#the main drive of the plot being Supernatural memory loss

[doomed-dirk]

this isn't near finished, and i have no reason to be proud of it, but I figured I might as well post it here, on this blog I use once a year, as this is a rewrite of my "giant" Morenatsu fanfic that I also posted here.

this is a story about boys who summon ghosts. ironically red weaver isn't among them, nor is he one of the ghosts summoned. except there is a ghost named red weaver but it's not the same guy. every single character has some sort of psychosis, because i don't know how to write them otherwise. they also have very very very particular names. because i don't know how to write them otherwise. most of the characters are native (belonging to a fictional agricultural people in the rocky mountains, called shorok), and i tried and am still trying to write them in an authentic way, i am white and inevitably got some stuff wrong. if you have any comments about that feel free to tell me. themes include love, loneliness, responsibility, masculinity, adulthood, choice, and fate.

cw abuse, suicide, homophobia, racism, mental illness, memory loss, mind control (kind of), some other stuff probably

[fanfic-corner]

Bisexual Dean

9/12/20 - Is Dean canonically bisexual? That’s a fun question (it depends on where you live, I suppose). Anyway, nothing is stopping you from reading these beautiful fics involving a very bi main character.

Tabula Rasa by Dangerousnotbroken on AO3. (78,340 words).

Tags: Writer!Castiel, Bartender!Dean, Past Relationship, Magic, Canon Typical Violence, Mentions of Alcoholism, Mentions of Past Child Neglect, Mental Illness, Witches, Ghosts, Bisexual Dean, Bisexual Castiel, Angst, Slow Burn, Memory Loss.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Once upon a time, Castiel Novak had everything. He had a happy home life, a full scholarship, and, if he played his cards right, a promising journalism career. And on top of all of that, he had Dean. Then tragedy struck, as it tends to do, and Castiel lost everything. At thirty six, he’s got none of those things. He’s got no family to speak of. He’s got a job investigating purportedly true tales of the supernatural for a magazine no one reads. And worst of all he hasn’t seen Dean in nearly twenty years. So when research for an article turns him on to a witch who apparently grants wishes in exchange for stories, Castiel figures it’s worth the risk. If making a deal with a witch can get him Dean back, what has he got to lose?

Notes: This was absolutely amazing; written beautifully, with a fantastic plot.

Take You To The Country by almaasi on AO3. (18,987 words).

Tags: Historical AU, Propositions, Eloping, Newspapers, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Misunderstandings, Pining, First Kiss, Established Relationship, Running Away Together, Moving In Together, Childhood Friends, Marriage Proposal, Businessman Dean, Farmer Dean, Emotional Dean, Bisexual Dean, Domestic Dean Winchester, Clockmaker Castiel, Autistic Castiel, Frustrated Sam.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: A Dean/Cas 1950s AU. Dean reads an elopement proposal in the town's local newspaper, written by some old soul in love with their best friend. He's mid-way through expressing to his brother how beautiful he finds it when Dean realises the proposal is for him.

Notes: I love Sam’s subsequent letters to the newspapers at the end, it was just a really good idea done really well.

A Little Slice Of Heaven by onamelancholyhill on AO3. (112,265 words).

Tags: Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Falling in Love, POV Dean Winchester, POV Third Person, POV Castiel, Bakery and Coffee Shop AU, Episode: s4e17 It’s a Terrible Life, Alternate Universe - Human, Explicit Sexual Content, Bisexual Dean, Idiots in Love.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Jim Morrison once said, “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.” That was Castiel Novak’s motto in life, and the reason why he accepted his grandmother's inheritance and took the responsibility it implied. Dean Winchester, a remarkable accountant at Sandover Bridge & Iron Inc., however, had other priorities. He lived to serve, hidden in a mask that didn’t allow him to be honest with himself, but lonesome and boring. When destiny made their paths cross, in a less than promising way, with Dean as the instigator and Castiel as his victim, Dean’s mind started wandering, in between pies and cakes, coffees and muffins... What if Mr. Morrison was right? After all, as the guy used to say, "there can’t be any large-scale revolution, until there’s a personal revolution first."

Notes: This was so cute and I adored the plot! It’s making me want to rewatch It’s A Terrible Life but I’ll live.

Just Like You by imherecauseimnotallthere98 on AO3. (35,717 words).

Tags: Homophobia, Homophobic John, Hurt Dean Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Established Relationship, Protective Castiel, BAMF Castiel, Protective Sam Winchester, Angry John, Angry Dean Winchester, Angry Sam Winchester, Protective Bobby Singer, Awesome Bobby, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Scared Dean, John Being an Asshole, Swearing, Bisexual Dean, Pansexual Castiel, Past Child Abuse, Accidental Outing, Death Threats, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Sharing a Bed.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: When John shows up at their door in the middle of the night, the Winchesters and Cas start looking into who or what could have brought him back. Meanwhile, Dean struggles to keep his relationship with Cas a secret from his father, with some help from Sam. The tension rises between the Winchesters as Dean shows John that he is no longer the obedient little soldier he once was, and tries to establish himself as an equal with his dad.

Notes: Bobby and Sam are icons in this and should have followed through on their threats. That will be all.

Walk Through Fire For You by purple_charlie on AO3. (2,332 words).

Tags: John Winchester’s A+ Parenting, Angst, Pride, Marijuana Use, Polyamory, Gay Cas, Bisexual Dean, Bisexual Gabriel, Everyone is Queer.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: Boyfriend. The word still feels foreign in Dean’s mouth, still brings back echoes of John Winchester’s thinly-veiled (if even that) homophobia. "Man up, don’t be a sissy, I didn’t raise a fairy". It’s a swollen blister in the back of Dean’s mind, throbbing with pain whenever a stranger’s eyes linger too long on Cas’ hand in his, whenever a waitress double-takes at how close they sit in diner booths. But here, dirty dancing with Cas in a warehouse full of other queer folks, Dean wants to shout from the rooftops- I’m Dean Winchester, I drive the baddest car in town, I lift heavy things for a living, and this is my boyfriend.

Notes: This was so sweet it nearly made me start crying - Cas deserved to be told that he was loved!

Bottom’s Up by mnwood on AO3. (28,103 words).

Tags: Fluff and Crack, Wing Kink, Domestic, Smut, Bisexual Dean, Resolved Sexual Tension, Established Relationship, Wedding Planning, Partying, Weddings.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: Sam could’ve kissed them both when he got to the bunker one day to find a string of clothing (his heart nearly burst with hope when he saw the abandoned flannel and trench coat) leading to a very naked pile of limbs tangled on the couch. Just kidding. Of course it wasn’t the couch. Sam always imagined it as the couch because the fact that he actually found them on the dining room table had tainted the happiness of the memory.

Notes: Jesus, I did not need that level of detail into Dean and Cas’ sex life (but it was very funny).

Stories Are Made Of Mistakes by wildhoneypie on AO3. (4,942 words).

Tags: Human Castiel, Diners, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Dean, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Case Fic, Domestic, Didn’t Know They Were Dating.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: In which Cas is human and doesn’t understand basic concepts like: clothing, Mythbusters, moisturizer, and Greek food. Dean is…Dean and doesn’t understand basic concepts like: boyfriends, language, how to tell your friend that he’s a walking miracle, and when not to quip.

Notes: This was so cute and I live for human Cas. I also love the recurring ‘no fucking quipping’ joke in this, although the idea of Cas swearing broke me a bit!

And this one, which has no Destiel content but a very bi Dean:

Uniform of a Winchester by monsterfuckerdean on AO3. (20,591 words).

Tags:  Canon Compliant, Missing Scene, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Bad Parent John Winchester, Young Sam Winchester, Young Dean Winchester, Pre-Season 1, Episode: s5e2 Free to Be You and Me, Angst and Feels, Queer Themes, Character Study, Diners, Sibling Love, Family, Friendship, HBO SPN.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: We all know the story of the amulet Dean wears around his neck. But what about everything else he wears?

Notes: Okay, I have to admit that I am loving the HBO SPN vibes even though I am fully aware that if it was a real show I wouldn’t watch it. This is so good though, and the writing is gorgeous!

My friend came out to me as bisexual this week, and paired with the mess that is the Spanish dub, I thought this would be nice as a little reminder that it doesn’t matter how the show ended, because the fans will always be here and we will always be supportive. Anyway, enjoy!

