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feathersandblue · 3 years

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Dean Winchester, Character Death, and Frodo’s Return to the Shire

This will be a LOOONG post that has been stuck in my head for a while in bits and pieces - about Dean’s death, what it was and what it wasn’t, and incidentally, the Lord of the Rings has found its way in here too.

It’s pretty clear that Dabb always meant for Dean to die.

And while I strongly disagree with that, on so many levels, I think it might have been more palatable if framed in a different way, and so I’ve been trying to figure out what the ending might have looked like in a world that wasn’t quite as shitty as ours. Still shitty, but marginally less so.

Dean is notoriously bad at letting bad things happen if he can prevent them. I find it difficult to believe that Dean would ever quit hunting entirely, and for as long as he kept hunting, the danger of dying would always be present. It’s not unrealistic at all for him to die on a routine hunt. Life is unpredictable; life as a hunter, even more so. I understand that the writers might want to make that point. And it might have been valid if – and that’s the real problem – Dean’s death hadn’t otherwise been devoid of meaning.

The thing about character death – any sort of character death – is that it needs to have purpose.

And there are different ways that it can have purpose, but it depends on what sort of character we’re talking about.

Minor, often unnamed characters – the redshirts in every narrative – die to illustrate injustice or to highlight evil. Their death is a catalyst or a consequence of the events as they unfold, part of the conflict the heros have to solve. An army led into battle by a tyrant. Refugees in a camp dying of malnutrition. Murder victims of a serial killer. In all these cases, death fuels the plot but has little meaning beyond that.

There are minor characters whose death both fuels the plot and gives the hero a more personal motive to act. Supernatural is full of these. Mary and Jessica burning at the ceiling; Charlie dumped in a bathtub. Minor characters can have their own arcs, but ultimately their deaths are only important for the impact they have on the main characters.

The death of a protagonist is markedly different. Protagonists need to have agency even in death to maintain their status.

Their death has to be the reflection of their character development up to that point but it also has to tell us something about them that we did not already know – show us how they make a final decision or draw a final conclusion that marks the end of an inner conflict – which is what all storytelling is about. Character death has to serve a purpose to have meaning, and for a protagonist, the purpose must be personal.

And If it fails to do that, then that’s either a sign that we’re no longer dealing with a protagonist, or that something weng very, very wrong in the writers’ room. There is no inherent value in tragedy. In storytelling, tragedy is justified when it achieves something, otherwise, it’s just capriciousness.

Buffy’s death at the end of season 5 of BTVS is a classic example for the death of a protagonist. Harry’s decision to go and face Voldemort in the forbidden forest, even though it doesn’t ultimately kill him, is another. When Sam jumps into the abyss in Swan Song, that is his heroic sacrifice, but if he’d permanently died in season 2, that would have been bizarre and nonsensical because it was entirely beyond his control – it did not reflect his decisions, gave him no agency, and reduced him from a protagonist to a side character. In that moment, his death was something that happened to Dean. It worked because his death didn’t stick – he regained his agency after resurrection. But as an ending to his hero’s journey, it would have been singularly unsatisfying.

Dean is our protagonist, and he has been for 15 seasons. What does his death tell us about him that we didn’t know – what decisions did he make, what inner struggle got resolved, what meaning did his death have for him, personally, and then, in extension, for us?

The problem is that the finale, as is so often the case in Supernatural, tells two stories at once.

Whe the episode starts, it appears that Dean moves on with his life just fine, a well-adjusted model citizen. He’s ready to get a job, seems to be moderately happy. He even has dog. The decision to keep hunting is his, and death just accidentally happens, which of course is not unrealistic in his line of work. On the forefront, his death is brought about by the fact that he exercises free will. It tells us that he is a hunter and will always be one, that he keeps protecting people because that’s just who he is.

None of that, however, is new. It is just more of the same. All of Dean’s decisions in the finale tell us nothing about him that we did not already know. He’s trying to move on from the death of the people closest to him, as he’s always done. He chooses the hamster wheel, as he has always done. He follows in his father’s footsteps, as he has always done.

As he gets impaled, he has no choices left to make. There is no agency in his death, no inner struggle. His death furthers neither his character development nor the plot. That Dean simply accepts his death is as unsurprising as the fact that his final moments are spent reassuring Sam and telling him that he has to keep fighting.

The conclusion? Dean ceases to be a protagonist.

He dies not as the hero of his story. His death just happens to him.

After Sam and Dean had presumably freed themselves from the constraints of Chuck’s narrative, the final episode should have emphasized their agency, their freedom of choice, through change. But in the end, it only led them both to making the same choices as always, the unsurprising ones. And even the choices that did indicate a change (like Dean’s job application) were not shown to bear fruits.

What meaning does free will have when it doesn’t change the outcome? All the finale does is tell a bleak story about humanity and how we are incapable of making meaningful, consequential changes in our lives.

It’s almost like Lucifer is talking to us all the way from the Endverse of 5.04: “Whatever you do, you will always end up here. Whatever choices you make, whatever details you alter, we will always end up – here.”

Devastating as that is, there is another interpretation of the finale that is arguably worse, a different reading strongly suggested by both text and subtext.

Dean, as mentioned before, is trying to move on with his life but ultimately fails. The situation is different from the way he behaved when he lost Cas and Mary in season 13 where he was outright suicidal – his desperation is more quiet but also more profound. He seems determined to honor Cas’ and Jack’s sacrifice. But determination is not enough. Dean only goes through the motions, and it shows. He clings to the dog in the morning; the dog sticks to him closely throughout the day as dogs tend to do when they feel that their owner is in distress, almost like a therapy dog. His room looks messy, he makes an attempt to fix it but then abandons it as it requires too muh effort. Ultimately, he can’t be bothered. There are alcohol bottles standing around, a sign that he’s drinking, though not as heavily as in the past. All the while, he sems very laid-back, presumably relaxed and at peace and coping well with the loss but also weirdly detached.

When Sam mentions Cas and Jack at the pie festival, he says, “Yeah, I’m thinking about them too. You know that pain’s not going to go away. Right? But if we don’t keep living, then all that … sacrifice is gonna be for nothing.”

He feels an obligation. And he’s trying. It’s just not working very well.

He barely reacts when Sams pies him in the face.

When impaled on the rebar, Dean actively prevents Sam from calling for help. He tells Sam not to bring him back. And in the end, he asks Sam to tell him it’s okay to go. Which isn’t something he would do if he was simply dying – it strongly indicates that he wants to be allowed to die.

Prompting the conclusion that Dean is giving up on life the first opportunity he gets, not even knowing whether he’ll end up in heaven.

In this reading, Dean does have a little bit of agency. He makes a decision, sort of. His death marks the resolution of an inner struggle: He gives up.

He dies as a protagonist.

In the worst way possible.

In all honesty, I can’t decide which interpretation I hate more.

But what could the writers have done differently, if Dean was meant to die all along?

Back when the SPN finale had freshly aired, I was describing it like this:

Imagine that the One Ring is destroyed. But Merry died in the battle and Pippin went missing and was never found again. Frodo and Sam return to the Shire; Pippin and Merry are mentioned once in passing. Upon their arrival, Frodo is attacked by Wormtongue and slowly bleeds out over the span of thirty pages. Sam marries someone else than Rosie; Rosie is never mentioned again. Somehow, both Frodo and Sam are teleported to Valinor, where we are told that the real fun begins.

At the time, I only used this as an example to illustrate what a mess the finale had been. But in the weeks that have passed since, then, I’ve started thinking about the LOTR comparison some more, and it got me thinking about Dean’s death in a different way.

And it has everything to do with the difference between running from and walking toward.

As mentioned before, it’s not unrealistic that Dean would die on a random hunt. Would the Dean Winchester we know ever stop hunting? Maybe. We might want him to. Then again, would be still be Dean Winchester if he did? We know that Dean can’t help but feel responsible. He is someone who is incapable of staying hands-off.

Dean, as we see him in the finale, is trying to honor Cas’s and Jack’s memory by living, although he’s not very good at it – not outright suicidal but worn-out. Exhausted. And still he makes the decisions to keep hunting because he can do nothing else.

When Frodo and Sam returned to the Shire in LOTR, they had earned their happy ending. But Frodo, who had carried such a heavy burden that he was permanently altered by it, could no longer find happiness in Middleearth, and ultimately decided to depart for Valinor along with Gandalf and Bilbo with the promise of later being reunited with Sam. The journey had changed both of them, but it had changed Frodo to a greater degree, his responsibility had been greater, the weight on his shoulders heavier.

And I started to wonder whether the intention had initially been to show Dean in much the same state – and to frame his death as a decision to move on, the same way that LOTR has Frodo move on to the West.

Imagine the following: Cas is pulled into the Empty. His happiness and love change the Empty; he merges with it or otherwise changes it so that it’s now a more demon-friendly environment. Everyone there is at peace. Cas, in whatever form, moves on to Heaven – or maybe his soul does as it’s now mostly human.

Dean goes on a hunt and dies. Jack, or some other entity, shows up where you would expect the curiously absent reaper in order to give him a choice. Learning that Cas is in Heaven, and knowing that he will never be able to stop hunting if he remains on earth, Dean makes the conscious decision to move on. For the first time, Dean prioritizes his own happiness over his perceived duty. His death is no longer suicide by proxy, and neither is its sole purpose to illustrate the inherent meaningless of free will by turning him into a hamster-by-choice. Instead, it becomes a decision because he’s given back agency. He resolves an inner conflict and there’s even a final bit of character development as he breaks the chain of mutual co-dependency that ties him to Sam and allows himself to be with Cas. He remains a protagonist throughout the end.

And because he acknowledges his love for Cas and decides to be with him, he no longer just runs from, he walks toward.

The parallels to The Lord of the Rings get even more obvious when you take Sam into the equation because much like Samwise, Sam remains on earth in order to have a life that, for him, still holds meaning and the chance of happiness – whereas Dean can no longer be happy on earth as long as Cas isn’t there.

To be completely clear: I’d still think that such an ending would suck because it puts too much emphasis on an afterlife, and it would still send the message that characters like Dean could only find peace in death, and unless some adjustments were made to Sam’s arc as well, the ending would still suck for him.

But seeing as SPN plays in a universe where an afterlife exists, I could probably learn to live with Dean’s death if it had any sort of meaning, for him, besides dying and waiting for Sam to arrive, if it allowed for that final bit of character development. If he got to choose.

While I’ll never be able to see the finale that we actually got as anything but a complete atrocity.

#spn #supernatural #meta #dean winchester #destiel

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red-hood-vigilante · 3 years

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more hbo spn rambles, thoughts, drabbles etc. long long post.

part 1 here

there’s some things i’ve omitted here bc others have already posted about those things, certain headcanons and characterizations and stuff. those posts are in my likes somewhere (and i’ll reblog them someday), and there’s some posts i’ve read but not liked, which i now can only vaguely remember, which is why some ideas/thoughts are similar

ALSO most of these follow the model i talked about in part one: how s1-5 will stay more or less how they are but s6-10 is changed (some things are cut out entirely, some things are tweaked and some characters + arcs are more fleshed out. more focus on sam’s trauma and post-cage adaptation to the real world as well as dean letting his rage and control issues consume him and how he’d recover and redeem himself)

as i typed these paragraphs, i realized i really have 10 seasons mapped out and ready to go. hbo hire me!!

alright go:

sam and dean get wearier as the show progresses (second half), and eventually they stop putting so much care and thought in the people they save. like...hm how do i say this, like as long as a victim/victims are saved, they don’t care about how that happens or how those people suffer potential consequences, like if the victims lose a limb or have their homes burned down because of the monster, then sam and dean don’t really care. they saved your life, now they’ll leave you with your life in potential shambles and not care because all that matters is that they saved your life, not how it is afterwards. they still care about saving that one person, but eventually it pales a little in comparison to a war between heaven and hell, being the vessels etc. ---> saving people becomes less about making sure they’re actually alright and healing from horrific events and more about just making sure they have a pulse before they move on

when angels lose their wings they are either burned off in the actual fall or ripped off of them in their vessels, which leaves pretty nasty scars on the vessel

ed and harry are so young and bright eyed about the whole hunting thing; sam and dean as kids, idolizing it, finding it exciting and intriguing when they shouldn’t. sam and dean try to get them out of the business before they too are too traumatized and desensitized to do anything but hunt. neither sam or dean will say it but they are jealous of ed and harry and their freedom to leave, and hate them for choosing this voluntarily instead of being dragged into it by tragedy

hbo spn is a slow burn. there’s a lot more shots of sam and dean in silence just sitting together after a hunt, exhausted and too tired to move yet. they’re covered in blood and guts on the side of the road after killing or covered with dirt in a graveyard after burning bones, sitting next to the fire, just watching it. the times they park the car and watch the stars? we get to see it.

dean wears rings and the amulet all the time in the beginning, for the first five seasons. the rings vary; first they’re some of john’s old ones and stuff he finds in thrift stores. then later on he begins wearing rings from people they’ve saved/haven’t saved as a keepsakes etc. when he begins his descent to the holy murderer in s6-10 he wears less and less rings. they don’t matter anymore -> symbolically shedding who he was and what mattered to him

the only accessories sam has is a rosary/cross around his neck. he has jess’ engagement ring in his pocket/wallet. after the cage he vaguely remembers why the ring was there and who jessica was (more on this further down)

the four horsemen are manifestations of different aspects of human nature at its most grotesque and strongest, can’t be killed as long as humans live. war is conflict, famine is desire, pestilence is physical and mental illnesses.

