#before season 2 I thought Oh yeah the lack of women sucks and it sucks that they didn't do the most obvious thing

[bisexualautism]

I wish Anthony Burch put all the energy he used to be insecure about the premise of dndads s2 into being insecure about how poorly he was writing all the girls/women and the way they were treated in dndads s2

[phoebehalliwell]

how would you rank the seasons from least to most favourite?

alright okay right off the bat worst season season 7. for starters i think this season has no staying power i mean like since i’ve been running this blog 4 so long now my knowledge of charmed is encyclopedic and insanely vast more than like it ever need be but for the longest time. i could not remember season 7. like wtf even happened there?? evidently leo became human??? cole returned? the avatars??? like all of it was just. it’s not even necessarily forgettable it’s just i straight up could not remember it for the longest time. and i’ve said it before the concept of utopia was way to advanced for a show like charmed to tackle i am not watching charmed for moral philosophy i am watching bc i love these girls ♥ hee hee hoo hoo magic adventure ✨ tho if i am to offer a single comment on utopia: it’s awfully rich for a show to go on about destiny and fate and then take a stand against utopia in the name of free will. but w/e. i don’t like leo in the avatars i don’t like his dynamic with piper in this season i don’t like whatever phoebe’s doing this season there’s like leslie?? maybe there’s someone else? boring & flavorless they should have been setting up her endgame instead of puttering around. and kyle. zoo wee mama. could have been a great antihero. morally gray. duplicitous. self serving. but no. they gave him all those traits and called him hero/love interest. s7 left a lot to be desired out of the characters and their relationships also gave us phat L’s such as the charmed ones are werewolves don’t worry about it and feminism peaked with naked women. shout out to zankou: demon, dilf, dub & the noir episode.

you know what? fuck it i’ll say it second worse season 5 genuinely fuck season five. this is probably a Very Specific beef 2 me But. i hate what they did to the charmed universe. this was the season that marked the transition of charmed from supernatural drama to campy soap which like. i love camp! i do! but fr. fuck this season and what it did to the worldbuilding. the early season have Such A Vibe to them man with warlocks and witches and just a couple niche monsters from assorted lore that the show took and made their own. season five opens with mermaids goes directly into fairytales then gives us superheros whatever the fuck was going on in that mummy episode the sandman leprechauns and nymphs. and i hate it for that. it takes away from this urban fantasy things that go bump in the night what lurks in the shadows of the back alleys of san francisco in favor of the ugliest cinderella dress ever put to television and an onslaught of horrible irish accents for a full episode. other issues with season five: cole’s still here? why? they don’t know and neither will you! we’re not redeeming him! phoebe’s not getting back together with him! yes he died we just refuse to let him go! the cherry on top of course being a cole-centric 100th episode. shout out to. hmm. lemme think about what i actually liked about this season. i like jason dean as a love interest i don’t remember what he did in s5 but i know he was there. the season finale i’ve talked about how stupid & shitty it was but idc i still love that episode and then shout out to bacarra the only original villain this season that was a proper serve. the crone gets second place.

next on this come on we all saw it coming season 8. it’s a bad season! and i get bts there was a whole lot happening budget cuts missing actor etc. but it goes beyond that. it was a bad season. billie and christie were bad. and i’ve said this before but billie in herself is not an inherently bad character. she was just the literal worst for the show. she was a dollar store buffy blonde confident cocky skilled and ready 2 fight evil But. we are not following her like we followed buffy we are following her mentors. it’s like if we had a show called giles that aired for seven seasons And Then buffy showed up. billie was insanely irritating to watch from our perspective and in general wasn’t like. well written. attempts to humanize her / give her more depth often fell flat. and then christy. oh nelly. oh my god. barely a character. not well acted but hey it would have been a miracle if she was. negatives include dumain who was a mess omg bringing back the triad bringing back the source billie & christy obvi and also involving homeland security. which is season 7′s fault which is why it’s the worst. dubs on the other hand include both coop and henry i really liked them the shoehorned love interests weren’t great but i like their characters i though the way the got rid of leo to save on the budget was really creative and gave us a great piper episode and of course the sugary sweet finale i love it i do what can i say.

yet another controversial choice aptly coming in fourth is season 4. i respect what season 4 set out to do. i think it was a good idea. long form narratives, keeping a darker tone, focusing on character-driven drama and growth. too bad it fucking failed miserably at all of this. cole as the source and phoebe as the queen of hell was just so so botched. they had a very unique opportunity following the death of prue to explore these characters and what it means to them to be charmed, to be witches. they saved the world but the cost is insanely high. they’ve lost an older sister. they’ve gained a new sister. how do you even begin to cope with all this? episodes such as hell hath no fury and brain drain fuck so hard because they work with exactly that. had the whole season been like those episode season four would sit at number one with flying colors absolutely no competition. but alas. we can’t have nice things. the show got so bogged down with phoebe & cole, in a way that was just so, so messy. for starters, whether you loved cole or hated him before, we can all agree source!cole sucked. he was such a strong 180 from what we had seen that the show had to make the source some type of possession to justify half the shit they were trying to pull. and then to pit phoebe and paige against one another over a man was just. disgusting. and the ending of course felt rushed because it was! they wrapped up that entire issue in a nice little bow much faster than they reasonably should have been able to. it could have been a great season. it was definitely not. shout out to the seer an iconic mastermind on barbas levels, as previously stated brain drain and hell hath no fury Specific shout out to piper’s scene at prue’s grave shout out to paige as a character i like what they did with her and um. yeah that’s it.

okay we’re exiting the shit tier in favorite of the good tier welcome to the upper half. kicking us off is season 6. season 6 did what season 4 could not in that it gave us a long form plot that still left plenty of room for like. normal demon of the week episodes. i love phoebe early in this season with her faboo haircut her brand new empathy power and her relationship with jason dean. obvious strikes against for whatever the fuck that baby crazy stint was and also the mata hari episode. yikes. i love paige’s hair color in this season nothing paige as a character necessarily stands out to me however i like how they seem to have hit the blend of work-magic with paige where she wants a life and career outside of magic however she still loves the craft and embraces is with an open heart and mind. season six also gives us chris who was a very fun male lead imo we really didn’t have many like him he’s bitchy. he whines and bitches a lot he’s got an agenda he’s a bit secretive but at the end of the day he just wants a family i like him. i like the character growth we see out of piper i like seeing her try to move on from leo i love seeing her get back together with leo i like her dynamic with chris and her fears about motherhood. i also liked richard but that one takes a lot of justification. L’s are witchstock hyde school reunion used karma off the top of my head also the paige/richard/addiction plotline was so tone deaf. also the girls were mean to darryl : ( he deserved so much better. dubs were chris as a character, tbh the episode little monsters, phoebe with empathy specifically saying i love you too to jason i could write a dissertation on that line alone also the courtship of wyatt’s father and i thought the reveals of evil wyatt and chris being piper and leo’s son were both fun and interesting plot twists.

coming in third is actually season 2 a season i really do love it’s just. it lacks structure. imo there is a lot to love about season 2 morality bites and pardon my past are both delightful time travel episodes we get jack sheridan and bane jessup two of my personal favorite prue love interests we get p3 h2o and a great prue plotline regarding the death of patty we get the super cute cupid episode it’s a great. collection of episodes. it’s not a great season. there’s just imo not a strong enough thread connecting the stories together it’s mainly held together by having the same characters in it over and over again i really liked dan personally but like. i knew we were wasting time there. he was just an obstacle. a super cute loving and caring obstacle who’s great with kids but lbr piper and leo were always endgame. wasting our time on dan was stupid. i do love the sister dynamics in season two “gotta hand it to those pesky little demons they sure have brought us closer together” but again. this season could have benefitted from a rex and hannah type or even like a cole or zankou. this season is less of a season and more of just like a handful of episodes, and while there are some fat dubs, there are also some definite swings & misses. shout out to the time travel episodes the prue centric episodes phoebe’s character growth and maturity throughout this season (e.g. her going back to college) and i also think the fashion got a lot more fun this season.

second place i’m saying season one season one was a really strong start and gave us these really compelling characters with interesting relationships between one another But. a lot of it just kinda falls flat. and credit where credit is due it was a brand new show getting its feet under it but the fourth sister feats of clay which prue is it anyway they just simply aren’t dubs imo. also i don’t like that 70′s episode bc again i am an asshole concerned about The Lore i can’t believe one bitch ass warlock caused the Charmed Ones to grow up without powers. it just really bugs me. all in all the plots as a whole like aren’t great imo they’re nothing to write home about (save for from fear to eternity) it’s really the characters that make this season so goddamn good.

first place congratulations to the one the only season three. this is just because it kinda hits all my requirements in that it has some banger one offs (e.g. all halliwell’s eve, the good, the bad, and the cursed) it has an overarching plot at the exact same time as the source becomes more prominent and obvi cole is also there with murderous intent i like the character growth we see especially from prue i like piper and leo finally get married overall i really like the aesthetic of this season that blends a darker urban fantasy tone with still some charmed fashion and whimsy. strikes against tbh phoebe and cole’s relationship i am insanely picky with my enemies to lovers and the do not come remotely close to cutting the mustard in fact they are almost immediately disqualified however from afar i can see and respect The Drama. shout out to recasting victor prue with pistols death as a character and shannen directing episodes

[puckngrind]

What’s In A Name: 9 - J. Toews

Chapter 9.

Where we left off: Jon poured his heart out to Bekah and she answered okay.

Warnings: smut, language, mentions of Humboldt crash

Word Count: 3,594

Series Masterlist ) Puck ‘n Grind’s masterlist

Okay.

Jon left Columbus to finish the season with just an okay from Bekah. He didn’t push her answer and she didn’t elaborate.  It was a lot to process for both of them.  Jon felt tense leaving since he laid his entire heart at her feet knowing she could easily stomp on it when she finally came around to processing her feelings and answering him.  He didn’t care.  He loved her more than anyone or anything in his life.  Bekah cared about Jon but the fear was masking so many things for her.

It was hard for Bekah to watch the end of the season for a multitude of reasons but she did. The Blackhawks weren’t making the playoffs for the first time since Jon’s rookie year and with every loss she could hear Jon’s voice ringing in her ears that it was hard to focus on leading his team.  She felt a huge ping of guilt knowing she was at fault for his lack of focus. Bekah and Jon talked but she could tell he was giving her space and avoiding topics.

“Whatcha doing?” Brynn headed in to Bekah’s office for lunch and see Bekah clicking away feverishly.

“I was looking over Jon’s new foundation and this collaboration for the gardens.” Bekah answers but doesn’t look up at her best friend.

“Ah! Did you watch the game last night? They won, yes?” Brynn’s face contorts but she recovers.

“Yes. 6-2. You know what he wants to do with this foundation is incredible but could use some tweaking, right?” Bekah finally looks at Brynn.

“Like a mastermind marketing badass could fix if she were to leave say her best friend and move to Chicago with the hot ass hockey man who has professed his love and she just answered okay even though she loves him too and is way too chicken shit to jump fully in?” Brynn raises her eyebrows and shoves a bite into her mouth.

“Wow! You really just...” Bekah leans back in her chair.

“Went there? Yes. Yes. Yes I did. Have you told him you love him?”

“No.” Bekah barely whispers.

“Because?” Brynn rolls her hand to get Bekah to continue.

“Rin, that’s not something you do over the phone, okay?”

“But you love him?” Brynn shoves another bite in her mouth and stares at Bekah.

“I mean...”

“Don’t do this what’s in a name it’s not a relationship bull shit again Bekah! That man poured his heart out to you. Told you he tries to replicate your scent when you leave. Can you imagine him in the kitchen with a spice rack and a splash of vanilla? It’s romantic as fuck and your answer was just okay. And he was fine with that! You told Captain Jonathan Bryan Toews, OM okay... do you know how many women wish they were you?” Brynn sucked in a breath and stared at be her best friend.

“OM?” Bekah questions.

“That’s what you are focusing on?  Okay.”  Brynn rolls her eyes and chuckles.  “You really don’t google him do ya?” Brynn smirks as Bekah shakes her head no.  “OM. Order of Manitoba. It’s the highest award the territory can give to outstanding citizens. Jon received it maybe the first summer you two were not defining things.” Bekah’s mouth opens and closes. “Google him friend. I did it recently. There are some super cute pictures of the two of you. The WAG pages think you two are adorable which I will say, they aren’t always nice to the woman so bravo.” Brynn gets up to leave.

“Wait, I’m in his google search?” Bekah croaks out.

“Yes friend. You are considered his girlfriend by everyone but yourself.” Brynn dropped the bomb, waves and walks down the hall.

Bekah types Jon’s name out. Sure enough their pictures from the Gala were in the first line and then from winning the cup and a few more from games including her in the jacket. Bekah could not believe that Brynn was right. The WAG blogs mentioned that Bekah loosened up Captain Serious. Also, one mentioned they were cute together and you could see how much he loved her. That statement was paired with a picture from his 2015 cup win and Bekah felt the lump in her throat. She stared off into space processing everything.

Bekah was working and barely watching the game against the Blues. She didn’t even notice the game was over until Jon’s was calling.

“Hey!” Bekah is greeted by the sounds of almost sobs. “Jon, are you crying? Babe!” Bekah’s voice calm but her brain racing.

“Beks, there was a crash. A junior hockey team from Canada.” Was all he could mustard up before the emotion caught up with him.

“Oh Jon!” Bekah clicked open a new window and searched. Her eyes misty. “Those families.” She whispers.

“Yeah, I’m going to head there next week before you come, okay?” Jon sniffles trying to regain his composure.

“Do you want me to come?” Bekah asked and while Jon wanted her to he knew her time off was limited.

“No but thanks. I’ll see you in two weeks, okay? Lo... Later Beks.” Jon cleared his throat and they hung up.

She clicked off the website and into her email. She typed out an email to her boss. A tear streaming down her cheek and she swiped it away. She hadn’t been in the hockey community long but she knew this loss was one that would stay with them forever, she could feel it.  

Two weeks later, Bekah was on a plane to Chicago as planned. Jon waiting for her, this time with a small bouquet of flowers in hand. “Beks!” He pulls her up and kisses her sweetly.

“How are you?” She surveyed his face after an emotional two weeks he looked good but with a glimmer missing from his eye.

“I’m okay. Glad you are here. Let’s go get your bag.” He slides his hand in her’s and she feels a jolt as they touch. He lifts the bag off the conveyor belt with ease. “We can grab lunch then head to my place.”

“Wait!” Bekah spotted her other bag a few feet back and snags it.

“Beks, why so many bags?” Jon’s eyebrow raises.

“I... I... well... Tae.” She looks deep into his eyes.

“Spit it out, Baby.” Jon’s hand lets go of the luggage and the back of his hand swipes her cheek.

“I love you, Tae!” She almost shouts. Jon’s face lights up.

“Say that again?” He leans towards her face unsure if he heard the woman he loves correctly.

“Je t’aime Jonathan!” She giggles.

Jon lifts her up and spins her around. His kiss a little too strong for an airport but he doesn’t care. “Je t’aime Beks!” He places her back down on the ground. “But the fact that you love me doesn’t explain the extra suitcase.” His eyebrow rises again.

“Well, I took a sabbatical from work for the next 3 months.” Bekah’s feels the pink in her cheeks.

“You what?!?” Jon voice echoes off the walls.

“I took a sabbatical to figure out all of this without losing my job. Now I need to find a place to live here.” Bekah bats her eyelashes at Jon with a smirk.

“Oh, if you think for one damn second I’m letting you live anywhere beyond next to me in bed, you must be out of your ever lovin’ mind!” Jon kisses her again. “Let’s go home and celebrate you coming to your senses, m’kay?” He chuckles.

“But you said lunch?” Bekah whined. As Jon envelopes her hand in his. The bouquet tucked in his fingers.

“We will eat. Promise.” He winks and Bekah feels a jolt through her body again.

Jon presses Bekah to the side of his car when they finally reach it. “I’m so glad you love me back.” He kisses her hard and Bekah moans in his mouth.

“You really didn’t think I loved you, Tae?” Bekah captures his cheek in her hands and runs her thumb over his lips.

“Honestly, I thought you were coming here to break up with me. Well you cannot break up with someone you haven’t officially called your boyfriend but yeah. I thought you were coming to tell me you just cannot do this anymore.” Jon’s eyes well up with the thoughts that have been plaguing his mind since February.

“Tae. I... I’m a... damnit. I’m an idiot.” Jon shakes his head.

“You aren’t an idiot Beks.  We decided not to call this anything. We are both idiots if anything.” Bekah laughs.

“Well, we might not have used the terms but the internet sure has given us a label.” Bekah smiles big up as Jon stares into her eyes.

“What?” Jon questions.

“Rin convinced me to google you. The internet has called me your girlfriend for some time now.” Bekah pulls him into her further.

“And what do you think about that label?”

“I don’t hate it.” Jon’s lips graze hers. “I’ve learned other things too.”

“Oh yeah?” Jon pulls away realizing they were in public. “Wanna tell me what you learned on the way home?”

“Sure, J Bone.” Bekah snickers.

“Merde. I think I liked it when you refused to look.” Jon looks down at his hand. “Oh, these are for you.” Jon hands her the almost forgotten bouquet of wildflowers and she breathes them in.

“Tae, no man has ever given me flowers for no reason.” Bekah slides into his car after he opens the door.

“Well get use to it Beks. You deserve it.” Jon jogs around and Bekah feels the heat in her cheeks. Jon buckles and looks over.

“Why are you flush?” Jon runs his thumb over her cheek.

“Jon, you are too good to me. I can count on one hand how many times my ex gave me flowers and that’s including Valentines Day and my birthday. We aren’t even whatever and you’ve given me flowers a few times already.” Bekah’s nose wrinkles up thinking about her ex and how polar opposite Jon was.

“Well, as I said when we met. His loss, my gain.” Jon’s jaw tightens as he backs out of the parking spot. “Speaking of birthdays, we didn’t celebrate yours.” Jon places his hand on her thigh while driving home.

“And your 30th is in what a week and a half?” Bekah's fingers dance in his hair.

“Do we need to talk about my over the hill status?”

“I’m 30, Tae. Am I old?” Bekah flicks at his ear.

“There is no right answer, so I pled the 5th.” Jon smirks.

“Can Canadians do that?” The both laugh. “You aren’t old Jon.” He squeezes her thigh and looks over.

“In hockey terms 30 is kinda old. When your career starts before you are 20 by the time 30 hits you start to feel old Beks.” He flinches.

“Well we need to celebrate and I’m not taking no for an answer Tazer.” Bekah bites the inside of her cheek waiting for his response to another nickname she learned.

“I really liked when you didn’t know all the dirt Google has on me.” Jon grabs her hand and brings it to his lips.

“And crowd surfing Tae? Now that was a video.”

“Oh. My. God. Please stop.” Jon’s face starts to turn pink.

“The French interviews.... oof. Is it hot in here?” Bekah fans herself.

“Beks.” His face gets hotter.

“I’ve never seen you so... so... embarrassed. It’s kinda sexy.” Bekah squeezes his hand and he smiles.

“Not sure that is the case but thanks.” They pulled in to his home. “Welcome home-ish.” Jon looks over not sure what she will say and sees Bekah smile. “That smile is what I’m talking about. I was afraid I was gonna get kick back for that.”

“How long are we staying in Chicago for?” Bekah opens the door and Jon already has jumped out and is retrieving her bags.

“We can talk calendar later and I think a few trips are in order since we can actually vacation together.” Jon dips down and places his lips on hers.

“So Tae, which room is mine then? The one guest bed is super comfy.” Bekah twirls as she enters and starts to head upstairs. She looks back at a dumbfounded Jon.

“All of them Beks. All the rooms are yours!” He some how bounds up the steps with both her suitcases in hand making it look easy.

“Well fuck that was hot.” Bekah turns back and keeps going.

“No kiss for that Beks? Come on!” Jon shouts as he follows her up.

“I was thinking of something better since I guess you are officially have boyfriend status.” Bekah reached his master bedroom door frame and slinks out of her tank dress to reveal the navy blue lingerie set that was maybe the most uncomfortable thing to travel in but Jon’s face was fully worth it.

“Holy fuck Beks. You’ve had that on the whole time?” He drops the bags in the middle of the hall almost runs to her, pulling Bekah up into his arms. Bringing her core right to his waist. She wraps her legs around him.

“I was hoping my declaration of love would be well received.” She breathes out. “And that TSA wouldn’t want to do a strip search.” Jon chuckles.

“I would have driven faster if I knew this was hiding under that cute dress.” Jon brings one hand up and behind him without letting her go. His hand pulls his shirt off his body then lets it fall to the floor with the slight switch of his hands on her ass. Bekah’s lips ghosting his pulse points and Adam’s apple then sucks along the base of his neck while Jon pulls her up his abs to remove his jeans.

“How are you undressing without putting me down?” Bekah leans back and takes in Jon’s lack of clothing. Without answering Jon presses Bekah into the wall and she feels how rock hard he is. “Tae.” She breathes in the heat that has ignited between them.

“Yes Beks?” Jon slides his lips from her ear to the top of the lace. Nibbling at her exposed breasts.

“Make love to me.” She smiles remembering Sedona and the way he looked at her then. Now she wonders in that instant how long she had been fighting this love they shared.

“Happily. Je vais prendre soin de vous, mon amour.” Jon whispers before capturing her lips in his.

“Translation please.” Bekah moans when he moves to peppering her jawline then back to her neck.

“I’ll take care of you, My Love.” Jon whispers and carries Bekah to his bed.

“Damnit I need to learn French.” Bekah sucks in as Jon lays on top of her.

“I’ll teach you Baby.” His concentration was on worshiping her body and less on their conversation. Each swipe of his lips and tongue caused a different sound to escape Bekah’s lips. “Do you want me to take this off...” his hand grazes the bottom of her breast and down the corset. “Or would you prefer to keep it on?” He moves lower running his finger between the delicate lace and her hip.

“Up to you Tae.” She breathes out. “It’s all for you.” His eyebrows furrowed for a moment then he lowers the panties and tosses them to the side.

“Definitely don’t need those.” His fingers slide down for a moment. “Now this...” his fingers run up the wire of the corset. Bekah’s muscles reacting to his touch. “this let me think about.” He smirks then kisses her hip moving across to her other hip then her core. All Bekah could think about on the plane ride was his reaction so her body was already all worked up. “Beks, you are so wet!” He licks through her folds and she melts under this touch. His hand glides back up to cup her breast. She captures it in hers and he looks up.

“I’ve been thinking about having you inside of me since the moment I put this on this morning. My clit has been throbbing since you held me in the airport.” Bekah breathes out and without responding, Jon pushes his boxers off his body and slides up to kiss her lips.

“As you wish.” Jon bites at her lip and thrusts in. Bekah moans as the familiar stretch sends a shock wave throughout her body. His hand pulls at her leg so he can deepen himself but doesn’t let his lips off her body for more than a second. Every thrust of his hips causes the room to be filled moans and grunts. Bekah grabs his back as she feels her orgasm build. “Let it go baby. I got you.” Jon’s hand snakes around Bekah’s back and holds her in place as she hits her high only slowing his motion for a moment before snapping his hips back into her with a force that moves both of them up the bed.

“Jon...”. Bekah moans loudly. Jon captures her lips on his again.

“I know Baby. I’m there, Love. Come with me.” Jon whispers and sends both of them reaching their highs. He rides them through it and crashes onto Bekah’s chest. Both gasping for air. Jon rolls over and pulls Bekah to his chest.

“Wow. If I knew telling you that I loved you would cause that...” Bekah finally breaks the blissed out silence. Jon laughs in her ear.

“And we can do this whenever we want since we don’t have to worry when one of us is leaving.” Jon kisses her temple. “Which sounds so damn amazing.” Bekah hums in agreement and her stomach growls. “Fuck, lunch. I’ll make lunch. Give me like 10 minutes.” He kisses her and slips out of bed. Bekah whistles as he bends over to pull on his briefs.

She slides out and grabs a t-shirt of Jon’s out of his drawer. She finds her way to his game room. Her fingers run along each jersey. Wondering what Jon was like playing in each one. “Whatcha doin’ there Beks?” Jon leans against the door frame with a sandwich for her.

“Did I know you for any of these?” She points to his wall of jerseys. He nods and points. “And you have rings and medals and such somewhere, right?” Jon places the plate on his ping pong table and wraps his arms around Bekah.

“Yeah. I’m guessing you want to see?” Jon kisses the top of her head and leads her to a safe off in the corner. Punching in the code he opens it up to reveal his rings and medals and other priceless items.

