#sam bucket lore (sort of???)

[justapitcherofwater]

I imagine this little interaction happening sometime at the end of the first sam bucket stream.

just two funny traumatized fellows having a time

[swordfright]

https://www.tumblr.com/swordfright/756502816281018368/what-do-you-think-is-your-most-controversial-dsmp?source=share

I remember sending this to a bunch of dsmp blogs (starting with elmhat I think ?) bc I like when people share ideas/opinions who diverge from the main consensus because I find it the most efficient way for people to stick to canon and not fanon since people can have different interpretations of event

And it was super interesting to see the one about the experimentation being after prison rather than before (loved the two LN and Q ones too but as you said they were a bit more common. Would love to see your take on c!slime though now)

(And I wouldn't have a problem with you giving unpopular opinion about the fandom either but to be clear I was not trying to start anything with my first question, I just like seeing uncommon takes)

Don't worry lol I didn't assume you were trying to start shit. Ok, so c!Slime is pretty interesting in that he's the closest thing we have to an NPC in what is otherwise a roleplay, which implies certain things about how he can be used in the narrative.

A little bit of quick background: I spent a LOT of time as a kid doing RP online (it was an original story set in the Death Note universe and it happened on a website that went bankrupt in like 2017 and no longer exists lmfao don't worry about it) and idk what RP etiquette is like in other communities, but in the community I was a part of, it was sort of frowned upon for players to outsource heavy plot/character development material to NPCs. It was allowed and people did it, but it was seen as sort of a cop-out. The underlying idea being that if you're gonna bother to do RP, your character's most important interactions should be with other PCs, in part because it helps build/strengthen the RP community and in part because it better entrenches your character's storyline in the storylines of other PCs, which in turn encourages other players to keep RPing and keeps the story going. Again, creating NPCs was very common, but players were discouraged from having entire arcs or character trajectories be highly dependent on NPCs. It was seen as sort of a cheap, low-effort way of progressing your character's development without having to coordinate plot beats with other players, and doing it too often was seen as sort of antithetical to what RP is trying to achieve as a form of gaming-storytelling. To me, c!Slime is a classic example of when an RPer outsources a little too much narrative weight onto an NPC.

First of all, I wanna clarify that it's kinda difficult to define what an NPC is or isn't on this server, but I'd say c!Slime is more of an NPC because even though he's played by a CC with some degree of improv, we know that cc!Quackity specifically wrote c!Slime's character to fulfill a narrative role and asked cc!Slime to play that character - as opposed to alternate characters played by CCs of their own accord (Sam Nook, Dream XD, Sam Bucket, Mexican Dream, etc.) So, for example, I don't see Sam Bucket as an NPC but I do see c!Slime as an NPC. c!Slime wasn't an original creation on the part of the player, he's a narrative tool (which is fine, but it does mean that what he can and can't do in the story is limited to what cc!Q needed him to do.)

There are some things I think the addition of c!Slime did accomplish. For one, Q's interactions with him provide a platform for more introspective character work on Q's part. And while I that character work could've been done by having Q interact with a PC instead, I do think Slime is better positioned to act as an apprentice figure because he had almost no lore prior to Las Nevadas and didn't enter the story with baggage or ties to any other major characters. He's a blank slate, which makes him really easy to use as a narrative device. Q voices thoughts and ideas to Slime that he can't voice to other characters (usually because it would be OOC for him to do so, or wouldn't make sense in context), which means that Slime is sort of a vehicle for delivering Q characterization to the audience.

This is all fine and I think a lot of it was done fairly well. I like cc!Slime's acting and I think the character is a fun addition to the LN crew. That said, I don't think the payoff was great. Slime being an NPC really undermined what I assume cc!Q was going for with End of Las Nevadas, in large part because he doesn't have well-established relationships with other characters. Aside from Q, Slime basically only ever interacts with Tommy, Foolish and Ranboo, and even those interactions are limited to a really tiny handful of streams. Punz capturing and manipulating him, Slime helping c!Dream confront Quackity...all that stuff could have been a lot more interesting if it had more time to marinate. Like, I love the IDEA of Slime and c!Dream interacting, but we don't really get any meaningful interactions between them outside of Slime's function as a storytelling tool. He's there when he needs to be, and only ever when he needs to be.

For instance, I would've loved to see what Slime thinks about Q's slime army. It's really weird to model your mindlessly obedient slave army after your friend. That was a weird ass thing for Q to do, and it would've been cool to see Slime react to that. But because he's more NPC than PC, and because highly scripted lore like the LN series doesn't really encourage deviation, we never get to find that out. Slime doesn't ever really get to be his own character, which in the end kinda undermines a lot of the character development he triggers for c!Quackity because at the end of the day, it's really transparent that Slime only exists to be a prop. It's a kind of one-sided relationship that's unique to RP.

I think End of Las Nevadas was weak for other reasons too, but uhhhh yeah the Slime stuff bothered me a bit. Would've liked to see him do more. And he disappears after pushing Q off the ledge and, to my knowledge, we never see him again! If he had been more PC and less storytelling tool, presumably other characters would've had opportunities to react to Slime's role in the events of that stream, or notice that he's missing/back again/missing. But instead, he's able to just vanish from the story after he's fulfilled his role because that's all he was ever supposed to do.

[calamari-minecraft-corner]

i now really want to hear more about con!cala forcing c!sam and c!quackity to play dnd with her

OH IT WOULD BE CHAOTIC BUT AT THE SAME TIME SO FUN AND HILARIOUS

So the thing is- Cala could go horrible Dungeon Master mode and win the game quickly by making them be level 1 and letting them fight tarrasques. That would be easy right? But no- Cala is very fair in what she wants to do. She could rig it up SO EASILY, but she knows if she does then it would give Quackity all the more reason to do it on his end as well as Sam. So she would make it fair and very balanced.

She would definitely help with making their characters. Like genuinely help them sort it out and make sure they’re not cheating on their end as well. It would lead to her having to redo Sam’s sheet because he would make his character overpowered.

Quackity and Sam i feel would make characters that are very similar to them but not actually them- and Cala would allow that uwu

Sam would definitely be a Paladin and Quackity would be a Rogue. :3

Quackity would attempt to cheat though first session in by bringing a loaded set of dnd dice- very custom made and beautiful with the 1 being a duck and a 20 being :]

However Cala would remedy that problem quickly by saying that they have to use dice that is in the dice bucket she has. And it’s just how it sounds- a bucket full of dice.

