#and she put herself in dangerous situations many times while chasing after the Hulk

[daydreamerdrew]

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #264

[myinconnelly1]

ArchAngel Ch 1 Lost But Never Alone (pt 3)

Word count: 1,622

Masterlist

Previous

Natalie mulled over what she knew of ArchAngel Incorporated and what John was doing.  He had called the brothers and told them that he was hunting a demon.  It was a term she had never heard before, and she knew she needed to find out.  She got off at the California bus stop and looked around for a clue as to were to start.

Natalie realized as she wandered aimlessly for days that California was a huge state.  And she didn’t have a single lead on John Winchester.  She threw her hands into the air in frustration and turned right into a large alpha.

“Shit.”  She whispered, her eyes going wide.

“Hey,”  He looked pissed as he swiped at the stain from a sloshed drink, then took her look in.  “Wait, I know you.  Your sister is looking for you.”

Natalie turned tail and ran as fast as she could away from the hulking man.

“Wait!  Don’t make me chase you!”  He shouted drawing attention to the two of you.  She turned a blind corner into a dead end.

“Fuck!”  She shouted slamming the sides of her fists against a solid wall.

“Well, that was anti-climactic.”  The alpha said coming around the corner.  “Seriously, Frankie says you are a trouble maker.”  He sneered then squeezed the lock mechanism on an ArchAngel canister.  Natalie covered her face with her jacket, knowing full well it was a useless move.

“Hey!”  Natalie’s head snapped up to see John Winchester standing behind the alpha with an ArchAngel issued tagging gun.  She saw her opening and darted out of the little alley past the two circling alphas.

“What do you want Winchester?  I thought they had you off on some goose-chase?”  He snarled.

“Well, I saw your name on the pick-up list and I couldn’t resist.”  John's smile was almost cruel.  But Natalie didn’t stay to see what else happened.

She ran as hard as she could down the sidewalk pushing people out of the way.  When she finally stopped hundreds of yards later she was gasping for air.  Sweat dripped down her body and her muscles all over her body ached and burned.  

She needed to know what was in that canister.  A hunger settled low in her belly, and she realized that she hadn’t eaten yet that day.  She would need to figure that out.  And she would need a place to hide.  A smell caught her attention.  It was familiar and tugged at that hunger in her body.

Natalie opened her eyes and took in her location after she had let her feet carry her toward her craving.  She was hot and clawing at her clothes by this point.  Everything hurt and she needed… something.

She was standing in the parking lot of a run-down motel that could have passed for a pay-by-hour establishment.  There was no food here that would be worth eating, but Natalie was in the fog to deeply to care.  She passed a black truck without a care about the owner then found herself leaning against the wall to hold herself up.

“You know, there was a time that you could’ve been in the same room as me, and I wouldn’t have known you were there.”  A deep voice said as Natalie struggled to turn her head to see him.

“Dean?”  She muttered taking a step toward him and collapsing into his arms.

John outstretched his arms and caught the omega activist before she could collide with the concrete they were standing on.  A brief look of confusion crossed his face as he considered why she had mistaken him for Dean.  To his knowledge, Natalie had never met Dean.  He looked around in a paranoid fashion, then scooped her up and carried her to his motel room to deposit her on the bed.

She seemed different from the last time she had scented her.  She was more mature now.  And for the first time since he had known her, she was in heat.  The scent was wrong though, and he remembered that the alpha in the alley had a canister in his hand.  She had been hit with an ArchAngel pheromone gas.

John knew that he should tag her, and leave her here for ArchAngel to pick up, but his recently gained insight into how the company operated left him doubting his current employer.  He glanced over at the pathetic girl on the bed.  She had no place in this fight, no way to protect herself from the dangers of the world. He noticed a strange mark on the inside of her leg.

He walked over to her and grabbed her leg, lifting it for inspection.  It was an old bruise that was starting to fade.  Natalie mewled pitifully as he touched her, but he ignored the noises.  The bruise was from a bite mark, he determined.  Someone had bit her.

John was about to let go of her leg and move away from her, intent on calling Caleb or Bobby for help when Natalie grabbed his arm.

“Please, Alpha, I need you.”  She groaned, her nails digging into the flesh of his forearm.  John thanked his years taking the green steroids after Mary died, as he was at a point now where he was practically immune to the throws of rut.

“Listen, I’m not who you think I am,”  John said detaching himself from her grip.  There was no way that John could leave her here, someone would find her and that would be bad.  “Come on, Natalie.  I got places to be.”  He wrapped her arm around his shoulder and walked her out to his truck.  He refused to stay in a motel room with her overnight, while she was in heat.  That would just invite disaster.

He placed her in the passenger seat of his truck, leaning her head against the opposite door, then listened to the message from Dean again.  His sons thought they had a lead on the demon that killed Mary.  John was pretty sure that it was a too good to be true situation, but he was not about to let the chance slip by if it wasn’t.  He put the truck in gear and drove away from California.

“Hey!”  Dean shouted as he and Sam walked into their motel, bloodied and a little worse for wear.  “Dad?”  He asked as John turned around and they could make out his face from the shadows.

“Hey boys,”  John whispered.  It was a heartfelt reunion between the boys and their old man.  Apologies were issued along with many hugs before John revealed that he was getting close to finding the demon that had killed their mom, and he was intent on killing it.

“What is a demon?”  Dean asked hoping to glean more insight into what the hunt was on for.

“Some kind of twisted amped alpha or omega.  I heard of a few of them breaking free from headquarters.”  John explained.  But before he could get further, the alpha from the warehouse had found them.  He tore the three of them apart until Sam had the brilliant plan to stun it with a flare.  They ran out of the motel and out to where their cars were.

“You can’t come with us,”  Dean said to his dad as they reached their cars.  Sam protested but in the end, they all knew it was true.

“Maybe you boys can do me a favor,”  John said as he opened the door to his truck.  “I found this one in California.  I couldn’t leave her there, and I don’t trust the company with her.  Her sister works there and has been looking for her.”  John hauled a nearly delirious Natalie from the cab.