“Wow Tae.” She laughs picking up the gold medal from Sochi with a nod of approval from him and places it around her neck. Jon tightens his grip around her.

“That medal has never looks so good.” He picks her up kissing her hard.

“You’ve got some serious hardware, Captain.” Bekah bites her lip and Jon’s eyes narrow.

“Want me to show you some hardware Baby?” He groans while pressing her again the wall. He pulls down his briefs and slides into her the gold from his medal cold on his abdomen.

“Oh. Tae.” Bekah kisses him hard and feels him deep inside her. She leans her head back against the wall as he rocks into her. She feels the weight of the medal and her orgasm as he presses her harder into the wall his head buried in her neck. He releases deep inside her and pumps slowly as she comes down from her high. Bekah grabs the medal as he kisses her softly and lowers her back down. Flicking his briefs back on Jon smirks down at her.

“Let me get that.” Jon slowly pulls the medal off her neck and places it back where it goes. Slowly he turns to look at her with a glimmer in his eye.

“What’s that look for?” Bekah walks towards her sandwich feeling her stomach about to start growling again.

“Nothin’” Jon follows her and wraps her up in his arms.

“That face doesn’t say nothing.” Bekah takes a bite and looks back at Jon.

“Well the boys were chirping me about you not really liking hockey or caring about all this.” He points to the things on the wall. “Kaner asked if you’ve even seen my gold medals yet?” Jon laughs a little. “Now that will be forever in my head when I talk about my Olympic wins.”

“Oh great.” Bekah huffed out and Jon laughs hard. “I’m sorry. Can we go back to the boys chirping you about me?” Bekah shifts her body to face Jon.

“Oh you caught that, eh?” Jon smiles.

“Ope...for sure I did.” Bekah’s eyes narrow.

“Beks, the team knows who you are because they’ve seen you and regardless of what we called this until now I haven’t shut up about you. They were all worried the spotlight was keeping you at a distance and you were going to break my heart.” Jon kisses her forehead.

“I... I... I don’t really know how to process that Tae.” Bekah looks up at him and places her chin on his chest.

“You don’t have to process it now. You will officially meet the guys and their wives and such slowly so don’t worry. Summer is here and we all spread out. Speaking of, let’s talk vacation.” Jon and Bekah’s eyes both light up at the thought of traveling.

[moulinrouge78-blog]

Sex fantasies and other surprises - Part 1

Netflix made me do it. This is my first fanfiction contribution ever posted. It’s hot and erotic because I love and live for SMUT. Enjoy.....

They have been together for a year now and he couldn’t be happier. Their long distance relationship isn’t easy but works out pretty well and today wasn’t just the Friday she would come to Capeside to be with him for a long weekend but also their 1st anniversary of being Joey and Pacey the happy in love couple who make it work.

And he’s got a plan. ‚You are a lucky bastard‘ he smiled to himself standing in front of his bathroom mirror getting ready for his drive to Capeside train station where she would arrive in around an hour. The thought about his girl made him feel light headed and gave him electric shivers that went straight down his groin. He looked down and could see his dick standing In excitement. But there was no time for that, first stops where the florist by the harbour and Capeside‘s fine jewellers. One last look in the mirror to ensure he didn’t miss a smudge of shaving cream on his face and his hair sat in place before he turned around grabbing his keys and went out the door. It was barely 9am and the sun was already warm standing high in a cloudless blue sky. The air smelled of seaweed and sand coming from the dunes with the birds chirping in the trees. He went around to his Ford Explorer and looked at the beach, breathing in the fresh air.  Three years ago the Dudley‘s passed away and Pacey didn’t hesitate to buy their beach house. While the winters are long and cold just as they are around everywhere in Massachusetts he thought Capeside is the most beautiful place on earth in summer when the weather is like this. 

Pacey checked the weather forecast for weeks and this weekend was perfect. He couldn’t stop smiling all the way to the florist and greeted one of the delivery drivers once he parked his car and run over to help the man handling big buckets of Magnolia, Echinacea, Roses, Poppies, Water Lillies, Day Lillies and Pale Grass Pink Orchids. 

‚Hey Rob, let me give you a hand‚ he said taking two of the buckets from the struggling man’s arm, nodding at him. ‚Oh thank you Pacey, these flowers don’t look heavy but they certainly are and I am not getting younger‘ Rob said wiping off a thin layer of sweat he felt forming on his forehead. ‚Ah man, you are still as chirpy and not a day older than 45, are you not?‘ Pacey said with a wide grin. ‚Well add another decade to it and you are about right!‘ Rob chuckled returning a friendly smile. ‚Ohh before i forget. Your flowers are ready! Rob said. Ohh brilliant timing. That’s why I am here. Thank you! 

Ten minutes later, Pacey left the shop with his wildflower garland made of blue false indigo, bowmen‘s root and peach leaved bluebells. He asked for seasonal wild flowers and the arrangement couldn’t be prettier. 

The jewellers was just up the road, 2 traffic lights and 5 minutes away and he suddenly felt very nervous.  This was the tricky part he wanted to get right out of all things. He knew how he wanted to propose to the girl who stole his heart. It usually is Dawson’s expertise to do the fluff and romantic stuff, Pacey did lack in this department a little he thought so he took Jen with him a fortnight ago to show her the ring he selected for Joey. 

‚What do you think, Lindley?‘ he bit his lip, nervous as hell, hoping it wouldn’t be too bad. Jen stared at the open black velvet box with the tiny yellow pear shaped moissanite diamond in the platinum ring base he picked, bedded on a satin cushion. The ring wasn’t pretentious and simple despite the yellow colour of the stone. He knows Joey doesn’t like gaudy things, keeps it elegant and classy and he respected that, ok who is he kidding? he thought. Joe‘s disgust for trashy things and the want to be authentic and real was adorable and sexy as hell. A sigh escaped Jen’s mouth and than there was a long pause. ‚Uh oh, that bad, Lindley?‘ he asked suddenly his throat terribly dry, not sure if he wanted to get a response from his dear blonde friend next to him. Jen also liked being real and true at all times and usually he admired her for that but today he hopes she’s gentle on him. Jen looked at him and back down to the glass counter where Hilary the sales assistant placed the ring for them to view and her face was not showing any sort of emotion, she looked blank. ‚Listen...Jen...there is still time, I can return it and you...YOU are a women of many tastes, you can help me making the RIGHT decision!‘ He felt  frantic, his palms were sweating as he took he reaction as a sign, that this ring was a terrible pick. She finally looked up at him and her face lid up. ‚Oh my god...Pace....this is the most, beautiful ring I have ever seen. Joey truly is a lucky girl!‘ Her voice trembled a little as the emotion kicked in and she hugged him tightly ‚You did well, Witter! ‘ I wonder...‚ What’s that? He asked, breaking their embrace, looking at her happily but confused raising a brow. ‚Does this ring come in a set with earrings, if so I’ll take them!‘ Jen said with a giggle. Pacey laughed at that remark and lightly slapped her shoulder. Ouch, Witter!!! He kissed her head and logged his arm through hers leaving the shop after he paid his deposit. At the train station the clock just outside the station tower read 9:58am. Great 2 more minutes, I am not late. 

He quickly checked the arrival table on the monitor and was glad that the train was on time before he made his short way to the platform. With that he heard the chuffing sound of the fast train approaching the platform slowing down until it came to a noisy halt. Passenger‘s got off the train, restricting his view, so he tiptoed and bend his neck. It took him a few moments and he saw her. His heart pounded fast in his chest. It was only a few days ago that they been together but his body reacted like he hasn’t seen her for weeks, months or even years. She stepped off the train, holding onto a small beige hard shell travel trolley with her right hand. She wore a tie front puff sleeve midi dress in light blue with matching hairband holding her hair in a ponytail and white leather sandals with block heel. Each movement made the dress show off her long silky tanned legs. She still hasn’t spotted him, looking from left to right, a puzzled look on her face that made her mouth pout. 

Ohh those lips he thought. He could tell she didn’t bother with make up, only a little bit of mascara, a little rogue to make her cheeks glow peachy and a colourless chapstick is all she would use, she was the most beautiful girl he ever laid eyes on and he was glad she finally grown in confidence to see herself not just as a too tall woman with long limbs and feels comfortable in her skin. The tie front of her dress was open a little and he could faintly guess where her chest bone would turn into the bulge of her breasts.  His heart skipped a beat and he manoeuvred the best he could into her direction without being seen. She fumbled on the zipper of her trolley standing with her bare back to him. He reached for her waist while his other hand went to her neck placing little kisses onto the bare skin underneath her hairline.  ‘Hello gorgeous!’ ‘Mmmm’ was the only vocabulary escaping her lips. She leaned into him, eyes closed and smiling her big smile that drove him insane. 

He felt her ass rotating and grinding into his hard bulge ‘Ahhh, Pace happy to see me?’  and suddenly his khaki shorts felt way too tight. His hands holding onto her arms for stability he whispered into her ear, nibbling her lobe and finally resting his chin on her shoulder ‘Ohh Jo, you have no idea. I wouldn’t like anything more than to pull up that fabric of your dress and take you right here, right now giving by passengers a show of their life time.‘

With that he swirled her around and let her fall into his arms, looking deeply in her dark brown eyes. ‘God I missed you, Potter!’ ‘I missed you so much, my sweetheart!’ she whispered back. There it was. Just like that he was on fire. She licked her lips. Her way of saying that she is ready to be kissed. He didn’t need an Invitation to place his lips on hers. Their lips met and she opened just a little to let him in and he darted his tongue around her full mouth, stifling her moan by dancing with her tongue tip. She opened her mouth wider and he took all of her tongue, sucking on it, releasing her and sucking her tip once again, breaking free for air.

‘Let me take you home, before Doug gets send here for sexual assault in public!’ Um, yeah probably not a good idea to be stars of Capeside journal as ‘horny couple set off at train station!’ she said with an amused wink at him. They went for a quick early lunch at the ice house before heading arm in arm to the beach house. Oh my god, Pace you really went trough with it? She gestured at the outdoor shower in the garden as soon as they arrived. This is so cool. It’s not just cool but also practical in the summer after a long shift in the restaurant. Here let me show you. The shower was attached to white wooden panels with hanging baskets for toiletries, soaps, hair care, sponges and even a back rub. Two big yellow towels occupied two of the four metal hooks. The floor was made of deep blue and green mosaics and an anti slip finish. It had a long bench at the side with futon pillows where the water couldn’t reach. For privacy the shower area was secluded by it’s own 8 ft. garden fence made of thick hazel hurdle woven wattle with bushy leafy planters in front of it. The top was free but Joey noticed a handle at the side and a large panel above. ‘What’s that for?’ she wondered.

  Ohh this is for chillier evenings to keep the rain out. He turned the handle and a retractable yellow thick shade pulled out. This looks just like...

...the sail of True Love?  he finished her sentence, smiling at her. Yes, Joey it’s the same material I used for true love since it’s weather resistance and I like to feel being out of sea while having a shower outside. He smirked. I understand Pace, once a Captain always a Captain. She chuckled. I haven’t used it yet since it just got finished two days ago. But the water is on...here...step back, I’ll show you!   Joey stepped back and he turned the shower on.  Warm water splashed from the shower head. He was about to turn the shower off but Joey laid his hand on his. 

‘Leave it on Pace!’

She unfastened her sandals, slipped them off and untied her hairband. It took him a moment to register what she was doing. He closed the gate and she came towards him, started to unbutton his shirt looking him straight in his eyes. ‘I want to shower with you and feel you!’ He lost his voice and was only able to mumble ‘God Joey, this is one of my fantasies of us!’ ‘I know it’s mine, too’ she replied. She yanked his dark grey shirt off his shoulders and placed it on one of the free hooks. His chest hairs stood in anticipation as she began licking his right nipple over to his left, making them stand. His breathing was now fast and he desperately  needed her out of her dress. She suckled on his now hard nipples and he was able to free her arms from the dress, letting it slip to the floor. She stepped out off the dress and tossed it to the side, now opening the zipper of his khakis, pulling the waistband down together with his boxers. A quick ‚Ahhh‘ escaped him. He stood naked in front of her and she let out a high pitched sigh. He was so handsome, his broad shoulders and wide chest, defined long legs and his glory of dark pubic hair and big cock standing to his attention solid for her. Just looking at him sends shivers down her spine to her centre. His size used to concern her but now she just feels all tingly inside looking at him, knowing how good he feels and what electric shocks she experiences when his full length fills her. Pacey went out of his shorts, kicked off his flip flops and pulled her by the slim line of her thin thong pulling her closer with his hands freeing her from the last shed of material that was between them. She reached for his cock and held him tight, kissing his slightly open mouth. He returned the kiss, moaning in her mouth meeting her dancing tongue with his.  ‘Mmmm Joey...I love it when you are in this mood, mmm....ahhhh....don’t stop.‘ Pacey was now fully under the shower, her hands rubbing up and down his shaft, his balls hard and heavy. I need to taste you, Pace. ‚I won’t last, Jo‘

‚Than don’t, sweetheart!‘ with that she pulled his skin to expose his juicy cherry and slowly went down as much as her mouth could take, her tongue sucking on the throbbing top, licking up and down his vein, increasing the speed. Ahhh...Fuck...Jo!! His hands got lost in her now wet hair, watching her moving mouth on him. He needed to focus on something else to not burst right there and than. She felt him edging in her mouth, droplets of his salty pre-cum making her vagina quiver. Cupping his full sack, she released his length to take his hard marbles in, licking and sucking on the crinkly skin. ‘Jo, I am so close.’ This was the best foreplay. She was so wet and wanted him to shoot but couldn’t decide where she wanted it. She went fully in the warmth of the shower now. Sitting on the floor, opening her legs as wide as she could, pulling him down with her. Her vagina was on full display, her lips open to show her meaty flesh and her clit erect standing out like a flower bud. Her breath was pitchy, her eyes heavy with lust. She started moving her index and middle finger around her clit, masturbating with swift and fast movements. Jo, you are everybody’s wet dream. You are so gorgeous. He was wanking his cock hard, looking at her delicate flower, kissed her, watched her touching herself,  her nipples equally beautiful and erect. This view was all he needed and with a long ‘ahhh Jo, my sweet giiiiirllll, ahhhh...he finally exploded, his load hitting her hard on her open center. She used his juices to rub herself, hissing at the feeling that build in her. He could see her ecstasy, still panting he went down, his nose touching her soft folds so juicy and inviting like a piece of fruit. Her smell mixing with his juices, he inhaled and flickered his tongue out founding her hard clit, his fingers replacing hers, entering her slowly, not letting go off her clit to than lick up and down her slit. Ahhh, Pacey, Yes...there...yes...faster, fuck me harder.

God, what went into her? His cock hardening again, he moved her over to the soft padded bench for her to kneel on. With her ass in the air like that, her hard nipples on standing up and her breasts bouncing, he shoved his hot length in one fast thrust and she cried out ‘Yes, Pace, oh god yes, take me. Don’t hold back. I need it!’ He thrust in and out, hard and forceful, each stroke making her reach closer to the edge. Come for me baby, he said now holding onto her tits, pulling her nipples, thrusting harder like there was no tomorrow.

She was now shrieking  

Ahhh... Ohhh.... God.... yes.....yes.... Ahhhh...FUCK....I...Uhh...Ohhh...fuck....Pace....yes

He felt her walls tightening around him....she came like a tornado and with her last quiver, he pushed into her one last time, releasing his hot fluid, collapsing onto her back, trying to fetch his breath. 

She was a hot mess...giggling...after 10 minutes or so...

Pace? Yes, Jo? ‘Let’s take a shower now.’ 

With that he pulled her up, squirting the almond and milk shower gel on the sponge, starting on soaping her arms and shoulders, with a smirk on his lips he said huskily.

‘Your wish is my command, my sweet sexy kitten!’ 

And just like that her nipples lifted up again. Her not breaking his gaze responded with a wide sheepish smile

‘Ohh boy!’ To Be Continued

[noladyme]

Skip To My Lou, My Darling - Chapter 6, Beware My Frozen Heart I

The road so far…

Finding out that their connection is real, and not forced upon them by celestial powers, Dean and Lulu have embraced their feelings – and years of pining can now end. Now Dean must find a way to deal with Lulu’s decision to be a hunter, with the dangers that entails.

Our story continues in season 8

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added) @edonaspanca​ @wonderlandfandomkingdom​

I

63 years ago.

It’s so cold out here, but her feet are too sore to wear her shoes. Not that it matters anyway; they’re soaked from the snow. The crown is digging into her scalp, and she dropped her sash a mile back. She just needs her coat; and then she can go home. And maybe she misunderstood what the others told her. Maybe he’s alone, and just waiting for her.

There’s his car! She walks up to it, removes the crown from her head, and looks through the window. There he is… with her. Why her? And why are they…? No… The night is like a lovely tune. Beware my foolish heart. How white the ever-constant moon. Take care my foolish heart…

She drops the crown in the snow, and walks back towards the bridge. The dance is over.

---

I was splayed over Deans chest – my breath still ragged from my last climax. “Say it again”, Dean demanded. “I’ve already said it a hundred times”, I chuckled. “Just one more time… Please…”. “Led Zeppelin rules…”, I sighed. Dean squeezed me tight, and kissed the top of my head. “God, I love you”, he smiled.

There was a knock at the door. “Dean!”, Sam called. “Don’t come in, I’m busy!”, Dean answered. There was a pause. “Dude, just… have you seen Lulu? I can’t find her…”. “He said, he’s busy!”, I yelled. Dean snickered. There was another pause. “Ok… I’m just gonna… go now”, Sam replied. I heard him move down the hallway.

“We should get dressed…”, I said. “That’s the worst idea you’ve had all day”, Dean grunted, and locked his arms around me, so I couldn’t move. “Counting the one where I was about to sell my soul into eternal damnation?”, I smiled. He raised a brow at me. “That one’s a close second”, he muttered; his eyes slightly harder than they had been a second ago. “I’m still pissed about that”. I kissed his chest, and wriggled my body out of his grasp. “I’m sure I can find about a thousand other things to piss you off, that I’ve done, and will do”, I smiled, and crawled out of the bed, in search of my underwear.

Having put back on my panties, I found my bra draped over a shotgun on the wall. Dean handed me my jeans with an unhappy expression. “You know, I’m not happy about that whole vampire situation either”, he muttered, and pulled his boxers over his still very firm behind. “That wasn’t very smart”. “Tammy was there. She’s a good hunter”, I said. “She was also a demon”, Dean grunted; putting on his t-shirt. It was my turn to frown from the lack of skin he was showing. “I didn’t know that at the time”, I retorted. “And it turned out ok in the end”. He raised a brow at me. “That bandage on your neck says otherwise”, he sneered. “Can we just… not do this, for five minutes? Please?”, I sighed. Dean nodded, and the corner of his lips twitched into a smile.

As I stood up from having put on my boots, Dean’s arm snaked around my belly from behind, and he kissed the back of my head. “You wanna keep room 13? Or just settle in here...”. I frowned, and didn’t know how to answer in a way that he’d like. “Lou?”, he muttered. I sighed, and turned around; looking into his worried eyes. “I… can’t”, I said. Dean’s jaw dropped. “You said you wouldn’t leave”, he breathed. “And I’m not… not really”, I said. “But I still have to go do my job”. Dean shook his head in confusion. “Alone? No. You can work from here. Do research for us. It’d still be hunting”, he tried. I raised my brows. “Barefoot and hopefully not pregnant in the library? That’s where you see me?”, I asked. He shrugged. “You can use the switchboard room if you like it better”, he said. I stroked his cheek. “You know that’s not happening”, I smiled. “Dean, I’m…”. “Not ready. That’s what you are”. I sighed deeply. “Is this how it’s always going to be? Either we have sex, or we fight?”. “As long as you keep making crappy decisions, yeah!”, Dean grumbled.

I took his hand. “Look… I get that you worry about me. And I love that you do… But I’m not yours. I can make my own decisions”. “Thinking that I had the perfect woman specially built for me was kind of bigheaded”, Dean muttered. “Yeah, I know”, I smirked. “Like I’m not my own person with my own independent thoughts and choices”. Dean nodded a shrug. “You’re right”. “Like the choice to…”. “You’re not hunting alone”.

I let go of his hand, and went over to the door; sick of the conversation. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea”, he tried; as he followed me down the hallway, pulling on the flannel shirt he was carrying. “You’re never going to think it’s a good idea”, I chuckled, and took the shirt from him. “That’s mine, by the way”. “You’re right about that”, he muttered. “I won’t”.

We stepped into the library. Sam looked up from Bobby’s journal. “Already fighting again?”, he muttered. “She wants to go hunting alone”, Dean grunted. “Tell her it’s a bad idea!”. Sam looked between us. “I’m not getting involved”, he muttered.

“You finished with my book?”, I asked; trying to change the subject. “Yeah, I think I got all we could from it, while you two were… uhm… whatever”, Sam muttered. “I know it wasn’t any of my business, but I couldn’t help but look into the box you brought. What are you working on?”. I had almost forgot about my case. “Oh, uhm… some sort of white lady, I think. Maybe a weird phantom hitchhiker. I’m not sure”. “What have you got?”, Dean muttered.

I pulled up some old death records and articles. “Every year since 1950, like clockwork, young women disappear from lover’s lane, near Sioux Falls. People report to have seen a woman on the bridge nearby, on the day of the disappearings”. I pulled out a picture of teenaged girl. “She matches the description of this young woman, Annie Jones, who died that year, to a T. A few days later the women are found dead under the bridge, near where the first girl was found”. “Sure it’s not a serial killer?”, Sam asked. “A geriatric murderer? Bobby didn’t think so…”, I said. “This is his old case?”, Dean frowned. I nodded.

“Besides, freezing someone to death seems like a lot of work for a really old killer”. I handed Sam the pile of death records. He looked them over. “Hypothermia… Hypothermia again… All during springtime. Yeah, this seems like our kind of weird”, Sam muttered; letting Dean take a look over his shoulder. “Jodi had the box in her basement. Bobby had been trying to help her solve the case, but didn’t have a chance to finish it up”. “Great!”, Dean smiled. “You finish your research on this then. Stay here. We have wifi and coffee. You’ll be all set up! Me and Sam can go take this thing down”.

I shook my head. “It should be another 2 weeks or so before whatever this is happens again. I was just getting a head start”, I said. I looked at Sam. “Sam, come on… You packed that bag for me. You know I’m ready!”, I pleaded. “He what?”, Dean snarled. “Sam!”. He looked at his brother with angry eyes. “She’s gonna hunt either way. Been doing it for a year”, Sam said. “I just made sure she had the right equipment”.

Cass came in to the room, carrying a tray of steaming mugs, and some fruit. “I prepared some nourishment for you all. Sam has been working hard; and you two have been spending your energy on…”. “Yeah… thanks, Cass”, I muttered. “Did you hear what she’s planning to do?”, Dean said. Castiel nodded. “I have excellent hearing. Lulu is going to hunt. And she thinks Led Zeppelin rules”. Dean frowned. “And you think that’s a perfectly awesome idea?”, he grunted. “You spent months – years even – watching over her. And now you’re gonna just let her hunt alone?”. “He wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t asked him”, I sneered.

Castiel smiled softly. “Yes I would have, Lulu. You’re my friend. I want you safe”. Dean smiled. “Cass agrees. You’re not going”, he said. “Oh, I think she should go”, the angel said. “But not alone”. My jaw dropped. “What?”, I asked. “If Sam and Dean goes with you, you’ll be safer”, Castiel smiled. “But they have work here…”. Sam ran a hand over his tired face. “Actually, there’s not a lot we can do right now”, he said. “Kevin’s still working on the translation of the tablet. We might as well keep busy with something else”.

Dean seemed to think it over. “All right”, he exclaimed. “Guess we’re going to Sioux Falls”. I chewed my lip. “You weren’t exactly invited to the party…”, I muttered. “Suck it up. You’re not going without us”, Dean said. I rolled my eyes. “Lou, I will tie you up in our dungeon. Don’t test me”. His eyes were sending me a warning, that was half serious, half mischievous. “Maybe some other time”, I grunted; the corner of my lip twitching. “Fine”.

Dean’s face lit up. “Awesome! Whip out the Karate Kid soundtrack. Time for a training montage…”. “What?”, I frowned. “Lou, you wanna hunt? You gotta train first”. “What do you call the three demon-vampires I took out last night? And the ghosts I’ve been taking down all year…”. “Dumb luck”, he grunted. “And sloppy as hell”. I laughed sarcastically. “You want to fight me? Hand to hand combat?”, I asked. “Hell yeah. Test your skills”, Dean said smugly. “I’m gonna enjoy this”, I smirked.

