#i wonder if its possible to get physical versions of most of the other eps?

[gasp-iwrotesomething]

Four Minutes Too Late (SFW)

Summary: MC had four minutes to bring him back; what she thought to be enough time. She was horrifically wrong. Now, after returning home numb from her failure, MC’s heart chips at the last note he left for her... and she wishes she could sock him one last time. 

Word Count: 1,928

Genre: Angst (SFW)

Warning(s): MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CAL S2, EPS 10-12, mentions of death, a bunch of angst

A/N: Here’s an alternate version of the finale of Cal North’s season 2 where the resurrection fails and MC reads the note he wrote to her. The idea of this is right up my alley for severe angst so enjoy this heartbreaking fic as much as you can.

Also inspired by the this post by @official-alex-cyprin.

MC couldn’t keep still.

Despite the numbness infecting her body, MC’s legs continued to carry around the room as she paces restlessly. How could she rest? Cal was dead. He was gone and he would never come back. MC had repeated that a thousand times over in her head at this point but somehow, after stating this in the space and comfort of her room, it still rattles her from the inside out. First with her heart shuddering and crying with the truth at hand, then the tears that prick her eyes goading her to actually cry. I failed. I failed him. And he had to suffer the consequences. She shuts her eyes against the intense waves of guilt and frustration and sadness that all lap at her, tugging and knotting her heartstrings sordidly. As morbid as it sounded, it was true; no one could convince her otherwise. Cal had sought her out specifically--asked for her assistance and utter trust--and relied on her to do her part. Bring him back to life. But she didn’t. MC tried with every ounce of her being to focus on breathing life back into him, conduct CPR until his chest moved, stab the adrenaline shot into his heart until she could feel the dull thump of it against her fingertips... But nothing happened. Thirty seconds passed--nothing. Then a minute--nothing--then two, then three, then four until Wrath had to pull her away--drag her back into reality and relay the message that it was too late. Cal was gone.

MC collapses backwards onto her bed as more guilt swamps her. What about Avi? The little boy had no idea what Cal had been planning and now that the plan failed, how in the hell would the troupe be able to break the news to him? He was so small and pure and spared from the hard travesties of life; with Cal there to raise and monitor him, Avi never had to experience loss or true grief. And now he had to face all of those inevitable feelings with the loss of his legal guardian--the person who he saw everyday and who he loved most of all. Avi would experience grief from the person who had gone through hell and back to assure that Avi never went through the past he had lived through. That shred of happiness was gone; stolen right from under his feet like it was nothing--like Cal was nothing. That, more than any other revelation MC experienced, is what tears her heart into ribbons. She couldn’t wash her mind clean of the last moments of Cal’s life--the look of regret and longing. The feeling that there was something that should’ve been said--something that should’ve been shared between the two of them. It was almost a physical thing wedged between them, thickening the air and wrapping around them like a blanket of urgency. MC recalled how she wondered if they’d ever break that silence between the two of them; wondered if this was the last fragment of regret she’d have to tote for the rest of her life if she failed.

And she did, and now the blanket was hopeless around her shoulders.

MC heaved a quavering sigh. How was she supposed to live with that? Live with the fact that she never got to tell him how she felt? That she never gave him the chance to speak his heart? Was that even a possible thing to do? The answer is turbid, unable to be fruitful to her aching chest, and she palms the tears gathering in her brown eyes. Was Cal’s death really her fault? Of course it was--she had been in charge of resuscitating him after all. And that wasn’t even the most morbid cluster of the guilt buzzing within her rib cage. MC had seen him take his last breath, felt the last essence of life leave his body; she had seen the blue of his eyes dull as they closed for the final time. She watched him sip the venom and she felt his heart slow and then stop against her hand. MC had felt his blood on her fingers, felt the lively warmth of it as Cal stilled and passed on to wherever he was destined to go. She had been the last thing Cal saw right before he died. The thought sickens her. Though it should be beneficial to her consolation process, it just made her want to bend the rules of reality and rewind time. I shouldn’t have been the last person Cal saw: it should’ve been Avi. It should’ve been Avi, for god’s sake!

Cal loved Avi more than anything and to pass without seeing him again--for the last time? MC couldn’t even fathom the prospect of it, her pulse twittering in her chest painfully. But Avi watching Cal die wasn’t something that should’ve happened; he’s a kid, he doesn’t deserve to have that mental image ingrained in his head for the rest of his life. MC retracts her wishes almost as fast as she forms them. Cal wanted Avi to live a life devoid of the sinister life of being a demon hunter--he wanted him to grow up a way that Cal didn’t get to. Avi seeing Cal dead didn’t align with Cal’s moral compass or even his goals for Avi. The least MC and the troupe could do was carry on his intentions and raise Avi just the way he did; to be a kid without a care in the world. MC presses the heel of her hand against her closed eyes. If only I had enough time... I could’ve prevented this whole fiasco. I could’ve saved Cal and he could be with Avi right now, happy and safe. We could break the wall between him and I and spread our feelings out on the table--be truthful with one another. MC descends into a spiral of ‘what if’s’, picturing a life--a reality--where Cal and her could be together. Where everyone was happy--where no grief or loss or Cal-lessness existed. 

Then she bolts upward as she remembers the note Cal had left for her.

MC’s heart races and trips and stumbles in her chest. For an earth-shattering moment, MC isn’t weakened by her everlasting grief; there’s just anticipation and giddiness, a storm of butterflies whisking around her belly. The note! How could I have forgotten about the note?! She mentally slaps herself for her idiocy and then rummages through her pocket, producing the envelope with the tiny, pleading writing scrawled on the outside. He had been so adamant that I don’t open this if it does work... what did he want me to see? The curiosity fluttering through her heart becomes more belligerent as her fingernail shimmies under the flap of the envelope, sliding to the left and summoning a gentle ripping sound to fill the air. It’s most tense during the long and surprisingly robust sound; as if mirroring the rhapsody of patter her heart sings. The flap flutters loose, gifting MC with access to the contents within. A note with a yellow tinge peeks at her from over the ‘v’ of the envelope. There it is. The note Cal wants me to read now that he’s... MC’s internal monologue fades off as the knot in her throat tightens--how was she supposed to read the note and not break down? Just thinking about the deceased gunslinger has her heart aching like it did when he had passed--more specifically, when the four minutes passed on. 