“Nat?”  Dean gasped when he saw her.  The boys cleared their throats as they got a whiff of the tainted scent of her heat.

“Yeah, she was caught by a pheromone bomb.  Be careful.  They want her, and are looking for her.”  John seemed to let the fact that the boys knew her to slip to by the way.

“We will Dad,”  Sam responded helping Dean hold Natalie up before they all piled into the two vehicles and leaving.

“This feels strangely familiar,”  Dean muttered as they made to leave the state, and he rubbed his cheek against the top of Natalie’s head.

“Yeah,”  Sam grumbled keeping his distance and sighing hard.  “Why didn’t you tell me you two were sleeping together last time she was with us.”

“I figured you’d get all up in arms about it.  It was just sex.”  Dean tossed his little brother a look that spoke volumes.

“Yeah, well you were right.”  Sam shifted in his seat uncomfortably.  “You were with like three different chicks in the time that Natalie was gone.  What is with you man?”

“Nothing,”  Dean said scrunching his brow as pushing his brother’s question away.  “So she has a sister that works at ArchAngel?  Well, that at least explains why she knew so much about it.”

“We are gonna have to do something.  The pheromones will wear off after a couple of days but she is still in heat.”  Sam said chancing a glance at the panting omega on Dean’s arm.  “Why would she have gone to Dad anyway?”

“Most of the omegas try to find the closest alphas when they are hit by those gases.  That’s why they are so effective.  Dad must have been closest.”  Dean shrugged, not wanting to delve into the omega psyche.  “Besides it’s not like we can just order her an alpha hooker.”

“I know.”  Sam shrugged uncomfortably.  “So any ideas?”

“Yea a bad one that you will hate,”  Dean said looking at his brother over Natalie’s sleeping form.

@waywardbaby​ @destielhoneybee​ @snffbeebee​ @deangirl7695​ @spnbaby-67​ @maddiepants​ @tabrown2021​ @ladywinchester1967​ @woodworthti666​ @miraclesoflove​ @tumbler-tidbits​ @emilyshurley​ @akshi8278​ @mannls​ @wendibird​ @bobasheebaby​ @flamencodiva​ @theoneandonlymelol​ @chelsea072498​ @donnaintx​ @justsomedreaming​ @supernaturalenchanted​ @kalesrebellion​ @prettydeaneyes​

[hogwartswelcomesyou]

Can you guys sort all the avengers including Phil, Sharon, Peggy and all the extra characters?

*Warning: This post contains spoilers for the MCU*

Steve Rogers/Captain America: Hufflepuff/Gryffindor

Hufflepuff: Captain America puts the “ice” in justice. He is very motivated by what is fair for others. Much of his concern stems from the motivation to protect others, even at great cost to himself – going into the ice, leaving Peggy, and missing out on his life – and Hufflepuffs are nothing if not selfless people. Plus Cap’s loyalty is legendary (i.e. to Bucky in Civil War) – not much will stop him when someone he cares for is in danger. He will easily put their safety over any glory or attention for himself. Steve is chosen to be Captain America not because he is a strong, aggressive, glory-hungry soldier, but because he is a sensitive artist who simply doesn’t like bullies. He is a modest, pacifistic, stubborn character who chooses his loyalty to his best friend over what is logical or even his mantle of Captain America. He definitely belongs with the badgers.

Gryffindor: Captain America is the poster-child for bravery, nerve, and grit. He refuses to back down from a fight, if it’s for what’s right, and he encourages others to do the same. From the start, he has shown an immense amount of courage–he was willing to lie on government documents in order to be admitted into the military so that he could serve his country. He’s constantly willing to risk it all for the cause. It’s never been about the fame or the glory for Steve Rogers. All he has wanted to do was stick up for the “little guy”, because he knows how it feels to be the little guy and he knows that that sort of injustice is just plain wrong. Captain America is a symbol of bravery and righteousness in the face of injustice and understands the value of one person’s actions against inequality or simply towards doing the right thing. He has the heart of a lion.

Tony Stark/ Iron Man: Gryffindor 

Gryffindor: Tony is a little tricky, because his motivations go through a big transformation in his first film. In the beginning, he’s very focused on himself and his own ambitions, but after being kidnapped by terrorists, he grows more interest in improving the world around him. He also has sort of a turbulent personality – he’s incredibly intelligent and resourceful, but he can be so impulsive and rash that he doesn’t fully think things through. Hell, this is the guy who revealed his superhero identity to the entire world. This is the guy who advertised his home address to his enemies. This is the guy who, when confronted by a vision of an apocalyptic future that was all his fault, immediately went out and created the thing that, in fact, could’ve created that future. My first instinct is to put Tony in Slytherin, but really, I’d say he’s widened his world view too much for that. He cares about what happens in the world and will do everything in his power to make it better, and it’s not for his own sake. In fact, it often comes at his own expense. At the same time, though, Tony does not listen to society at large for his morality – instead, he looks inward, to his own ideas and inspiration. Ravenclaws also tend to dislike conflict, and Tony most assuredly does not. So as much as I do definitely see Ravenclaw and Slytherin in Tony, I pick Gryffindor as his ultimate best place. He is impulsive, proud, yearns for public approval and praise, focuses on the world as opposed to (and often at the expense of) his inner-circle, looks to the future rather than back at the past, and listens to his heart even more than his brilliant brain when making his decisions. I think this is why Tony, as a character, drives me so up-the-wall sometimes, since I’m a Slytherin myself. 

Bruce Banner/Hulk: Ravenclaw

When I see people claiming Tony is a Ravenclaw, I always point to Bruce as a better example of the house. Yes, the two of them are very bright and focus on the world at large, but they’re very different in how they express that intelligence. Bruce is cautious and solitary, not being very quick to open up and usually doing the practical thing over the emotionally satisfying thing. When Tony coaxes Bruce to help him with his projects in Age of Ultron, he succeeds when he appeals to Bruce’s desire for knowledge, as well as for world peace. I think a Ravenclaw would value both of these.

