#Anyways this is about hoboys

[disconnectedkid]

[likemesomesalads]

Best to worst at braiding hair out of ur salads lets goooooo

HOBOI. I have 38 of them slkghjsl

Rhysalea, He's braiding his own hair every day, he can def braid others' as well and he can make pretty complicated braids as well.

Xeneviev, can do very nice braids in many styles

Dau, he's a dad. braiding is just a skill dads should know.

Laplace, she likes braiding stuff, hair included. she can't really utilize it since she has no hair or long wines but she can do it

Daihmín, can manage a simple braid very well

Taran, if there would be someone he was close to and needed it he could do it fairly well.

Lusus, also can do a very nice-looking simple braid but it would take ages because it has. to be. perfectly, separated.

Feo Moon, she can if she ask nicely

Alvanil, surprisingly he can do braids, he won't tho

Mionchelie, can also conjure up a decent braid

Aevelyhn, can braid hair but it will look a bit messy

Enfy, if you dare leaving your braid to a child then she's the one you want to trust it with to at least it looks like a braid

Dhealaichte, can manage a simple braid as well

Soléine, it will be lop sided and uneven but a braid

Nura, could if she wanted to but she won't

Zheag, would try but it would be meh at most

Thoernen, same like with zheag but also consider your hair stuck between the prosthetic's finger bits

Ghaelahad, he's not great at it. that's why his hair is in a bun

Rievan, only can braid his own

Tristrham, fingers can do so good with instruments, but no hair, don't let him, it will hurt

Shay, He likes to pull hair not style it, i don't know what else to say about it

Ainlon, in theory he knows how to do it, but never done it

Elohopea, also knows in theory but he's too afraid to poison you to try.

Saberlily, heard about braids, would cut yours off

Belacai, seen braids, would not attempt

Winter, only would try to do it if it's for their lord and saviour, Isolde

Khaerma, despises braids for reasons he won't share

Dhairinne, would not touch any other being than her beloved Feo.

Heirim, does he get to eat the person he made the braid for?

Nico, not a chance, he's too short to reach up to most people anyway

Kaymoer, could learn but not a skill he's interested in so never did. neither would I let him near me ever

Cayde, can't do shit with hair and doesn't care to learn

Neidref, they don't like touching hair if they don't have to.

Wayleth, Can't do it and also doesn't like to touch other people

Xännth, no need braiding hair in the mists everyone's ghost

Rayeart, in theory he could but he'd freeze over your entire body while doing it, not worth it

Caelus, can't and won't

Ysabeil, she's blind, so she has no idea how it looks even if she tries

[mintyvoid]

hoboy not me failing to do what i scheduled. again.

a friend gifted me a good solid game engine for unity a while back and ive been trying to figure out something to make a prototype with it. but even just opening unity and playing around with the demo scenes took so much energy.

..trying not to think about the like 5+ protos i havent finished and do still want to finish. but then my inability to learn coding comes back to bite me in the ass.

i'm then tempted to just try and learn something easier like godot, but buckling down the learn anything i choose is once again really fucking hard and the constant of 'well if you want to make something that can't be achieved through this..you'll have to go through the process of learning code anyways' is a big barrier too.

god i hate my brain.

[the-wanted-man]

Dear person I’m jealous of,

“Dear person m'jealous of,

Hoboy, we been waitin’ fer this talk, haven’t we? Ya’ been waitin’ t’hear from me. Knowin’ I’d say sumthin’ eventually. Know that I got nothin’ good t’say t’ya, in th’same way ya’ never got anything good t’say to me. In fact, I’ma start with what I hate about ya most. Th’thing that jus’ gits under m’skin an’ its th’fact that I see you everywhere. 

Matter of fact, you're always around and lemme tell ya, I'm ‘bout damn tired of it. It would almost be impressive ‘bout how consistent y’are if not fer th’fact that ya’ make me sick. I think the only things more consistent than you are th'sun an' th'moon as they rise an’ fall each new day, old age, an’ death. You're at every damn street corner. Every turn at the end of the road. Every shadow at every doorstep, an’ every whisper on the wind. I even see ya in the mirror. Mostly because I know yer everything I don't see in the mirror, when I'm lookin’ back at m'self.

See, whenever I look at m'self, I can’t help but take note of all the things I'm not and over time, if I look long enough, them characteristics start to make out the shape'a sum’n else altogether. Yer...more confident than what I see. Ya smile bigger, and yer never as uncertain as th’fella starin’ at ya. Y’know who ya are, and what ya bring to th'table. Yer th'type people naturally gravitate towards. Th' one no one kin git enough of. You're not worried about what other people are thinkin' 'bout when they look at you, and you certainly aren't worried 'bout what they're thinking of when they aren't.

I start to see the features of you when I look at m'self an' eventually, when I look around y’start to look an awful lot like....everyone else. Yer everyone I won't ever be. See, I never been a ladies man. I never had a way wit' words that could make a woman blush or a swagger that could turn her head quick as y’please. I don't got the jokes that'll make her laugh, and I'm not the manly type she's probably lookin' fer. 

No one’s lookin’ fer th’type of feller that second-guesses himself so much he won’t ever make a move. They want th’kind that knows what to do at any given moment, or knows what t'say to make sum’n feel safe or taken care of. Swept away. I ain’t stealin’ anybody's breath away, nobody looks at me like I'm...what they're lookin’ fer. I’m easy t’ferget about, meanwhile people can’t git enough of ya’.

And you, you kin handle yerself in a crowd. Yer loud, an’ distinct and ya know how to be at the center of a room an’ make it yer own. Y'don't let...anyone walk over you, 'cause yer not worried about what anyone might think. And yer tough. Yeah. Y’know how to defend yerself when others are poking fun at you. You know how to speak up and say your piece, not bite your tongue and turn the other cheek. Pretend ya’ didn’t hear nothin’. You know when yer justified, an' even if ya ain’t y'know how to make it so that next time, no one won't consider you an easy target. Ya got grit, n’ spirit. Yer brave in confrontation.

Ya don't compare yerself to others, because why would ya ever need to? Yer the first, second, and third choice I never was an’ likely never will be. Yer th' mysterious figure behind every person I thought I ever had a chance with, who made it so I don't have any chance at all. Yer th'one they can’t wait to see when they’re ‘round me. Yer not th'one they settled fer because no one else was about. Yer not temporary or replaceable. Yer not...Well, yer not me. Y'know that, tho’. I know that. An' sumtimes it feels like everyone else knows that too.

So I sit quietly. I mind my p’s and q’s, and I don’t ever make a move or take my shot because I know it’d be pointless in the end anyways. The truth is yer everything I wish I could be, and everything I wish I wasn't and ain't that just a damn shame? I wish t’be rid of ya, but m’scared you’ll be a shadow darkenin’ m’life fer as long as I’m alive. When will I overcome ya?”

The audio log ends with a forlorn sigh, and a ‘click’ as the recording ends.

Thank you! This was hard because there’s never any one person he’s jealous of, just a bunch of things he’s envious of in other people that he feels he doesn’t have. Poor guy has a lot of self-doubt but this was fun to write.

From Here!

[roseverdict]

More Than He Seems (Part 2)

snord help me i'm back on my

★·.·´~bullshit~`·.·★

i am but a monkey gifted with access to a typewriter and given no rules with which to constrain myself

this one's more a talky chapter, but we also get to see bill for the first time so there's that. stan is not a fan of the resident demon dorito.

warnings: not much. bodily possession of a nerd by everybody's least favorite piece of geometry. aforementioned geometry-in-a-nerd-suit proceeds to get tied up and he is Not Happy about it. more of stan's potty mouth.

part 1 here! ao3 version here!

