#my best friend s12

[angelcasendgame]

This post by the amazing @shallowseeker was getting long so I'm making one here but I really do love Shal's phrasing of Sam being a bull in a china shop / being super clumsy with emotions in 12x16

I love this scene!! I love it!! Sam really does try to reach out and connect with people but he's far too focused on getting through to people with logic. He spends this time defending Jody and pushing Claire to tell Jody that he completely dismisses how Claire is feeling

Claire does try opening up, she tries to tell him that she still feels left out from Jody and Alex's relationship (something she's explicitly told Sam in 11x12) and feels insecure about it. But he kinda just steamrolls how she's feeling and tells her she needs to be handling things differently, when she really just wants to be heard. She snaps that they don't care because Sam is not listening, he doesn't care about how she's feeling

She specifically says if you care, treat me like an adult. She doesn't appreciate Sam's demands that either she tells Jody what she's up to or he will tell on her to her mom, like how condescending is that!!

This very much is the time for Sam to say that they do see her as an adult but the reason they want her to be more careful is because the dangers of hunting are about experience, not necessarily age. She lays it all out but Sam snaps and agrees that they ARE benching her specifically because they think of her as a stupid kid ofc she's gonna storm off

And then after all of that when it comes to Claire choosing whether she should take the cure that could potentially kill her, he's all for her making her own choices about life and death as if she's and adult lmao, and then in the following scene again presses her about whether she's going to tell Jody. It's just interesting!!

[sexynetra]

21 and 24 on drag race asks please!! 😊😊

21. Fav porkchop queen?

Probably Kelly Mantle, I just think she’s neat :) all of the others I can think of either came back and slayed, or were porkchopped on their second go

24. Hot take?

I think the more drama a season has, the worse the season is. Big supporter of people just being best friends and having a good time :)

[angelsdean]

cas who abandoned heaven, cas who knows "paradise" is not all it's cracked up to be, cas who--as part of team free will--understands that what they're fighting for is freedom, freedom to choose! not simply the empty promise of "paradise", suddenly deciding that no, actually, this magic baby NEEDS to be born because it will bring paradise on earth<3 (after being staunchly on team "abomination baby needs to die") IS very much sus and people should have been concerned by this sudden shift and it's Not unreasonable to be skeptical or assume some kind of brainwashing. like dean was acting very reasonable and logical and had every right to be suspicious of jack and his intentions because from where he's standing he just saw his best friend do a complete 180 on everything he stands for and believes in after an immensely supernatural being (with powers to rivial god's) just made contact with him. everything abt dean's attitude and wariness toward jack in s12 and the very beginning of s13 is a totally reasonable response, not even counting in the added grief he experiences in early s13 after losing cas, mary, and crowley. i think any rational person would be a little skeptical and untrusting in his same situation. extremely powerful supernatural being whose intentions are unknown and there is no way to stop said being if they turn out to be malicious? and they just seemingly changed your best friend's mind with just a touch? yeah i'd have my guard up!

all of this also reveals some juicy things about cas. because if it wasn't (at the very least some low-level) brainwashing, then that means, cas sees a vision of a hypothetical future where he's with dean (cas shirtless, dean looking up, "thank you" etc etc) and he's ready to abandon his beliefs about heaven and paradise to ensure that future comes to pass.

anyways, dean was not wrong to be sus of jack at the start. cas suddenly being pro heaven-on-earth-paradise is very juicy-slash-concerning depending on how one interprets the "brainwashing", and lastly, happily-ever-after-heaven has never been the end goal for team free will. they wanted freedom! they wanted to live!

[throwupgirl]

my rankings so far for best episode worst episode of the seasons, let me know your opinions:

s1: best episode is 1x12 faith, worst episode is 1x08 bugs

s2: best episode is 2x20 what is and what should never be, worst episode is 2x14 born under a bad sign

s3: best episode is 3x11 mystery spot, worst episode is a tie between 3x04 sin city and 3x07 fresh blood

s4: best episode is 4x16 on the head of a pin, worst episode is 4x06 yellow fever

s5: best episode is a tie between 5x18 point of no return and 5x03 free to be you and me, worst episode is 5x11 sam, interrupted

s6: best episode is 6x20 the man who would be king, worst episode is 6x14 mannequin 3: the reckoning

s7: best episode is 7x10 death's door, worst episode is 7x13 the slice girls

s8: best episode is 8x17 goodbye stranger, worst episode is 8x15 man's best friend with benefits

s9: best episode is 9x11 first born, worst episode is 9x08 rock and a hard place

s10: best episode is a tie between 10x22 the prisoner and 10x09 the things we left behind

s11: best episode is 11x23 alpha and omega, worst episode is 11x13 love hurts

s12: best episode is 12x19 the future AND 12x10 lily sunder has some regrets, worst episode is 12x18 the memory remains

[ananke-xiii]

“Regarding Dean” is an okay episode, the perfect episode to place between “Lily Sunder has Some Regrets” and “Stuck in the Middle with You”. It feels filler-y but it’s totally not because it shows us where Sam and Dean stand as far as s12 main themes are concerned: family&love.

To the surprise of probably nobody, we find out that Sam is struggling a lot when it comes to how he positions himself within his family and around the people he loves. Dean, on the other hand, is walking on a much safer ground (which seems like a joke since the ep is literally about Dean slowly losing his memory but I’ll get there), he’s ready to move on to the next chapter of his life, a chapter where his relationship with his brother is not his only&main focus.

Who are the other members of Sam and Dean’s family? This episode tells us it’s Mary and Cas. Even though, so far in the season, Mary has come and gone, Cas has spent a considerable amount of time with none other than Crowley and the brothers have spent a couple of months in prison, the episode explicitly highlights multiple times that Mary and Cas are their family, no matter the amount of time they all actually spend together: what matters is the infamous bond between them.