Clint Barton/ Hawkeye: Hufflepuff

Clint is harder to Sort. One thing I can bring up right away about Clint is that he is notably understated – he isn’t loud, boisterous, or glory-hungry. He is an assassin who works for S.H.I.E.L.D.; he’s not the sort to go chasing fame or attention, preferring to stay in the shadows where he can best do his job. And he does take his job very seriously. At the same time, though, he isn’t above circumventing the rules to do what he thinks is right, hence why he joins Team Cap in Civil War. His motivation seems to be protecting the ones he cares about – his family and his teammates, both from S.H.I.E.L.D. and from the Avengers – and he shows great resourcefulness and insight. He also shows an astounding amount of compassion, as even though he was sent to assassinate Natasha, he spares her life and they later become teammates and friends. So really, I’d say Clint is something of a Hufferin – he is motivated most by his loyalty to his inner circle, but he is adaptable in how he goes about working for that motivation. Still, as always, one should really look at motivation too rather than just personality traits, and Clint certainly shows quite a lot of selflessness, modesty, and compassion for others. It is what makes him spare Natasha, and it is what persuades Wanda/Scarlet Witch and her brother Pietro/Quicksilver to switch sides. So really, as much as I could see this being a hat toss, I think Clint would choose hard work and loyalty over resourcefulness and ambition, so he is a Hufflepuff.

Thor Odinson/Thor: Gryffindor

Thor’s ability to possess Mjolnir–his hammer–is based on the fact that he is deemed worthy. This worth is in specific to his father Odin’s eyes, as Odin makes the call on this. However, we all know that Thor is worthy, as he possesses the hammer. What makes him worthy is his loyalty to Asgard and his devotion to the realm. Thor is willing to go to great lengths to protect his people (and even his pesky brother Loki), proving that he has a great amount of courage. Not only that, but Thor’s drive to protect Asgard drives him to train as hard as possible and be the best he can be. For his incredible bravery and his worthiness, I deem Thor a Gryffindor!

 Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver: Hufflepuff

Aww sweet Pietro, the guy that stole our hearts and then tore them in half. He is incredibly protective ver his sister especially because of all those two have been through. On multiple occasions Pietro comes to his sister’s rescue and he is the one that is able to encourage Wanda to stay strong even when things get tough. Though Pietro proves to be incredibly spiteful towards Tony Stark, even wanting to kill him, but allows Wanda to talk him out of it. But, Pietro has two truly defining moments that prove that Hufflepuff is the place where he belongs, 1. He stayed in the siting while his sister was stopping a train and helped a bunch of people out of the town, 2. He lost his life for Clint, he gave up his life for someone he barely knew, without even thinking. So Pietro has to be a Hufflepuff!

Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch: Ravenclaw 

Wanda and her brother have been through an awful lot, and all these things have made her wise. Wanda carries a sort of intelligence and wisdom that is hard to find, though she has a strong hatred for Tony Stark in the beginning, she is able to realize that Voltron’s ideas of saving the world, would cause it’s destruction. Wanda, unlike many of the characters is able to realize that the new inventions with dangerous ingredients could cause the worlds destruction. She is also very clever and creative and is able to realize that people are going to want to look around, and the only way to save most of the people would be mind control. Wanda’s also very sensitive, and blames herself for a lot of the bad things that happens evens when they all aren’t necessarily her fault, she over-analyses every situation causing herself to freak out. She’s also very observant and in the fight against Tony’s team, she realizes the Clint is pulling his punches. So Wanda has to be a Ravenclaw!

T'Challa/Black Panther: Ravenclaw

When we first meet T’Challa, you see almost right away that he carries a huge amount of wisdom, he’s shows right away that he is able to disconnect himself from what he disagrees with for his family, and provide an unbiased opinion. He’s also very observant, almost by just talking to people he can guess there story and provide the guidance they are lacking. Upon the death of his father, who is willing to kill the Winter Solider, but upon hearing that the reasons for his actions were because of being torn about and a manipulated to become a solider robot, he offers him mercy and even knowing how much trouble he would get into offers him a place to well.. sleep where he will never be found. So I think T’Challa has to be a Ravenclaw! 

Vision: Ravenclaw

Vision is an android with a highly analytical mind. He is a diplomat who prefers to reason before roughousing, even with the enemy. While he isn’t human, he admires humans and sees their purpose and their beauty (unlike Ultron). Not only that, but he shows heart and emotion, such as his timidity around Wanda and his desire to protect her, and his dry, witty sense of humor. Most importantly, however, is the fact that he has an infinity stone embedded in his forehead: the Mind Stone. This, and his origins as a highly intelligent program, leads me to put Vision in Ravenclaw! 

Bucky Barnes: Hufflepuff

Bucky Barnes, as we see during World War II, is a very charming, caring young man, devoted to his friend Steve and his country. He is willing to lay down his life for the US by joining the military, but he’s also willing to step in and defend his hopeless friend [pre-sereum] Steve in back-alley fights. Even after the war, and after he’s been destroyed by Hydra and turned into a psychotic shell of himself, Bucky is willing to hide/freeze himself awa to protect Steve and the rest of the world from the danger he’s become. For his immense devotion and loyalty to his pal Steve, I sort Bucky Barnes into Hufflepuff!

Rhodey Rhodes/ War Machine/Iron Patriot: Gryffindor

Courage should be this man’s middle name. HE has time and again thrown himself into harms way to protect Tony stark. Tony’s stuck in Afganistan where he come’s. Tony is on a floating country here he comes guns  a balazing. As we see at the parties thrown by Stark much of his motivation is also the glory that come’s with being a soldier. Not just the act itself. When Thor and Cap are unimpressed he is upset by this fact. I believe Rodney is an excellent embodiment of Gryffindor!

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: Slytherin

Natasha you beautiful Russian femme fatale. She is fiercely loyal to the select few people she aligns with herself. On top of that there is not a more cunning Avenger in existence. Her ability to come out on top consistently without super powers in part to the strategy, cunning, will power, and self reliance of a Slytherin!

