#from that one familiar episode of supernatural

[dianawinchester03]

Season 3, Episode 10 - Dream A Little Dream Of Me (Part One)

Series Masterlist

Author’s Note: Hiiiiii beauties! Hope everyone is doing well <3

THIS IS PART ONE, HERE IS PART TWO. YOU NEED TO READ PART ONE TO UNDERSTAND.

Okay, to begin this chapter. A new character is going to be making a cameo! She’s not my OC, she’s actually my best friend’s OC @nesnejwritings. Thank you for allowing me to include a version of this sexy ass nosey bitch in the Testa-Verse honey🥹 Also, be sure to check out his fic, INEFFABLE, which is also a rewrite of Supernatural. It’s available on ao3 and tumblr, link above ^^

Dakoda Hernandez will be played by Melissa Barrera. Widely known for playing Sam Carpenter, the illegitimate daughter of Billy Loomis from Scream.

This chapter stands at 24.7k words🥰

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Third Person POV

Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Bobby’s Dream

Bobby Singer was walking through an oddly familiar house, flashlight in hand, looking around cautiously. As though he was being stalked by an unknown entity. The wind was whistling ominously outside in the dark night. Bobby’s head snapped in the direction behind him when he heard a ghostly sound, however, there was nothing there.

He swallowed thickly as he tried to control his breathing, fear coursing through his veins. His boots tapped lightly across the hardwood floor as he padded over to the sliding doors in the living room, connected to the kitchen. When he reached the doors, he slowly slid them open, and hesitantly took a few steps.

His eyes cautiously entered the room and suddenly, a screaming woman attacked the veteran hunter, jumping my untop of him. He fell to the floor with her, using all his might to fight the woman off but he struggled as she pulled him back and forth, while she's still screaming.

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania - Reality

Bobby was asleep on a crusty old bed in a rundown motel room, the sun through the louvers casted across his face, his beard seeming a tad bit overgrown. The sound of jingling keys came from behind his door and soon after, a maid entered through, pulling in a cart with all of her cleaning supplies. After a few steps she saw Bobby on the bed, who was yet to have reacted to the noises she made.

“Oh! I'm sorry.” The asian woman apologized, pushing her cart back out. As she retrieved the keys from the door, Bobby still hadn’t moved. Her brows crinkled as she glanced back over to the bed, looking a bit worried. “Sir?” She called out to him, not receiving a response.

Since he's still not moving and responding, she left the keys in the door and walked over his bed. Slowly reaching over to touch him on the shoulder. “Wake up…” She said timidly, her heart racing in her chest. He still doesn't react.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Bobby’s Dream

Back in the kitchen, the woman was still screaming and Bobby was fighting for his life with every bit of strength in him to survive the attack as the woman slammed his head against the floor.

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania - Reality

The maid had now grabbed his shoulders, shaking him, trying to wake him up. “Wake up, do you hear me? Wake up. Sir, wake up!” She shook him frantically before turning around to the door, panicked. “Help! I need some help in here!”

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Fredericksburg, Texas

It was the middle of the day in a surprisingly lively dive bar, Sam and Y/N were seated side by side at the counter. Doobie Brothers, ‘Long Train Runnin’ was playing on the old jukebox. Sam was nursing his fourth glass of whiskey while Y/N was chugging her sixth beer. The duo were definitely drunk, not hammered but past tipsy, both wearing solemn looks on their faces. It was as though all hope was gone.

The only thing they could think about was the fact that they might not be able to save Dean. Y/N sighed, feeling the urge to light up a cigarette. So she wordlessly pushed herself from her stool, fishing her hand into her pocket to pull out a twenty. She tossed it on the counter and turned on her heels to walk outside, only to bump into a frantic Dean, who was coming through the main entrance.

While her heart was heavy, he breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw his brother and girlfriend at the bar. “There you guys are, what’re you doing?” He asked worriedly, his brows furrowed as gripped Y/N by her wrist to drag her back to where Sam was situated.

“Having a drink.” Sam stated with a slight slur, shrugging as Y/N took her seat back down next to Sam at the counter once more. “Can’t a girl get a drink?” Y/N sassed, letting out a scoff as gestured to the bartender for another drink.

Sam let out a bitter chuckle, raising his glass to his lips before taking a small sip while Dean stood between the two stools where the duo sat, his hands on his hips like a disappointed parent. Looking between them, absolutely bewildered. “It’s two in the afternoon and y’all are drinking whiskey and beer?”

“I drink whiskey all the time.” Sam defended with a twinge of sass, shrugging, “I always drink beer” Y/N added, placing a finger up. “No you don’t.” Dean sassed back, pointing a thick finger at Sam before turning to his girlfriend. “And you don’t drink before noon.” He pointed out with a disapproving tone in his voice, his arms were now crossed over his chest.

“Yeah? Why are you so sure?” She retorted, folding her arms across the bar top, now looking like a petulant teenager who had gotten caught smoking. “What’s the big deal, Dean? You guys get sloppy in bars all the time, Y/N gives you a lap dance in the process. Why can’t I?” Sam scoffed bluntly, “Because your girlfriend is halfway across the goddamn country, Sammy” Dean shot back with a deadpan look as Y/N giggled into the beer the bartender brought back for her.

Sam rolled his eyes as his brother stood there and chastised the two of them. “What's going on with you two?” Dean asked them. Sam and Y/N shared a painful look, their heads dropping before they turned back to stare at their drinks. Sam shook his head and didn't say anything for a few moments.

Y/N brought her beer back up to her lips, taking a large swig at it. He looks completely lost. “We tried, Dean” Sam croaked, his nostrils glaring as he tried to keep his emotions in check. Dean's brows furrowed once more as he looked around, “To do what?” He asked confused, “To save you.” Y/N muttered, her voice slightly hoarse as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

Dean had a look on his face that said, ‘Alright, this is gon’ take a while’. So he pulled out the stool next to Y/N, “Can I get a whiskey? Double, neat.” He said to the bartender, who nodded in response, tossing his rag over his shoulder. “We’re serious, Dean” Sam grumbled, “No, you’re drunk.” Dean deadpanned, placing his hand on Y/N thigh.

The psychic clenched her jaw, her grip tightening around her beer bottle to the point that if she focused her energy on it, it might shatter. “I mean, where you're going... what you're gonna become.” She said in a whisper, tears welling up in her eyes as she scoffed lightly as she shook her head before saying, “We can’t stop it.” The reality hitting her like a goddamn train. Sam was also close to tears, bringing his hand up to wipe his nose.

“I'm starting to think maybe even Ruby can't stop it.” Sam admitted as Y/N nodded in agreement, Dean looked away slightly before returning his gaze to them. “But really, the thing is, no one can save you.” Sam sighed. “What I've been telling you.” Dean said casually as the bartender set his drink down in front of him. “No, that's not what I mean. I mean, no one can save you, because you don't wanna be saved.” Sam correctly bluntly.

Dean looked taken aback for a moment, his expression going back to normal as he took a small sip of his drink. He put the glass down, swallowing the whiskey before he turned to his brother and girlfriend, “I mean, how can you care so little about yourself?” Y/N asked, turning her head back to face him, pure anguish in her eyes.

Dean let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head with a forced smile as he sipped his drink again, “What’s wrong with you, charming? Can’t you see that we love you? Can’t you see that you have so many people who care about you? Yet you don’t give a rat’s ass?”

Dean looked at them thoughtfully, their words hitting him like a truck. Y/N had now placed her beer down back at the bar, wiping her mouth dry as she crossed her arms over her chest again, letting out a scoff. She looked away, her eyes filled with tears. Sam looked like a damn broken man as he stared over at his brother, his face full of despair.

Dean didn’t get a chance to answer them since his phone rang, inwardly thanking whatever gods it had above him for pulling him out of this conversation as he flipped it open and placed it to his ear. “Hello?” He answered, a beat of silence passing as they returned their pained gazes back to their drinks.

“Yes, this is Mr. Snyderson.” He lied to the caller, his brows shooting up in shock and worry as he gaped, “What?!” Now that caught Sam and Y/N’s attention, nearly sobering them up and he looked over to his brother and girlfriend panicked alarm, “Where?”

-

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Two days later, after the near 1500 mile journey, the trio made it to the hospital Dean got the call from. Jo ditched her hunt with her mom after Y/N called her about Bobby’s condition, taking Quinn for the ride to Pittsburgh to see her surrogate father. Now, the four young hunters were standing above the veteran hunter’s hospital bed with pained looks on their faces. Their hearts heavy in their chests as they stared back at the comatose Bobby Singer.

“So, what's the diagnosis?” Sam asked the doctor in a hoarse voice as Jo sniffled, patting away a stray tear at the corner of her eye. “We've tested everything we can think to test. He seems perfectly healthy.” The doctor responded professionally. Dean’s eyes snapped over to him, his arms crossed over his chest, “Except that he's comatose.” The elder Winchester stated gruffly with a hard look. The doctor sighed as he nodded.

“Mr. Snyderson, you're one of his emergency contacts. Anything we should know? Any illnesses?” The doctor asked. Y/N raised a brow, tilting her head as he said, ‘one of’ but the others didn’t seem to pick up on that. “No, he-he never gets sick. I mean, he doesn't even catch a cold.” Dean responded, shaking his head. “Doctor, is there anything you can do?” Jo asked hopefully but the doctor frowned.

Their hearts pained once more, “Look, I'm sorry, but we don't know what's causing it... so we don't know how to treat it. He just... went to sleep, and didn't wake up.” He explained sorrowfully as the four hunters shared a look. The doctor went to make his leave, an unfamiliar voice came from outside, “Fuck you mean who I am?? I’m his goddamn daughter, let me in!”

The voice belonged to a tanned skinned, tall brunette woman, her curly hair brushing past her shoulder blades as she shoved her way past the doctors and into Bobby’s room. Her dark brown eyes zoomed in on the older Hunter laying still on the bed, not paying any mind to the other four in the room.

Y/N’s jaw dropped, immediately recognizing the woman to be none other than Dakoda Hernandez.

No…fucking…way. The bitch was alive? AND she knew Bobby????

Dakoda felt a tear rip in her chest, her jaw grounding and tightening as she stopped in front of the bed opposite to the four. “Who the fuck are you?!” Dean demanded, his hands now residing on his waist as he glared at the random woman who barged into the hospital room. Jo held a defiant gaze along with Sam, the shorter blonde ready to pounce on Dakoda and toss her out of the room.

Dakoda’s eyes snapped up to him, crossing her manicured hands over her chest, “The fuck am I?? The fuck are yo— L/N??? ” Her Texan accent was potent, her tone dropping as her gaze finally locked with the psychic. “Hernandez???“ Y/N’s voice held pure shock.

Dakoda and Y/N both moved closer to each other, the latter looking bewildered. It took a lot for Y/N to not wrap her arms around the brunette. “What the hell are you doing here??” Y/N asked, shocked to actually see the woman alive. “Wait, you know this chick?” Jo gaped, taking a step back as Sam remained speechless.

Dakoda rolled her eyes, not turning her attention away from Y/N, “Yeah, I uh…do. We went to juvie together, bunked together for my entire sentence” Y/N replied casually. Her eyes remained locked onto Dakoda. “How do you know Bobby?” The Latina asked curiously, her arms still crossed over her chest as she tilted her head at the psychic.

Y/N's eyes glanced over to Bobby for a slight second, an unreadable look on her expression, “You’re a hunter, aren’t you?” She called her out, a dry chuckle leaving her lips. Of course Dakoda was a hunter, it made sense now. She was one of the toughest bitches in that juvenile center.

Dean’s eyes shifted between his girlfriend and the woman, his lips pursed. “And what gave it away, sweetheart?” Dakoda smirked, causing Y/N to roll her eyes. “Still a fuckin’ cheeky bitch, ain’t ya, Koda?” She chuckled before reaching over to engulf the taller woman into a tight hug.

Dakoda let out a small laugh for the first time since she arrived, her arms instantly wrapping around Y/N’s shoulders as she squeezed her, not wanting to pull away. The two eventually did, Dakoda holding the psychic by the shoulders as she looked at her, a smile on her lips. As much as Dakoda disliked being touched, she felt relieved to see her old friend who was apparently also a hunter.

Small world, huh.

“Okay…” Dean murmured awkwardly as Sam cleared his throat. Their faces fell simultaneously, the reunion being cut short as their eyes went back down to Bobby laying comatose on the bed. Dakoda frowned once more as her hands fell to her side, clenching and unclenching in a matter of seconds.

She ran her fingers through her curly hair before wiping her mouth in frustration, “How…how long has he been like this?” She asked gruffly, her gaze not moving from the older man. “Couple days.” Dean was the one to answer, “Doctor said he doesn’t know what caused it, it’s like he just fell asleep and didn’t wake up” Sam added with a frown as Jo tore her gaze away from Bobby, forcing herself to stare at the window.

-

They all made it back to Bobby’s motel room, the one in which the maid found him in, “So, what was Bobby doing in Pittsburgh?” Jo wondered out loud as Sam opened the door, allowing everyone in before closing it behind him. “Unless he's taking an extremely lame vacation…” Dean and Dakoda mumbled in unison, both taking off their jackets simultaneously.

The two paused halfway, staring at each other with raised brows in alarm. Y/N snorted in amusement as she peeled off her own jacket while Dean and Dakoda slowly took off their coats. “I mean, he must have been working a job, right?” Sam answered as he and his girlfriend walked around the room. “Well, you think there'd be some sort of sign of something, you know?” Y/N sighed as she opened a drawer, only to come up empty.

Dean did the same, but that too was empty. The room looked completely clean. “Research, news clippings…” Dean agreed with a heavy sigh, “Or a fuckin’ pizza box or a beer can.” Dakoda scoffed, kicking the air as her eyes zoomed in on the closet. She tilted her head with a hum, uncrossing her arms before padding over to the closet. Dakoda pulled the closet door open roughly to see Bobby’s clothes hanging neatly on a few hangers.

Y/N walked over to her, peering her head to get a look before reaching up inside to flick on the light switch. The women’s eyes landed on the clippings behind the hangers covered by the clothes, sharing a smirk. “How ‘bout this?” Y/N chuckled before pushing the clothes aside on the rack to reveal the news clippings, maps and pictures of research they were looking for.

There were pictures of roots, mushrooms, seeds and a map where Bobby had written ‘Pittsburgh’ in big letters and underlined it. There were also post-its with addresses and numbers and a piece of paper with information about a plant.

Everyone’s gazes landed straight in the closet, “Good ole Bobby, always covering up his tracks.” Dean chuckled as he, Sam and Jo moved over to the closet. “You guys makin’ heads or tails of any of this?” Sam asked everyone. Dean shrugged before walking between Y/N and Dakoda to peel off a paper from the wall, reading the title off of it out loud. “ ‘Silene capensis’, which of course means absolutely nothing to me.”

Dakoda snorted in amusement at his humor before moving over to the bed, plopping her body across it. Jo did the same, except with the couch next, “Here. Obit.” Sam said as he too took off a newspaper clipping from the wall, reading from it out loud. “Dr. Walter Gregg, 64, university neurologist.” Sam read, “How’d he bite it?” Dean and Dakoda asked in unison, once more.

The two looked at each other, the same look on both of their faces that made the rest chuckle, “That ain’t creepy or anything.” Jo murmured as Sam rolled his eyes before shaking his head. “Um.. actually, they don't know. They say he just went to sleep and didn't wake up.” Sam explained. Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed as she snatched the clipping away from his grasp.

“That sound familiar to y’all?” She said as she skimmed the article. “All right, um... So let's say Bobby was looking into the doc's death.” Sam began, clearing his throat as he pressed his hand against the closet door. “You know, hunting after something—” He didn’t get to finish his sentence since Dean did that for him, “–that started hunting him.”

Y/N stood between the two brothers, her gaze shifting from one to the other before stuffing the paper back into Sam’s hand. Dean watched her walk over to the bed, settling on it beside Dakoda. He pursed his lips, allowing the nagging question he’d been wanting to ask since the mysterious woman his girlfriend knew appeared. “So, what’s your deal?” He asked Dakoda pressingly as he padded over to the little table at the corner of the room.

Dakoda sighed, propping herself onto her forearms as she stared at him, raising a brow, “Scuse me?” She asked him, her Texan drawl prominent. “Like what? What do you mean ‘what’s my deal’?” She scoffed. Before she could begin to tell him off, Y/N jumped up from the bed, pacing over to her boyfriend.

The psychic put a hand on Dean’s crossed forearm, silently telling him to not mess with the brunette. Sam sighed, his eyes darting between the two as he sat on the arm of the couch Jo was residing on, unconsciously tucking a loose strand of her blonde lock behind her ear, which earned him a cheeky smile in return.

“Charming..." Y/N muttered sternly, "Be nice." She chided softly, to which he just rolled his eyes at. Dean was in a pissy mood to say the least. Dakoda snorted before swinging her legs over the side of the bed, straightening out her clothes as she got off the bed. She stalked over to them, standing up to Dean, who was leaning on the table. The two face to face with Y/N acting as a barrier between them.

Her arms crossed over her chest, mirroring the elder Winchester as her eyebrows raised. She tilted her head with a smirk, “You got somethin’ to say, pretty boy?” She challenged as Y/N put a hand out towards Dakoda and one towards Dean. Sam tensed at his brother and the brunette's bickering. While Jo stifled a laugh, watching the two. "Yeah, I do." He said without hesitation as Dakoda raised a brow.

"Do share," She said with a faux smile, her eyes narrowing at him. “Jesus Christ” Y/N murmured tiredly, facepalming. "First off," He began, "I don't like the way you're copying me." Dean started, taking a small step forward. Dakoda scoffed, letting out a laugh before rolling her eyes, “Secondly, you show up out here outta the blue and you’re yet to say how the fuck you even know Bobby”

Dakoda's eyes narrowed at him, her face darkening, "None of your damn business." She spat with venom in her tone. "Excuse me?" Dean scoffed, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “Okay!” Y/N exclaimed, shoving the two apart before they could maul each other. “You, time-out” She pointed firmly at her boyfriend with narrowed eyes. Dean tried to protest but the stern look on her face made him slouch on the table.

Y/N nodded before turning back to Dakoda who stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. She pointed to the bed, "You, go sit." She commanded. Dakoda was caught off guard, raising a brow as she stared at the psychic, who stared back sternly. Dakoda sighed, rolling her eyes before complying with the order, trudging back to the bed.

“Koda.” Y/N sighed, “I think Dean’s concern is that we don’t really know much about you, I mean, Bobby’s never mentioned you once and now we learn you’re one of his emergency contacts.” She explained softly. Dakoda pursed her lips, her gaze dropping to the floor as she fidgeted with her fingers.

Y/N sighed, taking a step forward as she placed her hand over the brunette's shoulder, causing her to snap out of her daze, turning up to the psychic. “You can trust us,” She assured the older woman softly. Dakoda looked away, her eyes flickering over to Dean who just sat awkwardly on the table with his arms crossed over his chest, his lips pursed as he tried hard to hold himself back from saying anything.

It was truly like staring into a mirror.

She let out a breath through her nose before turning to glance back to Y/N, then over to Sam and Jo. The couple offered Dakoda encouraging smiles. “After they booted me out of juvie in ‘01, I hooked up with an old hunting partner of mine and he knocked me up. Before I could even tell him, he kicked the bucket on a hunt.” She began shakily, her nails digging into her palms, forming crescent shaped wounds on her inner palm.

“When I told my man, he kicked me to the curb. Said there’s no place in our family for a baby, said I had two options. Terminate my baby or leave the family. So I left and went straight to Bobby’s.” Y/N's gaze softened, her head tilting as the sympathy washed over her expression. "He took you in?" She asked, a small frown crossing her lips.

Dakoda's eyes met the Y/N’s, "Yeah, he was the only person I could turn to. He let me stay at his place and helped me with my medical stuff, drove me around to my doctors' appointments," She explained, "He was better to me than my own family. He helped me get a new identity, he helped me retire.”

Y/N let out a sigh, a genuine smile gracing her face as she squeezed Dakoda's shoulder before she pulled away. Sam and Jo were in awe listening to the story and even Dean looked interested. He cleared his throat, speaking up, “You retired?” He asked curiously, his tone genuine and soft.

Dakoda's gaze flicked to Dean for a moment, her face stoic but her eyes told the story, a look of pain flashing across her expression before masking back to normal. She nodded. "Yeah, I did." She simply said, shifting from where she sat on the bed. "Hunting is too dangerous, not if you wanna raise a kid. My little girl wasn’t gonna be a part of that world, over my dead body.”

"You've got a daughter," Y/N smiled, her heart warming at the idea of a little girl. "What's her name?" She asked. For the first time, the edges of Dakoda's lips quirked into a tiny smile, "Molly. Her name’s Molly." She murmured softly as she opened her jacket to take out a picture from her inner pocket.