(the seven sins are like the horsemen, tulpas of human nature instead of demons)

death isn’t a concentration of an existing aspect of humans as much as it is the end of life, the antithesis of life. death the oldest of the horsemen and has existed since the beginning of any life, organism, cell and atom. the opposite of life and light, the other half of god (as i’m typing this i’m confused as to why amara was the opposite of god instead of death). death isn’t evil or good, remains 100% objective. doesn’t care for sam or dean at all, but has a begrudging respect for their stubbornness and entertainment they provide due to their flat out refusal to do as they’re told by celestial bodies when anyone else would crumble

by including death i feel like it very naturally begs questions of who decides when someone dies, when someone lives, why would death follow these guides instead of reaping whomever whenever, what happens if a life isn’t reaped at the right time etc. the reader in me adore the idea of death having a library with books and records of everyone who has ever lived and died and how they died - but then, who writes these books and why? do they decide, and if in that case, how? these questions are above my paygrade but you know what i mean? like there has to be some sort of system right, god created everything, death executes to maintain order, some third party deity writes the laws and the books. the three branches of government. ok but it’s hbo so again, i think we shouldn’t dive this deep into things, like as much as these topics intrigue me i don’t want to stray too much from the dirt road trip aesthetic

shapeshifters are extremely rare because they don’t require any kind of human blood or organs/sacrifice to live

i want more exploration of how magic is like science, like it just needs the right ingredients and right conditions. sam thinks of magic as an obscure branch of science; it just requires research and knowledge and clear intentions because science can be controlled and do a lot of good when used responsibly. dean doesn’t like it. he doesn’t trust the unpredictable elements and he’s seen enough to know it never goes well. magic is a force that can’t be controlled by anyone.

sam and dean have full on fist fights regularly. to practice and keeping each other sharp, but also because they’re siblings. they’re feral, insane and unhinged with each other and they get on each other’s nerves A LOT. it’s petty and childish and sometimes it can get a lil ugly but it becomes their way of family therapy. after a fight the next scene cuts to sam and dean with ruffled clothes, nosebleeds and swollen lips at a diner eating silently after beating each other up. either they sit in silence because they’re tired or both are harping on the other’s openings and weaknesses

sometimes they’ll fight a little dirty but they do so in different ways; dean will pull the old ‘look!’ and point to something and then tackle sam when he turns to look while sam will just cry out in fake pain which makes dean stop dead in his tracks before sam headbutts him or kicks him in the groin

we, the audience get used to these fights, they’re sometimes funny and for comic relief, sometimes for narrative purposes (like tricking a monster they’re fighting each other when they’re really not) BUT. then comes the times when sam and dean are actually fighting without holding back and we see how much they are capable of hurting each other or how heartbreaking and difficult it can be to watch when of them are incapable of fighting back/doesn’t defend himself -> swan song when dean doesn’t fight back against possessed sam, or when dean beats soulless sam unconscious

sam and dean also just verbally bully each other constantly but they do have their odd ways of expressing affection and care. they get the other person their fave snack whenever they go grocery shopping without being asked to and are the only other one they truly trust to have their back in hunts. have a cup of coffee ready before the other asks for one. brothers and each other’s best friend. nightmare duo but in a sweet way. the cooperation of ‘the usual suspects’ when they’re in different interrogation rooms but still has the cover story down to a t. code words and code names and cover stories, they know it all

when sam and dean fight together against a common enemy they’re a damn nightmare - because they know each others weaknesses and habits, they cover each other perfectly and in complete silence. they’ve been at it together since they were kids and read each other’s nonverbal cues like a picture book

to build off of what i said in part 1; the winchesters are pretty hated in the hunter’s community. even the people sam and dean frequently work with (bobby, ellen, jo, ash, rufus, bela, kevin, charlie, castiel etc) roasts them all the time and don’t hesitate with calling them out on their self-pitying crap when it get’s too much (spn was just objectively better when characters weren’t afraid of dragging sam and dean through the mud for being selfish and stupid) and this WILL persist in hbo spn. the only reason people continue working with sam and dean is because they know deep down a lot of the things that happens aren’t sam and dean’s fault - but they still blame them for it. doesn’t make it easier how sam or dean sometimes start crap on purpose to save the other

the winchesters are terrifying and people for sure tell stories about them, but not like ‘they’re heroes’, more like ‘they’re insane and dangerous. stay the fuck away from them’. some stories are true, like how they’ve worked with demons, but some are just game of telephone. (dean has apparently a ghost he is frequently possessed by while sam is actually a mutant vampire). hunters hate and are scared of the winchesters. sam and dean are never invited to hunter stuff (burials, memorials etc) but crash them nonetheless even though the hunters do NOT want them there.

you know what drives me insane when i think about it? how some characters in spn already are their hbo spn counterparts; john. mary. adam. maybe kevin?

other things that already are their hbo spn counterparts: dean throwing away the amulet right in front of sam. eyes burning when angels are seen. how ghosts are just tragedies, stuck in a loop they can’t leave. how a lot of the monsters they meet are just victims or their circumstances or the first victim of a curse. the impala being sam and dean’s home. dean not knowing how to comfort sam when he’s upset other than trying to do things for sam that usually brings dean comfort (driving the impala, listening to rock music etc). the roadhouse. heaven being an eternal version of the memories that made you the happiest even though it’s not real. sam wanting independence and freedom but never fully having it. dean fearing being alone more than anything else and that’s where he always ends up. sam has an eating disorder after the demon blood and dean has an alcohol problem he refuses to see as a problem. dean saying “i’d do it again” without an ounce of regret and pouring himself a drink when sam tells him it was fucked up to lie to him about gadreel

the demon/angel hybrid: THIS could be sooo interesting to explore. an angel and demon hybrid are you kidding me?? not to toot my own horn too much but i’m so clever. i should write this story myself. SO. does this creature have parents who fucked in their vessels or was this an experiment by god (yes i love the ‘mad scientist’ idea, that really should’ve been played up way more) or did a pre-existing creature (human or otherwise) drink demon blood and angel grace at the same time so that it created itself? so much potential for some really intriguing storytelling and character exploration - not only the creature itself and what they would be like, but also for the people around; sam, dean, castiel, jack etc. how would they react to this thing that is the very definition of defying heaven and hell and all the natural laws? does it exist before the show starts or will we see its birth?

the powers of the demon/angel hybrid would be tricky; a mix of holy and defiant, grotesque and beautiful. unconsciously forces people to tell the truth when talking to them. poisons whatever they touch. eyes of a demon, wings of an angel. can smite but skin will burn when touching iron. can do deals but will require a sacrifice in return, not a soul, usually a body part taken then and there (the hybrid eats it. it favours eyeballs and the liver - angels like raw meat). lights always flicker. makes things explode when angry (esp people and cars). can manipulate feelings, thoughts and memories. can travel to both heaven and hell, not welcome in either places. + standard stuff like telekinesis, teleportation, mind reading, super strength etc.

sam and dean’s wardrobe are pretty much the same; whatever’s cheap and not covered in blood. however, they do have stylistic differences. sam thinks graphic tees are funny, dean uses whatever’s black combined with john’s leather jacket. their wardrobe melds as they stop thinking of themselves as individuals and more of “me and my brother,”. their clothes are tattered and torn to shreds all the time. hand me downs, hand me ups. when they stray off their “path” and do things that are the crux of a storyline/character arc, this would reflect in their clothes. when sam is with ruby and becomes more and more “evil” he wears more and more red, a colour he has stated in the past he doesn’t really like. when dean is dead, sam starts to wear his rings and john’s and dean’s leather jacket. when dean decides he’s going to say yes to michael he dresses in white, when sam is dead dean takes off every piece of jewelry except the amulet. he holds it clenched in his fists when he’s whispering what comes close to a prayer

logically the amulet should have a backstory but you know what? i love that it’s hinted to be just a piece of cheap jewelry sam found in a thrift store he decided to give to dean. but narratively it should be explained so... idk. what could be logical solution as to why it would react to GOD himself? maybe god wore it once cuz he thought it was neat but he sold it for three dollars because he wanted coffee and then sam found it a week later

i would prefer it if god didn’t show up at all (absent father number one) but if he DID he’s not all powerful just a true neutral (like death, 100% objective) who created a thing that just took a life of its own, much like a parent and a child - the parent helps the child but can’t control it. the times he did intervene or tried to do something it didn’t really have any real long lasting effect so he gave up on trying a while ago.

@spneveryseason talked about this, how the storyline of sam being possessed by gadreel would be horrifying if we saw everything from sam’s perspective instead of dean’s (her fic is wonderful). in the ‘dean slowly descends into a righteous murderer to become holy’ idea i have this tracks so damn well because again, if dean believes something is right, it is right, no questions about it. everyone around him is like “that’s really fucked up and you should make amends” but dean doesn’t see any reasons for why - sam is alive isn’t he? and seeing it from sam’s pov would really underline how horrifying, dehumanizing and belittling that experience was

john and mary are adam and eve. sam and dean are cain and abel are michael and lucifer. time is a flat circle. history never stops repeating itself.

sam is the villain of s4. he is manipulated and key information is withheld from him but in the end... would it made a difference? it crossed his mind, that he could be tricked because ruby is a demon after all, but maybe he likes the power, the feeling of freedom, that he wasn’t just the baby, the one who always needs permission to do things. if he has to drain possessed people to get that power... so be it. and it’s for a good purpose, until it isn’t. he’s hungry for more, to be feared and respected. he’s enticed by lucifer’s sweet words, the potential of all that power and the idea of ruling two out of three realms. dean manages to pull him back from the brink because sam decides he doesn’t want to be what john thought he was and fail dean and himself like that.

dean is the villain in s9. he is controlling, the mark of cain without the mark. what he says goes - it’s not a democracy, it’s a dictatorship. he doesn’t see how much pain, doubt and fear he causes the people around him. if some victims or civilians die on his watch that doesn’t matter - just some collateral damage. sam can’t make dean listen to him because dean is the older one, the one who’s always called the shots. dean is the angelic one, heaven’s chosen warrior, he is untouchable and unkillable. he’s is an excellent killer, filling the void with blood and rage which is better than the crippling fear of loneliness carved into his bones. 'i butcher for love, to protect,’ he tells himself. ‘why shouldn’t i exterminate, regardless of the cost? i’ve followed the rules, i’ve always sacrificed. now i call the shots. it’s my right.’

sam’s hell trauma is never magically removed. he’s stuck with the memories and the nightmares and the occasional hallucinations. castiel can’t do anything but offers to wipe his memory completely, but sam says no, he is still doing penance.

after dean comes back from hell he starts calling himself old man and jokes a lot about he’s 40 years older now (after he’s more comfortable about speaking about hell)

when sam comes back he feels ancient (he’s over 900 years old at least but he lost count), weary, tired and so so so out of place in this world. he’s forgotten how to put gas in a car, how to drive, how to use a credit card, all the song lyrics he and dean used to yell together, the faces of people he knew before he fell, the softness of a bed, the schools he went to, most of the hunts he and dean, how john died, who mary is, the initials carved into the impala, the taste of food that isn’t raw meat. it’s so much he’s forgotten that he has to relearn. he prefers figuring things out with castiel instead of dean because castiel doesn’t silently resent him for everything he’s forgotten

sam doesn’t laugh anymore. despite dean’s many and castiel’s few awkward attempts, it’s more like quick smile and a quiet “hmm”. on some days he recoils when he sees blood and guts, on other days he’s so apathetic it’s unnerving

sam sympathizes with the brought back mary and castiel more than ever. dean tries to get sam to remember things he’s forgotten from his childhood but sam can’t connect with it anymore. he stopped being that sam a long time ago. dean doesn’t know what else to do than try to force this connection to be revitalized and he fails. sam isn’t that person anymore and this wedge in their relationship becomes a central factor in dean’s s6-10 desperation and isolation. sam is here and safe but it’s not really sam, not the sam dean grew up with

while sam has forgotten how to make coffee, he now knows everything about angels, effective torture tricks, a bunch of lore + biblical history, how to navigate hell, the most powerful and influential demons, rare and powerful spells as well as perfect enochian (he will speak enochian without realizing and it feels more natural than english). lucifer and michael were surprisingly talkative (raging about the unfairness) when taking their anger and hatred out on sam and adam and each other. sam had access to all of lucifer’s memories and knowledge for the time he was the one in control. walking library and encyclopedia of biblical lore.

he still has some muscle memory from hunting and sparring, but sam is ghostly thin and very rusty. even though he’s an expert on lore, he’s not fit to go on hunts anymore and he knows it.