Quackity would try to convince her and she would immediately just, “oh if you want these dice to be put Into play then i Can use them then!! :3”

That makes him use the bucket.

First session is a classic dnd quest: helping a town with their giant rat problem. It’s something simple of Cala would make them think outside the box. As well as that Cala would sprinkle some in game lore here and there, but not too much.

Cala gets very serious when she DMs. She isn’t a scary dm but she really gets into the role of telling her story. She usually would be very spacey or fidgety but it all goes away when she’s in the middle of explaining the story.

Quackity would think it’s just a one time session- all they have to do is beat this quest and that’s it— but that’s when Cala would pull in a cliffhanger of a bigger problem right at the end of the session and she just smiles and goes: “Well- that’s the first session! So same time next week?”

Quackity would immediately be surprised and ask what she means and she explains that this isn’t a one time thing- just because they passed one quest doesn’t mean they won the whole game. So until they beat basically the main storyline she made then no one has won yet.

Sam immediately would understand what she meant, and she’s right- the terms were if either of them won the game and them beating the first quest only helped a small bit with their goal. They still have a long way to go!

So they would play dnd weekly- or biweekly since Cala is busy. And Cala also made Quackity agree to the terms that neither Sam or him can torture Dream in between sessions. I feel like that would be in exchange for Cala making the session balanced. This also means Cala would drag it out as long as possible. Because she knows what she’s doing.

Obviously it would get harder the more she plays with them- she would make it more difficult; make puzzles, riddles, any solution that would be different to the actual one. And also some of the quests as well as the npcs are a bit… familiar to Sam and Quackity.

Like an alcoholic satyr who is the leader of a country that’s on the midst of a revolution.

Or a triton who loves to build and is the demigod of the sea and lightning.

Not all of them are like that, but she defintiely sprinkled some familiarity with them. They would either love it or hate it.

And if you think Cala would ignore the backstories the two made for their characters, even if they were poorly made, you have another thing coming because she would adapt those stories and manage to put them into the session seamlessly.

Cala loves to tell stories no matter what, and she does her best even in this situation where her and Dream’s lives are on the line.

I feel like Sam and Quackity would have a guilty pleasure of doing this- like they enjoy it but they’re salty that they are. Quackity would try and rig the game up and Sam would try and intimidate Cala but she usually doesn’t take their shit.

It would genuinely be a 50/50 on if Cala would win or Quackity at the end too- but she would make it fun and make it last as long as possible.

[irrealisms]

12 & 22 dsmp for the ask game?

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

man, i'm running into a sort of threefold thing where: - all the actually unpopular characters are, like.... not really surprising to like, most people like them in a casual passing sort of way, it's just common for them to be ppl's favorites tht they care deeply about? - all the characters that are controversial are in fact incredibly popular - i do, in fact, have embarrassingly basic taste. i mean, my favorite character is tommy.

that said, STAN ERYN he is really funny and he's a tryhard and he got added when the server was dead but he did try his best to do lore, both with ppl like eret, tommy, aimsey, dream, bbh, etc, and entirely solo!!! and it's good lore!!!! his solo cinematic is really good!!!!! i am not the #1 eryn liker of my friend group and if birdy had a tumblr i would @ them to explain why more people should like eryn but nonetheless i do enjoy eryn and i wish there was more content for him.

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

already answered! but also, since it's such a sprawling fandom, i'll also give a shoutout to sam bucket. sam bucket was genuinely really fun and fulfilled the dsmp tradition of taking a Bit and then running with it until it becomes much more serious. the bbh-sam relationship.... bbh's declining mental state...... the egg lore....... sam bucket himself......... cc!sam's clear joy at doing a silly voice........... sam bucket rly had everything

(choose violence ask game)

[back-on-my-bucky-bs]

🔥 dream smp lore

So I got into the lore during Tommy and Techno's team up. Racconinnit forever.

Btw I'm gonna miss some things in my breakdown but here we go:

L'manburg era: excellent, amazing, fun and angsty storytelling. Sure the whole thing was an amateurish Hamilton rp via Minecraft but it was new and interesting and happened at the high of lockdown while everyone with a knowledge of the craft needed something to watch.

Doomsday: amazing, more angsty storytelling and was poetically the end of an era both in the lore and in the world as lockdown restrictions were lifted around the same time. (Also the funniest shit to happen on a day when an actual government resurrection was happening)

Egg lore + Sam Bucket: AMAZING, beautifully tragic and well written. I remember making red icing for cookies the day of the Banquet. The entire cast had a lot of love for the story and I hope the dsmp2 happens so we can get Red Velvet as the Egg. (As an Empires watcher I still believe there's some connection with Xornoth but that's a personal headcanon)

Exile: some people made it darker than it was. Most of them trying to paint Dream as a pedo and a rapist because they probably secretly shipped the two. Those people can kindly fuck off.

Prison + Disk finale: that prison was scary. I distaste Redstone with a passion and Sam put his whole creepussy into it. Loved Techno just getting caught and vibing with Dream. Also knew it was staged before the reveal.

Revive/Death book: lost its grip in the end. Dream XD and Foolish carried obviously.

Ranboo: UNTAPPED POTENTIAL! I was a ranboo lorehead. Wanted some sort of Bill Cipher and Ford Pines kinda thing with him and Dream but spineless enderboy couldn't keep up with his fans wanting to cancel him for every interaction he had so he used scheduling as an excuse

Las Navadas: also amazing. Also interesting. Quackity was a tragic character of his own undoing.

TOTSMP: super cool and well done. Beauitful cinematics and funny one off characters. Came back only for one episode because they lost a major player. Willing to purchase it in comic form if that's what Karl is doing.

In general, the bigger arcs were the best bits of lore. It was the smaller stuff that got lost imo. If you couldn't keep up with the big plots you got lost in it.

All the characters and lore were unique and I truly loved and enjoyed the majority of the smp. Again it was the fans that ruined it not the ccs. Techno's death is the majority reason why the dsmp died imo. As was the end of lockdown and drantis. I am open to a dsmp2 with new characters (Sylvee, Velvet, Gumi, anyone who is friends with Dream and plays minecraft). But I doubt that will happen this year. Hope for next year though.

[sleepypuffpastry]

I kinda wanna talk about cc!Sam saying “I think the dynamic between mine and Tommy’s characters is one of the most interesting on the server.”

From Season 1 to now, it’s always felt so...different and unique compared to their other usual relationships on the server, but I was never able to put it into words.