She extended the picture to Y/N who carefully took it into her grasp. It was a picture of Dakoda holding a little girl who couldn’t be more than five. They both shared the same curly dark brunette hair and the same brown eyes. The little girl had a toothy grin on her face as she had her hands wrapped around Dakoda's neck.

Y/N's smile widened as she looked down at the picture, "She’s adorable." She cooed with a grin as she handed the picture to Sam. Dean frowned slightly, scratching the back of his neck. Now feeling guilty for being such a dick. Was he gonna admit it? Hell nah.

Jo peered over to get a look at the picture, a smile on her face before Sam handed the picture to Dean who gently took it. His eyes softened as his gaze traveled the picture, "She has your eyes." He pointed out with a small smile. It made Dakoda smile as well.

Her smile was short-lived. "Thanks, man. I think she does too" She agreed with a slight nod of her head, walking over to take the picture back and stare down at it. Y/N sighed, watching the older woman stare at the picture with sorrow in her eyes, it was the look of someone who missed their child dearly.

“How ‘bout this?” Y/N began, “You go back home and we’ll deal with this whole thing. We’ll let Bobby know you stopped by” She suggested. Dakoda's brows raised before her eyes averted, landing on Y/N. She shook her head, "No, I'm staying." She said firmly, slipping the photo in her pocket. "I ain't leaving till we get some damn answers." She explained, her gaze flickering over to Dean.

"You sure?" Y/N asked, a worried look on her face as she stood before Dakoda, the two of them only inches apart. The older brunette stared right back, "I'm not going home till I know what the fuck got to Bobby." She insisted. Dean nodded understandably, “Alright, you two stay here, see if y’all could make heads or tails of this” The elder Winchester instructed Sam and Jo as he pushed himself up from the table.

“What are you gonna do?” Sam asked, getting up from beside Jo. “Let’s look into the good doctor” Y/N suggested, glancing between Dean and Dakoda. The two then nod in agreement.

-

Now at Dr. Gregg’s office, books and boxes were cluttered over the huge office, ready to be packed up and removed as Dean, Y/N and Dakoda entered, due to Dr. Gregg's assistant opening the door for them. The three were decked out in their ‘FBI’ attire, instead, posing as detectives. Dean wore a suit, tie and dress pants along with Dakoda while Y/N opted for a black skirt and white blouse this round.

“So you're Dr. Gregg's lab assistant?” Dean asked as they padded into the room, taking in the clutter all about. “That's right.” Sanders, the young woman confirmed. “Well, his death must have come as a shock to you.” Y/N added, turning to face the woman. “Yeah, it did.” Sanders nodded timidly, crossing her arms over her chest. Dakoda allowed her eyes to scan the office, while Sanders stood behind her.

“But, still, go in your sleep, peaceful... That's what you wish for, right?” Sanders added with a genuine smile. “Yeah. Right.” Dakoda murmured back with a small smile. Dean’s eyes landed on a book sitting on the doctor's desk. “Dr. Gregg uh.. studied sleeping disorders? Dreams?” He asked as he picked up the book and held it up for Sanders. “I don't understand. I went over all of this with the other detective.” Sanders asked defensively.

Dean placed down the book, his eyes darting over to his girlfriend. The two shared a look before he turned back to Sanders and looked at her, curious. “You already spoke to another detective?” Dakoda asked her, “Yes. A very nice older man with a beard.” She confirmed, “Well, I'd love to hear it again if you don't mind.” Dakoda shot her a cheeky smile, “Thing is, I'm sort of busy. Maybe we could do this later?”

Dean’s smile dropped along with Dakoda’s, the two rolling their eyes simultaneously before Dean said, “Sure. Yeah. Just bring you down to the station later this afternoon,” in a threatening tone, causing Sanders’ face to fall. “and get your statement on tape, do it all official-like.” Y/N added, smiling stiffly.

Sanders gulped, her hands clenching anxiously. Her eyes flickered nervously around the room, she was clearly shaken up. Dean crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head at the girl, “Something you want to tell us?” He asked, raising a brow. “Look, okay, I didn't know about Dr. Gregg's experiments. Not until I was cleaning out his files.” She tried to reason.

They all looked confused, raising their brows simultaneously. “His experiments, uh...? The ones he was conducting on ... sleeping?” Dakoda asked, tilting her head. “No one knew, okay? Not the university, not anybody. I already spoke with a lawyer and he told me I can't be held liable for anything.” Sanders became defensive as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Maybe you couldn't, but that was before the new evidence came to light.” Dean thought quickly on his feet, causing Sanders' face to fall once more. “New evidence?” The young woman gaped, “Mm-hm.” Dean and Y/N hummed in unison as Dakoda nodded. “What new evidence?” She asked, blinking rapidly. “We’re not at liberty to say.” Y/N thought quickly with a slight smirk.

Sanders sighed deeply, likely feeling screwed. “Look, I'm just a grad student. This was a gig to cover tuition.” She defended. “Maybe so. But, uh, still, this- this... this could go on your permanent record.” Dean half threatened. It took all in Dakoda and Y/N not to burst out laughing on the spot, “Unless you hand over the doctor's research to us. All of it.” Dakoda added, offering the shaken young woman a tight smile.

-

The three were now in the Impala, Dakoda lounged in the backseat with the doctor's research in a box next to her while Y/N rode shotgun and Dean drove. They were laughing their asses off at what just happened, all at the verge of tears.

Y/N held her stomach in amusement, the corners of her lips curving upwards as she wiped the corner of her eye. As for Dean, he had the steering wheel in a vice grip as he too laughed hysterically. Dakoda was the first to calm down, her giggles ceasing into chuckles as she laid back against the seat. She placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm herself down.

“Oh man, her face was everything.” She guffawed with a big smile. “Poor girl, I feel kinda bad” Y/N shook her head, the huge smile still on her face. Dakoda snorted, “Don't. She didn't seem like the sharpest tool in the box.” She rolled her eyes with a smirk, running a hand through her hair. Dean hummed in agreement, his lips twitching in an attempt to hold back the last bits of his laughter.

The laughter was cut short when Dakoda’s phone began ringing in her pocket, the brunette’s brows furrowing as she leaned to the side to fish it out. Y/N straightened out in her seat as she watched Dakoda pull out her phone from the back pocket of her dress pants. She groaned when she saw the name on the screen, letting the phone ring for another second before accepting the call.

“What, Damien?” She murmured begrudgingly to her little brother on the phone. “Kody, you need to get back, it’s Molly, something happened” Damien’s panicked voice came through the phone. Dakoda’s eyes widened at the mention of her daughter, her lips forming a thin line as she felt her heart rate quicken. Her fingers clenched against the device.

“What’s going on? What happened?” She asked urgently, her tone sharp yet frantic. “S-she twisted her ankle, I’m at the ER with her. I only took my eyes off of her for one second, I swear, then she fell off the monkey bars. I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry” Dakoda’s face softened, her brows stitching in concern as she listened to the young man on the other line.

A sigh left her lips, her head falling against the headrest behind her, “Is she okay? Is anything broken? Or fractured?” She asked, her tone softer than before. “They think it’s just sprained. She’s got an ice pack on it now, but she keeps complaining about the pain, Kody…I-I really screwed up, I’m so—“ Damien started but Dakoda interjected, “I know, I know. We’re all human, just…sit tight, okay mijito? I’ll be right there.” She reassured, cutting him off before hanging up.

She huffed, turning to look at Dean who was peeking through the rear mirror. Y/N turned around in her seat, her eyes widening when she realized something was wrong. “Everything okay?” Dean asked, his brows furrowing as he shot her a concerned look.

Dakoda let out a shaky exhale, shaking her head before speaking, “Molly twisted her ankle. She hurt herself on some monkey bars. I gotta go.” She explained, running a hand through her hair before wiping her mouth in frustration. Y/N’s face fell, “Sweetie I’m so sorry”

Dakoda nodded weakly in response, glancing out the window as she bit her bottom lip. She was scared, that was obvious. She was trying to keep her emotions in check, to hold back the tears. She was worried, concerned for her daughter.

-

Dean drove them back to the motel, parking across from Dakoda’s 1969 Ford Mustang. In an instant, the older woman hopped out of the Impala’s backseat. The others quickly followed suit, the three walking Dakoda to her car parked right next to Quinn.

Dakoda placed her duffel bag full of clothes and such in the trunk of the Mustang before opening the door to the driver’s seat. Before she pulled the door open, Y/N hurried over and placed a hand over Dakoda’s arm to stop her from getting in.

Dakoda paused, glancing over to Y/N with furrowed brows. “What’s up?” She asked, raising a brow. “We’ll tell Bobby you came by, we’ll take care of him, okay?” Y/N assured her, a small frown on her face. Dakoda nodded silently, giving Y/N a grateful smile, “Thanks, Y/N/N. If anything happens with Bobby—.” She murmured, her expression soft. “—you’ll be the first to know. I promise. We’ll see you soon.” Y/N replied softly as Dakoda nodded with a forced smile.

She engulfed the psychic into a short but sweet hug, pulling away. She gave Dean a curt nod of respect, which he returned and then slipped into the driver’s seat of the two doored car, shutting the door behind her. Y/N and Dean stepped away from the Mustang to let her drive off before they looked back to each other.

-

Soon after diving into the research they took from Dr. Gregg’s lab. Dean and Y/N found themselves knocking on the door to the resident apartment of Jeremy Frost. A former patient of Dr. Gregg. As the door swung open, the hunters held their fake badges up. Indicating they were detectives with the Pittsburgh City Police Department.

Jeremy’s face fell, “Look, I don't know what the RA said, but, ah, I was growing ferns.” The stoner stated nervously as he moved away from the door to allow the two in. The couple shared an amused glance as they walked in, “Take it easy, Phish, that's not why we’re here.” Dean assured him with a light chuckle. “Really?” Jeremy asked as Y/N turned to him with a smile of reassurance, clutching the file in her hands in front of her in a professional manner.

“Oh, thank God. Okay.” Jeremy breathed out in relief. “We wanna talk to you about Dr. Gregg's sleep study.” Y/N told him firmly, “Yeah. Dr. Gregg just died, right?” Jeremy asked, nodding lightly. “You were one of his test subjects, right?” Dean asked, “Yeah” Jeremy confirmed before turning to open his fridge.

He leaned down, rummaging through it a bit. The sounds of bottles clattering around echoed before he took out three beers. He held them up a bit, motioning as a question. He then held two out to Dean and Y/N. “Unless you guys are on ... duty or, whatever?” Dean glanced at his girlfriend hesitantly for a second. Noticing the disapproving look she shot him as she shook her head.

He shrugged, as if telling her to ‘lighten up’ and still decided to go for the beer. “We can make an exception” Dean shrugged, walking over to take one from him. Y/N rolled her eyes with a smile before she too took one. Jeremy smiled in relief before opening his own with a bottle opener. Y/N shook her head amusedly, popping the cap off her beer as Dean did the same.

The three held the beers up in a toasting manner before taking long swigs. Dean closed his eyes as he took in the beer, enjoying the taste. A sigh of satisfaction rippled through his throat as he gulped it down. He gave Jeremy a small smile before continuing with the interview. “Now, Dr. Gregg was testing treatments for a, uh, "Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome"? Which means...?” Dean asked as Y/N held open the file with the information inside for him to read.

“Um.. I, uh.. I can't dream.” Jeremy explained shortly, causing the two to make faces that said, ‘huh’ as he spoke, “I had this bike accident when I was a kid and banged my head pretty good and I haven't had a dream since. Till the study. You know. Sort of.” Jeremy further explained. “What'd the doc give you?” Y/N asked, raising a brow. “It's this yellow tea. It.. it smelled awful, tasted worse.”

“What’d it do?” Dean asked, glancing down at the file and back up to Jeremy. “Just passed right out. And uh, I had the most vivid, super-intense dream. Like a bad acid trip, you know?” Jeremy explained. “Totally” Dean commented with a knowing smirk, forgetting he was in character as a detective, Y/N’s eyes widened, “He’s kidding. He means no” She chuckled awkwardly, shooting her idiot boyfriend a warning glare.

“That was it. I dropped out of the study right after that. I didn't... like it. To tell you the truth... it kind of scared me.” Jeremy told them shyly as he gulped, the two looking at the man thoughtfully.

____________________________________________

Now back at the hospital, Dean and Y/N were sitting by Bobby’s bed. Their hearts were heavy in their chest as Y/N leaned her head on Dean’s shoulder. The couple, looking at their father figure thoughtfully. Both lost in their own heads. Dean’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder, gently and mindlessly caressing her arm as they comforted each other.

They didn’t realize that Sam and Jo entered until after a few seconds, they felt their presence. Dean turned around to see the other couple as Y/N lifted her head from his shoulder. The four share a solemn look before Sam and Jo walk further into the room, walking hand in hand. “How is he?” Jo asked, holding a file in her hand.

Dean rubbed his hand over his chin as he turned back to Bobby, his arm still around Y/N’s shoulder as Sam and Jo stood by the foot of the bed. “No change.” Dean answered gruffly, “What you got?” Y/N asked, pushing herself up from her seat beside her boyfriend. “Well, considering what you guys told us about the doc's experiments..” Jo began, flipping through the file she had neatly placed on the hospital table as she heavily sighed.

“..Bobby's wall is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense” Sam finished, picking up a picture of a plant root. “How so?” Dean asked, following behind Y/N. The two now standing near Sam and Jo. “This plant, Silene capensis, is also known as African Dream Root? It's been used by shaman and medicine men for centuries.” Sam explained as Dean and Y/N furrowed their brows while looking at the picture.

“Let me guess. They dose up… bust out the didgeridoos, start kicking around the hackey.” Dean commented, earning light chuckles from the younger hunters. “Not quite. If you believe the legends, it's used for dreamwalking. I mean, entering another person's dreams, poking around in their heads—” Jo corrected, placing a finger up, much like Sam always did. “—I take it we believe the legends” Y/N interrupted.

“When don’t we?” Jo shot back as the women shared a smirk, “But dreamwalking is just the tip of the iceberg.” Sam sighed before pulling out a paper from the folder, which consisted of information on the root and a drawing of it. “What do you mean?” Dean asked, “I mean, this Dream Root is some serious mojo. You take enough of it, with practice, you can become a regular Freddy Krueger.” Sam explained.

“You can control anything. You could turn bad dreams good, you could turn good dreams bad.” Jo added, “And killing people in their sleep?” Dean asked, to which Sam nodded, “For example” He confirmed before they all glanced over to Bobby with fearful looks. “So let's say uh, let's say this doc was testing this stuff on his patients, Tim Leary-style.” Jo began, “Somebody gets pissed at him, decides to give him a little dream visit, he goes nighty-night.” Y/N finished.

They all nodded in agreement before Sam thought out loud, “But what about Bobby? I mean, if the killer came after him, how come he's still alive?” He asked as he glanced back at Bobby. “I don't know.” Dean and Y/N murmured in unison, their jaws clenching with frustration.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Bobby’s Dream

Still in the house Bobby was dreaming about in the beginning. He was currently struggling to hold a door closed as the woman from earlier who attacked him was banging on it, making it rattle loudly. She screamed hysterically as Bobby’s panting, scared out of his mind. He felt around rapidly for something to hold the door, eventually grabbing an old suitcase.

He braced it on the door, pressing his back against it and continued to desperately grab around the space, which now revealed itself to be a closet, looking for anything to hold the door. He finally found a broom, held his back to the door, trying to keep it closed. “Help me! Somebody help me!” Bobby screamed desperately. “HEEEELP MEEEEE!!!”

______________________________________________

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania - Reality

The quartet finally left Bobby’s hospital room, exiting through a door. Now coming onto a long hallway. “So how do we find our homicidal sandman?” Dean asked as they strode down the hall, “Could be anyone” Sam pointed out, “Yeah?” Y/N sighed, “Yeah.” Jo nodded in return. “Anyone who knew the doctor, had access to his dream shrooms.” Y/N pointed out, “Maybe one of his test subjects or something?” Jo suggested with a shrug.

“Possible. But his research was pretty sketchy. I mean.. I don't know how many subjects he had, or who all of them were.” Dean told them, causing Jo and Sam to scoff in frustration at the irony. “What?” Dean and Y/N asked them in unison, “In any other case, we'd be calling Bobby and asking him for help right now.” Sam chuckled dryly, Jo nodded in agreement as Y/N shook her head. “Yeah, then he’d call us moronic idjits cuz we didn’t figure it out” Y/N snorted.

Sam and Jo laughed in agreement as a light bulb went off in Dean Winchester’s head, which isn’t necessarily always a good thing. He suddenly stopped his brother, grabbing him by his arm and looking up at him. “You know what? You're right.” Dean said as the girls stopped in front of them, turning around to look at their guys as Sam wore a confused expression. “What?” The three younger hunters asked Dean in confusion. “Let's go talk to him.”

They looked at Dean as though he was an absolute moron, Y/N crossing her arms and running her tongue over her lips as she narrowed her eyes at her man. “Sure. I think we might find the conversation a bit one-sided.” Y/N deadpanned, “Not if we're tripping on some Dream Root, smartass” Dean shot back. Everyone was bewildered, “What?!” They exclaimed, “Y’all heard me,” Dean sassed with a firm nod. “You wanna go dreamwalking inside Bobby's head?” Jo gaped.

“Yeah. Why not? Maybe we could help.” Dean shrugged, “We have no idea what's crawling around in there.” Sam quipped, “Well how bad could it be?” Dean scoffed, “Bad!” Sam, Jo and Y/N said in unison once more, the girls with their arms crossed over their chests as Sam’s hands resided on his hips. The younger Winchester standing between both women. “Guys, it's Bobby.” Dean rolled his eyes. The three shared a look, considering it for a second.

‘You down to go into the old man’s head?’ Y/N asked Sam in Winchesterarian, communicating with their eyes.

‘I think we should, it's our best shot. We don't have a lead. We got nothing right now.’ Sam responded, his expression softening a bit.

Jo glanced between Sam and Y/N, her brows furrowed as she didn’t understand the facial expressions the pair of siblings were making towards each other. Dean looked between the other two, waiting for their answer. After a moment, they all eventually caved in to the plan, nodding their heads.

“Yeah, you're right.” Sam sighed. “One problem though. We're fresh out of African Dream Root, so unless you know someone who can score some…” Y/N trailed off, her eyes darting over to Dean when he blurted, “Shit.”

“What?” Sam asked, raising his brow at his brother. “Bela” Dean grumbled. “Bela? Shit.” Sam cursed, his face falling. “Bitch.” Jo scoffed, rolling her eyes at the thought of the con-artist. “You're actually suggesting we ask her a favor?” Y/N gaped, “I'm feeling dirty just thinking about it, but yeah.” Dean snapped, rolling his tongue over his teeth before moving to walk past them.

Y/N sighed heavily, following behind her boyfriend as Sam and Jo stayed still for a few seconds. Sharing a hesitant look before sighing also, now following behind Dean and Y/N.

-

Author’s Note: AYO THERE'S SMUT BELOW HERE SO BE CAREFUL BESTIES.

-

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania - Sam’s Dream

Sam and Jo were making out furiously, Jo grinding against his lap in nothing but her underwear and her bra. Their wet swollen lips moving fluidly against each other in a hot, fiery passion. He groaned into the kiss, his hands gliding down her creamy bare thighs, his nails digging softly into her skin as the pair stayed seated on the motel bed. He pulled away from the kiss, his tongue licking across his lips in an attempt to get more of her taste.

Suddenly when a knock on the door sounded, snapping them out of their daze. Sam groaned in frustration, his hands still gripping Jo’s thighs as he sat there on the bed, not wanting to get up and see who it was at the door. He knew they had to answer it, but he was perfectly happy sitting here right now. “I don't wanna get up” He complained, resting his forehead on his girlfriend’s shoulder.

Jo chuckled softly as Sam rested his head on her shoulder, finding it adorable how much he would rather stay where they were at. She gave him a light pat on the head, running her fingers through his hair. “Come on, we should see who's at the door babe” She murmured, smiling to herself as he groaned in protest but did as he was told.

He reached into his pants, tucking away his erection before he cautiously opened the door a few inches and then when he saw who it was. He grumbled in annoyance before opening it up completely, holding it open. Jo remained sprawled out on their bed, covered by the thin material of the motel room sheets as Bela walked in in a trenchcoat.

“Hey, Sam.” The Brit greeted with a smirk as Jo pushed herself up from the bed and Sam closed the door. “Bela, I didn't think there's a chance in hell you'd show up.” Sam scoffed, annoyed, surprised to see his girlfriend looking more sultry than annoyed by Bela’s presence as he stood across from the con-artist. His hands on his hips as he glanced down at Bela in disgust. “Well, I'm full of surprises. Though, truthfully…”

Bela took hold of the belt of her trench coat, and advanced slowly towards Sam. “You wanna know why I'm here?” She asked in a sultry tone. The younger Winchester’s face fell, slowly backing away and into the door. He swallowed thickly and nervously, his eyes darting over to Jo, who was now also advancing toward him. The material of the sheet from the bed hanging loosely over her half naked body.