sam remembers adam and swears he’ll try to get him out, but he can’t. just thinking about the cage makes him vomit. he can’t talk about it, much less go near it. after a while sam thinks it might be better to let adam stay down there than let him come back up and feel this crushing emptiness and loss of direction

sam’s trials take place in s9 instead of 8; coinciding with dean’s villain arc. for sam the trials are a chance to redeem himself again, this time for good by closing hellgates forever. they’re scrubbing him clean of the demon blood and his sins and they give him a sense of purpose again now that he can’t join hunts anymore. it doesn’t matter if he dies because of it. it would be nice with a permanent and peaceful death that did something good. dean is taken aback by sam’s devotion to repent for something that happened years ago and for something sam has already paid for a thousand times over. dean realizes how messed up he himself has become and how he’s helped put sam here, on the cusp of self sacrifice again because of sickening guilt and self hatred. dean begs sam to not complete the trials at the cost of his own life and swears he’ll better himself, be a friend and a brother, not a jailer, dictator or a murderer. ‘if you won’t give yourself or life another chance, please give me one.’ ---> s10 pacifist dean learning to let go of the control, the violent tendencies and the rage

oh wait what if gadreel still possessed sam after the trials to heal him but sam is the one who invites the angel in? he’ll keep his promise to dean about staying alive, as well as heal from the inside and have breaks from the world when he doesn’t want to be present, like he and gadreel will alternate being the one in control. he keeps it a secret from dean and helps gadreel imitate him so dean won’t notice. it’s not so bad, being possessed by this angel - sam can say no anytime and gadreel is a nice guy. since they alternate on who’s present they can access each other’s memories, which is terrifying and embarrassing at first, but since gadreel and sam have been tricked and used by lucifer and been punished for it for far too long, they understand each other. now another creature knows their trauma and terrors without the need for verbal explanation. also having an angel residing in his body makes sam feel like he can hunt properly again because gadreel can heal him and take over in situations sam’s overpowered. this could show how messed up sam has come to view himself and his body.

dean is conflicted when he finds out; sam lied but gadreel does help sam heal, sam’s traumatized and his self-worth is fucked up and dean has contributed to that. dean convinces sam to push gadreel out, that sam is still valuable, loved and a good person who shouldn’t be in a place where he views his body and mind like a property to be occupied. sam’s faith begins to come back bit by bit, not in god, but in himself, his brother, in the good things in life. they build their little family; sam, dean, castiel, the hybrids, whomever of their allies that are alive at this point.

castiel can heal sam and dean’s wounds but they are never completely gone; they leave scars and phantom pains. the brothers have SO many scars over the years. dean flaunts them to impress people because he likes the questions and the fearful admiration, the attention and the nods of approval. sam hides them.

when dean is in a bad mood or needs to get his mind off of things, sam just drops something like ‘i don’t get the deal with led zeppelin. one of the most overrated bands of all time’ and dean will go OFF every single time about the entire led zeppelin history, their discography and how they’ve shaped rock music. this will go on for hours and sam will zone out after 1 minute. but dean rants nonsensically the entire drive and it does get him to think about something else for a little bit. they stop at a motel and dean is STILL ranting while brushing his teeth. stops when going to sleep but without fail picks up where he left off the morning after and is so into it he doesn’t notice sam not paying attention at all. we could see this once in s1 when they’re searching for john, another in s3 when dean is anxious about his deal coming to an end and then again in a later season, when sam doesn’t remember to ask/doesn’t have the patience or mental capability, so they’ll sit there in tense silence, showing how much they’ve changed.

---> i can see this SO clearly in my head, how they’ll get in the car and we, the audience, will recognize the camera angle, the same lines and dean’s grumpy mood, and we’ll anticipate what comes next. but sam isn’t that kid anymore and he’s not peeking at dean to gauge what his mood is and how much of a shit eating grin he should wear when being an annoying little brother to cheer dean up. now he’s looking out the window, leaned back, they’re not looking at each other. this shot is a minute or two long, uninterrupted. dean turns on music but neither are singing along or doing anything to lighten the mood.

s1-5: sam gets hooked on demon blood, dean has an alcohol problem. when sam goes through withdrawals, dean decides to quit drinking and joins him because he wants to be supportive, and he realizes that when he drinks two beers for breakfast there’s a problem

s6-10: sam takes painkillers, anti depressants and anti psyhosis meds to numb himself from the phantom pains and reduce post-cage effects. dean started drinking again after sam jumped and still does, but started smoking in addition because he still drives a lot and doesn’t want to die in something as pathetic as a car crash.

there a scene in an episode in the first half of s8, when sam has decided to stay with dean instead of amelia, and dean has rejected benny in favor of sam, and then the brothers sit in a couch watching tv while drinking beer and neither of them look particularly happy about it - that’s how their relationship is a lot of the time. they know they’re fucked up and neither of them will ever be truly happy when the other’s around, but they owe each other so much and they don’t have to explain themselves to each other the way they do to others. they know each other so well, each other’s traumas and the things they’ve done, it feels fake and exhausting to try to be something other than the veteran hunters they are. misery loves company; they are miserable together but would be far more miserable apart and living a normal life. they do love each other, but neither of them are particularly happy as the show progresses. family is hell and so is the lack of it.

OK OK i mentioned it in part one, how i had my own very specific idea about how jack should come to be and here it is. long winded but (might just write a damn fic):

after lucifer was cast back into the cage, he is stronger than he has been in a long time (being in his true vessel helped him stretched muscles he forgot he had. and fresh air.) sam is pulled out of the cage and it leaves a rift in the magic and chains - the binding is weaker and lucifer must act fast to get out before it heals. the cage is still strong enough to hold two archangels, so lucifer has to become weaker somehow to slip out through the cracks. he can’t get out of the cage, but souls can come in. demons bring themselves and human souls as tools for lucifer to use. there’s not much he can do here - consuming them, eating them, touching them, dissecting them doesn’t give him what he wants

eventually lucifer realizes he must do like azazel and create something new of two halves, like when he created demons. he begins melding his archangel grace with a human soul. he tries with demons, but his archangel grace automatically purifies them and leaves them too weak. he must try with a human soul who is good. he finds the soul of kelly kline, who sold her soul to save a loved one. with her, the merging, works.

he has another self, a twin, a son, who’s half human and half archangel. half lucifer. the old lucifer will die but that’s ok, his desires, presence and self will live on in his new creation. the new lucifer barely makes it out of the cage, only able to due to its human side. on earth it creates a body for itself and takes shape, no longer a form of pure power and energy akin to the sun itself but now a person, reminiscent of kelly kline on earth and lucifer in heaven. they name themselves jack. jack searches for familiarity and finds it in sam, their old self’s perfect tool and another hybrid. jack finds a mentor in castiel, a younger brother and fellow angel with human elements. they do not find anything in dean, the key to his former self’s doom.

jack’s powers: their powers are like and unlike the angels because he is half archangel. jack has wings but sometimes they don’t work, or they’ll end up somewhere else entirely. their body is their own, not a vessel, so jack can’t possess people. doesn’t talk but people “know” what they’re saying or want because jack emits their emotions and thoughts to people they’re talking to like a radio tower. jack can also have this empathic connection and communication with animals. his mood affects the weather. immortal. reads minds. can remove a soul from a body and send it to heaven/hell by touching it, with practice they don’t need to touch a body.

other stuff about jack: the human/archangel nature means jack only need sleep and food once a week or so. eats only nougat and raw meat. because jack is a kid they nap a lot. levitates when sleeping. never blinks, stares intensely at everything. their eye colour changes based on their mood. eyes glow in the dark. normal humans who look at jack for too long experience memory loss, fainting spells or migraines and eye contact for more than 10 seconds give vivid hallucinations of their worst nightmares. always barefoot, often floats like 10 cm off the ground because they find it more enjoyable than walking. wears the wildest clothes they can find, nothing matches and nothing is weather appropriate

i have a very specific image of jack in my mind; they look like delirium from the sandman comics with the hair that looks like it’s underwater and the fishes floating around their head, here and here are examples. in live action this would look not good or maybe even ridiculous for sure but in animation... endless potential for angels and monsters to have super interesting designs sigh

castiel’s arc should end with him going from blind soldier, to the unwilling ruler of heaven, finding a place on earth with sam and dean, becoming closer with humanity and eventually a father of three (the hybrids).

#hbo spn #sam winchester #dean winchester #supernatural #iben spoke #ok i'm tired of looking at this now #i just needed to get these thoughts out of my head to get some peace and quiet #more character centric than part 1 #and it turned into such a long post.... jesus #i should make a separate post for post cage sam headcanons #ana if you see this i'm so sorry to drag you into this mess but i wanted to give credit where credit is due

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jemmalynette · 4 years

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Ten Top Characters Tag Game

Rules: name ten favourite characters from ten different things (TV, movies, books, etc.), then tag ten people

1. Ryan Atwood (The OC)

My first fave character and first ever celebrity crush back when I was 12/13! Ryan will always have a special place in my heart! The first broody bad boy I ever fell for, lol.

2. Charlie Pace (Lost)

*sigh* The second character I ever became obsessed with. Another sort of “Bad Boy” trying to be good. I loved him from the very first episode, and I loved that he was a fellow Brit.

3. Peter Petrelli (Heroes)

I just love everything about Peter. The Good Guy trying to save the world. The Hero. Plus, he’s so pretty.

4. Nikita Mears (Nikita)

Nikita is just so badass, and she has a big heart. She’s noble and loyal. She’s just awesome.

5. Sharon “Boomer” Valerii (Battlestar Galactica)

I remember being intrigued by Boomer from the start. I didn’t watch the miniseries first so was majorly confused by the first few episodes, but I was drawn to her and Athena too. Ultimately, Boomer is my fave as she was such a tragic character, I felt so much sympathy for her.

6. Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf)

You get a bit of everything with Stiles. Comedy, drama, tragedy, romance! It’s easy to fall in love with him! It helps that Dylan is so effing talented. I could watch him in anything. I enjoy any scene with Stiles.

7. Toby Logan (The Listener)

I wish the writers had done more with Toby as they set up such an intriguing backstory for him in S1, then chose to ignore all of that for the rest of the series. Regardless of that, he was probably one of the sweetest souls on TV. Blessed (or cursed) with a gift of reading minds, he used his power to help people and find other special people like him. He always wanted to do the right thing, even after all the bad things that happened to him growing up. Plus, look at that lovely face!

8. Veronica Mars

Pre-season 4, Veronica Mars was a fantastic role model. I wanted to be like her. She was tough with a marshmallow centre. She stood up for her friends and didn’t let anyone mess with her. Season 4 kind of ruined pretty much everything, but teenage Veronica was kickass.

9. Mindy Lahiri (The Mindy Project)

I think Mindy is another positive role model. I started watching her in my early twenties and found her so inspiring. She is just so funny and comfortable in her own skin.

10. The 11th Doctor (Doctor Who)

It’s so hard to narrow this down to just 10 lol. I’ll choose Eleven because no other Doctor really appeals to me as much as he does! I feel like I could rewatch his run several times over.

Honourable Mentions:

Alexandra Udinov (Nikita)

Emma Swan / Killian Jones (Once Upon a Time)

I just love them both.

Erica Strange (Being Erica)

Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries)

Tom Mason (Falling Skies)

Dean Winchester (Supernatural)

Scott McCall (Teen Wolf)

And SOOOOOOO many others. I tag anyone who hasn’t done it yet.

#meme #favourite characters

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jaceyourself · 5 years

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End of Year Wrap-Up 24/12/2018

Happy Merry to all you readers!

I’ve had a great year but all us music fans have had an even better one! Streaming services mean that now more than ever we can experience the musical output from all corners of the globe (though overwhelmingly the English-speaking parts of it) to understand different points of view, learn of the goings on in other parts of the world and most importantly indulge ourselves in a bit of a boogie. All the moods, genres and feels you could think of are out there, so over the holiday period perhaps try and listen to something new. Who knows it might break the tension with that younger/older relative round the xmas table when you find they also happen to like k-pop/jazz-funk/grindcore or at the very least you can bicker about the tragedy of the current album charts (Greatest Showman: 21 weeks!). To aid you in your quest for knowledge/excitement/small-talk I have spent almost 30 minutes curating a best-of for both albums and singles in the year of 2018.

(NB even with my album-a-day policy, there’s no way I can get through everything I want to within the 365, so if your fave appears ignored, let it be known that I probably haven’t heard it yet. The full list of everything I’ve listened to this year is at the bottom)

So in no particular order:

Albums

Jinx Lennon- Grow A Pair!!!

The Beths- Future Me Hates Me

The Pistol Annies- Interstate Gospel

Travis Scott- ASTROWORLD

Mount Eerie- Now Only

Cardi B- Invasion of Privacy

The 1975- A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

The Aces- When My Heart Felt Volcanic

Singles

Confidence Man- Out The Window

Cardi B- I Like It

Janelle Monae ft. Grimes- Pynk

Lori McKenna- People Get Old

SOPHIE- Immaterial

Marie Davidson- Work It

Car Seat Headrest- Stop Smoking (We Love You)

BLACKPINK- AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST

The 1975- It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)

https://open.spotify.com/user/jaceyourself/playlist/1kFex3QLVv0l3cCqjVC6dT?si=_GqTJXrOSoSXYaMC9ra_lg

Have a great festive period and I’ll see you in 2019 :D

2018 Albums what I listened to

Floating Points- Reflections – Mojave Desert

James Elkington- Wintres Woma

Miguel- War & Leisure

Ride- Weather Diaries

Sidney Gish- No Dogs Allowed

Emperor X- The Orlando Sentinel, Oversleepers International

Broken Social Scene- Hug of Thunder

MC5- Kick Out The Jams (Live)

Public Service Broadcasting- Every Valley

JJ Doom- Key to the Kuffs

HAIM- Something To Tell You

Camila Cabello- Camila

Sheer Mag- Need To Feel Your Love

Taylor Swift- reputation

Shabazz Palaces- Quazarz vs The Jealous Machines

This Is The Kit- Moonshine Freeze

Japanese Breakfast- Soft Sounds From Another Planet

Tune-Yards- I can feel you creep into my private life

Jupiter & Okwess- Kin Sonic

Various Artists- The Passion Of Charlie Parker

Waxahatchee- Out In The Storm, Great Thunder

Offa Rex- The Queen Of Hearts

Dizzee Rascal- Raskit

Alvvays- Antisocialites

Childhood- Universal High

Marmozets- Knowing What You Know Now

Declan McKenna- What Do You Think About the Car?