[bytheanchorarchived]

Under the read more there are 20 open possible Alternate Universes based on the album Fearless by TS. They are skeleton AUs, which means they are all open for plotting and necessary changes, as well as much further development, several of them have things open for discussion. They are all also available to all three of my main muses (Jace Herondale, Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood) as well for Sebastian Smythe, as long as you request it. There are mundane, historical, supernatural, all kinds of AU ideas that can be worked on. If you like any of them, comment on this post with the ones you like, so that I can come to you and we can discuss turning it into a thing. 

p.s.: Please do not reblog this. If you want to use any of these for yourself, without me, ask me.

First boyfriend/girlfriend highschool verse. Our muses have never dated before, they are just starting to figure out what that is like, there is bouts of jealousy, and miscommunication, but also goofy afternoons playing video game, late night drives, dancing in the rain at parking lots, break ups and even more dramatic reconciliations. There are life lessons, and that feeling of first love, of everything being magical, and brand new, of being immersed into each other and forgetting the world. Wholesome, healthy, our families think we’re adorable, kind of first love.

“And I don't know why but with you I'd dance, in a storm in my best dress. Fearless.”

What if you were sent back to the time when you first started figuring out your life, with all the knowledge of who would be, and the dreams you could achieve, and everything that would go bad, as well as all the mistakes along the way? What if you could change your past and remake your future? One of our muses is sent back, and has the chance to make choices all over again, and maybe instead of dating the boy in the football team, they decide to take their chance with both hands, and realize what they had while they still got it, asking your muse (their best friend) out on a date with them. And maybe hope to keep your muse from making the big mistakes and being hurt too. But will that change who they ultimately both come to be?

“When all you wanted was to be wanted, wish you could go back, and tell yourself what you know now...”

Same old, same gold, historical setting AU, in which our young muses meet in some unexpected way, and start to fall in love, before they realize who the other are, or a war / fight / rivalry implodes between their families. This can range from different kingdoms to racial, to messy inter-families drama, to affairs, to political / power struggles, anything you want. Sneaking around, kissing in dark corners, soft, sweet romance, getting mixed up in adult family drama, and blood and violence. Happy picnics, and fighting and screaming for their love, and trying to end all the hatred, without the first clue of how to. Secret investigations, and simple family dislike mixed with huge political plots. Love story caught in the crossfire typa thing.

“We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew, so close your eyes. Escape this town for a little while...”

Unrequited, or so they think, childhood best friends story. One of our muses is the wildly popular, sunshine incarnate, beloved, adored, and fawned upon type of high schooler / college student, while the other is their quieter, shyer, grumpier best friend. No one really understands how they came to be friends, but our muses don’t really care. When they’re alone they click into place, and nothing else matters. Only the shy muse has been desperately in love with their best friend for years now and think they’re just as desperately doomed to never get them, so they never say anything. All the while not knowing the popular muse thinks they’re the best thing they ever had in their lives. Mutual pining. Afternoon walks, inside jokes, cafes, mutual protectiveness, covered up jealousy, drunk kissing, holidays with which other’s families, being called siblings and groaning internally, movie sessions, will you be my fake date to keep people from annoying me in the club? Celebrating success together, and mourning losses, ride or die with a dash of deep love.

“But I know I saw a light in you, and as we walked, we were talking and I didn't say, half the things I wanted to...”

Messy, heartbreaking, wrong time wrong place, love story. One of our muses is in a stale marriage, when they meet the other, and feel alive for the first time in years. They decide to keep it to themselves once they notice the other muse’s interest in them, because they’ve been miserable for a long, long time, and think this is just innocent flirting. When the second muse, unknowing there are any impediments, get into it deep, hard, and fast, and chase muse 1 for a chance at a date, and are continuously flirting with them, stroking their ego, and making them laugh, muse 1 can’t resist them for long and that’s when things get complicated. Electric shocks of happiness, and fire of first attractions, laughing together until their cheeks hurt, long afternoons, and spending all night on the phone, missing each other even though they just spent a whole day together, not being able to get the other out of their mind. Finding out they were mistakenly dragged into an affair. Crying, fighting, screaming, don’t call me. Invoice messages, begging, cold shoulders, missing each other, exploding mess, having to make choices.

“I had so many dreams about you and me, happy endings, but now I know...”

One of our muses has been in love with the other half their lives, and when they finally had gathered the courage to tell them, it was only to find out they’d started to date someone else. At first, this just seemed like bad timing, but as time went on they started to feel more and more conflicted. Little by little it becomes obvious that muse 2 has found themselves stuck into an abusive relationship, and can’t see it, because they’ve always looked down on themselves and didn’t consider themselves worthy of anything real, or a love without a price. Muse 1 struggles with how to help them, not wanting to make choices for them, but also suffering in seeing them suffer. They try to show to them how worthy they are, and support and love them as they can, hoping it can be enough. But when things turn violent on muse 2′s end, muse 1 find themselves slipping, and they can’t help but go and confront their girlfriend/boyfriend, and try to rescue muse 2 to safety. A while after that, muse 2 has moved in temporarily (one that feels permanent at this point) with muse 1, and they live like a couple in all but name, and sexual involvement. Muse 2 has never looked better, but muse 1 still can’t find the right time to tell them how they feel, afraid that if they do, it’ll come across wrong or they’ll end up breaking muse 2′s progress, but then, muse 2′s ex starts calling them again...

“ Walk in the streets with you and your worn-out jeans. I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be. Laughing on a park bench thinking to myself, hey, isn't this easy?”

Our muses had a seemingly perfect relationship until they had a huge falling out when they were younger, resulting in one of them moving away, and both of them having to learn to live without each other for the first time in a long while (or in their lives). They hadn’t been together or seen each other for years, and sometimes they don’t even remember each other, while at other times they run through each other’s minds all day, and they wonder if the other still thinks about them. As time passes, it becomes harder to remind why they fought and ended it, after all, and the good memories start rounding their hearts in bittersweetness. But neither of them effectively does anything about it, until they stumble upon one another in a different big town, by chance, and have no idea how to act around each other. They end up agreeing to meet up later, but one of them doesn’t show up, and the other sends them a message suddenly getting off their chest all the hurt, but also all the good they’d been missing, and how they wish they could be a part of each other’s lives again. The other muse realizes they have can’t just let it go like they did before.

“And we know it's never simple, never easy, never a clean break, no one here to save me. You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand...”

Our muses were each other first girlfriend/boyfriend, only one of them was a different person then, and it didn’t end well, to say the least. They were going through a phase / hard patch, and used the other muse as outlet. It was messy, ugly, and long, and it ended in tears, screams, and pain. Muse 1 moved on with their lives, and tried to be as successful as possible, but though they had many relationships afterwards, they never quite healed, and having closed their hearts, ended up alone. Muse 2, however, went through several more bad patches after the break up, and as they suffered, matured, and learned, they grew to be somebody else, and to deeply regret how they treated their first relationship. One day they seek out muse 1, intending to take them out and apologize, and only then realize how hurt muse 2 still is, and how hard they’ll have to work to break through to them. And muse 2 isn’t sure if they can ever be open again like they used to be before muse 1 broke their heart.

“ Why do you have to make me feel small? So you can feel whole inside, why do you have to put down my dreams? So you're the only thing on my mind?”

One of our muses lives a secret life, one they can’t share with the other, either because of their safety, or because there is some kind of prohibition over sharing their world with anyone outside of it. Muse 2 is always trying to break their walls down, and get to really know them, but muse 1 keeps covering up their tracks, and lying, and making up stories, and even though they don’t want to at first, they reach a point where they don’t know how to get out of the mess they created anymore. Finally, still not understanding any of it, muse 2 decides to break up with them, because they are too intelligent to fall for their lies, and it hurts, and it’s obvious they are being left out, and misled. A while later, muse 2 somehow accidentally ends up mixed in that world / in danger, and that’s when they meet muse 1 again, and they finally understand, which doesn’t mean they’re ready to forgive and forget.

“And you got your share of secrets, and I'm tired of being last to know. And now you're asking me to listen, 'cause it's worked each time before...”

Ups and downs of a young relationship where both muses are immature, young, and prone to screw up. At first everything feels like a fairy tale, as they meet, click in every level, and discover each other, falling deep, fast, and hard. But as the relationship progresses, they fight more and more, and have explosive break ups and explosive reconciliations. They start out in their teens, but go way into their young adult years that way, always breaking up and getting back together, and never quite able to let go, or have other relationships for long. Being each other’s kryptonite, screwing with each other’s relationships, but still helping each other when they are in a bind, knowing each other’s whole families, knowing each other like the back of their hands, co-dependency, always dropping everything for one another, angry, jealous, break up sex, passionate, i’m never leaving you again sex that ends up in one of them skipping out before sunlight, because they fear committing, relationship in that progress in loops, two steps forward, four steps backwards, inside jokes, exclusive brand of humor, interrupting each other’s dates, cheering for each other’s success, being terrible and yet loving to one another. Trying to get it right.