Sam gulped once more, his hazel eyes flickering between the two women as he was being backed up by both of them. His heart was hammering in his chest, his hands beginning to sweat as he stood there dumbfounded by what the fuck was going on at the moment. Why he was feeling a sudden surge of excitement by both women cornering him right now, he was not sure.

“Because of you two…” Bela stopped in front of Sam, licking across her lips as her eyes trailed all over his muscular frame, glancing back over to Jo with lust filled eyes before allowing her trench coat to slip off her shoulders and onto the ground. Revealing her lacy black negligee.

Sam swallowed back a moan, tearing his eyes away from Bela’s full breasts spilling out from her top before his panicked filled eyes connected with Jo, unsure and a bit embarrassed, “Angel…what are you doing?” He asked her, gruffly. Jo shrugged, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she finally allowed the sheet to pool at her feet. Now in her panties and bra once more.

She giggled lightly, swaying her hips and she approached Sam like a vixen. She took Sam’s clammy hand and brought it up to cup her boob before reaching up on her tiptoes to give her boyfriend a light peck on the cheek, “We’re giving you what you want, Sammy” She moaned before turning her attention to Bela, the two women now in front of him.

Sam chuckled nervously, his hand dropping from Jo’s chest. Now clenching into fists at his sides as the two women, who supposedly hated each other, connected their hands. His eyes darted between them anxiously. He was both nervous and turned on, his mind spinning with possible outcomes to this situation he was in currently.

His heart raced in his chest, “This isn't funny guys. C’mon now. Stop messing with me.” He snapped, his breath beginning to come out in pants. “But I can't stop thinking about you two…especially you” Bela pouted, before snatching Jo by the back of her neck and crashing her lips onto the blonde’s.

Jo gasped into the kiss, not expecting the sudden action from Bela. She slowly melted against the taller woman, kissing back passionately, tangling her fingers in Bela's dark locks, pulling the woman impossibly closer to her body, as her eyes flickered over to see how Sam was reacting to this.

Sam was watching the girls lock lips with wide eyes, his mouth parted open in awe. His face reddened as he felt a familiar stirring in his jeans. Bela pulled away from the kiss, both girls gasping softly. Bela's eyes flickered over to Sam, her eyes roaming over his body before turning her attention back to Jo once more, placing a light kiss on her bottom lip before she detached herself and advanced towards Sam.

The younger Winchester looked hesitant as Bela grabbed his shoulders, “Are you sure?” He asked Jo’s permission to proceed with having his way with both of them. Jo smiled softly in reassurance, her eyes locked with Sam’s. She nodded, “Have at it, Sammy.” She encouraged him, her eyes now flickering over to Bela who smirked, taking the permission and running with it. She slammed Sam against the door, connecting their lips in a fierce kiss.

Soon after, Bela was fully naked, straddling and riding Sam on the creaky bed. He didn’t even have the chance to moan, since his mouth was stuffed with Jo’s pussy, the blonde grinding herself into his face as she cried out for sweet mercy. Both women facing each other as they moaned, “Mmmm.... Sam. Sam. Sam. Oh!”

The two women moaned and groaned as Sam gave them exactly what they wanted. “Mmmm..” The younger Winchester groaned muffledly, his eyes glancing up to see the two girls locked in what he could describe as a passionate, dirty kiss as Bela clenched around his cock, her arousal leaking down his shaft as he continued to tongue-fuck Jo’s glistening cunt.

“Sam…Sammy…Sam—” Jo moaned breathlessly.

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania - Reality

“Sam! Wake up!” Jo bellowed as she shook her boyfriend’s shoulder and Y/N cupped her free hand over her mouth, the other hand holding her lit cigarette between her fingers. Sam was moaning and groaning in his sleep on a desk, bent over with his head on his arm. Drool covered his hand as a lust filled smile played on his face.

Behind him, Dean was sitting in a chair, looking up at Sam and holding papers that he'd apparently been reading through as Y/N continued to laugh in her hand besides Dean. Sam smiled a little more and then realized it was just a dream. His smile disappeared immediately, a now mortified look on his face and filling his eyes as he shot up from his place on the table, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

The same hand he had drool on, which he discovered unfortunately, gagging lightly at the putrid smell. Dean and Y/N shared a chuckle, watching him as he wiped his face with his other arm. Sam’s face flushed red, embarrassed from his dream while he desperately tried wiping the drool off of his face.

Jo giggled lightly but Sam felt mortified by the look Dean and Y/N were giving him as they looked like they had just hit the comedy jackpot. He quickly cleared his throat and sat up straight in his chair, shifting uncomfortably as he glanced between his girlfriend and older brother, both looking amused as ever.

“Dude, you were out.” Dean snorted, “And making some serious happy noises.” Y/N cackled, clutching her stomach. “Who were you dreaming about?” Jo asked teasingly, taking up a napkin from the table beside them before sitting in front of him to begin wiping away his drool.

“What? No one. Nothing.” He stammered, trying to act clueless as a blush spread across his cheeks. “C'mon, you can tell me. Me and Angelina Jolie?” Jo teased, still wiping away his drool. “No.” Sam’s guilty voice went up an octave, refusing to make eye contact with his girlfriend. Jo’s face fell, “Me and Brad Pitt?” She asked lowly.

But Dean and Y/N still heard, the psychic’s hand pausing halfway from placing her cigarette between her lips. The two sharing a wide eyed, amused look. “No! No, hey, I’m fine” Sam exclaimed bewildered, prying her hands away from his face. Y/N chuckled in disbelief, placing her palms over her mouth in an attempt to hide the growing smile on her face.

Sam let out a huff, shifting awkwardly in his chair, “Whatever, it doesn’t matter” He said softly to Jo, “Whatever.” She shrugged, letting it die before pressing a kiss to his forehead and getting up from the table to discard the napkin in the bin. “I called Bela.” Y/N changed the subject after sobering up from her laughing, scratching her stomach lazily as Dean yawned.

Sam gets stiff at this, a smile quickly flashed by but he swallowed harshly. Trying to cover his voice when answering. “Bela? Yeah? She- What'd she.. you know, say? She.. gonna.. help us?” He asked awkwardly and embarrassed, turning to face Y/N, who had her cigarette tucked between her lips. She raised a brow at him as she took a drag, tilting her head while the steam flowed out from her nose and lips as Dean answered, still holding up his paper and pen.

“Shockingly, no, which puts us back to square one. I've been trying to decipher the doctor's notes. Unfortunately, he has worse handwriting than Y/N does.” Dean grumbled the last part to himself, earning a smack to the back of the head from his girlfriend. He yelped slightly, looking over at her with a whine, “Ow! That hurt, baby” as he clutched the back of his head.

She rolled her eyes, crushing her burnt out cigarette in the ashtray, mocking him in a high pitched tone before snatching the paper away from his hands. “You wanna come help us with this stuff?” Y/N asked Sam as she squinted her eyes at the hard-to-read document. The younger Winchester looked around uncomfortably, and then down to his lap, remembering he was sporting a rock hard boner.

He shifted uncomfortably as Jo snickered from the bed as she picked up a pillow, pushing herself up and strolling over to her boyfriend. “You might wanna give him a minute” She snorted as she extended the pillow to him. Sam groaned in embarrassment, snatching the pillow from her hands quickly and shoving it in his crotch, hiding away the obvious tent in his jeans while he looked up at his girlfriend with a glare.

Y/N stifled a laugh, glancing up from the paper she was reading, “Are you alright over there, Romeo?” Sam threw her a nasty glare, grumbling something incoherently before looking down at his lap. Jo and Y/N shared a smirk between each other while Dean chuckled at his little brother's current predicament.

Suddenly a knock on the door sounded. The four turn in its direction. While Sam stayed in his chair, Dean got up, pressing a kiss to Y/N’s lips before moving over to open the door. He opened the door in inches, just like Sam did in his dream. When he saw who it was, he looked annoyed and opened up the door, walking with it, just like Sam did in his dream.

“Bela. As I live and breathe.” Dean announced sarcastically as the con-artist entered. Bela entered, wearing a similar trenchcoat to the one in Sam’s dream, only this one is black and the other one was tan. Sam visibly swallowed, pressing the pillow further into his lap as Jo and Y/N groaned audibly. “You called me. Remember?” Bela quipped sassily to Y/N.

“I remember you turning me down.” The psychic shot back, glaring at her. “Well, I'm just full of surprises.” Bela smirked, turning to Sam, who was still in the chair. He lifted one hand at her, waving awkwardly over his shoulder, staying half-turned away from her with his other hand in his lap, refusing to look her in the eyes.

“Hey, Bela. What's going on?” Sam muttered awkwardly, clearing his throat as Bela reached into her purse. She gave him a confused smile but still maintained a pleasant demeanor. Dean looked from her then to Sam, and she just continued on. “I brought you your African Dream Root.” She told them, handing over a jar of it to Dean from her purse.

“Nasty stuff, and not easy to come by.” She added as Dean accepted the jar, a look of surprise and suspicion playing on his face as Bela placed her bag on the TV and started to open her coat, with her back to Sam. Who sat up, alertly, breathing in anticipation. Jo noticed this, raising a brow in her boyfriend’s direction. “Why the sudden change of heart?” The youngest huntress tilted her head at the Brit as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“What? I can't do you a little favor every now and again?” She smirked, sliding her coat off as Sam tensed up in anticipation as her coat slipped off. “No. You can't.” Dean stated matter of factly, the bluntness clear in his tone as he held the jar in one hand. He then tossed it over to Y/N, who caught it with ease as Bela’s coat fell away and revealed her in a regular long-sleeved blue shirt, and not as naked as Sam had been half-anticipating.

He let out a breath silently, visibly relaxing a bit more. “Come on, I wanna know what the strings are before you attach them.” Y/N scoffed, tossing her feet up on Dean’s chair. “You said this was for Bobby Singer, right?” Bela asked. Dean, Jo and Y/N nodded in return. “Well, I'm doing it for him. Not you.”

“Bobby? Why?” Jo asked, her brows scrunching up in confusion. “He saved my life once…..In Flagstaff.” Bela lied, fake smiling. Dean threw a look Sam’s way, to which he just just shrugged. He then looked at Y/N and Jo, the women not convinced whatsoever. He turned back to Bela, still not responding to her statement.

“I screwed up and he saved me, okay? You satisfied?” Bela sighed begrudgingly. “Maybe.” Dean grumbled, opening the jar. She smiled at Dean, glancing over to Y/N and Jo and then to Sam. “So when do we go on this little magical mystery tour?” She asked excitedly. “Oh, you're not going anywhere. I don't trust you enough to let you on my bike, much less Bobby's head.” Y/N said bluntly as Dean walked over to the closet, turning the light on.

“No offense.” Jo added with mock sorrow, to which Bela rolled her eyes at. “None taken.” She scoffed as Sam looked a bit disappointed and Dean opened up the safe, where the Colt resided, and he put in the jar of Dream Root with it while everyone watched. Sam looked up at Bela quickly as Dean closed the safe, locking it before he walked into the room again.

Dean snatched Y/N’s legs up from the chair, settling on it before placing her legs on top of his lap while Bela looked a bit annoyed now. “It's 2 am. Where am I supposed to go?” She complained, “Get a room. Ah, they got the Magic Fingers, a little Casa Erotica on pay-per-view. You'll love it.” The psychic mocked, flashing a saucy wink her way, resulting in Jo bursting out into laughter. The two high-fived as Dean cackled and Bela shook her head in distaste.

“You…” She snatched up her bag in a huff and walked to the door, retrieving her coat on the way. Sam shot up out of his chair calling after her. “Nice to see-.. Seeing you…” but she slams the door behind her, ignoring him. “...Bela.” Before awkwardly sitting back down in his chair. Dean, Y/N and Jo, who were smiling after her, took that in and then turned to Sam, a bit confused.

-

A little later, Y/N walked over to the beds with a tray. Four glass cups of the liquid containing the Dream Root. Dean was sitting on their bed, waiting for her while Sam and Jo sat on their bed also. As she went over, she handed Dean one of the cups from the tray before handing Jo and then Sam a cup. Taking the last one for herself before placing the tray on the ground and sitting down beside Dean, crossing one leg over the other in anticipation.

“Uh, should we dim the lights and synch up Wizard of Oz to Dark Side of the Moon?” Dean commented as Jo chuckled and Y/N rolled her eyes. “Why?” Sam asked with a confused smile. Dean and Y/N looked at Sam as if he had grown two heads, absolutely disappointed as Jo shook her head. “What did you do during college?” Y/N scoffed as Dean shook his head also.

Sam looked at him with his usual ‘huh’ reaction to such questions. The couple shared a disapproving look before going to drink the tea before Sam stopped them, “Wait, wait, wait. Whew. Can't forget this.” Sam breathed out as Dean put down the cup and looked over at him as he pulled out a little envelope from his shirt pocket. He extracted a few strands of hair, placing them into Dean, Y/N and Jo’s extended hands. “Here”

“What the fuck is that?” Jo asked, scrunching her brows together. “Bobby’s hair.” Sam stated. “We have to drink Bobby’s hair?” Dean asked, bewildered as Y/N gagged. “That's how you control whose dream you're entering. You gotta ... drink some of their uh... some of their body.” Sam confirmed, grimacing a bit. “Well, guess the hair of the dog is better than other parts of the body.” Y/N muttered. Dean shrugged, putting it in his drink.

Y/N did the same as Jo shakily dropped it into her cups Sam exhales, getting ready to drink what seems to be a very disgusting drink. They all raise their cups a bit, “Bottoms up.” Jo said with a groan, “Yeah.” Sam sighed as the four clink their glasses together in a toast and then drink it all up in one go. They both grunt, trying to swallow, which seemed to be a little hard. The nasty vomit-like liquid was tempting to spit out.

They smacked their mouths a bit, due to the awful taste, beyond disgusted and a bit displeased because it seemed like nothing had changed. “Feel anything?” Dean asked, “No. Y’all feel anything?” Y/N shook her head, opening one eye. “No.” Jo groaned, wiping her mouth as Sam shook his head. Dean grimaced, looking into the cup, “Maybe we got some bad shwag.” He suggested.

Suddenly, the sound of thunder and rain pattering outside the window filled their ears. “Hey, when did it start raining?” Sam asked a bit confused, his eyes darting over to the window. Dean and Y/N looked over as Jo tilted her head in confusion. The couple got up and walked slowly to the window, drawing open the white curtain liners only to see the rain was actually not coming from the sky, but from the ground.

“When the fuck did it start raining upside down?” Y/N gasped, both turning around to see that they were not longer in their motel room but now in the house Bobby was dreaming about. Y/N’s jaw dropped, her head snapping back to the window they were just looking out through, but it wasn’t there anymore, now gone and instead in its place was a fireplace. The entire motel room had turned into a very familiar living room.

Everyone was baffled, “Okay, I don't know what's weirder – the fact that we're in Bobby's head ... or that he's dreaming of Better Homes and Gardens.” Dean commented as Y/N’s eyes scanned the living room. This time, a light bulb went off in Sam Winchester’s head. Which is usually a good thing most of the time, “Wait. Wait a sec. Imagine the place, uh, without the paint job.” He said, gesturing to everything he's talking about.

“More cluttered, dusty, books all over the place.” He added as the four walked around the room. “It’s Bobby’s house” Dean realized, “Yeah” Y/N chuckled dryly, swallowing thickly as they began to canvas the area. She smiled slightly, the smile dropping when she got a chilly feeling behind her. Feeling as though they were being watched, as if eyes were burning holes into her back.

She snapped her head in the direction, only to come up empty. Now making eye contact with a curtain covered window. “Bobby?!” Dean and Y/N called out for their paternal figure as Sam and Jo walked to the opening of the living room, by the stairs, even Sam felt someone watching him. He then turned around, his eyes on the same window Y/N was looking at previously but it seemed as though nobody was there.

Sam shook the feeling off when he felt Jo’s small hand on the base of his shoulder, relaxing almost instantly by her touch before finally turning his back around and walking slowly to the stairs. The two looked up towards the top of the stairs. “Bobby?” They whispered in unison. Sam’s eyes darted over towards the door, while Dean and Y/N were still in the living room. “Dean? Y/N?”

They snapped their attention over to him, “we’re gonna go look outside.” He told them, gesturing between him and Jo. “No, no, no, stay close.” Dean whispered firmly as Y/N shook her head frantically. “Dude, we’ll be fine. Just, look around in here. Look, we gotta find him.” Jo assured them, pleading with her eyes. Y/N grumbled, sharing a skeptical look with Dean. “Don't do anything stupid.” She stated firmly, pointing a finger at her younger sister.

She nodded in return before taking Sam’s hand into hers and walking toward the door. As they stepped outside, instead of a dark rainy, color-drained day it was previously. It was now bright technicolor and the sun was shining. Bobby’s house was bright blue, with flowers all around, and birds chirping filled their ears. The couple scared a baffled look as they walked out on the porch, confused looks on their faces.

Across the freshly mowed and well manicured lawn was Bobby’s car parked outside the white picket fence, which looked completely new. While the walk was neatly lined with all kinds of bright, beautiful flowers. As they took this in, the door suddenly slammed shut behind them ominously. “What the—“ Sam gaped as he and Jo swiftly spun around at the sound. They rushed over to the door, attempting to reopen it but the doorknob rattled, indicating it was locked from the inside.

“Dean! Y/N!” They called out loudly before moving over to the window. Sam banged his closed fist against the hardwood, “Dean!” Shouting for his brother while Jo rapped her knuckles against the glass window, “Y/N!” However, neither of them seemed to hear their shouts from outside. Since their backs were still to them as they looked around the dark house. They groaned in frustration before deciding to walk down the porch.

-

Inside the house, Dean and Y/N simultaneously slid open the doors to the kitchen. Their eyes darted around the empty room before cautiously stepping in. They slowly walked around, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of Bobby. Y/N peered her head through the door on the other side, leading to the hallway. “Bobby?” She called out, “Bobby!” Dean shouted, popping in beside her.

Their heads snapped in the direction behind them when they heard what sounded like a door slamming shut. They shared a weary look when their eyes landed on a door at the end of the hall, “Who's out there?” Bobby’s scared and shaky voice came from behind a closet door beside them.

The pair froze in place, Y/N clutching her hand to her chest as her eyes widened in shock. “Bobby? You in there?” Dean whispered, his voice laced with relief, as they sprinted over to the door, Dean grasping the brass handle and attempting to twist the knob. Y/N’s breath hitched when she noticed scratch marks on the door, “You okay, old man?” She whispered, “Dean? Y/N?”

“Yeah, it’s us. Open up.” Dean assured, soon after, Bobby opened the door. Revealing his disheveled state, a claw mark slashed across his cheek as he glanced behind the two repeatedly while moving into the room. “Hey.” Dean sighed out in relief as Bobby pressed himself to the wall, his chest heaving as he continuously looked around the room for the screaming woman from his dream.

“How the fuck did you kids find me?” Bobby panted as they inched towards him, “We got our hands on some of that Dream Root stuff.” Y/N told him, placing a gentle arm on Bobby’s shoulder. To which he flinched in reaction. “Dream Root? What?” Bobby scoffed, utterly confused. Y/N and Dean exchanged a confused look before glancing back at Bobby as he kept looking over his shoulder.

“Dr. Gregg, the experiments?” Dean stated as if it was obvious, gently taking the older male by his bicep, attempting to bring his attention away from the nonexistent danger. However, he ignored them, continuing to nervously glance behind himself every second or two. His face flooded with terror.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Bobby snapped, then suddenly, the lamp across the room started to flicker. Bobby’s face fell as he tried to dart to the closet once more. “Hurry!” He urged them but Dean quickly snatched him by his shoulder, swiftly turning the veteran Hunter to face him.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on?” He demanded. “She’s coming,” Bobby Said fearfully. Dean and Y/N shared a look, “Okay, you know this is a dream, don’t you?” Y/N asked, placing a hand on the older hunter's shoulder as Dean tightened his grip on Bobby’s arms. “What are you, crazy?” Bobby panted, looking at the couple as though they had grown two heads.

“It’s a dream, Bobby! None of this is real!” Dean bellowed as Bobby shakily pointed to the approaching woman behind them. “Does that look made up?” His finger shook as the two looked behind them to see the woman at the other end of the hall. She was wearing a white dress with blood seeping through stab wounds on her neck and chest.

Bobby made an attempt to beat it to the closet but suddenly the closet door slammed shut as he turned around, rattling the doorknob to make it open. Dean and Y/N spun around at the sound before turning back to the woman. She looked rather normal except for the bleeding wounds on her chest and neck. Even her hair was styled in a regular fashion. She didn’t look happy though.