But when I heard cc!Sam say that I finally came to the realization as to why it may be, and no it’s not because I am stupid I am very smart and sexy actually.

c!Tommy’s most well-known relationship dynamics, based on what I have seen, are with c!Tubbo, c!Wilbur, and c!Techno. And c!Sam’s are with the rest of the Badlands, c!Ponk, and c!Dreamteam. 

Naturally, this is because cc!Tommy and cc!Sam were close friends with the CCs even before the server, so this also meant that when they all joined the server, their characters acted as if they had already known each other since before the server. For example, when c!Techno joined during the elections, it was presented in a way so that he, c!Tommy, and c!Wilbur had already known each other long before they met up to flee to Pogtopia. That was the first time we see them canonically together as the audience. But based on the dialogue from that scene, we can clearly tell it wasn’t their first time meeting each other.

However, in the case of c!Tommy and c!Sam, the CCs didn’t know each other before the server, so both the CCs and characters met for the first time on the server. This means that we were able to see their relationship’s journey from the very start to now. 

Their interactions back in Season 1 were infrequent yet memorable. Who could forget the time c!Sam bought Tubbo bath water in an attempt to “turn British” from c!clingyduo? Who could forget the time c!Sam took c!Tommy to his home for the first time and how amazed c!Tommy was at it? Who could forget the time c!Sam helped c!Tommy with his TNT-water bucket MLG practice in preparation for the Manburg vs Pogtopia war?

These were incredibly light-hearted and fun moments between the two that were always a damn delight to watch.

Then you have Season 2. There wasn’t much of them together during Season 2 due to how quick it was and the fact that c!Tommy spent the majority of the season away from the main areas (staying in Logstedshire and Antarctic Commune). But, there were still incredibly important moments for the duo that still affects the lore today.

When c!Tommy was exiled kidnapped, c!Sam was incredibly worried for him, taking huge risks to find c!Tommy on the very first day of exile to check on him. He offered him a place to run away to (which damn shawty I know we all wished c!Tommy took the offer). c!Sam was c!Tommy’s first visitor (excluding Ghostbur since he traveled with c!Tommy and stayed with the majority of the time until thee green bastard tried to off him). 

During the beginning of exile, c!Dream commissioned c!Sam to build Pandora’s Vault. Sam’s most recent lore stream, where c!Sam tells c!Dream off with his bullshit, reveals that c!Sam knows that c!Dream wanted to throw c!Tommy into the prison with the intention of making life hell for him and to display him like some sort of trophy. Although there is still room for doubt (not that much if you ask me lol) as to whether or not the prison had always been intended for c!Tommy or whether or not everything c!Sam said was him believing that’s what happened or knowing for sure and such and so, especially with Sam’s QnA stream today where he says we will have to wait to find out, it can be said with full confidence, based on Sam’s last prison lore stream and the Disc War Finale, that c!Dream did intend on putting c!Tommy into the prison by the end.

Then in comes the iconic, the beautiful, and the gorgeous Animal Crossing Hotel Arc that kicks off in the beginning of Season 3. The beginning of Season 3 is, arguably, the most development we get out of the relationship. After the Disc War Finale, c!Sam has no regrets or second thoughts about having c!Dream, a former acquaintance, locked up in the prison. And c!Tommy, finally having had escaped the clutches of his abuser for a good amount of time hsgbhdsvhjdd wanted to live his life again and heal from the past. Thus, begins the beloved Hotel Arc.

There’s a lot we learn from this arc alone. Some I can list from the top of my head are:

c!Sam finds out about c!Dream abusive treatment towards c!Tommy during exile (extent unknown).

c!Sam build Sam Nook to help c!Tommy keep busy with hotel-related and egg-related tasks. Sam Nook has been found to be extremely patient and calm with c!Tommy.

c!Sam also programmed Sam Nook to protect c!Tommy.

c!Sam is fully aware that c!Tommy’s mental state was in shambles and does not want it to worsen.

c!Tommy wants c!Sam to be one of his best friends and to protect him.

There’s most likely more I can’t remember at the moment, but this shows just how much more nurturing and positive their relationship has since they first met. The positive development of their relationship has made so many people, including myself, very emotional considering at the time, many people were still emotionally burnt out from the absurd amount of backlash c!Tommy and cc!Tommy got for the Green Festival-Doomsday discourse, the constant losses c!Tommy suffered during Season 2, and the amount of characters that either hated and/or wanted to murder c!Tommy during the beginning of Season 3. c!Sam was one of the only characters during that time to have shown genuine care for the kid, something we simply weren’t used to. For someone who barely knew the kid just a few months prior to show immense care, love, and patience for him was amazing to watch.

Then, of course, we have the prison lockdown. As most of us know, the lockdown put a serious dent into their relationship. And just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, c!Tommy’s failed attempt to kill c!Dream once and for all did exactly that. Their relationship remained strained for quite a long time (due to lore drought) up until Tommy’s most recent DSMP stream where c!Tommy and c!Sam seemed to have...somewhat mended things. 

After all, c!Sam invited c!Tommy to investigate the egg post-Red Banquet and along the way, they demonstrated that the two still joke with each other and have fun, similar to the light-heartedness from Season 1 and early Season 3. Of course, things haven’t been fully resolved, the biggest evidence being the line c!Tommy dropped regarding him still not having forgotten the prison lockdown during that very same stream.

It’s obvious that c!Sam still cares about c!Tommy even after the Lockdown + Break-In. This becomes very apparent when c!Dream tries to use his attachment to c!Tommy to convince him to not tell c!Quackity about his whereabouts, c!Sam responding in a way that shows us that he didn’t want to lose c!Tommy, not again. And the same goes for c!Tommy, though it was more subtle. In Tommy’s stone mining stream with Ranboo, he sprinkles in moments of reminiscing about c!Sam and Sam Nook (calling out for Sam and Sam Nook using the creeper head he gifted him + wanting the construction clothes they gave him before).

But hopefully, we will get to see more of them to observe how this relationship resolves.

All in all, I fully agree with cc!Sam in that c!Sam+c!Tommy’s relationship is truly one that is unique to the others for the reasons I have presented and I really, really, really hope that we get more! I am certain many of us want to see how this relationship will progress (or regress oooo spooky) based on everything that’s happened so far.