---

About an hour later, Dean had me in the gym; testing my skills – and my patience.

“Again!”, he growled; after he’d nailed me to the wall, with his hands around my neck for the fifth time. I pushed him off me. “This isn’t fair”, I sneered. “Monsters don’t play fair”, Dean smirked. “Again!”. I took a stance in front of him; the baton he’d let me use as a stand in for a knife, in my hand. “That’s not what I mean”, I said; and jumped at him. He moved out of the way with a chuckle. “Too slow”, he smiled.

I let my shoulders drop, and threw the baton on the floor. “I’ve seen you fight; you know. And that’s what you’re doing now”. He began circling me. “You’re fighting as Dean Winchester – the great hunter. Not as a monster”. “Huh”, Dean grunted. “I like the sound of that…”. He sprang for me, and before I knew it, I was on the floor; and Dean was straddling me. “I’m sure you do”, I panted. “But this case isn’t even a monster. It’s a ghost”.

I was about to push him off me, when he grabbed my wrists, and pressed them down on either side of my head. “As much as I hate to admit it, ghosts are usually stronger than me – and as long as you can’t fight me of, you shouldn’t be hunting them”. “You’re still trying to turn me off this case…”, I sighed; struggling against his hold. His weight on me was sending very distracting thoughts through my head. He leant down to whisper in my ear. “Oh, sweetheart… I’ll be forever trying to turn you on…”. He sat back up. “But yeah. In this particular case, I still think you should stay here”. I pulled my arms upwards, making Dean lean over me again; his face close to mine. “You’re enjoying this too much”, I whispered. “And just for the record, my knee is dangerously close to your groin; I could just…”. I made to lift my knee; but Dean rolled of me. “Watch the jewels, Lou. We both want them safe”, he warned. With a swift move, I straddled him, as he had me. “On that, we agree”, I smirked.

Dean suddenly sat up, and his lips where on mine – kissing me with an almost insatiable hunger. I tried to push him off me; but he was too strong – and in all honesty, I was enjoying it. His arms where around me; holding me in place, and my own arms pinned down. “You’re gonna have to learn how to wrestle out of a move like this, if you want to hunt”, Dean growled. I began moving my hips, grinding against him. “I could always distract you…”, I breathed. “Not working”, Dean grunted. I bit my lip, and grinded again – this time letting out a soft moan. “Ok, it’s working a little bit”, he admitted with a grunt. “So how do I get out of it?”, I asked.

Suddenly, we were standing; Dean having lifted me off his lap, but still keeping me locked in his grasp. “With a vampire or a werewolf – or even a ghost – you wouldn’t. You’d be dead. At least with the moves you have now”, he said. He flipped me around, so my back was to him – and I felt his beginning erection pressing against my back. “With me…  Let’s just say, you might be able to persuade me without using violence”, he breathed into my hair.

I pushed out my bottom, to get him to take a small step back, leaving place for me to slide my hands behind my back, and take a hold of his hardness over his pants. Dean groaned slightly. I began gently squeezing it, and felt Dean loosen his hold on me. Just as I thought I was about to have the upper hand, he pushed me against the wall; making me brace myself with my hands in front of me. He grabbed my wrists, and held them over my head in one hand. He pressed himself against me again, and snaked his other hand in front of me; down my belly, to the waistband of my jeans – pausing there. I looked over my shoulder at him, and saw him search my eyes for consent. I gave him a slight nod; and with a mischievous smile, his fingertips slid behind the fabric, and ran through my curls.

I tried to pull my hands from his grasp, wanting desperately to touch him. “Nuh uh…”, Dean chuckled behind me. His knee went between my legs, so I was locked in place. “I’ve got you. You’re not going anywhere”. His fingers travelled down over my clit, ghosting the sensitive nub; and making me gasp. “You know, we should probably talk safe-words”, he smiled. “You think you’ll need them?”, I croaked; moving my hips to get him to touch me for real. Dean laughed gravelly. “Sweetheart, you are in for it”.

Suddenly, two of his fingers where inside me. He began pushing hard at my front wall, and rubbed at my nub with his palm. I pulled at my wrists; tried to get out of his hold on me – but he simply pushed me harder against the wall. His hand was thrusting and rubbing hard at me. “Push me off you”, he growled. I moaned a snarl, and gyrated to get free. “You’re stronger than this, Lou. Come on!”. “I… I don’t want to”, I whimpered. “You want me to have the upper hand? To win the fight?”, he chuckled. “No…”, I breathed; my insides beginning to clench around his fingers. “Then why aren’t you fighting me off?”, he teased. “I want… Oh, god!”, I pleaded.

Dean slowed down his movements inside me. “What are you doing?”, I whimpered. “Don’t stop”. He pulled out his fingers, and simply let them ghost my folds. “You’re giving up. Fight me!”, Dean demanded. “Dean! Please!”. “Earn it, baby”. With a roar, I used Dean’s hold on my wrists, to lift myself up; and press my feet against the wall. I kicked myself backwards, and we fell to the floor. Dean let go of my wrists, and I rolled away from him; getting on my feet.

“Good girl”, Dean smiled. “You won”. “Where’s my prize?”, I panted. “Your prize is; you won’t have to wait in the motel, while we take out the ghost”, he said; and stood up. “You can wait in the car. I’ll even crack a window”. I sighed. “You know, for a guy who haven’t even taken me on a proper date yet, you sure as hell feel entitled to tell me what to do”. “Lou, what do you want me to say?”, Dean shrugged. “We haven’t even been at this for an hour, and you’re already worn out”. “Am not…”, I lied. “I’m just… you know…”, I pouted. “What?”, he frowned.

I walked slowly towards him, biting my lip. “You just started something you didn’t finish… And I want you to finish it”. I put my hand on his chest; and he watched me intently, as I got on my toes, and tilted my head – brushing my lips against his. “You want…”. Dean swallowed hard. “I mean, we could take a break, and uhm…”. I caught his lower lip between my teeth, making him gasp.

I grabbed Deans hand, and turned around, so my back was to him again – as if I was trying to get back into the position we’d been in before. Felling his warm breath against my neck, I placed his hand over the top of my jeans; and ran my fingers up his arm. Grabbing a firm hold of his arm, with both my hands, I used my full bodyweight, to pull him forward – taking him by surprise – and making him land on the floor, on his back; with me on top of him. I rolled away from him, and got back on my feet.

“I think that just earned me a gold star!”, I smirked. Dean looked flabbergasted. “Where’d you learn that?”, he gasped. “WWE… Never tried it before though. Thanks for being my crash test dummy”, I smiled. Dean stood back up, and stretched. “Ow!”, he said. “Sorry”, I playfully pouted. “Want me to kiss it better?”. “You can’t flirt your way out of every situation!”, Dean growled. “And… yes”. I raised a brow at him. “Make me”, I smirked.

Dean chuckled sarcastically. “You’re going down!”. He sprang at me, and within seconds, I was on the floor; and Dean had his forearm against my neck. “I’d be happy to”, I croaked. “But Cass or Sam might walk in any second”. I grinded my hips against his. “Lou…”, Dean said warningly. “What?”, I whispered. “Am I doing something wrong?”. I slid my leg around his hip; and pulled him closer. The bulge on the front of Dean’s jeans gave away that I was doing everything right. “Is this how you plan on killing monsters?”, he asked; his voice breaking. “Grinding them to death?”. “Well, it seems to be taking your breath away”, I said; biting my lip. Dean shook his head, seemingly trying to focus on anything other than my mouth.

“Lulu!”, Sam called from down the hall. “Oh, thank God”, Dean croaked, and rolled of me. His brother joined us in the gym. “Thanks, Sam. I almost had him”, I frowned; and got to my feet. “Did not…”, Dean rasped, his back to us – discretely adjusting himself.

“It’s Jody. She wants to talk to you”, Sam said; and handed me my burner. “Jody?”, I said into the phone; smirking over my shoulder at Dean. “Lulu! You promised to call me!”, the sheriff said. “Sorry, ma’”, I smiled. “Please stop calling me that. I can feel my hair graying every time you do”. “Grey hair is hot. What’s up?”, I asked. “You’re with the guys?”, she said. “Yeah. I’m uhm… apparently in hunter boot-camp here”, I smirked. I heard Jody sigh. “Dean?” “Yup…”, I grunted. “Put me on speaker… now”.

I pressed the speaker button, and held up the phone. “Dean Winchester!”. “Hi, Jody”, Dean said warily. “Would you pull your head out of your ass, boy? Do you have any idea what this young woman has been doing for the last year?”, Jody snarled. “Jody, I’m just…”, Dean began. “Being a dick, that’s what you are… Get over yourself!”. I grinned at the frowning man who was currently getting his ass handed to him over the phone. “You hearing me? Dean?”. “Yes ma’am”, Dean muttered. “But did Sam happen to tell you what she did yesterday?”. “No, what?”. Dean smirked at me. “She ran straight at a nest of vampires with nothing but a machete and a minidress to protect her”. There was a pause. “How many did you take out, Lulu?”, Jody asked. “Three”, I muttered. “Good job… And don’t ever do that again! Are you crazy? You’re not ready for that!”. Thanks, I mouthed at Dean. He sent me the widest grin I’d seen on his face to date. “Sorry, Jody”, I said. “But why’d you call? Other than to yell at us?”.

She paused before continuing. “There’s been another one. Young woman, found under the bridge”. “That’s too soon!”, I gasped. “I know… How far are you with that research?”, Jody said. “I’m still working on it…”, I admitted. Sam clenched his jaw. “We’re on our way, Jody. Be there as soon as possible”. “Sounds good. See you then”, the sheriff said, and hung up.

I shook my head. “This is too soon. What the hell? Ghosts don’t usually change their MO…”, I muttered. “And this had been going on for more than 50 years”. “We’ll figure it out”, Sam smiled.

---

After packing up, we left the bunker – and Castiel – behind, to drive to South Dakota. Dean was still grumbling over the fact that I insisted on coming along. “This is my case. You’re the tag-along here”, I pointed out, as I dropped my bag in the trunk. Sam put the box of papers and records in there as well. “She’s not wrong, Dean”, he smiled. “And from what I’ve seen, Lulu’s done a damn good job on the research so far”. Dean frowned and dropped his own bag next to mine and Sam’s. “What about interviews? Have you done any of those yet?”, he grunted. “Didn’t have time to get to those, before Cass showed up for my book”, I said.

Sam had given me back Bobby’s journal, which was now safely stored in my backpack. The iron knife Sam had given me was stored in the pocket in my jacket I’d sown in for my angel blade; and I had a bag of salt in my pocket. I was more than ready to get this show on the road.

I went to get in the back seat, when Sam halted me. “Do you mind? I haven’t slept in two days”, he said, his face almost grey with exhaustion. “Sure”, I smiled, and went to sit in the front passenger seat, next to a smiling Dean. “Sammy!”, he chuckled. “You got short… and hot!”. “Shut up”, his brother responded from behind us.

After a few hours of driving, Dean put his arm on the backrest, and invited me in to cuddle up against him. It didn’t take much coaxing to accept – and soon I was leaning against his shoulder; sighing contently. A small snore came from the back seat; and I looked over my shoulder – smiling at the sight of the 6’4 man sleeping like a baby behind us. Dean glanced down at me, and licked his lower lip. “You know, he’s out cold…”, he muttered quietly. I looked questioningly at him, as he raised a brow at me. Only then did I realize what he was implying. “No! Not happening”, I said pointedly. Dean pouted playfully. “We could be really quiet…”, he whispered. I pulled back from his grasp, and chuckled. “Forget it”, I grunted. “Lou…”. “The lady said no!”, Sam snarled from the back seat.

Dean cleared his throat embarrassedly, and I squeezed his thigh gently, before winking at him. He smiled crookedly, and stroked his index finger down my jaw.

“How far are we from Sioux Falls?”, Sam yawned. “About two hours out. You can still get some shuteye”, I said; looking back at him. He raised a brow at the back of his brothers head. “Not taking that chance”, he muttered. He grabbed the thermos of coffee, and poured himself a cup, downing it in one go. “Cold”, he frowned. “Want me to make a stop?”, Dean said. “No, just turn on some music”, Sam groaned; and tried to stretch his long legs out.

I searched the glove compartment for a good tape, and smiled brightly when I stumbled across one labeled Lou. I looked Dean with a warm pouting smile. “Not that one!”, he said, and tried to snatch it from me. I smacked his hand away, and slid it into the radio.

“Lying in your arms, so close together…”.

Sam chuckled from the back seat. “Shut it”, Dean growled. I smiled at him, and caught him looking at me from the corner of his eye; a warm smirk ghosting his face. “Made a mistake, when I let you go, baby. I drive myself crazy, wanting you the way that I do”, I whispered along to the song. The next song was Landslide, by Fleetwood Mac. “How much time did you spend on this?”, I muttered. Dean didn’t answer, but I saw his cheeks redden. “He was on lockdown for three days”, Sam smirked. “I will turn this car around!”, Dean growled. I shook my head. “Behave… both of you”, I said. Sam cleared his throat, and looked out the window; stifling a grin.

When we finally arrived outside Sioux Falls PD, we’d gone through the tape three times – listening to the greatest hits of Lou and Dean. It included Ramones’ version of Spiderman; Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train; Bon Jovi’s Bad Medicine; AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top – during which Dean muttered something about a girl he once knew, who’d flashed Angus Young at a concert – and finally, for some reason, Cherry Pie by Warrant.

Jody looked up from some papers on her desk, when we entered the station. “Miss Timberlake…”, she muttered with a half-smile. “You owe me 100 bucks for that motel bill you skipped out on”. I gave my friend a warm hug. Dean sent me a look. “Timberlake?”, he grunted. “Save it, John Bonham”, she grunted, before pulling him in for a hug. She patted Sam’s cheek after hugging him. “You look like death run over. What’s wrong?”. “Been working… Not getting much sleep”. Jody raised her brows. “You need to take better care of yourselves”, she said; before putting her fingertips against the bandage on my neck. “All of you!”, she grunted.

“The girl”, I said, cutting to the chase. “She was found under the bridge”. “Yeah”, the sheriff frowned. “Icy cold. Three days after being crowned prom queen”. “Poor girl”, I muttered. “She’s not the first prom queen to go out the same way, though, is she?”. “Well, you have the records. Weren’t they all?”, she asked. “No… Only some of them”, I said.

An officer looked in our direction; frowning. “You three should go… somewhere else”, Jody said. “Ghosty stuff isn’t a good topic here”. “We’ll set up at a motel. Let you know where we’re at”, Dean said. “You’re welcome to use my house…”, Jody offered. “That nosy neighbor of yours gonna be good with that?”, I smirked; remembering Mrs. Boone, who’d shown up at all hours of the day, when she found out Jody had me crashing on her couch. “Good point”, she smiled. “But pick a different motel. The 6 is pissed at you”, she said, cocking a brow at me. “Right…”, I winced. “See you later?”. Jody nodded, and waved us away; suddenly looking angry. “I told you!”, she said loudly. “We have no comments for the media as of now!”. “Sorry, sheriff”, Dean smiled. “We’ll be on our way”.

We got back in the Impala, and made our way to a motel just outside town. Dean was pouting when he came back from the front desk. “They only have one room”, he grunted; and handed Sam the key. His brother just shook his head, and went to unlock the door. “So much for privacy”, Dean muttered to me. “We’re here to work”, I retorted. He looked at me in almost anguish. “Lou…”, he groaned. I intertwined my fingers with his, and kissed his stubbly cheek. “Dead girl. Ghosts. Work”, I said. “Move the car”. “You move the car”, he frowned. “Ok!”, I smiled; longing to get my hands on the Impala. Deans eyes widened. “Wait, no. Scratch that. You just… go to the room”. I rolled my eyes, and walked over to our temporary accommodations.

A few minutes later, Sam was draped across one of the beds in our shared room. Dean came in with his and my bag. “Dude, you look like crap. We can go check out that bridge later”, he said. “Get some sleep”. “Actually, I was gonna go that”, I said. “You’re welcome to join”. I smirked at the frowning older brother. “You were going to go… alone?”, he said. “Not if you’re coming with”, I shrugged. He muttered something below his breath. “Fine, let’s go. You good with this, Sam?”. Sam wasn’t answering. He was out cold.

---

About an hour later, Dean and I were scouting the area around where the last girl had been found. Dean was just hanging up on Jody, when he came over to join me, where I was crouching over a patch of grass that seemed to have suffered from frost bite. “Jody’s meeting up with Sam at the motel in a few”. “Huh…”, I muttered. “EMF? I don’t have one”. Dean handed me his own. “Of course you don’t…”, he grunted. “Dean…”, I warned. He sighed, and watched as I turned on the meter. It instantly reacted slightly, though not as it would, had there been a spirit present at the moment. This was residue. “Good. You found out it’s a ghost. Now what?”. “You tell me, Mr. Hunter Man…”, I jeered. “You’re the expert”. “No, please. Be my guest. You seem to have this thing down”.

I stood up. “I’m going up to the bridge. No one’s reported seeing the ghost this time around. It’s all out of wack”. “Ok, let’s go”, Dean said, and reached for my hand. I walked ahead of him before he could grab it. “What?”, he asked. “You’re being a jerk, Dean”, I sneered. “I’m trying to do my job here, but it’s really hard, when you keep riding my ass on everything I say and do”. His gaze softened. “I’m sorry”, he muttered. “You’re right. Let’s try to figure this thing out”. “Yeah?”, I asked. He nodded. “Yeah. Do your job. Tell me how I can help”, he tried with a crooked smile. It was almost endearing. “I want to scan the bridge. See if there are any spirits around”, I sighed. “After that, I want to check out the lover’s lane”. Dean’s face lit up. “For ghosts, you horn-dog!”, I chuckled. “Oh”, he grumbled. “Fine”.

The bridge didn’t give away any readings for spirits; confusing me even further. Dean took off his jacket, and threw it into the car. “Kind of hot for April”, he grunted. “Yeah”, I agreed. “That girl still died from hypothermia, though. It has to be connected to that spirit. But she died in early May. So why freeze to death? And why are the dates suddenly different?”. Dean shrugged. “You’re the brains in this operation. I’m just the brawns”, he smiled. I walked over to him, and patted his chest. “You do a great job of that”, I smirked. “Come on. Take me to lover’s lane, stud”.

The sun was beginning to set as Dean parked the Impala a few miles away from the bridge. Markings on the ground showed that this was a place many cars parked; when the people in them were searching for some privacy. There were trees around, making it possible for a couple to go about their business, without being spotted. I got out of the car, and scanned the area. Nothing. I frowned. “This brings me back”, Dean smirked. “To what?”, I asked, searching the ground for any trace of something that shouldn’t be there. He swallowed hard. “Uhm… Susan…”, he muttered; leaning against the Impala. “Farrow?”, I chuckled. He cleared his throat. “You remembered”, he said. “Yeah… Took her to another lover’s lane after prom”. I nodded and laughed.

I continued scanning the area around the car. Suddenly, Deans arms snaked around my waist; and he pressed himself against me. “It brings me back somewhere else as well”, he breathed, and kissed the top of my head. “Where’s that?”, I croaked, trying to focus on my task. “You… me… backseat”. He brushed my hair away from the back of my neck, and nibbled at my neck – sending waves of warmth to my core. “I’m trying to work”, I squeaked quietly. “There’s nothing here. Just us”, Dean whispered into my ear. “Come on… We have to share a room with my brother. Can’t we take a break, and just…”. He ran his finger across my jaw. “I guess…”, I breathed.

I turned around, and Dean pressed his lips to mine. As I parted my lips, and he gained entry to my mouth -brushing his tongue against mine – I was a whimpering mess. Dean scanned the area for company – and happy that we were, indeed, alone – he suddenly bent down, and threw me over his shoulder; and carried me back to the Impala. “Dean!”, I yelped. “Put me down”. He smacked my butt, and put me down; grabbing the EMF-meter from my hand, and throwing it through the open window, on the front seat. He opened the door to the back seat for me, and I got inside. Suddenly, I was flipped on my back, and Dean slammed the door behind him – crawling up to place himself between my legs.

I tugged at his t-shirt, and he pulled it off; letting me run my nails down his chest. “Lou”, he rasped. “Careful. I’ve been thinking about this all day. Don’t finish it before its even started”. “I knew I had you back in that gym”, I smirked. Dean’s pupils blew in remembrance. “Yeah”, he admitted; before pressing his lips against mine again.

Our tongues battled for dominance, and we made out like two teenagers. Pushing myself into a seated position, I quickly shed the layers on my torso, until I was left in my bra. Dean pulled down the cup from my right breast, and sucked my nipple into his mouth, making me gasp loudly. Frantically, I went for his belt; unbuckling it with shaking hands. “Foreplay?”, Dean grunted. “Skip it!”, I growled, and opened my own jeans, and pulling them down over my bottom. I kicked off one boot, and got my leg free, so I could pull down my panties as well; and my already glistening folds met the evening air. Dean ran a finger between my labia, and entered me slightly.

My eyes widened. “Wait!”, I cried out. “What?”, Dean asked in a startled voice. I pushed him off me, and leant over the back rest, reaching for the ignition, turning the key so the radio began playing. “She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean. She was the best damn woman I had ever seen…”, Brian Johnson began singing. “Oh, baby”, Dean grinned. With a firm grab of my hips, he pulled me back onto the backseat; and pulled down his jeans – freeing himself. I grabbed his erection, and guided it towards my entrance. Dean pushed into me with a strangled groan; and instantly began moving on top of me. I locked my leg around his hip, and rolled my hips to meet his movements.

The Impala’s mufflers got a run for their money, as the entire car was moving with us. We simultaneously kissed and laughed from the rocking of the vehicle. It wasn’t long before I noticed Deans face change into a more strained expression. “It’s ok”, I panted. “You can…”. “No”, he shook his head. “Not yet. You… oh, wow… you first”. I grabbed the back of his head, and kissed him deeply; before tilting my hips, making him stroke against the sensitive spot inside me. The strain on my back was uncomfortable, and when Dean saw my facial expression, he put his hand behind me, and pulled me up to straddle him. He leaned against the backrest, and I moved up and down on him; feeling him fill every inch of me. He put his thumb against my nub, and stroked it; while simultaneously massaging my left breast.

The fire in my belly was building, and before long, I saw white; and my walls clenched around his hardness. I came with a raspy moan, and Dean followed me soon after. I collapsed against his chest, and chuckled. “Wow…”, I grinned. “Uh huh”, Dean agreed. He put his hands on either side of my face, and kissed me gently.

Suddenly I heard a buzzing. Dean pulled back – his lips still puckered. “What’s that?”, I whispered. Dean patted my thighs to get off him, and I moved, letting him lean over to the front seat, and pick up the EMF. All the lights where blaring, and we looked at each other in wonder.

We quickly got cleaned up and dressed, and both got out of the car. The EMF-meter quieted down gradually, before going black again. “What the hell was that?”, I said. “I don’t know”, Dean frowned. “But we should get back to the motel”. I nodded, and we got back in the car.

As we neared the bridge, a thought struck me. “Prom…”, I muttered. “What?”, Dean asked. “The girl who died this time. She was prom queen. Three others were crowned queen as well”. Dean pondered my words. “You think the ghost has it out for prom queens?”. “No”, I said. “Not all of the victims were crowned. But they disappeared around prom night”. I slammed my palm against my forehead. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!”. Dean smiled. “You’re thinking of it now. It’s good work”. I chuckled. “Are you saying atta girl?”, I asked. “Something like that”, he shrugged, and squeezed my knee.

As we drove over the bridge, I picked up the EMP-meter, and turned it on. The sun was all the way down, and the bridge wasn’t lit up by anything, but the headlights of the Impala. Suddenly, a jolt went through my body, as the radio turned itself on; not playing the tape inserted – but instead letting a soft female voice begin a melancholic tune. “The night is like a lovely tune. Beware my foolish heart. How white the ever-constant moon. Take care my foolish heart”. The EMP-meter’s lights blared, and it began buzzing fiercely. “What’s happening?”, I muttered. “What kind of ghost messes with a man’s tunes?”, Dean growled. “Your lips are much too close to mine. Beware my foolish heart. But should our eager lips combine. Then let the fire start”.

“Dean!”, I yelled. He slammed the brakes, just as a young woman in a pink dress appeared in front of us. She was walking in the same direction as we were driving; barefoot, carrying her shoes, and her hair was tussled. Her whole body was shaking, as if she was freezing. “That’s her”, I croaked.