“Bobby, who is that?” Dean asked, keeping his eyes on the woman as she stalked toward them. Bobby had tears in his eyes now, but not from being terrified. “She's... She's my wife.” He revealed, his voice shaking. Y/N’s eyes widened, her hand going up to clutch her locket subconsciously. The gold locket that was originally supposed to be gifted to Bobby’s wife.

Karen Singer’s expression wasn’t as hard anymore as she just stared back at Dean, Y/N and Bobby. The younger hunters' faces coated with pure shock.

_______________________________________________

Authors Note: Once again, the chapter was too long so here is PART TWO.

Taglist: @hjgdhghoe @rach5ive @tiggytaylor @star-yawnznn @quarterhorse19

@deangirl96 @bitchykittenconnoisseur @globetrotter28 @hobby27 @mrsjjkwinchester

@juwu-theliciosa @magiccliopleurodon @nesnejwritings @karrah89 @whattheduckisupkyle

@iloveyou2mia @thelittlelightinthedarkness @lmhf1 @littletomboy2 @zigzoggy

@hey-its-zoe @modiddys-blog @thvxr @tommysaxes @cookiemonstermusic258 @elite4cekalyma

@ladykitana90 @strawberrykiwisdogog @barnes70stark @mostlymarvelgirl @latte113

Xoxo

[golby-moon]

made a thingy for the @spnfolklorebang and dumped uh a lot of art on it. I now never wanna see and/or draw snow again (good thing it's July ig fghjfhfg)

so first up is the banner, in which I reuse the putting credits on trees thing because I'm very original with banners (at least it wasn't a desk this time gdfgdf). for some reason that sign with the title gives me Club Penguin vibes and I have no idea why, though I'm thinking idk maybe the colors? also look at me forcing myself to get better at drawing forests using that greyed out outline-less object method

drawing the Impala is Hard no matter the angle so I actually used a reference for once yay. just now realizing Dean might be too small but ehh. for this one, I really wanted to emphasize the fact that Cas isn't there at this point in the fic so I drew a lot of empty space in the Impala as opposed to zooming in on Dean and relieving myself of the burden of drawing more Vehicle. also this is my first time drawing snow like that how's it look. also also what no I totally didn't distort various sections of the banner to make the trees in the background what are you talking about

(bonus sketch but I originally just had the Impala all frosty like this and idk I was still somewhat fond of this version even if the fic had the Impala more snow-covered. looking at this now, the frost looks more like salt from the road than anything though :/)

oh no look away it's my attempt at drawing people squatting down ,_, (never a good thing though neither is me trying to shade stuff). nah but I actually found references of Dean and Cas squatting shockingly easily and tried to copy those. still doesn't look quite right imo but an attempt was made so that they could actually see the tiny prints in the snow which I think came out suspiciously well considering. the weird section of snow on the bottom right is supposed to be a slushy sort of river that's partially melted but not really so I tried to make it look kinda melted. also am I the only one who never realized until now that we never saw any of the main characters wearing any sort of winter clothes? they're up to their ears in flannel but don't have a coat or a warm hat??

bonus art piece thingy featuring Phillippe LeChat (the familiar from That One spn episode, since my boy Phillippe is featured in the fic). houses never come out looking quite right and the roof is a disaster but an attempt was made and yeah I did give him huge anime-ish eyes I don't make the rules

the fic this is made for is called "Full Snow Moon" by @mbqnoyolo

(07/06/24)]

[superneightural]

John Horse Posting

Ideally John and Castiel would try to get along but in the way two insane people do and they just sit quietly in the same room drinking beer or whiskey like ‘yeah Im making a good impression’

[questionablecuttlefish]

Okay Fine Let's Talk Timebomb and Season Two.

I do want to talk about this because I have a Lot of thoughts and feelings and it has been building up and building up, not only based on what's happening in other social spaces, but what people keep bringing into mine despite my best efforts to avoid it.

This isn't any kind of hatepost, I don't think I could hate Ekko or the ship if I tried, I just want to explain my very mixed feelings about the whole thing.

My likely-to-be-very unpopular take on Season Two's Timebomb romance is that it left me feeling uneasy and uncomfortable.

Not with what was in the show itself, I feel like that was perfect. Powder and Ekko sold me completely. They made me feel things. I even liked how Ekko and Jinx's story ended. I think it was beautiful, poignant, perfect...

...until.

'The Discourse' since, the way the fan culture has exploded around it, and particularly some of the creators' commentary on it, has made me sour on the whole thing.

It feels like I'm suddenly part of an increasingly small subset of people who saw what they did with S2 Timebomb and applied our media literacy to what was on our screens and got something very different to what the fandom consensus seems to be.

For context, I semi-shipped TB before this. Though I've always been Team Lightcannon, I had a lot of respect for timebomb, I understood it, I had read a few very good fics, I was just in the space of "Jinx has hurt Ekko too much for him to ever fully forgive her for murdering his friends, they might come to an understanding, and there will always be a silent undercurrent of love beneath the hurt, they may fight together on the same side again someday, but whatever bond they had as kids is broken and they can't go back, and both know it."

I respected, and still do, people who shipped them romantically, but I've always seen them as a broken childhood friendship being a much more interesting dynamic, and being hot for each other lessening that to an extent and not really adding anything to it.

All of his interactions with Jinx in season one are violent; she murders five Firelights point-blank in front of him in her intro scene, and Ekko reacts particularly upset to the pink-haired girl, Eve or Eva, whom Jinx shoots in the back. It's clear this isn't even the first time she's fought them. We don't know how many of Ekko's found family she's put on the Memorial Wall or how close he was with any of them.

Ekko is clearly convinced that "Powder" is gone, and the person who replaced her is a cold-blooded killer who can't be reasoned with. Leading to the Bridge confrontation, and this:

This is the first time Ekko catches a glimpse of "Powder", yes, but more importantly, this is the first moment he recognizes Jinx's humanity. He's hurting her, killing her, and he can't do it.

....and she knows he can't do it.

So, to save him the weight, she pulls a grenade, with the intent to kill them both, foreshadowing quite neatly where Ekko/Jinx (but not Ekko/Powder) is going to go in S2.

Fast forwarding from Season One here, Ekko disappears for 2/3rds of the second season, completely offscreen.

When we catch up with him he's woken up in the S2E7 AU; the Powder Timeline.

Here's where I start to get a little confused by the fandom take. Because, you know, I've seen enough Star Trek and Stargate and Supernatural and Batman the Animated Series and Quantum Leap to know exactly what this is.

This is the 'bottle episode', this is the 'Perfect World' trope, where the protagonists find themselves in an alternate universe - or trapped in a dream - or they've died or think they've died and this is their 'heaven' - where they have everything they ever wanted.

This is familiar storytelling and E7 follows a familiar pattern, the protagonist struggles to adapt to the surreal new circumstances, they are seduced by the illusion, particularly falling in love with someone in the Perfect World, but eventually, they start noticing something incongruous - something isn't quite right - (In this case, it's Vi's death, and Powder holding back her genius and hiding her grief to be support girl for others) - that reveals the Perfect World to be not as perfect as it seems.

And the hero has to choose to go home, because he realizes that this isn't real, it doesn't belong to him, he doesn't belong here.

Which is exactly what happens with Ekko in E7.

Which brings is to AU!Powder and Jinx.

And here's where I really start to struggle with the seeming consensus that the romance between Ekko/Powder automatically leads to Ekko/Jinx, like you can just transfer the one to the other.

I'm sorry, fam, I thought my basic media literacy was telling me that this girl:

Is not the same person as this girl:

....and I am not getting into any debate about "Jinx" vs "Powder" as identities within our current Jinx. I'm talking about Powder in the E7 AU.

AU!Powder is literally a different human being.

She may have been the same person up until the explosion in Jayce's laboratory, but from that fork in the timeline, she becomes a FUNDAMENTALLY different person to Jinx, shaped by different experiences, different relationships, different life events.

Powder's physicality with Ekko, as you can see in those GIFs, the casual intimacy, the clear affection, the way she touches him, looks at him, her awareness of him in her space, is so utterly opposite to the way Jinx interacts with him that if anything, it nailed home to me how savagely absent this kind of feeling is from his relationship with Jinx.

Powder loves Ekko. She leans on him, snuggles into him, touches his hands, dances with him, kisses him.

Jinx cares so little about him she barely makes eye contact and would casually kill him without blinking.

And I thought that was the point.

I really thought that was the whole point of E7. Being in the perfect world, getting his perfect love story with his perfect Powder, the girl Jinx could have been, but can never be, drove home for Ekko that his feelings for Jinx, both romantic and resentful, were tangled up in his illusions of "Powder", and it took living those illusions as a physical reality for Ekko to see his mistake.

To be true to himself, and true to her, Ekko had to let that go and go home.

To face his world's Jinx, and be there for her in her darkest moment, even if it meant giving up the love he'd found with Powder, a love that belonged to a different Ekko, for someone who could never love him back.

To me that was Ekko's most heroic moment, an act of selfless sacrifice. But that's what it was - a sacrifice.

Meanwhile, Season Two Jinx is not aware of any of this. The last time she saw Ekko was on the bridge where she nearly killed him, and for all we know she might have thought she succeeded.

She never talks about, thinks about, refers to, or even has scribble-nightmares about Ekko, not even once.

Season Two Jinx is, instead, having a love story of her own.

And Isha was and is a PUZZLE to me. Because she's more plot device than character, she isn't necessary except as a way to give Jinx a villain-to-hero arc and a way to reconnect to her humanity.

But she could have been Ekko.

If they really, really wanted us to have Timebomb Canon, instead of confining the entire arc to a bottle episode in an alternate timeline with a literally, physically different girl, they could easily have given all of Isha's considerable screentime to an Ekko and Jinx romance.

I'm sure Amanda Overton would have been on board with that. But that's not what we got. It's almost like reading two different fix-it-fanfics for the same character, put into the same show and running in parallel.

I'm not crazy, this is what's happening for Ekko in s2;

While this is happening for Jinx at the same time.

But Jinx's love story, too, ends with a tragic sacrifice.

And here's where the two stories finally intersect.

When Jinx is in her darkest moment, her absolute rock bottom, Ekko comes back into her life, a miracle, impossible, a Boy Savior.

But she's still ready to kill him.

Because she didn't dance with Ekko. She didn't invent a time machine with him. She didn't sit and watch the city lights with him and share a tender kiss and a heartfelt gift.

That was Powder.

Jinx and Ekko are resuming right where they left off on the bridge, right back to "I pull this pin and we both blow up".

They've both loved and lost, but their stories are absolutely unknown to each other. Ekko Doesn't Know About Isha. Jinx Doesn't Know About Powder.

It's only when Jinx (a genius, a reminder here) sees monkeys of her own design inside the Z-drive - recognizes her own handiwork, but knows SHE didn't make those - that, I think, sheer curiosity stirs her out of her darkness.

She has to know what that was about. She hesitates, just long enough for Ekko to speak. And, though offscreen, he tells her his story, and maybe she tells him hers.

And it's enough, just enough, to set Jinx back on her Redemption Arc, to become the hero Isha always saw in her.

Maybe even the hero Vi and Ekko saw in her, too. Her new costume is full of references to all of the people in her life who never gave up on her.

(side note, the yellow stars and crowns puzzle me, though - they're quite prominent, but who are THEY for? Isha? Maybe? Yellow isn't a color associated with anyone in Jinx's life, but that crown's identical to the one she scribbled on Demacia in Fortiche's map, is... this a very subtle future Lightcannon tease? Nah. I'm not that crazy.)

I mean her costume is also almost literally both a Fishbones and a Fiddlesticks cosplay, with her hair as Fiddle's tongue, so take from that what you will.

It's clear Jinx and Ekko war painted each other for the battle, but the Firelights are also similarly painted up, and (with Linke even confirming this) there really wasn't time to develop anything else, guys.

And I am, honestly, fundamentally angry at anyone who would suggest that, even if she'd been in any space to want it, our boy Ekko, one of the most genuinely good men in recent fiction let alone in Arcane, would take advantage of a girl he just talked out of suicide.

Moving on. During the battle, Ekko is knocked out and lying not far from Jinx. She doesn't even look at him, she leaps up to defend Vi instead.

And that's their final interaction on the show.

Instead of returning to Ekko, Jinx chooses one final act of sacrifice.

Ekko's final shot of the show is this.

He's sitting, alone, burning a mourning paper, where he sat with AU!Powder - where he and AU!Powder kissed - a place that has no significance to himself and Jinx, whatsoever.

It's little wonder who he's thinking about here, and which name he's burning on that paper. The girl he truly loved and lost.

For all he knows, Jinx is dead. But it's not only her he's mourning.

Or maybe he does know, or suspect, she's alive.

But either way, he's making one final act of sacrifice, too, with that paper burning into the breeze.

He's letting her go.

He's choosing his own story.

He's staying where he belongs.

Jinx may have become a symbol of the revolution, but it's Ekko who is, and always will be, the true hero of Zaun.

And this is Jinx's final shot.

Because let's face it, we all know she's on that airship.

She's "breaking the cycle". She's "walking away". She knows that Jinx has left too many scars on the people she still loves - on Vi, on Ekko, on the cities of Piltover and Zaun - for her to pick up the pieces.

She knows that if she's going to find out what "Jinx" might stand for now, she has to go very far away from everything and everyone. She has to leave it all behind and find something new.

Maybe even someone new?

And ultimately, that's why I feel the Timebomb we got was perfect, they shouldn't touch it, they shouldn't try to force it to be "Endgame", not because it couldn't have worked, but because that's the opposite of the story they told.

For the rest of my analysis, lol, this got a bit long but i have FEELINGS.

Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't buy Jinx and Ekko as a love story if they had actually told that love story. But they didn't. It had no screen time. They have less interactions in S2, maybe even in both seasons added up, than Vi and Loris. Let that sink in a bit.

We know it's Amanda's favorite ship, so she may have intended more, and may even actually give us all more at some point, but please, dear god, let's stop pretending they fucked or kissed or even held hands offscreen.

That's honestly a bit insulting to both of these characters, to insist hell or high water that this very important milestone in their relationship happened, but they just didn't even bother to depict it. That an entire love story (because it would be a whole one, remember, Ekko and Powder had a romance but Jinx did not experience any of that, she and Ekko are back at Square One) would just be cut for time.

They both deserve better than that.

Let's stop pretending there was some grand, horny, Forever Love story with 60 minutes of cut footage, all of it timebomb content, somehow left on the cutting room floor of an animated show where every single frame has to be deliberately hand painted.

Because if in some insane universe they had written, storyboarded, voice acted and animated an entire 60 minute additional timebomb storyline and then cut it from the show, that would itself be a searing indictment of the quality of the storytelling in that imagined arc, but that's not what happened. Anyone who knows how filmmaking works would shoot this one down, and the showrunners already have, so let's leave it behind.

I know Timebomb blew up hard, and I get it, but what we got on the screen is not confirmation that there is any relationship at all between Ekko and Current Timeline Jinx. If anything, Ekko and Powder's beautiful romance only highlighted the tragic 'never to be' of Ekko and Jinx.

And it's absolutely fine to look at the art book, look at the creator comments, and imagine what could have been. Draw the fan art, write the fanfic, imagine the what-ifs and the fix-its, those are all beautiful and valid expressions and deserve their space.

But don't go insisting it's "the canon" and going after the shippers of other ships for these characters as "not canon" or somehow offensive for existing, especially toward one particular ship that, yes, has been around much longer than timebomb, is uncool.

I think this is mostly people who are New From Arcane, it's Baby's First Ship and they don't know how to share space. The timebomb fans I knew pre-season two didn't do this, at least not often enough for me to notice or care.

But I'll just say to them, if a Timebomb follow up happens and they actually tell a good love story for Ekko and Jinx, I will accept it. Grudgingly, because I think Lux/Jinx is an untold, untapped story full of incredible character dynamics that would complete Jinx's story in ways that as much as I love Ekko, he's too tied to her past, he can't.

But I love Ekko, and I love Jinx, and I will accept it.

But I'll also say to them, if the followup doesn't eventuate, if things take a turn they don't expect, if Jinx's airship is heading for Demacia, maybe they'll have to experience just a taste of what it's been like for Lightcannon fans for ten long years.

And maybe that's healthy. Maybe that's okay. Maybe our endgames don't need to be 'canon' to have value and that's a lesson we should learn.

Maybe there's a new Light on her horizon, and that's okay too. Maybe Ekko won't be alone forever. Don't forget - until Arcane - his story had nothing to do with Jinx, and there was a whole lot of it.

More with the Firelights, maybe bring in the original Lost Children of Zaun from his old stories, his inventions, his parents, all could yet be in his future. Who knows? He might find a way back to AU!Powder - or she might rebuild what they worked on together, and come to him, no matter what butterfly effects that could set in motion...

But if Jinx is heading for a Light on her horizon, maybe Ekko might Explore some of his possibilities. Find a new Spark of connection. Just saying. Jinx isn't his only ship, either 😌

And it is okay for people to move on, and let go. Maybe, for two characters whose themes are letting go of the past, living in the moment, redefining their identities, and moving on, that's what their story should be.

[wandamaximoffsbadgirl]

Walking the Road for Her

Wanda Maximoff x Gray Witch!Reader

Word count: 1.2K

Summary: You can't live without Wanda and you've tried everything else so when Agatha comes knocking on your door you accept immediately, but the teen that's with her...he seems so familiar

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 3 OF AGATHA ALL ALONG! Grief/Loss, hallucinations, death/mortality, emotional distress, supernatural elements, implied self-sacrifice, character death, reunion with a deceased loved one

Authors notes: Thank you @scarlethexelove for indulging in my random Wanda thoughts.

When Agatha asked for you to walk the witches road, you didn't hesitate. She was put off by your eagerness, but never told her why you were walking. You kept that part to yourself she didn't seem to mind. Everyone had a reason, and everyone had their secrets, so no one asked, and you weren't about to tell them you wanted, no needed Wanda back.

You would give up anything and everything to have Wanda back. If it meant to team up with Agatha, you would do it.

So you did. You met up with her and put on the cheery smile she hated. You always assumed she hated you for being a younger witch still full of life, but since Wanda died, you felt like you died too. You got along well enough with the others. You knew Jen the best being closer in age, though you didn't care for her products.

The teen seemed eerily familiar, but you can't put your finger on it. Why does he remind you of Wanda of a life you can't seem to remember.

You're overly protective of him. You don't let him have the wine, and when you hallucinate from said wine, you blink, and suddenly, you're looking at Wanda. Back in her early twenties with the eyeliner, ripped stockings, painted nails, and rings on every finger. You cry over it, cupping her face until it turns back to his.

“Are you okay.” He looks at you with concern. You pull away quickly and wipe your eyes.

“S-Sorry.” You quickly run the ingredients back, trying to escape the feelings. You need to stay strong. You need to get Wanda back.

You end up getting through the trail. Not without its costs. Losing Sharon wasn't something you had in mind, but the witches road is treacherous and has no place for mortals. You never should have let Agatha do that, but hindsight and all that. You knew you had to press on and on the road Teen asks,

“Are you sure you're okay? You and Sharon called out for the same person.” You swallow hard.

“Yeah I'm fine. We all had hallucinations about things. I'll be okay.” You tell him and then mumble under your breath, “Not like I don't deal with it every morning...” his head swivels.

“What was that?” He asks.

“Nothing, just mumbling to myself.”

The further you journey, the harder it gets. Sometimes, you want to give up, to give in, and join Wanda another way. But something stops you every time. You almost think you can feel her, feel her all around you. In the trees, the air, the leaves beneath your feet. With a quick turn of your head, you think you so the soft auburn color you miss so much. The road is playing tricks yet keeping you grounded to your goals.

You make it to the end. Finally passed the last trial everyone who had made it. Their prize awaited them. You waited, didn't see her, and then you heard a whisper in Sokovian.

Your name.

You looked around everywhere. “Over here milaya.” You hear her call. You whip around and see her. She doesn't look like the Scarlet Witch anymore. Back before that. Like when you were on the run. You run into her arms without a second thought.

You can't help as you cry. Burying your face in her neck as your body shakes with sobs. Her vanilla scent invades your senses. “Shhhh sweet girl, I've got you.” Wanda holds you close. Your heart feels whole again now that you're back in her arms.

Your sobs turn into sniffles. “I've missed you so much.” You mumble against her. Her nails lightly scratching at your back. Something she's always done to sooth you. Kissing the side of your head and letting her lips linger.

“I know Detka. I'm so sorry. I'm here now. I'll never leave you again.”

You held onto Wanda tight, afraid to let go as if she'd disappear again if you stopped.

Wanda opened her eyes, looking past your shoulder her eyes widened in surprise and then softened as she saw him.

“Bi-Billy?” Wanda's voice shakes slightly. You pull back but not fully letting her go. You follow her gaze that lands on the teen. Your brows furrow before you look back to Wanda.

“Wanda?” You question her.