[grace122]

grace! sam's voice this lore stream... 😩 and he started to whisper at some point too 🤤🥵 had me feeling some sort of way -☀️

SAME OMGG LITERALLY SAME! i was an actual mess when he was running from sam bucket because the noises he was making sounded very similar to how i think he would sound if being edged or overstimulated, the little gasps just everything😵‍💫

[cartoonrival]

what sort of explanation for sam bucket being real do you think would make sense or be satisfying ? I also think it’d be a lot better if sam bucket wasn’t real but I’m curious

welll i think theres potential to the idea that sam bucket is dreamxd and he's just changed his form to fuck with c!bbh. this could also be an alternative explanation for why sam nook knows about sam bucket, because he could've accidentally witnessed him even though dreamxd didn't mean for anyone other than c!bbh to see him. this would make sense because sam bucket's goals are so unclear and his actions are so absurd that it would be pretty on brand for him to just be a senseless joke that dreamxd thinks is funny because of how terrified it makes c!bbh, especially considering he hasn't inflicted any actual physical harm on bbh, which dreamxd doesn't seem particularly interested in doing. also his ability to change the time of day, teleport, and delete blocks.

i don't know if this would count as him being real though, if he's just a god parading as some sort of horrible caricature of one of c!bbh's ex-closest friends instead of being an entity of his own. the only theories i've seen about him being his own seperate entity are related to sam's multiple bodies, which is a plotline that i notoriously hate and want to be neglected and forgotten if not outright retconned, so i dont think there is a single outcome where sam's bodies are associated at all that i would be satisfied with.

something else i think might work though is if bucket is some sort of samnook prototype that's gone haywire (keep in mind i do not personally think samnook is one of sam's bodies, i think he's a robot with his own ai); maybe he went missing from sam's base a long time ago so sam has no idea the state he's in or that he's even still around at all, having all but forgotten about him, meaning his concern for bbh and disbelief about sam bucket are still totally genuine.

this would make sense, but again, much like any resolution where sam bucket turns out to be real, it doesn't do much to progress viewer's growing concern for c!bbh's mental state if his fears just turned out to be founded, he was right all along, and everyone else is just mean for not believing him. i think that sort of ending would just fall kind of flat. but, i don't think the dxd explanation would fall flat like this because instead of just giving us a "nevermind!" sort of conclusion to the paranoia arc, it would get directly to the root of it (why c!bbh is so paranoid) and would open up opportunities for further lore (why does dxd hate c!bbh so much).

if you've heard/have any theories about bucket being real that don't pertain to sam's bodies i would be interested in hearing them, i cant come up with anything else off the top of my head rn

[snek-snacc]

Okay so Bad was sort of lying about the Sam Bucket lore having an unhappy ending and before he started he said that Quackity's lore really inspired him and Quackity keeps talking about how c!Quackity is going to have a bad ending but clearly this means he must be lying as well IN THIS ESSAY I WILL EXPLAIN HOW C!QUACKITY CAN STILL WIN AND MAKE IT OUT OF TOMORROW ALIVE-

[anakirui]

sam bucket lore occurred, i have theories ?

also why the fuck is c!skeppy canonically in ohio. i'm assuming cc!bad meant the ohio on the dsmp which means he's at the moved mansion but why?

honestly sus considering that c!bad keeps saying that he's busy and won't tell us with what... the fact that he's been collecting all of that tnt and enchanted books for him and skeppy to use ("Yeah we're gonna use this" - bbh to skeppy) and now he supposedly needs a stack of gold from sam's gold farm for golden apples is really sus.

it implies that bad is actually doing something with the egg (i am 100% sure that those log entries are not written by c!bad though. there's more evidence that suggests the contrary) because of the whole situation of golden apples.

for context, during bd island, on 3/2/21, c!skeppy was showing signs of being corrupted again (he quite literally remarked that his face was turning red and that he felt extremely off), and said that the only way he could be "healed" would be if he got a golden apple. they then mined for gold and made the golden apple, and c!skeppy was instantly better after consuming it (even if he would later on get corrupted again)

that sounds really insignificant until you realize that... c!happyduo has always carried golden apples on them since that occurence? the lsandburg toll was also golden apples as well and skeppy literally paid the toll for foolish to try and encourage him to pay it

so anyways we can infer that the golden apples r some sort of egg-infection deterrent, which then leads me into the surface of my theory

given that sam bucket is connected to the egg and c!happyduo have really weird connections to the egg, i think the four entities are related?

not only that its incredibly sus that c!happyduo has said NOTHING about the golden apples being a temporary cure and also that they've said NOTHING pertaining to whatever canonically happened in the final egg stream.

i honestly think c!happyduo have ulterior motives concerning the egg. it's a really long and complicated theory but imo it explains basically every plothole in the egg arc. i might post about it later or i'll force @thequeerspider to do it for me because i'm lazy (they probably won't and i probably won't either so don't count on it too hard)

so anyways yeah.

also given that c!bad has limited powers of teleportation and changing the time of day, hypothetically if he's linked to the egg in some way you could explain the crazy shenanigans with sam bucket as partially caused by c!bads powers going out of wack (this would explain the weird "time travel" like shit that happens and how sam bucket has literally teleported... c!bad may be causing that unintentionally)

so yeah thanks this didn't go into detail whatsoever and probably doesn't make any sense because i didn't provide any evidence or my reasoning but take my weird ramble ig

[shirtlesssammy]

3x16: No Rest for the Wicked

The Road So Far:

I want to write some flip comment that Dean’s going to hell, y’all, but man, this shit still messes with me.

Now:

Dean’s running for his fucking life through a forest, until he runs into invisible hell hounds. I’m guessing it was here that Jensen put his foot down about the Samulet --that thing had to be bouncing everywhere. Dean starts running in the opposite direction until they catch up with him --and he wakes up. 

Ok, I know that hell hounds are scary and all, but the open flames while sleeping? NOPE. Sam finds him and tells him that Bobby’s found a way to find Lilith. Dean’s sweaty and not as relieved as he should be --he’s got 30 hours until go time. Sam tries reassuring his brother that it’s all going to be okay --but Dean’s already starting to see the warped faces that the woman from the last episode saw. 

Pre-TFW perform a locating spell.

Dean is hesitant to head to Indiana, where the spell pinged Lilith. Sam wants to summon Ruby to help with the plan. “She is the Miss Universe of lying skanks.” Tell us what you really think, Dean. Dean insists they find another way. 

Sam does the summoning spell all on his own. 

Ruby arrives and admits that she knew that Lilith held Dean’s contract. Sam and Dean were not ready to know that. Sam demands her knife. She starts circling him and tells him that the knife doesn’t matter. He’s got not-God (*cough cough*) given talent that could defeat Lilith. Man, Ruby plays to all of Sam’s weaknesses. 