〜〜〜〜〜〜

"His name is Bill Cipher. I first summoned him via reading an incantation recorded on a cave wall, deep within the cliffs surrounding this town." Ford began. "My original plan to take care of him was to make the trek up to the caves again and deface the summoning instructions. I had planned on waiting until you had the journal and were well away from the town, but since that's not happening any time soon-"

"You better believe it!"

"-I suppose I will have to account for your continued presence…I know I have enough supplies for a one-person trip there, but if both of us are to go and return, it will have to be postponed until there are enough supplies for the both of us."

"…okay, that'll keep the asshole out of other people's brains." Stan conceded, filing away the odd way Ford had phrased his plans for later. "That still doesn't answer my question, though. What about yours?"

"I'm…I'm not entirely sure it can be done." Ford's voice came out quiet and resigned. "When I trusted him, I trusted him so completely that I allowed him access until the end of time itself. Even though I have done my best to do damage control, I can't take that back."

Stan scowled at a particularly fresh stain on the far wall. "I call bullshit. There's gotta be something."

"If there is, I have yet to find it." Ford sighed, glancing away. "Aside from pie-in-the-sky 'plans' that aren't even feasible-!"

"And exactly how much sleep have you been getting?" Stan countered, turning his scowl on his brother. "You're not firing on all cylinders, Stanford. Get some rest if you can, and then give this mess another look. That's Problem-Solving 101!"

"But what about Cipher?" Ford protested, his face pale. "The moment I fall asleep, he'll swoop right in and, and-!"

"And, I'll deal with it." Stan cut him off. He shifted his shoulder slightly, the peas in the bag rustling. "I'm not gonna be getting any sleep for a while, anyway. If this 'Bill' guy starts causing trouble, I'll keep him in line and make sure he can't leave your body worse than how he got it. Once you wake back up, w-you'll be able to think more clearly."

When Ford next spoke, a long moment later, it was with a quiet, shaky, "You're sure?"

"Positive." Stan twisted his scowl into a self-assured smirk, forcing himself to not look as worried as he felt. "Now rest, Stanford! It's…wow, it's one in the morning!"

(Stan tried not to think about how easy it felt to slip back into the role of 'the one who told Ford to sleep like a sane person,' even after so many years.)

"Right. Right, I'll…I'll go rest." Ford stood up from the table and staggered to the doorway, his voice dropping to a cracking murmur. "I'll rest. I can rest now."

Stan swallowed, watching the shell of his brother stumble away. Hoboy.

There was still a part of him that wanted to keep yelling at Ford for what he'd let their pa do ten years ago, but it was quickly being overwhelmed by the growing need to get him back to full health.

Ford had only called him there because he needed something from him, the devil on Stan's shoulder insisted.

The angel on his other shoulder countered that Ford was in way over his head!

Ford had dug his own grave.

Ford didn't deserve to have an actual demon use him as a puppet for the rest of eternity!

Oh, curse his brotherly instincts!

Setting his bags of peas aside, he got up and trailed Ford to one of the open rooms, just in time to see him drop face-down onto an unmade bed in a dead faint, still dressed.

A blink later, Ford's body shot back up, and too-bright eyes and a too-wide grin twisted back to face Stan.

Hm. Yellow eyes and funky pupils. That'd be useful to remember.

"Well, well, well, hey there, little Fishy!" Ford's voice giggled, nasal and grating.

Stan crossed his arms and made himself a smidgen more imposing in the doorway. "I take it you're Bill, then?"

"Oh, you've heard of me!" Bill-Ford (Bord?) beamed, pressing Ford's fingers to his mouth in faux surprise. "My reputation precedes me!"

"Damn right it does." Stan snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Let's get one thing straight. You don't get free reign of Ford's body anymore, got that?"

Bord raised an eyebrow at that, the malicious glee draining slightly from his stolen face. "Oh? And who are you to tell me what I can and can't do with this meatsack?"

"Simple."

Stan made himself tall enough that he could glare down his nose at Bord without it being too contrived.

"I'm his brother."

Bord smirked up at him, unfazed. "That didn't stop you from hurting him ten years ago!"

"You're supposed to be this all-seeing demon, aren'tcha?" Stan snarled. "You know as well as I do that that was an accident. Besides, Ford's letting me stay here, only God knows why, and I'm not about to let some asshole with an overinflated ego fuck him up if I have anything to say about it!"

"Oh, sure, we know that." Bord shrugged nonchalantly. "But Sixer doesn't! As far as he's aware, you saw him stretching his wings and decided you would cripple him so he could never leave y-!"

Stan's fist found itself buried in the doorway with a crunch of breaking wood, where Bord could see it plain as day.

"The moment I figure out a way to do that to you properly, that's you." Stan ground out, using his other hand to pull a cloth of some kind from his pocket. "Y'got that, you demented dorito?"

"You do seem to like punching things." Bord nodded as if considering Stan's threat, then smiled too widely again. "I wonder how long it'll take for Fordsy to decide you haven't changed! Do you think you'll be banned from Oregon in a month? What about a week? Maybe even-mmph?!"

Stan tied the gag around Ford's head with a silent apology to his brother, but outwardly, he just huffed. "That's enough outta you, I think."

Bord gave him an affronted glare, muffled shouts making their way from Ford's mouth as he tried to go after Stan. Stan, however, being as strong as he needed to be at any given moment, easily wrenched Ford's shaky, weakened arms behind his back and hefted Bord into the air. Bord started wriggling around like a toddler on Smile Dip, but Stan dropped him on Ford's mattress and set about restraining him with a businesslike efficiency.

Arms tied behind his back with the pillowcase? Check.

Legs tied together with the sheets? Check.

Blanket wrapped over Ford's chest and legs and under the mattress like the world's most cozy seatbelt? Check.

"Sleep tight, Bill." Stan smirked, stepping back and sitting on the nearby couch, leaning his elbows on his knees. "You're not going anywhere on my watch."

Bord screamed under the gag, but all that came out was a venomous "MRGHMPH!!!"

Stan chuckled darkly, shifting back into his usual shape. "Yeah, you'd better just deal with it. I'm making sure Ford gets a fucking good night's sleep, and nobody can stop me."

Bord glared at him, but aside from pulling at his restraints and muffled screeches, could do nothing to express his displeasure.

Stan almost gave himself a pat on the back, but his shoulder twinged at the idea.

Ah well. It was the thought that counted.

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Stanford found himself floating adrift in his house.

This was something he recognized immediately, though he hadn't done it in quite a while.

Usually, this only happened when Bill was in his body while he was awake.

Stanford crossed his arms and floated around warily. If Bill wanted to keep Stanford's body, he would have to fight him for it.

Muffled shouts slipped out from under one of the doors, cutting off his train of thought. Figuring Stanley had merely stubbed a toe or something, Stanford poked his head inside to investigate.

An exhausted-looking Stanley gave Stanford's body a deadpan glare from where he sat. "Seriously, you can quit fighting this whenever. Ford's not alone anymore, and you just gotta deal."

Bill bit out something that didn't quite make it past the gag in his stolen mouth, but in the Mindscape, Stanford could hear him loud and clear. "ONCE I GET OUT OF THESE BINDINGS, I'LL TEAR YOUR STILL-BEATING HEART OUT OF YOUR CHEST WITH MY BARE HANDS AND FEED IT TO YOU!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Stanley rolled his eyes, only for his eyebrows to shoot up as he stared in Stanford's direction.

Stanford blinked and glanced behind him, but nothing there seemed to have caught Stanley's attention.

Stanley tilted his head. "That's new. Stanford, are you aware you're a ghost or something?"

Wait.

"You can see me?!" Stanford gasped.

"Okay, uh, those are definitely words you're trying to make with your mouth, but I can't hear a thing." Stanley stated. "I'm just gonna go out on a limb here and guess you weren't expecting me to see you?"