Sam Wilson/Falcon: Hufflepuff

Sam Wilson is the epitome of Hufflepuff. Sam is endlessly loyal, and is willing to to stick with him till the end, he refuses to give up on a friend even if that means his own death. Even when Cap decides to be loyal to Bucky, which Sam knows is a terrible idea, he does it anyway because he loves Cap and the rest of the team. So Sam has to be a Hufflepuff!

Sharon Carter/Agent 13: Gryffindor 

Sharon, much like Peggy is unwilling to give up. Sharon is incredibly brave, she fights for what she believes in and is willing to do anything to help one of her friends, even if it means loosing her job. She loves Steve and though most of the time she’s not sure if he’s doing the right thing, she believes in him. Sharon has to be a Gryffindor! 

Peggy Carter: Gryffindor 

Peggy has to be the complete and utter epitome Gryffindor. Honestly I’m almost sure there is not an inch of fear in this womans body. She’s brave, and an awesome leader. She won’t let anything stop her. She has to be a Gryffindor!

Phil Coulson: Hufflepuff

Aww Phil my beautiful little fluff puff. He does anything for the people. Phil has a beautiful heart that nothing can hide and he has to be a Hufflepuff!

Hope you like! Sorry it took so long!

-The Mods

[briangroth27]

iZombie Season 3 Review

Full spoilers...

iZombie's third season started off with a personal game-changer after Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) learned Liv (Rose McIver) and Major (Robert Buckley) were zombies. I thought that would be the extent of this year's changes, but I was way off. I liked that the season premiere somewhat functioned as a recap/primer for the show after such a long hiatus, but it was great to get back into the cases (and brains) of the week by episode 2. I enjoyed all the episodes, but I especially loved the twist resolutions to the mysteries in “Wag the Tongue Slowly” and “Eat, Pray, Liv.” I liked that Liv, Clive, Ravi, and Peyton all got to investigate the main plot from different angles over the course of the season, even though they didn’t initially know it. It felt a little like Liv was excluded from big portions of the main arc for a lot of the season because of her need to be tied to the cases of the week, but this balanced the leads’ involvement in the run-up to Discovery Day. The threads that led to the public reveal of zombies were really well-developed and came together perfectly. I’d heard the season finale would “reboot” the series, but man…I didn’t expect this! I loved that the writers were willing to be so daring as to change everything by outing zombies to the world and even making Seattle a zombie-run city. There’s no going back now, and the show will be healthier for it.

Liv Moore As always, McIver gave an acting tour de force. Her ability to incorporate different character traits from the brains she eats into her baseline Liv personality is outstanding and it’s a shame she hasn’t gotten more awards recognition for this role. If they ever recast Rogue in the X-men films, they should absolutely ask McIver. The gossip, father, and dungeon master brains were among my favorites this year, but the pre-school teacher brain was easily an all-time top five brain: that was hilarious and included many of my favorite comedic Liv moments of the whole series!

I liked that the brains didn’t always give helpful visions—a fun twist to the show’s formula—or made Liv forgetful: I was really worried the scatterbrain causing Liv to constantly forget to get the materials Ravi needed would make Major’s rapidly deteriorating condition even worse. If it did have an effect it wasn’t commented on, but I loved that they explored the negative effects of brains. Liv getting visions of having sex with Ravi (Rahul Kohli) thanks to eating the brain of his dead ex Katty Kupps (Christina Cox) was super awkward. Drake’s (Greg Finley) ghost appearing thanks to the Weckler (Gordon Woolvett) brain was a fun way to interrupt her relationship with Justin (Tongayi Chirisa), dig into her psyche, and force her to confront the dangling emotional threads from Drake’s death. I liked that Liv and Justin’s first date included eating the brain of a daredevil (Robert Ri’chard): that was a sweet and fun zombie twist on couple bonding. The brains made things even worse for Liv’s personal life as, just as she’d gotten a taste of a normal relationship with Justin, she cheated on him with Chase Graves (Jason Dohring) thanks to Kupps’ brain. I liked that it wasn’t black-and-white that she cheated on Justin due to the brains’ influence on her and thought that was an interesting development. With so much else going on at the end of the season, I understand why this didn’t get a bigger moment, but I wanted to see them at least try to work through this fact of their zombie existence. I liked Justin, but once he called the guards at the Fillmore-Graves packing facility on Liv, I lost all interest in them salvaging that relationship.

Even though Ravi invented a cure that worked, I didn’t think Liv would take it—the show would be over—but I was intrigued to see if they could make an arc out of a temporarily-cured Liv. I’d still like to see that someday, particularly in the zombie-run Seattle. It could be a cool way to make her the underdog again, though Major’s already done the “human pretending to be a zombie” arc this year. I absolutely loved that Liv and Ravi shared the last scene of the season; her agreeing to scratch him to test his zombie vaccine was perfect, touching, and funny! Their platonic “I love yous” were great; their friendship is one of the best parts of the show and I’m glad it’s been so prominent over the years.

I liked Liv’s development over the course of the season and enjoyed her getting to have a normal relationship after Drake last year. It’s great that the show has allowed her to truly be friends with Major, even under the influence of a paranoid brain: it’s healthy to show that exes can be friends if they respect each other. With Clive in on the secret, it was awesome to see her finally able to be open and honest with all the people closest to her. Liv’s begrudging alliance with Blaine (David Anders) to keep zombies under wraps was also a fun development of their antagonistic relationship. I hope next season puts Liv into a leadership position as one of the veteran zombies in town: she deserves a chance to not have to hide herself anymore and she has the experience to be a leader in the zombie community. Liv being out about her zombie status would create the perfect opportunity to bring her mom (Molly Hagan) and brother (Nick Purcha) back for more family drama. Liv coaching Johnny Frost (Daran Norris) through the announcement that many of Seattle’s residents had been turned into zombies was a great moment and I hope that trajectory continues. On a side note, that scene was the most serious I’ve ever seen Norris act and he absolutely nailed the weight of the situation; that was simply stellar. The comparison of becoming a zombie to a person contracting a disease—that those people are still your friends and loved ones—harked back to the beginning of the show, where Liv was essentially a woman who used her illness to help others after it derailed her life plan. I’ve always loved that metaphor, and Liv taking that experience and becoming a guide to the city’s new zombie population would be a powerful way to elaborate on it. 