She slips the note from its bed of ivory white paper and carefully unfolds it, her heart beating so fast as if it was about to break free from her chest. She had no idea what would be inside--what Cal would’ve wrote--and what exactly would it change? Unless it was some voodoo spell that could resurrect Cal if she recited aloud, MC doubted that the contents would do anything to heal the tear that still scathed her. The paper unfurls in her hands, inviting her eyes in, giving passage to the few words that were scrawled in big yet careful letters.

I want to kiss you.

MC doesn’t move. In fact, she stills, her brown eyes traveling over every curve and line like it would all disperse into something else--something she didn’t even know. The realization thwacks her once it comes and as soon as it does, MC’s mind whirls with the implications--the possibilities. Cal wanted to... kiss me? A roll of warm emotions uncurl within her--like a long elegant carpet stitched in the classic style of a quilt--and her hand instinctively rises to her chest. So he had feelings for her too. All along, Cal had-! MC wanted to punch something, preferably the gunslinger himself, for leaving her with a dream that would never be. A dream that died along with him that night. With a shaking sigh, MC laughs--first lightly, then louder, hoping that letting it out would alleviate the pain that crowded her rib cage. It doesn’t, to say the least; all it does is heighten the urge to cry to the point where she’s laughing and vigorously scrubbing the tears gathering in her tear ducts. Now she looked like some kind of lunatic from a generic horror film--laughing and crying like she’d never known what a normal emotion felt like. Of course Cal would leave me hanging like this; why did I expect any sort of relief? But there was relief--relief that the connection between them wasn’t just a thread visible to only MC (and the rest of the troupe), but was also tangible to Cal as well. Maybe she should’ve been content with that; able to melt into a sense of giddiness that they both had feelings for one another. That there was an understatement between them of more. Maybe that was enough. But it’s not enough--god, why can’t it be enough? She was selfish to not be happy with the last thing Cal left for her--that was her first instinct--but how could she? She had been shown a future that she’d never get but had always wanted. 

MC slumps. She didn’t know how to feel about this anymore. Should she cry out of joy or cry out of misery--out of grief? MC didn’t even know if there was a right answer to that. For a moment, MC stares at the note, unable to do anything else. Then, tentatively, MC raises the piece of paper up to her lips. She kissed the note gingerly as if it were Cal's mouth, her heart full yet so empty. In her mind, she wonders how the kiss would be between the two of them. How Cal reacted, how he tasted, how his breath smelled, how soft his lips were, how warm her chest would grow... The curse of his absence settles into her fantasies and her heart ripped apart again--torn. She’d never be able to kiss him--never, no matter how much she wished otherwise. All MC could do was hope that wherever Cal was right now, above or below, that he felt the kiss.

Heard her heart's mournful orchestra and knew that it played for him alone.

Knew that she felt the same as he did for her.

That Cal knew that she wanted to kiss him too.

And that she would if she could--a thousand times over until his mouth never knew what it felt like to be unkissed.

“I’m sorry,” She murmurs softly, that hope that he’d hear it a flower flourishing in the ecosystem of her heart.

“I’m so, so, sorry, Cal.”

~FIN~

[prairiedust]

Red or Green? The literary and folk themes of Oroborous

Red or green is the official state question of New Mexico as ratified by the legislature in 1996. Order anything at any restaurant, even a burger in some places, and you’ll likely be asked “Red or green?” Do you want red chile sauce on your entree, or do you prefer green chile? The “state question” can sometimes reveal geographical origins-- red sauce is supposedly favored in the northern half of the state, while green is more popular in the south (I lived in the south, and you could easily get either one anywhere so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .) The best green chiles are grown in the south, so maybe that has something to do with it-- like wine grapes, chiles from different parts of the state have different flavor profiles. Green chiles from the Hatch area are world famous.

But it’s important to remember that the sauces are made from the exact same fruit. The difference is all in the timing. Green chiles are harvested early, unripe, then roasted and chopped up and canned or put in the freezer, whereas red sauce is made from chiles that have been allowed to ripen fully and are then (typically) dried.

It’s all about timing. Let your chiles stay on the plant too long, and you miss your chance at the magical elixir that is green chile sauce.

Timing.

The sister stories of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are, to a great extent, about timing. They are about waiting, about vigils, and about being at the right place at the right time-- or the exact wrong time.

(If you have not already read this rundown of Snow White in season 14, I suggest at least reading a few of the translations of the original folktales here or here. And cw the Sleeping Beauty story called Sun Moon and Talia is dark. I’ll be discussing the difference between the original material and the Disneyfied stories somewhat. Usual disclaimer that this is lit crit and not spec, why you ask, because I am a hundred years old is why.)

I want to say first that Steve Yockey in Ouroboros did a truly wonderful job allegorizing the story of Snow White, which has been teased for a while now. In the Grimms’ Snow White, as in other tales of that type, Snow White has been 1. run into the wilderness by her stepmother, B. taken in by a group of dwarfs, Three: then poisoned by that stepmother and fourthly laid to rest in a glass coffin. While the story has been poked at over the course of several episodes, Yockey sums it all up again in this one.

Dean-- along with the rest of TFW 2.0-- has been traipsing around New Mexico looking for a peculiar monster. Trope one. From the screen shot it looks like they’ve possibly been through Clovis, Roswell, Albuquerque, and finally made it up to Raton. As far as wildernesses and in-between places go, New Mexico is the most liminal state in the union-- many people in the country think it’s part of Mexico and if you think that’s a joke when I was a senior looking at colleges I had two well respected schools send me their foreign student applications. Roswell. AAAAaaaaahhhh Roswell. Roswell is the city that straddles reality and science fiction. They fry ice cream in New Mexico, they eat both ripe and unripe chiles there, and they have old mountain forests and arid white sand deserts within fifty miles of one another.

