because she was in a bad mood, slamming Alec’s fingers in a locker door for no particular reason, and a kick to the genitals because Alec used a milquetoast slur, the only appropriate response to which was physical violence. ...and possible permanent damage. And possible infertility. Possible severe bleeding. Serious stomach pains… but all of this is funny, remember, because haha men’s genitals. She laughed as Alec was led past, clearly in too much pain to walk under his own steam, then she laughed and got told how she was a ‘rocking, awesome chick’. I swear by Allah’s beard, sometimes I just...

Anyway, that essay is available right here.

Returning to The Boys,the show has gay/bi women and it touched briefly on bi erasure, but this feels like a cover for shitty treatment of gay/bi men. Kripke also regretted not being able to include the Homelander raping Soldier Boy plot from the source material, because – and I paraphrase – it would have been funny to see the two fuck.

While Kripke's a Fan of the Homelander/Soldier Boy Sex Scene in the Comics, It Won't Work Here: "I love that scene and it's hilarious, but for a dozen reasons, all of which will be revealed when you see the season, it ultimately just didn't track. We talked about it. It conflicted with a lot of the other things we were trying to build with Soldier Boy. So, unfortunately, that one had to go," Kripke explained. "I would love to see Soldier Boy and Homelander f***ing, but it can't happen in this show, unfortunately, for reasons everyone understands."

Source: (x)

You read that right: Kripke described Homelander raping Soldier Boy as ‘fucking’, and he thought it was hilarious. And this guy is going to try using Soldier Boy to preach to me about how masculinity is toxic. For some reasons I am reminded of a badly-translated Biblical metaphor about motes of dust and planks in eyes. Bismillah, spare me...

And I just swore in one of my analyses. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound: shit bugger fanny bum fart.

This is supposed to be high-quality, intelligent television, but it is just spectacle and shock covering up an above-average-but-not-fantastic story and plot. Excessive gore and swearing does not make a show good: it just means the show has excessive gore and swearing. While I am very happy for Jensen to finally be on something bigger than Supernatural, I think this is beneath him. Soldier Boy is my favourite homophobic douche in the whole wide world, but Jensen deserves better. Lord of the Rings better.

On that note, I come to the end of my analysis of 1x16 Shadow. It was never a favourite episode and it feels as though something is missing. It is unsatisfying to have a mytharc episode in between so many monster of the week episodes because the build up to it has been non-existent and it will be a while yet before it has any real relevance to the plot again. It is certainly no bad episode, but I just do not care much for it, in spite of the purple plaid Dean was wearing.

That about does it for this time. Next time will be 1x17 Hell House, so look out for that. I bet you won’t.

Thank you to @emotionalsupportbees for the metaphor of hunting as trauma =)

[juicenet]

which "h2o: just add water" episodes centered each character? a quantitative analysis

hello, 2021 h2o enjoyers! lately, i've been thinking about how many h2o episodes focus on a specific mermaid. naturally, i wondered—which main mermaid (cleo, rikki, emma, and bella) has the most episodes dedicated to their character arc? and what percent of the show focuses on that character? so i wrote up this quantitative analysis and... yeah.

caveats:

-there are many h2o episodes that don’t center any specific character, which is why these episodes are not included on the list.

-there are some episodes that focus a lot on on lewis, charlotte, will, et cetera. however, i decided to only compile episode lists for the four main mermaids.

-there’s no perfect methodology for this type of analysis. some episodes that i included in one character’s category also included a substantial plot point for another character. i just tried to use my best judgement; typically, if an episode mainly revolved around [insert character], significantly contributed to a character’s arc, and/or if that character had the most screen time in that episode, i labeled it as [insert character]-centric.

under the cut, you’ll find each character’s episodes!

list of cleo-centric episodes:

season 1

1x02 pool party

1x03 catch of the day

1x08 the denman affair

1x12 the siren effect

1x14 surprise!

1x16 lovesick

1x19 hurricane angela

season 2

2x05 hocus pocus

2x06 pressure cooker

2x07 hot water

2x10 missed the boat

2x16 double trouble

2x19 the gracie code, part one

2x25 sea change

season 3

3x03 keep your enemies close

3x07 happy families

3x09 the sorcerer’s apprentice

3x13 to have and to hold back

3x17 a magnetic attraction

3x24 too close for comfort

total: 19 episodes

divided by the number of episodes in the series*: 19/78 or ≈24%

list of rikki-centric episodes:

season 1

1x06 young love

1x09 dangerous waters

1x10 the camera never lies

1x18 bad moon rising

1x22 fish out of water

1x23 in too deep

season 2

2x03 the one that got away

2x08 wrong side of the tracks

2x11 in over our heads

2x24 three’s company

season 3

3x05 big ideas

3x12 crime & punishment

3x16 the dark side

3x18 into the light

3x21 the jewel thief

total: 15 episodes

divided by the number of episodes in the show: 15/78 or ≈19%

list of emma-centric episodes:

season 1

1x04 party girls

1x07 moon spell

1x11 sink or swim

1x15 the big chill

1x21 red herring

season 2

2x04 fire and ice

2x12 fish fever

2x14 get off my tail

2x17 moonstruck

total: 9 episodes

divided by the number of episodes in which emma appeared: 9/51 or ≈18%

divided by the number of episodes in the series: 9/78 or ≈12%

list of bella-centric episodes:

season 3

3x02 jungle hunt

3x06 secrets & lies

3x08 kidnapped

3x10 revealed

3x11 just a girl at heart

3x20 queen for a day

3x23 beach party

total: 7 episodes**

divided by the number of episodes in which bella appeared: 7/26 episodes or ≈27%

divided by the number of episodes in the series: 7/78 or ≈9%

overall, 50 episodes (or ≈64% of all h2o episodes) focus more on a specific character’s arc, leaving 28 episodes (or ≈36%) that focus more on the group as a whole.

what does this analysis tell us? well, unsurprisingly, far fewer episodes center emma or bella. but 18 episodes center cleo—does this mean that she's the main main character of the series? i'd argue that the writers framed her character this way. still, rikki, emma, and even bella are hardly minor characters. after all, h2o is about the Power of Friendship in this trio of girls who have been brought together by the mermaid secret—and each girl is supposed to play a roughly equal role in all of this.

footnotes:

*cleo and rikki were the only mermaids to appear in all 78 episodes of h2o. therefore, i didn’t break their screen time down any further like i did with emma and bella, who appeared in 51 and 26 episodes, respectively. (no, emma wasn’t in all 52 episodes of her two seasons—she didn’t appear in “the gracie code, part one”.)

**i feel like i should add that most of bella’s episodes are also will-centric. while she has more episodes dedicated to her in season 3 than cleo or rikki, this doesn’t necessarily translate to more character development or meaningful plot lines. i’ll let you form your own opinions on that, though.