Stanford raised a finger to explain to him, but after his mind caught up with him, put it back down in favor of shrugging and nodding.

"Huh. Weird." Stanley frowned in thought before seemingly setting it aside. He gestured to where Stanford's body strained against his bedsheets in a vain attempt to get loose. "So, is Bill usually this scream-y?"

"I'LL SHOW YOU 'SCREAM-Y,' YOU OVERGROWN FISH STICK!"

Stanford swallowed and floated away from his body in the equivalent of a very large sidestep. He shrugged to Stanley again, wiggling his hand in a "so-so" motion.

Stanley nodded to himself. "Kinda. Got it. Are you as rested as you can be? This whole thing is an absolute clusterfuck, but I'm guessing since it's been a few hours and you're sorta conscious now, that's gonna be as much sleep as you'll be getting tonight."

Stanford rubbed the back of his neck, (a few hours? it wasn't a full night's sleep, but it was more than he'd been getting before!) but nodded again.

"Alright, then how do we get you back in there?" Stanley asked, pushing himself to his feet.

Stanford frowned, rubbing at his chin as he glanced at his body.

Bill grinned at him. "You don't honestly believe he's going to stay and help you, do you?"

Stanford levelled a glare at Bill, then turned to Stanley. He mimed throwing his fist into his palm, then pointed to Bill.

Stanley gaped. "You want me to knock him out? Stanford, I'm not exactly a lightweight! You'll be feeling it for days!"

Stanley did have a point. He always had been the champion boxer when they were children.

"Ooh, is Fishy gonna beat up his beloved brother?"

Then again, he'd really rather be in his body than let Bill run amok.

He nodded firmly, pointing harder at his body.

"…if you insist." Stanley finally conceded, his shoulders stiff as he stood and inched towards the mattress.

Bill just smirked beneath the gag. "Just you wait, Sixer! You'll be at each other's throats in no time! I WON'T EVEN HAVE TO DO ANYTH-!"

Stanley's fist met Stanford's chin, and Bill dropped to the mattress like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Lights out, you nutty nacho." Stanley muttered, shaking his hand out. He glanced back at Stanford. "Once you're back in there and untied, I'll get you some ice. You'll want it, trust me."

Stanford nodded and dove into his body, filling out his limbs with sensation once more-

-and hissing in pain as his chin yelled at him.

Stanley's voice reached him as if from across an ocean. "You with me, Stanford?"

Stanford managed a small nod, cracking his eyes open and croaking an, "I'm up," past the gag.

He caught sight of a Stanley-shaped blob leaning in and inspecting his eyes, then Stanley nodded and ungagged him before moving on to the restraints. "So, uh, if worst comes to worst and we have to do all that again, is there any way we can give Bill the boot without busting you up?"

"As of now, I don't quite know." Stanford admitted, pushing himself upright once Stanley freed his chest and wrists. "Theoretically, it should be possible to avoid it in the first place, but without any leads to go off of, we would just be running in circles, dancing to Bill's tune."

"Circles…" Stanley murmured, untying Stanford's legs. "…hey, isn't it a whole 'thing' to use circles in magic and stuff? Maybe there's some kind of spell that you can use to make your head a Bill-free zone?"

Stanford frowned in thought. "I don't think it would work to cast it directly on myself…perhaps I can figure out a way to Bill-proof the house itself? Oh, but the only thing that might work would be…ughhhhh…"

Stanley lifted an eyebrow and plopped down on the other end of the mattress. "What's the hold-up, Stanford?"

"I've been working on this problem for weeks, and so far the only potential solution I could think up involves…" Stanford shuddered.

"…attempting to appease the unicorns for a lock of their hair."

Stanley's eyebrows shot up at that. "Unicorns? Real, honest-to-God unicorns?"

"Yes." Stanford groaned. "And they're incredibly insistent that only one who is pure of heart is worthy to take their hair. I haven't tried asking them yet, since when I first discovered them I had no need for their hair, but after my dealings with Bill, I doubt they'll see me as worthy."

Stanley frowned. "Well, you're trying to fix your mistakes, aren't you? That's already way better than some people I've known. A lot of guys just see something they did wrong, whether they meant to or not, and they just bolt."

(Stanford had a feeling Stanley was talking about more than just unicorn hair.)

He shoved the thought aside. "Even so, I once bore witness to one of their Weighings of Heart, and they are very…thorough in their judgement."

"It's worth a shot, ain't it?"

"…yes, I suppose it is."

Stanley managed a lopsided grin. "Then for what it's worth, I say give it a go!"

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: March 2020

So like most of you, this month has seen more time spent at home consuming things. Now, more than ever, I think it’s good to share what we’re doing and seeing and hearing. Here’s how March went.

……….FILM……….

The Invisible Man (2020) Stressfully fantastic. I was relieved when it was more of a thriller/suspense sorta film (as opposed to straight horror) and hoboy does it deliver on making everything tense. Well-acted and relevant. Also very stressful.

The Muppet Movie (1979) First time seeing this and it holds up. I would say I recognized maybe 5 of the celebrities that were featured, but could easily tell when someone was supposed to be a familiar face. Man fame is a weird thing. Anyway, the songs and origin story were lovely and I really think what works about the muppets are their blend of absurdity and sincerity. Sure they snark each other sometimes, but their general motivation is to put some good in the world and I think that’s a great addition to our media diet.

Jenny Slate: Stage Fright (2019) This is the first of Jenny Slate’s specials that I’ve seen and it was a lot of fun! The interweaving of home videos, interviews with family, and her stand-up added an extra layer to everything. Oh also very funny!

Black Christmas (2019) We missed this in theatres and were anxiously waiting for the blu-ray release and...I think that built up too much anticipation. I’m all for what the movie was trying to say, but how it said it was muddled. It also managed to be fairly boring for 2/3 of the runtime. Bummer. 

……….TELEVISION……….

Love is Blind (Episode 1.01 to 1.02) We’ve barely started this and I wasn’t sure about it during the first ep, but knowing the series quickly moves past the blind dating is reassuring. Very keen to see how this all plays out.

McMillion$ (Episode 1.01 to 1.03) I know there’s a far more popular (and tiger-centric) docuseries in the zeitgeist right now, but I’m really enjoying this. They limit the insane FBI agent after the first episode, and it’s the right call. It’s true crime that we can all relate to via the McDonald’s element, and for that alone I think it’s worth checking out.

Locke & Key (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) Wonderfully whimsical. The last two episodes have some questionable writing that really only stands out because the previous 8 were so strong, but I suppose part of that is likely due to setting up a second season? I dunno. It did make me interested in returning to the series (as the first volume didn’t click with me) so that’s saying something.

What We Do in the Shadows (Episode 1.08 to 1.10) Consistently strong season of television! It’s refreshing to watch something where each episode works on it’s own, while still offering lots of through-lines across episodes. Also that finale gave us lots to get excited for with the next season! Very very good series.

The Bachelor (Episode 24.10 to 24.12) What a dud. This season ended the way it started and that really makes one question why they watched it at all? It certainly wasn’t for the beautiful friendships formed between contestants. It wasn’t for the deep and meaningful conversations while the lead tried to find true love. It wasn’t even for the genuine drama about silly things. It all just felt overproduced and undercooked. Such a bummer.

……….READING……….

Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (Complete) I love a good Discworld novel (this being number 12!) It’s like comfort food in these complex times. The Witches are always fun and I really picture the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus and that adds another layer to things. If you’re looking for light, humours fantasy chock full of tropes, check out this series.

The Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean Giraud (Complete) After having read this just once and barely remembering it, I decided to come back to it. I still find it a little wordy, but the overall plot is so operatic and psychedelic that I’m glad I gave it a reread. It feels 70s future in a way that I can’t describe, and I can totally see why Jodorowsky wanted to direct DUNE. This is political and weird and has everything he couldn’t make happen with that movie. Anyway, it’s worth picking up. 

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell (Complete) A wonderfully illustrated short story. Enough of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White has been changed and merged to make it a fresh interpretation and Gaiman finds a good balance of creepy and all-ages appropriate.

……….AUDIO……….

Twin Temple (Bring You Their Signature Sound.... Satanic Doo-Wop) by Twin Temple (2018) A lot of folks have been posting their fave listening online while we all quarantine and it’s introduced me to so much (including this)! The title says it all and “Satanic Doo-Wop” perfectly encapsulates their sound.

OOZEFM (Spotify Account) I’ve started a dedicated Spotify account for Booburgh’s radio station, OOZEFM. Curated playlists abound and I hope you enjoy!

……….GAMING……….

Neverland: A Storybook Campaign Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) My RPG setting! The ongoing campaign is continuing along well as the group spends more time in the mountains while waiting to find a fallen star. They’ve also come across a few pirates, so that’s also fun. I also ran a  one-shot with the Mof1 Podcast that you can listen to here (well, the first half)!

A Red & Pleasant Land (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) The group continues to explore the dual towers and after killing an egg man, rescuing a spider, and fireballing a bunch of the King’s court, they’ve been presented with a choice: door #1 or door #2.

Celeste (Matt Thorson and Noel Berry) Such a beautiful game. The controls and concept are so perfect and each new stage offers something fresh. I wish those stages were broken up into smaller chapters, as I’d be more likely to revisit if I didn’t have to commit to the whole thing at once, but I’m splitting hairs at this point. Absolutely check this out.

Wilmot’s Warehouse (Finji) Wonderfully relaxing and exactly as the trailer describes: for people who love to organize things. The stress of getting deliveries/getting items to customers is balanced by stretches of free time where you can rearrange and organize your supplies at your leisure. I’m about 60% of the way through and find not much has evolved. I don’t know if I’ll finish it but I’ve really enjoyed the time spent with it so far.

And that’s it! As always, share any recommendos and stay safe out there.

Happy Tuesday!

[emilywatchescursedshow]

SPN S2 E4 - Things that are dead or something

Uhoh I've already seen screencaps of a scene from this episode

Also just an aside before we begin, but I don't know if we're ever going to make good on Sam's feelings vis a vis John's death, or the weird "Sam is like John" storyline from the end of the first season. So far we're dealing with Dean being Storng and Silent Man but clearly having a lot of anger. I guess John told Dean something before he died, presumably about why the demon was targeting Sam, that Dean doesn't want to talk about. But the consequence is that the narrative is very much focusing Dean's internal struggle. Which I have kind of mixed feelings about because I actually think Sam's relationship to John's death could be pretty interesting, but he's not getting a lot of opportunity to have complex feelings. Anyway, let's begin.

Takes hand, strokes it lovingly, "you're a good friend" neil looks on, ah yes, friend

Oh my god it's a motorola

She's going to die in a car wreck. Yup. Hands free devices kids, hands free devices.

Also she's a brunette, so Sam is definitely going to kiss this ghost.

Did.. did they color code the brothers' love interests to match their hair colors.

Why... did John Winchester wear dog tags ???? Did he serve in the - OH FUCK IS DEAN WEARING DOG TAGS TOO??? i HAVE BEEN TRACKING DEAN NECKLACES AND THE DOG TAG STRING IS NEW. IS THERE GOING TO BE A STUPID DOG TAG THING IN THIS STUPID SHOW?

Graveyard crop circle.

Oh no there aren't dog tags it's just a chain but that chain is now guilty of 2 different continuity errors that's what being obsessed with Dean's stupid necklaces gets you I guess.

Dean daring Sam to ask him about his feelings about John's death.

Can't wait until this show gets away from the "family is everything" theme and starts with the "family fucking sucks dick sometimes get some friends" or at least that's what I'm assuming is going on

No Dean, don't look angry sad at Sam, nooooooo don't go for a late night drive to get a drink... nooooo you're so sexy hahaha

If I was a better plant nerd I would be able to identify what that plant on the table that they effects wilted was - I think it was a pothos? But the leaves looked too small

Also just going to say it, but Dean's little hair twist looks stupid. I know that's the hairdo he has the whole time but it looks stupid.

Dean is not reacting to anything this girl is saying. Meanwhile this extra is doing a great job portraying distraught college student.

Why is Sam watching skin channel...... and why did he balance the brochure on the TV

Did they just accuse this guy of being potentially suicidal ? That sort of sucks.

Sam has always been afraid to get dirty he almost puked putting a gloved finger in a dead lady's mouth

Also I love this perfectly square hole they dug.

Dean having daddy issues at a dead girls dad

Sam's scared of clowns he scares easy

Hoboy well at least I saved this much tumblr deleted the rest. Not much important of reaction to the rest of the episode, it was fine. OH there was that “you need someone else to have big sex” line or whatever that was very choice. Oh well. Nice Jackles acting confession scene at the end. Also they used Sam as bait bc the dead girl was a brunette they are just color coding by hair with these love interests huh.

[consulting-caffrey]

Fanfiction Questions!