“Breakin' down and coming undone, it's a roller coaster kinda rush. And I never knew I could feel that much, and that's the way I loved you.”

Our muses were about to get married / move in together, when one of them left the other at the altar / moved out, because they were too scared to get into a relationship that serious, and commit the rest of their lives to someone else. One day, they wake up from their string of one night stands, and find themselves wondering what would have happened if they hadn’t turned their backs on them. They decide to go after muse 1, and though muse 1 pretends to be married, so that they’ll leave them alone, muse 2 still insists in properly apologizing, and wagers with them that they will do everything muse 1 wants of them for a week, to try and start making up for walking out on them. Muse 1 is intrigued, and can’t help but play along, and as they do, their own lies to muse 2 only grow bigger, and they find themselves in worse and worse jams, until they don’t know what is real or a lie anymore, and yet can’t remember feeling this happy since before muse 2 left them.

“ It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone, 'cause I was there when you said: Forever &  always...”

When our muses were children, there was a war, and their people were overthrown and captured. After the war was over, all the people left from the losing country / kingdom / race, became second class citizens, and as a result had a terrible time growing up. They were impoverished, overworked, looked down upon, spat on, mistreated, and bruised and battered. But through all of this, our muses stayed together, hand in hand, they remember how life used to be before. So when they grow up just enough, they decide that if it needs to come down to them, then they will take it upon themselves to fight, and start an underground revolution to overthrown their leaders, and take back their lives, or free their people to escape to somewhere where they can truly live again.

“So we've been outnumbered, raided and now cornered. It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair, we're getting stronger now. Find things they never found, they might be bigger, but we're faster and never scared..”

One of our muses is an artist who hit it big for a while, but now have fallen out of grace, and have gone years without composing or writing any new songs. One day, they meet muse 2 randomly, and strike up a conversation, and it lights their heart on fire. Muse 1 goes home later that night and write three songs in a row. Knowing how much muse 2 inspired them, they decide they’ve got to meet them again, but realize they never exchanged numbers with them, so they start stalking the place where they met, and searching online, trying to find them. When they’ve almost given up, they walk into a restaurant only to find muse 2 working there. They start doing everything within their power to woo them, without realizing muse 2 has been dating someone they used to know (ex, ex friend etc).

“I was riding shotgun with my hair undone, in the front seat of his car, I grabbed a pen and an old napkin, and I wrote down our song...”

When they were kids, our muses were friends, and though muse 2 didn’t know, they were muse 1′s first crush. In time they grew apart, and fast forward almost two decades ago, muse 1 becomes a famous singer / musician, who is touring internationally, showing up on tv all the times, filing the tabloids, and have hordes of screaming teens after them. One day, muse 2 is minding their business, though they find all of this kinda funny, and slightly awkward, when muse 1 is talking on tv to a crowd, and they hear them tell them the story of how when they were seven they thought they were going to grow up to marry their best friend. And then they go on to sing the full line of songs they’d written about their childhood crush and dreams, since them. Muse 1 finally realizes their first love was crushing on them too, they fall off their chair when muse 2 tells them through the camera to ��call them” and winks. Bonus points if Muse 1 is engaged by then.

“Can he tell that I can't breathe? And there he goes, so perfectly, the kind of flawless I wish I could be...”

Our muse’s marriage has been in trouble for a while when one of them cheats. Eventually word gets back to the other one, and their relationship implodes. Muse 1 then realizes their mistake when they lose muse 2 and find out they can’t live without them. Muse 2 is hurt and angry and at first doesn’t want to hear about it, but eventually tries to give it a chance. They have to work together to mend their relationship and try to find their way back to a happy ending, and heal not only the cheating episode, but everything that led down to it and that was almost breaking their marriage on its own. Family centered plot.

“You can see that I've been crying and, baby, you know all the right things to say. But do you honestly expect me to believe, we could ever be the same?”

Falling in love together, coming into love plot. Our muses meet through mutual friends, or at random, and are both reluctant to date at first. They’ve been through bad relationships, and specially muse 2 thinks they’ll never find someone that will stick by them again, but their pull is too good to ignore. So instead of going straight to bed and commitment, they spend weeks, or even months just dating. Talking, meeting up, having dinner, listening to each other’s lives, watching each other grow from afar, learning each other’s secrets, and slowly, together, falling deeper and deeper in love with each other. When muse 1 finally decides to make a move, muse 2 gets scared, but muse 1 is there to tell them it’s gonna be different with them, and prove they’re there to stay. They jump together.

“I’ve had time to think it all over and all I can say is, "Come closer" take a deep breath and jump then fall into me...”

City of Angels vibe, one of our muses is an (maybe guardian) angel who was sent to watch the Earth and whom only the other muse can see, but not touch. The angel muse has started feeling lonely and craving contact, by the time they meet and realize that, when the human muse was a teen, and so they start seeking out the human muse to talk, and through the years they become quite close. The angel muse tells the human muse all sorts of things about the universe, creation, heaven and hell, but also historical anecdotes, and hilarious stories they’ve picked up along the way. They also like to listen to muse 2′s day, and try to help them as much as they can, cheering them up when they’re sad, and making them laugh when they need it, but also scolding them when they’re going the wrong way, and trying to guide them to a different perspective when they’re stuck. Muse 1 becomes the most reliable presence in muse 2′s life along the way, and as they become an adult, they find themselves wishing more than ever that they could actually touch them, but knowing it’s impossible. One day, tragedy strikes muse 2, and seeing them desolated, and crying and screaming in pain, muse 1′s never felt so frustrated about not being able to physically hold and comfort them. That night, muse 2 starts having dreams about their angel, dreams where they talk and they can touch each other, where their angel holds them tight and comforts them for having their life torn in such a way. Unbeknownst to them, it’s not a real dream, but the only way angel muse found to connect with them, and without knowing that, they kiss them. They are jolt awake from it, and when for the near future they don’t see their angel anymore, they start wondering if they ever will again. Muse 1, however, was pulled back to heaven, to have their fate decided and the next days, instead of having dreams, muse 2 is plagued with nightmares about muse 1, leaving them increasingly confused and feeling more alone than they ever felt.

“In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream, it's like a million little stars spelling out your name...”

Our muses had a perfect life together, until one of them dies in a freaky accident. Only the pain of their left spouse, and their own rage, is so big, they get stuck on Earth. When they wake up, they find they are attached to their partner, as a spirit and they go wherever they go, but can’t be heard or felt by them at the start. They watch them grieve, finding out their funeral was over a couple of days ago, and as their partner despair they try to reach out to them. Eventually they do start feeling them, but at the start it just drives them a bit crazy, so muse 1 tries to lay off a bit. When they ask for help a guide / angel comes to talk to them, and tells them that they need to help their spouse move on and find happiness again, so that they both can be free, so they essentially become their spouse’s guardian angel. They watch over them, and try to guide them to the right decisions, and make snark commentary over their life. After a while goes by and muse 2 starts functioning again, muse 1 starts to realize that their childhood best friend, muse 3, is actually in love with their spouse, and though they have a minor temper tantrum at first, they then take it upon themselves to get them both together. Mixture of sadness, angst, fluff, and possibly hilarious situations, with supernatural influence, frustrated ghost wife/husband, and situations where it seems their s.o. can hear them and it startles the fuck out of them, and others where they find out where they could have done better by them, but also just how loved they were. Good Ghost times.

“ I'll leave my window open, 'cause I'm too tired at night to call your name. Just know I'm right here hoping, that you'll come in with the rain...”

Our muses are in a relationship, when suddenly, one of them gets discovered and famous. Muse 2 has no desire to follow their partner into stardom, but doesn’t want to leave them either, so they try to make it work, keeping muse 2 a secret at first, and then trying to deal with all the burdens and trials and tribulations of fame, and the way it imposes on their relationship. It’s bizarre for muse 2 to see their partner on tv, talking about their life, and it’s even more bizarre when the secret comes out, and whether they want it or not, suddenly their own is splashed all over the news, and their desire for a quiet life is broken apart, but they still love muse 1 more than any of it.

“Morning loneliness comes around, when I'm not dreaming about you. When my world wakes up today, you'll be in another town...”