The young woman didn’t seem to notice us. Dean sprang out of the car. “Hey!”, he yelled after her. She didn’t respond. “Miss?”. “She can’t hear you… she’s just a reflection”, I breathed, and got out to join him. “No, stay in the car!”, Dean growled.

I walked towards the reflection, when suddenly she turned around, and looked straight at me. Her makeup was smudged, and her mascara had been running. The radio continued playing the soft melody. “For this time it isn't fascination. Or a dream that will fade and fall apart. It's love, this time it's love. My foolish heart”. The girl mouthed along to the music.

An intense chill went through me, and I blinked. She was gone. The radio turned itself off. I was as frozen in place. “She was crying”, I whispered. Dean grabbed my arm. “Come on, Lou”, he muttered. “We need to get out of here”. I nodded, and rubbed my arms, entering the car again.

---

Back at the motel, Sam had been joined by Jody, and they were bent over the papers from my box. “You find anything at the bridge?”, Sam asked. He was finally looking well rested; and apparently, he was well fed as well – I could tell from the open containers of Tupperware, I recognized as Jody’s. “Yeah, a friggin’ ghost”, Dean said. “We saw her. And she messed with my radio!”. I stumbled over to sit down. “Whiskey”, I croaked. I felt an intense chill throughout my body. I’d never been that close to a ghost before; having mostly seen them at a distance.

Dean poured me a drink, and I downed it. “You saw her?”, Sam asked. “The white lady?”. “No, I think she’s just a reflection… I don’t know, I’m… That was insane!”. Dean furrowed his brow at me. “I’d say you look like you’ve seen a ghost, but that would be redundant”, he muttered. “What was her name again?”. Jodie pulled out an old death record. “Annie Jones. 18 years old at the time of death”, she said. I looked at the picture of the young woman; Dean leaning in to look over my shoulder. “That was her”, he said. He read the record Jodie handed him. “But she was cremated…”. “There must be something out there of hers left”, Sam said.

I got up, and went over to my bag, grabbing a cardigan to put over my tank-top and flannel. “You ok, Lulu?”, Jody frowned. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit shook up”, I smiled, and sat back down. “Did you make any connection to high school proms, from the papers?”. Sam smiled. “Now you mention it; yeah”, he said. “All the victims disappeared on prom night, or just after”. Jody narrowed her eyes. “The shift in dates make sense now”, she muttered. “Sioux Falls High has had the prom around the same date every year forever… Until this year”. “What happened?”, Dean asked, as he was heading for the deliciously smelling Tupperware. “Chicken!”, he grinned, and grabbed a leg. “I’m not sure”, Jody said. “Something about the gymnasium being rented out for some event or other, on the usual date. They decided to advance the date of the prom. Local rich guy, Mason, is celebrating his wife’s 80’th, by recreating their prom night”. “Confusing the hell out of the ghost in the process, so she wasn’t seen until after the victim was found”, Dean said, his mouth full. I handed him a napkin.

Sam ran a hand over his face. “About that…”, he began, before Jody interrupted him. “The girl who was found the other day didn’t die from hypothermia. She had a diabetic seizure”, she said. “Coroner confirmed it about an hour ago”. “So no victim this year?”, I asked. I rubbed my hands together. “Could you close the window?”, I asked Dean. “It’s not open”, he muttered. “I am thoroughly confused”, I said. “And tired. Do you mind if I take a nap?”. “Go ahead”, Sam smiled.

I got up and passed Dean. “We can take the other bed”, he muttered. I patted his chest. “You’re on the couch, Fabio”, I smiled. “We’re working”. “Come on!”, he complained. “You had yours”, I whispered; and went over to lay down on the bed furthest from the door.

I heard the other three muttering quietly, before I dozed off. It must have been a few hours later, when I felt the bed dip, and Dean putting his arms around me. I was about to croak at him to go to the couch, but the room felt chilly; and his warmth was welcome.

---

[ntshastark]

ok, I’ve finished watching it so here it goes:

Bridgerton final impressions

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Daphne: I love her!!!!!!!!! I loved her on the book and I loved her on the show. My only complain is..... The Scene........ The way they changed it up made it so they could’ve easily swapped The Scene for a confrontation. I guess they didn’t want Simon to be the only asshole of the two but then they never addressed how Daphne was wrong too??? They just use the Whistledown voice-over to basically say “oh she’s desperate so it’s understandable” and then kinda shift all the blame onto Violet - and, don’t get me wrong, her sex talk is shit and she should know it, but what Daphne did was already after Rose really explained her how sex really works, so ignorance isn’t really an excuse....

Simon: I love him!!!!!!!!! I loved him on the book and I loved him on the show. My only complain is how they handled his daddy issues arc’s resolution. Like, Daphne just tells him he doesn’t need to be perfect to be loved and! Just like that! He is cured! Childhood trauma? I don’t know her! They don’t even address the real problem, which is Simon going from living to please his father to living to spite his (dead) father, and the book just handled it SO WELL, I really don’t understand why they changed it in the show.

I hope Simon and Daphne don’t get brushed off to the side now that their book’s story is over. Simon and Anthony’s friendship still needs a little patching up; there’s the Will and Alice storyline that, if they choose to continue, Simon will likely be involved in; and Daphne is pregnant during Anthony’s book, so they can do something about that too, and maybe about her helping out Eloise during her first season... I know they won’t be the focus of the story ever again, but I just hope they keep showing up like ABC and E did on this season, and aren’t just mentioned to be doing their own thing off-screen like Francesca was.

Anthony: .......................................................Sigh. I don’t know who that incompetent, irresponsible, lovesick idiot is, but it’s sure as hell not Anthony. They literally took everything about his character, cut into pieces, made a nonsensical collage and called it characterisation. The real Anthony has an incredibly strong sense of duty and responsibility to both his title and his family, because he feels he has to do it as good as his father would - which, in his head, is perfection. He doesn’t skip and/or arrives late to important events because he’s fooling around with his mistress, and he wouldn’t just wave away his responsibilities to his brothers - especially because they are also his responsibility. The real Anthony cares deeply about the happiness of his siblings, and does everything to secure them the Happily Ever After he himself doesn’t believe he’ll ever have. He would never force one of them to marry someone they clearly despise, especially with no serious reason. The real Anthony was a rake who jumped from bed to bed without letting himself create real attachments, because he deeply believes he’s going to die young and can’t bring himself to make someone go through the same pain his mother did when his father died. He simply wouldn’t remain seeing a woman if he thought he was developing feelings for her - and that only changed when he was forced to marry Kate - and he definitely wouldn’t ask someone to run away with him when he’s finally free of society, jesus fucking christ what the hell even was that?????? And so they - knowing he was going to be next season’s protagonist, mind you  - took all of the characteristics Anthony developed in the 10 years since his father’s death, largely because of Edmond - both in how he raised him and in how his death traumatised him - and said “hey, what if we make all of this happen in like 3 months, and be all about that opera singer he kissed once in the book!”

Violet: I love her, but I feel like they sacrificed a lot of Anthony’s character for her sake......... The Nigel thing is a great example of that: The way she solved it was amazing, but for that to happen they had to make Anthony cause the problem in the first place, which was so ooc it physically hurt. And the way she’s constantly reminding him of how much he sucks as a Viscount, and even straight up saying that his father would’ve been much better was icky tbh

Eloise: Loved how they explored her relationships with Daphne and Benedict - and the queen thing was funny - but that’s about it. She’s so incredibly entitled holy fuck. Combine the fresh-faced feminist who just learned the buzzwords and now thinks sexism is the single biggest plague to ever walk this earth with the spoiled rich girl who wants the entire world to bend to her whims and refuses to do anything she doesn’t want, and that’s how you get show!Eloise. But, tbh, I don’t really mind. She’s a teenager, that’s just how teenagers are. We didn’t really see that much of her before the time jump in the books, she has a long way to go until her story takes center place, and I’m perfectly ok with us watching how she becomes the woman we see in TSPWL. Basically, not that big of a fan of her characterisation, but she is in a spot where she can spend some time turning into the woman from her book - unlike Anthony :)). My big issue is actually how her going from vehemently anti-marriage as a teenager to happily married and with a bunch of kids as an adult is going to feed such a tired trope...

Penelope: I love her, obviously, but oh boy is she fucked. I agree very much with this post re: what she did to Marina. I guess, because LW was initially just a writing device to allow for exposition, the show is gonna go WAY deeper into how the things that happen to Penelope (and her being a teenager) affect what she writes, and into the consequences of doing what she’s doing, but honestly? They might have overplayed it...... I really don’t see how in the fuck they’re gonna make the ending of RMB work in the show’s universe - and I already thought the books glossed over the consequences way too much. So, uh. Good luck I guess.

(Also, I wonder what they’re gonna do about that heir cliffhanger. I just assumed Penelope was gonna do what she does in the books and find a way to give part of the Whistledown money to her mother. Gotta admit it never occurred to me that, with all the Featherington children being women and their father being dead, the title and what comes with it technically belonged to a uncle or cousin or something)

Marina: I fucking hate them for making me get attached to her knowing what’s gonna happen. This poor girl, jesus christ. And, ok, a lot of times she seemed rude and ungrateful but 1. Her situation was fucking terrifying and 2. She was suddenly thrown into this world of pampered, superficial, and naive girls, and that can test anyone’s patience. Also, yeah, the whole manipulating Colin thing was not cool, but, again, it was either that, an elderly likely-abusive husband, or a life of shame on the margins of society, so uhhh.

(Also, that scene when she said she would love for her, Penelope and Eloise to be sisters........ And I thought Eloise becoming Oliver and Amanda’s mother couldn’t hit me any harder......... Imagine an AU where George survived and he and Marina get married and Eloise marries Philip and Penelope marries Colin and they’re all sisters-in-law to each other and I cry my eyes out)

Colin: Gotta be honest with ya, chief... I don’t think he passes the sexy lamp test. Missed his and Daphne’s special relationship, missed his love of food, missed his sense of humour... At least he and Penelope were cute. I’m actually already shipping them more in the show than in the books.

Benedict: I think they’re trying to mirror him being in a relationship with a woman of no status (now Genevieve, then Sophie) with being gay and hmm. Really not sure about it. He does seem bicurious to me but I think they’re hesitant to give him an arc focused on exploring his sexuality when we know his love story is gonna be with a woman (but then again, they weren’t afraid of giving Anthony an arc about having a relationship with a woman of no status when we know his love story is gonna be with a perfectly respectable one, so *shrugs*). Once again, very glad they decided to make him and Eloise so close from the get-go. It’s going to make that scene on TSPWL where Benophie’s son gets sick so much more meaningful and painful, I can’t wait.

Siena and Genevieve: They’re both amazing women with an incredible friendship. Benedict and Genevieve have the relationship I was hoping Anthony and Siena would have, from the trailers.

Francesca: Glorified cameo. Disappointing. I know she doesn’t show up much in the books other than her own, but that should just have been seen as an opportunity to do whatever they wanted with her! Not make her disappear for 6/8 episodes! Hope they show more of her on the next season.

Gregory and Hyacinth: They’re baby. The scene where Gregory makes both Anthony and Simon fall on the water should’ve been there. Loved Hyacinth acting like she’s Simon’s BFF. Loved that they cut Hyacinth’s “wait for me” scene bc it reminded me too much of my annoying little cousin and made me not like her for the longest time.

Lady Danbury: 10/10. Please hit me with your cane. Am currently entertaining the idea of having her and Violet get together.

Barry B. Benson: A cold-blooded murderer

Overall: This didn’t fit into any character, but oh god........... the lack of chemises............ But  I loved the show, even if some things annoyed me,  and I can’t wait for season 2 AND MY GIRL KATE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[let-it-raines]

Catch Me If You Can (20/?)

298 days. That’s how long Killian Jones was away from a baseball field. It’s less than a year, only part of a season for him, but it might as well have lasted a decade as he alternated between physical therapy and spending an excessive amount of time sitting on his couch.

But then he came back and won the World Series.

It’s something no one saw coming, and it’s certainly not something anyone who knows about his arm would predict. Now it’s a new season with new possibilities, and anything could happen. On-field reporter Emma Swan will be there to cover it all even if she is not his biggest fan right now.

Asking her out live on-air will do that.

Rating: Mature

a/n: shout out to @resident-of-storybrooke​ for beta-ing this bad boy even if I did find a hell of a lot of typos doing my final read for this chapter. It’s okay. We all make mistakes 😉

(It’s me. I made the mistakes because I’m the one making those typos.)

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

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-/-

The game plays on the television in the weight room as Killian works with free weights to work out his arm and his shoulder. He’s already been massaged by Archie today even though he’s not playing, but when he woke up there was a slight ache there that wasn’t pleasant to live with. It’s still there, but it’s manageable, just a small little niggling feeling that he feels if he lifts something that’s too heavy or twists in just the right, or wrong, way. But it’s fine, as it always is, because the pain doesn’t last for too long and is always manageable.

How many athletes walk around every day living with manageable pain when the world thinks that their bodies are in the most pristine conditions?

That’s always been kind of funny to him, and it hasn’t been until the past two years that he’s understood why. Fans of baseball, of any sport really, sit in the stands, on their couches, and on barstools at the restaurant yelling at athletes to do the impossible with their body, and then when they can’t or get hurt doing it, yell at them for not having some kind of superhuman strength. He’s had so many people bemoan to him about the public part of his accident, one that was traumatizing on a personal and professional level with effects still lingering to today, and they don’t seem to understand that the men and women on fields and courts or in swimming pools are human beings who have pushed their bodies to the limits for most of their lives.

And he doesn’t even play one of the most physically demanding sports, though it can be much more demanding than most people think, especially for his arm.

Hell, definitely for his arm.

But he loves it. That’s the thing. Killian loves this game, loves his team, loves getting to stand out on that field even on the days where only a quarter of the seats are filled up. It’s been his passion for so long, the thing that he is truly good at, and he can’t imagine doing anything else even if he’s had back-up plan after back-up plan and will have to do something with his life when this is all over.

Today isn’t that day.

“Hey,” Robin says as he enters the weight room, his hair slicked back from a shower so that Killian knows that he’s not actually in here to talk, “you wanted to talk to me?”

Oh, and the fact that Killian told him that he wanted to talk. That will definitely do it.

“Yeah, one minute,” he sighs, running through one more rep before putting the weights down on their rack and adjusting the hat on his head so that he can wipe away the sweat on his brow before turning to look at Robin who is sitting on a weight bench. “Roseman sucks today.”

“That’s what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“No, no,” Killian corrects, taking the seat across from Robin on another bench and leaning forward so that his clasped hands rest between the open space between his knees. Taking a quick glance toward the door, he sees that no one is around, and with the music blaring so loudly throughout the hallways, he knows no one will be able to hear anyways. “So, I feel like I’m making the rounds delivering news when I really should have gotten you all together at one time to get it over with, but Ariel has been impossible to get to sit still for more than a second and Will talks too loudly for me to tell him in person and – ”

“Are you dying or something?” Robin laughs, his brows raised in confusion.

“I’m not dying,” he reassures Robin even as his hand reaches up to scratch behind his ear. “I’m, well, I’m dating Emma Swan, and while we’re keeping it quiet from the media and most everyone else, we decided to tell the people who are close with us, hence you and A and Eric and Will. Plus, obviously, my family, who are the only ones I’ve managed to tell so far.”

Robin doesn’t say anything at first, his eyes widened as he takes the information in, and while Killian knew the reaction he was expecting when he told Liam and Elsa – Liam was surprised and far too overbearing and Elsa literally told him that she figured it out at Addy’s birthday party – he hasn’t quite been able to come up with a clear idea of how his friends would react.

Silence and confusion have been his best guesses.

“For how long?” Robin finally stutters out.

“A couple of months.”

“And you’re serious about her?”

“That I am.”

“And this is a secret?”

Why does he feel like this is an exact repeat of the conversation he had with Liam and pretty much the same as the conversation Emma relayed that she had with David?

“Yeah, for Emma. After everything with me and then all of the backlash that she gets with her job, we wanted to keep it quiet. At first, it was so that we could figure things out, but now that we’re more comfortable, we’re telling the people closest to us so that such big parts of our lives aren’t hidden away.”

Robin nods, the smallest smile forming on his lips, and Killian didn’t quite realize how much he wanted Robin’s approval until he got it. Not getting it wouldn’t change things, but Robin has been one of his best mates for a decade, has been through so many of his highs and lows, and he wants Robin to be happy for him. He wants to be able to talk through everything with Robin the way that Robin has with him.

“That makes sense. I mean, yeah,” Robin chuckles, leaving back and messing with his shirt. “I knew you always fancied her, especially lately, but it makes sense with how often I’ve seen the two of you chatting on the plane or at breakfast. I didn’t think anything of it, just figured that she was looking for a friend since the woman who used to be go on road trips with her isn’t around that often. Huh, you’re dating again.”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Only a little. You were so messed up after Milah and all of the women that came after her that I didn’t really think you’d ever seriously date someone again. I kind of thought that you and I would end up as eternal bachelors and live life vicariously through Roland.”

Killian barks out a laugh, one that he really shouldn’t at how depressing that thought honestly is, but leave it to Robin to make him laugh like that. It’s something that comes with knowing someone for so damn long, and Killian is thankful for it.

“Do you think Roland will take care of us in our old age? I’m not sure that he will.”

“He’ll take care of you,” Robin laughs, “because you never have to tell him no. He’s going to harbor the fact that I didn’t let him have dessert last night forever.”

“Yeah, you’re definitely not getting chocolate pudding when you’re old and it’s all you can eat.”

Robin rolls his eyes, but the smile is still there. The smile is still on Killian’s face too. “I’m happy for you, mate. I kind of think you’re both batshit crazy for getting involved with each other when there’s so much that could go wrong, but happiness looks good on you.”

“Thanks. I don’t – she’s great, Rob. Bloody fantastic. I mean, I know that you know her and get to see her kick ass at her job every day, but outside of work too…she’s amazing.”

“I know.”

-/-

After the game, Killian manages to pull Will, Eric, and Ariel aside into one of the offices outside the locker room to tell them, finally hitting three birds with one stone, which is a pretty morbid saying now that he thinks about. Their hitting coach looks through the glass of the window when Ariel lets out a scream at his words, and Killian can do nothing but shake his head. It’s like he’s announcing the most exciting thing to ever happen to him every time he tells someone, and as much as he knew that his friends were invested in his dating life – or lack thereof – he didn’t know it was like this.

They all very obviously need to get a life.

-/-

“Oh my gosh,” Emma groans, slamming the passenger side door to his car closed as she slides onto the leather seat and adjusts her bag in her lap before dropping it to the ground, “I’d never make it as a spy. There were approximately a million people who were walking this way that knew me or you or were a member of the press. I swear, babe, it was impossible to get over here. I could have gotten to your brother’s house faster had I taken the trains, even with how packed they are right now.” She takes a breath and leans over to press her lips to his cheeks. “Hi. Thank you for waiting on me.”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly going to leave without you, Swan. How was work?”

“You know,” she teases, rolling her eyes a bit at his question, “it was good. Did you know that the Yankees won today and that they’re leading their league? And things like that tend to make players very happy to talk to me. Do you know who else was very happy to talk to me?”

“Who, love?” he asks as he presses his foot down on the gas and hits the ignition button to start the car.

“Ariel Fisher. That’s another reason why I’m late. I was attacked by a tiny, very loud, red-headed woman giving me a hug that I swear squeezed the life out of me. I’m not entirely sure what she said to me since there was a certain lack of air circulation going on in my brain, but I’m pretty sure she said she was super happy for me and then tried to adopt me or something like that.”

Killian chuckles, unable to help himself, before he leans back into his seat and rests his cheek against the headrest so that he can look at Emma. She looks so happy today, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail to keep it off her neck since he knows that when she sweatssweatsshe hates the way it tangles at the back of her neck. He also knows that she spent an hour picking out a dress to wear today because she’s coming with him to his brother’s townhome for Sunday night dinner and is a little nervous. She claims that she is simply indecisive about what to wear all the time, but he knows that isn’t true. Ruby, who he still hasn’t officially met but who he’s going to meet when he’s subjected to his own family dinner (interrogation), finally helped her out by tossing an orange dress that falls beneath her knees and curves around Emma’s breasts at her and telling her they were leaving the apartment in an hour.

Ruby is a force of nature.

And he is very much distracted by the swell of Emma’s breasts right now and the way he can see the freckle that resides on the inside of her right one. Always so distracting.

“Yeah,” Killian sighs, reaching up to scratch behind his ear, “I have now officially told everyone I deemed worth of knowing that you are my girlfriend, and despite Ariel’s several squeals over the whole thing, everyone is going to keep it quiet. At least to the outside world. I fully expect them to be a little too invasive with us from time to time.”

“Really?” Emma drones sarcastically, shifting her legs underneath the dash to cross one over the other so that the material shows the skin just above her knee. “I didn’t expect that at all with Will asking me if I was going to be your plus one for his wedding. Belle apparently needs to know for the seating arrangements. Or Ariel asking if we’d be willing to go on a couple’s vacation for the New Year.”

“I can believe both of those things happened.”

“As you should because they are true statements, twenty-nine.” Emma sighs back into the seat, turning away from facing him and looking out at the gray block that is the parking garage. “How’d Robin take it?”

“I’ll tell you on the way to Liam’s, yeah? If there’s one thing you need to know about the Jones family, it’s that we like to be on time, and we, my darling, are running late.”

“Liam will just have to get used to it like you have.”

Killian laughs as he puts his car in drive and makes his way out of the parking garage, filling in all of the details about his conversation with Robin as well as his with Will, Eric, and Ariel. Honestly, it feels like this is all they’ve talked about in the past week since Emma finally took the leap and told her family. She was pretty quiet about it all, not surprisingly, and slowly but surely he managed to drag some information out of her besides the fact that Ruby had figured it out because Emma was wearing his sweatshirt – which he still hasn’t gotten back – and that David had kind of caused her to freak out about things. He doesn’t love the thought of Emma getting into a panic about their relationship, but there are definitely things for them to always think about and consider. That’s not going to change.

Liam had said the same thing to him when he told him. He’d been full of questions, that obnoxious protective older brother gene coming to life. It doesn’t matter that Killian is twenty-eight years old and very much has control of his own life. Liam is always going to be that way, no matter how much Killian asks him not to be. It stems from Liam being both his brother and his father for a lot of his life. Liam was the one who was there to help him apply to colleges, to help him get recruiters to watch his games. His father had been the one who was obsessed with baseball, but his brother was the one who helped him achieve his dreams. And Liam had been the one who was by his side when he got drafted, when he worked his way up from the minors, when he pitched his first ball in Yankee stadium.

On top of all of that, Liam had been the one who was there when Killian and Milah broke up. That had been a disaster among disasters, and it’s probably exactly the reason why Liam pretty much had some kind of heart attack when Killian told him that he’d been dating someone in secret again. It had never occurred to Killian, not until he was sitting down across the kitchen table from Liam, that there were similarities even if the situations and circumstances and reasonings are different. Milah had asked him to be private about their relationship because of her marriage, not that he knew that at first, and he, the cocky guy that he was, thought that it was because she didn’t want the attention that would have come from being with him. In reality, no one but die-hard baseball fans cared about him, and he was fooling himself into thinking the things that he thought.

He was an idiot.

Still is sometimes.

How did he not realize that Liam might be truly upset about it all, that keeping such a big part of his life away from his best friend in the entire world would cause some sting? How did he not think through the fact that Liam, even though he’s often teased Killian about Emma and genuinely likes her, would worry about something similar happening here even though it is entirely different?

And now, after the accident, after all of the guilt and fear and worry that came with that, Liam focuses so much on Killian and how his life is going so that this would impact things.

It had been a long, stilted conversation, one that made Killian’s head pound, and thank goodness for Elsa to break things up and to understand and to help Liam calm down and see things the way that he should have seen things. And while it was Elsa who insisted that Killian bring Emma to Sunday dinner, he knows that Liam is more or so accepting of it all and will not be an ass to Emma.

That was agreed upon beforehand. Killian felt that was necessary, and while Emma told him that it was fine, that this is how David is going to be despite her best efforts, it’s very much not fine for anyone to be an ass to Emma simply because she is dating him.

Or at all.

So, maybe he’s a little nervous for this dinner, but that’s nothing compares to the way that Emma’s leg is shaking underneath the touch of his palm resting there.

“This is a nice neighborhood,” Emma says as he turns onto Liam’s street. “I don’t think I’ve ever been over here.”

“I can’t imagine you’ve ever had reason to unless you were randomly walking down the streets in front of these families’ homes.”

“I am pretty weird. I might have been.”