Dean pops in, throws out some insults, and demands the knife. We’ve been over this boys, the knife don’t matter. Sam wants to listen to Ruby, Dean doesn’t care. Ruby simply tells them that she wants Lilith dead. Yes, yes, you do. That is the truth. Very, very true. Dean’s gotta get to Hell and break that first seal first though, amirite?  

Fisticuffs ensue. 

It looks like the puny humans don’t stand a chance against the demon, but it was all a ploy to get the knife. THE KNIFE. Also, they trapped Ruby. Smart Dean is smart. 

Packing their gear, Sam starts having doubts. The co-dependency is strong with this episode, guys. Sam wants to save Dean. Dean wants to save Sam. Dean’s Theme starts playing and Dean admits that they’ll do anything for each other --and the bad guys know it. (Chuck knows it.) Dean wants to attack Lilth their way (yaaas --play your game, not hers). Sam admits that Dean should have been “jamming ‘Eye of the Tiger’” during that speech. Dean isn’t amused, but admits that he rehearsed the speech. Bby. Bby boy. 

New Harmony, Indiana

In a nice little gated community, two nice old men exchange pleasantries at their shared mailboxes. One grandfather slips the other man a note before heading back inside his home. It reads, “Help us.”

Once inside, the grandfather steps over a very dead body (his wife?!? MY GOD.) and finds his daughter/son in-law in the kitchen. They’re afraid of their Lilith possessed child/grandchild. The granddaughter shows up in the kitchen soaked in blood. It turns out that Freckles was mean to her. The family is horrified. Her mother tries to act normally. The dad asks the little girl if she’ll let them go. She gets suspicious and the tension grows. She’s good though, silly!

Sam and Dean try taking off but the Impala won’t start. Bobby shows up with a necessary part and is upset that they were trying to ditch him. 

*Iconic Words Alert*

Bobby utters, “Family don’t end with blood, boy.”

Bobby also knows about Dean’s hallucinations. They need his help. 

Later, Sam pushes for deep confessional mode in the car, only for Dean to spurn his attempts to get him to open up. No chick flick moments! Dean turns the music up. “Bon Jovi rocks…on occasion.” He sings “Dead or Alive”, and friends, I am DEAD.

They get pulled over by a cop who calls them out on the Impala’s busted taillight. Dean glances at the cop and then immediately kills him with Ruby’s knife. It turns out the cop was possessed - and Dean could see the demon’s real face. All it took was one look. Bobby tells them that Dean’s almost hell’s bitch so he can see hell’s other bitches. ELOQUENTLY put, Bobby. They realize that demons must be stationed all over town. 

Back with little homicidal Lilith, the family sits down before a feast worthy of Sully’s Imaginary Best Friends Club. 

The little girl asks grandpa why he asked the neighbor for help. He protests, but she’s clearly onto his plan. Her parents deny knowing anything about it and you can see doom scrawled over grandpa’s face. Lilith accuses him of not loving her anymore and snaps his neck right there at the table. The parents serve cake for dinner, utterly terrified. 

Outside, Dean can see that Lilith’s in the little girl. He sees her true face. Dean points out two other demons on patrol: the mailman sorting mail outside at night, and the neighbor that grandpa went to for help. (Wherps.)

Dean is low key horrified at the idea of killing a little girl to kill Lilith, but Sam and Bobby are ready to do whatever it takes. 

The Winchesters and Bobby kill the mailman and neighbor, then Ruby shows up. Dean does a double take at Ruby’s face, grossed out by her demonic visage. Them’s fightin’ words, Dean! Well, they could fight over it...except they’ve got bigger problems. An army of demons appears from all the neighboring houses, chasing them to Lilith’s door. Bobby peels off and we spy him with a bucket and a rosary. Soon after, the sprinklers turn on…it’s raining holy water! Hallelujah it’s raining HOLY WATER. Bobby, you smart son of a bitch. 

They stalk through the house, surprising the dad. Dean knocks him out and stores him safely in the basement behind a line of salt. They creep upstairs to the kid’s bedroom where Lilith and the mom are curled up in bed. The mom whisper-pleads for Sam to kill her daughter but Sam hesitates. He’s just about to bring down the knife when Dean stops him. Lilith has left the little girl! Hooray! Let’s all NOT stew on this extremely traumatized family unit and how this world MEGA needs therapists training in monster lore. Anyway. Bad news: if Lilith is no longer in the girl, then she’s possessing someone else now. 

Sam begs Ruby for help - he’ll do whatever she tells him to if it means he can save his brother. (Holy foreshadowing for Season 4, Batman!) Dean shouts him down. No stupid mistakes, Sammy! 

The clock strikes midnight dramatically. (Good thing this family has a big ol’ dramatic grandfather clock, to help us keep track of demon deals.) A hound growls from inside the house and everyone races for a room with a door that closes. Dean spreads goofer dust frantically along the window and doors of the office. Ruby demands the knife so she can try and keep the hellhound at bay and buy Dean some time. Dean takes a hard look at Ruby and realizes…it’s not her! He sees a different demon face now. It’s LILITH. 

Lilith pins Dean to the desk while she kisses Sam. NOT COOL, demons! What’s with demons and all the kissing? Smh. Dean tries to ask her about her plan and Lilith smirks in response. She opens the door to the office. 

The hellhound races in and tears into Dean while Sam’s pinned to the wall. Dean is pulled to the floor and torn apart while Sam watches. I think the worst part is definitely how Dean starts out screaming and then can’t even scream at the very end. SHUDDER.

shudder

After Dean dies, Lilith triumphantly raises a hand to smite Sam.

She can’t kill Sam, which is a huge surprise to both of them. Sam hauls out Ruby’s knife, only for Lilith to smoke out. He’s left alone with two bodies on the floor. He picks up Dean’s lifeless body and weeps.

The camera moves in, plunging us into Dean’s mind and through...to the other side.

We descend into another world, down to Hell. It’s dark and full of lightning, an endless spider’s web of chains and misery. Dean’s strung up by meathooks jammed into his skin. He screams for Sam, and his screams carry us into the black of the season break.

Holy Quotehounds, Batman!

Either we go in smart or we don’t go in at all

She is the Miss Universe of lying skanks

Um... demon. Manipulative's kinda in the job description

She probably wants you to become her little antichrist Super Star

Do I look like a ditchable prom-date to you?