Paul Heaton- Crooked Calypso

Lana Del Rey- Lust For Life

Charles Lloyd New Quartet- Passin’ Thru (Live)

Rip Rig & Panic- Circa Rip Rig + Panic

Avey Tare- Eucalyptus

Justin Timberlake- Man Of The Woods

Rio Mira- Marimba del Pacifico

Oddisee- The Iceberg

Aimee Mann- Mental Illness

Katie Von Schleicher- Shitty Hits

Arcade Fire- Everything Now

Girl Ray- Earl Grey

Ezra Furman- Transangelic Exodus

Randy Newman- Dark Matter

Dead Cross- Dead Cross

Chronixx- Chronology

Mondo Cozmo- Plastic Soul

Kesha- Rainbow

Lal & Mike Waterson- Bright Phoebus

Steve Reich- Pulse / Quartet

Orchestra Baobab- Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng

Ratboy- SCUM

Prince- Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Parade, Sign ‘O’ The Times

Stanley Cowell- No Illusions

Oneohtrix Point Never- Good Time Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Downtown Boys- Cost Of Living

Screaming Females- All At Once

Rob Luft- Riser

Sibusile Xaba- Open Letter To Adoniah

Jen Cloher- Jen Cloher

Everything Everything- Fever Dream

Grizzly Bear- Painted Ruins

Bob’s Burgers- The Bob’s Burgers Music Album

Superorganism- Superorganism

Maren Morris- HERO

Courtney Marie Andrews- Honest Life, May Your Kindness Remain

Stefflon Don- Real Ting Mixtape

Ghostpoet- Dark Days + Canapés

Young Fathers- White Men Are Black Men Too, Cocoa Sugar

Queens Of The Stone Age- Songs For The Deaf

Thurst- Cut to the Chafe

John Moreland- Big Bad Luv

Aruan Ortiz- Cub(an)ism [Piano Solo]

Mount Eerie- Now Only

The War On Drugs- A Deeper Understanding

Various Artists- Pop Makossa

Liane Carroll- The Right to Love

Fickle Friends- You Are Someone Else

Nadine Shah- Holiday Destination

Various Artists- Howsla

George Ezra- Staying at Tamara’s

The Doors- The Doors

Filthy Friends- Invitation

Susanne Sundfør- Music For People In Trouble

LCD Soundsystem- LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver, American Dream

Mogwai- Every Country’s Sun

Kacey Musgraves- Golden Hour

The National- High Violet, Sleep Well Beast

The Klezmatics- Wonder Wheel

Hercules & Love Affair- Omnion

Mount Kimbie- Love What Survives

The Aces- When My Heart Felt Volcanic

Matthew Bourne- Isotach

Finished- Cum Inside Me Bro

Forced Into Femininity- I’m Making Progress

Heron Oblivion- Heron Oblivion

Hamell On Trial- TACKLE BOX

Confidence Man- Confident Music For Confident People

Swet Shop Boys- Cashmere

Princess Nokia- 1992 Deluxe, A Girl Cried Red

Steely Dan- The Royal Scam, Aja

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Nonagon Infinity

Sparks- Hippopotamus

J. Cole- KOD

Fat Tony- Macgregor Park

L’Orange and Jeremiah Jae- The Night Took Us In Like Family

Little Simz- Stillness In Wonderland

Lady Leshurr- Queen’s Speech

RAY BLK- Durt

Brand New- Science Fiction

Janelle Monae- Dirty Computer

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever- Talk Tight

Fred Thomas- Changer

Myra Davies- Sirens

Laraaji- Sun Gong

The Killers- Wonderful Wonderful

Descendents- Milo Goes To College

Frank Turner- Be More Kind

The Horrors- V

Moses Sumney- Aromanticism

Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People…, AM, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Oxbow- Thin Black Duke

Dee Byrne’s Entropi- Moment Frozen

Mike Stern- Trip

The Vampires- The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke

Gogol Bordello- Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, Super Taranta!, Seekers And Finders

Umphrey’s McGee- Zonkey

Hard Working Americans- We’re All in This Together

Courtney Barnett- Tell Me How You Really Feel

Jllin- Black Origami

Various Artists- Rough Guide to the Music of West Africa

Wolf Alice- Visions Of A Life

The Young’uns- Strangers

Fever Ray- Fever Ray, Plunge

CHVRCHES- Love Is Dead

Oumou Sangaré- Oumou, Mogoya

Charlotte Gainsbourg- Rest

Daniel Avery- Song For Alpha

Daphni- Joli Mai

Kanye West- ye

Cécile McLorin Salvant- Dreams and Daggers

Trio Da Kali, Kronos Quartet- Ladilikan

Kelela- Take Me Apart

Bob Dylan- The Times.., Another.., Bringing.., Highway.., Blond.., John.., Nashville.., New.., Blood..

Lily Allen- Alright(,) Still, It’s Not Me(,) It’s You, Sheezus, No Shame

Fanfare Ciocarlia- 20

Wolf Parade- Cry Cry Cry

SOPHIE- OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES

Zara McFarlane- Arise

St. Vincent- MASSEDUCTION

Margo Price- All American Made

Bebe Rexha- Expectations

Motörhead- Under Cöver

Orchestre Les Mangelepa- Last Band Standing

Drake- Scorpion

Various Artists- Gentle Giants: The Songs Of Don Williams

Noga Erez- Off The Radar

Baxter Dury- Prince of Tears

John Maus- Screen Memories

Lankum- Between the Earth and Sky

Shamir- Revelations

Years & Years- Palo Santo

Converge- The Dusk In Us

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino- Canzoniere

Fred Hersch- Open Book

A. Savage- Thawing Dawn

Big Thief- Capacity

Kelly Clarkson- Meaning Of Life

Dirty Projectors- Lamp Lit Prose

Robt Sarazin Blake- Recitative

Shed Seven- Instant Pleasures

Spinning Coin- Permo

Call Super- Arpo

Laura Perrudin- Poisons & antidotes

Ellen Andrea Wang- Blank Out

Lori McKenna- The Tree

Wu-Tang Clan- Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Lee Ronaldo- Electric Trim

Deer Tick- Vol. 2

The Paranoid Style- Underworld U.S.A.

Youssou N’Dour- Set, Joko- From Village To Town, Nothing’s In Vain, Seeni Valeurs

Gaika- BASIC VOLUME

Kasai Allstars- Around Felicite

Carly Rae Jepsen- Emotion

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds- Who Built The Moon?

Anna Ternheim- All the Way to Rio

U2- Songs of Experience

Mônica Vasconcelos- The São Paulo Tapes

Travis Scott- ASTROWORLD

Nabihah Iqbal- Weighing of the Heart

Van Morrison- Versatile

Jim James- Tribute to 2

Criolo- Espiral de Ilusão

Maciej Obara Quartet- Unloved

N.E.R.D- NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES

The Beths- Future Me Hates Me

Maryam Saleh- Lekhfa

Naomi Bedford- Songs My Ruiner Gave to Me

Jens Lekman- Night Over Kortedala

The Spirit of the Beehive- pleasure suck

Tom Rogerson- Finding Shore

Paul Jacobs- Pictures(,) Movies and Apartments

Ariana Grande- sweetener

Rina Sawayama- RINA

Marcel Khalife- Andalusia of Love

Gunter Hampel- Bounce (Live at Theater Gütersloh)

BAYNK- Someone’s EP

Omar Souleyman- To Syria(,) With Love

Blood Orange- Negro Swan

Open Mike Eagle- Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

First Aid Kit- Ruins

Shame- Songs of Praise

Homeboy Sandman- Veins

Playboi Carti- Playboi Carti

Eminem- Kamikaze

Troye Sivan- Blue Neighbourhood, BLOOM

Joey Bada$$- ALL AMERIKKKAN BADA$$

Priests- Nothing Feels Natural

Rhiannon Giddens- Freedom Highway

King Krule- The OOZ

Django Django- Marble Skies

Bon Iver- For Emma(,) Forever Ago

Calexico- The Thread That Keeps Us

Mary Gauthier- Rifles & Rosary Beads

Hookworms- Microshift

Aphex Twin- Collapse EP

Rae Morris- Someone Out There

Field Music- Open Here

Rhye- Blood

Shopping- The Official Body

MGMT- Little Dark Age

Christine and the Queens- Chris

Alela Diane- Cusp

Sonic Youth- Sister

Brigid Mae Power- The Two Worlds

Deafheaven- Sunbather

Various Artists- American Epic: The Collection Disc 1, 2, 3

Rich Krueger- Life Ain’t That Long

Lil Wayne- Tha Carter V

Modern Mal- The Misanthrope Family Album

Rejjie Snow- Dear Annie

U.S. Girls- In a Poem Unlimited

The Orielles- Silver Dollar Moment

Tal National- Tantabara

Marie Davidson- Working Class Woman

Superchunk- What a Time to Be Alive

Brandi Carlile- By The Way(,) I Forgive You

Car Seat Headrest- Twin Fantasy

Loma- Loma

Quavo- QUAVO HUNCHO

Marlon Williams- Make Way For Love

Nipsey Hussle- Victory Lap

Insecure Men- Insecure Men

Kendrick Lamar- Black Panther

Rapsody- Lalia’s Wisdom

Khalid- Suncity

Tracey Thorn- Record

Anna von Hausswolff- Dead Magic

Jinx Lennon- Grow a Pair!!!

Gwenno- Le Kov

Judas Priest- Stained Class, FIREPOWER

Robyn- Robyn, Body Talk, Honey

The Magic Gang- The Magic Gang

Essaie Pas- New Path

Bob Dylan and The Band- The Basement Tapes

The Decemberists- I’ll Be Your Girl

Pistol Annies- Interstate Gospel

BCUC- Emakhosini (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness)

Jack White- Boarding House Reach

Yo La Tengo- There’s A Riot Going On

Sidi Touré- Toubalbero

Lil Peep- Come Over When You’re Sober(,) Pt. 2

The Breeders- All Nerve

The Vaccines- Combat Sports

CZARFACE- Czarface Meets Metal Face

Laurence Pike- Distant Early Warning

Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band- Bone Reader

Leo Kalyan- The Edge

Hayley Kyoko- Expectations

Tristen- Sneaker Waves

Thelonious Monk- Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Brad Mehldau & Mark Guiliana- Mehliana: Taming The Dragon

Amy Rigby- Til The Wheels Fall Off, Little Fugitive, The Old Guys

BLACKPINK- BLACKPINK IN YOUR AREA

Rose Cousins- Natural Conclusion

Nora Jane Struthers- Champion

Lilly Hiatt- Trinity Lane

The Rolling Stones- The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones No. 2, Out of Our Heads, Aftermath

MAST- Thelonious Sphere Monk

The 1975- A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

Jhene Aiko- Trip

Don Bryant- Don’t Give up on Love

EMA- Exile in the Outer Ring

Small Believer- Anna Tivel

Vera Sola- Shades

Cardi B- Invasion of Privacy

Darkthrone- A Blaze in the Northern Sky

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers- Years

Goat Girl- Goat Girl

Vic Mensa- HOOLIGANS

Unknown Mortal Orchestra- Sex & Food

Alasdair Roberts, Amble Scuse & David McGuiness- What News

Kali Uchis- Isolation

Wye Oak- The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs

Migos- Culture II

Hinds- I Don’t Run

DRINKS- Hippo Lite

Alexis Taylor- Beautiful Thing

Jenny Wilson- EXORCISM

#music 2018 #music #best of #christmas

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intyaleglorfindeliel · 2 years

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AI-Generated Fanfic Summaries, pt. 3

After viewing the chaos caused by the ratings system prompt, I took that parameter out and kept running the bot. It ran for quite a while before crashing, but I feel like it got progressively more demented. 42 pieces of garbage below.

1. Title: Where Is My Song Book??? Fandom: Star Wars, Batman, Game Of Thrones Pairing: Leilani Parkin & Finn Jones

Summary: When Jax's mother decides to leave him, will Finn join her? Or try to live a normal life with nothing but books and his mom's heart?

2. Title: An Awkward Conversation about Friendship with Friends Fandom: A Song For You, Charlie Brown Pairing: Annie Beaumont & Lucy Liu

Summary: One day when Lucy is walking home from school in Boston, she meets and immediately falls in love with another girl who happens to be at school playing computer games. Unfortunately, this doesn't end well for the two friends.

3. Title: Sucker Punch Fandom: Superman Pairing: Clark Kent/Supergirl

Summary: The most popular superhero in the world has been accused of murder. And though they have no proof against Superman, the Justice League find themselves facing a new enemy—a criminal mastermind who has the ability to defeat anything that attempts to stop him.

4. Title: We Don't Like Your Dress! Fandom: Hunger Games Pairing: Katniss Everdeen & Edward Furlough

Summary: In one of the greatest challenges of all time, a group of young people must choose between standing up to someone who is holding the future of humanity in their hands or betraying their friends and allies.

5. Title: I'm So Sorry! Fandom: X-Men, Buffy The Vampire Slayer Pairing: Xavier Grey / Angelus (Sasha)

Summary: While Xander's parents are away for several days, Spike comes over to hang out with his boyfriend. However, things quickly turn ugly when one of them accidentally shoves the other person into bed.