He glances over at her and smiles, but Emma’s gaze is very much focused on the street in front of her. Squeezing her thigh to silently reassure her, Killian moves his hand off of Emma back to the wheel so that he can turn into Liam’s garage, rolling down the window to type in the code so that the door will open for the two of them.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go get dinner somewhere else?” Emma worries, her voice visibly shaky. “I’m sure we can go find, like, one of those really good Mexican places that looks like it should be shut down for health codes but actually has the best queso dip you’ve ever eaten. No one will recognize us. I’m sure of it.”

“Swan,” Killian chuckles, driving into the garage and putting his car in park before turning to look at Emma, reaching up to cup her cheeks with his palms and run his thumbs underneath her eyes, “it is fine. They, unlike me, do not bite.”

“You are ridiculous. Why would you even say that?”

“To make you laugh.” He leans forward and playfully nips at her lips before tucking a loose strand from her ponytail behind her ear. “You are going to be fine. They’re just people, most of who you have met before, and if all else fails, you’ll have Addy and Lucy to be a buffer.”

“If you freak out when you have to meet all of my people, I’m going to say the exact same things about you, so just think about that with every word you use to calm me down.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.”

“So is this.”

Killian hums before gently kissing Emma and taking his time to move his lips of her, breathing in the smell of her perfume and her hairspray and maybe the tiniest bit of sweat. He needs to calm down too, to take a breath, and tell himself the same things that he’s been telling Emma.

“I love you,” he says when he pulls back, still reveling in the fact that he can say those words to her after feeling them for so long.

“I love you too. Last chance on the Mexican thing.”

His eyes roll, but he laughs all the same, briefly kissing her once more before leaning over her to open her car door. “Funnily enough, that’s what we’re having for dinner tonight. It’s a family favorite.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re lying to me, and if you are, I am stealing your car and driving it to my apartment, where it will inevitably get towed.”

“Whatever you say, darling.”

Killian opens his own door and gets out of the car before walking to Emma’s side and waiting for her as she adjusts her dress and messes with her hair in the reflection window. She’s still hesitant, which he imagines will stop when she gets inside and actually gets into conversation, so he places his hand on the small of her back and guides her up the stairs until they’re entering the kitchen and coming face-to-face with Anna.

Probably not the easiest way to ease Emma into things.

“Oh my gosh,” Anna squeals before putting her glass down, “you’re Emma.”

Emma stills beside him, and he rubs his hand up and down her back before squeezing her ass simply because he knows that it’ll make her focus on something other than her nerves. Sure enough, she jumps, looking up at him with a wry smile on her face and a playful roll of her eyes before looking back to Anna.

“That’s me,” Emma laughs, stepping away from him to move forward to shake Anna’s hand only for Anna to wrap Emma in a hug that is so tight that Killian swears he can feel it in his own legs. “It’s nice to meet you, Anna.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you. Well, not really, but a good amount. Mostly from Elsa. I followed you on Instagram. You might not have noticed that. You are just so pretty and I’m sure sweet, and I have no idea what you’re doing with Killian.”

“Hey,” he scoffs, pressing his lips together. He was going to laugh at how Anna rambles until she got to that end part, “why is everyone always saying things like that? I happen to think I’m a catch.”

“Well, you are, but only if people don’t know you that well,” Anna teases, releasing Emma and walking toward him so that she can hug him and whisper in his ear, “I’m kidding. She’s so pretty, Killian.”

“I know,” he sighs into Anna’s cheek. “She can probably hear us.”

“Oh, I’m totally not listening or anything,” Emma teases.

Anna laughs and pulls back before stepping over to Emma and grabbing onto her arm. “Come on, everyone is in the living room, and they need to know that you’re here. And I want to hear all about you. Your job is awesome, obviously, but a girl has seriously got to know why Killian loves you so much. I don’t even know if you guys have said those words to each other yet, but I can tell. He’s got that sparkle in his eyes.”

“You know,” Emma chuckles, looking back at him with a smile on her face, “you and my sister-in-law would get along really well.”

“Then I have to meet her too.”

Killian follows Anna and Emma around the corner and into the living room where Liam, Elsa, and Kris are all sitting on the couches while Addy and Lucy are watching television. The moment they walk in the room, though, Addy turns her head and runs toward Emma, grabbing onto her waist and talking about just how excited she is to see Emma. Lucy is right behind her, and even though she’s more reserved, she hugs Emma too, letting Emma pick her up and rest her on her hip while everyone else greets Emma. She’s very quickly learning that his family are all huggers, and man does he hope that they’re not overwhelming her. He’d very much like for her to want to continue to date him after this.

Damn. Why is he thinking thoughts like that? That is not the kind of headspace that he needs to be in while Emma is talking to Liam, Lucy still sitting on her hip.

He kind of just threw her into the lion’s den, didn’t he?

But it’s good, he thinks. The conversation flows, there aren’t any awkward silences, and most importantly, there aren’t any interrogations.

“Do you need help with dinner?” Emma asks Elsa later when they’ve moved from the living room to the kitchen so that Elsa and Liam can start dinner, which, much to Emma’s delight, truly is good Mexican food.

“No,” Elsa sighs, waving Emma away as she chops up a bell pepper, “you’re a guest. You don’t cook. Killian, can you grate some cheese?”

He finishes taking a sip of his beer before putting it down. “What happened to guests not cooking?”

“You are family. That’s different.”

“That’s bullocks.”

“You love to cook,” Emma says as she knocks her knee into his. “I’m pretty sure you can handle grating some cheese.”

“He’s pretty incompetent. You’d be surprised at how little my little brother can actually do.”

“Younger. My gosh it’s younger,” Killian groans to Liam. He did that just to annoy Killian, the bastard. “Is that ever going to stop?”

“Maybe when you’re thirty.” Liam hands him a bowl, the cheese grater, and two blocks of cheese, before going back to getting ground beef out of the fridge. “So, Emma, how’d you get into baseball?”

Liam is definitely subtle in his ways of interrogation, but Killian picks up on it. Emma too.

“Watching it or working in it?”

“Working.”

“My brother is a lot older than me and has been working at ESPN pretty much since I’ve known him, and he helped get me an internship in college. It just kind of built from there, you know? I mostly was a stat checker and then got to write some articles, but then when they started covering the games on TV more and developed their streaming service, the job as an on-air reporter opened up. And yeah, here I am.”

“What do you mean your brother has been working there since you’ve known him?”

“Liam,” Killian warns, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

“It’s fine,” Emma promises him before placing her hand on his back and rubbing up and down. “I didn’t have parents, so I was in the foster system for my entire life. My last house, well, I grew close to them, and they’re pretty much my family. David is my foster mom’s biological son, and he’s pretty much fallen into that older brother role. You two are very alike.”

“Stubborn and far too invasive?” Elsa teases, looking behind her at Liam and winking.

“I am neither of those things.”

“You definitely are,” Killian and Elsa say at the same time, and Liam simply grumbles in response before placing the beef in the pan.

“Are Anna and Kris okay with the kids?” Emma wonders aloud, twisting her head around to look into the living room where Anna and Kris volunteered to watch a movie with them while dinner is being cooked. “I can watch them. I don’t want to interrupt your tradition of family dinners or whatever since I am kind of an intruder.”

“You are a breath of fresh air is what you are,” Elsa says, smiling at Emma before she takes the cheese out of his hands like he wasn’t just doing a bang-up job himself. “I thought you were the sweetest thing at Addy’s party, and when I realized that you two were dating, or at least had feelings for each other, I felt like all of those six-year-olds hyped up on sugar. I’m glad Killian has someone kind like you.” “You think she’s bloody kind, but she’s actually pretty mean to me.” Emma slaps the back of his head, and he starts laughing at the affronted look on her face. “See. She just slapped me.”

“Shut up.”

“Really mature, love.”

“You know that I’m not.”

“No, but you do some pretty mature things, if you know what I mean.”

“Killian,” she gasps, slapping him again, “that was a horrible innuendo.”

He arches a brow. “That’s what you’re insulted by? Not the fact that I alluded to our sex life but that I did it in a non-creative way?”

Emma shrugs. “Pretty much.”

“Els,” Liam groans, “I don’t think I can handle Killian dating again. It’s too nauseating.”

“Asshole,” Killian mumbles at Liam, flicking a piece of cheese at him.

“You’re really not very creative with your innuendos or insults today, Professor Jones. You should work on that.”

“And you,” Killian points out as his eyes roll at the nickname, “have got to stop talking to Scarlet if you’re going to call me things like that.”

Once dinner is ready, they all settle down in the dining room, the kitchen table not big enough to fit everyone, but just like the rest of the afternoon, everything goes smoothly. Liam is definitely peppering in questions and little comments, but it’s all in the good nature of getting to know Emma. Honestly, though, no one gets a word in for how much Emma, Anna, and Elsa are getting along. Emma is very obviously a big hit with the two of them as well as Addy and Lucy (and Kris and Liam even if they’re a little less vocal about it), and it makes his heart swell. Admittedly, he was kind of nervous about all of this, if only because his family and their approval is so important to him, but there’s no way they could ever not like Emma.

Maybe be a little dubious at first, but dislike? No.

He can only hope that it’s the same with her family since he knows that mixing lives doesn’t usually run so smoothly, even if this is only her second meeting with everyone.

Emma’s nerves seem to have faded away the longer they stay, and when he pulls her to the side after dinner and offers to take her back to his place, she shakes her head and says that she’s good to stay and watch a movie with his family. So they all settle down into the living room, and while everyone takes their normal spots, their routines obviously very engrained in their minds, Killian moves to the large lounge chair that’s in the corner, pulling Emma down on top of him and wrapping his arms around her waist so that Emma doesn’t have to sit across the room from him.

Maybe that’s a little bit for himself too.

Okay, it definitely is, and he dips his head down to kiss the back of Emma’s neck as she pulls a blanket up to cover their laps while Liam turns the lights off.

“I really like your family,” Emma whispers as she presses her cheek against his and squeezes his hands. “I’m glad you have them.”

“Yeah, love, me too. You seem to be a very big hit today.”

“It’s because I’m so charming.”

Killian chuckles into her cheek, pressing a kiss there. “Exactly.”

“Uncle Killian,” Addison groans, “Daddy says to stop kissing your girlfriend and pay attention to the movie.”

[arcaneranger]

Final Thoughts - Summer 2019

Hey, look who finished the season perfectly on time, even if he did so by dropping a bunch of stuff last minute! (Technically, as of writing, I haven’t finished Re:Stage Dream Days, but you can rest assured that it’s bad.)

I thought I was going to do a first impressions rundown video for the entire season at once, since my impression posts don’t tend to get a lot of engagement anyway, but since I didn’t end up going through with it, I’ll summarize my point - summer started strong, and even here at the end, I can easily say it’s the best season thus far in what’s largely been a letdown year for seasonal anime (and a god damn renaissance for long shows, thanks to My Hero Academia, so if I seem down on a season that had Dororo, or Vinland Saga, or Fruits Basket, remember that I exclude those shows from my considerations until the end of the year).

This season saw several high-profile continuations like A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon II, and Symphogear XV, but also new works by creators like Mari Okada, and anticipated adaptations of Astra: Lost in Space and Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, and in the end, well...a lot of those were mixed bags at best, but the biggest drawback I will remember Summer 2019 for is that it was drowning in bad isekai shows. The aforementioned Arifureta, the basically-counts Danmachi, and also Isekai Cheat Magician, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks, The Lost Ones, Demon Lord Retry!...it just never ended, and that’s not even counting If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord. 

Speaking of all that stuff, let’s get right into it, yeah?

28 shows were simulcast this season, and of those, I…

Skipped 4:

Yami Shibai 7, Starmyu Season 3, A Certain Scientific Accelerator, and Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note were all skipped because I have not watched the previous series.

Dropped 15:

Worst of the Season: If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord!

I dropped this after one episode because I found the aesthetic and tone to be aggressively boring and I found even the cute daugheroo character to be utterly generic in execution...and then later found out oh boy was I right to drop it, based on how many people compared it to the Bunny Drop manga that we don’t talk about. *shudders*

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest

Wins the “biggest tryhard” award for being just the most straightforward an SAO award gets, right up to being grimdark for dumb reasons. The first episode alone had inconsistent animation, and that just did not bode well for the future...and the plot instantly reminded me of Slime, which soured on me over time. I let this one go sour after one shot.

Demon Lord, Retry!

The blandest of beige this season, Demon Lord had neither the story nor the production values to reel me in or convince me it was anything but the Overlord wannabe it so clearly was.

Isekai Cheat Magician

This show was a pretty transparent attempt to have an isekai story with a childhood friend romance plot, and while I’m fine with one and a half of those things, it couldn’t execute them in any decent way by the end of the first episode, and just wound up being largely boring.

Wasteful Days of High School Girls

Speaking of boring, what if Nichijou wasn’t funny? You’d get something like this.

Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?

So the tone this one ultimately ended up having was pretty much exactly what I expected after the premiere - it leaned too hard on jokes that weren’t as funny as it thought they were, and too hard on the dumb hentai mom trope, and neither of those things interested me in the slightest. Pretty okay with having left this off the watchlist.

The Ones Within

I have stated multiple times in the last few weeks that Symphogear is great because it can convince you that it’s a work of genius. The Ones Within has, unfortunately, convinced itself that it’s deep social commentary of some kind, rather than a bargain-bin Danganronpa with no real thought put into it.

Are You Lost?

I’m amazed that we got another Eromanga Sensei this season and it flew entirely under the radar. For God’s sake, the first episode featured a young teenage girl eating a bug and drinking her own urine. I just didn’t see myself being particularly entertained by the shock value longer than the premiere.

Ensemble Stars (4/10)

I can’t tell if this one is actually over, but Funimation’s site doesn’t list any new episode premieres coming up, so I’m gonna assume it is? I gave this one a shot and hung onto it because it took UtaPri’s premise and gave it the slightly more serious tone I was looking for, but dropped it after the second episode started to drown us in side characters with no hint that the floodgates were closing, rather than giving ample screentime to a select cast so they could actually become at least two-dimensional before throwing in more people we’re supposed to care about.

BEM

BEM suffered from an unfortunate lack of distinct personality, which sucks when it seems to have had a decent story to tell. Nothing else about the show wound up sticking out to me, though, which has me fully convinced that Production I.G.’s name is only on this to boost recognition, and the second-billed LandQ studios did the majority of the work. And their best-known other show is Swordgai. So...

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts (5/10)

I have gotten absolutely no pushback so far for my decision to tear into this show because it should have been a different show, so I’m gonna take that as a general agreement of my earlier statement. What a waste of a concept.

Cop Craft (5/10)

This one I still think I was not crazy to pick up after the first episode, because it wasn’t until the third that the animation tanked hard and the pacing went absolutely nuts, and apparently stayed that way. Did they write a thirty-nine-episode story that had to be condensed into twelve or something?

Magical Sempai

This one I probably would have kept watching if the majority of its humor wasn’t just the title character embarrassing herself in lewd ways. It was funny, but I didn’t see myself enjoying anything more than one episode of it.

GRANBELM (6/10)

This one I got halfway through before realizing that, during my end-of-season catchup, I had absolutely no desire to return to. The plot didn’t really start moving until the fifth episode, and in that time I had not gotten particularly invested in the characters, especially since the show makes fun of the viewer for thinking that the big mecha dream battles actually had stakes beyond “you don’t get to be The Thing”. At least it looked nice and the mecha designs were very original.

Are you willing to fall in love with a pervert, as long as she’s a cutie?

There were four shows this season with questions for titles. Just saying! This one actually had me hooked right up until the end, revealing that not only is it a fanservice show, but a fetish pandering one. That being said, if I were attracted to women, I could have seen myself getting something out of it, what with the decently moody tone and good production values.

I put 2 On Hold:

Is It Wrong to Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? II

I’ll probably come back to this when the third series comes around, just to give it one more chance to pull me back in, but ditching my favorite character for harem antics and character shilling just did not endear me to this long-awaited sequel.

Re:Stage Dream Days!!

This one’s not actually on hold, but I don’t have any other good place to mention it. This one I’m gonna make it through just on willpower, not because it’s good, but because it starts out as the most shameless rip-off I’ve ever seen in anime, specifically of Love Live!.

And I Finished 7:

Kochoki (5/10)

I thought I was gonna give this one a 7 at least, for nearly the whole season, for being a decently-told and somewhat new telling of Nobunaga’s early life with great production values for Studio Deen...right up until the structure fell completely apart at the end, almost completely out of nowhere. I’m still in awe of the gall this show had to literally skip over the final battle.

How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift? (8/10)

This one came right the fuck out of nowhere and totally blew my expectations out of the way from the very first episode. Looking at the summary, I was convinced I was gonna drop this after the premiere...and found myself totally hooked by its cheery visual presentation and excellent sense of meta-comedy, not to mention its genuine educational value.

Astra: Lost In Space (8/10)

One of two adaptations I was really looking forward to this season (along with Fire Force), Astra was pretty much what I expected - a very good translation of a very good manga that ran for the perfect amount of time to be divided into twelve-ish episodes. A fantastic and memorable cast of characters enhanced a surprisingly twisty story, and Lerche made it all look just as good as I’d hoped.

The Demon Girl Next Door (8/10)

Speaking of defying my expectations, another show I was expecting pretty much nothing from, maybe one I could compare to Gabriel Dropout or something, that was instead an incredibly charming story of a girl trying to save her family by defeating a magical girl...with a very, very loose definition of the word “defeat” in play. I couldn’t have asked for much more from this one, aside from maybe a sequel?

Given (9/10)

Speaking of “Lerche” and “gorgeous”, this profoundly gripping story of a spacecase and a loner hesitantly making music together blossomed further and further as it went on, and became my new go-to reference point for explicit gay relationships in anime. It went where even Yuri On Ice!!! couldn’t, and left me desperate for a Part Two.

O Maidens In Your Savage Season (9/10)

My write up for this show was one of my longest in recent memory, and I stand by it - even if Okada had to write a few plot contrivances in to get where she’s going, at least she presented her cast in an incredibly thoughtful way and gave them a satisfying payoff, with the knowledge that they’re teenagers and all of their problems can’t be solved in one semester. The high water mark for discussions of sexuality in this medium.

BEST OF THE SEASON: Symphogear XV (9/10)

Anime is wonderful, and so am I.

So that wraps up summer! We’ve got a lot to look forward to in fall, even if My Hero Academia and Food Wars’ fourth series will both ultimately end up on a list in the distant future next year. Will Psycho-Pass 3 redeem the series? Will Azur Lane be better than Kantai Collection? Will Beastars beat Aggretsuko as the biggest furry panderer of the year? Only time will tell. And then I’ll tell you all what I think it said.

[nicolinocolino]

thoughts on skamit season 2

(warning: this is long af and a little messy!!) 👇

(warning #2: I do make comparisons to the og; not everything I have to say is sunshine and smiles but I DO have a lot of praise to give as well: if you only want to read that just skip the first part 💛)

Things that made me go ???

Niccolò playing the piano. This just ended up being more disappointing than anything. Why introduce something so unique and special only to never mention it again? This could have easily been the passe på meg scene.

WHICH while we are on the subject, why was there NO PASSE PÅ MEG SCENE?! I do not understand this at all, unless the point of the clip flew right over Ludo’s head. (When did Niccolò notice Martino?? Why did he follow him into the radio booth?? Why did you deprive us of this information Ludovicoooooo)

Oh and: Ludovico Bessegato — I do not trust you and I think you’re a dick but also you’re kind of brilliant. I don’t even know what to think of him, tbh. Ok for real: I’m going to talk about the end of episode 2 for a second and more specifically, his reaction to the responses. Playing the victim? Deleting his Instagram? Not apologizing? He acted like a straight up child, and if he didn’t do that, I think I’d see him in a much brighter light. But instead, we got a glimpse of the person he really is and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. (I am not the kind of person to see things in black and white and I’m also not the kind of person to base my opinion of others on one act — which is why I’m so torn on him. However, helping to develop Martino’s story and making creative choices I could praise forever doesn’t make up for this particular action and it also doesn’t make him a good person.)

AND YET — between all of the brilliant direction choices he DID make... why was the lighting so bad? This is not me being like ~wAh I WaNnA SeE tHeM KisS bEtTeR~ I just want to... see their expressions?? I keep reading in interviews how emotionally tolling the fight scene between the boys was and,,, I can hear it in their voices but damn I wish I could have seen their faces. Would have been nice.

Also: one directing choice I also didn’t quite understand was the lack of focus on Martino’s face in some scenes? Granted, I don’t expect the camera to be on him ALWAYS but there were some key scenes that just didn’t focus on his face at all when I thought it should: in the first episode when the boys are outside and Marti first notices Nico, Marti tells Luca he doesn’t want to hear his nasty clitoris story, to which Gio turns to Marti and tells Luca not to listen to him. And then... did that hurt Marti? Did he laugh? Guess we’ll never know because the camera just ignored him. Gio is his best friend and his opinion matters a lot to Martino, so why didn’t we get to see his expression? He’s the only member of the boy squad not wanting to listen to Luca’s story and he gets shut down. Does he care...? Also: the cabin scene in the morning. Marti introduces Nico and then.... we never get his reaction to the boys sleeping on the floor, to Nico inviting them to breakfast, to Luca hugging Nico... the camera literally forgets his existence after Nico meets the boys. These are just two examples off the top of my head but I know as I watched there were more.

The dialog choices regarding when they did and didn’t follow or deviate from the og. I’ll get more into the characters in the next section but it’s no secret that Martino and Niccolò are not Isak and Even and therefore, when the dialog was close to or a carbon copy of the og, it felt kind of forced into their mouths and rather rushed. My personal least favorite line they kept was the whole “your mom pays me” gag between Marti and Nico in the kitchen of the last clip. Just seems... very out of character for them (given the fact that Nico just got done being in a rather manipulative and controlling [she’s always managed to put me on the spot, to twist things, to make me believe everything she wanted me to believe. <— his own words!!!] relationship). When Marti and Niccolò had their own original banter (some notable examples include chatting about the radio [did you have something better to do?], before the pool kiss [are you dumb, are you stupid?], their entire talk in bed in 5.1, and “studying” together [yeah, that’s the idea]) it really really shined and, of course, felt totally in character. I love the choice to make Marti and Nico so different than Isak and Even (again I’ll get to that in more detail soon) but within that choice, the dialog needs to adapt to fit them and I feel like they either nailed it or totally missed the mark.

HOWEVER — there was one exception to this: I loved loved loved loved loved the coming out scene between Marti and Gio, despite it being almost word for word. I’d go as far to say I liked it more than the one in the og for several reasons: 1. Fede’s acting holy shit. (While this situation always has a lot at stake, the stakes felt very high for Martino here. I could feel how nervous he was not just to reveal a part of himself he’d been keeping hidden for so long, but how nervous he was to potentially lose his friend. It made my heart race!) That little swallow he did? God. I could feel the nerves. 2. Their surroundings and actions were not random. Marti invited Gio to play FIFA for a reason! It’s basically a ritual for them at this point and a very comfortable setting. Marti choosing this as his comfy place to come out to Gio reinforces the idea that he still likes “dude things” and that Marti is still the same guy Gio has played the last 100+ games with. 3. The! Cheering! Of! The! Crowd! In! The! Video! Game! After! Marti! Says! ‘It’s not a girl’!!!!!!!!!! POETIC CINEMAAAA. All in all, again, despite the dialog being just about the same, this scene still felt very in character for both Marti and Gio and was executed flawlessly. A+

The social media was good content wise but that didn’t make up for the inconsistency. Part of the appeal of SKAM and the remakes are how it brings viewers into the deeply personal lives of the characters. We read their text messages for god’s sake — that is so personal! Social media, yes, does make way for some good character development (catch me never being over the selfie of the boys in Bracciano) but mainly, it just humanizes the characters. Teenagers, mind you! Show me a teenager not glued to their phone. I don’t believe for one second Silvia didn’t have like, 7 Instagram stories every day. (Not that I expect that but at least one social post from one of the characters every day would have been MUCH more realistic.) (I’m not even going to get into how the skamit team just... uh, forgot the password to Marti’s original Instagram...? Is that even what happened? Why did they make him a new one lmfao. So messy.)

Things that made me go !!!