Another nod to the Snow White story is the Ma’lek Box that Dean mentions again-- B-- it can be seen as an allusion to Snow White’s glass coffin (in other versions, it is merely ornate or sometimes bedecked in rare gems but it is definitely something that she alone can not get out of… being dead and all...)

Finally, when the Gorgon knocks him out and Michael escapes, Sam tends Dean’s wounds while he is unconscious, which fulfills the traditional Snow White requirement for someone other than the king/prince to affect a physical change in the heroine’s state-- cutting off an enchanted dress or jostling the coffin so that the bite of poisoned apple can be coughed out-- in order to bring her back to life. Walt Disney and his studio added the “first love’s kiss” into the Snow White matrix in 1938, not even a century ago, but it quickly took over the narrative-- Disney also brings the story into a more accessible reality for modern viewers, he introduces the prince into the actual storyline earlier than in the folk tale, and then has him awaken her with The Kiss. Which do we, as an audience, prefer? The rabbit-hole of darker, more psychological Snow White tale types, or Disney’s recent and overwhelmingly iconic romantic reimagining?

Red or green?

Yockey gave us green, the version that has not ripened into what most people know as Snow White through the Disney cinematic behemoth.

The other duality in this episode is that we have Sleeping Beauty being referenced simultaneously with Snow White’s allegory.

Sleeping Beauty is Cas’ story and elements from that tale type can be seen in how the Gorgon stalks and overcomes his prey. The Gorgon uses sex to snare a human for consumption-- he says he’s an opportunist but that women have begun to be more cautious now that they are “waking up” from a long period of oppression. Sleeping Beauty’s deep sleep comes as the result of a symbolic sexual awakening-- in the more recent stories that awakening comes from the machinations of an enemy, so it is more a violation than a sudden innocent awareness. Where am I going with this? I don’t even know, this seems like it belongs in a different essay. What I’m trying to say is that the Gorgon uses sex to put people into a state of paralysis, and the evil fairy (known in the Disney movie as Maleficent) used a sexual metaphor to lure Briar Rose to her doom before she was ready for that kind of encounter. We are asked to contemplate the symbolic aspect of the Gorgon’s predation because he also uses a symbolic act-- eating eyeballs-- to see into the future and thus subvert the natural order of time.

In Sleeping Beauty, the evil crone/Maleficent also subverts the timeline by jumping place in line. She was not invited to the party in honor of the infant princess, but after nearly all of the other wise women have given Briar Rose their blessings, she breaks in to curse the baby. There is always one fairy left who, while not powerful enough to nullify the curse, can modify it to a deep sleep instead of death. In Ouroboros, TFW2 exploits the fact that Cas and Jack exist outside of the workings of Fate to defeat the Gorgon, but not without great cost.

Which brings us to The Wrong Kiss. I didn’t even want to meta the Sleeping Beauty stuff because of the kiss, seriously. So. What happens to Briar Rose is tragic, but in the three most famous versions of the story she comes out of her enchantment because a prince falls in love with her. Jack, here, as a result of Cas’ deal with the Empty, is no longer in the Sleeping Beauty story, he is not a Prince but a Giant-Killer once more, and the antidote he administers to counteract the Gorgon’s venom will not work. Once he activates his giant-killing powers, he can heal Castiel. (In the reciprocal, Cas is an agent of the SB story and the antidote works on the dude the Gorgon was about to eat because Cas administers it. It’s a very meta way of treating the folklore theme by both subverting it and keeping certain characters strictly within the parameters.)

Jack finally lives up to his name as a Giant-Killer when he takes out Michael. In Appalachian and English Jack Tales, Jack is always clever, sometimes to the point of unscrupulousness, but in the story Jack and the Beanstalk he is a naive picaro who betters his circumstances through reliance on his simple nature as much as his wits. Often “Jack” does not change as a result of his adventures, as most fairytale heroes do, but like many other mythological tricksters he operates outside the bounds of normal morality. Jack Kline has managed to hold onto his innocence despite initiation into the Winchester clan. Now that Jack has, presumably, burned off some large portion of his soul, it will be interesting to see how his picaresque nature might actually change. Because the story of Jack the Giant-Killer? Not the same story as Jack and the Beanstalk. The Giant-Killer is the story of a deadly clever young man who defeats several giants as well as Lucifer using mainly his wits and is afterward given a place on King Arthur’s Round Table. The story in its entirety borrows from Cornish, Welsh, and Briton mythology, echoing other simple folktales as well as hearkening to high heroes of the Mabinogi. Jack has become larger than life. (AN I started this before Peace of Mind, I’ll get to that one by the end of the season maybe :P )

In a less meta sense of course, this episode is one huge mythological allusion-- Cas refers to Dean’s imprisonment of Michael as a “herculean” feat, the MOTW is a Gorgon (and traditionally gorgons were a trio of cursed sisters in Greek legends,) and Dean enthusiastically references the 1981 Clash of the Titans film twice. In a /more/ meta vein, Andrew Dabb quotes the more recent Titans movie in a tweet on this ep’s airdate. I find that exciting because the story of Perseus in CotT features a descent into the underworld, and again while I flirt with speculation here I would REALLY like to see these nerds freaking raid the Empty.

As for Snow White and Sleeping Beauty now? Red or green?

It feels as though the Snow White story has possibly been tied up and tucked away now, solving the riddle of the “red or green” sister stories. Michael, Dean’s evil rival, is dead. Pretty sure. Whether his grace is contaminated and will have an adverse effect on Jack remains to be seen. See drsilverfish’s lovely analysis of the oroborous symbolism in the last two episodes for more discussion about what it means for Jack to have consumed Michael’s grace. But. Unless there is a Ghost of AU!Michael coming up, he’s gone.