A great big thank you to @tohavealifetimeoffun for letting me use these! 1. What was the first fandom you got involved in? Heartland. 2. What is your latest fandom? White Collar! 3. What is the best fandom you've ever been involved in? The best? That's tough. That's really tough. But in the end I have to go with White Collar. 4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms? Nope. Not a single one. 5. Which fandoms have you written fanfiction for? Mainly White Collar because I only started posting just before getting into that fandom seriously. Before that, it was Avengers. 6. List your OTP from each fandom you've been involved in. Heartland: Ty/Amy Iron Man: Pepper/Tony Avengers: Tony/Steve Supernatural: Dean/Lisa (judge me all you want, destiel shippers) White Collar: Neal/Sarah but hell, its hard to choose between that and Neal/Peter because COME ON that show is practically throwing it at us! 7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you've been in. Hoboy... Heartland: Amy/Soraya Uncharted: Chloe/Nadene Iron Man: Pepper/Natasha Avengers: Clint/Laura (I'm sorry but I can't. I will die for Clintasha) White Collar: Neal/Jones (I've seen it, I respect it, I admire from a distance, but I can't. Same with Neal/Diana) 8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom? Well, it started when I stumbled upon it on Netflix and thought one of the guys on there looked cute (I'll let you guess which one) and so I started watching it only to get bored partway through and I went galavanting in the Avengers fandom for a few years before coming back like "Hey I never finished that". And here I've stayed ever since. Stuck. Thanks, Jeff Eastin. 9. What are the best things about your current fandom? Even though the show has ended, the White Collar fandom is still alive and active. Its like we all still stick together and keep track of what Matt Bomer is up to these days like "hey, The Last Tycoon! Also I just wrote another White Collar fic haha pry this show from my cold dead hands". 10. Is there a fandom you read fic from but don't write in? Nah, I don't stray far from White Collar. 11. Who is your current OTP? Gotta be Neal/Peter at the moment. I just love their bromance though. I know those two are like THE ship but I usually prefer Neal/Sarah, which for some reason isn't very well liked, I hear??? 12. Who is your current OT3? Um, the only OT3 I've ever had. Peter/Neal/El 13. Any NoTPs? Neal/Jones, Neal/June (what?), and I don't wanna say its a definite no, because I miiiiight consider Neal/Mozzie. And I have written Neal/Diana but I don't particularly like it. 14. Go on, who are your BroTPs? Peter/Neal of course, Neal/Mozzie 15. Is there any obscure ship that you love? Well not really. Neal/Kate, but I wouldn't call it obscure. 16. Are there any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike? Ehhhh not really. 17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favorite? Ty/Amy from Heartland and yes, I still love those two to bits. 18. What ship have you written the most about? Steve/Tony. Funny since I started out HATING those two together and it was EVERYWHERE all up in my face but then next thing I know I've got like fifty stories about them 19. Is there a ship you wish you could get behind but you just don't feel them? Neal/Mozzie. 20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking? Peter/Neal/El, like I said. I like it, I do. I've just never had an OT3 before and I think that's what threw me off a bit. 21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote? That would be a Heartland fic that took up an entire notebook. 22. Is there anything you regret writing? Eh... Sometimes. I regret writing things that I don't finish. 23. Name a fic you've written that you're especially fond of and explain why you like it. Neal Caffreys. Oh man I want to continue that little project forever. There are so many possibilities. 24. What fic so you desperately need to rewrite or edit? Ummmm probably Take Me Back To Normal. I need to offer more explanation and reason for my torture haha 25. What's your most popular fanfic? I haven't checked in a while but I believe it's Neal Caffreys. 26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles? Sometimes song lyrics or they just... come to me? 27. What do you hate more: coming up with titles or writing summaries? Summaries oh god... 28. If someone were to draw a piece of fan art for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of? Oooooooo It would be for a story that I'm currently working on (actually a chapter for Neal Caffreys but I really want to make it a full story) where Neal is a horseman. The picture would be Neal standing next to his horse, and the horse would look all badass and everything AGH! Please somebody. Also hey I do have a piece of fan art for my story Tale Me Back To Normal done by @kanarek13 and I love it so much 29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not? I do not. I am very good with English and writing so I can edit my own stuff. In fact, I prefer to. It just kinda feels lazy to pass a piece off to someone else to do that for me. 30. What inspires you to write? Well watching the show helps. Also reading fanfiction. 31. What's the nicest thing that someone has ever said about your writing? Oh gosh, that they go back and read it all the time so I should never take it down. That just made me so happy to hear. 32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band of music/genre does it for you? I cannot listen to music when I write. I like to have quiet so I can picture what I want better. If I have music on, I just end up drowning it out anyway. But music itself does inspire me sometimes. 33. Do you write one-shots, multi-chapter fics, or huuuge epics? Oneshots are what I try to stick to, but the multi-chapter thing is also okay. Huge epics? Lol not so much 34. What's the word count on your longest fic? Oh man I gotta go look this up... 35,038 ...Holy crap 35. Do you write drabble? If so, what do you write them about? Hmmm I think I've written maybe two drabble fics? I don't do them often because I like my h/c action torture awfulness. But I do like to get in Neal's head. 36. What's your favorite genre to write? Everybody whose read any of my stuff already knows it's hurt/comfort and angsty things. 37. First person or third person- What do you write in and why? Third person preferably. I just like to get a wider perspective, but with third person, you can also hone in on individuals and their thoughts. 38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs? Both? Obviously my fics are always almost 99% canon characters but I do have OCs that I like to slip in there. I have OCs that I use for RPing but you can find Finnigan Roderas here and there as well as Victor "Vito" Odell in For Your Entertainment. They're a couple of mine. I am a proud parent to at least three more. 39. What is your greatest strength as a writer? The way I can put myself in a scene and imagine all the details, mostly emotions, that go with it. 40. What do you struggle with the most in your writing? Well like I mentioned, I tend to write stories around one small thing I want to get out, and once that thing is out and I've created a mess, I just go "...what now? I didn't think this far ahead..." 41. List and link to five fanfics you are currently reading. Oh man I usually only read one at a time... But I'll put that one down and then add four that I read before it. Enemies http://archiveofourown.org/works/2290154 You Look Like A Koala http://archiveofourown.org/works/2329949 Somehow, Sundown http://archiveofourown.org/works/6159619 Wrong Time, Wrong Place http://archiveofourown.org/works/2435216 Love Lift Me Up http://archiveofourown.org/works/2503781 42. List and link to five fanfiction authors that are amazing. Now this I can do. pooh_collector http://archiveofourown.org/users/pooh_collector/pseuds/pooh_collector Sholio http://archiveofourown.org/users/Sholio/pseuds/Sholio Huntress79 http://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress79/pseuds/Huntress79 Ashley5627 http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashley5627/pseuds/Ashley5627 NYWCgirl http://archiveofourown.org/users/NYWCgirl/pseuds/NYWCgirl 43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you? Definitely @kanarek13 and @archivistsrock Also @hirunoka and all the anons who keep encouraging me to write and keep writing~ 44. What ship do you feel needs more attention? Mozzie/Gina 45. What is your all time favorite fanfic? A week ago, I wouldn't have been able to tell you, but then I found Out of the Wastes by Sholio and I can't tell you how much I love it. Seriously. Go check it out. 46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why? Mmmmm... I don't know that I'd recommend any of them, but I guess Neal Caffreys is my pride and joy. That one. 47. Archive of our Own, Dreamwidth, LiveJournal, Fanfiction.net, or Tumblr- Where do you prefer to post and why? AO3 for sure. I like the setup and everyone on there seems nice so far (barring one strange incident). I used to post on FF but eh... A couple people on there really pissed me off. I'll leave it at that. 48. Do you care if people comment/reboot your writing? Why/Why not? I'm not sure what that means. Comments on my writing in a separate post? Rebooting my story to make a better version themselves? Idk I've never really experienced either of those things, if that's what this means. I guess maybe I wouldn't mind. Not sure. 49. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction? I got into writing it first because the idea came to me all on its own and I thought I was a genius. Then I believe my dear friend @tfwhancock was like "let me show you FF" and I was stuck there for months. 50. Rant or hush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go! I LOVE THAT IT EXISTS OH MY GOD YES I love that I can use characters that I love and write them and make them do what I want and just AGHHGGH I LOVE IT SO MUCH. It's so fun and exciting and just reading what people come up with is the most amazing thing! When you have to stop reading and just appreciate a line or a phrase like "oh that's good" Mmmmm love me that feeling~ Tagging: anyone who wants to do this!

[thebiscuiteternal]

It's Probs not my business but literally how did this person give so many people fleas????

Hoboy. So, going back to my first year at SCAD, one of my besties from the prior summer camp, who went by the nickname Etch, got tossed into the roommate roulette and ended up with this girl L. L turned out to be one of the biggest pains in the ass our group ever suffered for many reasons, but one of the biggest was that she was absolutely disgusting. We could only assume it was some kind of angsty rebellion, because in the first ten-week quarter, the shower (yes, I mean singular) she took was on the day her parents visited. 

Anyway.

About two weeks into quarter two (Etch had been stuck with her until a room opened up because of a large Freshman class), Etch and I pulled a major late-nighter for a class, and since she didn’t want me walking all the way back to my dorm at four in the morning, she gave me a couple of pillows and I crashed on the floor of her and L’s room. That morning in my drawing class, I could. not. stop. scratching. It got so bad that my teacher came over and asked me to roll up my pant legs to take a look.

And then, in her lovely British accent, she said the fatal words. “These look an awful lot like flea bites.”

The literal second the class was over, I called Etch and bolted for her dorm building. The rug that I’d slept on? The originally white one that had nearly turned yellow from L’s moldy clothes laying on it all quarter? Infested. Her bedding? Infested. And to make matters worse, a couple of our friends who’d stayed over there before had been having mysterious itching, but had waved it off as mosquitos because it was the beginning of Spring in Georgia.

We ended up having to complain to Housing so that they would bug bomb the room, and then our friend T dragged L out (which she wasn’t happy about, but by that point, we didn’t care) while Etch and I threw everything of hers through a laundry cycle since she still refused to do it herself because apparently she didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

Etch asked that day that her move request get bumped up, and it got granted.