Muse 1 has been through crappy relationships (romantic or otherwise) all their life, so when they meet muse 2 and start dating, they get scared of how much muse 2 claims to love them and starts testing them. Even without knowing why, exactly, or how, they pick fights, and arguments, and pushes muse 2 away, hoping they’ll come back, and muse 2 does. Each time they push back, and are persistent and loyal, and see right through muse 1, but eventually they find their breaking point, and when muse 1 closes the door on them, they don’t come back again. After they leave, muse 1 at first gets devastated, and thinks this is how everything will end always. But after a while muse 1 starts thinking about their relationships, and how each time muse 2 fought for them, and it downs on them that maybe it’s time they do the fighting for someone else. When they find them, they finally tell them how tight they were holding on to their broken heart, and how they don’t want to be broken anymore. Muse 2 was waiting for them all along.

“I said, "Leave, " but baby all I want is you... To stand outside my window throwing pebbles screaming, 'I'm in love with you';”

[aion-rsa]

Supernatural Series Finale: How to Wrap Up 15 Years of Story

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This Supernatural article contains MAJOR spoilers for the series finale. Obviously.

It’s hard to believe it, but Supernatural has come to an end. We had our theories about what might happen in the 15-season show’s ender, but Supernatural kept us guessing right until its final moments. “Carry On” is essentially a forty-minute epilogue to tie up loose ends after the definitive battle against God. It serves its purpose of bringing the series full circle to its humble beginnings: Sam gets his normal life. Dean goes out as a hunter. They reunite to keep riding that road together… in heaven. If you are having trouble (emotionally) processing everything that went down in the series’ final hour or you’re just not ready to let go of this show yet, here’s an explainer of everything that went down in the Winchesters’ final ride…

The Supernatural Series Finale Calls Back to the Beginning

Interestingly, the Supernatural ending episode plot centers around a normal hunt: a gang of kidnapping, masked vampires that Daddy Winchester had investigated years ago. There’s something poignant in being bested by a classic villain mentioned in Dad’s journal, something they often referenced in the early seasons. (Not to mention that Season 1’s Jenny is part of the group.) Things don’t play by the same rules though because Team Free Will were victorious against Chuck’s plans. There’s no more “get out of jail free” cards, no more divine intervention or “I’m Batman!” lucky pen throws. This is real, and for the first time in a long time, death is final. But it’s not the end.

There are so many references to the early days in this episode, including details like the zippo lighter Sam uses at the hunter funeral, to Harvelle’s Roadhouse making an appearance at the end. There’s a grudging lack of Ellen, Jo, and Ash, but that was a recurring issue with many guest characters who could have made a cameo.

Who Returns for the Supernatural Series Finale?

Many beloved characters were missing from this ending, from the aforementioned Harvelles to Mary and John Winchester to Castiel and Jack. This could be for a number of reasons. In interviews, showrunner Andrew Dabb explained that COVID lead to some changes in production. From these interviews we can ascertain that more people would have been involved with the finale, but in order to keep episodes tight and more COVID-restriction compliant, some of these other character appearances probably had to be sacrificed. In any case, it’s good that Bobby made the cut. He was more of an emotional attachment for fans, and had way more screentime than John while acting as the defacto father figure for years. 

Dean Dies in the Supernatural Series Finale

No matter what, everyone can’t be happy with an ending to such a long running show. One major contentious point is Dean’s death. The main character is fatally stabbed during a fight with the aforementioned vampires, pushed against a wooden post and impaled by a metal rod. Before he goes, Dean says goodbye to his brother, saying: “Hey, I’m not leaving you. I’m gonna be with you. Right here. Every day. Every day you’re out there and living and you’re fighting—because you always keep fighting, you hear me? I’ll be there. Every step.”

But Dean’s story doesn’t end with death. We see him arrive in heaven, and reunited with Bobby. This heaven is a place where with “everyone happy, everyone together.” For Dean, it also includes Harvelle’s Roadhouse and Baby. Dean’s parents and Rufus live nearby and, as Bobby tells Dean: “It ain’t just heaven, Dean. It’s the heaven you deserve.”

Driver Picks the Music

One of the most famous music riffs in the series is what I’ve always dubbed the “sad Supernatural theme” which is really called “Americana.” The theme is usually played slow, in piano, underpinning the most heart wrenching scenes at the biggest moment of loss. Obviously it’s used to its tear-jerking potential over Dean’s final words to Sam, but the theme resurfaces, changing its meaning. For Sam and Dean’s final embrace of the episode on that bridge, “Americana” is played via electric guitar, in a more upbeat, uplifting tone. The theme has become triumphant, and indicative of a job well done for these weary hunters.

One can’t talk Supernatural music without rejoicing in the liberal use of Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” for the ending scenes. This song has always resonated strongly with fans, from its initial use in the season one finale Salvation to its subsequent appearance in every season finale since. Not only does the musical group share the name of the state the boys hail from, the lyrics in this progressive rock masterwork always seemed to perfectly line up with the story Supernatural was telling. 

The lyrics “On a stormy sea of moving emotion/Tossed about, I’m like a ship on the ocean/I set a course for winds of fortune” easily translates to the boys’ eternal fight against their supposed destiny. The line “Surely Heaven waits for you” is a promise fulfilled. 

From their biggest tragedies to the hopeful optimism that would finally be peace when they were done, this song meant more than a tune you could tap a toe to. It was the musical embodiment of the heart of this show.

Metallicar

You couldn’t have Supernatural without the other main character since the pilot — Baby the Impala. Both Sam and Dean have plenty of scenes with the car when they are separated by Death, but a fun nod to the fans is in the details. 

In Heaven, Dean drives the original version of the Impala, with the Kansas KAZ 2Y5 plate. Sam drives the Impala with the new Ohio license plate CNK80Q3. The plate had changed in the show after the Winchesters were arrested in Folsom Prison Blues at the end of Season Two. What had been a way for the boys to evade the law became a neat bit of trivia the fans have stored away all this time. 

“This is Dean’s Other Other Phone”

Dean tells Sam to “Always Keep Fighting” which rings so true because it’s the name of Jared Padalecki’s real life charity T-shirt campaign, the proceeds of which went to programs dedicated to mental health, including To Write Love on Her Arms and The Wounded Warrior Project. In a way, Dean is also telling the fans to keep fighting, to not despair at the end. 

Sam is obviously in a funk after all this takes place, going through the motions in a haze, tearfully petting Miracle while feeling the emptiness of the bunker. It’s when Dean’s phone — his other other phone — rings that he’s put back on his path to keep fighting. A werewolf attack in Austin, Texas — notably the city that Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles both live in real life. 

The “other other” phone has only really been on the show as a voicemail recording Sam gets when all other contact options have been exhausted, and Dean must be in trouble. The fact that we finally see the phone in this episode, and it’s Sam that answers? It’s showing that Sam is the one to carry on. 

Sam Has a Family

You can be a “Sam girl” or a “Dean girl” (or guy) but there’s a reason Sam was the surviving brother. Sam had to “carry on” because he was the one who could. When Dean went to Hell all those years ago, or even in the episode when the Trickster had him die over and over, finally leaving Sam to wander on his own for some time, Sam’s had a lot of experience being the one left behind. He learned to carry on from these experiences, as hard as it must be. Sam completes his own character arc, effectively picking back up where he left off and having a family with some out-of-focus-in-the-background wife.

Sam Joins Dean in Heaven

Years later, after living a long life, Sam dies and joins his brother in heaven. Here, the end mirrors the beginning. In the pilot, Dean picks Sam up from school in order to find Dad, thereby starting their 15-year journey. In Heaven, Sam ends up joining Dean again and they both happen to be wearing the same clothes as in the pilot: Sam, a tan jacket over blue t-shirt and Dean, a dark jacket over a red plaid shirt. 

They reunite on a bridge. One of the most pivotal moments of the pilot episode was when they saw the Woman in White on the bridge. This time, it’s a brightly lit sunny day, but a bridge between the pilot and finale seems oh so perfect.

Heaven was self-contained before Jack “made things right.” Simply a rehash of your greatest memories playing over and over, yet so singularly lonely since everyone had their own version of Heaven. As Sam joins his brother, you get the sense that they’ve done their work and things are truly, finally, at peace. 

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Was the Supernatural Series Finale Good?

It ain’t easy wrapping up a popular series after fifteen years. Not everyone will be happy, but the finale did find a way to pay homage to the beginning while bringing it all to a bittersweet end. In a sigh of relief, the show exemplifies that there really is peace to strive for after all. No matter the end, fans have fifteen years of show to look back on, meta episodes to laugh at, monsters to creep you out, and enough chick flick moments to make Dean blush. There’s a lot to love there, and at the core of it all is family. And family don’t end with blood. 

The post Supernatural Series Finale: How to Wrap Up 15 Years of Story appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[shakespearerants]

Book Review #3.2

Blurb: Body and Soul. The song. That’s what London constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant first notices when he examines the corpse of Cyrus Wilkins, part-time jazz drummer and full-time accountant, who dropped dead of a heart attack while playing a gig at Soho’s 606 Club. The notes of the old jazz standard are rising from the body - a sure sign that something about the man’s death wan not at all natural but instead supernatural.