We are left, however, with Cas’ deal with the Empty-- he gets to operate under normal parameters as long as he does not exceed the minimum threshold of happiness (and I want it to be an accidental or unexpected moment, unlike a lot of meta writers, but then that isn’t spec it’s just what I hope for.) And what does that mean for destiel subtext? I don’t know. Honestly, this is a little too intense for me, I am not “canon positive” or “endgame positive” and this episode freaked me out. Analytically, though, it places the subtext at a really interesting place. It means the princess who gets rescued from an enchanted doom is still on the loose, still avoiding Fate, and the prince is still out there having Adventures in the Woods. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[scream-into-the-voiddd]

Well done op 

I think there is some wonderful points and Idea’s here.

Though I think there is another way to look at it.

- I love the earthquake conclusion and i think it is a perfect way to steal from people without them knowing it (and to ‘get rid’ of people in the way, without raise to many question)

but i think we need to work backwards a bit here 

I don’t think the Terrafirmians are going to be the cause here 

but i think we should look at who is in F.O.W.L atm

like

John D. Rockerduck.

why is that important? 

He was a frontier miner (in business anyway) so he worked/ knows a lot about the old under ground, and old abandoned mining deposits, holes and access underground and the material that is / was there as those towns were abandoned and most likely lost to ‘time’ as it were.     

- i think you Gandra Dee stuff is on point (so i won’t retread it) 

we know Steel beak is fresh out of prison and not so smart and is set up as Launchpads opposite, 

we also know that FOWL can control robotic limbs because of him to (which is horrifying, in its own right, without thinking if they can get to Della that way as well? unlikely, but an idea)   

we also know that FOWL won’t be loud about this (as you mentioned above) 

so that leads me to...

Funzo or The phantom blot

He is a hypnotist, and looking at the wiki he 

“skilled in spreading fear to his victims, causing them to doubt their relationships and (in some cases) even their own sanity”

so I think a character with that skill set is going to be used in an interesting way and he is the one with the easiest access to the kids (as funzo) 

so that is terrorising.

and finally 

Black heron has history with agent 22 and the former F.O.W.L, 

she now knows the formula to the bonce serum (thanks to Beakley) 

and I sand by that taurus bulba may have apart to play (but i covered that in another reblog) 

now with all these pieces on the broad.

1- I think Gandra Dee is going to go after Fenton’s invention (or re create her own version) 

2- I think John D. Rockerduck, is going to use his knowledge of the underground and old mines to set up the invention/ earthquake points 

3- Steel Beak is the physical enforcer, 

4- Black Heron, knows the formula and Beakly’s past ( “she’s, fibbing, fibbing fibbing”)  

5- the Vulture's are close to Scrooge to keep an eye on him/ his family and they have control over BH, SB and GD’s body parts (and possibly Della and Boyd) 

6-  Funzo or The phantom blot, can destroy the family “from the inside” from a distance, using his ability's and access to the kids. by turning the kids on each other or the family. so there will be to much in fighting to see FOWL coming.

7- we also know that a certain member of the duck family can sense/ find out about a fake reality, 

HUEY !!!!

(as seen in ep 2) 

now there are points and pieces missing 

(like Launchpad, Gosalyn and Drake and how they might fit into it? if at all?) 

as we know Launchpad will have something to do with Steel Beak later on, (a rematch maybe?) 

and FOWL are after an something hidden in that journal but what or how many?

is it more then one thing? 

but idk my idea’s are much more all over the place then yours are op.  

so I do agree that earthquakes or at least the underground is going to play a part in all of this.

I just think the method will be done by the characters on hand at FOWL then any kind of “out sourcing”

 I could be wrong though 

F.O.W.L’s PLAN

F.O.W.L... The fiendish organization for World larceny..

They live up to their reputation of being fiendish. A group of criminal masterminds with enough power, brains and resources to give people like Scrooge and Darkwing Duck a run for their money. They are a threat that have the capability to destroy the entire duck family.

Scary part is... that’s just what they’re doing this season..

Their sights are set on anyone connected to Scrooge McDuck and they have stepped out of the shadows to challenge them and destroy them once and for all...

But how?

What’s the plan? What plan can be great enough to challenge them? The Duck family have conquered shadow armies, an alien invasion and have defeated countless other villains.

This beautiful family is strong and is growing stronger with each new ally they meet. BOY’D is a freakin super robot now! And we have Lena! She’s already an army in one lol What could FOWL possibly do to match this families strength?

Well that’s what we’re here to find out! And I think I got something.. Something that very well could be the end of Scrooge and his family...

Hey guys! NightRise here with another head scratching theory that will have you up all night pondering

In my previous and first FOWL theory (which I would suggest you go read before reading this. It’s super short don’t worry lol) I talked about the connections between the Bounce serum and Fentons Energy Crystal. How they both could be related to a larger scheme because both are related to BOUNCING.

But how do these two things fit in with fitches journal? The thing that seems to be FOWLS main focus this season.

What’s the missing piece to this plan?

Well I’m here to kick start the many possibilities that is FOWLS plan and help you all see the connections. Maybe you’ll take something from this to help with your own theories.

Now I’m telling you right now that this theory is absolutely a stretch and has about a 50% chance of being accurate. For the obvious reasons being that we’re not even half way through the season yet and we still have so much more of FOWL left to see.

But because of the pieces that I found connecting so well together and the show going on a little hiatus (boo) I thought I’d go ahead and drop this off now.

It’ll be my final theory on this fiendish organization and I want to share it with you the good people so you have something during the break to think over and keep you up at night theorizing.

So with that VERY long introduction out of the way, lets rise into this:

I’ve been thinking a lot about the bounce serum and it’s capabilities. What FOWL was going to use it for and how they think it’ll help them rule the world.

But how exactly? How does bouncing help with that?

Black Heron said she wanted to use the serum to create super soldiers to cause mass destruction and chaos across the- ... (Why am I having Captain America flashbacks...?)

Anyway!

But the thing with that is from what I’ve seen the Bounce juice doesn’t really cause mass destruction when its consumed by a normal person. It just makes them bounce and invulnerable to fall damage. It didn’t create a shockwave of destruction or anything like that when they landed. So how is she going to cause destruction with it?

Bouncing is only good for escaping or surviving from high up places. How could it possibly destroy anything?

Well I got to thinking. What happens when we bounce in a second story house on the top floor? It creates a stomp. A loud BOOM!

Vibrations

And the higher we jump the greater that vibe is. So I got to thinking where would strong vibrations be the most effective and catastrophic?

UNDERGROUND!

Earthquakes!

According to an adorable red hatted nerd we know, Earthquakes are shifting plates that move.

But as also stated by another adorable duckling “who’s pushing the plates”

(Okay so you might already know where I’m going with this and like I stated previously this is what I meant by this theory being stretched and far fetched. But this was the ONLY connection I could make with this so please bear with me, you’re about to see the connections I PROMISE)

There are only one species I know that are capable of causing earthquakes with little to no effort..

The final piece that I think is in FOWLS plan is.......

The Terrafirmians!

I know, I KNOW it’s crazy. And some of you are probably already leaving but HEAR. ME. OUT. PLEASE. Let me SPEAK. Cause I’m about to explain why.

As usual I’ll try to keep it as brief as I can:

Terrafirmians, ancient rock like cretrues that live in a society deep underground. Not much different from the above ground civilization.

Their capability to move around the earth effortlessly is amazing. And they are incredibly strong. With little to no effort they were able to make a clean safe passage back to the surface for the Duck family in a matter of seconds. Their rock like exterior makes them almost impenetrable.

Honestly they would make the perfect soldiers for anybody.........

So why wouldn’t FOWL want them in their army? They certainly can find a use for them. One specific use in general:

To use the juice

The Bounce juice is an organic drink, so you can’t give it to an army of robots. And we’ve seen what happens when you give it to a normal person. Not much.

But the Terrafirmians with their already tough exterior (which was redesigned in this reboot series. From furry and plush to rocky and tough) would cause a lot of damage if they were bouncing around everywhere. Bouncing is how they operate. They bounce and crash into rocks. But instead of digging right through the earth they’ll bounce right off of it, creating vibrations.

That serum would be perfect for them. Perfect for FOWL. An impenetrable army that could cause so much destruction in an instant. It’s the perfect plan.

Think of the time gap between the two missions involving the bounce serum.

Why did Heron return after so much time had past?

For so many years she could’ve attempted to capture Beakley and get the serum information she needed. So many chances. Why wait? Why was FOWL so quiet for so long and then suddenly pick up where they left off DECADES ago?

What changed?

I’ll tell you what changed. The plan changed. The original idea they had for the serum.

When Heron was explaining the plan she didn’t really sound like she had all the pieces together. Just soldiers bouncing “here, there and everywhere”. It was messy and not well put together.

It sounded like a disorganized plan for an organization.

FOWLS original plan was incomplete and had too many errors. So it was unnecessary at the time. That’s why FOWL didn’t try to go after the juice the first time Heron failed to acquire it. They weren’t desperate. They didn’t need it then. They found it unnecessary.

So why is it now that they are trying to complete that mission? What makes now different from back then? Why is it now necessary to acquire the serum after all this time?

Because they found the final piece they needed.

The Terrafirmians

But wait! How are we even sure we’d see them ever again in this season? Well because we only saw 4-5 of them. There’s an entire civilization of these guys. Are we really not going to explore more of them? This season is all about Huey so why wouldn’t we go back to the first obstacle he faced in the series?

Think I’m crazy?

Remember what Bradford Buzzard said at the end of Double-O-Duck? “We’re going to take it from them. From right underneath McDucks nose” UNDERNEATH! That’s gotta be a clue.

Their FOWL base!! Its underground! They moved from a tower to an underground lair. WHY? The tower looked perfectly fine to me. It seemed to be working just fine. Why move underground? That’s another clue.

But how does Fitches journal (which was found UNDERGROUND) fit into all this? Well allow me to explain.

The Terrafirmians are a peaceful friendly tribe, that have no beef with surface dwellers. If they had a problem with them they would’ve showed up a long time ago. But they haven’t. It’s obvious they want peace.

This doesn’t fit in with FOWLS plan though. So they are looking for a way to change the Terrafirmians way of thinking. Take away their peaceful ideals. They want to corrupt them. Control them

Mind control.

They are looking for an artifact that helps with that. It’s become obvious that they are not looking to acquire every artifact in that journal.

If that was the case they would’ve been there to steal the Harp from the ducks or showed up after they left to take it. But they didn’t. Not a sign of them anywhere.

And they already have the third eye diamond. Found in their personal archives. (How that’s possible is full of theories that I will leave to someone else to work on lol)

But by the way it was presented in the episode Double-O-Duck, it didn’t seem like it was needed. Or important. Just a side project. Why?

Because they are after a SPECIFIC artifact. One that would help with controlling the Terrafirmians. That’s what Bradford meant by “The race is on”. The race to the final key they need. The final key like...

The Stone of What Was!

“STONE”. That’s already connected to the earth. There’s a chance this stone is with the Terrafirmians. Or it might be the case that this stone will help whoever has it find the hidden civilization that is the Terrafirmians.

Kinda strange they’re saving that one for last, don’t you think?

Could that be the final thing they need? Would that bring them total control? Who knows but it’s interesting that the creators of the series would save that adventure for last.

But wait, how does Fentons crystal fit into all of this? How would that help FOWL in anyway?

Well if my previous theory was correct, Gandra is already working on that solution.

See that’s the thing about theories everybody! When you do them, include everyone that applies to it!

Putting certain characters in scenarios that fit them. And that’s what I did with Gandra. Shes a scientist plus she has a connection with Fenton. Her and Fenton obviously are going to meet again. What else would she possibly work on?

She’s going to replicate Fentons experiment on a larger scale. Wrap the Terrafirmians in that same synthetic crystal, like clothing or Energy suits, to boost the power of their bounce.

The greater the bounce the greater the vibration.

FOWL is going to control an army of Terrafirmans, give them bounce juice and wrap them up in Fentons Synthetic crystal so they’ll be powerful enough to create INSTANT EARTHQUAKES!

But not in a city wide rage! Specific locations. FOWL said they don’t want to destroy the world. Just the Duck family. In fact they don’t want to destroy the world at all. But steal it from everybody else. What better way to do that then to have an army of earthquack making soldiers that can split up and target each individual family member and take them out unsuspectedly?

FOWL said it themselves they want to do things smarter. What’s smarter than an earthquake making army you can’t see coming that can take you out before you even know what’s going on? At anytime. ANYWHERE.

The very world itself would turn against the Duck family. It’ll be robbed from them!

They don’t call it “WORLD LARCENY” for nothing am I right?

Magica and Lunaris already tried taking the aggressive approach and failed. Now FOWL wants to do things more stealth like. In the shadows. Leaving no trail that will lead back to them. The charging head first method has failed multiple times so FOWL is trying something different.

Still think it’s crazy?

Well check this out:

What do you guys notice about this picture? For one thing it has every target that FOWL is after on it. But what else do you see? Where are they?

In the sky..

Now why would everybody meet up in the sky? Is it because maybe the ground is currently unsafe? Hmmmmmmmm?!

Brute force is not going to work this time. It’ll be a battle of intelligence. Lucky for us we have a duckling that can out brain all of FOWL

They might have an army

But we have a Huey...

I’m looking forward to seeing the outcome of this season. This hiatus WILL be the end of me I just know it lol but it gives us the fans plenty of time to figure this out. I’ll be looking forward to taking this journey with you all.

If I said it once this season I’ll say it again

BRING. IT. ON. F.O.W.L.

[beenote-blog1]

about cas turning out to be not-cas... same... after last week's ep i was mostly convinced it's the real cas but deep down i still get that weird unsettling feeling that it's not?? i really wonder what's setting off our alarm bells >_<

I think it might be a number of things at play:

1) It’s Cas. He drives a lot of the story, but I think the writers also don’t always know what to do with him? Or, the formula of using him for unexpected, emotional story-twists is tried and true and keeps fans (esp. Cas fans) tuned in? The brothers can keep hunting, but Cas (and most likely Jack as well, now), are going to give us our real big GASP moments. Either way, Cas is often our roller-coaster character and because of how stories are done, especially Supernatural, it’s difficult to settle him where most people want him to be - safe, himself, with/or without the Winchesters (with for most, I think).  [ I mean, I personally think that would be super interesting, but, they’ve got a formula so who am I]. Something unexpected will take place, because it /must/ take place and it leaves us anxious, because we’ve been through seasons of the inevitable ‘what’s next?’ with Cas. What’s next to separate him from the Winchesters, what’s next that will inevitably leave fans worrying, what’s next that will inevitably hurt him ect. This sounds really negative and part of it is, because it’s exhausting and predictable. Part of it is also just the nature of stories/Supernatural itself. They need Things To Happen and Problems To Solve and Cas is central to much of it, so something interesting/painful/unexpected must happen to him. Then again, I have the sense that the current writer team might be trying to flip things upside down, maybe? So things might not follow that pattern? Either way, I’m prepared for The Thing because of the # of episodes for Misha issue/Cas’ role in the story. I don’t think it’s ever unusual to feel a little uneasy about what’s next with Cas. They’ve been very quiet about where his story is going, so I’m in the space of waiting to see what it is, as usual.

2) The theme of absence this season is definitely in play. Other people in fandom have already written plenty about it, much better than I ever could, but I think it justifiably ties into those feelings of unease. It’s important and weighty that we didn’t get a “hello, dean.” For better or for worse, we didn’t see how Cas got out of The Empty and Cas hasn’t spoken one word on screen since he’s returned to Earth (!! this is so important to me! this is such a big deal!). These unanswered questions, “how did /exactly/ did Cas get out of The Empty?” “What did Cas say to Dean on the phone?” “Why haven’t we heard him speak?” “What state is he in mentally/physically/ect?” These have all clearly and purposely been laid into the narrative for this season. It makes me uneasy because we then have to ask ourselves why? Is this a case of we’re-just-trusting-you-to-fill-in-those-gaps because The Power of Subtext and see, you could read it all along, Dumbo? Is this a case of these-gaps-are-here-because-we-haven’t-told-you-the-whole-story or there’s-still-so-much-more-to-unfold-and-these-characters-aren’t-there-yet? Or is it both and we’re about to get shocked with it being Empty Cas or some other unexpected revelation? I’m genuinely not sure, because..

3) It’s Supernatural. I mean, something obviously has to happen to keep the story going, but I think the argument’s I’ve seen for this being Our Cas objectively make a lot of sense. Cas under the sun, the subtextual little things (blackberries and blue lights and telephone booths ect ect ect.), that look from Cas at the end of 13x05. These make sense as Cas Things. But we’re clearly missing things here. (and I’m also, always, asking myself how much is purposeful and how much isn’t?) It could end up being nothing. This could be our Cas, he’ll have a nice time with the Winchester’s next episode, we’ll get some more fun subtext (almost text) Destiel stuff next episode, Jack will take off and Cas will go after him - somehow - or do something - who knows what - without the Winchesters. Maybe this time with more honesty and up-front talking, but you know, still sending him off somehow. Or we could get some shocking revelation, or both. I will happily admit I’m terrible at reading anything going on in Supernatural. I shudder should any meta writer read this because it’s.. uh.. clear I’m terrible at this. This is why I try to follow a pretty broad set of people who write about what’s going on in SPN-verse, so that I can get as many perspectives and outlooks as possible - because I’m usually too tired/lazy/exhausted/busy/untalented to really pick apart at what’s going on myself. My INFJ-intuition-ie senses will tell me “there’s something happening here that fits into x, y, z issue/theme/structure,” but I can rarely getting to specifics on my own - it’s just crowley_feelings.gif. Also, like a lot of other people, I can subconsciously and (sometimes, a little bit, consciously) pick up on things the story is telling me/subtext/ect., but I’m awful at predicting and reading the story. The last thing I got right was knowing Cas would die from pretty much the beginning of s12, but it was again, just feeling it. It wasn’t until I went back and watched s12 again after it ended that I was able to go, “aha, of course, now I can clearly see all of the little hints and details and thematic structures that were telling us this all along” and heck, a bunch of meta writers called it (though some didn’t). I’m still on the fence about my reading of Dean being absolutely right about Cas not being himself. Like, objectively he was correct - Jack stole Cas’ agency to some extent and Cas was deeply depressed, but to what extent he was right beyond those things? I don’t know. My feelings tell me he’s right in some deeper way, but like a lot of people, I emotionally relate with Dean - so sometimes those feelings are just me going “I know, Dean! I know!!” He could be wrong in that this all ends up being very good for everyone, especially Cas. Everything that took place with Jack may somehow aid Cas in a positive way. And that leads me back to ‘it’s Supernatural,’ whether they fully deal with the implications of what Dean said and the vision of ‘paradise’ and Cas ‘already being saved’ and issues of agency is… to be determined. They very well could just let it fall to the wayside and give us an appeasing, but simple, answer to all of it (if one at all), or it could end up driving a big chunk of Cas’ storyline. I feel like it’s the same with the ‘is this our Cas’ issue? It could not be, it could be, or The Empty may tie back into the story in an unexpected/or unexpected way later on. Either way, this was a tl;dr way of saying I agree with you and I don’t think we’re strange for feeling uneasy, whether this is our Cas or not. So much of how Supernatural is telling its story leads to these sorts of readings, which is why I don’t discount myself entirely when I have A Feeling. Someone could sweep in with a much better reading that gives me a proper ‘aha, yes, that’s it’ moment, but right now we still really have no idea where Cas’ story is going and so much is missing. I just don’t know to what level the ‘absences’ are meant to play out. I’m holding on to my unsettled feeling. It could be for good, sometimes these absences in a story are a really helpful way at getting at a major problem and bringing it into text. But, I’m also still waiting for that Big Dramatic Thing. The Oh God, GASP, moment - because we’re Cas fans and I think it would be naive not to. :< I do feel comforted that I’m not one of the only ones that feels uneasy from all of these empty spaces, maybe we’re meant to. I just still have no idea to what end, though! 

I hope all of this rambling made sense. ‘A’ Again, short version: I am feeling it as well and I don’t think the alarm bells are entirely unjustified! 

(Also feel free to DM me anytime, if you like! I’m really open to different perspectives. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in A Feeling that I can’t see really obvious stuff taking place in the story, so it’s good to hear how others are perceiving things.) 

[archicgi-blog]

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TOP 5 3D ANIMATION SOFTWARE YOU SHOUD ABSOLUTELY KNOW ABOUT

When looking for the right 3D animation software, it’s crucial to find the right tool. So, you ask colleagues for advice, look through the specialized magazines and software advertisements in order to make the right choice. But what you really need is a clear understanding what exactly you’ll be using the software for, the lever of expertise in 3D Animation, as well as time and money you are willing to invest into learning and purchase. Based on this, you’ll be able to make an educated choice.

So, to make your life easier, and the work process – smoother, get acquainted with the top 5 choices of Animation.

3D Animation: Top 5 Software

Market Leader #1. Cinema 4D

The program was developed by MAXON Computer GmbH. This 3D Animation software was created for Amiga computers. However, with time the company developed versions which work on Windows and Mac platforms. There are 4 versions available on the market: Prime, Broadcast, Visualize and Studio. Prime is a good choice for beginners, having less features and therefore being easier to master. Broadcast version includes advanced animation toolkit as well, while Visualize  has excellent features necessary for quality modeling and rendering of static images. Cinema Studio combines the features of all the three versions. In this article, we’ll mainly concentrate on the beginner’s choice – Cinema 4D Prime.

  The Use

Cinema4D is popular for Cinema, TV, Advertising and Architecture spheres. As for the films, the software was used for creation of Beowulf, Chronicles of Narnia, Iron Man 3 to name but a few. The 3D Animation Software was also used to create such TV commercials as for Eviivo and Adidas.

Among the example totally worth mentioning of the Use of 4D Cinema is the creation of graphics for The Totally Rad Show and Age of Persuasion.

Cost

The software is available at the price of around $ 3 700.

3D Modeling Features

Cinema 4D includes wonderful toolkits for both polygonal and procedural modeling. It is possible to create practically any shape you like, whether realistic or abstract. One feature Cinema4D is particularly appreciated for is BodyPaint 3D, which allows to paint  on UVW meshes. As well as that, Cinema4D can boast of smart UV tools, Optimal Mapping & LSCM Unwrapping, extensive choice of painting and texturing tools.

3D Animation Features

Cinema4D is particularly appreciated for soft and rigid body dynamics, rigging, PyroCluster, character animation, cloth simulation, particle simulations.

Learning Curve

The interface is intuitive and rather easy to learn, especially with the multitude of free tutorials available on the Internet.

Types of Files Supported

Here are only some of the file extensions Cinema4D supports: tiff, psd, tga, dpx, bmp, pict, iff, jpeg, png, avi, .3ds, .dae, dxf, dwg, fbx, iges, stl, .obj.

Market Leader #2. 3Ds Max

3Ds Max was developed and is owned by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It runs on  Microsoft Windows platform only.

The use

This 3D Animation Software is mostly used for creation of video games, commercials, cinematic effects and for architectural rendering. 3Ds Max has been used in film for a while, so the list of examples could go forever. We’ll narrow it down to such 5 iconic movies, as Alice in Wonderland, House of Flying Daggers, Iron Man, The Matrix Reloaded, The Truman Show.

Cost

A monthly subscription costs $185.00 in the USA, and the yearly one – $1,470.00.

Modeling Features

3Ds Max supports Polygonal Modeling, Spline and NURBS tools. It has an extensive library of different modifiers which speed up the modeling process. As well as that, 3D modeling toolkit includes UV mapping, Mesh and surface modeling, texturing and shading, Point Cloud Support, Placement tools.

Animation Features

Among the most appreciated features of the software is enhanced animation performance, skinning, animation controllers, Camera Sequencer, character animation, general animation, animated deformers and many others.

Learning Curve

The layout of 3ds Max is known as user-friendly, although if the person is new to 3D Animation Software, getting accustomed takes time.

Types of Files Supported

The software supports the following types of files: avi, bmp,cws ,dds, flc, gif, ifl, jpeg,png,psd,rla ,rpf,sgi,rgb,tiff, yuv, 3ds,prj, shp, ai,dwg, dxf, iges, fbx, ls, stl, wrl, wrz, ase, fbx, iges.

Market Leader #3. Blender

Blender was developed by Neo Geo Studio and is owned by the Blender foundation. The 3D Animation Software runs on Microsoft Windows, MacOS and Linux.

 The use

Blender is mainly used for game creation. Most importantly, it includes a complete game engine which allows to create a full 3D game. As examples of commercially successful 3D games created with Blender, we may cite Color Cube, Dead Cyborg, Nicoles Nel’s collection.

Furthermore, Blender is rather popular in the Cinema Industry. It was used in creation of Spider-Man 2, Friday or Another Day, The Secret of Kells and many others.

Cost

This is one of the incontestable advantages of Blender: it is available for free.

Modeling Features

Blender has a wide range of options for material creation such as Complete Node and Full Customization Support. It supports a lot of geometric primitives, among which polygon meshes and NURBS surfaces. Additionally, it offers physically correct shaders, for instance, glass, translucency. Most importantly, it has powerful built-in 3D sculpting features.

Animation Features

Blender has a multitude of useful Animation features. For instance, Armature Modifier, Audio Playback, the Non-Linear Animation editor, Character animation pose editor, Particles, Fluid, Smoke, Hair, Cloth and Rigid Body and Dope Sheet.

Learning Curve

Learning Blender is not an easy task, but positively rewarding. For if you master this software tool, you’ll benefit from its numerous customization options.

Types of Files Supported

Blender supports the following file extensions: sgi, .rgb, .bw, .png, .jpg .jpeg, .jp2 .jp2.j2c, .tga, .cin .dpx, .exr, .hdr, .tif .tiff.

Market Leader #4: Maya

Maya has been developed by Alias Systems Corporation. It now belongs to Autodesk, Inc. A practical feature is that Maya works on Microsoft Windows, MacOS as well as Linux platforms.

The use

The 3D Animation Software is widely used in Cinema Industry, game development as well as TV. The most renowned films it was used for are The Matrix, Spider-Man and Avatar. Furthermore, Maya was used in such iconic cartoons as Finding Nemo, Frozen and Rango. Maya was also a software of choice for special effects creation for series Once Upon a Time, Bones and Walking Dead.

Cost

The software comes at a price, and the cost of subscription is around 1.936,00 € a year. Though the price seems high, many users assure it’s a good investment.

Modeling Features

Most noteworthy, the modeling Toolkit of Maya includes a particularly sophisticated rigging workflow, symmetry modeling and an extensive UV toolkit. As well as this, it is important to mention  that Maya has sculpting tools.

Animation Features

Maya offers users a rich selection of animation tools, among which we can name Fluid Simulator, Cloth Simulation, nCloth, nParticle,Camera Sequencer, Hair, Fur, Particle, Composite, grease pencil, camera sequencer, weight distribution and a choice for more complex projects – motion tracking tools.

Learning Curve

Owing to the number of options available, the layout might seem rather complex for learning.

Types of Files Supported

Maya supports the following files with the following extensions: .ma, .mb, .mel, .obj, .wav; .aif; .aiff, .mov, .eps, .ai, .mcfi, .apf, .wire, .prt, .asm, .stp, .step, stlm, .stla; .stlb, .iges, .igs, .dwg, .dxf, .ipt, .iam, .flt, .fbx, .FBX, .dae, .stl, .iges, .igs.

Market Leader #5: SideFX (Houdini)

SideFX was developed by Side Effects Software, Canada. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms, and has a reputation for extremely high-quality graphics.

The use

Houdini is a 3D Animation Software of choice when it comes to creation of cinematic effects. For instance, this software was used for Frozen and Zootopia. Moreover, it is used in commercials and video games development – like “Suki and the Shadow Claw”.

Cost

SideFX is a payable software. The price is $2995 for local access, while workstation license costs $ 1995.

3D Modeling Features

The Modeling toolkit of SideFX is not so rich, but it contains everything necessary.  Users can find here all the essential geometry: Polygons, NURBs, Bézier, Metaballs and so on. Owing to the incredibly performant rendering engine, it creates extremely realistic pictures.

Animation Features

Though SideFX is considered a professional tool, it is often reproached the absence of additional features that make the image attractive – time warping, for instance, or stereoscopic rendering. However, you can find here all the basics functions.

Learning Curve

Houdini has a reputation for a complicated interface, so learning learning it won’t be easy.

Types of Files Supported

Houdini supports an impressive quantity of files, among which are .geo, .poly, .bpoly, .d, .rib, .vdb, .abc, .dxf,  .lw, .lwo, .obj, .iges, .igs, .stl, .ply, .pc, .pic, .rgb, .tif,  .yuv, .pix, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .hdr, .ies, .qtl, .tx, .tex, .env.

3D Animation is an exciting and sophisticated process which can be conducted with help of many different 3D Animation software packages. Take into account all the criteria and may your working process be smooth and productive, and the output – of the highest quality possible.

If you decide to reduce time you’d normally spend on 3D models creation and outsource the task – ArchiCGI will be happy to help. We’ll provide you with high quality 3D Modeling Services, within the shortest time possible and at reasonable prices. Contact us via Registration form on our site and begin saving time for new exciting projects!

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