And who’s feeding this bond? Who’s actually keeping in touch with Mary and Cas? Who’s the primary point of contact? Dean, of course. At the beginning of the episode, when Sam meets Dean at the waffle joint and realizes Dean is maybe drunk and his smartphone is dead, he says: “All right, well, I'll text Mom, make sure she knows to get a hold of me in case of emergency. And Cas, in case he tracks down Kelly”.

So it’s safe to say (and it is because we’ve already seen in past episodes that Sam is definitely not the one playing games and texting with Mary, nor the one calling Cas or receiving calls from him: people in this family know who to contact and it’s not Sam) that Sam is somehow detached from this family dynamic and, we’ll later discover, doesn’t really know what to make of this.

After Sam discovers that Dean is not hangover but hexed, the first thing Dean says is: “Look, we could figure this out, okay? Don't go callin' Mom or Cas with this”. Mmmm, interesting. We’re back to Mary and Cas. Again. And why shouldn’t Sam call them? And, maybe more importantly, why Sam doesn’t call them anyway? So maaany questions :P

The last time Mary and Cas are mentioned together again is in the mirror scene. Dean is regarding himself in the bathroom mirror, trying to remember who he is and he defines himself as follows: “Ahh. Okay. My name is Dean Winchester. Sam is my brother. Uh, Mary Winchester is my mom. And Cast—Cas is my best friend”. So Dean defines himself based on his relationship with the different family members: brother, son, best friend. Once he starts forgetting who these people are he also starts forgetting himself:

“My name is Dean Wi—Winchester.

My name—My name is...

My... My... I don’t know”.

This is crucial. The scene is quite tragic but it’s telling us an important truth: what matters to Dean, what’s important to him to the point that it defines who he is, is his relationship with his family, with the people he loves. I said that it’s quite tragic because, at least to me, it’s a bit bleak that Dean doesn’t know who he is without other people. But I’ll come back to this point later.

So who is Dean? The reply comes right after the mirror scene from Rowena’s mouth: “Oh, you're a killer, Dean Winchester”. And this is super interesting because  just before we had this dialogue:

Rowena: You can really remember nothing, can you? What a gift not to recall the things you've done.

Dean: What have I done?

Are people the things they have done? Rowena could’ve said “You kill people, Dean” but no, she says “You are a killer”. And okay, the use of the verb “to kill” can start a debate on morals&justice&law (what’s the difference between killing and being a killer etc) but not the point here. The point here being that Rowena, regarding Dean, is confusing being and doing but Dean is not. He replies: “Wait, I... I kill people?”.

Rowena continues in her “misunderstanding”:

Rowena: But... but... though you may be a stubborn pain in the arse with the manners of a Neanderthal and the dining habits of a toddler, everything you've done, you've done... for the greater good.

Dean: Oh, and that's supposed to make it okay?

Rowena: I wouldn't know. You help those other than yourself. But me, I've done horrible things, and I told myself it was fine. It was the price of power. And power's what matters, right?

Then I met God and his sister. The two most powerful beings in the universe, wasting it on squabbling with each other. I thought, if—if they can't be happy, or at least satisfied, how can there be any hope for me?

Okay, so now we maybe have a clearer picture of who Dean is: he’s a killer (or he kills people) but he does so for the greater good. To help people other than himself. This is not exactly news to us, I mean, this episode is not telling us anything actually NEW about Dean but the catch is that it’s not about him, it’s about regarding him. How people perceive him and how he perceives himself. The last being the most important thing, we’ll have the answer at the end of the episode.

Rowena also drops the “happy” bomb. She’s talking based on the assumption that she must do things in order to be happy, even if these are horrible things, things she tells herself she's fine doing them because it’s the price of power. We’re starting to see the old theme of the “price of happiness” and Rowena thinks she’s paid it but she’s still unhappy and she’s becoming hopeless.

(Cas' love declaration in s15x18 echoes Rowena's dialogue, apart from the Dean thing (you're not a killer aka you're not how your enemies regard you, you're the most caring man aka you're how the people that love you regard you etc), Cas' words circle around the same concept: happiness is not in the having, is in the being or, maybe even more importantly, is in the giving oneself permission to be your true self)

Now we need to talk about Sam. While Dean is having an existential crisis in the bathroom, Sam drops another fucking bomb: “You know, I've seen my brother die, but watching him become... not him... This might actually be worse”.

Excuse me, sir? I mean, this is a very very loaded thing to say. To Sam Winchester seeing his brother dying might be better than watching him become not him. Which is also incorrect, because Dean is not not becoming him, he’s just Dean without "the weight" of the past on his shoulders. (btw, will somebody please give a hug to this giant man who's lived a life where death is o-kay and what's worse is living and not knowing how to move on? Please??? He needs it!) I think this says more about how Sam feels about himself than about how he feels about Dean and his relationship with his brother. And I think I’m right because at the end of the episode Sam explicitly says he was jealous. Sam really should be the one regarding himself in the mirror (and it’s a fucking shame that we didn’t get something like this for Sam because god, it’d be bomb) trying to remember who he is because Dean might be losing his memories but Sam is totally lost and in the dark.

He doesn’t call Mary or Cas because ??? but he does call Rowena for help, Rowena magically teleports and immediately arrives (okay she has an agenda but she does come super quickly, let’s give her that), she agrees to help them and to all of that Sam says: “I obviously don’t trust you”. Which, to be honest, fair, Sam I approve your long-lasting distrust of everything that has to do with Crowley because you have real reasons to do so. But it’s also time for you to learn to create meaningful connections and you cannot do so if you’re not willing to trust people. (important: Rowena tries to steal the Black Grimoire in this ep, the same book that she’ll try to steal in s13. Sam will then give her the one page she needs for her spell, so, you know, way to go Sam! It takes him one whole season to trust Rowena with one only page of the book but, progress).

Okay, time to wrap this rambling up with the final scene. We have this dialogue right here and it’s so gooood:

Sam: So how you holding up after the spell?

Dean: That thing kicked my ass.

Sam: You know, I gotta be honest. I was actually, uh, a little jealous at first.

Dean: Of what? The curse that nearly killed me?

Sam: No, just, you know... some of the things we've done, we've had this weight for... forever. And seeing it gone, uh, you looked happy.

Dean: Huh. Well, look, was it nice to drop our baggage? Yeah, maybe. Hell, probably. But it wasn't just the crap that got lost. I mean, it was everything. It was us, it was what we do, you know? All of it. So... that's what being happy looks like? I think I'll pass.

Sam and Rowena were a little jealous at first. Because Dean showed them life without the weight of the things they carry, the things they’ve done. Dean looked HAPPY. We can infer that Sam and Rowena are not happy, they do feel the weight of the things they’ve done and they would like OUT. They still have a long walk ahead of them to discover who they are apart from what they do and decide what’s next, what they decide to do, who they want to be and what are the actions that can lead them there.

But Dean, Dean is almost there, people. He’s not lost at all, even though he was the one with the brain almost gone. “It was us” and “it was what we do”. The distinction for him it’s clear. And he has weighted the pros and the cons and he has decided that IF that's what happiness is, if happiness is just forgetting about the crap, forgetting about the past, he will pass. He’s not willing to pay the price for a happiness where he doesn’t have a connection with his family, where the people he cares about (and for whom he does very bad things) are not there. The price for the supposed happiness is not worth Sam, Mary and Cas.

Earlier I said that I thought it was bleak, you know, not knowing yourself apart from other people. But the last scene where Dean is riding Larry (and he’s not yet under the spell so he’s Dean-Dean there) gives a lot of unexpected hope.

The song in the background is nostalgic and, frankly sad:

“So dream on, little Broomstick Cowboy

Dream while you can

For soon, you'll be a dreadful thing

My son, you'll be a man”

But it’s appropriate. Dean has accepted that, for him, caring for the people he loves is what constitutes his happiness. He has accepted that “horrible things” have been done and maybe will be done in their names. Acceptance is key: he’s on the right path to discover new parts of himself. He doesn't want to lose "the crap" because losing it means he'll also lose the people he cares about. And without the these people, without Sam, Mary and Cas, he doesn't yet know who he is. But he wants to find out. He wants to move on. And he wants to move on with the people he loves, doing "the good and the bad", not alone, oblivious and fake-happy. It’s bittersweet as all changes are but it must be done. He’s ready to grow up, ready to be a man, ready for love, ready to start a family, guys :").

(unfortunately it'll all go to pieces when Cas dies and Mary disappears in the AU (OF COURSE Dean will lose his will to live after that, because he was still in the process of differantiating himself from others, but he was SO there ffs) so thanks for nothing s12)(s14 "Lebanon" thankfully comes back to this theme and there Dean finally says, again and out loud for the people in the back, that he's okay with the choices he's made because they resulted in this crazy-ass, totally weirdo, supernatural family and he loves it and he's good with that. PERIOD)

[boykingscourt]

whats your favorite and least favorite arc for sam and dean each

okay so please keep in my mind my memory of s12-15 is spotty at best (on s11 with my friend rn) so there could be arcs I'm just straight up forgetting but

favorite sam arc: hard to choose between the trials and demon blood but ultimately I have to say trials

least favorite sam arc: god bullet wound connection/visions thing

favorite dean arc: mourning john/burdened with knowledge of sam s2

least favorite dean arc: probably michael!dean but quite of few of them are contenders because most of dean's arcs are either annoying or nothingburger to me

[hkpika07]

Whistle Wednesday doodles! Finally was able to show s12 to my friend! S12 I love how uncanny you are in terms of visuals.

Creepypasta uncanny Edward coming out of the smelters yard

Hank! I fucking love Hank so god damn much he's the best one off character he should have had more episodes/cameos. Umi and I made an entire backstory for him

S12 Aka Gordon's noticeable character development

I think Percy should use his "im this close to snapping" whistle more often

[destieltaggedfic]

hey this is a kinda crazy ask but can you just recommend some fics that changed your life or felt like they altered your brain chemistry?

Oh this is interesting and its taken me a lot of thinking.

Balance And New Beginnings - Hekate1308   Ao3

Set S12.  When he finds out that Sam as well as Mary are working for BMoL, Dean says goodbye and walks away, going to hunt with Cas.  Together with Crowley they start to develop a new way of hunting, which is only targeting the supernatural creatures who are causing harm and protecting the benign ones from the BMoL genocidal plans.

Word Count: 54k                              No Sex

I've recced this fic before, and its on my favourites list, but this fic has so much that has stuck with me in a 'Yes I want more of that!'. Between Dean being so unhappy that he leaves and the storyline that they start working with good monsters (which given they have supernatural allies the show plot of BMoL trying to recruit them makes zero sense to me)

Chuck’s Vision - TheWritingPrisoner AO3

Set S15ish and S12. Chuck wakes up Sam and Dean from a vision of a possible future. A future where because they all didn’t stick together Jack was able to manipulate people and events from his birth in order to become god. Chuck also takes the time to point out a few characters flaws in the Winchesters and how they should fix them.

Word Count: 13k                                              No Sex

If you've delved into this blog enough you'll know that I love the idea of Evil Jack and I think this is the fic that really cemented it for me. The nougat son is often too twee for me, but those people who are brave enough to dip their toes into writing Jack living up to his evil potential are my heroes and I hope to join them one day.

The First Thing There Is – bendingsignpost   Ao3

Set S14.  The first thing he feels as he wakes up is love, so Dean is confused that Cas is described as his best friend.  Cas has helped to lock Michael more securely in Dean’s mind and that has taken all Dean’s memories temporarily.  As the days go by Dean is sure that he loves Cas too so why aren’t they together?

Word Count: 5k                                 No Sex

I don't think I've been able to get this fic out of my head since the first time I read it. Amnesia fic often have that beautiful trope of the amnesia wiping away all the bullshit and just leaving the feelings and this does it perfectly.

together, for eternity. – breathingneon   Ao3

Nonspecific timeframe.  Dean was never aware, but his soul was almost constantly seeking contact with Cas, and the angel never failed to grip back.

Word Count: 3k                                 No Sex

Honestly I think this is one of the most beautiful ways of depicting souls and the way they interact with the world around them. I'm not sure anything else has come close.

The Only Thing I Care About - mattzerella_sticks  Ao3

Set S14.  Everyone is happy that Dean and Cas got together.  In fact they’re a little too happy and invested, which is making Dean feel really uncomfortable when everyone in his life is watching his relationship closely and feel they have the right to comment on it.

Word Count: 9k                 Non-Graphic Sex

A switcheroo is sometimes the best thing in the world, but it can also break your brain in a permanent way. This fic where everyone is overly invested in destiel now they got together changed the way I view shipping fics forever.

[sailingfireshipz]

Ok, @chicagofires, here are my Stellaride seasons ranked!

S6-HELLO. We got so many different eras within one season. I can write a thesis about S6 & how they could probably never top the amount of pure perfection that came from it. Bridges Burn is a core memory for me & I can't listen to that song & NOT think of Stellaride.

S12-is truly an underrated Stellaride season that i don't think we talk about enough? Like, no scene was wasted, in my opinion. Every scene had an impact in some way. Tayranda acted their asses off & took Stellaride to an untouchable level of ships 😌

S7-Stella almost lost a LUNG trying to save Kelly. Kelly going absolutely feral & getting put out of Med because he wouldn't stop advocating for her. It's hard to comprehend what would happen in the episodes to follow, but i commend Stella for choosing herself. She loved him deeply but loved herself more, which was crucial development for her after Grant. Kelly choosing to do the work & be the man he knows Stella deserves. Also momumental development for him because this is when in my opinion he realized that in order for him not to become Benny he had to chose a new path forward. I just hate that Stellarides' reunion is shared with us losing Otis. Hard to be excited about their reunion when death was looming.

S9- Kelly being an idiot almost ruined this season for me. But the moment that man came to the realization that Stella was never leaving him, it's like you can see all the pieces fitting together.I knew the engagement was coming but I never get over watching him pull off his mask in a raging fire & drop to one knee. It absolutely could not wait he needed to ask her right then to know it was real.

S8- Kelly being a supportive simp & helping Stella prepare for her leadership program. Him encouraging her & talking her down when she starts to spiral or doubt herself. Kelly asking Stella to move in because Stella is home for him. This season was their most domestic season where they were able to just be happy & healthy & I'll cherrish it always because they haven't known peace since. 🥹😭

S10 & S11 TIED- listen these two seasons somehow delivered the best Stellaride milestones while also delivering the most instability in the fandom because back to back, i thought we were at risk of losing it ALL. Looking back, though, I have learned to respect them for what they brought us & it has made me extremely grateful for what we have now because truly at any moment it can be gone.

S4-i hate that this is so low because, ultimately, the introduction of Stella Kidd is what made me fall in love with CF again. I knew from episode 18 that Stella was going to give Kelly a run for his money. Their chemistry was off the charts & I'm happy they saw that too & decided to make Miranda permanent.

S5-Kelly leaning on Stella as a friend, sounding board. Stella stepping in as a supportive friend when it came to Ana. S5 was painful to watch Kelly go through yet another trauma but a beautiful plot device for what would be one of OneChicagos' greatest ships to set sail.

[zagreuses-toast]

I come from a place of sheer curiousity and I just wanna ask genuinely- you say that you're a fan of 13s/ the chibnall era. Why? Doctor who is my favourite show and I've connected with every incarnation deeply and immediately, but have never been able to "click" with 13, despite my best efforts. What is it that you like about her? What is it that you like about chibnalls writing? I want to know and I want to like her/it too, but as of right now, I just... don't. Obviously you're not obligated to, but can you explain why?

Ok so this ended up being a Long Post, so I'm putting my response under the read more. Also I'm assuming you've actually watched the Chibnall era up to The Power of The Doctor, if you haven't then heads up for spoilers and stuff that might not make much sense without context.

Oh and I'm gonna @ @rearranging-deck-chairs and @ssaalexblake because I see their DW opinions all the time and they're really good and they can probably give more nuanced answers on some things. (Idk how well I did on explaining why I liked some of them, and it really is up to personal preference on some things)

Thirteen herself:

There are a lot of reasons I like Chibnalls era, but one of the biggest ones out the gate is definitely Jodie and her acting in the role of the Doctor. I think the way she balances bouncy gregariousness with the colder more angry and mean aspects of the Doctor is great. She does this thing where she can just make her eyes go dead and then smile like it's a threat, like she's gonna bite, especially when going up against villains. It's great. And Jodie herself is a delightful person.

Beyond just physical acting choices, I find the thirteenth Doctors struggle between her anger and secrecy, vs her desire to connect and her joy at life very very compelling. She keeps this distance that's really interesting I think, where she's genuinely attached to and trying to be a friend to the Fam, but still trying to keep her whole past out of the deal, which doesn't work that well, as we see in s12 and Flux. She's surrounded by death and haunted by the knowledge of how little time she has with her friends, (Grace, and she just came back from bill) but she still wants and needs that connection, and she learns to live in the present a bit. I made a whole post about her final regeneration speech here. I love her arc a lot even if it hurts. Also she's such a horrible hypocrite about so many things, which also makes her a fun character to rotate in my head and study like a bug. I do see it as being on purpose, some people seem to think it's just bad writing that she contradicts herself but imo that's a big part of her character.

Chibnalls writing:

I personally like the timeless child plot because :

There are a lot of stories and ideas in the Chibnall era I like, and a lot more I find very compelling. Whatever your opinions on the writing (and I definitely have had a lot of critique for some bits), there were a lot of ideas introduced that were fun and interesting. One of the weaker points of the era IMO is having so much fun stuff set up, but only shallowly or quickly exploring it, and then adding more stuff on top.

A lot of things didn't get the exploration/screen time I thought they deserved (especially characterization and interaction/dialogue wise). But that just gives my brain more to chew on at the end of the day, and I do love what was done during the seasons itself, not just all the potential stuff.

1) I can connect with it, I know Chibnall was coming at it from a place of being an adoptee, but as a native person the story of a kid taken and raised into an imperial/colonial society, who had their history stolen and their body exploited to further that societies ends, hits very close to home.

And 2) I have a "everything is true at once" approach to canon and I think the more origin stories we make for the Doctor the funnier it is.

This era had a lot of repeating themes, ideas that showed up and we're explored in a lot of different circumstances, often with a rule of 3 aspect to it. One is themes of Empire and Exploitation. Particularly through the stenza in s11 (empire using up planets, introduced to us basically doing foxhunts for clout, but with People instead of foxes), the dalek specials, the Cybermen in s12, and Division/the timelords in flux (as well as the sontarans &co).

Within that there's the repeating motif of how by exploiting people or their beliefs for power the imperial power/bad guys sew the seeds of their destruction. From Tzim Sha using the Ux and them turning against him, to the Division being destroyed by the Ravagers, who they tried to use to get rid of the Doctor/the old universe (and the doctor and even the master going rogue in the first place). Hell even Kerblam! (I know I know) Has a version, where the AI system being used to do terrible things is the one to call the doctor for help!

Another standout are themes of breaking cycles, Ryan is estranged from his dad and was distancing himself from Graham, but they both put in the work and grow extremely close over their two seasons. He also chooses to leave the TARDIS when he realizes he's absent from his friend's lives and wants to be present. And the Doctor gets to break the cycle of exploitation that Tecteun started, when she meets a vulnerable being with mysterious power (the energy being from TPOTD) she helps it free itself, on a way she wasn't helped.

Individual character stuff:

Going again into more individual character stuff I love, I've gotta give it to Sacha Dhawan for being a fucking superb Master. His acting is bonkers amazing and he does a great job portraying the sorta huge personal crisis the master is going through, and externalizing via evil schemes. At the end of Twelves run we saw Missy try to be like the doctor, to get her friend back (and even succeed a bit) but end up dying for it. Now we come back to a master who died trying to be like the person they see as their only equal, and has discovered (wrongly) that they were never equal to begin with, that the doctor is so much more than them. So he tries to make her like him instead, and If she won't become like him and kill them both along with the rest of gallifrey, then he will become her properly this time (by body snatching), ruin her legacy, and die with her eventually (overtaking her in the same way his whole existance has now been caused/overtaken by the doctor in his eyes, because of her being the source of regeneration)

Also can we talk about the Yaz?? I've been dying to talk about Yaz!!! I love her a lot and I find her fascinating, shes probably my favorite companion based on just sheer amount of time spent Thinking about her. Her doctorification/character arc is so good

Yaz is into the travelling and saving the day lifestyle the Doctor gives her for the responsibility of it all, for feeling useful and capable and good. Her early characterization Monet's include her complaining about not having more interesting jobs as a cop because she wants responsibility, she wanted to be important and helpful (that's the entire reason she became a cop, to help people like she was helped when she was in a dark place, and she finds a better way of doing that with the Doctor). And she GETS THERE, narratively and on a character level, she spends three years on earth with her own companions! She co-pilots the TARDIS and can fly her herself! She saves the day when the master steals the doctors body! And most of all SHES EXTREMELY SAD AT THE END BECAUSE THE PERSON SHE LOVES DIED BEFORE HER!! JUST LIKE THE DOCTOR !! (ugly crying) (I could write a whole other post about thasmin, good and bad, but a lot of people have put it better than me)

Also, I'm a big TARDIS girlie, she has somehow ended up being one of my favorite characters in doctor who, and the chinball era does so much fun stuff with the TARDIS!! Different writers take different approaches to the TARDIS, and how alive vs inanimate, or how active vs passive she is. I think the Chinball era had something special in terms of the way the TARDIS was depicted, and I loved it a lot. We never really get to see past the control room but it's a gorgeous control room! And throughout the era the TARDIS just feels so alive, it's always humming and beeping and chirping, I especially love the moments when the lights change color to match the doctors mood (mostly to blue, for sadness, sometimes red to yell at that dalek that one time). And speaking of the doctor, starting with ghost monument thirteen has a bunch of sweet moments of banter or just ~emotions~ with the TARDIS. I genuinely teared up a bit when she entrusted the timeless child memories to the TARDIS,and before her regeneration speech when she asked the TARDIS to look after her. Because who can she trust with her past AND her future except her oldest truest friend.

I could add a lot more of specific things from the era I love (solitract my beloved) but I think this is getting long enough as is lol.

[angelcasendgame]

I would die for s12 Cas

[jade-kyo]

RvB 20th rewatch: s12

Aaaagahhahhsjshaj the mid point to the end…. Fucking agony

I never noticed the cabose written in bullet holes on the wall. Nice reference.

“I AM FUCKING AWESOME” that single moment made me fall in love with Felix…. Yeah that didn’t last

“Yay I have friends!” Me too Caboose

“You’re oddballs that don’t exactly fit in” I feel like the Chorus trilogy is just a love letter to what these characters represent to… well people like me who found comfort in a group of loser assholes finding strength and connection in each other

There is a warthog that is absolutely freaking out in the background AGDKHAKSHS

AYO Ray and Michael cameo!!!

SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER

Grif’s mental breakdown

Hmmmm thinking about Locus and Felix not being able to return to normal life after the war…

AAAAAHHHH THEIR STRENGTH IS THEIR IDIOCY

I do feel that sometimes they overuse animation in this season… I think animation should be reserved strictly for the most necessary and funniest of bits and bad ass action scenes

Caboose gets to be the one with a good bad idea!!!!

WHY SNOWMAN

DR GRAY!!!!!! MY BELOVED

It really was a big brain move to make the feds actually not evil at all and kinda just as pathetic as the rebels

HOLY SHIT HES BILINGUAL PLEASE DONT KILL ME

“You give meaning to meaningless objects and meaningless people and then risk your lives to protect them, where’s the sense in that” I’m telling you this arc is a love letter to what this show means

Gray is unhinged- she fits right in!

Bro just got incinerated

FELIX YOU RAT BASTARD

I felt so betrayed- in hindsight I really should’ve seen it coming but I thought Felix was funny

Yo I never actually caught that Locus hands the grenade to Carolina- for some reason I always thought she just had a grenade on her

CAROLINA BABYGIRL!!!!!!!

YOU FUCK!!!!! (Just so we’re clear that was an absolutely necessary animated bit 👍🏼)

AAAAHHHH EPSILON AND CAROLINA MY BELOVED AHSKHAKSHSKHSKSH

THEYRE SO SILLY

DELTA!!!!!!

THETA!!!!!

I love the fragments ajkdhakshksh

“Just you and me sis” I AM SO NORAML ALANSKLA IA AMANA SNORNSMNSK JAKAHSNLAJANKSJSKSHWKBSKSNKSHWKSHMSK

PSYCHOANALYSIS FOR EVERYONE!!!!!

Love that Caboose is the only one who didn’t do something to the ship

I AM AN EMOTIONAL TIME BOMB Jesus Christ

“I believe he said he was paid in babies”

Lopez a real one for being the only one to remember Doc

Love the conversation between grimmons back at the crash site. nuance about Simmons and leadership or something… if you catch what I mean… Restoration (what who said that)

“MY LIFE JUST FLASHED BEFORE MY EYES!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!” Quoted line

AAAAAHHHHHHH TUCKER AND WASH!!!!!!!!

Dr. Gray my beloved

TUCKER CABOOSE MOMENT!!!

Wash was pretty dumb to just accept Freckles without question but also I never questioned it either so I can’t exactly judge

CABOOSE MY BELOVED AHAJSJAKDHKSJSKDN

SO SHUT UP AND GET OVER IT!!! Caboose finally gets to be the one to tell someone to shut up!!!!!

“Just say you’re sorry” agskahkshskjsksAJGDKAHSKHDKSGSKVDKDJKSN THEY CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER SO MUCH

CHURCH TUCKER MY BELOVED!!!!!

“Seriously? That’s it, no ‘I’m sorry’ nothing?” Carolina I feel you but also if these guys weren’t completely emotionally constipated at all times I probably wouldn’t love them as much

Also Tucker and Church’s little moment of poking fun at Carolina is so cute omg

Trocadero you are truly something to behold

TUCKER YOU ARE THE BEST OF THEM!!!!!!!

Imagine if Tucker and Church had also gotten caught in Locus and Felix’s teleporter… wouldn’t that have sucked please god I already have a big fic I’m planning I don’t need another

COLONEL SARGE

Why is Carolina so damn BIG next the chairman in that picture ajhdkahsj

P.S. suck our balls

Being completely honest I do think s12 is a little bit of the weak link in the chorus trilogy. It’s not bad but I just find more enjoyment in s11 and s13 but it is possibly Tucker at his best GOD I love him… anyway, pain 🙂

[thepeanutbutterwizard]

Death of destiny au Garmafam.

Misako, Garmadon, Skylor, Lloyd, and Unagami.

And a bit more info about the au!

So, the whole things actually starts right after the FSM imprisoned the Overlord on the Dark Island. He's realized that the two of them are equally matched, and even though FSM has managed to stop the Overlord for now, he would never be able to permanently stop him.

FSM travels to Cloud Kingdom, gifting the inhabitants the magic destiny-altering scrolls and quills and ink, and tasking them with finding a way to permanently end the Overlord.

From there, the Green Ninja Prophecy is written, and the scribes of Cloud Kingdom spend the next few millennia rewriting the lives of the citizens of Ninjago to try and fulfill the Prophecy.

Things go as cannon until Garmadon gets banished. Misako, instead of trying to just research the Prophecy and find a way to get around it, decides that the best way to save both Garm and Lloyd from the Prophecy is to take Lloyd and raise him to be evil with Garmadon.

The lead scribe (Fenwick? Was that that fuckers name?) doesn't think anything of this, writing off her efforts as too futile to even be a threat to their plan (cannon. The plan is everything that happens in cannon).

After all, what can a single mortal woman do against the power of Destiny?

A whole fuckin lot, actually.

Misako studies dark magic, takes control of the Stone Army, and breaks Garmadon out of the Underworld while Lloyd is still young, no older than a toddler.

The couple then turn their attention to conquering Ninjago, and raising Lloyd together.

Lloyd being raised by a demon warlord and a dark sorceress who absolutely adore him leads him to genuinely wanting to be just like them, and the Green Ninja proudly proclaiming that he wants to be evil, and actually meaning it, breaks the Prophecy.

And all the scrolls in Cloud Kingdom, freeing everyone in Ninjago from the grips of destiny.

Which leads to many characters forging different paths for themselves, like Skylor. She escaped from Chen's island when Clouse finally has enough and stages a mutiny, and gets caught trying to steal supplies from a camp of Garmadon soldiers. Garmisako realize that she's the Elemental Master of Amber (which is a Wild Element in my sort of expanded Ninjago lore), and decide to take her in.

They raise her like she's their own, and after some time passes Skylor comes to view them fully as her parents, and Lloyd as her little brother. As a teen, she is a brutal second-in-command to her parents.

Confession time, I still haven't fully seen S12 yet, but I know enough about Unagami to throw him in there too. He's found by or reaches out to the Garmadons, starts working with them, and quickly becomes friends with Lloyd.

The little drone thing is one of many that Unagami uses to interact with the physical world, haven't decided if/when he can start trapping people in the digital world, or what that would be used for.

Lloyd is a chaotic gremlin of the highest degree, fights with a mech, and also has a stinger hidden in that tuft on the end of his tail.

They're all Disney villains, and having an absolute blast menacing the entire continent of Ninjago together.