The change of characteristics and dynamic as a whole between Martino and Niccolò. A.k.a. the approach to the mood of the story was a genius idea and a brilliant way to “remake” the season. I loved how comfortable they fell into each other — never hesitant or afraid or even nervous. They genuinely enjoy each other’s company and immediately I could tell why they were so drawn to each other. Some people complained about this “lack of tension” but in the end, their dynamic was so important to lead up to La Grotta and make their story theirs: Nico chose Marti and Marti chose Nico. There was no saving each other — that’s Isak’s and Even’s thing!! That works for them and this works for Marti and Nico. Honestly, Isak and Even in every universe deserve something unique to guide their story to the same conclusion, and I’m thankful SKAM Italia did what they did with the characters to make this happen in their own way.

The contrabbandieri and focus on Marti’s friendships as an equally important part of his character as his relationship with Niccolò. All other squads are now held to the standard of the Italian boy squad because!! Wow. Such great chemistry between them all. I truly believe that they are all equally friends within the group as well as individually? Like, of course Marti and Gio have this special ~bond~ but I never got the feeling that if Luca and Marti or Elia and Marti hung out one-on-one it would be awkward. They are all so supportive of each other and while I hate the way they generally treated women, the way they treated each other is peak friendship: affectionate, honest, silly, I could go on forever; and I could watch them grilling coffee/dancing in a kitchen/eating disgusting pizza crusts/wrapping ties around their heads/sucking at table football forever.

On this note, I would also like to say that the inclusion of Niccolò into the boy squad right away in Bracciano was the content we deserved. I loved how this wasn’t random or fan service, either — Nico’s loneliness wasn’t ignored; it’s no secret he’s at a new school with no friends, probably being bullied or at least talked about behind his back by his classmate Marco Covitti, and recently broken up with his girlfriend he feels manipulated by. He needs friends right now and the fact that Marti’s friends are becoming his friends is so wholesome and important. Love love love this.

The introduction and inclusion of Martino’s mom. I thought their relationship was very realistic and instead of being like “oh, in the og Isak moved out so Marti needs to as well...” the skamit team was just like, no. That’s not realistic for a teenager in Italy so we’re just going to have to change some stuff. AND it gave some resolution to Marti and his mom (something I wish we got a little more of in the og) without sugar coating it. There are still problems, of course, but now Marti is stronger and wiser and more empathetic. Things are going to get better but he knows that not everything will always be good. Also, his mom needs someone?? I don’t blame Isak at all for getting out (and let’s be real his mom seemed like maybe she had some more intense issues) but I love the fact that Marti and his mom are working on it.

The last men on earth story / the symbolism of the giraffe and how those details directly intertwined to fit the difficulties and fears in the change of Nico’s mental illness. Once Maddalena said borderline personality disorder I did exactly what Dr. Spera said not to do and went right to google. But really it was only after some lovely people on here with bpd stepped forward to share their stories and enlighten us that I truly understood (to the best of my abilities) the nuances of Nico and his actions. Looking back, all of the details that seemed to change from the og just for drama or angst’s sake (like Nico completely ghosting Marti for example) were actually there for a reason and I think when Ludovico told us “you think you know what’s going to happen but really you have no idea” he was talking about this. Giving Nico’s character a different mental illness did a few positive things for the story: 1) it opened up all of the possibilities for beautiful new symbolism which the skamit team executed flawlessly. This, in turn, gave Marti and Nico their own things and their own story instead of copying the idea of parallel universes and the Romeo and Juliet storyline. 2) It shed awareness for an underrepresented and highly stigmatized mental illness. By showing us Nico the character (who is a lovely, lovely character: silly, talented, extremely thoughtful, loving) before showing us his mental illness, we see him as a human first. So important! Often characters in media with mental illnesses are reduced to their illness and can often fall into the ‘loveable asshole’ trope. We learn to love Nico right alongside Marti first — and while this is all the og’s brilliant idea, we now have this same story for a different mental illness and that’s beautiful.

The music! This was like, Marti’s soundtrack. We even get him explicitly saying he likes “indie and electronic” music — it adds a level of depth into his perspective as if he picked the soundtrack himself. I love this because there is no SKAM Italia music mood, it’s all based on the characters and their POV. (Skam season 3 did this as well, obviously, but more of a mix between Isak and Even with Romeo and Juliet thrown in there as well.)

The cinematography. I think this one goes without saying haha. While less “real” than the og, I’m a sucker for aesthetics and symbolism. And yes yes yes the wide shot in the pool and the open shots of Rome are beautiful BUT: the cinematography in skamit did more than make it beautiful. It helped tell the story. One perfect moment (in my opinion) that beautifully emphasizes this is when Martino and Niccolò are walking around in Milan without a single other person in sight. Was that realistic? No. Did that symbolize the last men on earth reference and heighten the audience’s empathy into Niccolò’s dissociative state? Absolutely.

This one is rather vague but the major (and not so major) changes — everything from swapping kosegruppa and biology class with the radio group to the scene where Martino meets Filippo. Every change was brilliant and is 100% where skamit shined. I’m actually most critical about the things they kept the same, and if skamit ever wanted to create their own original season beyond the 4, I have a lot of faith they’d write a good one. 💛

[latinalesbi]

IMDb says that Hayden is going to be in all 13 episodes of the spinoff

IMDB also said Noah was in it. IMDB can be wrong about those things.

Anonymous said:                                                                      A show about two lesbian moms raising a family… how did we get here now? A wonderful show reduced to mediocrity in the form of yet another genetic twenty smthg spinoff. Congrats Bradley, Peter and Joanna, you’ve done a wonderful job spreading the message. Middle aged women need not apply.

And you better not complain because you should be grateful  for what you got. Then according to Joanna, you better get on your knees, receive every bit of crap spewing from the producers and swallow it. IF YOU DO, then maybe if you beg a lot and lick their asses, you can get a family special. Oh that mama spin off shit we fed you fools, that was just fodder to get you to watch the last season. This family special now? That’s just to keep you idiots hanging on.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Couldn’t they let the Fosters end before pummelling is with their beloved spinoff? It’s sickening the way they’ve acted over it all. And now those two girls are exec producers too- wow being a sellout pays very well 💵 💰             

No, they’re users. They can’t let that shit stand on its own. They will use every single fosters fan whose heart is broken to keep earning them money. Fuck them. Don’t watch the finale live. Don’t watch it on DVR. Download illegally or watch the highlight videos on my channel. I’ll be real busy that week, but that’s my goal, won’t be able to answer questions, etc, but I will have the videos.

Anonymous said:                                                                      They lied about the moms spinoff. Now it’s maybe, possibly, if you watch our new show, you may get Fosters specials. They are con artists at this point. Don’t believe a word they say!! Hope the spinoff bombs. Prediction: The first one will get solid ratings, people will be intrigued, then it will die a death as people realise a show revolving around those two girls is mind numbingly boring.             

Yeah they lied and I said that a long time ago. I don’t understand how anyone can believe them at this point. They conned fans into fighting for a renewal so that they could sell their spin off and earn money off our fanaticism. Then they used people lying about a mom spin off, and now this vague “family special.” Shove it up your ass. Honestly, I am not sitting through the absolute worst of the fosters: i.e.: self-important, insufferable Callie, in order to get a tiny bit of family. No thanks.

Anonymous said:                                                                      If I’m the moms or the three boys I wouldn’t even accept any special appearances on the spinoff clearly they seem to matter less than the two girls when in reality it shouldn’t be that way            

Why the hell would they accept a gig that wont’ pay very much but is making double money for people who used to get paid the same. It makes no sense. I wouldn’t do it. I’d suddenly find myself to be too busy. Those two kids being executive producers is the ultimate slap in the face. I don’t even know what to say about that. Completely undeserved.

Anonymous said:                                                                      You thought they’d leave Callie going for her brothers alone but now her future brother in law is probably in the spin-off too lol this show has become a joke of what it once was             

lol, brother, adopted brother, foster brother, brother in-law same difference to Callie.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Did you see Joanna's tweet about tuning into the spinoff so that we can be rewarded with Fosters specials or another writer saying that this own be the last you see of the moms and the kids. What a joke they're already trying to cover the fact that this show is gonna flop nobody watched because of Callie and Mariana if anything those two might be the most hated characters             

Dude, fuck them. I am sure mistofer was assuring us Hayden would be on the show. Honestly, he and noah are the only ones who wouldn’t be lowering themselves by making that appearance.

Anonymous said:                                                                      They have made them EP’s?!?!?! Jesus Christ!!! The two most annoying characters in the whole show. I never got the appeal. Fcuked their fellow cast, get their own show and are eps. What a world. 🤬🤬             

This is proof that this world is neither fair, nor right. The most talented actors have been kicked to the side, the lack of respect for the two women who made the show special is unbelievable.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Tv shows end but I’ll always be pissed at how the Fosters was handled. All the negotiations behind the backs of the other cast members. Sherri and Teri were the leads, they deserved so much better. I don’t really care who made the decision to cancel the show the creators who have been with the cast for five seasons should have treated the dumped cast members with far more respect. Selfish personal motivations, hope it all falls flat on its face.             

Here’s what the producers knew. Freeform sucks, no matter how badly this show tanks, and IT WILL, they will renew it for season 2. So they sold out a season 6 for 2 seasons of shit. It’s hit and it was the wrong thing to do.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Lol! It’s gone from Bradley and Joanna bullshitting the fans with the hope for a mom’s spin off to now Fosters specials if the ratings are high enough! They’re so transparent, we’re not going to watch your terrible spinoff. You made the wrong choice, your not going to retain the audience that was their for the fam. Sorry!!!!!

Fuck your show. We ain’t watching. I’d rather have a teri/sherri produced product than anything these lying assholes have to offer. You wanted this spin off, you got it, live with it. Live with the fans left, live with the shit you wanted. Leave us the fuck alone.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Joanna Johnson asking everyone to watch the three summer specials so we get Fosters specials in the future. My personal opinion, Teri won’t work with any of them again. That’s my hope anyway. Rise above those that would sell their mothers for their own benefit!

Yeah, I wouldn’t blame her if she did but I really hope she doesn’t. And I trust that Sherri will honor Stef and Lena. I think it’s best if they stayed busy elsewhere. Yes, rise above those who sold their mothers.

Anonymous said:                                                                      And everyone is mad all over again. Can’t believe they made those two exec producers too. Dear god!! They were never the stars of the Fosters. This is all due to their social media presence. Freeform et al think that equals ratings. It doesn’t, look at Famous in Love with Bella Thorne- flop!! If this only last one season that will make me even more angry as it will justify the idea that a season 6 should’ve happened instead. Good Trouble - what a crap name!! 

Yeah, they think their social media numbers will translate into an audience. It won’t. They can’t sell shit and maia’s acting has only gotten worse. Freeform has nothing. Even if it has a .01 rating it will get renewed. I just hope it bottom feeds on the channel of the worst ratings on cable.

[marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer]

MTVS Epic Rewatch #179

BTVS 7x01 Lessons

Raise your hand if you never thought I’d make it to season 7!

Shame on you, Wallace, I thought you’d always have my back!

Stray thoughts

1) Except for Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest, I’m of the opinion that this show always delivered lackluster season openers. It’s not that they’re bad per se – most of them are pretty solid episodes. It’s just that they don’t hold a lot of promise for things to come, you know? And while they do tend to set the tone for the rest of the season, they are usually far from stellar. “Lessons” is no exception. It’s a good episode, with some very nice moments and a very promising ending (oh, the promise of what The First could be was definitely captivating!) But a good ending does not make for a great episode, you know? And now I get to another point I wanted to make. “Lessons” is probably one of the weakest episodes in an otherwise pretty balanced, quality-wise, season. Yes, I said it. Season 7 is not bad. In fact, it’s rather good? (cue gasps!)

Season 7 is flawed alright, but so are all the other seasons. I think that what probably bugs most of us is the fact that this season’s flaws are more noticeable, kind of always there, and, in most cases, extremely grating (The First, the focus on the potentials, the wedge between the Scoobies…) But – and I hope I don’t change my mind as I proceed to rewatch it – season 7 is an overall good season, with its hits and misses. I’ve found that I’ve grown to like it more and more with each rewatch.

2) The first scene in the cold open is an interesting change of pace from the usual way most seasons start. First of all, there are no Scoobies in sight and we are nowhere near Sunnydale. Then there’s the fact that the chase scene is very suspenseful. We don’t know who this girl is, but you can’t help to root for her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t make it. But it’s clear whatever went down will have some relevance. And it’s all made clearer when the scene cuts right to…

3) 

It’s hard to miss the connection when you get such a tension-filled scene leading to our main character delivering the very first line in the season, a line that will basically embody the backbone of the whole season.

4) I love the fact that Buffy has kept her promise to show Dawn the world.

5)

BUFFY Never forget it. Doesn't matter how well prepped you are or how well armed you are. You're a little girl. DAWN Woman.

BUFFY Little woman.

DAWN I'm taller than you.

6) Why would this recently born vamp be afraid of the Slayer, though? How would he know what a Slayer is? (remember how Spike didn’t know about her for a while after being turned?)

7) I love the fact that Dawn missed the heart just like Buffy did her first time. Like mother, like daughter.

8) Where this super-sized scissors store, though?

Oh, yeah, also, Sunnydale High is back, btw. Get it? Because this season is about going back to the beginning… *rolls eyes*

9) Giles needs to stop getting cooler and cooler. 

This was also a very gratuitous shot just so that Anthony could show off his horse-riding skills. And I’m very grateful.

10) 

GILES Then why aren't you in your lesson?

WILLOW Sorry.

GILES It's alright. She was just—

WILLOW —afraid. Yeah, they all are. The coven is—they're the most amazing women I've ever met. But there's this look that they get. Like I'm gonna turn them all into bangers and mash, or something. Which I'm not even really sure what that is.

Can you really blame them, though? She literally almost ended the world. You can’t hold it against others if they don’t exactly feel like hanging.

11) 

GILES This isn't a hobby or an addiction. It's inside you now, this magic. You're responsible for it. (I guess we’ll just cross out all of season 6, then...)

WILLOW Will they always be afraid of me?

GILES Maybe. Can you handle it?

WILLOW I deserve a lot worse. I killed people, Giles. (like, I get that you’re a main character, but you should be in jail, like Faith is...)

GILES I've not forgotten.

WILLOW When you brought me here, I thought it was to kill me or to lock me in some mystical dungeon for all eternity or—with the torture. Instead, you go all Dumbledore on me. I'm learning about magic. All about energy and Gaia and root systems.

I repeat, Giles: too little, too late. THIS MAKES ME SO ANGRY! Please tell me ONE good reason why he couldn’t have done this BEFORE Willow got the Extreme Makeover from Hell and went on a killing spree.

12) “I want to be Willow.” Even though it’s a bit hard – at least for me – to sympathize with Willow at this point, my heart literally melts at Alyson’s delivery of this line and the heartbreaking expression on her face. Alyson is such a great crier.

13) 

XANDER I ate. I'm good. How are you?

BUFFY My sister's about to go to the same high school that tried to kill me for three years. I can't change districts, I can't afford private school, and I can't begin to prepare for what could possibly come out of there. So, peachy with a side of keen, that would be me.

14) I do enjoy how domestic Buffy and Xander are with Dawn. Like, yeah, Dawn has a bunch of parents and she deserves it.

15) You gotta love all the callbacks to early seasons, though. 

BUFFY Now, remember, if you see anything strange... or, you know...dead.

DAWN I got it

BUFFY And stay away from hyena people, or any lizard-type athletes, you know, or if you see anyone that's invisible.

16) 

Now, isn’t this something that would’ve been cool for the show to explore? Like, isn’t this something that should haunt Buffy? All the lives she couldn’t save? All the people she failed?

17) Dawn’s intro is so early 2000s it hurts…

DAWN I love to dance. I like music. I'm very into Britney Spears' early work, before she sold out. So mostly her, um, finger painting and macaroni art. Very underrated.

And… do you think Joss was taking a jab at Britney because they couldn’t arrange for her to be on the show in season 5? In which case, how dare you judged Britney?

18) So… Anya is not that into vengeance anymore. I guess spending a few years as a human and fighting the good fight really did put things into perspective. And apparently, this was their attempt at giving Anya her own arc? Unfortunately, it won’t last long.

19) So why do you think the spirits or demons were targeting Dawn and Buffy specifically? I mean, other than because of Contrived Plot Device. I get Buffy: she’d touched the talisman thingy or whatnot. But what about Dawn…?

20) I do love how Buffy’s conversation with Wood is intercut with Dawn meeting Kit and them getting sucked into the basement by the manifestations. There’s something off about Robin, and we can just sense it as much as Buffy does. I didn’t think he’d be evil, though, it would’ve been too on the nose if he had been. But we immediately get the feeling he’s hiding something. There’s just something about his word choice and his fixation on Buffy that raises a lot of red flags. And of course, the fact that he’s questioning Buffy while her sister and her friends are under attack kind of paints him as supect número uno.

21) And the great reveal… Dawn’s gift/weapon…

That was a bit underwhelming, especially considering it was 2002 and cellphones were already a household item. I get that the show was kind of making fun of itself and its lack of technology awareness. But I find the joke counterproductive. Instead of making me go “Oh hahaha, they have cell phones now!”, it reminds me how little sense it makes for these teens – now young adults – to have NEVER EVER used any type of electronic devices or technology other than the computer. It feels, again, as a Contrived Plot Device. Technology, in some cases, would’ve made the Scoobies lives much easier. They definitely would’ve have avoided some misunderstandings and miscommunications.

22) And then… 

23)

BUFFY What did you do?

SPIKE I tried... I... tried to cut it out.

Hm. I wonder what this “it” might be... huh.

24) We can safely say that Joss’s primary focus when writing this scene was Spike, right? Did he even remember the last time Buffy had been in a room with Spike he’d tried to rape her? Why wasn’t her reaction to seeing her would-be-rapist again explored? Why wasn’t that the focus of their reunion? Why have her acting so nonchalantly, as if she wants to pick up things where they left them off (that is, prior to Seeing Red, of course…)? She literally asks him if he’ll come help her...

25) Now, why didn’t we get to see more of these two – the punk/bohemian, and, I’m assuming, bisexual, girl and the troubled yet sweet latino boy – instead of introducing like a dozen new characters – most of which were pretty forgettable - almost halfway through the season when the focus should’ve been placed somewhere else?

 26) At least Buffy got a new job out of it. But let’s be real, the only reason she got the job is that she is a fictional character in a fictional world. Like, Joss tries to play it off as “oh, she only got it because it is a crappy position with very low pay.” But even crappy positions at schools require some kind of qualifications. Working at the Doublemeat Palace? Yeah, that’s not gonna cut it.

27) And then the scene that nearly makes the episode…

WARREN Of course she won't understand, Sparky. I'm beyond her understanding. She's a girl. Sugar and spice and everything...useless unless you're baking. I'm more than that. More than flesh...

GLORY ...more than blood. I'm... you know, I honestly don't think there's a human word fabulous enough for me. Oh, my name will be on everyone's lips, assuming their lips haven't been torn off. But not just yet. That's alright, though..

ADAM ...I can be patient. Everything is well within parameters. She's exactly where I want her to be. And so are you, Number 17. You're right where you belong.

THE MAYOR So what'd you think? You'd get your soul back and everything'd be Jim Dandy? Soul's slipperier than a greased weasel. Why do you think I sold mine? (laughs) Well, you probably thought that you'd be your own man, and I respect that, but...

DRUSILLA ...you never will. You'll always be mine. You'll always be in the dark with me, singing our little songs. You like our little songs, don't you? You've always liked them, right from the beginning. And that's where we're going...

THE MASTER ...right back to the beginning. Not the Bang... not the Word... the true beginning. The next few months are going to be quite a ride. And I think we're all going to learn something about ourselves in the process. You'll learn you're a pathetic schmuck, if it hasn't sunk in already. Look at you. Trying to do what's right, just like her. You still don't get it. It's not about right, not about wrong...

There was so much promise in this scene, and it’s beautifully written and masterfully crafted. I think it’s probably one of the most memorable scenes in the show, just because of its jaw-dropping wow factor, the questions it raised, its potential for epic greatness, and the impact of seeing such an iconic group of characters blending together in what promised to be the Biggest Motherfucking Bid Bad Ever. And the biggest question of all…if this thing, whatever it is, is turning into all the Big Bads... then why did he turn into Buffy? 

The answer to this question will be, as most things The First related were bound to be, extremely underwhelming. But imagine... imagine if Buffy had been the Big Bad...

28) Oh, just for funsies, I’ll try and keep count of how many times The First did touch something or someone:

 29) You gotta love the book ends in this episode, though…

[longsightmyth]

Status updates under the cut:

December 29, 2016 – page 6  1.26% "Hey look one of my questions from the first book answered - Meira can make plants capable of growing with magic. Or something? Her magic allows them to grow food anyway. But I thought one of the big selling points of Cordell was that the king's magic could do that and that's what made them special I'm confused."

February 27, 2017 – page 22  4.6% ""Such a routine thing - a queen's advisors returning from a mission." Uh. It really shouldn't be? Advisors generally stick with the Queen? You know. To advise?"

February 27, 2017 – page 24  5.02% "She sent Meira a book on tax policy and wanted to send more. Queen Giselle is now my favorite."

February 28, 2017 – page 59  12.34% "These insults are clumsy at best and also boring. Step up your game, book, Mather was supposedly trained to be a king."

February 28, 2017 – page 61  12.76% "Good lord Mather is a petulant child."

February 28, 2017 – page 68  14.23% "Look I can understand that Meira's upset but should she really be surprised? Theron is the heir of a separate kingdom, he's supposed to look out for his people too."

February 28, 2017 – page 73  15.27% "Sure let's send the only heir to one kingdom and the heirless ruler of another off on a maguffin quest. Sounds legit."

February 28, 2017 – page 74  15.48% "Last book you said he put all his magic into agriculture while Winter put it into being good at mining or whatever. Now you're saying Noam made his subjects super cunning, which seems like a bad plan for an ostensibly evil ruler."

February 28, 2017 – page 88  18.41% "Am I heartless or is this drama unnecessary"

February 28, 2017 – page 90  18.83% "Maybe I'm completely dense but I legitimately do not remember anything about Noam that could inspire this much personal hatred."

February 28, 2017 – page 99  20.71% "Sure now he's petty and vindictive. I seriously cannot recall him being this way before, even though Meira isn't keeping her part of the bargain."

March 2, 2017 – page 136  28.45% "The lack of security here BOGGLES MY MIND. Y'all just had what amounted to a continent-wide war on and yet the entirety of three ruling families are in one place, walking around with minimal guards."

March 2, 2017 – page 136  28.45% "Maybe I could forgive this if the magic that kept this world going wasn't so bound up in bloodlines, but it IS and you have literally all of the people in three kingdoms who can use that magic here. Minimal guards. One good canon shot and everything is over, and yet."

March 6, 2017 – page 145  30.33% ""Useless political maneuvering" got you and your queen an army to win back your nation and free your people why are you dissing it? (I'm going to finish this so help me. I'm not allowed to read the third Remnant Chronicles until I do)"

March 6, 2017 – page 147  30.75% "Am I remembering the last book really wrongly or is this angsty nonsense really coming out of nowhere. "He was done being in her life" indeed. You literally can't be done, she's your queen and you're on her council suck up your tantrums and deal."

March 6, 2017 – page 149  31.17% ""Meira shouldn't have left" YEAH BECAUSE SHE'S THE QUEEN AND SHE DOESN'T HAVE AN HEIR"

March 9, 2017 – page 152  31.8% ""Kinder flew into the air, the force of Mather's punch bouncing him off the wall and onto his stomach." Well SOMEONE'S been watching a lot of anime."

March 9, 2017 – page 161  33.68% ""A queen wouldn't fight - she'd face this threat logically, diplomatically." Not when somebody's about to stab her in the face she wouldn't, Jesus. Also, a queen wouldn't be here without exponentially more guards and probably AN HEIR. Do you not have any cousins? What happens if you die and your kingdom doesn't have its magic anymore? Why is everyone incompetent?"

March 9, 2017 – page 164  34.31% "If it's so unusual to have ambassadors between season and rhythm kingdoms why wasn't this commented on last book when you, a season queen, were engaged to a rhythm prince"

March 9, 2017 – page 169  35.36% ""Most rulers love showing off their kingdom's treasures, especially to visiting dignitaries as displays of power" I mean. Yes? That's usually a thing?"

March 9, 2017 – page 172  35.98% ""She'll be far safer in the room than parading around with us." Are there guards on the room? There are not. All it takes is one smart antagonist to go 'you know, the queen of winter seems awfully fond of that handmaiden she left unguarded in her room'. Also why aren't you guarding your rooms. Why is everyone incompetent."

March 9, 2017 – page 178  37.24% ""The curtains fluttering back to reveal the types of women we saw on our way into the city last night, the ones clad in very little, along with men dressed just as scantily" oh but not TYPES of men. We only categorize women by what they're wearing, I guess."