6. Title: Oh Dear Fandom: Stargate Atlantis Pairing: David Rompelberg & Dr. Jackson Llewellyn

Summary: With one year left until he leaves Earth, Scott finds himself alone again. After much deliberation, he chooses to stay on his island, where he plans to use all the wealth and power he can muster to fight back against evil.

7. Title: Love Song Fandom: Little Mermaids, Cinderella Pairing: Caster Swan / Belle - Cinderella

Summary: During her final exams in elementary school, Aladdin and Genie face each other while singing a song called "My Heart Will Go On." But the only person who can hear them is Prince Charming, so Aladdin goes to sleep thinking he sees him looking like the prince...but he isn't. When they wake up the next morning, they're trapped in a cave full of mermaids. Aladdin then sings the rest of the fairy tale together with Cinderella.

8. Title: How Do We Play This Trick on Ourselves? Fandom: Transformers Pairing: Optimus Prime / Maximus Prime

Summary: It's difficult to win over your fellow Autobots when they're too busy fighting for their own survival. One lucky Cybertronian finally catches Optimus and takes advantage of his weakness to steal his car, but he's not alone. In order to get even with his old friend and the leader of Decepticons he's been chasing for years, he has to keep winning the hearts of the remaining members of his team.

9. Title: Let Me Out of Here Fandom: Glee Pairing: Kurt Hummel & Santana Lopez

Summary: In this short series, a boy's attempt to break free from social constraints results in tragedy. Although Santana manages to save a girl named Amy, Kurt and some of his friends end up breaking the law, resulting in a major rift between him and the group.

10. Title: What If we Didn't Care About Books Fandom: Lord of The Rings Pairing: Gandalf/Gwen Stark

Summary: As the war between good and evil gathers momentum, it appears that everyone’s happy. Then in a flash of light, two knights, Eustace Peverell and Saruman, are thrown through a portal into Middle-earth. A long time ago in Rivendell, these three heroes took part in something very special as their companions and now they want to share this memory with the others. But there’s a secret behind their decision…

11. Title: All Hail King Sauron Fandom: Chronicles of Amber Pairing: Arthur Darcy / Eloise Mallory

Summary: After witnessing some evil on their home continent of Pern, they journey to Doriath and are able to stop some of its destruction. In return, Sauron gains the knowledge of a key part of history and brings peace to the land. He also creates creatures that resemble humans, which makes him extremely powerful. Soon after they return to Auror, Arthur and Eloise begin seeing signs of their former partners, both the ones that were in Sauron’s tower and others. Arthur and Eloise discover that their memories aren’t always what they seem and that the past might actually repeat itself.

12. Title: Can It Really Happen Here? Fandom: Twilight Saga Pairing: Bella Cullen/ Edward Cullen

Summary: As the Cullens continue to struggle with their love for their cousin Jacob, things become more complicated when Bella is kidnapped by pirates and Jake begins to grow closer to Raven, the man who has caused Bella to feel rejected. Meanwhile the rest of the Trio are having trouble finding happiness either due to the circumstances or the family situation.

13. Title: First Kiss Fandom: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pairing: Shredder / Splinter

Summary: It starts out as a regular date, just you and your dates, and ends up being something else entirely. A week later it becomes an obsession, and once the other characters realize that it's something more than just a friendship, it becomes a reality.

14. Title: I Know That Fandom: New Mutants Pairing: Aaron Taylor-Johnson / Nick Fury

Summary: After Nick tries to convince a reluctant Alex Simmons to join forces with teammate Zari on Team Blue (and with luck, save Jack), one thing leads to another, and Alex becomes involved with Alex. But what happens when it becomes more than just an affair?

15. Title: Time Travel! Fandom: Doctor Who, Iron Man, Indiana Jones Pairing: Tom Baker / John Locke

Summary: There are times when life feels like it's getting worse faster than it used to. But what if it wasn't? And what if it didn't matter? Well, here's hoping!

16. Title: Life of Riley Fandom: Supernatural Pairing: Dean Winchester / Sam Adly Mansfield

Summary: After killing her dad and the entire town, 14-year-old Ella returns to her small Kansas hometown and discovers that the last thing on Earth she remembers is running into Samuel Adly. Now she's determined to make sure no kid ever gets the chance to kill him.

17. Title: You and Your Family Fandom: World War Hulk Pairing: Bruce Banner / Chris Claremont

Summary: During World War Hulk, Mark Antliff is sent to Korea to capture General Manticore, the legendary warrior immortalized in Marvel Comics' Ultimate Universe. It's a job he never expected to achieve, but he does indeed get what he wants.

18. Title: Summer Days Fandom: Amazing Spider-Man Pairing: Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Summary: When Andrew Summers is found dead in the swimming pool, nobody seems surprised. What they don't know is that the kid was actually going through withdrawal symptoms brought on by feelings of loneliness.

19. Title: My Brother's Secret Lover Fandom: Twilight Pairing: Bella Swan/Ella Fitzgerald

Summary: After being banished to Earth for ten years, Luna Summers is about to have her first real date with Edward Cullen...only this time he's going to use it as an excuse to show up in person!

20. Title: Sis' Sister-in-Law's Friend's Son's Death Wish Fandom: Sons of Anarchy Pairing: Johnny Depp/Seth MacFarlane

Summary: Once upon a time, I got stuck in my own little world when some dude had a problem with me and his friends; now I'm stuck in this small world again.

21. Title: I'm Not Sure If This Is P.Diddy's Place, But He Knows His Own Name Fandom: Teen Wolf Pairing: Jacob Kile/Mike Myers

Summary: Mike is an aspiring model whose parents recently gave him the nickname 'P.Diddy' because of his tall, lean build. As he tries to decide what to name himself, the question is put to him which one of the three words will stand out over the others.

22. Title: Girlfriend Like Family Member Of Another Gangster (But With Much Better Jobs Than Themselves) Fandom: American Dad Pairing: Chris Hardwick/James Frey

Summary: While still in the military, Travis has several run-ins with gang members. After a few of these incidents, he is drafted into a prison crew sent to protect another group of soldiers. After returning home, he finds that he is now the leader of the new crew. He is also a member of an underground band called "The Rippers", which specializes in fighting against his former unit.

23. Title: What You're Really Trying To Sell Me: How I Went From Being Just An Extra in High School Into Being One Of America's Most Prominent Businesspeople Fandom: Friends Reunited Pairing: Adam Sandler/Kevin Hart

Summary: Adam and Kevin are best friends who have known each other since high school. They just finished high school together and are preparing to graduate together.

24. Title: He Who Loved Us All (Part 1) Fandom: Breaking Bad Pairing: Bryan Cranston/Bradley Cooper

Summary: Brad and Jesse are two young people who have grown apart due to their personal differences. Then they reunite during the summer, and finally grow close again.

25. Title: Don't Tell Momma Fandom: Game of Thrones Pairing: Daenerys Targaryen/Tyrion Lannister

Summary: Euron Greyjoy, a lord of free folk who rules the Starks, is accused of treason by many on Daenerys’ council. His family, though, do not believe that the people of Westeros can be trusted any longer.

26. Title: Your Favorite Song That Got Too Many Tears From The Band At Midnight Fandom: Red Dead Redemption 2 Pairing: Robin Hanson/Chris McCandless

Summary: During a trip to visit old family friends, an old band comes down with bad luck and its manager decides to leave town. Now, without a manager, the music isn't too good anymore. This is the story of this band coming back together so we can all sing again.

27. Title: Two Best Guys (So Different, But Both Good At Work) Fandom: Final Destination: Legacy Pairing: Aaron Paul/Milo Ventimiglia

Summary: During their lives, they've always worked together. However, after a traumatic event, they start to look past each other. When they reconnect, they slowly realize that they aren't meant to be together.

28. Title: No Sleep Until Morning (Part 1) Fandom: Chuck Wendig Pairing: Jeff Kinney/Jada Pinkett Smith

Summary: There once was a cop named Charlie Brown and one night, he went to sleep. The next morning, the police department decided to rename him Officer Pepper Potts. Well, that didn't last long.

29. Title: A Kiss From Heaven Fandom: Doctor Strange Pairing: Benedict Cumberbatch/Patrick Stewart

Summary: Captain Marvel is a super hero who saves the universe. It's up to Dr. Doom to figure out what's wrong with her. And he does very poorly at it. Can Dr. Doom convince his former superhero partner to join them? Or will they just become enemies?

30. Title: This Life Fandom: House of Cards Pairing: Claire Danes/Kate Mara

Summary: The final season of this show tells the story of Frank Underwood's life through the eyes of two daughters who grew up beside him. When their mother dies, Danes and Mara choose to end their lives. But when a gunman shoots Frank, and then takes a bullet for Mara, the girls must come to terms with the fact that they may...

31. Title: Death and Daydreaming Fandom: Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes Pairing: David Tennant/Martin Freeman

Summary: Martin Freeman's childhood hero is murdered just as his beloved colleague and friend starts to show signs of terminal illness. David Tennant's father is forced to accept that death does not mean the end of life.

32. Title: Mr. and Mrs. Smith Fandom: Buffy Pairing: Stephen Moyer / Sarah Michelle Gellar

Summary: A widower couple meets in London when they are summoned home by an urgent request from their teenage son (who has gone missing). The widow decides to stay behind while her husband goes out to find the boy.

33. Title: The Long Walk Fandom: Battlestar Galactica, Flash Gordon Pairing: Le'Veon Bell / Elizabeth Shippen Bush

Summary: It is a typical morning in Raptor City when Elizabeth "Eve" Sager must make her way back to base with an extremely ill baby strapped into a cradle. Once there, the infant begins to struggle, and Eve herself is found collapsed in a pool of blood. Fortunately for everyone else present, another passenger on a shuttle called into action, rescuing Eve and helping her to survive. However, the ship itself is stuck in hyperspace, unable to return home until its passengers have been safely removed.

34. Title: Bloodroot, The Green Queen Fandom: Wonder Woman Pairing: Lana Lang / Cassandra Cain

Summary: In order to defeat King Midas the legendary Red God (a powerful demon), Aqualad recruits some unlikely allies; she recruits Arthurian knights, scientists, warlocks, alchemists, sorcerers, telepaths, assassins, wizards, witches, demons, monsters, angels, aliens, creatures from other realms, evil forces of nature, etc.

35. Title: When I Was Your Baby Girl Fandom: SpongeBob SquarePants Pairing: Nicky Perez / Kari Wahlgren

Summary: On one Christmas eve, Krabs' parents prepare dinner for him at night. Then it gets worse. After his dad is killed, SpongeBob decides to take up the mantle of godfather and the responsibility of raising them both. He finds out all about Kari's brother Ben before being arrested by police and sent to prison. He tells Ben to do what he did if he wants to live. And he does. But he didn't tell his mom about this. No wonder the kids hate SpongeBob. She knows what's going on. This story is all about the secret side of Krab's personality.

36. Title: Unconditional Love Fandom: Star Wars Pairing: Caine Jones / Yoda Skywalker

Summary: Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala are separated following the destruction of Episode 1, but Caine Jones and Yoda are finally reunited. The two reunite again in Revenge of the Sith, where the younger man faces a moral dilemma between loyalty to family and duty to Jedi ideals.

37. Title: Two Girls Fandom: Muppet*Vision 3D Pairing: Kermit the Frog / Eliza Doolittle

Summary: As the characters say goodbye to each other, each time they see each other, Eliza wishes she could run faster. "I wish you'd come back to me, too."

38. Title: Sweet Things Fandom: Dexter, Breaking Bad Pairing: Robert Forster / Adrienne Barbeau

Summary: The day is dark and stormy, the rain is hard, and there's no sign of Michael Scofield. What will become of these characters left to fend for themselves?

39. Title: We Are All Connected Fandom: Futurama, Dr. Hibbert's Mystery Incorporated Pairing: Rufus Hound / George Faelke

Summary: At some point, some members of their team discover the true identity of Bender. Will Fry use the information to his advantage? Will Robot fight Robot? The season finale answers those questions and more.

40. Title: Your Choice Fandom: True Detective, Sons of Anarchy Pairing: Sam Waterston / Kate Bosworth

Summary: In a way, True Detective is more interesting than The Sopranos because the characters are more conflicted and complicated.

41. Title: Just Like Heaven Fandom: Game of Thrones Pairing: Jamie Lannister / Daenerys Targaryen

Summary: Sansa makes a deal with Jon Snow to take over as Handmaidens and make it possible for someone else to die.

42. Title: Second Skin Fandom: Xena Warrior Princess, Avatar:The Last Airbender Pairing: Jake Gyllenhaal / Steven Yeun

Summary: Youngest daughter Mia lives in seclusion inside the wall surrounding Pandora's ark. Her mother dies during childbirth, leaving Mia with her father on earth. She struggles to find a relationship with anyone besides Alex as well as the memory of her dead mother. She eventually escapes from the walls and falls in with the human tribe. Unfortunately for her, they are no less dangerous than she is.

#text generation #i feel like the bot wanted to kill me by the time it crashed

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wazafam · 3 years

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Tears from the fans are not something that is rare on Supernatural, a show that is chock full of loss and heartbreaks throughout its fifteen seasons, coming to an end in 2020 after a fifteen-year run that has left its dedicated fandom an emotional wreck.

RELATED: Supernatural: 10 Led Zeppelin Songs We Wish Dean Got To Enjoy Throughout The Show

Fans have seen beloved characters die, some of which passed on forever. There have been moments where characters had to say goodbye and times where the ultimate sacrifice was made with shattered survivors trying to pick up the pieces. For a TV series with vampires and ghouls, there are a lot of touching moments in the Winchester household. Here are some of the most heartbreaking Supernatural episodes.