Ravi Chakrabarti My least favorite part of Season 2 was the Ravi-Peyton-Blaine triangle (I wished both Ravi and Peyton (Aly Michalka) had more of their own subplots than this), so I wasn't super happy it continued into Season 3. Ravi came off as very unlikable in “Eat, Pray, Liv,” and I was hoping the love triangle would be resolved before he got worse. So, I was glad it ended relatively early on. I don’t mind that he made mistakes with Peyton, but I definitely wasn’t on his side here; even if Blaine was faking, Peyton was right to admonish Ravi about constantly trying to say he was bad and derail that relationship. It wasn’t a good look on Ravi, but nothing says characters always have to be perfect and it didn’t ruin his character for me. I was just hoping that plot would end sooner rather than later, and that he’d get some perspective and growth out of it.   

On the other hand, I loved Ravi's undercover work with the militant zombie truthers once Liv couldn’t safely infiltrate them! Getting him out of the lab and into the field—and into danger—was great and I loved seeing him interact with the truthers. That group felt like a smart parallel to real-life hate groups and Don E (Bryce Hodgson) getting captured by Harley Johns (Andrew Caldwell) and nearly broadcast online as a full Romero zombie was a great climax to the arc! The arc also introduced Rachel (Ella Cannon) to the show and I didn’t see her using Ravi to out zombies to the world at all! I wanted to like her and was sorry she was just in it for the story. Kohli was great at playing the spy and feeling the sting of betrayal after Rachel’s true intentions were revealed, but his scenes with Major, about to lose his memory after taking the cure, were some of his finest work on the show to date.

I was hoping they’d expand on Ravi’s expertise in zombie science beyond his experiments with the cure, so developing a zombie vaccine after offering it up as part of his truther cover was a great angle and I hope it leads to him being something of a zombie doctor next year. With Major getting a big role with Fillmore-Graves, I was hoping Ravi would get something similar in a bigger lab, so perhaps zombies becoming public knowledge and him being the preeminent zombie expert will lend itself to that. It’d change the CSI dynamic of the show, but maybe it’s time for Liv to take over the M.E. lab and move Ravi up the science food chain somehow. Perhaps he could lead a Seattle branch of the CDC specializing in zombie affairs. Experimenting with the memory serum and the creation of the blue brain juice was a fun way to change up the visions as well. It was cool to finally see Liv’s vision expression and the affect it had on zombie visions was a great way to play with the concept. I’d love to see more of this sort of experimental zombie science next season and I’m sure that Ravi’s zombie vaccine is going to be a huge part of that. I think it will work…but maybe not the way he’s expecting. While it would be really cool to have a zombie-“Hulk” Ravi, I think the vaccine will fail to turn zombies back into people, but will permanently vaccinate people from becoming new zombies. That will create a massive problem for Chase’s zombie paradise, creating a divide between the living and the undead “species.”

Clive Babineaux I loved Clive getting in on Liv’s secret this season and his reactions to her eating brains—and knowing how they affected her—were gold. I’m sure it was a blast for Goodwin to finally get to play reactions to what was really happening with Liv’s wildly shifting personality and he did an excellent job with that development. Moments like Liv, Clive, Ravi, Major, and Peyton playing Dungeons & Dragons were a lot of fun and couldn’t have happened as purely even last year. Clive’s germophobia was another fun running gag and I liked how it rolled into his reaction to the city-wide vaccinations that triggered the zombie outbreak. The Clive arc I liked the most was his quest to avenge the deaths of Wally Tuttle-Reid (Mataeo Mingo), his mom (Caitlin Stryker), and his uncle (Michasha Armstrong); the show did an excellent job of making me care about them and Clive’s connection to them using flashbacks in just one episode. Wally and his mom were very likable and well-established, and I’m sorry we (and Clive) didn’t get to spend more time with them. I was impressed by how well all the actors involved in those scenes made me care for them. I also loved that exploring detrimental brains, like Liv’s scatterbrain experience, allowed Clive to showcase his detective skills and solve the case of the week on his own. While I wasn’t a fan of the resolution to the case that brought Dale Bozzio (Jessica Harmon) back into Clive’s life—the Russian hacking seemed too far outside this show’s realm of criminal activity—I liked that they got back together. It’ll be great to explore a serious relationship between a human and a zombie; whether Clive and Bozzio can make it work should be very interesting (and a relevant parallel to real-life couples in which one partner has an incurable illness). They seem happy, but for how long? Is he going to be able to stand by her? Will his germophobia get in the way, or is this a way through it for him? Will he get infected accidentally? How would that change his dynamic with Liv? And will his role as a cop bring him into closer concert with Fillmore-Graves now that they essentially run the city?