Body and soul - they’re also what Peter will risk as he investigates a pattern of similar deaths in and around Soho. With the help of his superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, and the assistance of the beautiful jazz aficionado Simone Fitzwilliam, Peter will uncover a deadly magical menace - one that leads right to his own doorstep and to the squandered promise of a young jazz musician: a talented trumpet player named Richard “Lord” Grant - otherwise known as Peter’s dear old dad.

Some Stats: first published in 2011, ISBN: 978-0-345-52459-1, 288 pages in the paperback edition. Fourteen chapters, first-person narrator with limited perspective, written in past tense. Style is standard to colloquial, relatively little dialogue. Took me about four hours to get through, I’d estimate about seven to nine for the average to slow reader.

Synopsis: I’d like to start this synopsis with the disclaimer that the person who wrote the blurb evidently didn’t read the book as almost all information the blurb gives is misleading at best and wildly incorrect at worst. 

The book begins with Constable Peter Grant driving to Brightlingsea, a small town by the coast, to visit his friend Lesley May, who had her face destroyed by a malevolent spirit. On his way back Dr. Walid, a cryptopathologist and friend of his, calls him to examine a dead body for any magical residue. The man, Cyrus Wilkins, was indeed killed by magical means. Peter drives to his home to investigate further and meets Simone, Cyrus’ lover, and is instantly attracted to her. After investigating the rime scene and finding the same magical residue that the body emitted, the jazz classic ‘Body and Soul’ seemingly playing in the backround, he goes to interview the band. After the interview he and the band go out to “find some jazz”. The band want to go to a very exclusive club that they are initially denied access to, but Peter feels the same magical residue from the crime scene and the body again and so uses the name of his father, the legendary almost-famous trumpeter ‘Lord’ Grant, to get in. They discover that they came too late and that a young trombone player is dead. Peter suspects that there are more related cases and starts investigating, but before he can get back home or do anything else he is called by the Murder Team to help with the investigation of the death of a man who had his Penis bitten off by a girl with a toothed vagina and subsequently bled to death. Peter gets Ash, a river god, to help him look for the suspect, a dark haired young woman. The Murder Team finds some magical books in their victim’s flat, and Peter and his superior officer DCI Nightingale begin to suspect that they are dealing with an ethically challenged (formerly referred to as black) magician. They visit the Bodleian Library and Nightingale’s old school in Cambridge to learn how the victim could obtain the books. On their way back they get a call from Ash, who tells them that he has located the woman who killed the man with her vagina. They find Ash impaled on an iron railing. Peter highjacks an ambulance in order to get him to the river to heal his otherwise deadly wounds. A few days  later he meets Simone again and begins a sexual relationship with her. When visiting his father he finds the exact version of ‘Body and Soul’ the dead bodies were playing and, on a hunch, investigates pictures of the last time it was played by this particular artist, which was in 1941. On one of the pictures he recognises a woman he talked to in the club the trombone player died. He formulates the theory that the murderer could have been a ‘jazz vampire’, but before he can investigate further another dickless dead body is discovered. Peter and the Murder Team interview a suspect, who gives them the address of a club. On site, they discover very creepy magical goings-on and call Nightingale, who disarms a demon trap and finds several corpses of human-animal hybrids that were evidently being held as sex slaves. When he returns to the office, Peter finds that the woman with the toothed vagina is in the building and has seemingly murdered a man in custody. He chases her through the city, killing her in self-defence when she is cornered in the end. Lesley, who is helping Peter with the investigation, calls with new information regarding the magical books. Peter then goes to visit Lady Tyburn, who tells him about a group of amateur magicians at Cambridge who called themselves the Little Crocodiles. Peter’s father is playing a gig and Peter invited Simone along, but when Peter’s mother sees her she goes mad and attacks her, claiming that she is an evil witch. She later tells her son that she knows the woman because she tried to seduce his father decades ago, and Peter later gets Simone to confess that she is indeed one of three ‘jazz vampires’. He tells Nightingale about this, who wants to eliminate the vampires, which leads to Peter rushing to save them when he finds out. When he arrives at the girls’ place, he is attacked by a human-tiger hybrid. He manages to fight it off and runs to the roof, where he finds a seemingly faceless magician trying to persuade the women to join him and murder more jazzmen. He fights the magician and manages to chase him off, but must later find that while he was occupied Simone and her sisters have committed suicide. 

Personal Opinion: This series features a lot personal favourites: a diverse cast, magic, seemingly incredibly posh characters who secretly lack any and all chill, murder/mystery, realistic police work (as far as I can tell anyways), folklore, and a main character who is secretly done with everyone’s shit. I had to wait for a relatively long time after finishing Rivers of London, the first book of the series, before I had a chance to read Moon Over Soho, and I had almost forgotten how much I loved these characters and Peter’s sarcastic commentary. I found surprising how well tied together the story was: It doesn’t rely on the first book and the next to the point where it’s impossible to understand if you haven’t read them, like many ‘middle books’ in a series tend to do, but it isn’t written to the point of independency where you can actually read it as a stand-alone. The plot refers to the first book and leaves enough suspense at the end to make you want to (re)read the rest of the series and that makes it, in my opinion, a perfect follow-up to Rivers of London. What I also really love about this series is the vulnerability the two male leads show. Both Peter and Nightingale, though always (at least in Nightingale’s case) maintaining the infamous British ‘stiff upper lip’ are not afraid to admit to the fact that they are not left cold by what happens around and to them. They show grief, fear and sadness, and aren’t written as emotionally cold as many other male leads in popular media. 

Critique: As far as second parts of series go, I have (surprisingly) little critique, but some nonetheless. I felt that the arc of suspense could have been tightened a bit, e.g. by introducing the threat of the faceless man a bit earlier, or putting a bit of emphasis on what makes him scary. I personally thought the introduction of what, as I understand, is going to be the main antagonist of the series a bit anticlimactic. But that might be because, one, I had pretty high expectations because I accidentally spoiled myself via (really good) fanfiction, and, two, I haven’t read further that the second book yet and it could be entirely possible that this was the author’s intention all along in order to build up suspense in the next book(s). There is also on incident in chapter four, where a character who refers to themselves as “only biologically [male]” is referred to as “a guy” and using he/him pronouns by Peter Grant and Ash, and, while it is true that their preferred pronouns are never specified, it would have been nice to see female pronouns being used, especially in this particular series, which is generally very queer positive and features a variety of queer side characters. Disregarding that, I’ve only got the usual: the awkward recap of what happened in the last book that, in my opinion, can really be done without, plus it takes the author some time to really get going and get it on with the story, but that’s typical for book series, and, while annoying, is understandable and can be ignored. 

Would I recommend this book? If yes to whom? If no why? Yes, I would recommend this book for everyone who’s a fan of the series, of Torchwood and/or Doctor Who, or is looking for modern detective stories that are a bit more realistic than anything Sherlock-Holmes-esque, though I would recommend that you read Rivers of London, part one of the Peter Grant series, first if you haven’t already. 

Do not read this book if...

...You ‘just’ want a detective story without any magical involvement.

...You have anything against the city of London.

...You expect this series to be a Harry Potter cop AU.

...You didn’t like the first book.

T/W: suicide, sex, implied misgendering of a trans character, blood (lots of blood, like, litres of blood where it isn’t supposed to be), implied human trafficking, implied non-consensual body modification, memory loss, implied and attempted mind control, supernatural themes, murder, dead bodies

[mygangtome]

Where They Were, Where They Are Now - Lucy Griffiths

She was the Nightwatchman, Lady Marian, the proud and strong lady in Nottingham who fed information to our favorite outlaws, stood toe to toe with the Sheriff and caught the attention and desire of Guy of Gisborne.  Here is a list of the project Lucy Griffiths has worked in since her days as Marian ended. 

U Be Dead (2009) – Bethan Ancell

A doctor and his girlfriend are stalked by a woman who claims to be in love with him. Meanwhile, the man falls in love with a younger woman. Based on a true story.

Character bio: The much younger and second fiancee of Dr. Jan Falkowski, who is caught up in the events as the doctor’s stalker refuses to relent. 

Fan comments: Not one that I have seen or heard much about at all, so I have little insight to offer.  It seems like it could be a suspenseful story, and the cast is pretty strong, so it does have that.  

Collision (2009) – Jane Tarrant

The story of a major road accident and a group of people who have never met, but who all share one single defining moment that will change their lives.