Updated on February 13th By Rhys McGinley: Supernatural has a knack for taking the emotions of its fandom and twisting them, bringing immense pain and sadness to those who adore the show in and amongst all of the brilliance it gives. Limiting heartbreaking Supernatural episodes to a list of ten does not do justice to just how many times the show broke our hearts over the course of its fifteen seasons, from the very start to the very end, whether it be through deaths, touching scenes, or even colossal endings.

15 "Heart" (02.17)

A constant in Supernatural is the idea that Sam and Dean, and hunters in general, find it nearly impossible to escape the life, to have an everyday, apple pie life, to have love, with romances coming and going through all fifteen seasons.

One of Sam's first romantic sparks post-Jess was Madison, who in "Heart," turned out to be a Werewolf. Despite their best attempts to help her, Sam and Dean could not save Madison, leading to her begging for death, with Sam making the gut-wrenching decision to kill her.

14 "In My Time of Dying" (02.01)

Supernatural season 1 did not go easy on Sam and Dean Winchester. The first episode alone saw the death of their mother, although Sam was a baby and Dean was very young. It also saw the death of Sam's girlfriend that set the brothers out on the road to find and eliminate the evil that infected their lives. Things got worse for the boys.

By the end of season 1, it looked like Dean was on death's bed, and it looked like he might die. No one expected this to happen since Dean was one of the stars, but few expected that it would be their dad, John Winchester, who sacrificed his own life to save that of his son. Seeing the boys lose their only remaining parent was a heartbreaking way to start the second season.

13 "All Hell Breaks Loose" (02.21)

Not only did season 2 start out with a heartbreaking tragedy and ended with one just as shocking. In "All Hell Breaks Loose," Supernatural let the entire special children storyline with Sam play out, and in this episode, all the kids were brought together to fight to determine who was left standing to become the Chosen One.

Remember at the end of season 1 when it looked like Dean was going to die? Season 2 brought death to Sam. Dean arrives in the town to help Sa,m but he is too late, and Sam is stabbed in the back and dies in Dean's arms. The elder Winchester brother had now lost his mom, dad, and little brother, and the tears were real in this one.

12 "No Rest For The Wicked" (03.16)

While the start of season two almost brought the death of Dean, season three brought it to fruition with one of Dean's most brutal deaths in his career of dying.

Despite a slew of attempts to fight off Lilith and the impending year left on his life coming to an end, Dean, along with Sam, Bobby, and Ruby, failed. Dean is torn apart by Hellhounds, and fans get their first glimpse of hell as Dean is chained up bloody and battered, screaming for his brother.

11 "Dark Side of the Moon" (05.16)

By season 3, Sam and Dean seemed to both be on death's bed and came back, so seeing them die wasn't quite as shocking and heartbreaking as the first times. This is good because in one episode in season 3, Dean died 103 times. Anyway, head to season 5 to see multiple heartbreaking Supernatural episodes.

RELATED: Supernatural: 5 Things We'll Miss About Sam (& 5 About Dean)

The first came with "Dark Side of the Moon." In this episode, the show ups the ante a bit when Sam and Dean both die. With both dead, the brothers can't really do anything to bring the other back. However, what makes this episode so sad is that they go to Heaven and relive their past memories -- good and bad.

10 "Abandon All Hope" (05.10)

With fifteen seasons and over three hundred episodes, Supernatural is filled to the brim with characters who have impacted Sam and Dean's lives, but in the Kripke era, few were as loved as Ellen and Jo.

"Abandon All Hope" sees the heroes prepare for a showdown with Lucifer, trapped by hellhounds by Meg in a town rife with Reapers waiting for death. With Jo severely injured, the mother and daughter decide to stay behind and sacrifice themselves to save the brothers, killing the hellhounds in the process, A true tear-jerker.

9 "Swan Song" (05.22)

Season 5 ends with the big bang -- the Apocalypse. The boys have been trying to find a way to stop the Apocalypse to no avail -- even both dying and going to Heaven at one point and still coming back empty-handed. Now, with no other options, Sam Winchester finally gives in and agrees to become Lucifer's vessel in an attempt to trick him and send him back to his cage.

After a battle, the boys win and stop the Apocalypse, but at the cost of Sam ending up trapped in Lucifer's cage and Dean on the outside alive and alone. While Castiel was able to resurrect Bobby and heal Dean, the elder Winchester was still devastated that God allowed Sam to remain locked in Lucifer's cage even though they did what was asked of them.

8 "Death's Door" (07.10)

If Dean and Sam dying were not enough to make people cry anymore after 100 times, the death of other characters -- ones that won't come back -- still wreck the biggest Supernatural fans. In season 7, one of the most beloved characters on the show died when Bobby Singer finally met his demise.

The episode was "Death's Door," and losing Bobby was probably even tougher for the boys than losing their own dad. Unlike John, who kept his sons at arm's length for their own safety, Bobby was there for them and kept them together and strong. The episode was even more heartbreaking because it took the viewer through Bobby's memories, and we saw how much he really loved the brothers.

7 "Sacrifice" (08.23)

"Sacrifice" was the season finale for Supernatural season 8, and while it didn't end up with a major death, there was almost one, and it ended up as heartbreaking as any Sam or Dean death prior to this moment. Sam was trying to complete three trials in order to close the gates of Heaven.

RELATED: Supernatural: Each Main Character's First & Last Lines In The Series

However, Dean soon learns from Naomi that Sam will die if he completes the three trials. In no surprise, Sam seems ok with that, and the heartbreaking moment came when he told Dean that he believes he is a screwup and that Dean would be better with anyone other than him -- something Dean sets straight, strengthening their relationship and saving Sam's life.

6 "Do You Believe in Miracles?" (09.23)

While Dean has died over 100 times, when done right, it can still rip our hearts out and stomp on them after doing it. In "Do You Believe in Miracles," it was yet another season finale where a Winchester brother died -- and this was Dean once again. The season saw Dean struggling throughout, thanks to taking on the Mark of Cain.

The big bad this season was Metatron, and there was no way that he would make it to the end alive. However, the shocking moment came when Metatron drove the Angel Blade right through the heart of Dean -- in front of Sam. While Sam was heartbroken, it only got worse as Dean woke up as a demon -- the new Knight of Hell.

5 "Dark Dynasty" (10.21)

While they were not the best villains -- to say the least -- the Styne Family did something unforgivable. Dean and Sam were after Elden Styne and his family and needed to find a way to stop them and recruited Charlie to work with Rowena to decipher the Book of the Damned.

By this time, Charlie (Felicia Day) had become a beloved fan favorite and helped the boys on many missions before this. However, "Dark Dynasty" marked the end of the road for the character when she finally cracked the book. However, Eli Styne found her, and when Sam and Dean finally arrive at the motel, Charlie was dead in the bathtub, and the Winchester brothers realized there was nothing they could do to save her.

4 "Who Are We?" (12.22)

Much like Supernatural season 5, the 12th season of the show pulled no punches when it came to heartbreaking moments. Plus, the toughest moments happened in the final two episodes of the season. In "Who Are We," the American hunters and British hunters battle reared its ugly head.

RELATED: Supernatural: Times The Show Addressed Deeper Issues

Mary was under the control of the British Men of Letters and was just going around killing American hunters. When Mary was finally captured by Jody, Dean was able to get inside of his mom's mind. He found that she wanted to remain trapped in her mind because it had her happy memories, and Dean told her that he loved and also hated her, bearing his soul and finally pulling her out and into action once again. Seeing Dean, so hurt and vulnerable is always hard to watch.

3 "All Along the Watchtower" (12.23)

Supernatural loves to leave viewers with very sad moments when it ends each season, and the 12th was no different. After the touching moment in the previous episode where Dean bared his soul to his mother for everything she put him through by striking a deal with a demon and leaving them, all hell broke loose in the finale, "All Along the Watchtower."

The battle went into the rift, where Team Free Will took the battle to Lucifer. Nothing ever goes as planned, and the Winchester boys lost almost everything here. Crowley took his own life to close the rift, but Lucifer followed them back through and killed Castiel in front of Sam and Dean. That was horrible but even worse was when Mary rushed Lucifer, knocking him back through and going through herself -- leaving Sam and Dean alone once again.

2 "Despair" (15.18)

The entire ending of Supernatural is highly controversial in the dedicated fandom, and so many people were hurt by how the last few episodes played out. But, there is no denying the heartbreak they invoke in the fans.

"Despair" caused just that. This episode ends with not only the entire world vanishing with the exception of Jack and the brothers as ways to defeat Chuck become scarcer by the moment but an admission of love and final goodbye to one of Supernatural's most adored characters, Castiel. The final moments Cas and Dean share are gut-wrenching and tear-inducing, and it is one of the hardest goodbyes fans of the show have ever faced.

1 "Carry On" (15.20)

Of course, with a show as beloved, with as dedicated fandom, and such longevity as Supernatural, there was always going to be one goodbye that was harder than the rest, that, of course, being the final goodbye.

"Carry On" undoubtedly has some moments for fans to cling to, but it is an insanely divisive and criticized episode for the way it disrespects many characters. Nevertheless, Dean's final death, his car ride in Cas and Jack's heaven blasting the greatest song of all time, "Carry On Wayward Son," and the final reunion between the brothers will likely never fail to reduce fans to tears. The brothers are done; they have peace.

NEXT: Supernatural: 5 Ways The Final Season Changed The Series (& It Stayed The Same)

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messicamorena · 6 years

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Hermione's Romanian vacation

Hermione loved Bucharest, she decided. She loved the architecture and the black swans in the beautiful public parks. She loved the markets and the people and the air. Though Charlie dwelled in the more isolated regions—lest the dragons become truly unwelcome guests—she imagined that if his town was as lovely as the capital that she would also have stayed in the hidden treasure.

She took another sip of her coffee as she took to people watching. Her favorite neighbor was also at the café picking up food to go. He never stayed long and always wore a cap and a heavy layer of jacket. His handsome face always held a moue of discontent but she never felt it to be mean. She wondered what he was doing in Romania in an unassuming neighborhood. He spoke Romanian well and seemed to blend seamlessly into the environment but occasionally he slipped—the hint of an accent, an outright curse in English, and just the manner of his demeanor all indicated that he was foreign like her.

He glanced at her direction and she let their eyes meet. She smiled warmly at him and saluted her coffee as a hello. His gaze was stony but he nodded at her briefly. He always caught her when she stared. She was embarrassed initially, introducing herself in a mix of Romanian and English. He merely nodded and offered no name. As she continued to watch him over the weeks of her trip she noticed other distinct details—alert, shifting eyes and a disconnection from the environment. This man was a man on the run.

Some years ago she had finished rounding up all the former Death Eaters and Voldemort followers. Ron and Harry had joined the Auror corps with a sense of vigor but Hermione had done so out of duty. She wanted to wait until they were all captured before she brought her parents back. More importantly, she wanted to make sure Ron and Harry developed the critical thinking and sharp minds that would be necessary for their choice of career. She had let them depend on her during the Horcrux search, but she needed to know they would be prepared for when she inevitably left. Seven years since the end of the war and she had finally retired—Ron and Harry were competent enough that she could trust them to at least ensure the other would be fine.

Meanwhile Hermione took the time to travel. She had already been to France to visit Bill and Fleur and had just moved east to Romania to visit Charlie. Eventually, she planned to end in Australia to retrieve her parents. The trip was meant as a way to rekindle her investment in searching for a new career but all it did was serve to rekindle her Auror curiosity—especially for her wayward soldier.

Oh she could tell. His walk, his mannerisms, his taut posture—he was a man prepared to attack and prepared to be attacked. She didn’t stalk him knowingly—he really was her neighbor after all—but she met his acquaintance every day. Serendipity, she believed. She doubted he believed it. Despite his stony gaze and soft nod of acknowledgement she felt the measuring in his eyes, wondering if she was friend or foe. She was glad she hadn’t spooked him.

Hermione returned to her home and popped on the tele. She scoffed at the Sokovia accords signing taking place. She agreed in some part—accountability was important—but she despised the tracking, the biometric data, the rating. What would they do with that data, she wondered. Scarlet Witch—who was not actually a witch, as Hermione knew—had her DNA altered. Captain America had had his own biometrics experimented on. How many other in the world were there that they considered enhanced? What would they do to the witches and wizards they caught? As a member of the Order of the Phoenix it would be hypocritical to truly support the accords—she knew how failing the government could be. The television captured screams and Hermione looked up before the live broadcasting cut out. A bombing, Hermione realized. She sighed before turning the device off. No matter how things change they always seem to stay the same. What luck she had to live through one war only to experience the aliens and enhanced humans that seemed to occur immediately after. Voldemort seemed a lot less frightening when she compared him to the tales of New York.

Hermione spent the rest of the day wandering the city as she was wont to do. The news immediately covered the attack and placed the blame on the Winter Soldier. Hermione wondered who named him. It was a catchy name, she admitted, but if he was such a covert assassin—why would he have a name? Did someone survive and decide the moniker? Had the higher ups decided they want to inspire fear and prompted the title themselves? Did the Winter Soldier go around announcing his name like some of the terrible parodies of super heroes she had seen? Comparatively, it was probably a better name than the boy-who-lived or you-know-who or the brightest-witch-of-her-age. Hermione felt she could do without the hyphens.