Major Lilywhite Robert Buckley only got to play one Brain this season, but it was a great one! Liv and Major on dad and teenage daughter brains, respectively, was an awesome change to their dynamic, bolstered by hilarious performances by both actors! Not only was it good to see Major affected by a brain, but I liked that he didn't enjoy getting visions: it gave us some nice variety in zombie reactions to needing to eat brains. Major finding a place to belong with Fillmore-Graves was a cool arc and a nice rebound after the Chaos Killer plot. I really liked that he found a true brotherhood there: even after his status as a cured zombie was revealed and he was forced out, the friends he’d made still truly cared about him. The cure/memory loss portion of Major’s arc was particularly sad and showcased some of Buckley’s (and McIver and Kohli’s) finest acting on the show to date. I loved his trip back home to see his parents, his final night with Liv, and Ravi’s aborted speech. I was interested to see what reboot Major would be like, but I preferred the happier twist that he ended up OK. I was also expecting a downside to the cure, but I suppose he’d suffered enough just waiting to take it and thinking he was going to lose himself completely. I liked that he and Liv spent the night together before he took it and I thought he definitely still felt something for her, so I was surprised he was so cool about her dating Justin (and that things weren’t weirder between the guys). I know Major and Liv weren’t able to be together again since he’d been cured, but they’d also just slept together and neither one of them really got a moment to process their moving on so quickly. I suppose that goes back to the two of them genuinely supporting each other in their relationships, but I wish we’d seen them have a conversation about it. His rebound relationship with Shawna (Sarah Jurgens) was a smart way to remind us of just how alone the Chaos Killer made him; I liked that she crystalized the isolation of his life, both by initially presenting as being attracted to him for his notoriety and then by further ostracizing him by cashing in on it. In fact, his isolation worked so well that, along with being booted out of Fillmore-Graves, I would’ve been content with Major and Natalie (Brooke Lyons) leaving town together. I liked her and their relationship, and this felt like a natural point for him to depart the series. Her death (and the explosion in general) was unexpected, but I thought it was a waste to kill her and the rest of Major’s friends rather than an unavoidable tragedy (and it was odd Liv and Co. were waiting at Ravi’s house watching the news instead of being at the explosion site, searching for Major and Justin’s bodies). However, Major choosing to turn back into a zombie because he had nowhere else to go was a great, sad moment. It’s also an interesting parallel to Vivian Stoll (Andrea Savage) scratching herself to stay by her husband’s side. I’m sure the season’s closing moments—Major and Justin preparing to open fire on a group of anti-zombie humans attacking a brain transport—are going to propel his character into a completely new direction next year. I can’t wait to see if he’ll regret siding with the zombies or if the humans’ actions will convince him he’s on the right side!

Peyton Charles I liked that Peyton was firm with Ravi’s inability to accept her past with Blaine. However, I didn't think Peyton needed to apologize to Ravi when the truth about Blaine’s amnesia came out; even though he was right about Blaine, she didn’t have anything to apologize for. I'd like her to get back to being Liv's best friend in the coming year; though Liv helped her by eating Weckler's brain, there wasn't much chance for them to hang out and it would've helped to center Liv in a bit of normality. Like Ravi, I’m glad Peyton got a meatier subplot this season. The Weckler case felt awkwardly abrupt in its initial episode, so I liked that it was designed that way and Peyton spent a good deal of time pulling at that thread. Getting to see her as a lawyer—and eventually bringing her into Baracus' (Kurt Evans) mayoral circle as his Chief of Staff—were great uses of her role and development of her career. I can't wait to see how that thread continues next season as she helps keep the peace in Seattle. It seems like she’s set up for the most involved plotline of her time on the show now that she’s at the center of the zombie government and I can’t wait to see Michalka play with that!

Blaine DeBeers I liked memory-loss Blaine and wouldn't have minded if he'd stuck around in that form. While at first I thought he was probably lying, the show (and Anders) convinced me he’d truly lost his memory before long (I was sure the memory loss was real up until he took Ravi’s memory booster). I definitely bought his reluctance to try that serum for fear of reverting back into the criminal he’d heard he was, and I was sorry he’d lied for most of the season. I’m not sure I believe him about his feelings for Peyton or the chance to reshape his life being real, but if they choose to explore that to some extent next year, I’d be on board. Making Blaine a lounge singer of all things was an unexpected development, but I liked it. Maybe next season he should open a piano bar (with ample room for dancing, given the zombie flash mob!) called Dead Beats.

I was interested to see where Blaine’s antagonistic relationship with his father Angus McDonough (Robert Knepper) would go, but unfortunately I thought it fell a little flat. Angus initially seemed more intimidating than Mr. Boss (Eddie Jemison), but he eventually came off as sorta one-note. Plot-wise, Angus seemed to plateau with the establishment of the Scratching Post zombie speakeasy (a cool bit of world-building) and I’m surprised he wasn’t a bigger deal for the rest of the characters. I guess I expected more complexity and evil scheming out of him (having Blaine shot notwithstanding), but locking him in a well and periodically giving him chunks of brain was a great, twisted moment of revenge on Blaine’s part. I also expected more from Boss’ return, but his new position as Blaine’s international broker for brains should be fun, if the Discovery Day events haven’t rendered this plotline inert. I guess Seattle will still need brains, though, and it’ll be great to see the Blaine/Boss relationship inverted. I’m definitely interested to see where Blaine goes in this new world order!

Fillmore-Graves First of all, what an awesome name! This show and its puns have been consistently fantastic, and this is no exception. I loved that they provided another twist on the brain mythology with their brain-blends that didn’t produce side-effects; that was a clever evolution of zombie food. I thought we could’ve spent some more time with original FG head Vivian Stoll, but I liked what we got of her. I did think that both she and Chase should’ve had a bigger response to learning there was a zombie cure, though, given it could either eradicate their “species” or solve their problems completely, depending on how they looked at it. It makes me wonder if Fillmore-Graves operatives stole it from Ravi: their non-response to Major suddenly being human again would make sense if they knew a cure wouldn’t be an issue for long. I don’t think they want to be human again.

I knew Fillmore-Graves was behind the deaths of Wally’s family and Katty Kupps the whole time (minus a brief, last-minute thought the Weckler murders could actually be Baracus), but I didn’t suspect Carey Gold (Anjali Jay)! I wish we’d known her better, but Baracus just trying to cover his indiscretions would’ve been underwhelming and Chase Graves would’ve been too obvious. I liked the twist that Chase—who I was absolutely prepared to hate, since Dorhing seemed to be doing something similar to his slimy Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars—was a cad, but was also truly trying to create human/zombie peace and essentially got forced into following through with Gold’s plan since it was so popular among the F-G zombies. Initially I thought Fillmore-Graves was staging zombie murders to justify the existence of its military force, but I didn’t see Discovery Day being the endgame. I thought the Weckler case plot would lead to Fillmore-Graves blackmailing/controlling public officials, not to them turning nearly everyone into zombies. The flu outbreak was definitely an unexpected plot point on the road to Discovery Day, but it was a genius Trojan Horse move. Chase’s plan to supply Seattle with brains is ambitions, but I wonder how long it’ll last. Will he be forced to turn to illegal channels like Blaine, or will he be in conflict with those “unofficial” sources of brains? Will the rest of the nation continue to agree to let Seattle be a zombie city, or are we looking at a war here? How big could that get?