She lets go of you when Teen responds to the name. He tries to say something, but the sigil protects him. A wave of Wanda's hand changes that. “Billy?” She asks again.

“Yes, that's me.” You're really confused as you see Wanda's red tendrils come out sending red waves through his eyes before disappearing. “M-mom? H-how did you...?”

Billy runs towards Wanda, slamming into her, but she doesn't budge. She holds him tightly in her arms. “What kind of mother would I be if I didn't know my own son?” Wanda whispers. It's just loud enough for you to hear. Confusion morphs into realization as you look on.

The reason he looked so familiar, the reason he reminded you of her. Of course, it was one of the twins. Sure you hadn't been a part of the hex, but you had seen the recordings of it. Last you had seen the twins, they were 10 inside the hex.

Your heartbeat quickens when you remember what you had seen next as the hex fell the you Wanda had created was destroyed along with the twins. She had held you tightly until you were no more.

It's a shock to see him in the flesh. To understand who he really is. He pulls away from Wanda and turns to you. “Mama?” He's cautious having been giving the memory from Wanda and realizing that you had never got to meet him. Do you even know who he is? Will you accept him as your own?

Your breath catches. It's like waves of memories flood through you as if they had always been there. Everything from the hex coming to life as tears fill your vision and spill over. “Oh my sweet little boy...look at you!” Your arms wrap around him tightly. It had been there, blurry when you thought about it. Of this being your son. “Mama is sorry you had to go through all of this.”

“Mama don't apologize. I'm happy to have you back.” He pulls away slightly keeping an arm around you and opening his other for Wanda. She joins into the hug.

“I'm happy to have both of you back.” You can feel the tears pricking your eyes.

You hug them both tightly. This still left you without one son, but you knew you'd find him. If Billy made it out somehow, then Tommy must be out there, too.

Wanda cups both of your cheeks and looks between you. “Moya lyubov i moy syn (my love and my son).” Tears in her eyes she can't believe she is back and that she had both of you. Her heart is almost complete, but there is still a missing piece to the puzzle.

You didn't need her powers to know what she was thinking, “We'll find him, milaya.” She smiles at you, giving a soft peck on your lips.

“We will. Now that I have you two I know we will.”

This was more than you could have asked for at the end of the road.

[flanaganfilm]

Hi, I'm a big fan of your work. Sorry if this is a dumb question, why kill the kitties? I notice it a lot in horror in general, and it completely takes me out of the story and just makes me feel bad for the cat. I feel like I'm missing something.

Not a dumb question at all - and I knew I'd be getting some of this the moment we decided to include Poe's The Black Cat in TFOTHOU. The comments sections of the world are full of accusations that I hate cats and/or hands, and - well - neither is true. I've admittedly gotten a little flippant with my humor in the past when people have brought this up. My knee-jerk reaction is always to say something along the lines of "well, Websters defines 'horror' as..." But honestly, as far as I'm concerned, it's just not a thing.

A brief history of cats in my work:

HUSH - Maddie's beloved cat, "Bitch," escapes the danger of a home invader completely unharmed and is alive and well at the end of the movie. The last shot of the movie is Maddie lovingly petting the cat on the porch.

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE - Yes, a malnourished stray kitten dies within Hill House, only to be horrifically reanimated. This was done to show the horrors of Hill House, serve as a warning to the family, and foreshadow the deaths of several human beings (who would meet more horrible fates) later. Hill House is an evil place, and it killed and collected all sorts of living things... there are dead humans aplenty, and also phantom dogs, which Stephen and the kids hear several times and see in episode six. I'd argue that Hill House is an equal-opportunity horror show.

DOCTOR SLEEP - Azzie the cat is a great friend to Dan Torrance. Azzie also has a "shine" of her own, and can sense when patients at the hospice are going to die, and goes into their rooms to comfort them. Azzie is never once in any danger throughout the film and, we presume, lives a long and happy life.

MIDNIGHT MASS - All of the residents of Crockett Island, which include 157 people, a huge population of stray cats, and at least one particularly sweet dog, do not fare so well in this show. But nothing against the cats - everybody dies. The arrival of a certain evil creature marks doom for literally every living thing on the island (except for two people). And yep, it started with the cats, because they were plentiful and would not alert anyone to its presence. We see its lair full of dead rats, birds, and raccoons as well, all eaten while the creature was in hiding.

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER - we adapted The Black Cat, written by Edgar Allan Poe. If you're familiar with the Poe story, you know that it involves the horrible death of a cat, which then seems to get revenge from beyond the grave. This is Edgar Allan Poe's story - we did not write it. HOWEVER, we decided to make a huge change to Poe's story. At the end of our retelling, we reveal that Pluto the cat is alive and well (and still wearing the Gucci collar), and that the supposed violence against the cat existed entirely in the person's mind. Pluto 2 - the terrifying, supernatural replacement that stalked Leo - is not real either. It is just Verna, taking another form (hence the injury to VERNA'S eye). So in this show, not a single animal is harmed AT ALL. We did that on purpose. We decided to change Poe's classic story so that the cat lived. We went out of our way to do that. I truly don't have anything against cats. I do tell horror stories... but that's about it! I hope it doesn't make it more difficult to enjoy the story, and thank you for watching.

[alicentsgf]

Lottie calling the gas caves a "conduit" for the wilderness earlier in the season and now the x files reference in the ep 8 promo? okay yellowjackets writers i see you lmao. In the 1993 season 1 ep 4 x-files episode "Conduit" a teenage girl goes missing in the woods, presumed dead. Mulder is reminded of his own sisters disappearance, which happened when they were children. He believes this case to be supernatural, as he has always believed his sisters disappearance to be. Scully, ever the realist, argues that theres a rational, science-based reason for the girls disappearance. In the end, theres no real answer, the girl is found but we never discover whether her abductors were human or alien or if she simply just got lost. Fitting right? The episode ends with a tape of the hyponotic regression Mulder undergoes to try and remember what he saw happen to his sister that night she was taken, and he says what would become one of most famous quotes from popular culture for the first time. He describes a voice he hears telling him not to be scared, that one day his sister will return. He's asked whether he believes this and he replies:

"I want to believe."

These themes of reality vs spirituality, science vs the supernatural, as well as the idea of one girl coming home where another didnt, are pretty familiar. The idea of wanting to believe in something so badly you see shadows and connections where maybe there arent any. Not to mention the search for a lost loved one who disappeared without a trace (like it seems Hannah did). All very key to this episode of yellowjackets, if not the show overall.

[shijiujun]

A Summary: The Spirealm | 致命游戏 (Kaleidoscope of Death 死亡万花筒 Live Action) & Why You Should (Eventually) Watch It

Talk about the most short-lived drama release ever, not even totalling two hours if I recall. Creating this summary as I've seen a handful of confused friends, so here it goes!

It's going to be a long review because I sped through all 78 episodes and only properly watched the first two doors, but I got you. You'll get both the brief book rundown and the drama parts!

If you just wanna see the bromance (LOVE) parts please skip to section 4!!!!

1. Overview

Title: The Spirealm (kinda awful I'm sorry it's a mouthful) or 致命游戏 which means fatal game

Adapted From: Danmei (BL) Kaleidoscope of Death by Xi Zixu

Novel Prints: There are GORGEOUS Thai, Vietnamese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese versions printed, AND Singapore publisher Rosmei has signed the license for the ENGLISH version, probably going on sale this year (preview is here). You can still access fan translations by Taida on I think wordpress and someone else on Tumblr sorry bad memory (they did half and half each) if you'd like to read it for context. It is one of my FAVE danmeis EVER and I am a die-hard OG book fan, check out my full danmei review here.

Total Episodes: 78 (20 minutes each with the exception of last episode which 10 minutes, with several BTS not that I think we will get to see all of them yet)

Where to Watch (LOL): Erm considering that iQIYI China AND International took the episodes down, there is no legal way to watch this, BUT thanks to some cnetz with super fast and great wifi, we managed to get ripped HD versions without subs. iQIYI is very hard on copyright though, they've taken down several subbed and unsubbed versions already on YouTube, but you should type the titles of show into Twitter and the top tags will tell you where to access the raws and very little subbed episodes, that may also be taken down at any point. I have the Chinese raws but as it's hosted on a cloud, I had to pay to access it.

Main Characters: Lin Qiushi & Ruan Nanzhu/Ruan Baijie (in the novel) and Ling Jiushi & Ruan Nanzhu/Ruan Baijie (in the drama)

Produced By: iQIYI so for SURE they won't film it fully BL even if the original is, but I've seen enough bromance cuts

Main Actors: Xia Zhiguang (Ruan Nanzhu/Ruan Baijie) + Huang Junjie (Ling Jiushi)

2. Summary

Book (drama follows closely if not removing the supernatural premises): Lin Qiushi, a designer, opens the door to his home one day from inside and sees 12 iron doors outside. Confused, he opens one of them and arrives at a snow covered village in the mid of winter, and meets Ruan Baijie, who's a pretty, unusually tall and whiny/timid woman. They realise that they're in a horrifying door game, and they'll have to find a door and a key to get out, while battling a long-haired, human-eating deity. They, along with a few others, have to survive day after day until they get out, and on the first night, two people have died in gory ways. Ruan Baijie and Lin Qiushi partner each other, and despite seemingly timid and crying all the time, she saves Lin Qiushi a few times mysteriously, and Lin Qiushi finds himself trusting in Ruan Baijie.

They get through the door together and when they leave successfully, Lin Qiushi realizes that the people who died in the door will die in real life by some freak accident too - car accidents, forced suicides, a robbery gone wrong, a lift trapped in the air and going ablaze, and more. That night, Lin Qiushi wakes up to see a super handsome and tall Ruan Nanzhu at his bedside and this man feels familiar to him, but he can't put a finger on it. All he can think of when Ruan Nanzhu says his name is Ruan Baijie (ahem he would later find out who it is of course). Ruan Nanzhu takes him to his mansion in the suburbs where he meets a group of other people just like them, who're forced to go through the doors for survival. Ruan Nanzhu then invites him to join Obsidian, his organization.

Through various doors, Lin Qiushi grows and supports a super intelligent and powerful Ruan Nanzhu, falls in love with him, gets through many many scary doors with him and some of their other team members, makes friends, loses them to the cruelty of the doors as they ponder over what the door means, and what being alive/dying means.

And at the end of it, at the end of of it all, when they're all good and living their life, Lin Qiushi also finds out what Ruan Nanzhu's secret is, and the lengths to which Ruan Nanzhu went to, just to be with him.

Drama: Ling Jiushi is a VR game designer who gets pulled into a game, and he meets Ruan Baijie (in his male form) right off the bat (SO NOT CROSSDRESSING I AM SAD). All the parts are actually the same as the novel, albeit with the game setting and Ling Jiushi and Ruan Nanzhu's identity adjustments to suit the game premise. Most of the other doors and their lines are the same, just that the ending is a bit more confusing than it could be. There's a big bad as well and they actually show the opposing organizations when in the novel, these other organizations aside from Obsidian didn't even actually have a face or goal to them.

3. Characters

^ Them in the book (based on manhua that never got to go live LOL) (RNZ/RBJ left, LQS right)

^ Them in the show (LJS left, RNZ right)

Ruan Nanzhu/Ruan Baijie: MY HANDSOME CROSSDRESSING INTELLIGENT ALOOF BUT WHINY (WHEN IT COMES TO LIN QIUSHI) SASSY BOSS!!!! He's super mysterious and super thick-skinned too, and all he wants is Lin Qiushi's attention the moment he meets him. He's intrigued by Lin Qiushi's calm and his brains and the way he handles things, and has a lot of trust for him right from the get-go. This is also shown in the drama itself. As the leader of Obsidian, he cares a lot for his team members and his friends even if he doesn't show it most of the time, and the last thing he wants to do is lose Lin Qiushi, and he would do ANYTHING for Lin Qiushi, ANYTHING!!! Just look at him whining:

Ling Jiushi (Lin Qiushi): In the novel he's super calm, has quite a lot of brains, a little bit of a blur in the beginning but he's super smart as well. Worries a lot for Ruan Nanzhu and is also a loyal friend to some of his only friends, and feels a lot when he loses them. Falls gradually in love with Ruan Nanzhu in the novel, like they just belong together. In this drama, Ling Jiushi holds that same trust for Ruan Nanzhu, but in demeanour he seems a bit more like a klutz and and not as cool as he was in the novel, but I guess it's acceptable. Literally like the only thing he loves more than RNZ (maybe) is his cat Chestnut LOL and RNZ is NOT really happy about that but Chestnut LOVES RNZ

Yixie and Qianli: CUTEST TWINS ;-; WHO TREAT RNZ and LQS as their big brothers LOOK AT THEM BOWING AND RNZ/LJS like parents LMAO

A handful of other characters who will keep turning up and get your hearts ;-;

4. ALL FAVE BROMANCE MOMENTS + TROPES

THEY TOUCH EACH OTHER A LOT LIKE HOLDING HANDS AND TOUCHING FACES, PIGGY BACKING?!?! DID I MENTION FACE TOUCHING

WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP THEY HELP EACH OTHER WHEN HURT OR GET HURT FOR EACH OTHER

AND WHEN THEY WAKE UP IN BED THE OTHER IS AT THEIR BEDSIDE

AND DID I MENTION HE FEEDS HIM IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

AND THAT THEY DATED UNDER THE FIREWORKS LIKE THE NOVEL DOES NOT EVEN HAVE THIS SHIT

AND THE KABEDONS

AND FINALLY RUAN NANZHU RIZZ OMG

5. Settings

They REALLY OUTDID THEMSELVES. THIS JUST FROM DOORS 1-6:

THEY LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE NOVEL DESCRIBED!!!!

6. Overall Thoughts

PROS: This was NOT a cheap production, I'm telling you, they followed the cases very well and there're a lot of super recognisable lines, if not ALL of them, even if they changed the cases a little. I think they did it because in the novel originally, the author DOES leave a lot of details hanging like someone dies and you know he had a background and there are some shady things happening but the author NEVER actually goes into detail. So the drama did their best to cover these loopholes, even if it felt a little awkward at times. Money went into settings and attires and every damn thing, this looks EXPENSIVE. And if you've ever imagined each door and the bosses inside in your head, you might have felt chills go down your spine because damn did they really colour the book's settings for me (despite its differences). DID I MENTION that Xia Zhiguang really got the damn memo and he was a passable Ruan Nanzhu/Ruan Baijie who knew how to turn on his BL eyes. PLUS they really did some of the character deaths really well - they're technically some of the biggest parts of this story so ;-; (not two main of course)

CONS (maybe): They did away with the supernatural/horror premise and replaced it with a GAME premise, which means that there's a scientific element to it and the try to explain away stuff with the game, including the ending. I don't 100% get the ending, but the feel/vibe is about the same. Might not be for hardcore reader fans tho! They skipped out on a couple of doors, some of which were my faves, but it's fine, it's long enough LOL. They give away/explain some of the clues and surprises super early which means you don't get that added boom at the back as well. Despite that, I have to say they tried to round up the loopholes from the book as much as they could and give it an explanation while tying elements/conspiracies across doors (probably also to save cast fees LOL). And as always it's not a solid ending, it's an open confusing one, and even more confusing than the book itself because THERE IS NO CERTAIN HAPPILY EVER AFTER WITH HUBBY for it (there is in the book tho, they live together happily every after). Secondl,y, I'd say HJJ's acting is a bit stiff and OOC compared to the novel, but Xia Zhiguang really made up for it.

-------

HOPE THIS HELPS YOU GUYS!!! But I guess if you need subs it's going to be a long LONGGGG ride, considering that iQIYI doesn't seem to be going to be able to put it up anytime soon CRIES.

[p-seduonym]

The Little Light That Got Lost (Part Seven)

A/N: I don't think they use rotary phones at Wayne Manor I just couldn't find a better gif okay? Hey y'all, this one's a bit shorter but I'll compensate by writing two of them. I've been doing good so far being consistent but I might run out of steam soon due to work and stuff. Hope I can keep y'all satisfied.

aglist: @cheust, @i-simp-for-women, @goodsoup19, @143637-hrrm, @delias-stuff, @12nitled, @cutenessbun, @rinkydinkythinky, @trashlanternfish360, @bunbunbread, @daddysfangirls-dc, @justannie18, @moon0goddess (will add more if asked)

Part One

Part Two

Part 2.5

Interlude

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Based off of @cheust's Ghost Caretaker AU. It's really good so give it a read!

Transcript: Phone Call between Alfred Pennyworth and Dr. Johanna Hoffman

Date: [REDACTED]

Time: 8:43 PM

Call Duration: 6 minutes, 17 seconds

Transcript Source: Wayne Manor Landline Recordings (Authorized)

Dr. Hoffman: Mr. Pennyworth—thank you for following up. I read through the most recent entries you sent. These episodes seem to be increasing in frequency?

Alfred: Yes, Doctor. Eight incidents in twelve nights. I’m concerned the sleepwalking is becoming more hazardous.

Dr. Hoffman: You mentioned outdoor wandering. Exposure to cold, proximity to stairs, disorientation… Have there been any injuries?

Alfred: None so far. But each instance is growing more... elaborate. They appear drawn to certain locations. The pond. The attic stairwell. A disused study. And there are spoken phrases now. Words they don't recall by morning.

Dr. Hoffman: Are these locations tied to any traumatic events or family memories they might be processing subconsciously?

Alfred: Not to my knowledge. Master Casey hasn’t spent time in those areas while awake. The study, for instance, hasn’t been used in years.

Dr. Hoffman: And the coin you referenced—was that something he had before the episodes began?

Alfred: No. It appeared early on and seems to have become something of a fixation. I’ve since placed it out of reach.

Dr. Hoffman: Children can project powerful meaning onto certain objects, especially if they’re under stress. Mr.Pennyworth, I must ask— are there any other influences in the household? Anyone Casey could be mimicking? Or responding to? Possibly a source of this coin?

Alfred: The household is... limited. Only essential staff. Their exposure is minimal. And I cannot fathom this behavior being derived from any of their siblings.

Dr. Hoffman: Then these behaviors are originating from within. Which strengthens my earlier recommendation: hypnotherapy. A light, guided session. No invasive procedures. I believe it may help us reach the source of these events.

Alfred: (quietly) With all due respect, Doctor, some sources are best left undisturbed.

Dr. Hoffman: I understand your caution. But if Casey is experiencing distress—especially without understanding why—we have a duty to help them face it safely. Memory is not the enemy here.

Alfred: Memory is never the enemy, Doctor. But sometimes the past… fights back.

Dr. Hoffman: Then it’s all the more reason to proceed carefully. I’ll bring all necessary materials. I’d like to hold the session on-site. Preferably somewhere familiar to the child.

Alfred: Very well. But you may not have access to every room you request. Some doors are... off limits.

Dr. Hoffman: I’ll work with what I’m given. But Mr. Pennyworth—if there’s more I should know, now is the time.

Alfred: (pauses) What you know now will have to suffice. For Master Casey’s sake.

[Call Ends]

…

..

.

Ring ring

“Hello, Mister Constantine? Yes, I believe your expertise will be needed at Wayne Manor…”

A/N: I don't think I'm ready to write for Constantine but y'all are right it's kinda obvious they would at least call him about all this supernatural junk going on. Or at least Alfred would.

[cancerian-woman]

Netflix template by @bitchronan here and this one here! I wanted to practice for once on bits of an AU I had.

AN: Bonnie deserved more familiar dynamics, especially in season 2 with the Martins around the elder vampires around etc. minor plot changes :)

Incase the alt-text was hard to read

Transcripts here:

Description: Feeling lonely after Grams' death, Bonnie yearns for the connection of an other Bennett witch. So she summons two of her ancestors.

Starring: Bonnie Bennett, Emily Bennett Beatrice Bennett.

Genres: Drama, Supernatural, Romance

This Program Is: Magical, Heart-Warming and Inspirational

Episode One: Resurrection: Emily and Beatrice come back to life to help prepare Bonnie on defeating Klaus.

Episode Two: Family Ties: Beatrice decides to attend Mystic Falls High along with Bonnie to blend in as a normal student. Emily plots her revenge. [Emily: Do not worry about me, little one. I have my own grievances to settle with Damon Salvatore and Katherine Pierce.]

Episode Three: The Bargain: Katherine strikes up a deal with the Martin witches in exchange for her safety from Klaus and Emily. [Beatrice: Em, I don't trust the Martin Witches. Something is coming. It has to do with Bonnie. I can feel it.]

Episode Four: Witch Business: Bonnie is more determined and stronger than ever to defeat Klaus, finds herself in a tough position. [Bonnie: After Grams' died, I felt so alone and unseen until I had you two. Thank you, Em and Bea for being my family. Looking out for me.]

Episode Five: Concealed Devotion: With Greta out of the way, and his hybrid curse being broken soon. Klaus needed a new witch. Bonnie desired her friends and family's lives safe. Together, an unlikely romance blooms. Which the young witch feels guilty for as her family searches for them.