(and then L stalked her for weeks for “abandoning” her, but that’s a whole different story)

[imagine-those-skaters]

What about Yuri.p ,pitchit and Leo when they accidently blurt out that they have a crush on s/o while in conversation with someone/people and the person / people that hear it just smile real big and tease them about it ~sorry its so long -H

No worries, darling~ It’s just fine! I’m a little confused what with the constant mention of people, but I think I get the gist of it! Hopefully this is alright

-Yuri’s just chatting with Mila when it happens-But I use the term “chatting” incredible lightly-It’s more-Her talking and asking things and he just-Grunts confirmations while looking through his phone-Like wow, thanks, you silver-tongued rascal-And Mila totally knows, by now the conversation is a fucking mess, she’s just saying weird shit because it’s funny how it flies over his head-”Yuri, you know a cow can’t digest it’s food until it makes sweet love with a squirrel?”-”Mhm.”-what the fuck Mila-But now she’s getting bored, and a bored Mila is a dangerous one-ESPECIALLY when she notices you nearby-So she grins slyly, and leans against the table, propping her chin on her hand-”Hey Yuri.”-”Mm.”-”Don’t you think Y/N is super cute?”-”Mhm.”-You totally hear, and you begin to blush, and hunch your shoulders, you can’t help but smile a little-Mila continues, grinning, “In fact, I distinctly remember you telling me you have a crush on them, isn’t that right?” oh fuck here it comes-”Mhm.” He replies. But now he’s coming back to earth,since whatever the fuck he’s looking at on his phone is boring af now, and his mind is rewinding what he’s missed-Wait what did he just fucking agree to, hold up--Yuri’s head snaps up, his face looking as if he’s been shot, and he sees Mila smiling, and you smiling, and oH NO, FUCK FUCK FUC--”wAIT WAIT WAIT, NO–”-You grin, “What? Is it true, Yuri? You liiiiike me~?” You flutter your eyelashes, and he’s blushing up a storm, help him-”nO SHUT UP SHUT UP, I DO NOT, FUCK OFF-”-He doesn’t hear the end of it for like a fucking week, he curses Mila out and swears vengeance, hE WILL NEVER LIVE THIS DOWN GODDAMMIT

-Did you know Yuuri’s a piece of SHIT-He’s not but Phichit will never forget this -He did this on purpose, he must have-Phichit’s just chatting with him, they’re talking a ten minute break during practice-and you’re loitering nearby, just checking your phone, checkin texts, kinda zoning in and out, that’s chill-Phichit glances at you now and then, and when you catch his gaze, you smile and wave-And he does the same, laughing slightly-Yuuri looks from you to Phichit and decides to take one for the team-D On ‘T-”So, Y/N…” He starts, leaning his head back-Hoboy-”Yeah, what’s up?” says the unsuspecting you. Phichit tilts his head, curious to hear the conversation-”You ever think about dating anyone? Got your eye on anyone?” -Okay now Phichit knows somethin is up because Yuuri couldn’t give two shits about this kind of stuff-You blink owlishly, and you’re kinda speechless-”Oh, well, um-”-Phichit laughs nervously hahaha yuURI WHAT ARE YOU DOING–-Yuuri’s just smiling nonchalantly, and looks at you expectantly-”Well, I’m sure Y/N is too busy to think about that kind of stuff, right?” Phichit presses, hoping that you won’t answer-Because if you do it might crush him-But you laugh slightly, “Well, actually… I may have my eye on someone…”-Fuck-”Let’s maybe talk about something else,” Phichit says instantly, he can’t stand this, goddammit Yuuri--”What? Why?” Yuuri asks innocently-”Because it’s not exaclty the best thing to hear my crush talking about someone else they like, Yuuri, GOD.” WOOP THERE IT FUCKIN GOES-You grin and Phichit feels like dying-”Aaaaw, you thought I liked someone else? And you felt bad? You’re so cute Phichit~ Don’t worry, I was thinking about you anyway.”-hey can someone kill him he’d really appreciate it THANKS

-Leo, Guang-hong and you are actually having a video chat while it’s happening-It’s kind of hilarious, because in skype if there are more than two people, it’s more of an audio call than video call-So you two are joking around-Guang-hong is fanboying about Viktor, and you two are teasing him for it but WHATEVER that’s what friends do after all-You excuse yourself for a bit, you need to go check up on something-So they’re just, “Okay, hurry back.”-It’s a bit silent, before Leo starts nudging at Guang-hong again.-”You’re practically in love with Viktor, you should just maaaarry him.”-Guang-hong is taking it like the good-sport he is, and just starts laughing, “What are we, five?? Leo, pls.”-Leo starts mimicking his friend’s voice-”Ooooh Viktor, the way you land your quads is sooooo amazing! I’m star-stuck! Have my children Viktor!!”-”I’M A GUY, LEO, I CAN’T GET PREGNANT DON’T BE GROSS”-Leo’s fuckin losin his shit god these kids are like, three-”Yeah, well, if you can tell me to marry Viktor, I can tell you to marry Y/N or something.” Guang-hong says with a smug satisfaction-Leo laughs, “Dude, yeah right, like I’m ever going to tell Y/N I have a crush on them, let alone marry them. It’s more likely that you-”-”Um, you what?”-Fuck.-Leo freezes, and the whole chat goes silent-YOU HAD TO RETURN JUST A FEW SECONDS BEFORE AND YOU RECIEVED THAT BOMB SHELL-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--Leo is freaking the fuck out inside-Guang-hong finally breaks the silence by nearly losing his shit-”O-Oh my god, um, I’m just gonna-”-”Guang-hong, I swear to go d if you leave-” Leo starts before it’s too late-And oh my god, the camera settings are back to work and right there, Leo sees your face-He’s blushing up a storm, and has the most horrified look on his face while he sees you grinning like the Cheshire Cat-”Aaaaw, you have a crush on lil ol me?” You say teasingly-”nO LEAVE ME AL ONE OH MY GOD Y/N”-”YOU’RE BLUSHING OOOOOH MY GOD YOU CUTIE”-”AAAAAAAAAA STO P”

[cuttingdiamonds-blog1]

| 18.01.17 // Day 19 | I didn't do much note taking today, but I did a biol paper, some biology revision, a little bit of maths and some chem revision too. All in all, it wasn't a bad day, but hoboy was I tired. I s2g running on four hours sleep (and it being the most sleep you've had in a while) is not the best idea :| Anyway, I had a good day, although it seems like it lasted about four. I mean, my dad wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows, but I am determined that 2017 will be a good year, and for that to happen, today will have to have been a good day, as was yesterday, and as will be tomorrow, and all the days that follow Even though I'm forcing myself into a positice mindset, in most respects, today was a good day

[kaaras-adaar-a]

inquisitor asks 20, 24, 39

about your inquisitor ask prompt

20. what was their court approval like at the winter palace? did they have any fun at all?

ROfl... hoboy... Kaaras started off with like the littlest approval of all because he’s a ‘disgusting ox man pet’ sooooo yeah, that started off EXCELLENT. Tbh, Kaaras worked his ARSE off at the Winter Palace (and I got stuck doing EVERYTHING and finding EVERY SECRET and yadda yadda). He ended the night with 100% approval and the chance to shove their game back in their face by blackmailing every single one of them about their dirty secrets and making them work together. 

He didn’t want anyone to die. These were have the chance to shape Thedas, and he can’t do it alone, he wants them to try and make Thedas a better place by working together. Florianne was arrested and forced to work for the Inquisition as well. No one died, and that... makes Kaaras happy, in a sense, even though he found out some really shitty things about everyone and how corrupt people are. He hates that, but he also doesn’t want blood on his hands if it doesn’t need to be there. 