I think you totally should have been jamming "Eye of the Tiger" right there

If this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward

Family don't end with blood, boy

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

[thecleverdame]

Brains & Sex - One Shot

Sam x Reader

Summary: Sam brings you along on a hunt that turns into more than he anticipated.

Warnings: canon-level violence, almost smut

For:  I4z_0892_il

Words: 1.5k

Beta:  ilikaicalie

This story was available on Patreon on 4/23. Subscribe for a pledge of $2.50 a month and get early access to all my stories and other Patreon exclusive content.

-

In April Sam and Dean take separate cases. Dean tracks a shapeshifter all the way up to Saskatchewan and Sam heads to Georgia with Y/N in tow.

She’s not a hunter, not even close. She’s a librarian from Wichita that Sam crossed paths with a couple of years back. She helped with research on a case and when it was over he found a reason to go back again.

And again.

And then it became an unspoken arrangement.

So when he and Dean go their separate ways, she takes a few vacation days and spends a long weekend sorting through lore and sharing his bed.

When Sam plans on hooking up he takes the easy cases. Dean always knows his brother is gonna pick her up on his way out of the state because Sam’s suddenly all gung-ho to check out a salt-and-burn that they’d normally hand off to a local hunter.

Dean starts calling it a hunt ‘n fuck and Sam’s cheeks turn bright red every time he says it.

-

It’s been a long week. Three days turned into five. A single vampire turned out to be a nest and Sam’s simple weekend case turned into a balls-to-the-wall hunt that he didn’t see coming. He thinks it’s over, he doesn’t realize the one remaining bloodsucker has followed him and the vamp gets to her before he does.

She ends up with a black eye and a split lip before he takes the things head off.

“Hold still.” Sam’s on his knees, wedged between her legs where she’s sitting at the end of the bed. She winces when he dabs a wet washcloth at the gash in her lip. “It’s not that bad but we’re gonna have to ice your eye. It’s gonna swell.”

“You’re worse off than me.” She squirms, taking his wrists and pulling his hand up to inspect it. His knuckles are shredded, angry red knobs that hurt when he makes a fist.

“I’m fine.” Yanking his hand away he reaches into the ice bucket, grabbing a handful of cubes and wrapping them up in the washcloth. “Here, hold this up to your eye.”

“It doesn’t hurt that bad.” She winces, Sam knows she’s lying.

“I should’ve made sure I knew what I was getting into before I brought you here.” Sam sits back on his haunches, looking up at her from his perch on the floor. “It could have been worse than this.”

“But it wasn’t. I’m in one piece.” She smiles, ignoring the throb of her lip. “We’re both a little worse for wear but still kickin’.”

Sam watches her make the best of this incredibly shitty situation and feels the guilt settling in. He’s gotten good at ignoring his instincts when it comes to her. Every bone in his body tells him to walk away. To tell her goodbye and get her the hell out of his messed up life. But he can’t, not yet anyway.

He’s spent a long time on his own, hasn’t let himself get this close to anyone since Amelia. He craves it though, the familiarity of a woman who knows who he is and he doesn't have to work to be around. With Y/N he’s just Sam with no pretense.

She’s easy to be around and way too beautiful to work in a library. Under her sweaters and cardigans, she’s got an ass for days and legs that don’t quit. And she’s flexible. He’s had her bent over, palms flat on the floor, more than once.

She’s brains and sex, the combination will always be his downfall.

“What are you thinking about?” She caught him in his own head, she usually does.

“Just thinkin’ about you.” He reaches out to squeeze her calf and she slides off the bed, kneeing her way across the floor to him.

“Don’t think too much. Save the thinking for when I’m not around.” Her hand snakes under his shirt, running the back of her fingers over the warm, soft skin of his belly.

Sam grunts, she bites her bottom lip, curling slender fingers under his belt, sliding down inside of his jeans to pull him toward her.

“No kissing,” she murmurs her eyes fluttering with desire. Her pink tongue darts out to touch the angry cut at her lip. “I’m injured.”

Sam feels the shift, the flutter of anticipation in his belly. One of his big hands slides around the back of her neck, his thumb pressing lightly over her throat. “No kissing...anywhere?”

“I’m not completely unreasonable.” Her whisper fades away with a gentle oomf as he lays her back, spreading her out on the green and orange shag carpet of this shitty motel room. Her hands are working his belt buckle when there’s a heavy knock at the door.

Thump

Thump

Thump

It’s a cop knock if he’s ever heard one.

Sam’s off the ground and on his feet, gun in hand before she has a chance to process what’s happening.

Quiet he mouths, bringing a finger to this lips. Carefully, silently, he pads barefoot across the carpet toward the door. He looks through the peephole and does a double take.

Thump

Thump

Thump

“Yeah?” Sam calls, lowering his gun.

“Athens Police Department. Open the door, please!” The voice is clearly one of authority, and the please is rhetorical.

Sam does a quick mental inventory. He’s stayed under the radar and covered his tracks. There no reason for this hunt to have attracted attention.

“Just a sec!” he hollers, sliding his gun in the drawer of the bedside table. He reaches down, pulling Y/N off the floor in one smooth motion.

“We need you to open the door now, sir.” The disembodied voice demands.

“What the fuck?” she whispers, both hands curling around Sam’s forearm.

“Just stay back until I know what this is.” Sam frowns, leaving her by the bed to answer the door.

There are two uniformed officers standing in front of room 107. One has his hand on the butt of his gun, the other places a hand on the door as soon as it swings open to prevent Sam from closing it.

Sam doesn’t like this.

The younger of the two policemen is big, almost as tall as Sam and just as wide. He looks from Sam to Y/N. “You alright ma'am?”

She’s not sure if she should answer. In Sam’s world, things are never what they seem and she’s not even sure these guys are real cops. She looks to Sam for an answer.

“She’s fine,” Sam explains, but it already looks hinky and he knows it. He’s answering for her and it piques the interest of these cops.

“Can you step out of the room, sir.” The bigger of the two cops gestures, but it’s not really a question.

Sam looks at Y/N, mouthing it’s okay before walking out of the room, escorted by the smaller, older officer.

She stands in place as the big guy makes sure Sam’s out of earshot before turning his attention back to her.

“I’m here because we had a call from a concerned citizen who saw you and wanted to be sure that you’re alright.” He hooks both hands into his utility belt, legs in a wide stance as he plants himself in place.