  This was a great season! I'm excited that we're fully into a post-zombie world and can’t wait to see what it brings. The long wait for Season 4 is going to be rough! 

[anthonianrhapsody-blog]

The Helpful Wolf

by Lee Yan Cachero

In a small clearing was a little white rabbit, her body unusually thin for a supposed fluff ball. She was enjoying her meal taking small bites and savoring the taste. Freshly grown cabbage was the best and she rarely could grab any. Actually, that goes for any other food. It’s been hard to get a good meal these days because of the humans guarding their food; she would have to be very sneaky in attaining food from the humans’ garden which was just outside the forest. There was one time she got caught and she was chased around with a large broom stick. Humans seemed highly territorial, but so are animals, so who is to judge?

She turned somber at the situation that they were in; food had become scarce these days and she and her family were starving. She just wished humans were a bit kinder and not chase them away because really, the only way they can get food today is from the humans. Now it’s getting even more dangerous as hunting season was nearing.

A low growl was suddenly heard.

Rabbit immediately stopped eating started to look around, her ears twitched trying to figure out where the sound came from. The mammal could feel its heart pounding, feeling as though it was about to jump from its chest.

She knew that type of growl, having heard it before; it sent tremors down her spine. It was the kind of growl that came from rather hungry predators. Very, hungry and very dangerous predators.

Another growl. Heart pounded louder. Slowly, taking one step, Rabbit moved cautiously. The leaves of bushes rustled, turning her head towards the movement, and there she saw it. A hulking mass covered in fur dark as night, in an attacking position, with claws that dug into the ground, its muzzle wrinkled as it showed the sharpest fangs she had ever seen.

The mighty beast snarled, jaws tightened.

Not hesitating, Rabbit bolted.

 There was a game that she and her brothers and sisters used to play, one of them pretending to be a wild beast eating every single thing in sight. It was a fun game; they would play it every day. They all joked that the game was preparation for when an actual beast comes.

Well, look where she was now.

Running through the forest as fast as her thin legs could carry her, avoiding stumps of trees and large branches. As she ran, she could hear the beast giving chase; hearing its paws hit the ground crushing the leaves beneath it.

For what seemed like forever, Rabbit could feel herself getting tired; her muscles ached and her breath got heavier. She wanted to stop running, but if she did she’d die.

Then the sounds behind her stopped.

Her ears twitched as she noticed that, but it still didn’t stop her from sprinting. She wasn’t stupid enough to think that it stopped chasing her. Her parents had always told her and her siblings to never stop running in these moments. “Don’t be fooled. Not everything is always what it seems.” They would say and their words were taken to heart. She kept going, not looking back.

 “I should’ve thought this through!” Rabbit said out loud as she found herself in an unfamiliar part of the forest. The trees were tall leaves covering the skies, with only small rays of light seeping through. It was dark and it was hard to see what was around her. Taking a step forward, she stepped on something. It felt like a rough piece of plastic and it stuck to her foot. She shook her foot to get it off.

She didn’t know when she stopped her sprint; all she knew was that she was lost. Lost and tired, she wanted to go home and rest. Be with her family and cuddle with them, show them love. ‘Have they eaten yet?’ Rabbit worried. They have always managed to get by, but she won’t be satisfied with just the thought. She needed to see them, make sure they weren’t hungry.

Hiss.

‘Oh no,’ she thought, ‘please not again.’ There was no doubt the sound came from another monster, a snake in particular.

Growling.

Oh, great. There were two beasts after her now.

Turning, she once again tried to escape, but her foot got caught. She tripped on the piece of plastic she stepped on a few moments ago. A sharp pain went through her foot, as if she had twisted her joint. All hope was lost.

She needed to run, run to live.

But she couldn’t. It wouldn’t be possible. She’s going to die here.

Closing her eyes, she formed a picture of her family in her mind. The days she spent with them, taking care of them, loving them.

With a heavy heart, she accepted her fate.

The beasts pounced.

 When Rabbit opened her eyes, she was greeted with a blinding light and the very first thing she thought was that she’s in heaven. Bright light equals heaven, right?

Standing on her hind legs, which took a tremendous amount of effort, she looked around to take in her surroundings. The sky was littered with little white clouds, and the sun was emitting a warm glow, its rays hitting a small pond that had a sparkle challenging the brightest gems and stars in the world. Flowers were scattered all around, coloring the grass a rainbow.

Heaven was quite nice.

“You’re awake finally,” A bored male voice spoke.

Turning around, her blood turnED cold. Just when she thought that she could finally relax, the very beast that she was running away from was sitting right there.

The mighty creature stood up and went closer to Rabbit. She didn’t move an inch and just stared. Up close, she could see icy blue eyes that contrasted with its dark fur. She has been calling the beast ‘it’ for a while, but now she cOULD properly smell the beast and she could tell that it was a male. Those details didn’t matter, however. What mattered was that this creature in front of her was a wolf and that this wolf didn’t eat her and it looked like it wasn’t planning to any time soon.

The wolf opened his mouth and for moment she felt faint, but all he did was grab Rabbit by the scruff of her neck and carry her to the pond. He put her down and waited. She looked rather confused and stared at him as if asking "What am I supposed to do?" He saw this and he gave a small and strange explanation.

“I’m sorry for attempting to eat you earlier, I was just really hungry.” He said in an apologetic tone. “You must’ve been scared—” Scared doesn’t even begin to describe it. “—and tired. Drink from my pond as my apology.”

…This wolf was very weird. What sort of predator apologizes to its prey?

“Oh, and don’t worry about me eating you. That snake was enough to satisfy me. Trust me.” He said in a cheerful tone that was meant to be comforting.

…Very weird.