It’s also about proving a point that the Inquisition is a force to be reckoned with, and that he, a qunari mage, can play the Game if he really wants to put his mind to it. He did a really good job, and tbh, I am very proud of him. 

He did enjoy himself in parts, but it was a LONG night. He likes getting to dance and he thinks Orlais is pretty. But Halamshiral is also a fucking graveyard in many ways, and he doesn’t like that. But yes... he was excited to see it and be there, and he thought it was all very beautiful, even if sad and HORRIBLY STRESSFUL. He was legit stressed and on edge for like 90% of his time there... He has a very good game face, though. :) And came out with 100% approval :D 

24. what is their opinion on blood magic? would they ever use it, if given the chance?

No, he’d not use it. He almost has, but no... it’s just not the magic for him. That doesn’t mean he is AGAINST blood magic. He actually sees a lot of good and potential in it. Blood magic isn’t all about scary demon bindings and everything else. In theory, he’s VERY interested in it, he wants to learn about it, just not practice it, because I guess in a sense it does scare him a little, the after effects and everything. But he also doesn’t know a lot about it! ( which is why I think a thread about blood magic with @tavis-of-bannorn is going to be REALLY COOL ). Because Kaaras isn’t against it, he doesn’t think blood mages are monsters, he thinks people who use ANY magic in monstrous ways is a monster, lol. 

So while he’d not practice it, that doesn’t mean he’s against it, not fully anyway. It does interest him, and he wants to learn more about it, just so he KNOWS. He’s aware it’s not something he knows about, he’s also aware that people tell scary stories to upset others and call mages monsters, so... he WANTS to learn so he doesn’t think the same... 

39 if varric gave them a nickname, what would it be?

Varric calls him Ram. :) I mean, he doesn’t do it a lot, because Varric always calls him Inquisitor, lol. But yeah... 

[tony-whateven]

Tagged by @junkraatt (thanks betch) 1. Name/Nicknames: My name is Marisa. I go by Riss on Tumblr. I've also heard Rissy, Roast, Rissa, Twiggy, Littlefoot, and probably others. 2. Height: 5 foot 3 or 4 inches. Idk. 3. Hogwarts house: Uhhhhh I have never watched Harry Potter nor read the books but I'm gonna go with Hufflepuff just cuz it sounds adorable and I think I'm adorable. 4. Last thing googled: "Ma'at"... I had a History exam this morning and I was last-minute studying... Do not be like me. 5. A fictional character I'd like to have as a sibling: Hoboy... Um... After a lot of thinking, I'm gonna randomly say that brother character from Flicka because he seems cool. I don't even remember his name but yeah. That dude. 6. How many blankets do I sleep with? Well in the summer, just one. But in the winter, my room is the coldest one in the house so like... all of them. By which I mean two. 7. Favorite artist/band: Ah fehk... It changes so much, but right now it's Set It Off. 8. How many blogs do I follow? Idk 63 last I checked. Half of them aren't even active. I get overwhelmed so easy. 9. What do I usually post about? PSSSHHHHH It's all shit. This is a Trash Blog. 10. Do you get asks regularly? Lol no. Never. My ask box is broken too. It says I have two messages all the time but I only have one that's been there for months and it won't clear out no matter what I do. 11. What's your aesthetic? Uh... nature? Like green lush forests and waterfalls but also that awesome post-apocalyptic overgrown city feel? Idk 12. Tag 20 followers. @tfwjunkrat, @jupy-vore, @ace-jonesy, @kanarek13, @archivistsrock, @fuckyeahtonystark, @hello-shellhead, @lazydemonie, @peterparkerloser, @shadowcat-with-claws, @lynayru, @mishasaurus, @never-let-it-show326, @suchawinchester, @winchester--bros-4-life (15 is all I got but if I forgot you or you just wanna do this anyway, feel free!)

[emilywatchescursedshow]

Spn Season 1 Review

Hoboy

First, the live blogs of the last 4 episodes were done in a haze of jetlag depression so were less specific to what was actually happening in the episodes than normal and contained no extraneous information. HOWMEVER. I will get into those episodes more in this recap because:

1. I do not feel like the season really Led Up to this finale. Part of that could be because I took a bit of a break halfway through, but I think also the groundwork for the Sam/John parallel they tell us about was not really set up in previous episodes. 2. I think that the characterization of the brothers and their relationship to John is really Interesting in these episodes and the drama of that is a big part of the show as a whole, so the last several episodes are pretty relevant here.

THEMING The theme of season 1 is more or less: family. How do you handle family trauma and loss? How do you as a parent protect your children vs let them have independent lives (or just suck major ass)? To what extent is your family holding you back? Etc. The two sort of relationship dynamics this plays in is the Sam/Dean dynamic and the John/sons dynamic.

DEAN Dean’s characterization through this theme remains pretty consistent: he wants to be with his family. He showed up to get Sam at the beginning of the season, and he wants to keep them all alive at the end of the season instead of sacrificing John to kill the demon. The irony is that the season ends with them all “dying” (I know they’re not dead, but right now that’s what the show wants us to believe) and Dean’s insistence on family unity is what ends up getting them all killed.

Dean’s story line throughout has been one of responsibility assumed too early. After their mom died, his dad basically made him co-parent. Dean had to give up his ambitions to bend to his dad’s wishes while also trying to protect Sam from John and various monsters. It makes sense for him, given that backstory, that keeping the family together is his highest priority: he has been forced to give up all sense of self to keep his family safe, so if they die then he literally has nothing. I think it’s interesting that Dean is the only one of him or Sam who actually knew their mother, and yet Sam is the one who gets a mother-relevant character arc.

That might be because of the next aspect of Dean’s character we see: he likes to have sex with women. I tend to be pretty sensitive to misogyny/mistreatment of women on screen, so either I’ve lost my mind or I’m already watching this show through a very queer lens because Dean’s treatment of women throughout the season Did Not Bother Me. The only thing that really rang sour was at the beginning of Provenance when Dean is lying to women about his job to get into bed with them, but even then, like, eh? The whole scene (and all the other such scenes) are depicted with a lightheartedness that is hard to read malice into, and Jackles plays that part with such a wide-eyed “Wow! I get to have sex now!” that it’s hard not to feel anything but happy for the guy. I do suspect that Dean is supposed to be characterized as “treating women like whores/expendable” and so does not have an attachment to his mother in this season because he’s not allowed to have a complex relationship with a woman.

SAM Uh boy. So Sam’s arc begins with his girlfriend getting immolated - we learn later that Sam wanted to propose to her and so she was getting in the way of the demon’s plans for “kids like him.” Whatever that means - the show does not communicate its stakes to us AT ALL, more on that later. Sam gets some episodes of characterization throughout. The only two I can remember are the one with the abused psychic and the one where a woman decides she’s in love with him within seconds of meeting him. In neither episode to I really feel like I understand Sam as a character. We are told at various points that he really loved Jessica and her death has affected him greatly. At the beginning of the season, he dreams about it often, but these dreams end up being psychic in nature (I think?) and fall off by mid season. He doesn’t have a keepsake of hers to gaze at longingly or any other way of showing he’s having trouble letting go. Dean basically lets him off the leash to go kiss Sarah in Provenance, which he seems pretty happy to do and has no real guilt over after. Sam’s characterization is carried out very directly - we are told what he is feeling or had felt, instead of some combination of saying it via dialogue and reading it from his actions. I’ve mentioned that I don’t think Jarp is especially strong as an actor, but I have to chalk this up to both weaknesses in writing and acting because scenes that communicate Sam’s internal world are largely nonexistent IMO.