This was a fun test run💜.

[karaaaak]

Is it 4 am when I posted this, yes. Do I car. No. Get attacked with my draft about some things about some of the specters I find neat! If anything I say in this post is wrong, or could have something added to it I would LOVE feedback, I’m still getting the hang of long form posts lol

Anywho! Most of my point here are going to be from either Wikipedia or someone else’s post. I have really bad memory so if I say something that seem familiar to a post you or someone you know made then people mention it and I’ll tag them!

First specter I’m gonna talk about is Eulalie’s.

Eulalies specter, as show, is a chimera, more specifically a Baku!

Baku’s are “Japanese supernatural beings that are said to devour nightmares”. Which explains Eulalie dreameating and possibly also the dispeller of evil spirits ability

Another fact I found interesting is that in a legend about the Baku “a child would wake up form a nightmare and call for the Baku by repeating “Baku-San, come eat my dream” three times. Then the Baku will come into the child’s room and eat the nightmare and the child will go back to sleep peacefully. However calling the Baku should be used sparingly, because if they remain hungry after eating a nightmare they may also devour the child’s hopes and dreams as well.”

Im not to sure if that is relevant to Eulalies character at all but I felt like it was worth adding!

Another thing that many have pointed out is that the markings of Eulalies arms resemble burn marks. Along with the fact that after using her dispeller of evil spirits ability she coughs a flame of fire.

Next specter I wanna talk about is Bernice’s!

I don’t have too too much to talk about with her specter, just some bits and bobs I picked up on rereads

Bernice’s specter in one of my favorites, just because of the fact it’s similar to a self defense mechanism for lack of a better term. Basically what I mean by that is the things she list is death her specter has a large amount of, and another things. Which leads me to the mouths.

The mouths, to me, are extremely interesting. If i remember correctly I read this on a post so credit or op even though I can’t remember who it was 😭. But the placements of the mouths on her specter could be the places she was touched without consent and/or inappropriately. The mouths seem to work as a self defense to her body, biting at whoever comes near on their own. Proctecting those spot of her.

Another thing about her design is the focus on teeth. First then her death and her teeth falling out, and on her specter, with the large teeth on the extra mouths. This association comes from the Edgar Allen Poe story she was based on, Bernice. If you haven’t read it I will spare you you read and put the wiki summary here

“The story is narrated by Egaeus, who is preparing to marry his cousin Berenice. He tends to fall into periods of intense focus, during which he seems to separate himself from the outside world. Berenice begins to deteriorate from an unnamed disease until only her teeth remain healthy. Egaeus obsesses over them. When Berenice is buried, he continues to contemplate her teeth. One day, he awakens with an uneasy feeling from a trance-like state and hears screams. A servant reports that Berenice's grave has been disturbed, and she is still alive. Beside Egaeus is a shovel, a poem about "visiting the grave of my beloved", and a box containing 32 teeth.”

Weird, i know. 😭

Another thing is her pearls. I couldn’t find any mentions of pearls in her story but she has a strange association with them. From them falling off during her death, her having many of them in her specter, and even her outfit in the fast pass episode (fast pass at the time of writing this but ep 126). I’m not to sure what this mean but i figured it throw it in!

Im think thats all imma do in this post, maybe if i find motivation ill make a reblog of this with Ada and Monty (if not Monty then Annabel)

[curioussubjects]

How is there a throuple on prime time TV?And why are they the medical staff on a luxury cruise?

I'm still not sure how Doctor Odyssey is a real show that's airing every week and not some fever dream, but since it seems to be that it is a real show, here's why I think it's yet another medical procedural drama...and on a cruise!

While polyamory has become more widely acknowledged in the mainstream, it's hardly normalized or even common in both media and people's lives. Likewise, queer representation, especially that of bisexual men, is still far from being without controversy (if it's allowed to be represented at all, as Supernatural fans like myself well know).

So, again, how in the world is Doctor Odyssey, which very explicitly centers the developing sexual and romantic relationship between Max, Avery, and Tristan a thing that exists? Or, to put it another way: if we have a story that is unusual for most people and even uncomfortable for many of them, how can that story be told without alienating the audience?

The answer: tell it in a way that feels familiar, and maybe a little detached from reality. So, medical procedural drama on a cruise! Ok, let me explain:

Why a Medical Procedural Drama?

Not only has the the genre been a staple of American television since the 90s (thanks, ER), it's a type of story that is told in formulaic ways. It is, after all, a procedural. Both its familiarity and predictability allow the audience to sit back and enjoy the story unfold with its expected beats. This type of TV is meant to be fun and easy to watch. Such shows might give you some current issues beats to ponder as you watch, but they're not making you do a lot of work.

But why medical as opposed to law enforcement, which is a much more common type of procedural? Because, thanks to the legacy of shows like Grey's Anatomy and House MD., medical dramas have a lot more leeway to be dramatic AND unrealistic while somehow preserving the veneer of realism. It's this allowance for dramatics and breaches of realism that create a comfortable bubble of "sure this might as well happen" that prevents the audience from being alienate when faced with a wide variety of topics that can be as accurate or fantastical as the plot demands.

Polyamory, within this broader landscape, can be a Very Special Episode that just so happens to span every episode, and viewers can be carried through that plot by the familiar patterns and conventions of the genre.

Why on a Cruise?

Oh, aren't medical procedurals so cliché? How can we make it interesting?? I know, put them on a cruise! We haven't put doctors on a cruise yet! (totally 100% real conversation on ABC)

Sure, the cruise premise stinks of gimmick, but what if that's the point? Surely, most people would see a show like Doctor Odyssey and imagine that what makes it different is that it's set on a cruise. Yeah, that's not completely untrue, but the cruise serves a much more important purpose than being a differential on a pitch.

In fact, the cruise, like the medical procedural, is another liminal space that allows for multiple ways to engage in fantasy or reality as the plot demands. Mainly, and most crucially, though, the cruise is a bubble, an illusion, which is a point the show itself makes in the pilot episode. It is unmoored (heh) from the expectations of land, like accurate representations of healthcare, or say...monogamy as default. As such, the cruise makes not only for a dynamic choice of setting, but a very intentional one.

Reality Check:

The interplay between genre and setting is crucial. The audience, with all its expectations, of what a medical procedural drama is know what they're tuning in for, and they can easily imagine the dramatic (or ridiculous) nature of the cases that will be present in a luxury cruise. True enough, as I mentioned before, the pilot episode starts by being very honest that the cruise is an illusion: the captain shows and describes all the craft and skill that goes into creating a safe space for passengers to engage in fantasy. The genre savvy audience is then invited into aligning not with the cruise passengers, but with the crew.

Except Doctor Odyssey isn't really about the medicine, or the cruise, is it? It's about Max, Tristan, and Avery. So the audience is given a choice at the metanarrative level: be the passenger or be the crew. Be aware that the point of the story is the polyamory or tune in for medical staff...on a cruise! Win-win! What I think is fun and clever about all this is that no matter who you choose to align yourself with, you can't ever truly escape reality lurking in the wings. The polyamory is simply there no matter how resistant the audience, but the setting and the genre create a buffer around it.

Sure you can have a threesome on a cruise, it's like Vegas. No big. Nothing threatening to social conventions. It's not real. But reality has a way of reasserting itself: in the tragedies that befall the passengers on the ship, or their mishaps, or the cherished memories they'll look back on. And while the crew upkeeps the illusion, they aren't immune or completely separate from its effects (good and bad). No one can divest themselves from what they experience on the cruise and neither can the viewer.

Through genre convention and its setting, Doctor Odyssey (and I mean, look at this title alone lol) navigates the unfamiliar waters of accepting the richness of the human condition (to echo Captain Massey), and brings the audience safely to shore with a new understanding of what relationships can look like.

And this is how Doctor Odyssey managed to get produced and make it to air, and we get to be unhinged about Tristan, Max, Avery, and the YEARNING. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk etc.

[captain-sodapop]

The Winchesters: A Post-Mortem

Endings are hard.

I’ve been dicking around, and as I wrapped up another Supernatural rewatch, I finally decided to follow through on something I’ve been threatening to do for a while: watch The Winchesters.  Since the show is dead, done, and dusted, I feel okay about it because now it feels like it’s just some obscure piece of lost media and I’m not actually, you know, supporting it.

I think we have a hard time letting stories end, especially when they have been with us for so long.  We live in an age of reboots and endless spinoffs.  The Winchesters is an interesting case because when the flagship show ended, viewers had all their own feelings about it, but it was over and they knew it was over.  Dead, done, and dusted.

Not so much.

As you know, on June 24th, 2021, about seven months after the end of Supernatural, Jensen Ackles announced his spinoff The Winchesters, produced by his and his wife’s new production company, Chaos Machine.  Robbie Thompson would be heading the project, and it would be telling the “epic love story” of Sam and Dean Winchester’s parents.  We’ve already established that there’s no story here, and no matter how you twist it you will never convince me there is – at least, not in the way they wanted to tell it.  Diehard fans and conspiracy theorist Hellers seemed to end up being its primary audience, but considering its low viewership numbers, I don’t think it ended up attracting many people outside of the established fandom, and was thus canceled. 

This was not a story people cared about.

This fact did not seem to matter to the good people at Chaos Machine and The CW.

Luckily for me, there are only thirteen episodes, and I have nothing better to do, so I am here to present my autopsy of The Winchesters.

The pilot moves so fast.

The Winchesters begins with Samuel Campbell, Mary’s father and Sam and Dean’s grandfather, who we know from the original show.  In the prequel, he’s played by Tom Welling, not Mitch Pileggi, but he’s a mere shadow when we first see him, so we can’t tell yet how poor the casting is.  All that matters is that we know he’s gone missing, and Mary wants to find him.

Immediately, the cold open of the pilot pales in comparison to the flagship program’s pilot.  It really does feel like a cold open to any run-of-the-mill episode of Supernatural.  It doesn’t create that same intrigue as the Supernatural pilot does.

But that brings us to one of the show’s central problems, and it’s something that shows up almost immediately: it is a poor attempt at rehashing the original, filled with Easter eggs that the casual viewer wouldn’t have gotten or cared about.

Right after that, we get the copycat title card and then a sort of awkward transition to John’s homecoming.  He’s having PTSD flashbacks to his time in Vietnam, his tour having just finished, and goes home to see his mother (whose name I don’t even think is mentioned in the pilot, not until the second episode, so I think anyone wasn’t isn’t familiar with the original show might be a little confused.) 

But this is where we hear him: Dean Winchester.

“March 23, 1972.  The day Dad came home from the war, and the day he met Mom.  Now I know this story might sound familiar, but I'm gonna put the pieces together in a way that just might surprise you.  And in order to do that, I have to start all the way at the beginning.”

Um.  Okay.

I’m going to tell you what this is, and it’s really very simple: it’s a justification.

Genuinely, I think these voiceovers are one of the worst things about the show.  Now, Dean isn’t exactly a poet, and even Sam teased him for some of his corny lines, but these bookends are…beyond poorly written.  Just strings of cliches put together, and the first one is the worst one because what it is attempting to do is justify this show’s existence within its very text.

As anyone who is familiar with the situation knows, when the prequel was announced, there was very public backlash – including from Jared Padalecki, who not only played protagonist Sam Winchester in the original show, but was not looped into any of this…at all.  He found out at the same time the rest of us did, and it was pretty clear from the reaction that his was the majority opinion.

The thing about this little intro from the pilot is that it’s not really Dean talking here – it’s Jensen.  It’s Danneel Ackles and Robbie Thompson trying to justify the fact that this show even exists.  That exact sentiment showed up in several press releases and interviews for the show.  Whoever was being spoken to, they’d be like “Oh, we’re gonna surprise you!  It’s not what you think!”

The thing is, the prequel is:

Not surprising

Doesn’t exactly start at the beginning.  That’s misleading.

(“I’m gonna put the pieces together in a way that just might surprise you.”  Jesus Christ, shut up.)

The pilot does do something I appreciated, though, which was to acknowledge that John enlisted underage by forging his father’s signature.  This could have been interesting, but they drop it pretty fast.

I know pilots sort of need to hit the ground running to prove their case, but if we’re going to use the original show’s pilot as a point of comparison, it’s incredibly weak.  Not only were there rumored production issues and they apparently had to do reshoots, forcing them behind schedule for the rest of their run and putting immense pressure on the cast and crew, but it’s simply lacking.  In the original pilot, we are given enough glimpses of the Winchester backstory to make the rest of the pilot interesting.  Sam and Dean are brothers and therefore have history, a dynamic – though strained at the time – and an undeniable chemistry that intrigues us enough to keep us watching.  With the Woman in White, we get an idea of what it is the family does and what Sam has run away from, while giving the episode a plot that isn’t yet mired in the show’s mythology.

The Winchesters doesn’t have that.  What we have is John and Mary, and while a lot of people were rightfully confused as to why they – of all the characters on the original show – would be the ones to get a spinoff, the fact is that they did.  Truthfully, while they would not have been my first choice, if treated properly, I believe John and Mary’s lives before the show could have potential.

What we know about John and Mary from the original show is that they were brought together by a Cupid from Heaven in order to ensure the birth of Sam and Dean, so that Michael and Lucifer would have vessels for the Apocalypse.  In fact, the Cupid states that John and Mary couldn’t stand each other beforehand, but I guess when they bumped into each other outside of Slaughterhouse Five (which does happen in the spinoff’s pilot), I guess we’re to assume that’s when Cupid’s arrow struck and they fell in love.

Basically, their love is…not natural.  It would not have been something they chose for themselves without divine intervention.  The prequel doesn’t hint at this at all.  Instead, the prequel has John and Mary immediately thrust together and John introduced to the world of the supernatural and the Men of Letters and on his first case all in those 42 minutes.

These are not John and Mary.  Not the ones that we could be made to truly care about.

The John and Mary we know are much more complex.  They are interesting, and flawed.  We know from season 12 that Mary was sometimes sneaking out on hunts, even after Dean was born.  We know that John and Mary would sometimes separate for a few days at a time, maybe even longer, probably because what they had for each other was not true love, but something divined by Chuck/God and the angels in order to carry out their plans.  They were pawns, especially when it came to them as a couple.  A story where Mary is struggling to keep her former life a secret while John is dealing with his post-service life, all while trying to be a couple and having these moments of realizing they don’t really know or love each other could have been a good premise.  Instead, what they present is instead just sort of…confusing.

After the pilot, there are a series of Monster of the Week episodes.  This is all supposed to be John’s intro to hunting and the true coming together of the Scooby Gang.  This version of John and Mary are thrown together with Latika (she’s the pacifist who does all their research), Carlos (he’s the stereotypically slutty, sassy bisexual), and Ada (the wannabe witch who’s older than them and I guess sort of a mentor?  Maybe?), and along with John’s mom, Millie, we’re told that they’re this big, happy found family.

Lots of telling and not showing here.  In all honesty, John and Mary don’t have great chemistry, and that is not intentional.  (I’m actually not gonna blame this one on the acting, at least not wholly, but I’ll get more into that later.)  John is saying that he can’t live without Mary within something, like, three episodes.  Honestly, he’s got better chemistry with Latika in the pilot than he does Mary.  Actually, I’d say he has better chemistry with pretty much all the other main characters – Latika, Carlos, and Millie – than he does Mary, and that is interesting.  Ya know why?  It’s because it makes John feel like the protagonist.  And John is the closest thing to a Sam-like character we get in this show.

We learn early on that the Big Bad is something called the Akrida, which are these weird, poorly CGI’d spider-looking things (all of the budget on this show went to music and reshoots, I swear), and they are out to destroy the universe – and not just this universe; all the universes are at stake, so it feels like the show is trying to play off what the original program was doing in its last few seasons.  (Which, weren’t all but Earth One destroyed anyway?  Or something like that?)

This is a big thing.  It feels…too big.  The first season of the original show did a good job of building to the reveal of Yellow Eyes, and they let that story breathe with the Special Children in the second season.  We saw that while Sam and Dean were experienced, they were still novices in a sense, in over their heads, and did a lot of learning and had to figure out how to work together again.  We don’t get that feeling here.  They’re too good too fast.

xXx

In the tenth episode, John and Mary go up against a Golem.  The Golem is under the control of a former Man of Letters who performed experiments on humans, and under the guise of helping them defeat the Akrida, he wants to use John and Mary to bring back what the Akrida took from him: his wife, who was killed by them in the late fifties.

When John and Mary dispose of the bodies at the end of the episode, John thinks what the Man of Letters was doing was out of love, trying to bring her back, but Mary says that he was only doing it for himself – that he was being selfish.  And then she asks John if she thinks they’ll ever turn out like that.

Immediately, this seems to be an assertion that what Mary did in the original show – making the deal with Azazel after he killed her parents and John to bring John back – was this awful, selfish thing.  That saving the only person she had left, the only person she could save (because she wanted Azazel to bring back her parents, too), was inherently wrong.  This seems to ignore the fact that Mary had no idea what the repercussions of the deal would be.  All she knew was that the demon was going to “pay her a visit”, whatever that was supposed to mean (probably assuming he would come to collect her soul as usual), and all she wanted was to save just one person, and that was the man she believed she loved.

I know we’ve established that John and Mary’s love was contrived, but to Mary, she believed she did love him, and it is ridiculous to think that her saving him was something that makes her inherently bad, or selfish, or unloving, as the prequel seems to imply.  She could not have known that Azazel would do what he did to her, to Sam, and to their family.  She didn’t even know there would be a Sam and Dean!  She was nineteen years old!

And yet, the prequel takes this opportunity to vilify her.  The fandom already did enough of that.  When Mary made her return in season 12, her character endured endless misogynistic takes.  When even Dean said it was ridiculous of him to expect her to tuck him in and make his lunch, the fandom still didn’t want to accept it.

Mary is a complex character.  She was dealt as shitty a hand as any other character, but still had to absorb a lot of blame.  Oh, god forbid she struggle to adjust to the 21st century, and having adult children, and not being dead anymore, and learning what the consequences of her actions were.  She clearly felt immense guilt for the hurt that was brought on her family, which was something she would have never intentionally done.  She wanted her and her family to be safe and did the best she could with the information and resources she had.  God forbid a woman be complex or have flaws or be anything less than the perfect mommy to her adult sons.  (Who – again – were not as upset about that as the fucking fandom was.)

And now the prequel is piling onto her, too.  Our Mary is better!!  Shut the fuck up.

xXx

The prevailing sentiment I had when watching this show was that none of it mattered.  The plot, the characters, the monsters…none of it mattered.  Not as a story, and not as it related to the original show.  It doesn’t even really succeed at doing what it really set out to do, but we’ll get to that later.

Like I mentioned, the Akrida feel like a really big Big Bad for the first season of a show.  Ultimately, what the Akrida are, are a failsafe for Chuck.  Basically, they were his backup plan if he were to ever cease to be and they would carry out his plan to finish destroying all the universes he had created.  I guess those of us who watched the original show are supposed to gather that he created these Akrida sometime around season 15, when he started getting rid of all those other universes.  And, since the Winchesters and Jack defeated Chuck at the end of season 15 and Jack took over as God, these creatures are supposed to come in and finish what Chuck couldn’t.

Alright.  A little convoluted, but I can follow it.  It’s how the spinoff attempts to connect itself back to the main show’s plot.

But, wait a second – I thought this was the epic love story of John and Mary!

Let me just say this: this is not a love story.  The love story in the show is pretty weak.  Like I mentioned earlier, the show moves so fast, which means John and Mary’s relationship moves incredibly fast, and the show makes no indication that this is because of any Cupid effects (but maybe they knew the clock was ticking and they didn’t have a good chance at renewal.)  We get no sense of how much time has passed here.  I’m being told I should care about this relationship, but I don’t because of how little effort the writing puts into not only developing this relationship, but the characters themselves.  So it’s hard for me to say that the love story matters in any way.

Then there’s John and Mary’s searches for their fathers.  Those of us who have seen the original show know that Henry Winchester died in the future killing Abadon.  We also know that Samuel Campbell first died when he was killed by Azazel in 1973, and then in season six after being resurrected by Crowley to help him search for alphas.  After the show opens with Samuel going missing and Mary starting the search for him (which just doesn’t pack the same punch as the search for John), Samuel’s presence in the show after they find him is negligible.  For one thing, he’s not a great portrayal of Samuel, and doesn’t even look like him – not a bit.  That part isn’t as important, of course, but it does still take you out of it a bit.  This Samuel is still sort of a jerk, but it just feels like he’s sort of…there.  So when they find him, it doesn’t feel like a big deal.