“Me?” She balks, clueless. It’s the look on his face that finally brings some clarity. He’s staring her bruises. Her hand flutters up to her face and a completely inappropriate laugh slips out before she can stop it.  “Oh my God, no, this isn’t - it’s not Sam. I’m fine.”

“If you’re not comfortable talking to me here, we can take you down to the station. Get you away from him for a little while, get you to a safe place,” he offers.

“Seriously.” She smiles, wincing as the cut on her lip throbs. “This is not what it looks like.”

“I don’t know a lot of women who end up with a beating like that when everything is fine.” He nods, eyeing her from head to toe.

“Yeah, I can understand that.” Y/N takes a seat on the end of the bed, both palms on her thighs.

They’ve already talked about this. Y/N was examining her fresh wound in the mirror and complaining to Sam about having to come up with a cover story. He stood behind her, grimacing at her reflection.

“You can tell people you were mugged,” he offered, turning her around, cupping her face to get a better look. “Jesus, I’m sorry I let this happen.”

“I was mugged.” She shrugs.

“Oh?” He asks casually. “Did you report it?”

“Yup. It back in Alabama.”

“If you got mugged then why are your boyfriend’s knuckles torn up?” He’s fishing. They both know it’s not his jurisdiction, there’s no way to check on a report without making a formal inquiry. It’ll take time.

“He got there just in time, pulled the guy off me. Sam gave him a beating before he ran off. Coulda been a lot worse if he wasn’t there.”

“Good man.” The cop nods, sticking out his bottom lip. “So, you sure you’re alright?”

“One hundred percent.”

--

“I’m not sure how to feel about what a good liar you are.” Sam smiles, stuffing a shirt into his duffle bag.

“What can I say? I learned from the master.” Grinning she watches him pack up the rest of his belongings. “I have a request.”

“Anything.” Sam smiles, giving her his full attention.

“Next time, can we just make up a fake monster and spend the weekend in a B&B or something?”

Sam saunters over to her, slipping his arms around her waist. “That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard in a long time.”

-

Tags:  @smallgirlbigpersonality @mereka18 @gryffindorable713 @trainlikeawinchester @winchesterprincessbride @bamby0304 @saxxxology @notyourtypicalrose @mariekoukie6661 @little-big-mac2 @emoryhemsworth @mystriee @atc74 @holyfuckloueh @bunnybaby121115 @mogaruke @darkmystress00 @jaspesangriento @kazuha159 @mirandaaustin93 @crispychrissy @schilj79 @wilde-abandon @hennessy0274-blog @bojabee @miss-samantha-winchester @impalaimagining @andkatiethings @astephez @ladycynthia @mrswhozeewhatsis @lenawiinchester @feelmyroarrrr @mrs-meghan-winchester @har-rystyles @mistressofallthingsgeeky @theamuz @maui137 @stars-and-seas @vale0413 @impala67trenchcoat @curly-haired-disaster @ericaprice2008 @livelikeawinchester @althehufflepuff @itsthesamegametoday @bohowitch @spnwoman @just-a-normal-eccentric @gallifreyansass @stoneyggirl @lonely-skys @81mysteriouslyme @missrandomista @soupornatural @stars-and-seas @natura1phenomenon @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes @natura1phenomenon @likhelbentin @mrooks0205 @zombiewerewolfqueen @winchesterprincessbride @squirrel-moose-winchester @fortisetgloriosusinarduis @closetspngirl @dominodoll @rainflowermoon @cleighwrites @camelotandastronauts @imarockstar45  @thebeastinside19 @courtney-padalecki @itsthesamegametoday @virtualgirlfriendsan @daisymoder72 @fandom-is-my-middle-name @mysticmcu @luciferseclipse @malinda1997 @sunlight-dean @rockhoochie @collette04 @sandlee44 @ohnowin-chester @maddiepants @fandom-princess-forevermore @geeksareunique @femdeni314 @lazinessisalliknow @samwinchesterssexyface @the-yellow-girl96 @that67chevy @that-weird-asian-gorl @lmitchell78 @snffbeebee @sandlee44 @fandom-is-my-middle-name @calaofnoldor @prettyinplaid94 @squirrelnotsam @spnwoman @luciferseclipse @daddys-littlewhitegirl @fanfictionjunkie1112 @immafangirlmess @winchesterweirdo @organicpurplepants @becs-bunker @mbanejr

[agentnico]

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-2018) Review

Groovy!

Plot: Ash has spent the last thirty years avoiding responsibility, maturity, and the terrors of the Evil Dead until a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind and Ash becomes mankind's only hope.

Happy Halloween everybody! Hope everyone is having a great time knocking on people’s doors and taking candy that they didn’t pay for. This month I was lucky enough to discover the brilliance that is the Evil Dead franchise. I’ve watched the first Evil Dead film back in the summer, and this month my friends showed me Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, following which I took it upon myself to check out the series Ash vs Evil Dead which continues the saga 30 years from the events of the trilogy. All I have left to say is this. When a man manages to binge through a whole show within 2-3 days, that show must have something about it. Ash vs Evil Dead does have something. “What?” you may ask? Well, the answer is simple: it’s bloody great!

Everything you loved about the Evil Dead films, the campy one-liners, the buckets of blood that looks like red paint, Ash being...well Ash! It’s all here, yet it is amped-up by about a hundred, since Starz gave Sam Raimi and the crew a bigger budget than that what they had with the films, which allowed them to tell more stories and explore the lore of the Evil Dead on a bigger scale. Though they never over-step their shoes, since even though the stories of the series are not confined to just the cabin (though the cabin is present, don’t you worry, you silly buggers), the whole show still manages to feel very self-contained, which partially is the charm of it. But know to expect the unexpected, since going into the show I was expecting laughs, practical effects and gore, and I got plenty of that, but the best part of the whole thing was actually the plot. There are twists and turns throughout, and the main story just keeps you engaged and wanting more. Which is why I won’t touch upon the story much, as this show works best when you know hardly anything about. Except for the Evil Dead stuff. I would definitely recommend watching the movies before the show, as it makes the whole experience more enjoyable and well-rounded, though its not a necessity. The show gives you enough backstory to not have to watch the films. But, I mean, why wouldn’t you want to watch the original films???