We are told that the connection between their mother’s death and Jess’s death has had a great impact on Sam. He believes that he is cursed so that the “people he loves” (read, women) will die. While in a broad sense this might be true as the demon does admit to have targeted Sam, the supposed “curse” is not really dealt with by Sam except as a barrier in his journey to move on from lost love. Jess’s death served as Sam’s call to adventure at the beginning of the season and should give some emotional connection to Sam’s continued commitment to hunting, but until the final episodes Sam’s involvement in the monster world is continually explained as “wants to find dad” and not “wants to break curse.” In these episodes, Sam’s Jess backstory comes back and we are told that his desire to kill the demon makes him “like John.” Which. Is. Stupid. Let me explain.

In terms of the theming, Sam’s wanting to kill the demon even though it might cost the lives of any number of the Winchesters makes sense because of his established relationship with his family. He wanted to have a normal life which alienated him from Dean and John. Sam has very negative memories of John, and has little brother blindness to the stuff Dean did for him growing up and is largely unhappy with Dean as well. Thus it is not surprising that to Sam, a Winchester dying is not as large a price to pay if it means that Sam gets to have a normal life.

HOWEVER. I am giving the show a LOT of credit here because they DO NOT make that connection, instead going for the stupid “Sam is like John” parallel which is treated almost like a surprise reveal. John’s reasons for killing the demon are NOT Sam’s reasons for killing the demon. John is motivated by revenge to an insane degree: it has consumed his life and the lives of both of his sons. Sam is not revenge motivated. He moves on from Jess’s death in literally THE EPISODE before the finale run starts. Sam is motivated by what he has always been motivated by: his desire for a normal life, including a wife who wont burst into flames. So on a thematic level, short-handing these character conflicts as “Sam is like John” (which is explicitly stated multiple times throughout these episodes) does not work because these characters are approaching family from a very different place even if they end up with the same goal.

I do want to mention that I think Sam’s backstory of wanting a normal life could have been set up better; the show does a good job with Dean’s “too much responsibility too young” child stand-in, but Sam does not get a “I just wanted to go to prom” child stand-in. Which I miss because that would be HILARIOUS. I think the issue the show has here with Sam is, in short, that Sam wanting to be normal is Very Boring, whereas the world of monsters and how Tortured and Jaded everyone is is much Sexier.

JOHN The text of the show is pretty unabashed about telling us things that John did that a reasonable audience member could interpret as being Very Bad. In the brief moments he has on the show, the dynamic between him and his sons is mixed. There are plenty of heartfelt family moments, and there are plenty of fights. I think the show is definitely weakest when it is following John by himself. I do not care about John except as he relates to Sam and Dean, and really if he is in any sort of danger I just want him to die based on how awful he is as a person, so the suspense does not swing the way the writers maybe wanted it to. 

I think the twist at the end, where Dean realizes the demon has possessed their dad because he’s acting nicer, just b a r e l y works based on what they’ve set up. Honestly, I think the real problem is that John Winchester’s actor does not, to me, read as having any onscreen charisma. In the altercations that he has with Sam, I don’t really feel a threat from him. There isn’t any explosive or destructive energy, just sort of “your mom is mad you ate the last of her ice cream” energy. I’ve literally BEEN a more intimidating fake drill sergeant than John Winchester and I’m 5 feet tall and 110 lbs. John has big sad wet dog energy. He can get mad, but not in a way that’s actually intimidating. Thus, him telling Dean that he’s proud is sort of like “yeah, I bet this milksop is proud or whatever” and not “wow I would have expected that character to be a lot more upset right now.” I get that family dynamics can be complicated and a parent can cause you Bone Pain with just a look that to anyone else would seem harmless, but this is a television show where things have to read on screen. One Look Bone Pain is a lot more nuanced to construct. I think John being Big Mean Drill Sergeant is what they’re trying for, but in my opinion he's mostly just annoying.

Anyway John sucks.

WHAT’S NOT THERE The above talks a lot about what *is* in the show vis. the family theme. But Emily, this is a monster show. What about the monsters? Well. What about them indeed.

This first season of Supernatural is very clearly referencing the tradition of The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A lot of former X-Files people are credited on the season and they mention BTVS by name in an episode that is clearly themed around season 6 Buffy villains. Howmever. Both TXF and BTVS have a very important thing that Supernatural does not. STAKES. And not just ones meant for vamps that then get ignored by SPNs stupid vamp lore voice over.

Both BTVS and TXF handle their monsters very differently. BTVS is a universe where the main character has been fully initiated into the world of monsters so that, throughout the course of the episode, it is reasonable for her to detail pretty specifically what the monster is and what it is capable of. On the other hand, the characters in TXF must always be kept on the edge of the monster world, getting faint glimpses here and there. Usually, Mulder has an expository scene giving information on “what is known” at the beginning of the episode and then further monstrosity is communicated to the audience via interstitial scenes that tell the audience what the monster is and where it’s going, introducing dramatic tension: AA NO SCULLY DON’T TOUCH THAT IT’S SUPER GROSS. Both avenues successfully communicate to the audience what the monsters are (approximately), what they can do, and what their motivations are. This means that in the climactic scene, the audience knows what the STAKES are. They know what might be lost of the main characters fail, they know what the characters need to overcome to succeed, and they know what the monster is trying to accomplish.

Now. Some of the MOTW episodes in Supernatural do communicate what the monster is and what it wants. Scarecrow and Bugs are two that come to mind that both do this. Tellingly, both of these episodes also seem very modeled on TXF (compare/contrast Bugs with the trash golem episode of TXF where Mulder hip thrusts after sticking a flamingo in the yard, essay for another time).

Home is the first Supernatural episode that I identified as being extremely plot-oriented after the pilot. It’s also the first episode after the pilot to give sole writing credit to Kripke. There are interstitial scenes wherein the audience sees spooky stuff happening. However, these scenes do not further the audience’s understanding of the monster - we already know the house is evil and trying to kill people, and that’s pretty much all those scenes show. Moreover, Sam and Dean do not learn more about the monster in the house during this episode; their arc is basically just “Wow, isn’t it strange that the house is spooky now? Our mom died here!” The resolution at the end is borderline incomprehensible and their mother just sort of. Appears. Out of nowhere and then vanishes again with very little emotional weight given to this occurrence later in the episode or in the next episode. My summary of Home was pretty much “I did not like this and don’t want to be mean.” I talked about how I like monsters in monster shows, whereas Supernatural is more of a soap opera.

And yeah, the finale of Supernatural (written by Kripke) basically follows that track as well. I don’t know what these demons are or what they want. I don’t know what they can do besides possess people. When Meg confronts people and talks all big it’s hard for me to take seriously because I don’t know what she wants or what she is capable of, except in that one scene where she wanted to fuck Sam which. gross!

This is what I mean by saying that Supernatural does not have stakes. When the choice between losing a family member verses not defeating the monster is posited, the only reason I as an audience member feel engaged is the family conflict that has been established. There is no tension about the monster because I just have to assume that it will do whatever the writers decide it should do. I’m not weighing the odds of the Winchesters winning, I’m just watching them point guns at each other and hoping for the best.

CONCLUSION Jensen Ackles does a good job of playing Dean and he should get an award especially for his performances in the last two episodes of the show. IMO, he basically carried the emotional weight of the conflict and really made us root for Sam to not shoot his dad which is HARD because of how badly John sucks. I’m going to keep watching this show because of Jensen Ackles playing Dean Winchester. Fight me about it.

I think season 1 of Supernatural felt like watching two different shows with the same main characters. On the one hand, you have the MOTW episodes which invariably begin with “Here’s why we’re not tracking down our dad, even though that’s our stated motivation” and then tell a nice monster mystery with some good character beats. On the other hand, you have the series arc episodes, which are soap operas with demonic elements. I’m fine with it - because of Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester. I’m interested to see what season 2 is like.