 A few things Rabbit has learned: One was that she was still alive. Two, the wolf that tried to kill her earlier was now taking care of her. And three, the wolf was probably the friendliest and weirdest mammal she has ever met.

So far they’ve had a pleasant conversation with each other; he’s told her about the things he likes and dislikes, told her about how the meadow they’re in was his home. She found herself doing the same thing; telling stories about her family, what she likes and dislikes and the story of when she snuck into the humans’ garden and got chased away with a broomstick; Wolf laughed at that story.

Rabbit then realized something. She has been enjoying herself that she forgot that she needed to go home. Her family must be worried sick. She needed to tell Wolf about it though.

“Umm… Wolf,” She started a bit nervous. “I appreciate you helping me but, I must get back home.”

“I would let you, but with that injury it will be hard.” Wolf replied, “It would take at least a few days for it to heal. Also, hunting season is almost near.”

Rabbit’s ears drooped.

“How about this, I’ll help you get back in shape and when you’re fully healed, I’ll guide you back home with food for your family.” Wolf offered.

Filled with surprise at the generous offer, Rabbit couldn’t believe her luck.

But all of a sudden she turned skeptical. It was too good of an offer, so she asked. “What do you want in return?

“In return, you shall be my friend.” Wolf gave a gentle smile.

…Remember when Rabbit thought that Wolf was weird? She still thought that.

O

The next few days saw a blooming friendship. Rabbit never thought that it could happen, but it did. She and Wolf became friends. Wolf took good care of her. He was patient and kind, he left and came back with food for her to eat and some extras to prepare for the trip back to her home. Whenever they were both bored, he would tell the most wonderful stories. He was very genuine with her and took great effort to earn her trust.

Rabbit would sometimes remember her parents warning to her about avoiding predators and it would bite at her, filling her with guilt over disobeying her parents. That thought led to another, if her parents were to ever see Wolf, they would be scared and would keep her from seeing him anymore. She voiced out her concerns to Wolf.

“Don’t worry so much,” he assured, “I’m sure that they will be open to it.”

And she did.

 “I’m really worried.” Rabbit says hopping next to Wolf who was carrying a bag of food for Rabbit’s family. Her foot had fully recovered and was ready to go back home. Both animals packed the food piled up and went on their way to her home.

“With the peace offering I have I sure that they’ll be welcoming. Trust me.” Wolf joked.

Rabbit laughed and for a moment stopped worrying.

 It took a while but they made it. They both stood in front of the bunny borrow. It was rather big, bigger than Wolf actually and he was gigantic. It made him wonder just how many are there in Rabbit’s family.

After telling Wolf to stay put, Rabbit entered her home.

The tunnel was wasn’t that long. So it didn’t take too long before she reached the end.

When she got there, expecting a lot of things to happen. She expected to be engulfed in warm hugs and kisses. She expected that her siblings would jump up to her crying tears of joy. She expected her parents asking question on where she was.

She expected her family to be here.

Instead, what greeted her was an empty, destroyed nest

 Back outside, Wolf was waiting patiently. It had been a minute since his friend went inside and in that time he started to get anxious. Rabbit had been telling him about how her parents had been. Mother Rabbit was small but she had a massive temper, Father Rabbit was bigger than any bunny but was soft spoken. They both shared one belief, though: never trust anything. If they found out about their daughter being affiliated with someone like him, they would not be happy and would prevent her from seeing him. He rarely ever made friends and the thought of being separated from his one and only friend, brings pain to his heart.

Then, he heard a loud honking noise from afar.

He looked towards the sound and it came from beyond the bushes. It sounded like a one of those makeshift ducks those humans made.

…If that were the case then, humans must be present.

Wolf thought it was odd, hunting season wasn’t here yet.

Then he heard a shuffling next to him. Rabbit looked like she had seen a ghost. He grew concerned for his friend so he opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but she beat him to it.

“They’re gone!”

 After she had explained what she saw, he had a sneaking suspicion that the humans may have something to do with it. He told her to follow him and they found themselves hiding behind bushes. There they saw an old truck and two humans. Both were grown men and they seemed to be carrying cages, three cages to be exact and they were loading them into the truck.

Rabbit could only feel anger at the humans when she saw what were in those cage.

Inside of those cages was her family. The looks on their faces were of pure misery and grief at being taken away from their home.

“Is starting early this year really okay?” One of them asked.

“That’s the third time you’ve asked that. And yes there’s no harm in starting hunting season early. Besides these rabbits were too good to pass up.”

Humans were really mean creatures sometimes.

Growl

Startled at the sound, she noticed that Wolf was out of his hiding spot and was now growling at the humans. The humans turned fearful at the sight of the might wolf snarling at them, his sharp teeth bared and claws out.

The humans were quick, however and they were able to get in the truck, turn on the engine and sped away. Wolf wasted no time in sprinting not far behind Rabbit followed.

Rabbit never knew how fast Wolf was before and seeing him now running after a speeding vehicle with no sweat. It made her wonder how she was able to escape him in the first place. In no time, Wolf was able to reach the back of the truck. He spotted a small latch and reaches for it with his mouth. With a quick strong tug, the latch fell off and so did the mini truck door.

 As if getting torn away from home was stressful enough, imagine seeing a wolf chasing the truck you’re in and you come face to face with it. The bunnies screamed at the sight of the wolf and tried to back away somehow in their cages.

Wolf saw this and assured them. “Don’t worry I’m here to help! I’m a friend of one of your sisters! You know? The one who went missing for a few days? In fact she’s right behind me now!” The wolf shouted against the wind so they can hear him.

Looking behind and sure enough, they saw their sister.

With a quick decision, they trusted the wolf. They then started to push their cages trying to move forward.

First time, they only moved an inch. Second time, they were on the edge. With one last try, they moved back to their cage and struck forward.

All the cages fell out and broke.

 The bunnies cheered and they went to their sister and cuddled her. They then went to the wolf and cuddled him as well as a form of thank you. Needless to say, Wolf was treated as a friend of their family and Rabbit couldn’t be any happier.