John’s search for Henry is carried out a little better.  The reason for John deciding to go home to Lawrence after returning from Vietnam is because a Mystery Man (who we all know is Dean) gave him a letter that Henry had left for John before his passing.  It leads John to finding an old Men of Letters clubhouse in Lawrence, which he and his new friends use as a base throughout the show and is a resource for them in learning about and fighting the Akrida.  When John finally does see Henry as a ghost (the result of a séance similar to the one Sam and Cas perform to contact Bobby in season 10), Henry is once again portrayed by Gil McKinney, like he was in the original show.  That does help.  Henry is mostly there to give them information to help them with the Akrida, but it does give John and Millie a sense of closure, unlike in the original show, where John spent his whole life not knowing what happened to Henry and hating his guts.

This all happens in the seventh episode – the show’s midseason finale: both John and Mary get answers on their fathers.  It’s supposed to be the episode where all these things start to come together.  Mary finds Samuel, John and Millie find Henry (sort of), we get some answers on the Akrida, and John and Mary kiss.  Woohoo.

After that, there are another few Monster of the Week episodes with Big Bad plot running alongside it, just like in the original show.  It follows a similar structure.  The episode with Richard Speight, Jr. as Loki (not sure if it’s supposed to be the real Loki or Gabriel as Loki, but probably the latter?) is maybe the worst one.  Loki/Gabriel just comes off as an annoying caricature, the plot and his scheme are just sort of confusing, and there’s just…way too much singing.  Part of Carlos’s story is that he wanted to be a musician, and he and his former bandmate do some singing, and the songs don’t even sound as if they fit the time period, so.  That’s awesome.

Carlos is also subjected to more humiliation when in an episode with vampires – and I’m sure those in the know already know where this is going! – he has Latika douse his hair in holy water and he whips it around to splash it on the vampires.  Like…since when are vampires affected by holy water?  Not only is the physics of it stupid (it would be so inefficient to have to be constantly whipping your head around, just fucking squirt them with a water bottle or the water gun Carlos used in the pilot), it’s just not even right.  It’s incorrect within the show’s own mythology.

The penultimate episode is a creepy clown episode.  I will say, the clowns are sort of creepy, but maybe that’s just because I agree with Sam about clowns just being inherently creepy.  It’s an okay case, I guess.  This is also the episode with Rowena.  Ada is trying to find some sort of magical way to deal with the Akrida, and she stumbles into a witch club where Rowena finds her.  Ruth McConnell does what she does, and it’s hard to complain about Rowena because she always plays her well.  She does give Ada the magic to use against the Akrida in return for a bonzai tree that has a demon trapped in it (I know, I know) because the bonzai demon has information on her son.  (Who we know is Crowley, but he doesn’t get a namedrop here, and there’s no further explanation there.  I guess it’s possible Rowena could have known in the seventies that Crowley/Fergus was a demon or otherwise had something to do with demons and hell, but when she sees him in season 10 for the first time, she doesn’t recognize him.  I do think that can be written off as him just being in a new vessel, though, so I’ll give this one a pass.)  Of all the guest stars they brought on from the original show, Ruth/Rowena is by far the best, both in performance and purpose.  She shows Ada how to kill Akrida using magic, but doing so kills off a bit of her soul, similar to the magic used to resurrect Jack in season 14.

And then it’s the finale.  Just like that.  In the final episode, they go up against the Akrida and their queen.  In order to kill them, they either need to use the magic Rowena showed Ada, or they need to use something from another world.  They connect with a hunter, Joan Hopkins, who has been in contact with Dean/Mystery Man, who she has thrown into the portal and destroyed after months of him staying ahead of her, and no living thing can survive the portal (the portal being the thing that the Akrida use to destroy worlds.)  John and Mary find out this hunter is actually the queen.  She and her family have hunted with the Campbells for generations, and we find out that Joan was actually born in 1673 and after losing her entire family and her husband, she turned on humankind and imbued herself with monster essence.  She claimed monsters weren’t the problems, but humans for always needing saving, making it so hunters always paid the price for protecting them.  She was made the Akrida queen when she was cast out of her world, and she is helping them carry out Chuck’s final mission of wiping the universe of universes of humanity.  And now, Joan/the Queen is at full power, and will open up the portal to finish the destruction.

In the end, there’s this battle, and all our new friends are there fighting the Akrida, and they use this thing called the Ostium in an attempt to summon something from another world to kill the Queen, the Ostium being the only thing known to be capable of doing such a thing.  They use Dean/Mystery Man’s journal to try to summon him, but nothing happens at first, leading them to conclude that the Mystery Man is dead.

And then – as we all know – the Impala appears.

Mary realizes the Impala is not from their world, and therefore can be used to kill Joan.  With the portal open, she runs Joan over with the car, but also ends up accidentally going through the portal, which as we know, no living thing can survive.  Womp-womp.

But wait!  The Impala reappears, and inside it is a living Mary – and Dean Winchester.

Apparently, the Impala somehow protected her (I don’t know how, it’s not explained, don’t ask me), and Dean tells them all he’s already dead, so it’s not like it could do anything to him, and I guess that tracks.  He was stuck in between worlds after being tossed into the portal by Joan, waited by the portal, and gave Mary a ride out.

I’ll let Dean explain the rest:

“I'm a Hunter, just like you.  But I'm not from this Earth…When I died, I made it to heaven.  And [the Impala] was waiting for me.  So I went for a drive, and then I took a little detour.  Through the multiverse…I was looking for my family.  See, I come from a long line of Hunters.  I guess I was hoping that somewhere out there was an Earth that had a version where my family had a shot at a happy ending.  When I was driving, I caught wind of the Akrida.  Turns out that they were one of Chuck's last creations...basically, he's a real dick.  He left the Akrida behind to wipe out all of existence in case he failed.  Well...he failed.  Eventually the Akrida were going to make their way to my world, and I got family there, so I couldn't let that happen…I took my little detour.  The rules were simple.  Don't mess with anything.  Well…I gave it a little nudge.  Thought it might need a little help.  Looks like it worked out pretty well.  So now that the Akrida are gone, you all can choose your own destiny.  You can write your own story.”

Then Bobby and Jack show up.  We already saw Bobby at the beginning of the episode, and he more or less feels like Bobby, but it’s still like…what are you doing here.  What’s going on here.  This scene at the beginning of the finale shows us when Dean gave John that letter from Henry, when he’s dressed like a Bond villain, setting the story in motion.  Bobby reminded Dean then that they weren’t supposed to meddle, but Dean is Dean and does whatever the fuck he wants, apparently, and Bobby says he’s off to get the cavalry, a line I’m still not completely clear on because who is the cavalry in this situation?  Is it Jack?  Can’t be Gabriel/Loki because they’re dead, can’t be Rowena because not only is she Queen of Hell in the main timeline, but nothing about her appearance here suggests that she was the current iteration of herself from the original show.  So I don’t know who the hell the cavalry is in this context, but I’ll let Jack and Dean take it from here:

JACK: Dean. DEAN: Yeah.  No, I know.  I know, Jack. JACK: When I restored things, I wanted mankind to make their own fate.  That meant no interference from on high, anywhere...no exceptions.  DEAN: I couldn't let our world get destroyed.  Sam's still down there, okay?  He deserves a good, long life.  Hell, they all do.  So, if you want to cast me out of heaven...so be it. BOBBY: If we're taking a vote, I'd say you give the guy another chance. JACK: There's always another case with you Hunters...even in death.  Well...if you're going to meddle in things, finish what you started.  After this...it's time to get around to the..."there'll be peace when you are done"…part of the song.

Jack then hands Dean the journal he had been writing in and the Colt.  Yes, the Colt.  Dean gives them to John and Mary, telling them to use the Colt if a Yellow-Eyed Demon ever comes to them, and to use his journal to help guide them as hunters.  The journal is what we see Dean with in the final episode of the pilot, and what he says in voiceover at the beginning and end of each episode (which are just these platitudes and cliches about hunting and family) are written in that journal.  They ask his name, Dean tells them it’s James Hetfield (founding member of Metallica), and then he, Jack, Bobby, and the Impala disappear.

 The episode ends with all of them happy the Akrida are gone and free to make their own decisions about their lives.  John plans to keep hunting with the gang, but Mary isn’t sure.  She got into Kansas State earlier in the season, but she needs time and space.  But she does show up at the Winchesters’ repair shop at the end, and she and John go on a drive while “Ramble On” plays over a montage of scenes from the show.

And that’s it.

xXx

Okay.

What becomes abundantly clear at the end of this show is that all that mattered – all that ever mattered – was what the fuck Dean was doing.  It wasn’t John and Mary’s love story, it wasn’t the search for their dads, it wasn’t the question of whether to hunt or not, it wasn’t the Scooby Gang’s found family.  It was just…Dean.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I love Dean.  I think he’s an interesting character.  I also think his death was appropriate.  But one person was so frustrated by his ending that he decided he needed to do something about it.

The logistics of the finale are…weird, to say the least.  I can understand the logic behind the Impala being capable of killing Joan based on the show’s rules.  It’s of another world, and Joan really gets her shit rocked by it, like Regina George getting hit by that bus, so I can buy it killing her.  Sure.  And I guess Dean waiting by the portal in the space between spaces or whatever is…plausible, I guess, since we don’t know how anything works between universes, so I’m willing to buy that.  (Notice I’m not buying anything here with much enthusiasm, however.)  But what the fuck does Dean mean, he heard about the Akrida while he was driving around?  What does he mean, he took a detour?  Did Jack tell him what was happening?  Was he the one who set the rules?  If so, did he not take care of the problem himself because of his own self-imposed resolution to not meddle?  Did Jack want Dean to give John the letter?  I don’t think he did because Bobby seemed to think that was meddling, which Dean was expressly told not to do, but how does any of this work without some level of meddling?  And speaking of Bobby, I know we see him in the original show’s finale, but what the hell is he doing this whole time?  Did he get caught by Jack doing something offscreen that we’re not told about, or did he run to him and tattle?  (Super out of character for Bobby to be a narc, by the way, if that is the case.)

Or, maybe I’m supposed to interpret this another way, as something Dean stumbled upon while he was taking his Heavenly drive.  He said he took a little detour and went looking for his family.  That he was hoping there was a version out there that had a happy ending.  Maybe he somehow found this potentially happy version of John and Mary and learned their universe was being threatened by the Akrida when he did?  I don’t know.

I am baffled.  Befuddled, even.

This episode is the only one to acknowledge Sam, and what’s funny about that is that for as much as the show excluded him, it inadvertently reinforces the idea of Sam as protagonist.  Dean wants to stop the Akrida not to save this universe, necessarily, but because he’s worried about the Akrida getting to Earth One and getting to Sam.  He did it all for Sam.  It’s fucking poetic, is what it is, and I don’t think they did it to be poetic.  I think they did it because they knew that:

They were stupid to leave Sam out of it in the first place, and

They had to justify this whole thing somehow.

In the end, none of it mattered.

xXx

At the beginning of this, I mentioned how hard it can be to let things end.  While we can joke about how ridiculous Carlos whipping his hair back and forth to spray vampires with holy water is, or how Mary was dressed like a knockoff Claire Novak in the pilot, or the vanishing Impala, or how bad the Akrida looked, or how convoluted the premise of the whole show is, I think there’s something more we can take away from this: The Winchesters is a study in both vanity and poor media literacy.

Dean Winchester dying at the end of Supernatural makes perfect sense within the text of the show.  This is a tragic character completing his tragic arc.  His death also symbolizes the end of an abusive cycle, but in order to acknowledge that, you have to acknowledge that something very complex exists within Dean’s character.  Many fans do not want to acknowledge that Dean continued the familial cycle of abuse.  Do I believe he loved Sam?  Absolutely.  Do I believe he was unfairly parentified?   Yes.  Do I believe he was also a victim of neglect?  One thousand percent.  But that doesn’t change the fact that Dean continued these harmful cycles.  That’s part of the tragedy.  His death made it possible for Sam to break those cycles and live a life he had been continuously guilted and shamed and ostracized for wanting to live, and while that’s in a sense a win, it comes about in a tragic way.

The tragedy is the point.  The hurt is the point.

But Jensen Ackles just didn’t like that.  Of all the people on the cast and crew, he was the only one who it didn’t seem to click with, and look – I can understand that maybe he needed to take some time to sit with it because he brought that character to life for fifteen years and that character has a rough end, and it also marks the end of fifteen years of his life.  It’s tough stuff.  But what Jensen and the producers of The Winchesters did didn’t add to Dean’s story or his character, it didn’t add to the original story, it didn’t improve upon anything, or clarify anything, or rehabilitate anything.

It was Jensen’s attempt to get the last word, and it failed spectacularly.

I said earlier that I don’t want to blame a lot of the show’s problems on the acting, and I think that’s true.  The main cast are young actors who haven’t been in a ton of projects (Meg Donnelly, who played Mary, has the most experience with ABC’s American Housewife and Disney’s Zombies movies), and I don’t want to blame cast and crew for just wanting to get work, and the main case certainly isn’t unwatchable.  They have to do and say some pretty cringy shit at times, but that’s not on them.  The supporting cast is generally serviceable to forgettable, and only truly bad a couple of times (the guy who plays Ada’s half-djinn son is…not great.  He sounded like he was having lines fed to him and wasn’t comprehending any of what he was saying).  Carlos and Latika aren’t particularly bad characters or poorly portrayed or anything, even if they do rely on some stereotypes (again, not on them), and might be fine in another context. 

I will also say, though, that while Meg Donnelly isn’t like…a bad actor, she’s not a good Mary.  The Mary we know from the flagship program is sweet, and hopeful, and resourceful, and very capable.  I could absolutely believe that the Mary portrayed by Samantha Smith or Amy Gumenick could both kill a monster and struggle to break out of the life she was raised in, and absolutely, 100% want out of that life and apply to Kansas State University behind everyone’s back (just like someone else we know!)  Donnelly’s Mary just feels like a Claire Novak rip-off.  Which was a weird choice to make, and I guess they could try to justify by being like Oh, well this is a Mary from another universe, but that’s not gonna fly.  We got a Mary that could certainly kill monsters, but otherwise doesn’t really feel like Mary Winchester at all.

Then there’s John, portrayed by Drake Rodger.  He was my favorite of the main cast, and the one who seems to be the true protagonist, which I noted earlier.  Rodger had mentioned having watched the original show, and he has that sort of gentle giant quality that Sam had, and even does a good job of picking up on some of his mannerisms that make him at least feel like a Winchester.  Does he feel like John?  I mean…that’s harder to say than it was with Donnelly’s Mary.  We know from the original show that John before hunting was a pretty different guy.  He was probably struggling with PTSD after his tour, but Mary repeatedly refers to him as a sweet, open person, so I can believe that this John could be more like Sam: generally a very nice, gentle guy who you need to watch out for when he’s angry or scared.  As far as performances go, he did pretty well – or, as well as he could, considering the writing.

So, yeah, I’m not gonna pin the show’s downfall on the acting because that wasn’t it.  And I’m not gonna pin it on the crew, either.  Sure, the special effects and editing weren’t always great, but they weren’t always the best on the original show, either.

This is a project that never should have been greenlit, for one reason because it would have saved that crew member from getting struck by lightning.  The crew member sued, naming Ackles and the other producers in the lawsuit along with the network for not following proper safety measures.  Director John Showalter, a Supernatural alum, decided he wanted a scene shot in the rain, even though there was lightning in the vicinity.  The show had already dealt with reshoots and short filming windows, so Showalter, the producers, and the network decided to risk everyone’s safety, and a crew member literally got struck by lightning and woke up in the emergency room.  I hope he gets a giant settlement.

It also shouldn’t have been greenlit not just because it was apparently poorly run and unsafe (which, really, is the worst thing about all this – the show’s not even good, and you’re endangering people for it), but because it was a petty little vanity project.  Jensen Ackles just couldn’t let it go, couldn’t stand that he wasn’t the protagonist, and had to try to get in one last word.

But he couldn’t do it.  He was never going to be able to do it.  This wasn’t a project driven by love of storytelling, but by spite.  He wanted everyone to be thinking Where’s Dean?  How does Dean fit into this?  What’s he doing there?  He didn’t want to explore this weird, difficult relationship, or the original show’s major theme of autonomy; he just wanted attention.  That’s what comes through in all of this because the story itself doesn’t matter.  If these characters don’t reveal anything about the original characters or story, then it doesn’t matter, and it’s certainly not written or performed or produced well enough to make it matter. Why should I care about this John and Mary? I don't know, and the show doesn't, either.

And the kicker is that all of Dean’s voiceover bits are stupid cliches, it doesn’t make sense how he even got himself into this mess, and it all still comes back around to Sam in the end, anyway.  So there was literally no point.  It was all a waste of time and money and a man got struck by lightning.

This show was doomed from the start.  Dead, done, and dusted before it even made it to your screen.

[crackerslacker69]

Warhammer TV show timeline theory:

So for the Warhammer TV show that's in the works they've basically only announced that it Is Happening, but the exact start point is being kept secret for now. There are S O many incredible stories they could tell, but I feel like I Have to assume that a Warhammer show w Henry Cavil officially cast as a lead is going to focus on the space marines. That just feels like a given to me. I think the question is then: what's the starting point?

Personally I doubt they will start in "present" post-heresy Warhammer. This is going to be a massive promo opportunity for James Workshop, so I would be really surprised if they only focus on existing fans who can name all the primarchs and are already familiar with the corpse on the throne (praise be his name). There is an Ocean of lore to cover. It would be almost impossible to orient newcomers without either glossing over the lore, spending a shit ton of time on exposition, or completely omitting any background explanation entirely and committing to a "monster of the week" style TV show and drip-feeding lore in over time. While I feel a monster of the week structure would work Beautifully for a Warhammer show, this is less me thinking about what I Want and more a thought exercise of me trying to guess what they are Actually Going To Do. (I don't think this is likely, but I think it would be cool to do an inverted plot-progression structure of what supernatural/ the x-files did. Start out with a super convoluted plot and a shit ton of characters and eventually turn the show into a monster of the week structure over time. A show getting LESS complicated, MORE focused on beloved characters, AND more light as time goes on??? A girl can dream.)

Assuming they aren't going to start at present day, they'll have to start further back so the questions is how far back? Like I said, this is all based on the assumption that the tv show WILL be focused on space marines. By the time hominids even exist in Warhammer lore there is millions of years of necron and aeldari history. I would expect all of this to be either glossed over or more likely held back and revealed in parts over the course of the development of the plotline. I also assume that they will not cast Henry Cavil as the emperor of mankind as I cannot see them putting him in a living role they will eventually have to turn into a prop. I think the unification wars of Terra are probably too far back as I would assume Cavil will be in the very first episode, or at least of child version of his character.

The ultimate conclusion that I come to is this:

Cavil will be cast as one of the Primarchs or a Space Marine in one of the legions Pre-Horus heresy and Post discovery of the final primarch. I would guess it would be right around when Horus is named Warmaster, as that would be a good place of rising action to start the narrative.

Past that, I think it's anyone's guess! And I could be wrong about literally everything I said! 🤣 I'd assume they would pick a legion with fleshed out characters and a backstory, but it would also be cool for them to focus on a lesser known legion and expand the lore! It will be VERY interesting to see if they choose to focus on one of the legions that falls to chaos.

Personally, I would love to see Cavil cast as a son of Horus. I think a progression of his character going from being loyal to the emperor's favorite primarch, then watching his primarch fall to chaos, maintaining his loyalty to the emperor through all of it, and still ending up being hunted for sport across time and space would work really well. Plus the plot line could reflect a deteriorating faith in the Imperium of Man along with the deterioration of the Imperium of Man itself.

And that's what you missed on Glee 💋✨

[glasskey]

Season 6 Track 1 - 4 Breakdown

Season 6 is here and I’m going to kick this off by dismantling the first 4 episodes and throwing in some season 6 predictions as well. I’m not candy coating any of this, I’m just going to rip it open and tell you what’s inside. Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m sure Miller and co. have insta pages so go nuts.

There’s an eery and almost supernatural quality to some of the shots this season. It’s a dream, a memory and as such the light glows ethereally, the leaves swirl and dance and conversely a veil of sinister darkness descends.

Season 6 is in effects a replay of season 1 and 2 where everyone gets a second shot at past mistakes, a do over that comes in various familiar forms. We’ve got a bit of switcheroo happening in parts as well, with Nick as the town mayor, in a big house, with a wife as opposed to “low status, lives above the garage, hasn’t even been issued a woman”. Serena is set to hook up with Fred 2.0 and start Queening it up in New Bethlehem. In episode ONE she snuck off with Holly on the train, possibly foreshadowing a return her old baby snatching ways. Nicks once again been buttered up by a creepy old guy, after a bout of fisty cuffs and everyone will now have to run the gauntlet of past regrets, mistakes and missed chances. Wharton appears as a major player in both their lives so where will Nick and Serena land because of his influence once the dust clears?