Character bio: Jane is living a normal, possibly dull, life; she works at a fast food joint and living with her boyfriend.  When he suggests they get married, she gets frustrated and is afraid of being trapped.  When the massive car crash drives victims to her workplace, she meets and begins an affair with Richard Reeves, an older business man. 

Fan comments: I did see this one, and enjoyed the suspense and the trail of stories that weave together at the collision point. The individual characters are intriguing, and the plot holds your attention. Lucy does very well, though it was a shock to see her in blonde hair!

Inspector Lewis (2010) – Madeleine Escher (1 episode) 

Inspector Robert Lewis and Sergeant James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them. Falling Darkness -  During a Halloween, one of Dr Hobson’s college roommates is found dead with a stake through her heart and a garlic bulb in her mouth.

Character Bio: Madeleine Escher is one of four students living in a house that is apparently haunted, but is one of the three who are initially unconcerned. 

Fan comments: I have never seen any Inspector Lewis, nor this episode, though it sounds clearly like a Halloween episode with supposedly supernatural connections to crimes that have mundane answers.  

The Little House (2010) – Ruth

A reluctant mother, young Ruth Clee’s post natal vulnerability and failure to bond with her baby is exploited by Elizabeth, her manipulative mother-in-law in a battle to seize control of the child.

 Character Bio: Described as emotionally fragile, Ruth is diagnosed with post-partum psychosis after the birth of her son.  Her mother-in-law’s controlling nature only compounds Ruth’s other troubles, which include spectral sightings of her own mother, confusion and memory loss.  

Fan comments: From the reviews I read, it feels like the script lets the actors and characters down, rushing development and skipping things that would lead to better understanding of their emotional development.  

Dirt 3 (2011) - Store Manager (voice)

A racing game about a guy and a woman wanting to race against humanity can they do it? Your story your choice.

Fan comments: I couldn’t find anything about a character, so there is not much to talk about her. 

Billboard (2011) - The Ex

A dark, twisted tale of two young suicidal characters who, through a series of unfortunate events, come together for one crazy night.

To shake things up, here is the teaser trailer, which does feature a lot of Lucy:

And here is another video of her talking about the project:

Awakening (2011) – Jenna Lestrade

Two sisters find themselves on opposite sides of a zombie uprising.

Another video clip, as there is next to nothing else to be found about this made for TV movie. 

The Numbers Station (2013) – Meredith

A disgraced black ops agent is dispatched to a remote CIA broadcast station to protect a code operator. Soon, they find themselves in a life-or-death struggle to stop a deadly plot before it’s too late.

Character bio: One of the code dispatchers / operators at the broadcast station; leaves a code for Katherine (lady lead), which is a vital part of the code breaking that needs to be done. 

Fan comments: This seems like a thriller that I would be interested in, with codes and a race against the clock.  Lucy’s part does not seem large, though it is a part important to the plot. 

True Blood (2012-2013) Nora Gainesborough (21 episodes)

Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.

Character bio: “ Nora was irreverent, intelligent, intimidating, cool under pressure and a very good liar. Like many siblings, she and her “brother” enjoyed a fiery love/hate relationship. Though she cared for him deeply, and looked up to him, she dedicated her life to a higher purpose. However, she lacked self-discipline and, unlike her maker, seemed to have little regard for human life. Like Godric, Eric and Pam, Nora spoke Swedish. Nora was a devout religious vampire and when she was captured by the Authority and placed in her cell, the only thing she did is pray to Lilith. When Lilith mercilessly destroyed Godric, Nora finally realized that Lilith was evil and cowered in fear of her.” (from True Blood Wiki)

Fan comments: I will say that I have no intention of watching this show.  Vampires on HBO is not really my speed.  Though from that description of Nora, there might be moments were we see Marian’s brand of stubbornness and fire showing up.   

Winter’s Tale (2014) – Young Woman

A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.

Character Bio: Lucy is credited only as young woman, so I have a feeling she barely shows up on screen. 

Fan comments: And as I have not seen this one either, I cannot say for sure how much she shows up.  But it is a pretty looking movie, so let’s have the trailer:

Last Summer (2014) – Rebecca

Having lost custody of her six year-old son, a young Japanese woman has four days to say goodbye to him on-board a yacht belonging to her western ex-husband’s wealthy family. Alone with the crew, who are under direct instruction to keep a watchful eye on her, the woman must try to forge a connection with her son before she has to part from him for many years.

Character bio: One of the yaht crew, Rebecca is the person that young Ken clings to when first interacting with his mother.  

Fan comments: The only trailers I could find of this film were in Italian, but I don’t think the film was shot in Italian. The reviews have said it is a quiet film, artistic and beautiful, with a hopeful ending.  I might track it down, because Rinko Kikuchi is the main character, Naomi, and that with Lucy in the film intrigues me.

Don’t Look Back (2014) – Nora Clark

An adult woman must face the trauma and horrors of her difficult childhood after avoiding it for years.

Character bio: Nora is a writer of young adult books, struggling with a writer’s block and the death of her grandmother. She decides to move back to her grandmother’s house (where Nora had been raised), to deal with the estate and the other details. She opens the house to a lodger, Peyton, who develops an unhealthy attraction to Nora.  At the same time, Nora’s life continues to be bombarded by skeletons from her past. 

Fan comments: This is another one that the writing fails any and all of the talent from the cast by all accounts of the reviews. 

Constantine (2014) – Liv Aberdine

A man struggling with his faith who is haunted by the sins of his past is suddenly thrust into the role of defending humanity from the gathering forces of darkness.

Character bio: Liv winds up working with Constantine to banish a demon that is hunting her.  She also inherited a pendant from her father that allows her to see multiple planes of existence, making her more than an ordinary office worker as we first think.

Fan comments: So Constantine has been on the back burner of my shows for awhile, since I heard it was actually pretty well done, despite not being renewed. I may bump it up the list now that I know Lucy is in it. 

Home for Christmas (2014) – Alice

Beth Prince has always loved fairytales and now she feels like she’s finally on the verge of her own happily ever after; a dream job in a charming independent cinema by the seaside and a gorgeous boyfriend. There’s just one problem - no man has ever told her they love her. Desperate to hear their crucial three little words for the first time Beth takes matters into her own hands - and wishes she hasn’t.

I couldn’t find much info, though it apparently a rom com with Christmas, and is generally feel good.  Though I did find this video and thought I would share it:

 Uncanny (2015) – Joy Andrews

The world’s first “perfect” Artificial Intelligence begins to exhibit startling and unnerving emergent behavior when a reporter begins a relationship with the scientist who created it. 

Character bio: Joy is at first just curious about the actual AI project, but then develops a friendship with David, the creator of the AI, Adam.  This friendship builds to a sexual relationship, and the AI develops more and more human emotions which puts Joy in danger. 

Fan comments: I would have put this on a list of movies to see, but in the course of researching, I’ve seen all the spoilers… and well, I might still watch it. 

Preacher (2016) – Emily (10 episodes)

After a supernatural event at his church, a preacher enlists the help of a vampire to find God.

Character bio:  Emily is no-nonsense single mother of three. Emily’s a waitress, while also serving as a church organist, bookkeeper and Jesse’s loyal right hand. (bio from Preacher Wikia)

Fan comments: While the premise of the show doesn’t quite catch me (so sick of vampires, sorry), Lucy’s character seems an interesting change from some of the other roles I’ve seen her in, and from those that I had to research.  I may have to look up her episodes. 

That is it for now in Lucy’s filmography, but I am interested to see what her career will bring! 

[isitandwonder]

I’ve read Rachel Talalay’s post on her tumblr re: TST and I have to say I really appreciate someone from the ‘creators’ engaging with fandom without ridiculing or insulting us, but, as it seems, out of curiosity and genuine interest. This is such a wholesome attitude for a change! Only, I’m way too shy and in no psition to address an established and experienced director as Ms Talalay (yep, I simply don’t dare to.). But I am a viewer and recipientof her work, so I’d like to chip in my 2 cents.

Her post got me thinking. She writes that she deliberately refused to read TFP when directing TST. If I understood correctly, it was because her characters don’t know their future either, and she wanted to keep that perspective.

Of course, she is fully justified to make her own artistic decisions. Only, in retrospect, I’m not sure that approach really worked so well. Not because of not knowing that there would be a mad sister incarcerated on an island and  that Sherlock would in the end befriend her... not because of the future outcome of the show.

But because of what TFP revealed about Sherlock’s past. I think knowing about Victor/Redbeard/the well, and incorporating this knowledge into TST, could have made the whole thing a bit more explicable, a bit easier to swallow.