The next morning was the market day and Hermione always loved to go early. She grabbed her reusable bags, dressed casually and set out for the day. She wasn’t surprised when the newspapers echoed the tragedy of the accords but she stopped to pick up the paper when she caught a familiar face. The Winter Soldier looked remarkably like her neighbor. She began translating the paper as best she could. The Winter Soldier was spotted in Vienna at a time when Hermione was sure she had seen her neighbor. The still of the video image captured the time of the Winter Soldier’s supposed presence in Vienna at the time Hermione had seen him at the café. Hermione rubbed her fingers against her temple feeling a rushing of emotions within her. Curiosity, indignation, righteousness. Oh her Gryffindor fury was rising like a tide and she wondered for the gazillinth time if Harry was the trouble magnet or was she.

She glanced up and noticed her neighbor, the Winter Soldier (supposedly), talking with Sebastian the plum man. Hermione sighed pitifully as her neighbor, the Winter Soldier (supposedly), bargained for plums. This was not who assassinated a King. Hermione tilted her head. Well, maybe he was someone who assassinated kings and politicians but he was certainly not one who was attempting to do it these days. She recognized his hollow stare as someone seeking some sort of peace or redemption or conclusion. He turned and spotted one of the newspapers baring his identity. At the tightness of his face and the increased pallor of his skin she knew that it was wrong and Hermione Granger did not like when things were wrong. With a grimace at the feeling of conviction in her stomach she took off to follow the man.

She walked with the newspaper up, holding her wand between the fold. Suddenly her ears were alert, her heart beat deceptively calm, her senses magnified. The spell she had cast had benefited her over the years in many ways. She had created it as another means to protect Ron and Harry when she finally left the dangerous career. She laughed at herself mentally—she would’ve been safer with them than what she was doing now. She cast again to take attention off her. She cast a third time to feel herself disillusion as she stepped between the shadows of the scenery.

Her neighbor ran up the stairs two at a time. Hermione stealthily followed noticing the police emerging from the shadows when their subject returned home. Hermione cursed to herself, sticking close enough that she wondered if her neighbor could feel her puffs of air each time she exhaled. He opened the door and closed it so quickly that Hermione could not enter. She heard the police force climbing the stairs and quickly spelled the locked door open, closing it quickly and silently behind her. Her neighbor was conversing with a man in the room—Captain America she recognized faintly.

“I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore.” Her neighbor said. Another voice from the Captain’s headpiece rang out.

“They’re entering the building.”

“Well the people who think you did are coming here now and they’re not planning on taking you alive.” The Captain responded. Her neighbor placed his plums down and slowly began to remove his glove. At the metal sheen, Hermione knew he was indeed the Winter Soldier.

“That’s smart. Good strategy.” The Winter Soldier said. Something about his expression made her heart clench.

“They’re on the roof. I’m compromised.” The headpiece said. The Winter Soldier must have understood as he began preparing for confrontation.

“This doesn’t have to end in a fight, Buck.” Captain America said with contained desperation.

“It always ends in a fight.” The Winter Soldier said and Hermione’s heart broke at his despondent tone and resignation.

“Five seconds.” The headpiece called and Hermione felt her heartrate increase. She was going to have to work on the fly.

“You pulled me from the river. Why?” Captain America asked and Hermione decided there was something much deeper going on that she had missed.

“I don’t know.” The Winter Soldier responded, but Hermione noticed the agony in his eyes.

“Three seconds.” The voice warned and her heartbeat increased.

“Yes you do.” Captain America ascertained and Hermione knew exactly what she was going to do.

“Breach! Breach! Breach!” The piercing sound of glass beckoned the first flashbang that was quickly swatted away. Her neighbor kicked another one to Captain America who went to use his shield to contain it. Hermione however had already yanked the Winter Soldier by his outstretched foot enough that she could grab Captain America. She apparated quickly in the uncomfortable position, barely avoiding the flashbang as she appeared within her own apartment.

She groaned as she landed on her stomach. Instantly, the Winter Soldier and Captain America were alert and prepared to face off. Hermione took her wand and hit both of them with a body-bind; they fell to the floor on their backs. Hermione waved her wand to take off her disillusionment and floated the two so they were vertical and could stare into her eyes.

“Good Morning.” She greeted cheerfully, wincing when she could somehow still make out the animosity in their eyes. “Yes, well introductions are in order. My neighbor and I have already met—though I don’t know his name—but my name is Hermione.” She introduced herself awkwardly. “You looked to be in some sort of pickle…so I brought you to my apartment where, frankly, no one will be able to find you.” She gestured around to the magical expanded complex apartment—courtesy of her brief studying into magical construction in France. “I mean you no harm and would appreciate it greatly if you neither ran nor attempted to fight on these premises.” She favored them with a look she always found effective on Ron and Harry. She waved her wand to start a pot of tea and turned to look at her window. The crowd was littered with police and their forces, she laughed lightly. “Oh dear, they seem a trifle bit confused that you two have suddenly disappeared.” She said over her shoulder towards the frozen men. When the kettle whistled she brought everything to her small kitchen table. She set the table and floated the men over.

“Now, let’s all sit and have a discussion over a nice cuppa, hmm?” She said as she sat. She released the men who immediately dropped into fighting stance. She pushed the tea cups towards them. “Tea, gentleman.” The two glanced at each other in shock before sitting awkwardly with her at the table. “Buck—was that your name?—I spotted you buying plums, you’re welcome to mine.” Hermione said as she pushed her fruit basket forward. Briefly she wondered if she had a thing for rescuing men with deer-related back stories.

“Ma’am, what happened?” Captain America asked first and Hermione picked up her tea to sip it. Neither of her guests were touching theirs.

“I apparated—er—teleported you two here because it seemed you were having a bit of a crisis.” Hermione answered with a smile. The two men shared a look.

“And you know Bucky?” Captain America asked. Hermione frowned briefly.

“Bucky not Buck? Hmm…not much better of a name, I suppose, but who am I to judge?” Hermione muttered to herself. “I’ve been living across the street for a few weeks and Bucky and I have been running into each other. He’s been rather put off at my attempts to be friendly but I suppose it makes sense.” She admitted with a frown.

“You know that he’s a wanted man?” Captain America asked and Bucky tensed beside him. Hermione frowned.

“I read about the Accords. Unless Bucky is a wizard, I find it highly unlikely that he is the culprit—I’ve seen him far too regularly for him to have accomplished something like this.” Hermione admitted. “Are you a wizard, Bucky?” She asked her neighbor who had remained silent through since he arrived.

“You were stalking me?” He asked roughly, eyes downcast.

“Purely coincidental, I assure you.” Hermione placated with raised hands. “I didn’t even know you were the Winter Soldier until the wanted ads.” Bucky tensed at the name and Hermione leveled him with a measured glance. “So are you a wizard, Bucky? Or do you just have a great deal of unfortunate luck?” She asked. Bucky still did not answer and instead crossed his arms over his chest definitely.

“Bucky has been framed.” Captain America said with authority. Hermione turned her gaze to him.

“What is Captain America doing trying to save the Winter Soldier, anyway?” Hermione asked.

“The real question is why did you take us here and what is your plan?” Captain America accused. Hermione shrugged.

“I’ll be honest, I probably had as much planning for this interaction as you did—and judging from what I saw at his apartment it was not much planning at all.” She reprimanded. “My plan was to go and grab Bucky here and take him somewhere safe. But then you two were having a heart-to-heart and the flashbangs came and I took us all here.” She explained.

“Why?” Bucky asked his tone still rough like he was constantly prepared to be defensive.

“You’re innocent, unless you are a wizard—which I doubt. I like to people watch and you were a fascinating person who I saw every day.” Hermione sipped her tea again as Bucky and Captain America contemplated her words.

“Why do you keep asking if he’s a wizard?” Captain America asked. Hermione contemplated. She figured in for a knut in for a galleon.

“I’m a witch.” Hermione announced. “Which must be kept to us, of course, but it’s the reason I could teleport you here from Bucky’s room. If he was a wizard he could do the same, but I highly doubt that he is.”

“He’s not a wizard.” Captain America answered. Hermione glanced at him in surprise.

“How would you know that, Captain America?” She asked genuinely intrigued by his confidence.

“We’re friends—I’d have known.” Captain America responded. Bucky bristled again and Hermione yelped when tea splashed from her cup to platter below.

“Friends?” Hermione asked as she glanced at Bucky. He seemed to be glaring death to her wall. “I suppose it’s a good thing I grabbed you then, Captain America.” Captain America sighed.

“Just call me Steve, please.” He said as he removed his cowl. Hermione felt herself flush. Captain America was an extremely fit gentleman.

“So…” Hermione began awkwardly. “What now?” Steve sighed and placed his hands in his head. She turned to Bucky.

“Bucky? Mind joining the conversation? We’re all seemingly vested in a positive outcome but you?” Hermione commented. Bucky stood up abruptly causing Steve to do the same.

“Bucky!” He exclaimed but Bucky was staring at Hermione.

“Why? Why are you doing this! You don’t know anything about me!” Bucky said angrily. Hermione sipped her tea languidly; she was used to boys with tempers.

“I don’t need to know you to know that something is wrong.” She commented idly. “When something is wrong, I want it to be right.” Bucky still seemed frustrated.

“I’ve killed people—innocent people!” He admitted fiercely. “I was an assassin! I could kill you in 50 different ways!”

“Bucky…” Steve said softly.

“I could kill you in more ways, I assure you.” Hermione announced. “But that’s neither here nor there.” Hermione said with a wave of her hand. “I recognize someone who did something they didn’t want to do. I can’t believe you didn’t have extenuating circumstances.”

“Bucky, you weren’t in control of your actions.” Steve rationalized. Bucky seemed to deflate.

“But I still did it.” Bucky said sadly. Hermione’s heart broke. Bucky seemed to be a tragedy and damn if Hermione didn’t gravitate towards the type.

“Would you trust me more if I knew what you did?” Hermione asked. Bucky looked at her strangely. “If I saw what you had done and still determined you were worthy of help?” Bucky closed in on himself, his posture shrinking as he sat back in his chair.

“Just let me run—you and Steve are just going to get in trouble.” Bucky sighed as he closed his eyes.

“I’m always in trouble.” Hermione announced glancing at Steve. “I imagine he is too.” Hermione said and Steve nodded. Hermione sighed. “Fine, no one wants to drink my tea or eat my plums, let’s move to the study.” Hermione stood and ushered her two guests to follow.

“I can’t reach my friend, Sam.” Steve announced as he tapped his earpiece. Hermione winced.

“Technology and magic don’t get along well—especially not apparition. Do you want me to grab him or something?” Hermione asked uneasy.

“He’s flying.” Steve responded. Hermione sighed.

“Can you email or call him or something? Or will that be traced? Does anyway know you’re aiding and abetting a wanted criminal?” Hermione asked. Steve shrugged.

“I don’t think anyone saw us aide him—they might assume that I was trying to apprehend.” Steve said. Hermione turned to continue down her hall.

“I suppose we’ll have to sort that later.” Hermione announced. She opened the door to the study.

“Don’t I get any say in this?” Bucky asked petulantly. Hermione laughed.

“No.” She said was another laugh. “Steve and I are too committed to watch you fail, I suppose.”

#Crossover #bucky barnes #steve rogers #hermione granger #harry potter #avengers #Hermione/steve/bucky #fanfiction

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Black Films and Artists Thrive at 2019 Tribeca Film Festival

By NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown

The 18th annual Tribeca Film Festival featured films, docs, shorts, TV, tech seminars and immersive experiences. It was a 21st century gathering place for filmmakers, artists and fans.

Black films, directors, actors and artists shared the glory and attention with other contemporaries who were proud to have TFF as an international venue. As the festival inches towards the two-decade mark, it’s only getting better and maturing like a fine wine.

Black Films, Filmmakers, Actors and Artists

17 Blocks (****) Life expectancy in the U.S. averages out to around 79 years of age. That statistic skews much lower in this poignant and profound documentary about a Washington, D.C. family that’s on a different path. In 1999, nine-year old Emmanuel is given a movie camera. He uses it to chronicle the exploits of his mom, older brother, older sister and extended family. His lens captures the love in the air, the danger outside and the hope he brings to his family for a son who could be the first in their brood to go to college. Drugs, gangs and violence lurk. Emmanuel’s destiny takes a turn that will leave viewers spellbound. Over a 20-year period, this family’s dynamics, conflicts, breath throughs and tribulations are recorded like an urban allegory. The span of time is reminiscent of the Oscar-nominated drama Boyhood. The soul of a young man gets an enduring legacy thanks to the power of film.

The Apollo (***1/2) The Apollo Theater was always so much more than a performing arts venue. Since 1934, it’s been a community center, talent scout hub, training ground for countless artists and a mecca that is destined to be both a shrine and a progressive cultural home—for years to come. Director Roger Ross Williams helms this ambitious project, Lisa Cortes is a producer and the perceptive writing by Cassidy Hartmann and Roger Ross Williams pays respect to the hall’s past and its extended family. The footage is most exciting when it depicts performances by legendary artists (Ella, Duke, Dinah, Billie), Motown (Smokey, Supremes, Temptations) and comedians (Moms Mabley, Richard Pryor). Veterans (e.g. Patti Labelle) share their anecdotes. The late Ralph Cooper recollects starting Amateur Night. Rarely has a history lesson been so damn entertaining.