March 11, 2017 – page 186  38.91% "Okay, book. Okay. We need to talk politics. Or rather the composure of a ruler and shit, which is directly linked to politics, so at least you're right on that point."

March 11, 2017 – page 186  38.91% "But that doesn't mean that you have to sit still for slavery? There's a balance? Also you should be being served by your own staff in your own rooms? Which should be guarded by your own guards? Especially because you insist on haring about the world without an heir back home?"

[profoundbond-n-tfw]

Supernatural Survey

I was tagged by both @anyrei and @misspoogy the brilliant and dynamic fic writing duo. As I’m not only a fic whore who loves their work but also through the wonder of the interwebs I have become friends with them too I feel I must now complete this task put before me! :) Now for the challenge of answering these questions without sounding like a plagiarising pirate ACK! Here goes!

1. WHAT SEASON DID YOU START WATCHING SUPERNATURAL?

Season one first episode as it aired on TV. I was in my first long term relationship and it was one of the first shows we could both agree on to watch together. I’ll be honest though I stopped watching around/after season five for a few years because we ended up breaking up and it was hard, but eventually I came back to the show and my only regret was leaving him with the DVD season box sets I had bought after we broke up. lol

2. WHO WAS THE FIRST CHARACTER YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH?

Dean because I could really relate to many of the challenges he faced growing up and shouldering the burdens of life. Plus Jensen is one hell of an actor!

3. WHO WAS A CHARACTER THAT YOU HATED AT FIRST BUT GREW TO LOVE?

Rowena. I wasn’t that engaged with her character and basically zoned out on the scenes she was in and to be fair since she was a women I thought she was going to be killed off pretty quickly. It’s not that I hated her per-sey, I just didn’t connect right away. After a while seeing her character development grow and the writing witty banter improve with her character I started to adore her little quips and appearances. Not to mention seeing Ruth at a con and what a sweetheart she really is held sway over my heart too. 

4. WHICH CHARACTER WOULD YOU MOST WANT TO BE IN A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH?

I’m going to answer this as though no one is dead. You would think I would say Cas, but he’s for Dean ;) I myself well damn...I love Charlie. Immensely. There’s also something about Joe too...I’m torn...Ahhh!!! Charlie.

5. IF YOU COULD GO ON A DATE WITH JUST ONE CHARACTER, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Just one date? If I could it would be with Cas. 

6. WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON THAT DATE?

I would take him downtown to go to some comedy burlesque shows so I could see him laugh and then we could go dancing at some LGBTQ friendly night clubs or just enjoy some new sights. I would keep things light and show him art, beauty, love, and community. Maybe there would be some gelato involved. Basically just enjoy being who you are in your own skin and know that no one is really normal. It’s OK to be different and still express freedom and love life.

7. WHICH CHARACTER WOULD YOU MOST WANT TO BE LIKE?

Charlie, the girl’s got game and wicked hacking skills I wish I possessed. 

8. WHICH CHARACTER WOULD YOU MOST WANT TO SEE BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD?

Since we know Cas will be back, I doubt any of you would be surprised to know that I want Charlie back.

9. WHICH CHARACTER WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO PUNCH?

Bucklemming...OH wait! LOL for Character...Um Metatron just because he has potential and squandered it! I would want to Kill Lucifer for obvious reasons.

10. WHO IS YOUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE CHARACTER?

Cas. Does this surprise anyone?

11. WHICH “BIG BAD” DO YOU THINK WAS THE WORST?

The big bad I hated the most had to be the whole Amara story line and the way they wrote her character was just god awful. <--Yeah I did that.

The best big bad on Supernatural? Lack of communication. LOL What?! 

12. WHICH CHARACTER ARE YOU MOST LIKE?

Probably Dean to be honest. Don’t want to get into specifics but yeah, no chick flick moments. Also I’m bi As Fuck too...So there’s that.

13. WHAT DEATH HIT YOU THE HARDEST?

OK this is tough I was livid over Charlie and Eileen both. Each for completely different reasons. Cas I knew was coming back so didn’t affect me as much.

14. WHAT SEASON FINALE HIT YOU THE HARDEST?

Season 5. This was when the show was meant to end and it was around the time of the end of my 5 year relationship. Nothing was truly resolved, everyone hurt and everyone was just expected to keep moving on. Yeah. It sucked.

15. WHAT ARE YOUR TEN ALL-TIME FAVORITE EPISODES?

These aren’t in specific order, it would take too long to rank:

1. Yellow Fever

2. The French Mistake

3. Changing Channels

4. Free to be You and Me

5. Baby

6. Regarding Dean

7. The Future

8. Fan Fiction

9. LARP and the Real Girl

10. Hunter Heroici

16. WHAT’S BEEN YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?

Over all I have to say season 12. I have loved the character development and growth.

17. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ANGEL?

Castiel. But other than him? Gabriel. (Agreed didn’t even have to write this one)

18. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DEMON?

Meg. And yes while I’m a hardcore destiel shipper I did like Meg and her character growth and traits. She was a sassy witty badass and stood on her own playing field outside of all other demons.

19. WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE EVIL CHARACTER?

Azazle there was just something so creepy and intelligent about him. 

20. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERNATURAL SHIPS?

Nope. Hahahaha Just fucking with you. OF COURSE! Destiel is my OTP obviously, but here are a few others I like: Sabriel, Saileen, and it warmed my heart to think of Bobby/Ellen. I ship the shit out of Jody and Donna, and giggle at the thought of Crobby. 

21. WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE SUPPORTING ACTOR?

Felicia Day, Kim Rhodes, and Briana Buckmaster.

22. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE FROM THE SHOW?

Gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day.

23. IF YOU COULD CAST ONE FAMOUS ACTOR IN AN EPISODE OF SPN, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Ryan Reynolds just for the purposes of the outtakes. lol

24. IF YOU COULD WRITE YOUR OWN EPISODE, WHAT KIND OF CREATURES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE INCLUDED?

I think it would interesting and different if they did an episode with a lake monster like the Ogopogo or the Loch Ness and they would need to hunt out on a boat and way out of their depth. 

25. WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE GIRL THAT DEAN’S HOOKED UP WITH?

The impala...Oh wait...Well...I mean...Not really wrong am I?

26. WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE GIRL THAT SAM’S HOOKED UP WITH?

Sarah from Season 2 brilliant sassy and would have made a great hunter. What I would have wanted to see was Sam and Eileen then that would have been my answer if we had her long enough to get that far. I mean she didn’t even sleep with Sam and the poor girl still died!

27. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE CONVENTION MOMENTS?

Rawr. You can’t unsee that now. 

28. IF YOU WERE GOING TO GUEST STAR (OR BE A RECURRING GUEST STAR) ON SPN, HOW WOULD YOU WANT YOUR CHARACTER TO BE DESCRIBED?

Puts the Bite me into Bisexual. Oh wait, fuck, that’s Dean...Hang on... Like Xena only more leather. Yeah lol that works ;)

29. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO SEE IN THE NEXT SEASON?

More character development and follow through with storylines. More Cas involved or at least acknowledged in the episodes. Seriously where the hell was Cas when Clair was being turned and why didn’t anyone call him?! 

30. - 40. IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE…

BOBBY OR JOHN? Bobby

BELA OR RUBY? Bela

JESS OR MADISON? Jess

JO OR LISA? Jo

CHARLIE OR KEVIN? Charlie

BALTHAZAR OR ASH? Ash

CAS OR CROWLEY? Cas

BEN OR CLAIRE? Claire

JODY OR DONNA? So hard! NO! Jody...

SAM OR DEAN? Dean.

Now that I’m done I’m tagging @naruhearts @dean-and-castiel-winchester @castiel-left-his-mark-on-me @angeldoveyt @bandido-meow @all-for-destiel @lldyj @bluestar86 @blue-eyed-pie @hotwings-pie @youmeangaylikehappy-right 

[placetobenation]

Welcome to Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch! On a regular basis, JT Rozzero, Aaron George, Andrew Flanagan and Jordan Duncan will watch an episode of TV’s greatest sitcom and provide notes and grades across a number of categories. The goal is to rewatch the entire series chronologically to see what truly worked, what still holds up today, what feels just a bit dated and yada, yada, yada it will be a great time. So settle into your couch with the cushions flipped over, grab a Snapple and enjoy the ride!

Best Character

JT: I thought everyone was really locked in during this episode, but Kramer was really on fire all throughout this one. His quick hit lines, physical comedy and overall presence was just next level. The stock room stuff gets me every time and that was just the tip of the iceberg. He was a true force of nature the whole way through, right down to telling Jerry that he underlined the best parts of the medical book.

Aaron: Kramer in a landslide. His physical stuff was on point and we got the long overdue return of Doctor Victor Van Nostrand. His flippant “The cat died” was wonderful as was his apprehension before electrocuting himself.

Andrew: I’ll go with Kramer, who still gets more laughs out of mannerisms and line readings than anyone. Seeing him abruptly paw through Jerry’s sandwich was the biggest laugh of the episode for me. He’s pretty delightful throughout the rest of the episode, as well, from throwing himself completely into being a butcher-coat-wearing meat slicer operator, to the quick pivot into a lab coat wearing doctor.

Jordan: I thought George was pretty good here, and I am always up for a George scheme and George laziness. HOWEVER – anytime Dr. Van Nostrand appears, I will give it to Kramer. Wanting to slice off Kruger’s mole with his meat slicer and giving Jerry hives all in the last five minutes was like a breakaway dunk to seal a win in the last minute of a game.

Best Storyline

JT: All of it? I mean, it was all so beautifully intertwined, I don’t know how to separate it. I am cheating this time around and I don’t care. All of it.

Aaron: Kramer and Elaine dealing with the absentee neighbor. They blow a circuit, they feed a cat prime cut from a slicer, they break no less than two doors; they really do a tremendous job of mucking up the whole apartment complex.

Andrew: I went back and forth, but I think George’s photo saga was the best storyline. Scheming George is always the best George, and the beach story is a winner, especially once we get Mr. Kruger’s version. And the photo shop clerk’s confidence and pride in his entirely unhelpful work cracks me up.

Jordan: My instinct says to go with the slicer because I liked Kramer so much, but I’ll side with George desperately trying to have the picture photoshopped. The reveal at the end that Kruger and his kids THREW George’s stuff into the ocean was great. What a pear shaped loser!

Ethical Dilemma of the Week

JT: I can’t decide if Jerry is right or wrong about the dermatologist stuff. So I feel the ethical pain here. But, Jerry is a dick so he is probably wrong. Sigh.

Aaron: Does Kruger deserve to die of skin cancer for throwing a man’s towel and clothing in the ocean a decade before? Probably. The sheer pride he felt despite the passage of time painted a picture of a remorseless man on the steady path to doing it again.

Andrew: I don’t know that it’s a dilemma, but I applaud George’s honesty in including the Play Now debacle on his resume. Better to get the bad news out of the way quickly, I think.

Jordan: Is it on Elaine to feed the cat? I mean, yes, she shorted the circuit to turn off the alarm, and apparently the cat feeder, but also, maybe don’t leave the country and rely on a machine to feed your pet. If we are out of town for even 24 hours, we make sure someone comes to check on our dog. I don’t think Elaine had to go to the lengths she did here. Also, cats suck and I wish it had died.

Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)

JT: Dr. Siterides needs to simmer the fuck down. Good on Jerry for trying to take her down a peg. She can save lives and not be a dick at the same time. Relationship Grade: Pimple Popper/M.D.

Aaron: Jerry was right to break up with that braggart of a Doctor. The second she said “Of course you wouldn’t know what it feels like to hold a life in her hands,” she earned herself a piledriver. Sometimes love feels like a fight. Relationship Grade: CAW CAW CAW!

Andrew: I can’t imagine dating someone who spends as much time praising herself as much as Sara clearly does. The self-involvement and lack of regard for her partner’s interest level is astonishing. Plus, when would we have time to talk about how much I’m enjoying rewatching The Mighty Boosh? Relationship Grade: Looks like hives/10

Jordan: Not much here outside of Dr. Pimple Popper, and I thought that was kind of a weak part of the episode. I do wonder though – is this where Dr. Pimple Popper on Youtube got her name? Am I the only one in this group who watches those videos? What is it about pimple popping and the likes that is so entrancing for me? Also, chiropractic videos. I’m a huge fan of hearing the crunch. But there is this one dude who gives adjustments seemingly only to hot women and they are always in revealing clothing. I know that sex sells, but we just need you to handle the subluxation of the C4 vertebrae pal, we can find boobies somewhere else. Relationship Grade: KEEP IT PG/10

What Worked:

JT: The cold open was cool, well done and felt like something they had to do at some point; Kruger!; The way George gets hired is pretty funny; Kramer destroying Jerry’s sandwich to prove his point always makes me laugh, as does him saying “our meat problems are solved”; I love Kramer’s blank stare when Jerry mentions the stock room; Kramer actually has some good ideas in this episode; “But, where does the meat go” breaks me each and every time; The photo store guy drawing “Peanuts” Kruger back in was a good chuckle; I love the callback of Jerry and George discussing career options, really well done; Elaine taunting Kramer with the thought of clowns was deliciously dirty pool; Kramer asking Jerry if he wore a fake beard stacked with him commenting he couldn’t find the stock room is an amazing 1-2 punch; Elaine dancing was a nice touch; Kramer examining Kruger was tremendous; Kramer not piecing together that he gave Jerry the rash was classic

Aaron: As much as almost everything Kramer did warrants mention here so does the entire George/Kruger fiasco. Daniel von Bargen KILLS it as the hapless boss. “Man we took it on the chin last year, ” was said with a perfect lack of shame, that only the worst company on Earth could exhibit. George scheming to replace the photo is perfect Costanza fodder, which tiptoed the believability line in a near flawless way. The pride the photo guy took in his drawing of Kruger was wonderful as was George’s tolerance of people digging on his hair loss. By the time Their story climaxes with Kramer being mistaken as a Doctor I felt for the first time in a while we were watching the tight Seinfeld scripts of old. I’ll always laugh when Kramer trumpets the fact that he air brushed Gerald Ford out of a photo.

Andrew: The recurring gag of George throwing out potential careers for Jerry to comment on gets a revisit here, and I have to say I don’t think I’ve appreciated “land guy” in the Coast Guard enough over the years. I’ve always enjoyed Mr. Kruger’s apathetic approach to business, and he gets off to a good start in this one. Elaine and Kramer debating the existence of a slice so thin it cannot be seen is a good bit.

Jordan: Big fan of Kruger. George correcting his resume to say 14 days instead of 4 days at Playtime. Kramer buying his own meat slicer and slicing it so thin he couldn’t even see it was wonderful, as was his feeding Elaine slices at the end of the episode. I didn’t care for Jerry and the dermatologist, but her role worked within the story which is something Seinfeld does so well. Of COURSE Jerry is seeing a skin doctor just at the time when George needs to get his bosses shirt off! The airbrushed photo of Kruger was absurd, and the artist was SO PROUD of his work. Jerry mentioning that he wore a beard of bees is an iconic moment in our household. Beards of bees were a long standing gag with my dad and I. Also liked Kramer quizzing Elaine on how the slicer works, “But where does the meat go?”

What Didn’t Work

JT: I hate Dr. Siterides; How does Jerry identify his rash in the book so quickly?; Who likes olive loaf?

Aaron: HATED the cold open with Elaine in bed with all the guys. Dream or not it adds tremendously to the “Elaine is now a whore” narrative that has permeated season nine. Jerry’s storyline was weak in relation to the excellence around him.

Andrew: Where is Elaine’s landlord in all this? It’s frustrating when a whole storyline could be avoided by one phone call, and there’s at least three instances in hers where the maintenance staff should have been the first stop. I’m also not sure I enjoyed the cold open dream sequence. The idea of Elaine growing tired of these three ruining her life is a good one, but it needs more time than one unconnected gag to be worthwhile.

Jordan: I thought the end with Elaine sipping a Pepsi through the keyhole was stupid. Why not call the landlord?

Key Character Debuts

– Mr. Kruger

Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes

– “It says here that you worked at Play Now for four days?” – Krueger “That should be 14, let me just…” – George

– “It is a horrible company. There’s no management what so ever. I could go hog wild in there.” – George

– “Yeah well, that’s easy. Just let me finish this mile high and I’ll be right with you. Oh, and Jerry, we are gonna need a case of Kaiser rolls.” – Kramer “I think we might have one left in the stock room.” – Jerry

– “Where did you get that butcher’s coat?” – Jerry “You buy enough meat, they’ll give you anything.” – Kramer

– “Revenge date? That sound like you more than me.” – Jerry “This good be so sweet, Jerry. Saving lives? She’s one step away working at the clinique counter!” – George

– “Oh, I’ve cut slices so thin, I couldn’t even see them.” – Kramer “How did you know you cut it?” – Elaine “Well, I guess I just assumed.” – Kramer

– “What about your sea sickness?” – Jerry “Maybe I could be a land guy.” – George “I don’t know if they have land guys.” – Jerry “Someone’s have to unhook the boat before it leaves… the place!” – Jerry

– “Boy, that looks like an allergic reaction. Have you been wearing a fake beard?” – Kramer

– “Alright, great, because I got to get down there and pick up my blade. Hey, and I couldn’t find that stock room.” – Kramer

– “Moles, yes. Freckle’s ugly cousin.” – Kramer

– “That’s my hand towel! I use that on my face, hands and chest! That’s where the hives are coming from! It’s not from Dr. Sitarides, it’s from Dr. Van Nostrand!” – Jerry

Oddities & Fun Facts

– Actress Marcia Cross played Sara Siterides

Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)

JT: I love this episode. Everything was crisp and on point and it was vintage in its ability to tie together all of the stories into one seamless overarching tale. The core four were tightened up here and sharp but Kramer went next level, slaying every scene he was in. There are so many classic quotes from him, I couldn’t even keep up. The delivery and timing sparkled all through this one. I won’t call it an elite pantheon episode, because it is missing that truly iconic scene or moment to push it over the top, but it is right on the borderline and proof that the gang could still deliver when given a cohesive, locked in script to execute. Final Grade: 9/10

Aaron: I laughed quite a bit during this one. We had three strong stories and the weak barely took away. I now want Kruger in every episode as his ineptitude rarely lets down. It’s fucking hilarious that Kruger stole George’s stuff. Final Grade: 8/10

Andrew: This feels like a “C” grade episode to me. I laughed quite a bit, spent the rest of the time trying to poke holes in the plotlines, and came away pretty entertained overall. It’s easier to find something to say about the episodes that approach one extreme or the other, and I’m surprised to find myself on the lower end of the grading here, but this one felt average to me. Final Grade: 7/10

Jordan: This episode was… PERFECTLY SLICED. See what I did there? I made a reference to the meat slicer. Kramer really was great here, but so was George. I love Kruger a lot and it’s a shame he came along in the last season, I would like to see more of him. Just an excellent episode, and hey, we had that weird Elaine dream where she was in bed with all the guys! Final Grade: 8/10

[javodvarka]

By now, unless you’re living under a rock or incommunicado up on a space Ark, you’ve seen the season 5 trailer for The 100. And you can bet I have some impressions. So strap in, space cowboy.

I have a love/hate relationship with trailers because while it’s great to see new footage, the potential for spoiling something due to the Zapruder-like analysis we use to dissect every little frame really makes me hesitate to go in too deep. Over on Reddit, we picked apart the season 3 trailer until we kinda figured a lot of plot points out that took a bit of wind out of my sails. I guess I’m one of those people who like things to surprise me.

I’m not going to watch this trailer more than five times, which I know probably makes me a Bad FanTM, but I still want a sense of fresh wonder when I watch season 5 and not over-analyze a piece of media which I THINK is intentionally misleading in parts to begin with. Oh, there are some definite “I don’t think this shot really immediately follows the previous one, they just want us to THINK that it does.” We see you, JRoth and company.

Not falling for your shenanigans. Trying to play with our emotions and shit.

First Off, Can We Talk About How Gorge it All Looks?

Let me start out by saying the very first thing that popped into my mind…before the characters, the fighting, the conflict, the angst…I thought “goddamn, there are some really gorgeous shots in this trailer, they’ve really upped their cinematography game.”

I mean, look at this shit:

    LOOK AT IT.

I think the shot of the rover and Clarke on the cliff overlooking the forest is my favorite. That’s the one that got me to lean forward and say “oh hold up, they ain’t playin’, look at this!” But check out that desert sandstorm. Those space pods. That unique angle overlooking Clarke and the wreckage of Polis. There’s a real eye for scope here that I’ve never felt before save for perhaps Jaha and Murphy crossing the Dead Zone in season 2. Many of these shots are serving up all kinds barren earth realness. I can FEEL the sense of loneliness that must eat at Clarke as she explores what’s left of her little piece of earth. If you’re looking for a “show, don’t tell” example of what Clarke’s isolation must feel like…well dude it looks like season 5 is going to deliver visually.

Let me tell you, I’m not a very “let’s take in the scenery” person when it comes to my TV shows and movies. I love great visuals and balk at the overuse of CGI fuckery, but it’s not something that usually sparks off a “dude, did you SEE that?” thought in my brain. So that it’s the first thing that made an immediate impression to me is kind of interesting. And I’m digging it.

I Don’t Know What to Think About Octavia AT ALL and I’m Conflabberated and Conflicterated

Man, I’m so torn with Octavia.

Wait for it…

…………………wait for it……………………………

Where my Umbrugliaheads at??!!

Like, seriously I cannot decide where Octavia sits with me and the trailer does not clarify my position at all. Is she going dark or is she going to be one of the people we can depend on to do the right thing? I see her with Madi and I’m scared of what kind of influence she could exert over her, especially if O’s philosophy and methods diverge from Clarke’s. Octavia likes murder in the key of A and Clarke is more an E minor type of gal.

At times I’ve lamented over the lack of a friendship between Clarke and Octavia, and for obvious reasons their relationship has been chilly. One does not simply get over Clarke’s willingness to let you die in the TonDC bombing. I get the feeling that they only tolerate one another because of their respective relationships with Bellamy, but I REALLY want them to be friends. But now I’m like, what if it never happens the way I want? What if they’re just not MEANT to be friends? What if Octavia doesn’t travel down that “make good” track I desire for her? I have to be fine with that. Not my IP, not my creative endeavor, I’m just along for the wonderful ride.

I will tell you right the fuck now: I don’t trust Octavia one bit. Hells to the no. BUT I WANT TO. That’s my dilemma. And I kinda love the unease this instills in me.

Something that popped in my head about O and the bunker is this: Wonkru is a new thing. So what is the ruleset this new society lives by? Is this something Octavia will have to create? Is she capable of creating laws and rules and consequences for non-compliance after her experience up on the Ark? Her whole existence was pretty much defined by how punitive the Ark society was for just having more than one kid, so how exactly does a person raised and punished by that system create a system for life in essentially the same circumstances? Limited room, limited resources, close quarters, etc. Does she turn to Kane and Jaha for help? I think it’s obvious given their role in her life – and responsibility for some of her pain – that they exert some sort of influence over her. And that leads me to my SWAG (Sophisticated Wild Ass Guess) about O and Jaha.

I think Octavia kills Jaha while in the bunker. I know, this isn’t necessarily revolutionary as this has been speculated for a while now. But I think Jaha goads Octavia into killing him. Let me break it down: Jaha has a messiah complex, a need to save “his people.” Having failed spectacularly the first time with ALIE, guiding Octavia is his second chance.

At the same time, maybe Octavia is in a compromised position by being the leader of a majority Grounder coalition while having a lot of Skaikru’s old leadership in her ear. I think Grounders are going to grumble about this, cast doubt on Octavia’s commitment to ALL people, and Jaha will see sacrificing himself on her sword as a way to consolidate her power and remove any doubt that she’s committed to Wonkru. It moves Jaha’s great mission forward and maybe is a way, in his semi-twisted mind, makes up for his past sins, one of which being enforcing the laws that killed Octavia’s mom.

I’m excited by where O’s story could go. I feel she was kinda a throw-away plot-adjacent character until S4 and now seeing her come into prominence without really knowing what her priorities or intentions are is pretty exciting. But she also scares the poop outta me. And I think my fav part of the trailer was when she growled “choose.” I don’t know what’s happening there, but I’m PRETTY sure it’s a moment of badassery. And I’m smitten with female badasses.

Which makes a great segue to…

Truly Madly Deeply

So, while I’m watching the trailer, I’m quickly falling deeply in love with someone who got maybe less than 20 seconds of screen time: Charmaine Diyoza.