For example, Sherlock suddenly has premonitions in TST. He never had before on the show or in canon. It wasn’t that ACD was averse to such things (he believed in fairies and seances), but it didn’t fit in his stance at Holmes and detective fiction as logical and reasonable. So, where does this supernatural element stem from in Sherlock?

Those premonitions are linked to water. Rememeber the promo picture of 221b? TST starts with a shot of the aquarium and the story of Samara = destiny + water. Sherlock again experiences a watery premonition at the Wellsborough’s, combined with a shot of the table that reminds me of the well, while dealing with a missing, dead child.

Was this just foreshadowing the end of the episode, the showdown at the aquarium? Or couldn’t this have been foreshadowing the revelation in TFP of Victor = Redbeard, drowned by Eurus in a well? Hmm... not if you don’t know about this. But it was hammered home in the trailers that this series would deal with Sherlock’s past - what made him. Wouldn’t it have been crucial for directing an episode that led up to this reveal that the director had known about these aspects of Sherlock’s past? Wouldn’t that have been fair to the viewers, to give them a chance to figure it out by leaving hints for them? This is what makes one appeal of the Holmes stories - if they get explained to you in the end, you ask yourself: Of course, why didn’t I see this? But in S4, we didn’t have a chance. Because evreyone seems to have stumbled though the story in the dark.

In TFP, all the water in the show - from the pool in TGG to Reichenbach in TAB - is connected to Sherlock’s childhood loss of Victor and his search for a replacement of such a friend ever since (hello, John). But this just seemed so subsequently invented, almost forced onto the narrative. Because, for example, Sherlock fights an assassin in a pool in TST - but there is no premonition in this scene, no sign that water could mean something, anything to him. Now, I really appreciate the aesthetic of a dripping wet Benedict Cumberbatch - but this scene could perhaps have tied in better with the whole childhood/Victor plot if the director had known about this plot? Also, the line with the memory stick: “But she destroyed it” - accompanied with a flashback to John throwing the drive in the fire in HLV - this might actually have been planned as foreshadowing the reveal of Eurus destroying Sherlock’s childhood and home, and therefore a hint for the viewers where Sherlock’s premonitions came from (WATER!) - but without knowing this, it wasn’t emphasised enough and became just another odd plot hole.

On the other hand, they could have gone for true punch to the gut, nothing foreshadowed, just BAM! right in your face - here’s a dead childhood friend, drowned, and Sherlock suppressed everything about that and his sister now take that, audience! But they didn’t. The writers wanted to be clever. Redbeard features since S3 - only, I don’t think the writers had a plan how to exactly solve this narrative streak back then. And this ‘making the story up as we go’ bleeds through again and again - and perhaps even more than necessary, if the outcome had been known to all the participants. This could ahve been a chance to tie up at least some of the mess made by the writers.

I read a post a while ago that said the secrecy of the writers killed the show. I think it’s true when you look at Mary Morstan, for example. I doubt that Jeremy Lovering, who directed her in TEH, or Ms Abbington herself knew what would happen to the character in HLV, directed by Nick Hurran. Now, such surprises, the uncertainty, can add suspense and a flirring sense of vagueness and unrealness to a story - which was a great thing in Broadchurch. The doubt, the mistrust, added to the feeling that no one was save, that everyone could have been the child’s killer. But for Sherlock? Mary was just a side character - this form of surprising suspense asigned way too much weight to her in an already complicated narrative. Why?

And then her end in TST! I’d really like to ask Ms Talalay if this was done purposefully ridiculous, as a form of satirical comment on Mary’s arc? Because it made no sense. Mary transformed from a sassy girlfriend to ruthless assassin to selfless hero. In one episode, she shoots Sherlock (without a good reason) and in the next she saves him without necessity, sacrificing herself without good reason either. Now, if the directing of this scene should subtly emphasize the inadequacies of Mary’s arc - I bow deeply to Ms Talalay’s directing choices, while making the most of a ridiculous script.

This secrecy prevented the actors from engaging with their characters. They only do the show every odd year for a few episodes. Retconning everything they might have thought up as a backstory for their character with every new script is not helping to get a grip on your character, I imagine? And it was done with Ben as well, as Mr Gatiss said in post mortem after TAB. He revealed something to Ben during the filming of TAB (presumably about Redbeard not being a dog?) that Ben shouldn’t have known back then. Keeping such big points a secret, while later playing on them, thereby forcing some foreshadowing onto an already established narrative, caused more plotholes  than it gave explanations, because it prevented the actors, actresses and directors to incorporate this knowledge into their acting and directing choices. And this is not a good idea on a show like Sherlock, that has to make some sense and can’t prevail endlessly in the realm of vague suspense - based on... nothing , apparently.

A series like Shelrock needs explanations. That’s what detective fiction is about. That’s what a Holmes story is about. Logic and reasoning, solving the mystery, not creating one after another until everything is muddled up.

I checked back. S1 and S2 - the series which, for me and many others, still work best - were largely made by Paul McGuigan. He directed 4 out of 6 episodes. TBB was made by Eurus Lyn, who’d already worked with Moffat on Doctor Who. So, both directors were involved with the series long-time or knew how the writer(s) worked, could develope arches - they knew where they were going with this. And that added to the cohesiveness of the narrative. Bringing in Toby Hayns for TRF was also a good idea. It needed someone new to sweep everything up and kill the main character - fresh perspective, new approaches. But after that, every episode had a different director. And the scripts came late. No preparation, while the times between the series grew longer and longer.

Only for TLD - for me the best episode in S4 - they allowed Nick Hurran back, who’d also done HLV. And to me that is noticeable, even in the character of Mary. Because he had worked on the story and the characters before. He had some ideas where they came from and where they might be going (turned out it wasn’t right, but it did fit at least with the previous episodes). Even for John... he’s angry in HLV, and still angry in TLD. I can see at least some connection there.

So, in short, I think too much secrecy killed the show, because it lost course and purpose. No one seemed to have known where this was going (how could they?) - and this led to opening up narrative sidelines via acting and directing that weren’t followed up, because they were never intended to. It created a vagueness that allows now for almost every interpretation you might throw at the show to seem valid, because there surely can be found a line or shot that supports it in all this jumble. Because everybody seems to have done the best they could, bringing in their own ideas - but no one coordinated this. It was all secrets and rug pulls - but no cohesive story telling, at least after S2.

This might be a chance for fandom to take away form the show what you want to see in it - but it’s just so not Sherlock Holmes that I wonder why they didn’t make their own show about three people suffering, marriage, childhood trauma, toture, assassins, spies, gay pining (or not), spiced with horror elements, and just called it something else after S2?

Oh, and I’d really like to know what Ms Talalay thinks of Mary’s end-monologue: “Who you are doesn’t matter, it’s all about the legend.” Is that true? Did she see the characters like this? Does she approve? Perhaps I should dare to ask her after all?

[vieuxnoyesrp]

Mal. Admittedly, the first thing that struck us about you was not your in-character application, but rather how friendly, polite and down-to-earth you were in all of your communications with us. This was a sure-fire way of winning favour - especially because these are the qualities we look for in our applicants and hope to attract to a group which is already filled with such a wonderful bunch of preexisting members. Beyond that, however, the work you put into your application was truly worthy of an acceptance in and of its own right. Your headcanons were very much in character for Stiles, and (both) of your sample paras were creative, detailed, and offered us good insight into a Stilinski’s view of the universe. You brought forth his off-the-walls energy and insatiable drive to unravel the mysteries that surround him. Finally, we appreciate that you’d obviously done your research into our universe; including locations, other characters, and the unique spins we have in VN that differ from our source shows. 

Mal, thank you very much for applying. As for Stiles…

             ⚜ ~ WELCOME TO VIEUX NOYÉS!!! ~ ⚜

Wondering what to do next? Click here and let the good times roll!

⚜ Roleplayer:

⤜ Name/alias: Mal. ⤜ Pronouns: She / her. ⤜ Age: Twenty-seven. ⤜ Timezone: CET. ⤜ Activity: 7-8 and probably even more during the weekends. I do work full-time, but I always try and get online and reply to stuff and do character developments.   ⤜ Best form of contact: this account as I’ll be using it as my main blog at a pont. ⤜ Any Triggers? Nope. ⤜ How did you find Vieux Noyés? I found this roleplay when looking through Teen Wolf’s tags on Tumblr. I actually wanted to apply before, but I’ve been pretty busy but I’m excited about hopefully joining the group, if you like the application I send in! ⤜ What drew you to the RP? I love how it’s a pretty much an roleplay with canon characters, it’s interesting to see how people portray different characters and how people interpret different point of views on personalities and actions. I also crossovers, because it makes it possible for you to write with a character you’ve wanted someone to interact with and create your own ideas and plots when it comes to them. ⤜ What is one subplot/element from the Plot page that you are particularly looking forward to seeing in this roleplay? I’m excited to see how the new coven is going to play a part & how all the different species are going to work alongside each other. And, what kind of a part to everything do the humans have? Will the be blissfully unknown of what’s going on or are they going to slowly wake up and realize that there are more than just creepy, drunk guys lurking in the shadows.