Burning Cane (***) And what were you doing at age 17? Phillip Youmans was writing his first script, which he turned into this Southern Louisiana melodrama about a mother (Karen Kaia Livers) who deals with an alcoholic adult son (Dominique McClellan), his boy (Braelyn Kelly) and a recently widowed and stressed-out preacher (Wendell Pierce). The sun beats down on this luckless family, who grinds itself into a deeper and deeper hole. Youmans’ premise and maturity go well beyond his years. He puts his characters in an angst that hovers over the entire production. For tone and drama, he gets an A+. For storytelling, a B-. For tech elements a C. The gritty feel is reminiscent of a John Cassavetes movie. Youmans’ cinematography needs developing; camera placement is questionable as is the lighting. If the footage has a Beast of the Southern Wild synergy, it’s because this movie’s executive producer, Ben Zeitlin, was that film’s director.

Devil’s Pie—D’Angelo (***1/2) Lots of musicians attract a following, but D’Angelo’s fans can be classified as an avid cult with extremely good taste in soul music. Part of the Grammy winner’s mystique centers around his 14-year-absence from recording (Voodoo in 2000; Black Messiah in 2014), which stunned his admirers. That mystery, his childhood, resurgence, live shows, recording sessions and musings are on view in this wonderfully crafted homage. Home movies and photos depict his upbringing, influential grandmother and days as his church’s organist. Personal anecdotes reveal his problems with alcohol and drugs. Attesting to his musical savvy and eccentricities are Questlove, Dave Chappelle and Erykah Badu. Though many put D’Angelo in his own niche (R&B, soul, funk, sexy songs with a hint of jazz), Prince’s influence is quite obvious when the singer wails. Thank documentarian Carina Bijlsma for the candid glimpse at a musical innovator who should be called a genius. Get ready to tap your toes and sing along to “Brown Sugar.”

Gully (*1/2) Music video director Nabil Elderkin steps into the deep end of feature filmmaking and flounders. His technique is solid, especially the ways he moves the camera (cinematographer Adriano Goldman) around on evocative shots of palm tree-lined streets in Los Angeles. However, he’s wasted his talent on a misguided script (Marcus Guillory) that focuses on three unlikable and aimless adolescents (Jacob Latimore, Charlie Plummer, Kelvin Harrison Jr.). The trio go from playing violent video games to assaulting people on the streets—without any obvious motivation. Yes, they each have troubled pasts, but nothing that warrants physical attacks. Never believable. Never compelling. Pointless. Kids have excuses for making bad decisions. Adults, like the ones who made this repulsive drivel, do not.

Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica (***) Showing admiration for reggae musicians from the ‘70s and ‘80s is this very inspiring doc’s goal. Shot largely in the hills above Kingston, British director Peter Webber gives a comeback platform to senior reggae stars like Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Kiddus I, and Cedric Myton. Long past their heyday but still able to sell a song. Their stories of past triumphs are riveting and it’s a joy to watch them record again. They’re backed up by young musicians eager to play with their heroes. Judy Mowatt, legendary former Bob Marley backup singer, is a revelation. Reggae music, like Jamaica, is all about peace and love. That’s the takeaway. That’s what the audience will remember about this rousing, heartfelt documentary.

A Kid from Coney Island (***) We’re well-acquainted with basketball’s most successful players who soared into fame and fortune (Kobe, Magic, Michael, Larry, LeBron). We’re less familiar with hoop dream athletes who struggled. Stephon Marbury grew up in the Coney Island projects, where the only choices for rising above the fray was becoming a rapper, drug dealer or basketball player. Obsessed with the sport from a young age, he was influenced by his dad and brothers and nurtured by his older sis and mom. Steph was destined for greatness. He became a city champion, college star, draft choice and NBA legend. Only fate tossed him curve balls. Under the prying eye of doc directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, viewers watch a very talented man withstand the death of a parent, depression, a career that stalls and a surprisingly spiritual path to redemption. In this eye-opening and sobering documentary, we see how an eight-pound orange ball can take an inner-city kid to the other side of the world. More ups and downs and as exciting as the Cyclone roller coaster ride on Coney Island.

Lil’ Buck: Real Swan (***) The kids in Charles “Lil’ Buck” Riley’s low-income outer Memphis neighborhood flocked to the local roller rink at night and waited for the skating to stop and the dancing to begin. Jookin’ is the local dance form, akin to Crunking, Gangsta Walking and Michael Jackson’s stop-start-twirls. Lil’ Buck won a scholarship to a Memphis dance school, and added ballet to his mix. His blend of urban dance and classic technique is amazing to watch. Equally entrancing is this beguiling look at a young kid who blossoms as a person and a dancer. A career in L.A., performances with Yo-Yo Ma and touring the world are like a dream come true. Director Louis Wallecan doesn’t miss one step. Interviews with family, friends and admirers highlight a hybrid street dance, an art form created by an innovator who transcends life and description.

Only (**1/2) What if? What if after the apocalypse a virus became a plague that only killed women? That’s the premise of writer/director Takashi Doscher’s ultra-modern and very scary sci-fi nightmare. The focus is on a couple, Eva (Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire) and Will (Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton) who survive indoors using hazmat suits to stave off danger. Every scene is as creepy as the premise. Nice performances from the two leads. Ugly cinematography (Sean Stiegemeier) done in shades of gray, greens and browns make footage dreary. Can’t say Dosher is an accomplished filmmaker—yet, but this movie hits a nerve. Also, coming from a male director there is a misogynist undertone that just doesn’t feel right.

Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project (***) Saying she liked keepsakes is putting it mildly. Librarian, TV producer and political activist Marion Stokes had an obsession: capturing the news as it was depicted on TV. From 1979 (Iranian hostage crisis) to 2012 (Sandy Hook tragedy), she recorded newsfeeds from the networks on 70,000 VHS tapes. For an enlightening and somewhat somber history lesson, view this documentary to see how far society has evolved and what it has left in its wake. Documentarian Matt Wolf handpicks clips, adds in the essence of Stokes’ personality and interviews witnesses to her hobby. He creates a thought-provoking look at the upheavals, controversies and conflicts that have shaped this country. Racial and social issues come to the forefront.

Roads (**1/2) Actor turned director and writer Sebastian Schipper (Run Lola Runand Victoria) examines immigration with this vibrant road movie. British teen Gyllen (Fionn Whitehead, Dunkirk) steals his stepfather’s RV while in Morocco and heads towards France to visit his father. Along the way, he picks up a fellow traveler, William (Stéphane Bak), who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s interesting to watch the way they are treated differently as they travel. Gyllen makes his anger known and is oblivious to danger. The more reserved William knows danger way too well and can smell it before it happens. Their divergent points of view and cultural differences speak more about race relations than a college course. A thoughtful script (Schipper and Oliver Ziegenbalg), nice performances from the teens. Final scenes that depict refugees�� confined lives in France are solemn.

Skin (***1/2) Tsotsi was the 2006 Oscar-Winner for Best Foreign Film and it chronicled the evolution of a hoodlum who seemed beyond redemption. This very daring and similar drama by writer/director Guy Nattiv is equally emancipating in its own way. Bryon Widner (Jamie Bell, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool), a twentysomething skinhead is bullied by his adoptive parents (Vera Farmiga, Bill Camp) who are violent white supremacists. Life changes for him when he meets a single mom (Danielle Macdonald, Patti Cake$). It takes an even greater turn when he comes under the watchful eye of social activist Darlye Jenkins (Mike Colter, Luke Cage), whose foundation, One People’s Project, specializes in converting neo-Nazis. This is possibly the biggest character arc you will ever see in a film. Tense, suspenseful, dramatic, romantic and cathartic. Excellent performances from all in this stick-to-your-ribs true story. Watching human garbage turn into human beings can be extremely gratifying. Excellent.

What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali (***) Oscar-winner When We Were Kings focussed on Muhammad Ali’s “The Rumble in the Jungle” match. Does this doc have that much majesty? Almost. Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) takes a more all-encompassing approach. Using never-before-seen archival footage, and with a great sense of pacing (editor Jake Pushinsky), Fuqua highlights Ali’s pinnacles and low points. He explores the champion’s social activism and personal life. Details about his entry into boxing, teenage years, relationships with Malcolm X and Sam Cooke are on the screen. The most surprising revelation is that Ali’s decision to flaunt a larger-than-life egocentric persona was influenced by the flamboyant wrestler Gorgeous George. Most of the memorable quotes come from Ali’s lips. It’s like he’s reaching back from the grave to remind us how brash and brave he was. Illuminating.

Films of Note

After Parkland (****) Rarely if ever does a film put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye for its entire length. Be prepared to be awed, humbled and inspired by the Parkland, Florida victims, survivors and activists. You’ve seen their faces on the news, now you get a close-up look at the people behind the headlines and the indomitable spirit they’ve collectively created that is bound to bring about change. The kids and adults are so bright and articulate that their words carry the film: “Someone was hunting my classmates.” “Bullets shred anything in sight. Tissue, walls, desks, backpacks.” “We’re going to change the world.” Expert technique and sensitive filming by directors Emily Taguchi and Jake Lefferman make this an Oscar-caliber documentary.

Crown Vic (***) The cop/crime/thriller genre gets a healthy dose of personal drama in this L.A.-based film noir that’s rough around the edges. First-time feature film director/writer Joel Souza pairs up two L.A.P.D. cops. The older crusty patrol officer Ray Mandel (Thomas Jane, Boogie Nights) shepherds the naive rookie Nick (Luke Kleintank, TV’s Bones) on an overnight shift. Meanwhile, two bank robbers/killers are on the loose. Mandel’s chilling words: “Take your badge off and put it in the glove box.” Their policing takes a turn towards the gutter. The beginning of the film is marred by too much dialogue in a claustrophobic patrol car, which kills momentum. Souza adds in a funny scene with a drunk lady, friction with undercover cops (Josh Hopkins, David Krumholtz) and a search for a missing kid to spice up the night. Jane is the glue and mortar. The dialogue is strong too. Mandel: ‘People Sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men do violence on their behalf.” Someone call 911!

The Kill Team (**1/2) Dan Krauss made a doc about a true-life incident involving an infantryman in Afghanistan in 2010 who dealt with a commanding officer who was violent to innocent locals and his platoon too. He’s turned that project into a feature film, with varied results. Actor Nat Wolff plays the soldier and Alexander Skarsgård stars as the disturbed leader who doles out harsh reality to his men: “We kill people. That’s what we do. Do you have a problem with that?” The enlistee is in a quandary that could take his own life. How would you react? That intriguing premise saves the film. Edited down to 87 minutes (editor Franklin Peterson), the footage is never attractive (Stéphane Fontaine), the performances are only decent and the emotion never runs deep. Still, this film tells a powerful story.

Linda Ronstandt: The Sound of My Voice (***1/2) Singing in Linda Ronstandt’s family was as common as Sunday dinner, and she had the best voice, too. As a teen in a sibling folk group she developed a sense of harmony and a performance presence that kick-started her career in L.A. In the music industry, she stood out as a woman in a man’s world. She led her own band, made her own career decisions and went through a world-famous metamorphosis: Folk, pop, rock, soul, light opera, big band and Mexican folk music—she did it all. Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman bless the footage with childhood photos, concert video and insights by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt. The very well-read Ronstandt herself pipes in with anecdotes and philosophies that underline her intelligence shed light on her battle with Parkinson’s disease. A trip down memory lane, done to the tune of Grammy-winning songs by rock n’ roll’s first female superstar. A visual and audio retrospective that sticks with you.

The Quiet One (***1/2) The meek shall inherit the earth—and other stuff. Bill Wyman, the quietest musician in the Rolling Stones, is a historian. Director Oliver Murray gives the group’s bass player all the room he needs to shed light on his role as the band’s sober member. Fortunately for Stones fans, he was an avid collector of footage, photos and other memorabilia. You could almost classify him as a hoarder, except his stunning collection is so damn neat and organized. He’s stockpiled his knick-knacks in the most orderly filing system with documentation so elaborate it would shame a librarian. Hearing him talk about his idols Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Muddy Water and Howlin’ Wolf is heart-warming. Behind-the scenes details about the Rolling Stones’ tragedies, fiascos and creative process are equally fascinating. Oddly, the film does not cover Wyman’s controversial relationship with a teenager. Special shout out to Tim Sidell’s gorgeous cinematography and Anne Perri’s astute editing. Wyman is a quiet treasure and so is this doc.

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation (***) “Well I came upon a child of God, He was walking along the road, And I asked him, Tell me where are you going, And this he told me…” Director Barak Goodman and his co-writer Don Kleszy take audiences behind the scenes of Woodstock to the muddy fields, horrible weather and peace/love vibe that became the legend of the occasion. It’s an event that has never been repeated successfully. Still, from the viewpoint of the common people who went, we get a new perception that those “highly” spiritual and heady days were more than a one-time phenomenon, they spawned a vibe that far outlived the concerts. On the stages, in this temporary city of 400,000 hippies, musicians like Richie Havens, CSN, Jimi Hendrix and the bunch look like heroes, though not as quite as gusty or adaptable as the venue’s stunned promoters: John Roberts and Joel Rosenman. Refreshing and a complete joy to watch in this day and age of hate mongering.

Tribeca is building a solid reputation as a film festival that values diversity, inclusion and new voices. It’s a champ at spotlighting emerging talent from around the U.S. and the world.

It’s no wonder black films, artists, their fans and others are supporting the fest with their work, participation and attendance.

For more information about Tribeca Film Festival go to: https://www.tribecafilm.com

Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

This article originally appeared in the Charleston Chronicle.

Source: https://www.blackpressusa.com/black-films-and-artists-thrive-at-2019-tribeca-film-festival/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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