I kinda started sweating it because while she was cool and calm and collected and has a bit of swag, I’m also pretty certain she’s going to fuck our fam up something fierce. So I was like “damn, I better keep this under wraps because Diyoza has me SHOOK, but she’s bad news, can’t let people know I’m into her, right?”

Then I go online and EVERY FUCKING PERSON IS INTO DIYOZA. Well, those in my T100 twittersphere at least, which is curated carefully to only include the coolest yet weirdly deranged fans of this show who are into threesomes and cannibalism and alien theories and hurting one another with emotional gifs from all the emotional shows.

My shame washed away. There were others like me who loved this person who will hurt our beloved characters and we’re so here for it.

But I have to say, in order to make that strong an impression in only ~20 seconds of screen time, kudos on the casting of Ivana Milicevic as Diyoza.

I will declare it outright: I’m firmly on “Team Fuck Us Up, Diyoza.” Please play with every little emotion I have and suck out my soul until I’m a withered husk. I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT.

Also I kinda get the feeling that maybe Diyoza is a “been there, done that, stole the tee shirt” version of Clarke without all the emotion and sentimentality and complex moral conflict that has been Clarke’s brand since the jump. Diyoza is the “fuck it, let’s do it” future (bizarro) version of Clarke who seems waaaaaaaaaaaay more ruthless than our sweet baby Griffin. I am positively giddy at the thought. I love character parallels. And two strong women at cross purpose, neither totally in the right/wrong? Let the queens reign, baby, and let the bodies fall where they may.

Madi Is Kinda Awesome and This Is New For Me

You guys, I usually HATE kids in entertainment. They are the woooooooooooooorst, bizarrely written by adults who somehow forgot every interaction they’ve ever had with a child and instead write them as stupid proto-human beings with the agency of a jar of mayonnaise. Children, how do they work?

But everything I’ve seen so far has me excited as fuck to meet Madi. And am I here for mama bear grizzly Clarke?

If you know one thing about me it is this: I’m all about Clarke “I’m In Charge Now” Griffin. I’m not just here for it. I’ve bought land and am building a home for it. An underground pool for it. A fire pit? Fuck yeah. I’M HERE FOR IT, GONNA PAY PROPERTY TAXES FOR IT, GOING TO BE BURIED IN THE BACK YARD FOR IT, MY ASS GONNA HAUNT THIS LAND FOR IT.

Madi provides a great opportunity to give Clarke some insight into what a little shit children can be to their mothers and give her a new appreciation for Abby. Abby often maddeningly gets the Skyler White treatment from people on Reddit and I’ve gotten to the point of not being able to speak to those people without risk of banishment. I’m such an anger baby, and here comes my anger baby rant…

WE HATE WHEN THE REAL WORLD AND REAL WORLD SHIT WE DEAL WITH ON THE DAILY IS REFLECTED BACK AT US. Who doesn’t have some form of strife with their moms? Moms are sometimes overprotective and hypocritical and irrational AND GUESS THE FUCK WHAT SO ARE THEIR KIDS. We don’t have perfect moms and we are often shitbirds as their kids, so give mumsy a break. And maybe give her a ring.

This shit just gets me mad because some of it is driven by misogyny thinly veiled as “Abby is the worst because reasons.” And my tolerance for male bullshit, white bullshit, straight bullshit, entitled bullshit, regressive bullshit is quickly reaching nil. See, anger baby.

Abby is a very understandable character if you have any empathy for the woman who raised you, wiped your poopy butt, and was likely your primary caretaker your whole childhood. When Abby goes momma bear with Clarke, I get it. Now we’re going to see Clarke in Abby’s shoes and I wonder just how far – how “hypocritical” and “irrational” – she’ll go to protect Madi. And what will our reactions be?

I think a big theme of this season is going to be our own examination of our biases and perspectives in regards to the tables being turned – Clarke is now Abby. Skaikru are now Grounders. Eligius is now Skaikru. Charmaine is now Clarke. How will we stretch our perceptions of people who have motivations we’ve empathized with before? Or hated before? How willing will we be to accept behavior and rationale once the shoe is on the other foot and that once-understandable rationale is now wielded by a “bad” guy?

Alien Shit

You guys, there’s something rolling around in the abdomen of a man (is it MURPHY??!!) and if you know anything about anything, it’s either a sentient yam OR an alien chest burster. I don’t know how many people are freaking out about this, but instead of me trying to freak out in tandem and posit any theories, I will simply direct you to my ex-podcast partner and the Michael Jordan of GIFs: Jo over at May We Geek Again. Warning…she’s kinda really into her theory and passionate about it and like an Alien movie historian and…well…you know….

Enjoy the crazy: https://twitter.com/MayWeGeekAgain/status/974350151358779392

I will say that even the slight possibility of introducing some sort of parasite or Cordyceps or anything from space that becomes a huge threat on earth is exciting as fuck. Leaning hardcore into scifi horror is not something I would have EVER predicted after season 1 and 2, when I thought I knew the show’s brand. But man…if they do this…if they DO THE THING…I’m going to pee myself. And fair to say there will be much gleeful urination from other fans as well. You can use “gleeful urination” in your review quotes, CW.

Wrestling GIF quota met! Yay me! I’m aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawesome.

Quick Hits

Kane is getting into man-bun length hair and I can’t hate on it because I don’t hate man buns oh god there goes my street cred.

This is straight up Dances with Wolves, yo. Tatonka!

Where does O pick up the “love is weakness” line? Is there a world where she becomes a nightblood and takes the Flame?

I dunno how the Flame fits into this season, but I always feel awkward about it because Lexa is in there and Lexa…oof…still a gut punch. Miss you boo.

Adulting looks sooooooooo good on all these characters, especially the menfolk with facial hair like MEN. MANLY MEN DOING MANLY MEN THINGS.

Related: I know a fainting couch is an old-fashioned gendered bullshit thing, but Bellamy and Murphy with facial hair and aged up give me the vapors.

So many misleading cuts/editing in this trailer that it’s hard to really trust much about it. Is that Bellamy with the kobra kai leg sweep on Octavia? Is that Octavia that Bellamy is standing over? Who is anyone really fighting? Who are the fanatics? Who stands against Octavia? Is Zeke friendly? It’s all confusing and misdirecting.

I’m thinking Spacekru gets separated and two or more little groups get down to earth separately…I’d say some go with the Eligius crew and some with Raven.

And I think they get separated because Bellamy decides to only expose a couple of Spacekru’s number’s to the Eligius. He’s just keeping his people safe in a situation full of unknowns, which is prime head AND heart Bellamy.

I’m intrigued by this desert set. Is this shot in Vancouver? Is there some Canadian desert I’m unaware of? Why does some action seem to take place here, a location I would think is hostile to life. IS THERE A DESERT IN SASKATCHEWAN? Is it were all the Sasquatches live? Is Alpha Flight headquartered there?

YES, I MADE AN ALPHA FLIGHT REFERENCE.

The trailer is all things for all people:

Hello good space cleavage Echo!

I worry that I don’t get enough of Raven in this trailer. I want more of her each new season and I feel like I get less than what I need of my sweet, sweet Raven.

Is that a sonic weapon that McCreary is using? TIGHT. Just like Lucio! Except way more murdery.

Did y’all catch that scar across Diyoza’s throat? Could it be a burn from one of those electo-collars they slap on Clarke, or did someone try to cut her throat?

Related: “someone who survives a throat slitting = not to be fucked with” – Jo of MWGA. PREACH.

Speaking of that electro-collar – it’s serving up some major Lincoln-torture-parallels-from-season-1 realness. Lincoln was an unknown potential threat. Clarke is an unknown potential threat…

Is Jonathan is my favorite Fab 5er from the new Queer Eye series?

Kinda diggin’ McCreary’s long mohawk look…he’s serving up Miller from The Expanse realness. Okay, I really need to stop.

Oh lort, don’t even get me started about my fears about who is dying in the finale, because when the cast says they were all weeping, you know it’s a doozy and likely a major player. I think it’s Abby or Kane. But I fear it’s Raven. And if it’s Raven, I don’t know what I’ll do with myself.

Not particularly crazy about dialog getting repeated every season. A minor nitpick, but it’s feeling inorganic at this point.

How many people are in what I can only assume are cryosleep pods?

Where was serial killer Vinson? Did I miss him?

The Bunker’s hottest new club is Blood’s Sweet Faire. Featuring battling siblings. Blood. More blood. 90’s emo makeup. Kane in beard. Poor lighting. Depeche Mode almost inaudibly played so you’re like “is that Depeche Mode or is it in my head”? Microbrews.

I lament the lack of more Echo, Raven, Murphy, Emori, Monty, Niylah, Indra, Gaia, and Harper in the trailer. I realize there’s only so much you can show in a trailer, where there’s limited time to get the broad strokes of season 5 across, but I’m INVESTED in all these beautiful people.

Parting Thoughts

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

WHERE’S THE TRAILER?!

I know nothing about Canada

TWEET/RETWEET: If you enjoyed this review, could you do me a favor and share / retweet / like it on twitter? I hate to ask this because I hate asking anyone to do anything for me, but I’d really appreciate it.

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST OF THE 100 MUSIC!: Hey people who like sounds entering your ear holes! I have a Spotify playlist, which is music from and inspired by The 100. You can find it right here and marvel at my musical tastes. I keep it up to date with anything featured on the show or in promos.

SHIT YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING WHEN NOT WATCHING THE 100: 

These are a couple ICYMI shows that are excellent and you need to come flail with us on Twitter over these series:

The Expanse – a truly great sci fi series that looks freakin’ fantastic, has a great cast, contains some mind blowing moments, and boasts fuckin Chrisjen Avasarala who can rock a red furred cloak like a QUEEN. I swear all fealty to Chrisjen!

The Leftovers – likely the best TV show ever? IMHO, it has everything, including Carrie Coon, who somehow miraculously started “mainstream” acting as a woman in her 30s. She’s a revelation. This whole show is amazeballs. If you ever want to derail my day, just start tweeting Leftovers gifs at me and I’m ruint. RUINT.

There are some The 100 reviewers/recaps/writers you should absolutely be reading, and I offer them up for your enjoyment; I have no affiliation with any of them, save for being a fan:

Selina Wilken – a mix of passionate fandom and truly professional journalism.

Erin Brown – unfairly beautiful writing. Like seriously, stop being so good.

McKenzie Morrell – recapping her damn face off and great interviews with the cast!

Toni_watches – piss your goddamn pants funny photo recaps.

Jo Garfein – great fandom charity auctions.

Disclosure: this is my own indie site. This is on my time, my dime. Becho is endgame.

The 100 – Season 5 Trailer Impressions By now, unless you're living under a rock or incommunicado up on a space Ark, you've seen the season 5 trailer for…

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Gamers! 1 | Chronos Ruler 2 | Boku no Hero Academia 28 - 29 | Katsugeki 3 - 4 | Princess Principal 2 | Saiyuki Reload Blast 3 | Classroom of the Elite 2 | Reflection 1

Gamers! 1

Apparently this is an alright comedy, so it’s the second-last debut of this season I’m trialling. I probably won’t attend most of my anime club sessions as a result of tackling most of the debuts within my reach, but I never really socialised at my anime club anyway…(?)

Kiniro Memories…Like, a parody of Kiniro Mosaic or Tokimeki Memorial or something?

I don’t see what’s so appealing about her, despite the flowers and such cueing me into how I should see her.

Super Chips, LOL. That makes me hungry, but I just ate.

…Gah? I’m only a casual gamer, so I don’t get the appeal of the back of the box.

Tasuku grabbed the cat by the plastic ring? Well, I’ll be. That’s inventive.

This guy is…such a…jerk!

The joke about King Koopa is because he uses itadakimashita at the end of his first sentence, which is really formal.

I don’t find it very surprising that girls like gaming. After all, these days, we’ve basically gotten rid of the stigma around “nerdy stuff” being “not for girls”. *thinks for a bit* Although the IT industry still suffers from a lack of girls…

This show has some gorgeous cherry blossom scenes. I pause just to observe the level of detail in each tree.

These fanservice shots are downright disturbing…

Another Gakuto this season (the second after Sasajima in 7O3X). It’s a shame I dropped 7O3X from the commentary…

G-Guh! I-It’s COD (Call of Duty)! Never thought I’d see an anime parody of it, ever! I’ve heard people speak about it, but I don’t bother with it.

A crank is “a pejorative term used for a person who holds an unshakable belief that most of his or her contemporaries consider to be false”, while a scrub is “a now generalized term used as a synonym for a “noob” or “newb,” which is someone who is bad at a video game or activity in general”. I’m not very used to gaming lingo. *sweatdrops*

Wow, that slap in the face really got me by surprise. I howled when I saw Amano’s reaction face though.

Now there’s an honorable guy! I still prefer Shiki from 7O3X, but at least now he’s not a no-face harem protag.

Who the heck is Choshinnomori? The illustrator?

I think Gamers is good enough to continue, but not enough for a commentary. Aside from Reflection vs Chronos Ruler, the lineup’s pretty much settled.

Chronos Ruler 2

Wooser’s…Casino? Never saw that one coming. Was that an intentional riff on Sanrio?

As soon as Kiri starts spouting off about negligence and goals, the Kunikida bells go off.

Nice pun! Kiru can mean “to cut”, and since there’s a metaphor involving “homeland” already, it’s a pun on a pun.

Michiko Yokote’s on this? Wow, she must get a lot of my views. I’m seeing her and Natsuko Takahashi everywhere ever since Boueibu happened.

This kaeidoscope thing reminds me of Kiznaiver. Lay Your Hands on Me is sad when you remember it was a last project of Boom Boom Satellites’ lead man.

Nyuh-huh-huh-huh…(what? That’s just a weird laugh!) Why would you call a city C’est La Vie? Well, if anything, the name is appropriate.

Wait, I just realised they had Victo naked without his strange orb in his body…for the sake of fanservice. I didn’t mind because naked dudes are my cup of tea, but still…lack of consistency is a real markdown for this show.

Kiri looks like he’s floating on that stone floor…what.

Wasn’t Victo here earlier? Why is Kiri here now?

I-It’s Hellsalem’s Lot! In Chronos Ruler! Well, wonders never cease.

Victo doesn’t even look remotely angry as he faces his old foe.

*trying not to giggle* Why is eating pasta through the nose always a punishment in anime?

Yeah, it’s now too inconsistent for me to deal with. I’m dropping it until The Reflection comes along.

Boku no Hero Academia 28

I thought it was Full Cowl…? By the way, for some reason Izuku passes an Indian restaurant twice…or is that Arabic, or Thai? I dunno, it’s hard to tell without pausing…

LOL, I laugh so hard at Bakugo’s combed down hair. It reminds me of neat!En from the Boueibu manga.

I haven’t seen Tsukauchi in a while. Hisashiburi! (Long time no see!)

Stain’s just said what Hans (Rokka no Yuusha) said about a year or two ago…hmph. It seems quite a few assassins follow that belief, eh?

Huh, that’s actually very logical…to have lots of crime where there are lots of people, so on so forth.

Manual has Tsukauchi’s eyes. Are they related somehow?

Oh no…There’s a winged Nomu, and the only one with wings in this show is…a kid from Bakugo’s friendship group! *tries not to cry*

It’s Gran Torino, kids. Regardless of whether it’s the car or the movie he’s named after, it’s Gran Torino.

I realised Shigaraki really likes spectacles. Not glasses, though.

It’s honestly so scary to see Iida this mad…

“My name is Tenya Iida. You crippled my brother. Prepare to die!” – That’s the line you want, right, Iida? Take a note out of Inigo Montoya’s (Princess Bride) book.

Boku no Hero Academia 29

Wow, I knew Endeavour wasn’t liked, but I didn’t think his sitch was that bad…

The framing choice (white, insular fadeout) was a good one, I think. Shows Deku’s blinkered thinking at a crucial moment like this.

W-Wait. They have a hero called The Fly?! You’re kidding, right? That’s a great name! Creepy, because heck, just seeing screenshots of the Cronenberg movie is enough to make you pee your pants, but…heck yeah! What a name!

Seriously, how does that hand stay on Shigaraki’s face???

Japanese society is full of modesty, but Tensei is something else.

As much as I hate to admit it, Stain’s right Iida…sorry. Thinking selfishly doesn’t work in the hero biz.

Didn’t I say Deku looked scary back in ep 13-ish? Yeah, you can see the shadow of the monster right here…Gotta take note for Half-Paid Heroes!

I was going to use the ping-pong technique in Half-Paid Heroes, actually (the same one you saw Gran Torino use a few eps back in his apartment). I think Deku might use it here…

I see! That’s why Shinso had to apper before this!

A-hey. Stain’s kinda like a vampire. How didn’t I think of that earlier? (because I already kind of knew the secret behind his Quirk)

See? I knew Deku would use that ping-pong technique! It’s perfect for covering your defences simply through speed, which is exactly what I needed for one of my characters.

Well, today I reaffirmed why I love BnHA, and why even something like Katsugeki can’t beat it! That is the love of a superhero fan, right there!

Katsugeki 3

Seriously, is it “alright” or “all right”???

I never thought Kane-san would be so willing to kick butts and take names. Or…just the kicking butts bit.

Wait, what’s a roushi?

I still don’t know what a roushi is, but it seems the Time Retrograde Army are just giving catastrophic events in the time they’re in a nudge. The ripple effect, y’know?

A touken is a sword.

Were those roushi…CGI?! Blasphemy!!! Just when the backgrounds were looking really lifelike too.

Ah, a roushi = a ronin. There you go.

Mutsu’s surprised face is…hilarious!

Tosa people have accents? I don’t know much about accents, so I gotta learn…

Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a rogue touken danshi (sword boy)…hmph.

That constable looks like Heizo Hasegawa (Onihei).

The saniwa should be a gal, didn’t I say that in a previous ep?

Kitsune are meant to love deep fried tofu.

Whose line is “I’m going to seize the world”? Mutsu’s, probably.

Katsugeki 4

The closed shop appears to be called “The Tsuda Shop” or something like it, due to something that’s been written on to the paper screens.

Satchou is this alliance.

The shop you see Tonbokiri in the doorway of is called the “Murata Shop” (Murata-ya).

Again, foxes are meant to love tofu, but here’s what a pipe fox is.

There’s a sense of foreboding looming over this anime, and it kind of scares me, but it’s par for the course in a show like this.

Mutsu’s eating an onigiri. “Same old, same old” really are the right words to use here.

An ootachi should be significantly weaker in smaller quarters, like a bridge. However, they have longer range, which means that multiple swords in the party this Saniwa has could defeat it. By the by, I consulted the wiki, and it seems we’re going through era 1 (Meiji era), so there shouldn’t be any closed quarter battles here (I think there was one in the first ep of Hanamaru).

I bet Mutsu’s gonna pull out his gun sometime during this battle, eh?…Yep, a few seconds after I predicted that, it came true. Mutsu, you nut. I know this is close to the Meiji restoration if not in the middle of it, but still, don’t go showing off your gun everywhere…

Cue “You shall not pass!” moment from Tonbokiri. (I think I should say “again”, but my memory’s being sketchy right now.) LOL.

Everyone has that one experience as a Touken Ranbu rookie where their tantou has had way too much and dies…it’s always so sad, and often a player’s first death in their party. I know, because my first tantou was a Sayo and of course, he died on me.

I wonder if Kiwame will be shown in this show…hmph.

Wowsers, I held my breath so hard at that point where Yagen seemed like he was going to lose…but hey, what a great debut for Tsurumaru! Unfortunately, I don’t know the relationship between Yagen and Tsurumaru, since I don’t own a Tsuru, but I’ve been trying to get one for the longest time. Update: Oh, that “are you surprised that someone like me came here so suddenly?” is his line when he’s obtained, meaning the saniwa must’ve smithed him and dropped him into the fray.

Princess Principal 2

I think they’re trying to pull a “moe” route with Ange right here…which is not my style, but I’m neutral on it…

S-So…Dorothy sucks at smoking? L-LOL.

How do these women live with their metal dresses? Corsets are one thing, but actual metal, like knights but all over the dress? Yeah, definitely a sign of “no pain no gain” fashion.

Wait, there’s stolen blueprints?…Oh, okay then.

Really? CGI dancing couples? *rolls eyes* This is probably second to the fedora monster (Rokka no Yuusha) as to how bad CGI can get.

This Duke…he reminds me of Rosenberg (Royal Tutor), and that is not a good sign.

Saiyuki Blast 3

Go! Play them cards, Hakkai!

The concept of a sky burial could probably make an entire anime. I should keep better notes on this stuff. Plus, birbs. Even if they’re vultures, they’re cute!

I think the thing that makes Saiyuki special, despite it being a reboot of an old show, is that it’s able to convey deep themes without ruining the mood. I think that’s missing from a lot of modern anime, especially some of the more apparent commercials.

Y-Yeah, Goku…kicking a man through the roof is overkill. (laughs anyway)

Mmhmm. I like me some dudes in tight shirts like Sanzo’s. Azrael from Ro.Te.O is designed the same way, which is one reason why I love him so much.

Trigger warning for death but, “He died from the epidemic six days ago…”

“I thought really hard about what you asked me yesterday.”

I’m not gonna stick around for UraSai this time. So not worth it…

Classroom of the Elite 2

Oh gosh. I come here for a good time and they go with Gainaxing? Really?

Well, that was unexpected. I thought Ayanokouji was going to be a blushing wreck, but he’s less harem protag and more Houtarou Oreki (Hyouka).

Mm-mm. I like me some bishie like that, Horikita. You’ve got some good taste.

Dangit, this lunch is making me hungry, and I just ate!

Well, I can’t see how you’d have bad grades if you got into an advanced “nurturing school”, so I get Horikita’s point, but I can see how people can fail with the S-System. Ayanokouji and Horikita are basically Misora and Kei from Sakurada Reset though, and that’s bad news for this show…I might need to put Youkai Apato and 7O3X back in the places they used to be in.

I think this show is focussing on Kushida fanservice too much, too early into the game. Fanservice shouldn’t be this early into a series unless the series is fanservice from start to finish (e.g. ecchi).

Best moment of this entire show was Horikita shutting down Ayanokouji, LOL. See? I work a lot better without fanservice in my commentaries.

Ah! A tiger mum, but in the form of an older brother? I see, I see *nods*.

Actually, I now think Ayanokouji’s martial arts skills passed off as “piano and calligraphy” is the best moment.

Hmph. I never thought that Horikita’s inability to get along with others was what got her into Class D. Come to think of it, Ayanokouji is probably there because he rigged the scores and isn’t very sociable either…

It’s interesting that they list the points next to the cast credits. I was losing interest in this show, but the small things are what make me sit up and pay attention!  

Reflection 1

I’ve been waiting for this all season now, so here it is!

The first thing that hit me about this show was the colour palette. It’s like I’m watching a moving painting. Or a moving comic book, which I think was the point.

*sighs, somewhat happily(…?)* You know it’s America when the skyscrapers are plastered with the Stars and Stripes…Only American creators can be so proud of America, y’know? People naturally write about what they know, including the patriotism of their homelands.

It seems they even have WcDonald’s in this too, Plus DNN and so on, so forth.

Seeing the skyscrapers light up with relevant effects is cool! Real cool!

Now, if only comics would learn to empower their women better, then I’d be happy…*grumbles into distance*

Also, can someone please stop making all the minority races evil? I think I’ve seen enough evil dudes from that genre, and I haven’t even watched majority of the superhero movies that make the genre what it is.

The background scenery holds on for a little too long, a la Tsukigakirei.

Holy ninjas, Batman! That was a Russian ninja, apparently! Much cooler than an ordinary Japanese ninja, eh? (By shonen standards, at the very least?)

“At least tell me you did a ‘good job’.”

Why is it that everything in America is handled by the FBI, from aliens to superheroes? I don’t get you sometimes, America.

“Sorry, I actually live in LA.” – L-LOL!!! What even, don’t go around revealing your place of residence! Villains will come after you, don’t you know that, I-Guy???

The flat aesthetic means CGI doesn’t stand out too much, thankfully…

Huh, I never thought in my entire lifetime Stan Lee would be tackling the discriminatory nature of the term “hero”. He just never seemed to be the sort who would.

Yeah, I kinda knew 9Nine were involved with the ED, but I never quite guessed it would result in something like this. It’s a fairly typical ED, by anime standards, but still – you can tell it was done well, by a superhero great (better than trying to imitate anime a la Heroman), but it’s not to the same highs as Boku no Hero Academia or Katsugeki can take you. Therefore, Classroom of the Elite will be going on hold while I try to figure out what’s so good about this show.