[unitchiefs-blackbirdphoenix]

Sometimes I feel like the writers are more heavily focused on Emily and Rossi's friendship over her friendship with JJ in evolution. Like it's very telling seeing the difference in how Emily reacts when either of them are going through a rough patch. With Rossi, she took time to comfort him over Jill but when JJ brings up baugate, Emily is more concerned and upset that JJ found out about the site instead of asking JJ if she's okay and comforting her (I know Emily was still high but still) and the fact that she was too occupied on gold star to even ask JJ if she was okay or being worried when JJ changes her mind about talking to her about something

Yeah, I never understood that. I feel like bc Hotch is gone and usually, Rossi would go to him, they had to pair him together with Emily, which is fine bc father-daughter type duo. Same reason why I feel like JJ and Reid suddenly working together and being all best friends more after Emily left and came back in s12 didn't stick with me bc of JJ and Emily's connection being a lot stronger. And Emily has always been protective of JJ, which JJ admires deeply. I personally liked the way they handled that BAU-Gate convo while they were high bc JJ started expressing her frustration with Emily not telling her directly and her having to hear it from Luke instead. My only concern is that it's the end of that storyline ugh.

I wish we saw more from last season too bc JJ was going through Will's health issues and she would confide in Emily the most about it. I know it's just days after 17x06 and a little over a week after the BAU-Gate reveal, but for them to act like everything's back to complete normal is meh. Like I hope that they circle back to it soon and Emily says they'll try get it taken down as a start.

[none-ofthisnonsense]

ok i'll bite and start watching doctor who again.

any recs?

particularly of episodes to avoid if one is absolutely unable to watch anything horror-like? (i remember watching the Empty Child when i was younger and being traumatized, for example)

you are in luck. i have a whole list.

this only consists of new who episodes (because i haven't watched old who). also if you decide to rewatch the full series, keep in mind the specials are NOT skippable and in fact contain quite important moments

of course i recommend watching the whole show, but these are particularly good or important episodes!

in bold are particular highlights (as in particularly good episodes according to me) or important episodes. basically, the short list is the bold titles

this was an already-made list that i did for a friend a while ago, and it's made up mostly of standalone episodes. please tell me if you want more plot-oriented recs!

do not watch list at the end

onwards:

Episodes to watch (specifically):

S1E01 Rose (intro, good for setting up the themes and the show)

S1E06 Dalek (good, bit of plot + callback to old who)

S1E08 Father's Day (maybe hard without context?)

S2EX The Runaway Bride (2006 Xmas special, stands alone)

S3E08 Human Nature/S3E09 The Family of Blood (two-parter, maybe slightly icky for you. am willing to give you more details if you want them. watch at your own risk)

S3EX Voyage of the Damned (2007 Xmas special, stands alone)

S4E07 The Unicorn and the Wasp (just 1920s fun it's great)

S4E16 The Waters of Mars (plot-heavy esp at the end but my favourite episode ever)

S5E01 The Eleventh Hour

S5E10 Vincent and the Doctor

(moffat's seasons were very much arcs and plot-heavy)

The Day of the Doctor

S8E05 Time Heist

(s9 unwatchable without previous seasons)

S10E01 The Pilot (for the first appearance of a fun companion, not that great but it's a soft reboot so good to get back into Doctor Who)

S11E01 The Woman Who Fell to Earth

S11E04 Rosa

S11E06 Demons of the Punjab

(s12 unfortunately not that good, and s13 is a whole Thing without standalone episodes)

❌ DO NOT WATCH (if you dislike horror) ❌

S1E09 The Empty Child

S1E10 The Doctor Dances

S3E10 Blink (highlight but the weeping angels are terrifying)

S4E08 Silence in the Library/S4E09 Forest of the Dead (my 2nd favourite episode ever) (this one is definitely a bit horror. if you didn't like the empty child do not watch this)

S4E10 Midnight (psychological horror. do not watch if you have a hard time with horror. also one of the best episodes of modern who)

S5E04 The Time of Angels/S5E05 Flesh and Stone (the angels again)

S6E05 The Rebel Flesh/S6E06 The Almost People

S6E09 Night Terrors (not my thing)

S6E11 The God Complex

S10E04 Knock Knock (not that hard horror? but similar to the empty child so you probably won't like it)

⚠️ WATCH WITH CAUTION ⚠️ (i think you can watch these, but be careful)

S2E04 The Girl in the Fireplace (maybe a bit too plot-heavy?)

S2E05 Rise of the Cybermen/S2E06 The Age of Steel

S2E07 The Idiot's Lantern (not particularly great, but on this list because of a face-stealing lifeform)

S7E07 The Bells of St John (this one is safer than others on this list, but putting it here as a warning)

S7E10 Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (not very horrifying, but better safe than sorry)

S8E08 Mummy on the Orient Express

S9E11 Heaven Sent

S10E02 Smile

[ananke-xiii]

Castiel: vessel, body, woman, (best) friend.

This title comes from a previous post of mine where I talked about Yockey’s episodes in s12 and how they all deal with the theme of interconnection between motherhood/fatherhood and human vessels vs demons, angels and other humans. Ultimately, the post was about Kelly Kline, the final “doll”, the real one, true vessel used to pour angelic grace in, give birth to a Nephilim and be discarded once her “job” is done.

However, since I’ve been thinking about the mothers of gods and monsters and how they all, in some way or another, end up being associated with Castiel, I’ve found an interesting discovery about “Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets” (the linked post about mothers and this one seem to be disconnected now but it will all make sense with later posts, I promise).

I’ll quote myself from my initial post in order to explain my theory:

Cas: Benjamin is always very careful. Long ago, he found a powerfully devout vessel in Madrid, and her faith, it… she gave him everything – her trust and her body. Dean: Wait. So Benjamin’s a woman. Cas: Benjamin is an angel. His vessel is a woman. But it – it’s – it’s more than that. She’s not just his vessel. Sam: She’s… She’s his friend. Cas: Yeah. Benjamin would never put her in unnecessary danger. So Lily killed Benjamin, the angel AND the “powerfully devout from Madrid” who’s first described as a vessel, a body, then as a woman, then again as “more than that/not just a vessel” and ultimately as a friend (with a romantic undertone to the word). So we GOTTA ask: when is a human being just a body? And when a vessel? Are there “vessels” and “not just [some angel’s]vessel”?

I’ve always interpreted this dialogue as an interesting lesson on “Angels and Gender Politics”, and it is, but maybe there’s something less intellectual and more mundane about it. Maybe it's just the same-old SPN parallels technique. But more fun.

“Vessel, body, woman, friend” is how the powerfully devout woman in Madrid is described. But in this episode, “vessel, body, woman, friend” is also Castiel. Castiel is the powerfully devout woman in Madrid and Dean’s… her Benjamin. There’s a complete reversal of roles here where Cas is paralleld to a human and Dean’s his angel which I find very interesting.

The comparison between Dean and Benjamin starts even before the Castiel-woman-in-Madrid one:

CAS: It was, um... Look, Benjamin wouldn't call for help lightly. And he wouldn't put himself in harm's way if he could help it. DEAN: Wow, this Benjamin seems like he's pretty cool, you know. Like he wouldn't make any half-cocked, knee-jerk choices. CAS: Yeah, you know what I like about him? Is that he's sarcastic, but he's thoughtful and appreciative, too. DEAN: Now what is that supposed to mean?

What Dean is saying here is that Benjamin is not Cas because Benjamin sounds like a cool type who wouldn’t make reckless decisions (while Cas is not this type of person). But what Cas is saying is that Benjamin’s like Dean because they’re both sarcastic but Benjamin is better than Dean because he’s also thoughtful and appreciative (while Dean’s not).

Let’s see if I’m right about this.

Vessel.

The moment Cas meets Ishim and Mirabel he just has to open his mouth and say it: “Kept your vessels all this time. I'm impressed”. Ishim and Mirabel say that they were not careless with their vessels like Cas was. Which, of course, means that they’ve known Cas in is “old him”, his old vessel.

Body.

Whether they like it or not (and Ishim doesn’t like it because he thinks humans are apes, monkeys and primates which, to be fair with Ishim, is not technically not true however he does throw shade at us) angels on earth are incarnated beings, meaning that to live on Earth they need to take… a body. Specifically, a human body (no cat angels for us). Human bodies, however, are, from an angel’s pov, weak. Ishim might have been careful with his vessel but this doesn’t mean he can’t get hurt. Lily doesn’t manage to kill him in the alley but she hurts him a great deal because his wound is deep and healing it will be painful. Bodies suck, huh? But maybe also… not so much after all.

Woman.

The big reveal of this episode is that Cas’ old vessel was a woman. We don’t know anything else but the fact that she was a woman. We don’t even know if Sam and Dean know about it because we see the backstory through a flashback while obviously they don’t. They must have wondered because they know for sure that Castiel took Jimmy Novak as his vessel after resurrecting Dean. Whatever the case may be, though, what we know is that that was the first time Castiel possessed a person to visit Earth.

Friend.

Friendship is one of the episode’s themes. It’s not the central one but they do bring up friendship a lot. Benjamin and the devout woman were "friends". Benjamin and Castiel were friends. The angels in Ishim’s garrison were friends. Sam and Dean are friends with Castiel. Dean and Castiel are best friends. Since Benjamin and the devout woman were established as “friends”, meaning that they were a little more than that, then where does it leave us? Well, frankly the usual: Cas and Dean are more than friends. Woah, what a surprise, I absolutely did not see that one coming.

The scene that confirms that my theory is correct is when Ishim dares Dean to finalize the sigil and blast every angel in the room. You see, “Benjamin would never put her in unnecessary danger”. Neither does Dean with Cas.

The scene also pretty much sums up the whole episode as far as the theme of “vessel, body, woman, friend” is concerned. Cas has healed Ishim who’s now fully recovered and brimming health from every pore. Cas, on the other hand? Not so much.

ISHIM: I used to envy you, Castiel. You believe that? ISHIM: You survived Hell. You were chosen by God. But now look at you. You're just sad and pathetically weak. ISHIM: So now... I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna cure you of your human weakness same way I cured my own– ISHIM: – by cutting it out. DEAN: Don't move. ISHIM: Do it. You blast me away, you'll blast away every angel in the room. I'll survive. Castiel, on the other hand, he's hurt. He might live or he might just end up a bloody smear on the wall. Roll the dice.

Castiel’s “bodiness” is exposed in this scene, but there is a… ahem… “positive” side? Unlike the poor guy that Ishim is wearing as his meatsuit (ugh), Cas doesn’t have to worry about his vessel’s safety but his own. He is his own vessel now (well, he kinda still stole the looks from Jimmy Novak, nevertheless his vessel has become his body. An angel with his own body, crazy, I know. Maybe this is really why Ishim is jealous of him). Which, to be honest, is still concerning because Cas is reckless as fuck. Thank God Dean is not.

Dean doesn’t roll the dice, he doesn’t endanger his powerfully devout friend, he doesn’t bet on the odds of having to scoop up Cas’ remains from the wall.

So cool, right? Do you think that Cas has learnt the value of life, the value of his own life and will be less reckless with it? Of course not!

By the end of the episode Cas still says (re Billie’s murder)that he doesn’t regret his actions even if they cost him his life. He also says, after all he’s been through with Lily Sunder, that he doesn’t know if he’s capable of killing an innocent baby or not.

SAM: But, Cas, at the end of the day, it's a mom and her kid. I mean, do you – do you think you'll be able to... CAS: There was a time when I wouldn't have hesitated. But now, I don't know.

I don’t know if the show ever answers this question. He does bring Kelly to the “sandbox” but then Dagon shows up and then Joshua gets killed and then Kelly takes his hand and then Jack shows him “the future”… And then, and then, and then. Stuff happened, life happened, you know? I mean, it’s complicated but this is what makes it more interesting!