This season is a journey that both Serena and June will take down opposing roads, and on closer inspection you will see the comparisons right from episode 1. While June is reunited with her mother in reality, Serena dreams of her father. While Holly speaks of Nick with disdain, Serenas father asks to be introduced to Fred. Where will these paths ultimately end? This week we saw Junes bond with Luke slowly separate as she spoke about the loss of Hannah breaking them apart, while Serena drew closer to Wharton. Luke had refused to return to Alaska to Holly and become a family, while Serena and Wharton will soon marry and do just that. The subject of Nick and Fred was also raised in conversation with their respective partners, with Luke accusing June of “wanting to go back in to fight” a veiled allusion to her reconnecting with Nick. Meanwhile Serena referred to Fred as “an albatross”, an obstruction to her success. If Serena continues her thirst for power and her association with Wharton it’s very likely we will see June break ties with Luke and go their separate ways, while re establishing a connection with Nick.

Our initial shot of Blaine is in cuffs, set free at the family home where his dour wife and sinister father in law are waiting for him. Gilead was making it clear from the get go, if he behaved like a good little boy, he’d get out of his bonds. Let’s not get confused, Blaine wasn’t actually getting out of prison, it was just more luxurious. Rose is not June, the beach that Blaine gazes out on is not the illusive Hawaii, its empty and isolated. Wharton's waiting for him already, it’s clear Rose's worded him up about Osborne and here comes the speech about “putting away childish things” Blaine turns his back to the beach view, Hawaii is always just out of reach, a part of Blaine can’t bear to look anymore and Wharton is making it clear it’s best forgotten.

I’ve now come to know Miller as the evil genie in the lamp, tell him your wish and he’ll give you the very worst conceivable version of it. From the moment Nick walked into Lawrences office and quipped that he “didn’t have the power or the capability” to have June killed I could tell this was not going to be a cozy Nick and June season. So who did have the power Nick? We ended 5 10 with the young commander so full of gusto, to take who ever was responsible in hand and now nothing? No follow up? Perhaps it was the imposing father in law now bunking in his house, who was constantly surveilling and timetabling his day to day. Blaine was rightfully scared and it was only a matter of time before he ditched his deal with Tuello. Josh Charles is brilliant this season as the quietly menacing Wharton. Silver tongued and super creepy, he seems to know exactly what everyone wants and offers it to them like a juicy deliciously cursed apple. His ability to disarm his victim with grovelling self effacement, slide under their radar and acquire power over them with velvet stealth is truly awe inspiring. While Serena was flattered by his advances, I’d never felt more inclined to unleash some mace. It takes all of a nano second for him to start slobbering sweet nothings into Nicks ear, about being “full of potential”. Potential for what? With a C.V. like Blaine’s I could only imagine.

Personally I’m really not keen on this look for Blaine, it’s a world away from the Nick we’ve known in previous seasons and a wee bit too. Dante’s Inferno for my taste. This swing around profile shot demonstrates the beginning of his descent into darkness, figuratively turned by the imposing figure of his father in law. Blaine essentially looks like a demon which I found a touch heavy handed, but never mind, he’s now decided to go dark on Tuello and off to Hades we go. The whole scene is a call back to S4 03 when Lawrence asked Nick to let Osborne go and he refused. His actions here represent a loss of hope of a chance at a life with Osborne, it’s something he never expected anyway “a pipe dream”, and besides Gilead wants to give him more of that delicious power. He hasn’t seen her in months and something is always better than nothing at all. It seems that Gileads never done trying to tear these two apart. In episode 4 we saw Nick being pulled between Lawrence and Wharton at the High Commander ceremony with Wharton winning the bout. It’s only 4 episodes deep and Blaine seems to be falling in line already. Lawrence built New Bethlehem with the idea that a brutal regime be dismantled, but Wharton's no moderate and he has no intention of losing a very effective enforcer. Blaine’s brutal, clinical, determined and best of all malleable.

They’ve already given him a new car thats pretty much the equivalent of the figurative “pale horse” that death rode in on. Pitch black, sleek and designed to slip away stealthily at breakneck speeds, it’s headlights glowing like demonic eyes. It’s the essential accessory for every aspiring villain.

Unfortunately for these writers, this seasons Nick “fresh from the lock up” Blaine, oozing with fuck off and complete with hot new wheels just keeps scoring points. If they were trying to make the resident bad boy look even badder, hotter and simultaneously more disarming then mission accomplished. Blaine was now noir flavoured cat nip. There were signs that Blaine wasn’t exactly keen about his deal with Tuello from the get go, because of the amount of untrained civilian rebel fighters that Tuello was calmly throwing at Gilead military forces to be slaughtered. June expressed similar misgivings and while I could see their perspective, Tuello was not about to lay down and let his country be taken without a fight.

“Devotion” makes it clear that while Nick may run to June’s beck and call, he won’t come for Tuello or anyone else. His devotion was to her and her alone. He had no loyalty to Mayday and the words “I had to, I had to see you” about his arrangement with Tuello, told me that he’d been driven into his deal for no other reason than Osbornes safety. While she was touched, it fairly raised the question about how Nick actually felt about Gilead itself? He’s become very comfortable “staying out of trouble” doing absolutely jack fuck all about the Handmaids until now so in the final analysis, what WAS he actually prepared to do about it? It’s a larger question the show is circling about male complacency and facilitation in the act of violence against women. Blaine pick up your feet.

Nick and June meet in the forest in a glorious golden light, there’s an aura of peaceful seclusion and I was reminded of that majestic wooden bridge in 4 03. Previously their solitude had been broken by a Gilead van creeping down the drive, this time Tuello was waiting. These two would get no peace from either of their countries. “Why would they do that? It’s dangerous” Blaine commented when Osborne made him aware of Luke and Moiras trek across the border. The statement itself revealed that he thought the rebellion risked too much. After a bit of to and fro Blaine finally offered to go and retrieve the two himself, “I’m coming with you” June says, a callback to her and Luke’s expedition into No Man’s Land in season 5. This time I had to chuckle when Blaine wearily told her to “get in the back”. “I know, I know” June replied….here we go the old team is back together.

The deserted waterpark was desolate and abandoned and yet Nick and June’s conversation took place once again in a sheltered area covered in greenery so reminiscent of S2 12 and S5 09. Previously Blaine had been stitched closed with loyalty, but the edges were fraying and now he just seemed desperate. He was feeling isolated, lonely, used up and worst of all abandoned. I had sensed in S5 09, a deep pain in Blaine that she had a life outside of him and he’d been left behind in Gilead to rot. And rot he did. The glimmer of hope from her constant distant glow, just out of reach was utter fucking torture and to be honest he couldn’t take it anymore. ““Do you even know what it’s like to be in love with you?” Was she ignorant to his pain or did she simply not care?

It’s obviously incredibly tense at home and he’s getting a lot of shit because of June. “If I even think about you, Rose can smell it on me”, the pressure at home was enormous, even his thoughts were being monitored. Rose could sense Osbornes constant visceral presence and there was a quiet desperation that Blaine could barely contain any longer around June. He was utterly obsessed, even Tuello knew that he would drop everything and come running on the one day he was meant to show up to perform for Gilead. His preoccupation with June was starting to cost a lot, and it was all beginning to wear thin. He felt forced into his agreement with Tuello because he had to see her, he HAD to see her. His compulsions had him cornered, she may not want to put him in any danger but the fact was it was irrelevant, he could NOT help himself.

Now she was here to ask him to rescue her husband of all people. “You have a whole life” “Do I? Cause I’m not so sure I do when I’m around you” he said. It suddenly became clear, he believed she’d chosen, she appeared in his life so very briefly so infrequently, if she would just go away and “stay safe” he’d stop losing pieces of himself over and over and over again. As it was, her bi annual reappearances were a reminder of the smallness of his life, no sooner had he drifted off to a submissive slumber, than there she was again to wake him. Osborne the waking dream and nightmare all in one. I suspected this season he would try and cut her out of his heart for his own self preservation and it would break him.

I sensed an argument blossoming. Aside from the hopeless romantic something lies deep inside of Blaine, the pain of being abandoned over and over and a quiet desperation to silence it no matter the cost. With creepy Wharton waiting in the wings to adopt his new protege, dip him in the buttery goodness of Gilead power and bake him for 40 minutes, I could only guess at the monumental struggle Blaine had before him to not be swallowed whole by the monsters that dwelled within. I wasn’t so sure he’d be able to truly make it through the fire. “I can’t lose them, they’re a part of me” June had said about Luke and Moira, a call back to season 2. “I feel that way about you, I only feel that way about you” Blaine had replied. This is a callback to S2, when Blaine had first told her he loved her, and here we were again.

This episode makes a point of wheeling out the heavily pregnant Rose on New Bethlehems open day. It’s a boy and nothing is more precious to Gilead than their sons. This child itself symbolised a generational commitment by Blaine to Gilead. Which is exactly why June could barely choke out the words that he had another child on the way. Nicks been made the “mayor” of New Bethlehem, the version of Gilead that conveniently lets you live in denial of what the realities of Gilead are. He’s the spokesperson for Gilead Lite who up until now has been towing the line but on the one day he’s meant to show up and perform for them he’s bunked off with Osborne and Co. Oops. While it was abundantly clear that Disney + was inserting some sort of weird product placement into the script, I still felt a bit robbed we didnt get at least a couple of bars of “Circle of Life”. I suspect Disney’s just getting fired up though, so maybe next time.

In season 2 the heavily pregnant June almost miscarried, so would his child die this time or birth a healthy son of Gilead? What happens when he holds his son for the first time? He’d left Rose alone today for Osborne but what about next time? What about Holly? He’d had the chance to choose her, to choose a free life with his daughter, and because of Wharton he was turning his back on it. What’s the statement here? Hatred’s generational, lost fathers, wayward sons….”Children look to their fathers” June had said so what did that mean for Blaine and his future? For Nick and June? It’s telling that June is now calling their daughter by her “real name”, her mothers name, that Holly’s staying with her mother, that Blaine’s expecting a boy and Wharton keeps calling him son….it all matters. Blaine is much more chatty this season but it was immediately apparent writers were determined to make him seem distant, cold and unlikeable, with his tone now combative, surly and arrogant. In previous seasons we’d seen a softer side of him, right down to his tone of voice when approaching June but now it was gone. He never called her name, he never brushed her hand, she barely fluttered her eyelashes and the descriptive phrasing for this character went from a “Good man in Gilead” to “a Nazi” in the short space of two episodes. Fuck, that was quick work.

In one scene Blaine switches into trademark psychopath mode, shooting two guardians dead in a quick, casual fashion. Moira and Luke are horrified, who the fuck is this guy? June seemed ridiculously shocked for someone who had herself shot guardians, encouraged Mrs Keyes to gut one like a pig, beat a commander to death at Jezebels, poisoned a whole swathe of them and hunted Fred down in the forest and eaten his face off. Even Moira had stabbed a commander to death at Jezebels. Never mind, seems legit. It was a moment obviously designed to impress upon the other characters Blaines ice cold brutality, but I wondered if they would have preferred to have ended up as just another body on the fire, as Blaine so eloquently put it. Still I was expected to believe this lot were shocked at the sacrifice of two stormtroopers. Fucking please. Story wise, it’s important that June didn’t witness Blaines act of violence here. She’s aware he’s trained to do so, but she’s never seen him actually go full death dealer and I’m fairly sure they’re saving that one up. Similarly it’s just as important that Luke did, he knows now exactly how effective this man is at completing the task given, what June meant when she said “he’d do anything for me and for Nicole”.

There are signs in episode 3 that Nick and Luke will come to blows in the future, one second Luke’s waving his gun around, the next the bro vibe is just way too hard. Luke is up to his old insecurities and macho bullshit; lying about running off with Mayday just to score cool points with June, and telling Moira that he should’ve never let her come along with him. And if it wasn’t bad enough being collected from the waterpark by his wifes side piece, he also had to watch Nick clean up his mess and then had to ride home in the back seat of THAT car. It’s intimidating to say the least and in episode 4 we see Luke all the more desperate to prove himself.

Blaines direct action of rebellion against Gilead will have consequences, but as usual to protect Osborne he did it without hesitation. It’s just another sacrifice he’s made, one that may be his eventual undoing and ultimately you have to ask yourself, when is June going to show up for Blaine? If she keeps asking for more and more, it will be easy for Wharton to convince him that the cost is simply too high. He's already attached himself to Blaine like some sort vampiric gargoyle and if Osborne doesn't kick him off her boyfriends throat soon, he'll drain him dry. As Nick and June bid each other goodbye it’s clear that Osbornes had a gut full. The whole thing was useless, she couldn’t stay away from him and he’d dumped his pregnant wife AGAIN to come running. Who did they think they were kidding?

As in season 1 and 2 you can expect to see Nick and June hooking up and as usual it’s going to get fiery, but with Wharton pulling the strings, ultimately they may not prevail. Personally I’m gutted, I love them as a deadly Mayday couple and Luke and June just seem like such a watered down version of it. I’m most heartbroken about what seems to be happening to Blaine. Instead of a carefully nuanced character walking a tightrope, I’m seeing Nick being not so subtly, transformed into a believer. Watching season 1 and 2 again, it’s disturbing to note how the lines are blurring between Fred then and how Nick is evolving. It’s not a mistake and neither is the fact that Fred was expecting a son and now Blaine is too. It’s not hard to see why audiences would rightfully be concerned about Blaines ability to make through his final tests. Miller keeps going on and on about characters revealing their true faces, and it’s not hard to see where they’re going with this. There's a lot of talk about those simply concerned with self interests being the bad guys this season. In episode 4 Rita commented on Nicks transformation since season 1, and he replied that being a commander in New Bethlehem was the safest thing to be in the safest place. In season 5 Nick told Lawrence that having Osborne in New Bethlehem was “Full of risks”. The fact that Nick was scared enough to break with Tuello so early on in the season and began his trial by fire, shows promise.

It hopefully demonstrates an arc where he finally steps out of that constant looming father figure shadow and demonstrates some bravery. I’m wary though, this season seems to be running in reverse. In season 1 Nick could be trusted, this time we know he’ll betray her. In season 2 Nick chose June over Fred, this time he might not choose her over his father figure. If he’s to be reduced to a true believer, I now expect to see some backtracking through the seasons and revelations of sufficiently unforgivable acts, coupled with his act of betrayal just to bring it all home. I saw this distinct possibility unfold before my eyes with perfect clarity as soon as I heard the words “fucking a Nazi” come out of Hollys mouth. Her mothers horror that Nick had been an Eye and was now a Commander, combined with June’s denial of any malignancy in his nature, solidified him as nothing more than a fascist that had somehow slipped under her radar but not dear old Ma’s. This moment is a call back to season 1 when Holly had warned her not to take her energy and give it all to a man and June had married Luke nevertheless.

Holly’s warning indicates Nick will probably reveal himself to her as such over the course of this season. It was such a bold call out that it completely negated any other future story line or character developments. It had about the subtlety of a sledgehammer, for the writers to have the most prominent feminist, matriarchal figure, in the protagonists life, yelling it in her face. This show loooooves mothers and as such the protagonists mother occupies the highest position of authority when it comes to wisdom. Serena too was called a Nazi in the first episode, and June saved her from a train carriage of angry handmaids. It made me wonder if June would ultimately feed Nick to an angry pack, if she finally resolved that he was simply no different to all the rest. Moss constantly calls June and Serenas relationship “The Love Story” of the show. That’s not love, it’s abuse. I will be disgusted if they actually give Serena a redemption arc this season. She has expressed the most meagre level of regret and committed horrific acts of abuse.

If they have resolved to drag audiences through seasons and seasons of a love story only to turn the ENTIRE thing to poison in the eleventh hour then they can expect their audience to be understandably hurt. The reality is, it’s cruel and it comes at a cost, one that writers better be prepared to pay. I can only conclude that they’ve either waited THIS late in the piece to strip the love interest of any possibility of redemption OR that was their plan all along. At the end of the day both are a great big fuck you, if you really think about it. I’m also a bit horrified that they would also take a clear socio economic underdog, and ultimately grind him into a fine powder. Comparisons began between this show and the current politically charged climate several seasons ago, and I guess they felt somewhat cornered by it so now they’ve decided to run with it full tilt. As a result Blaines personal history acts only as an asset to demonstrate the vampiric nature of powers that promote gender violence and discrimination. The self cannibalising consequences as those that benefit are polluted with power and lose their humanity. His past wont be used to draw any quarter, it just acts as a tragic exhibition.

Don’t get me wrong, I get why they’re doing it, it’s a valid commentary, but it doesn’t mean I don’t get to hate them for breaking my heart and it DEFINITELY doesn’t mean that I don’t get to be pissed off they waited this long to do it. I honestly hope I’m wrong, I hope that instead Blaine will finally demonstrate the required fortitude, that he’ll decide that “staying out of trouble” was always just a life half lived. I was assured that this season was a love letter to the fans and I hope to God I won’t want to send this one back.

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

With the repeat imagery of different Mutsumi-s, and with her "teleportation" on stage, when I first saw Mortis' little feetsies I was like oh. Yeah. Her alter who's a little doll.

In hindsight, her frozen state may be interpreted as dissociation - no one being in front in that moment.

I truly didn't expect a genuine possibility that BanG Dream! would feature a character with DID, and I was especially not expecting the portrayal of a non-human alter, and yet, when I saw small feet walk up to Mutsumi in the Episode 3 teaser, it clicked in my brain.

But is this actually DID? Could it be another disorder, or is Ave Mujica intended to introduce fantastical elements that are not grounded in reality?

I'm not under the impression that Ave Mujica is going to be supernatural horror. Of course, the imagery itself is fantastical, but that's a quality from working with a visual medium.

The visual medium brings forward some questions - such as, does the Mutsumi-chan we know have a headspace wherein she views herself in the appearance of a child?

Or, alternatively, is this appearance due to experiencing flashbacks?

Mortis, when she's not the doll, assumes her older form. Since other characters look like dolls and toys in this section - perhaps headspace - toys might be the tool with which she processes those thoughts and not representative of Mortis' self.

But Mutsumi also perceives her guitar as having a voice, which is less conventional.

Could a disorder that causes hallucinations be another possible interpretation? So far, with the knowledge that Mortis "takes control" and causes completely different behaviours from their body, it's not the one that makes the most sense.

It seems her guitar might be an identity of hers that wants to sing, but doesn't have that control. Still, she later repeats "I can't make the guitar sing": the way she views her guitar might still be different from an alter, for which Mortis fits the role, and rather a symptom of feeling a disconnect from the music she plays. How much music communicates is an important theme of BanG Dream!, after all, and here Mutsumi says this: I can't communicate through music. (I know that when I used to play music, I would be praised for the emotions that were specific to my playing - this is a genuine feeling.) It's important to note that even if she does have DID, her worries about CRYCHIC are still also happening.

...But Mutsumi may herself be the guitar...*

Looking at Sakiko crying all over again, feeling negative emotions as though it's going on right now - those are flashbacks. DID is a disorder linked with C-PTSD.

This audience of multiple Mutsumi-s continues to show up when Mortis comes back to talk to her, which contributes to its meaning as imagery of viewing "different selves".

...I don't know why the chicken has an opinion. (And I don't think I'm familiar with its imagery.)

Is this just imagery of her mental breakdown? Am I wrong for seeing resemblances with dissociative identity disorder?

The thing is, I have no idea where Bushiroad stands on representing mental health and disorders. I mean, much of BanG Dream! has had what felt to me like genuine attempts to write autistic experiences - most evidently with Mashiro's and Tomori's world views - I also believe Kasumi fits the criteria for ADHD - but it's never said. That, to me, is a point of worry. Are we doing secret-DID? Are we doing DID-inspired fiction?

During the band's fight, what Mutsumi experiences is once again a flashback.

Whilst one would argue that a highschool band disbanding isn't that traumatising - first of all, this is the Bandoriverse - but most importantly, if she has an established disorder such as C-PTSD or, as I'm observing here, DID, she is someone with an established propension to experience flashbacks. Lots of feelings can also get mixed up together and cause something seemingly small to mean a lot to the traumatised individual.

Of course, the question is - what did Mutsumi experience to develop DID? Neglect is a plausible theory, given her family's setup, but again, without knowing Bushiroad's exact standards and goal, should we expect a realistic backstory for the disorder?

...Has Sakiko, without her knowledge, met an alter of Mutsumi's before?

Then, Mutsumi identifies "Mortis". She has not introduced herself before, which is why this looks to me - and makes sense due to the context of Mortis as a concept being introduced fairly recently into her life - like a system that has formed a new alter.

...Should I be scared?

If this is meant to be sincere writing of DID, it should remain a fact that Mortis does nothing but try to protect Mutsumi. And though the visual is scary, it makes sense for one to be taking the other's place. (Would it make sense to say Mortis is becoming the host?)

Of course, since I don't know Bushiroad's intentions, they might still be intending on using those concepts for horror alone.

Well, even with the best of intentions, Mortis forcing Mutsumi out is actually quite scary and makes for an uneven relationship.

And for an alter to go dormant and not come back is something people are likely to grieve.

*...As the guitar is laid to rest.