⚜ Desired Character: Stiles Stilinski

⤜ Why do you want this character?

I absolutely love and adore Stiles, and the way that Dylan O’Brien portrays him in Teen Wolf. I’ve been a huge TW and Stiles fan for years and I’ve always wanted to write a canon Stiles but never have been able to because I’ve never really found a roleplay that I feel like I could enjoy and develop him the way I want.

⤜ What are your future plans for this character?

My future plans for Stiles’ future? Honestly, I want to work on his past relationships with his Dad and with his mother. I want to show how much it has actually effected him; how and when the panic attacks, how his relationship with his father was kind of ruined with the use of alcohol on the father’s side. I also want to see how his future in J&J’s agency. Will he stay with them in the future or will he work on his own? Is his friendships with Scott, Malia, Caroline & Lydia gonna be able to survive whatever is being thrown his way? Is his relationship with his Dad going to be fixed? There are so many subplots that I’m excited to hopefully be able to develop when it comes to Stiles’ past, present and future.  

⤜ Put yourself in your character’s shoes. Give us a few lines to describe a day in the life of your character… Where do they live? Where and how do they spend their time? (feel free to refer to our locations page that can be found in the navigation)

While working with J&J agency on the side, filing different cases into their appropriate location, Stiles is also currently studying at Saint Aloysuis High School and after that, he wants to study at Tulane University where his major would most likely be Psychology. He has always been interested in how people’s brains work and why they do what they do in certain situations. It was after he started seeing a therapist when he was younger that his fascination for the subject grew. It is also something he believes will help him when he one day will become a full on private detective, which is something that he really wants.

If Stiles isn’t at J&J agency, or at school, you can usually find him hanging out with Scott, Malia or Lydia, trying to solve their own adventures together. They’re also currently figuring out where everyone is going after High School is over with, and Stiles definitely is not very happy about the possibility that they might have to end up splitting up - going their different ways. He knows that he’s going to have to let his friends go at one point, but deep down, he knows that he’s worried that if he does, they’ll end up growing apart and sometimes he catch himself wondering whether or not their friendship is going to handle it.

⤜ Give us three headcanons regarding your character of choice.

1) Growing up, after the loss of his mother, Stiles went weekly to a therapist, although it took years before he began to slowly open up to him. He still, to this day, have trouble talking about it, telling anyone about his feelings when it comes to losing someone as important as his mother, but the therapist is definitely someone whom he trusts. He was told at an early age, to keep a notebook where he could write down his thoughts and feelings, whenever the world began to feel overwhelming and he could feel the panic attacks getting worse.

2) Stiles always carry around a photo of him and his mother in his wallet; one where she’s holding onto him while he’s holding onto a large cotton candy cone and a wide grin on his lips. It was a photo taken on her birthday a year before she passed away. They had gone to the local fair, one which Beacon Hills threw every year. This is a memory that Stiles cherish and one that he never ever wants to forget, so, just in case, he keeps a photo from the day as close to him as humanly possible. Sometimes, he can even swear that he smells cotton candy and popcorn when he’s in school or with friends and it makes no sense.  

3) Although it’s pretty obvious that Stiles isn’t very talented when it comes to playing Lacrosse, he does have a hidden talent, one which not a lot of people know of because people haven’t really bothered to ask about it. He’s pretty decent at solving Rubik cubes, and has even managed to do so within a minute once or twice before. It’s also a great way for him to de-stress and think of something else for a minute - giving his brain a break to think of something else than solving the supernatural, the criminal cases going on in New Orleans or just the problems of being a seventeen year old boy.

⤜ What are some plots you’d like to explore with your character?

I would love to explore Stiles’ friendship with Caroline - see how and why they became friends. Figure out what made them not click through high school and what made them suddenly become friends when they’re older. I would also love to see what it is about Lydia, other than him thinking she’s pretty, that makes him so smitten about her, especially as truth be told, she hasn’t really treated him well throughout the years.

⤜ Para sample:

(Retained for privacy.)

⤜ Would you like to be considered for another character if not accepted as your primary choice? (If yes, name the character.) Honestly, Stiles has my heart. So, at this moment in time, I would not want to be considered for another character if not accepted, although there are a lot of amazing characters open.

⤜ Have you read the rules?: Yep! & full-heartedly agree. Especially with the shipping part. As much as shipping with someone is fun, I feel like people quickly forget about the character’s development as soon as it’s in a relationship with someone.

⤜ Anything else? I am going away on Thursday the 23rd and coming home on April 1st. I know this might be conflicting and that maybe this might not want you to accept this application, as it would mean I would be gone for a week quite early, but I’m going to the UK on a holiday for a week, seeing All Time Low. I do hope it’s something we can work around somehow. Thank you! (: x

[loraarnoldbafilm]

Practical Screencraft

Non-linear Narrative:

What is Non-linear?

Non-linear or disrupted narrative is a storytelling technique, where the events are portrayed, for example out of chronological order, or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured, such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream immersions or narrating another story inside the main plot-line.

It is often used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory, a good example of this is ‘Memento’ by Christopher Nolan:  

To create a cohesive film for the audience to understand, about a man with Anterograde amnesia (a loss of the ability to create new memories after the event that caused the amnesia) is no easy task, because the human memory is a flawed system and is in no chronological order whatsoever, as well as only being able to recall pieces of past events- not in great detail either. However for a film maker I imagine it’s quite liberating, as you don’t have to film at a certain time or location to keep continuity between scenes, because there is none.

What did we do?

Our first attempt was an adaptation of Nathan’s idea of having a room as the main character, which changes and adapts but still remains, even when people come and go. This was an interesting, yet experimental, concept that the entire group was willing to try; as like  However the idea got a bit warped and ended up being more supernatural and ‘The Others’-esque, where you think that your house is being haunted by spirits, but it turns out you’re the ghost all a long!

Although in the end we all agreed that this idea wasn’t working, and that we should reconvene on another day to try something else. our final non-linear attempt was almost completely in the hands of Kieran, whom decided to create a homage to some bizarre CCTV footage of a woman (Elisa Lam) in a hotel elevator, looking very agitated and uncomfortable, merely hours before being found dead in the hotel’s water tank.

It’s a really interesting story soaked in mystery and ambiguity, so creating something inspired by these events wasn’t difficult because we had a guideline, and didn’t necessarily need to make total sense because it is designed to be non-linear (i.e. disrupted and not in chronological order) much like memory or dreams.

How?

What we eventually ended up with was Tom (our actor) experiencing a fractured dream sequence, in which he is simultaneously dead and alive. Cutting very quickly from one angle, to another, to the monitor footage, was used to represent the woman’s frantic, back and forth nature while she was in the elevator; also slightly glitching out the footage, to portray her corrupted state of mind. As far as the ‘death’ shots went, they were a lot crisper and calmer, which I thought was a nice contrast to the manic cutting of the elevator shots, as well as just reinforcing to the audience that Tom is having a dream or hallucination, but unfortunately the human memory, being as flawed as it is, can only recall pieces and not in any logical order either- something that I noticed with the ‘death’ shots was, that it could be interpreted as if we ‘re saying that Elisa Lam found peace in the end, just by how still and bright the shots from the fine art basement are compared to the lift… merely because the lift has orange coloured lighting, making everything look a bit dirtier; whereas the basement had big windows for natural lighting, so it looked a lot brighter and whiter. 

Summary:

As far as sound went for the piece, it was all improvised; due to Kieran having the complete rein over this one, which no one in the group had any issues with, but it meant that a lot of us were stuck on stuff to do, so had to make ourselves useful in other ways. We began throwing, banging and scraping different tools and materials together to create harsh, yet interesting sounds which would complement the distressed, broken actions of our character on screen.Overall I think that this project was probably one of our group’s better ones, despite having to repeat it three times. It was refreshing having Kieran in our group for a change, because he was the driving force for us, he was organised and enthusiastic about getting involved with project- occasionally I felt like he took control too much, for example, I didn’t get to touch the filming or editing side of the final film- however, as a new addition to the group, he was much appreciated because the group felt a lot more professional than it has in previous projects, because we experimented first and then just got on and did it… no messing about, like we would normally.