Season 1 is a great start for any series, since even though during it the show was still trying to find its footing, there are some great gags and plot set-ups for the future, and the inclusion of the new cast (including Xena the Warrior Princess herself Lucy Lawless!) alongside Bruce Campbell’s return as Ash fit very well into the world of the Evil Dead. Though here’s some advice on the characters. Don’t get too attached to any of them, as this show kills off characters just like the snap of Thanos’ finger. That’s another thing I like about this series. There are actual stakes. No one feels safe. And if you’re wondering how the show gives reason to the return of the Deadites, well, the reason is Ash, but in the most Ash way possible. The catalyst for this show ends up being this massive joke, and it’s great. Season 1 is a blast.

Season 2 is where Ash vs Evil Dead realised it’s strengths, and so fully went for it and the result is the show’s best season. It’s completely bonkers and ridiculous, but so much fun. The story is something else, the dialogue is not-stop comedic overdose, the actors get into their characters more and thus have more fun too. Season 2 is a roller-coaster ride from start to finish and is definitely this show’s stronghold.

Season 3 is a bit of a lone wolf. The problem is that the show does a strange thing of ending in Season 2. Basically the main story is finalised in Season 2′s finale, which begs the question of what to do for Season 3. And it seems that the answer to than never came up, since Season 3 lacks the enthralling story of the previous two seasons, relying solely on the jokes, which still keeps it fun, but the momentum is lost and one begs the question of “what’s the point of it all?”. The final two episodes of this season (and of the whole show) are actually really good as the writers actually come up with a place to take the show, but otherwise Season 3 is a let down. It’s not that it’s bad, but compared to the high-mark made by the previous two seasons, Season 3 drags the show down from being this perfect piece of entertainment.

I should also mention the soundtrack. Whoever picked the song choices for this series is great, as the are some banging tunes throughout. I’d invite this person to all the parties (that I totally have!) to take control of my Spotify! There’s also a great gag with the show’s title card, in which most episodes will not show the title card until blood is drawn, which sort of makes it a guarantee that each episode will begin with a bang. Gosh, I love Ash vs Evil Dead! So if you want a show where you don’t have to think too much but also have the chance to be engaged and laugh a hell of a lot, Ash vs Evil Dead is perfect for that. I can say with ease that this series has become one of my most favourite TV shows that I’ve watched, and it’s only the slight dip of quality of the 3rd season that is stopping it from being my No.1. But don’t let that draw you away. This is a must-watch. Hail to the King, baby!

Overall score: 8/10

[gunterfan1992]

Episode Review: ‘Whispers‘ (S09E13)

Airdate: July 20, 2017

Story by: Ashly Burch, Adam Muto, Kent Osborne, Jack Pendarvis, Julia Pott

Storyboarded by: Sam Alden & Polly Guo

Directed by: Cole Sanchez (supervising), Sandra Lee (art)

Thanks to Cartoon Network’s needless meddling, we are officially in the middle of season 9. However, when “Whispers” was being boarded it was planned to be the penultimate episode of season 8. With this in mind, a viewer can sense that the series is ramping up towards something big in the following episode, “Three Buckets”.

At the start of this episode, Finn and Fern are fishing when the latter has a breakdown and bemoans the fact that he cannot seem to do anything right. Finn calms his grassy doppelganger down, but suddenly Sweet P burst on the scene, screaming and crying. Finn and Fern eventually manage to calm him down, and learn that he has been having recurring nightmares about the Lich, and the poor child claims that at night, he keeps seeming something in his room.

Night falls, and so Finn and Fern keep an eye on Sweet P. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, Sweet P’s fears are validating when Finn sees the severed hand of the Famrworld Lich (last seen in “Crossover”) attempting to summon the hibernating Ooo Lich from within Sweet P. For a moment, this nefarious plot works: Sweet P’s eyes glaze over and the power of the Lich takes over. However, the effect wears off, and Finn gives chase to the hand, which leads him to the ruins of the Lich’s lair, an abandoned subway station last seen in “Mortal Folly”. Finn is nearly bested, before Sweet P shows up, affirms that he is never going to be a bad person, and stabs the Lich-hand with Finn’s sword, presumably killing it.

In the final scene of the episode, Fern expresses his dissatisfaction at always coming in second to Finn... setting the stage for some dark developments in the following episode.

The Sweet P/Lich plot has always been one of my favorites, because it does great things with the good/evil dichotomy, and always manages to keep me on the edge of my seat. But it has been a while since the show touched on the Lich, and an even longer time since we've really seen Sweet P (excepting cameos and minor appearances, like in Elements). The show is slowing building to some sort of Lich endgame, that much seems clear, but the way that the endgame is being approached is so subtle that the terror keeps ramping up with each new entry that explores the arc.

Sweet P seems rather resilient to the Lich, which is a good sign: I have long feared that the Essence of Pure Evil will overcome him and possibly kill him, and that would be just horrifying. Perhaps Sweet P can manage to stand up what he believes is right. But this does not mean that Sweet P is out of the woods just yet. The Lich still seems to be able to control him at times, and while the Farmworld Lich hand was slayed in this episode, there are still an infinite(!) number of Lich hands out there in the multiverse. That seems problematic, to say the least.

Sam Alden wrote on his personal website that this was one of his favorite episodes to work on, and it’s not hard to see why. For one thing, much of the show’s lore is on display. We get further clarification about the Lich’s mission (more on that in a bit), as well as his powers (now that he is both a disembodied hand and trapped in the body of a baby). And we also continue the Finn/Fern plot (that really kicked off at the end of “Do No Harm” and is further explored in “Three Buckets”).

But the episode also manages to recall the glory of the season two episode “Mortal Folly” by having Finn once again travel to the Lich’s evil abode. And because Ghostshrimp’s lovely designs are once again on display, this entire episode exudes a sort of “season two energy”.

I would like to end with a bit of speculation. The Lich tells Finn in this episode that he is the “final scholar of GOLB”. For long-time fans of the show like myself, this is a big deal. GOLB was the demonic entity that nearly swallowed Finn in “Puhoy” and that also wiped Margles from existence (as revealed in “You Forgot Your Floaties”). Why is the Lich the last scholar? I’m not sure. Perhaps the Lich is heralding GOLB’s second return (which Magic Man seemed to foresee). Or perhaps the Lich has learned everything he knows from this most terrifying cosmic being. Either way, I predict that GOLB will play a (possibly major) role in the series’ denouement. We’ll see.

Mushroom War Evidence: The creek Fern and Finn are fishing from is surrounded by a bunch of skeletons and crumbling ruins. The swamp that Fern, Finn, and Sweet P meander into is full of refuse, and we even see debris and artifacts buried in the mud. We revisit the Lich’s lair, which was once a subway station.

Final Grade: