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trainsinanime · 1 year

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I feel like talking a bit more about Vanisher 2.0 and Red Volpina (todo: look up what these Miraculous Ladybug season 5 episodes are actually called). My previous review of them has been,

Yes there is stuff where the writing still has potential to get better (not once but twice does everybody in class believe a known liar over Marinette!? Marinette’s classmates suddenly realized Chloé was doing badly in school and somehow that’s Marinette’s problem!? Lol), but it’s still better than it’s ever been.

But maybe there's more to talk about here. Just a couple of days ago I saw a post that complained bitterly about how unfair it is that Marinette must always prove herself, and how Alya was a bad friend in these two episodes.

I don't think that's a great hot take, but I think there is a kernel of truth here. The writing in these episodes was not 100%, but in ways that are interesting to talk about. This isn't meant as salt; I watched the episodes with my sister and I had a lot of fun with them regardless of their flaws. I just think it's interesting.

First of all, I don't think it's actually a problem that Marinette must prove herself. Marinette encountering obstacles and overcoming them through cleverness and strength of will is the point of the show. That's literally fine.

The real issue here is that all the characters are written rather weirdly in order to make the plot happen. Alya is the most visible victim of this, but everyone suffers from it to a certain degree.

In fact, in Vanisher 2.0 (todo look up episode title), this even applies to the villains. Sabrina does not want to steal for Chloé because it goes against her code of ethics as a police officer's daughter. Where did that come from? She has stolen from Marinette before, on Chloé's behalf, back in Darkblade in season 1. The show is just summoning conflict out of thin air.

(There is probably a joke to be made here, about how the cop's daughter steals and plants fake evidence on Marinette to accuse her of a crime, but that's a different thing.)

But it is most notable with Marinette. In Vanisher 2.0 (todo look up title), everybody sees stolen high-value goods such as… paper doilies…? appear out of Marinette's bag, after Chloé told everyone they'd be in there. And the conclusion everyone draws is that Chloé is correct.

Then in Red Volpina, the class learns that Chloé has never made her own homework, something the teacher apparently never noticed before. The class somehow agrees with Lila that this is Marinette's fault for not recognising that Chloé is struggling, despite this not being Marinette's job, and despite Chloé's insistence that she isn't struggling, she just doesn't care.

Neither of these are at all consistent with basically anything that came before. The class knows who Chloé is, how vindictive, petty and entitled she is. They also know who Marinette is, are friends with her, and a surprisingly high percentage are or have been in love with her.

From a story perspective, it makes sense, though. Both episodes want to tell a particular story. In Adoration (todo fix all the spots where I called it Vanisher 2.0), the point is to get to Zoé's big heroic self-sacrifice for Marinette. In Revelation, it's about how always seeing the best in people can sometimes lead you astray. Those are both interesting ideas in their own right. It's just that the episodes used narrative shortcuts to get us there, and ignored character consistency along the way.

I think the point about Alya is the most important one here. Saying "Alya is a bad friend" is canonically not true (look at all the stuff our poor girl puts up with on Marinette's behalf), but also missing the forest for the trees. As smarter people than me have put it, Alya is often only in the story to make Marinette's internal conflict an external one, so we can see the different sides argue in screen instead of imagining them in our head. As a result of that, Alya is sometimes her own character, and sometimes, very often in fact, just whatever she needs to be to get the plot moving.

In Revelation (todo fix yada yada), the plot they had in mind wouldn't work at all if Alya took Marinette and Adrien seriously, and acted on all the information she has. So she just doesn't. That doesn't mean she's a bad friend, it means she's a narrative tool, one that the writers don't always wield super well. Alya is far from the most irrational person in this episode (come on, Gabriel, giving Lila superpowers again? Even though you know she hates you? That's just silly), but since she's one of the good guys and Marinette's best friend and often portrayed as the voice of reason, we notice it the most in her case.

I think the show is genuinely nice and fun, but there's no denying that its writing has flaws. Sometimes more, sometimes less, and these two episodes have some that just stand out a bit. Framing that as "the show is unfair to Marinette" (or even "Alya is a bad friend") is not an interesting way to discuss that, in my opinion. The real issue is that the show had a story it wanted to tell, only twenty minutes to do so, and so it crammed that story in with a crowbar, regardless of the cost. Both episodes have enough good moments to make up for it in my personal opinion, but they have central moments that are just plain clunky.

#miraculous ladybug #ml s5 spoilers #ml season 5 spoilers #ml adoration #ml revelation #ml adoration spoilers #ml revelation spoilers #ml s5 #ml season 5 #mlb meta #adoration spoilers #revelation spoilers

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beawake · 1 year

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Okay, let's try to get into this, The Legend of Vox Machina spoilers obviously

First of all, I only now noticed that in the intro Vax is the only one not waking up when the strings of fate(?) Pass the group by foreshadowing!!

I love that they start with the few last minutes of the first season, they're important but also the perspective changed and so good

They don't forget Gilmore this time! More Vax and Gilmore content and I love it so much

Vax already seeing the Raven Queen, already weaving that in, my poor boy is getting tormented but I love that they do that

All the dragons are so unique and so terrifying and the voice acting is so good holy shit barely recognised Liam as Vorugal, they're all so terrifying

The destruction of Emon is so beautiful and they show so easily just how in over their head they are

Finding Gilmore in his shop, poor scanlan not being able to get some gadgets except for Vex' future broom, Vax hovering over Gilmore

I can be wrong but I think they haven't resurrected anyone yet, it's always been that they are (barely still alive) is Vex gonna be the first one??? That will make it so much more devastating

That little girl with green eyes! I see you! We're all larkin watchers now

Oh boy Whitestone starting to thrive again and them convincing Scanlan like that to not run away, pushing him to stay. They're setting Scanlan leaving up so well and we're all gonna be devastated and I feel so bad for Scanlan

Lol, the tree falling, it was coming

The twins having ties to the Slayers take, I was wondering how they'd do that without having to put too much time in it but the twins screwing them over and Vex and Zahra not getting along and I am so happy for it

Kash immediately flirting with Keyleth, Keyleth liking it not knowing how to handle it and Vax being grumpy about it, amazing

Osysa is destroying them and that is so traumatising for them. Scanlan hearing/getting confirmed that noone cares about him? His deepest fear? The twins being separated? Osysa just gets in their and rips their heart and traumas out huh?

Okay but Grog not going to the take cause he just gets distracted and finding earthbreaker Groon and getting taught a lesson from him? Amazing wonderful, Osysa would have no effect on Grog anyway but Groon knows how to handle him

Kash and Zahra following them!!!! Grog gets his beard and a part shaved off already and they all put that in there

Vex not being allowed on the ice but Scanlan is and then being in danger and noone of VM saving him, he's going through it

Oh I forgot but apparently there is a Caduceaus cameo in Vasselheim? I didn't see it but the screenshot are cool

And also RQ in vasselheim and Vax seeing her, he's being tormented

And Percy is clearly getting more comfortable with the group and wanting to be helpful and man they're setting his guilt up very well too (also I am waiting till Vax calls him Freddy)

Really showing how codependent the twins are and how much Vax needs Vex, that is shown so well and Vax getting more and more overprotective

DO NOT GO FAR FROM ME and you've been saying that our whole life I'll be fine (NO SHE WON'T BE THIS WILL HURT SO MUCH)

Man their father sucks but those flashbacks are so good

Kash and Zahra ditching them

Vax telling everyone not to touch anything but Percy doing to anyway and Vex telling him not too but Percy egging her on and Vex saying no don't touch the armour we should wait till my brother is back but Percy is too quick and do you see how his heart breaks and the horror in his eyes and the light leaving Vex' and trinket roaring and Vax I was gone for 30 seconds and the flashbacks with Vax seeing you don't need me but I need you and everyone surrounding him and Vex dead and he is embracing her and then the episode is done and I can't handle that

I for sure missed a lot but there is so much there and I have only watched them one time yet but the title credits as well and they're setting everything up so well like Percy opening up and ready to be helpful but then he kills Vex and Vax warning everyone to be careful so clearly setting his anger up as well, Scanlan is so obviously feeling left out and Pike is clearly concerned for Grog who is oblivious to it all and the warnings that his sword is evil. Keyleth still so insecure and not knowing what to do but also another home taken from her. Vex and the approval she needs from her father and how much she cares for Vax as well but also might find him a little overbearing sometimes but still wanting to listen to him and clearly stuck between those

I just love this show so much and cannot wait till the next episodes

Also let me know if I missed moments there was so much and I need to rewatch them like a hundred times

#legend of vox machina #tlovm spoilers #tlovm #lovm spoilers #critical role

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curio-queries · 2 months

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Run BTS: 049 | Eve of Episode 50 Festival part 1

Original Air Date: 17 APR 2018 Episode Length: 23:43 Total Parts: 2 YouTube English Subtitles: Yes Title Song: Blood Sweat & Tears

Synopsis: A summary episode - reliving moments from the past 50 episodes

Production: so...it's exceedingly obvious that they intended this to only be one episode but they spilled it over into the next one. Most of the time that will work but when you're making a big deal about it being the 50th, it doesn't really work. Overall, not the worst execution of a 'clips' ep but i think we'd all agree that we'd rather have original content than watch compiled clips. if I want to watch those moments, I'll go watch the actual eps. It's not that I hate the idea of a bottle show via past content but this one just wasn't executed well. It's really nice to see the ceramics complete from a few episodes before.

Here's a weird editing note: pointing out the prod team didn't know the members were hungry and surprised they were eating. I get that sometimes the food is for show (especially on their livestreams) but why did they feel the need to state it in the subs? It just makes the guys and the prod team look ill-prepared.

Another thing, i know most probably won't notice but when they do cut to clips, it's like they've ripped them straight from the internet instead of the original files. The audio is SO disjointed. To do this properly, they should have grabbed the clips without the music and added new music in the compilation. Also the part where they watch their own clips is too long. Don't get me wrong, i actually enjoy watching BTS react to their own content but that's in the context of a reaction livestream or a Bomb, not as an episode of a variety show. A little hint of it would have been sufficient but it does nothing for the pacing of this episode. Final also, is it just me or is there something off about the translation? The quality just seems more lacking than we're used to.

Endearment: Uh, if my above notes didn't give it away, i think this episode does absolutely nothing for the guys. it's vaguely interesting to me to see what moments they remember from past episodes before the clips are played but I wouldn't call it endearing at all. They're put in this hard spot where they know that the audience is infinitely more knowledgeable about their content than they are but they still have to put on this show. oh, it was nice to hear them talk about what they'd like to do for the future, knowing which actually become episodes

Winner/Loser: none

Best Cheater: none

Member Moments:

RM: RM still remembered the names of the dogs. my heart!

JN: Jin confusing the Santa Run ep with when they filmed Bon Voyage at Santa Village.

YG: Yoongi being iconic for playing along with the question asking how Yoonji is doing now.

JH: Savage Hobi! Jimin complimenting everyone's acting and saying he should act, Hobi hits him with the 'not you'

JM: Way to go Jimin with the guessing...it's almost sus...

V: Tae's adorable squashed pottery as a callback to the squirrel garden.

JK: Im glad JK was enjoying the snacks.

Bonus Content: So much more engaging than the actual episode! absolutely worth the watch. (plus you can see Tae drink through a million straws at the same time...slight exaggeration..)

CQ Rank: 1.5

youtube

(CQ Eval Date: 05 FEB 2024)

Check out this post for my Masterlist of all episodes and descriptions of how I'm evaluating these.

Previous Episode: 048

Next Episode: 050

#Youtube #run bts #ep.049 #bangtan sonyeondan #jeon jungkook #bts #park jimin #jung hoseok #kim seokjin #kim taehyung #kim namjoon #min yoongi

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justsomerandomfanfic · 1 year

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Spooky, Scary - (Ghost) Eddie Munson X Female Reader

Title: Spooky, Scary

(Ghost) Eddie Munson X Female Reader

Additional Characters: Vecna (Mentioned), and Steve and the gang (Mentioned very briefly)

WC: 1,315

Warnings: Mention of Eddie's death, slight angst, Eddie's sad, some references, confessions, and fluff

It was Halloween night and the air was crisp. The moon was full and littered with stars. The streets were lit by the light of streetlamps. There weren't many people out at this hour, but those who were walking down the sidewalks wore costumes. Some of them looked like they'd been put together quickly in a moment of inspiration while others seemed to be carefully planned. You, yourself, were dressed up for the holiday. For the third year in a row, you were going as Princess Leia from Star Wars: A New Hope. You had your hair in two buns on the side of your head, a white dress with a silver and white belt. Your brown boots completed the outfit nicely. Having been thrifted from Goodwill.

Heading home from trick-or-treating, you hurried home to get away from the cold chill of the air. Kicking off your shoes, you headed to your room. Dumping your bag on the bed, you started sorting your candy before dumping it back into your bed, you plopped down onto your bed, sighing with content. After eating some candy and watching an episode or two of your favorite show, you decided to practice on your electric keyboard for a bit before bed.

Sitting down on your small bench, you turned on the keyboard and started playing the Halloween theme song, just because. After finishing the song without many mistakes, you paused. Hearing clapping. Now, you'd usually welcome applause, if you weren't home alone.

Turning around, you were face to face with a young man. He was tall, long curly brown hair, big brown eyes. He was wearing black jeans and a leather jacket. His whole style screamed 80s. He was pretty cute, you had to say as well. But that all was normal except for the boy before you was floating off the ground.

"Um... Hello?" You said, trying to keep any tremor out of your voice.

He smiled at you warmly "Hello there! I'm Eddie." he said with a wave.

"Um... Hi, Eddie. What are you doing in my room?" You asked nervously.

"I'm kind of stuck here. If you haven't noticed..." He paused, looking down at himself. "I'm not really alive anymore. My old home used to be here until your house was built."

"Oh. Um.. I'm sorry. Um... I'm Y/N." You said, standing from your piano.

Eddie smiled sadly, "Nice to meet ya."

"Soooo..." You trailed off, sitting down on the edge of your bed. "You're a real ghost?"

Eddie nodded "Yup. And I've been haunting these halls since 1986."

Your eyes widened at the year, your jaw dropping slightly. "1986?"

Eddie nodded, floating over to float-sit on the bed beside you. "Yeah. What year is it? I haven't spoken to anyone in a while."

"2022." You exclaimed, flabbergasted.

Eddie's own eyes widened. "Wow. Okay."

"Well, Eddie. If I may ask... How did you die?"

Eddie smirked slightly, hiding the pain he was feeling, "Uh... You wouldn't believe me."

"If you don't want to tell me, that's alright. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." You muttered, wishing you could reach out and place your hand on his arm.

Eddie shook his head "No, it's fine. I just haven't told anyone before. Ummm... I was killed in a place dimension thing called the Upside Down by Demobats." He explained, making your furrow your eyebrows.

"What?"

"Demobats. They're sorta like creepy bat things with sharp claws and teeth. Totally not metal at all,” Eddie explained, waving his hands around briefly. "But Vecna is gone now, so they're gone. I think." He muttered, eyes wandering around your room.

"Wait, so you were killed by weird bats and you're telling me that this Upside Down is like some creepy another dimension?" You questioned, confused.

"Yes. Yes. It's like a parallel universe where everything goes wrong. All the time." Eddie explained.

You stared at Eddie, mouth agape before laughing nervously. "That's pretty weird. I'm sorry you died like that."

Eddie chuckled "It's okay. Well... I do miss being alive. I miss being able to eat things, smell things, and touch things. I miss my friends. But I don't regret dying." He said with a shrug.

"Mmm." You replied, not really knowing what to say. It was silent for a bit before Eddie spoke up.

"Well!" He exclaimed, a smile on his face, which you had to admit to yourself, was quite adorable. "You asked me a question, so now it's my turn."

You fidgeted in your seat, turning slightly to the ghost boy, "Alright, what do you want to know?" You asked and Eddie hummed, pretending to think.

"Well..." He trailed off, "I want to know why you weren't scared of me. The last person I saw screamed and ran away." Eddie asked, looking at you curiously.

You chuckled, shaking your head "I don't really get scared easily And I consider myself strange and unusual."

Eddie huffed, flopping down onto your bed, "But I'm a ghost. That’s scary."

You shrugged, laughing lightly, "You’re not scary. And, well, before meeting you, I didn't know if I believed in ghosts actually." You admitted quietly.

Eddie's eyes widened, "Really? Then how did you explain how your brush moved from your desk to the bathroom?" He asked, surprised.

You looked over at him with wide eyes, slapping your hand on the bed with a soft thump, "That was you!? I knew I wasn't going crazy!"

Eddie grinned, nodding, "Yep! That was me." He said proudly.

You laughed, shaking your head "Well, thank you for letting me live my life normally." You said sarcastically, before speaking again. "So... Have you been haunting me this entire time I've lived here?"

Eddie huffed, sitting up, "Not entirely. I was mostly in the attic. But I come down here every once in a while. But, I didn't talk to you until now cause I thought you'd be scared of me." He muttered sheepishly. "I didn't want you to be scared of me."

"Oh..." You said softly.

Eddie nodded, "Yeah, and I'll be honest with you here... This may sound stupid, but I really like you." He said with a shy smile.

Your heart skipped a beat and you blushed, you weren't sure what to say in response.

"It must be weird hearing that. From a ghost." Eddie spoke, frowning slightly and looking down at your carpeted floor. "I mean... I've been here for sixty-four years, and I've never seen anyone as pretty as you. I only wish that I lived in this time. So I could talk to you. Gain the courage to ask you out or something."

You continued to stay silent, and Eddie continued, "I'm sorry I dumped all that on you. I'll go-"

"Eddie! Wait..." You called before he could disappear.

Eddie froze, and he glanced back at you, "Yeah?" He asked, nervous.

You smiled at him, feeling your face flush, "It's okay. It's a bit weird, sure, but I think you're adorable." You said softly, smiling at the ghost boy.

Eddie smiled happily, shocked by your response, "Adorable? Thanks." He said with a chuckle.

"And... I don't care if you're dead... We could just go on dates in my room or something, watch tv or play board games. People who are alive suck anyway." You laughed, placing your hand on his ghostly one on the bed.

Eddie's eyes widened, as did his smile before he took your hand in his. His smiling turned into shock as he held your hand in his.

"I can feel you..." He mumbled, eyes staring down at your hands.

You shuddered, nodding, "Yeah. You're cold."

Eddie gasped, "Oh! Sorry!" He said, dropping your hand, but you stopped him, taking his hand back in yours.

"It's fine, Eddie. The cold didn't bother me anyway." You chuckled, looking up at him as he smiled, confused.

"What?"

You shook your head, "Nothing..."

#eddie x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson ghost #ghost eddie munson #x reader #x female reader #fluff #slight angst #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #stranger things season four #halloween fanfiction #2022

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shadowed-dancer · 2 years

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Thoughts on Episode 117 (S6 E4)

Dramatic Dabi, nefarious Nomus, and disintegrating dreamscapes. Let’s talk about it

Spoilers for the episode (duh), but no spoilers for the manga

FATAXI

There is something so funny about Hawks being so coherent and looking only vaguely inconvenienced while being actively burned to a crisp instead of, you know, screaming in pain or struggling to get away. Seriously, go back and watch the scene where Dabi really activates his quirk. Hawks makes like one noise to show it hurts and then goes into totally-normal-conversation mode. It's so funny to me

"Darn, I sure hate that this villain is using his quirk and burning my back. Ouch! He upped the heat! Man, what a pickle. Anyways, why couldn't I find any info on you?"

That Stain flashback was... really long. I had to go check the manga and yeah, that wasn’t in there. I was so surprised because based on the episode title I knew this episode should be adapting 4 chapters and therefore should have less filler, but I was happy to see this was basically the only time the episode was stalling. The rest of the episode was great in that regard and the pacing was really good

Actually, I've been very pleased with the pacing of the entire season

See, that's the thing. I'm willing to accept awkwardly long flashbacks if the rest of the episode (and season) benefit from it (i.e. ending on cool moments, having overall good pacing, etc.)

Back to Dabi, I actually found his whole scene to be a little underwhelming. It was still really good, it just didn’t have the same oomph as the manga chapter. Maybe it was the lighting? Every time they pulled back to that wide shot the lighting looked so not dramatic lmao

That being said, I LOVE how they adapted the black speech bubble scene (and I also predicted that the day the final trailer dropped lol)

Mirko :)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the lighting in the lab is so pretty and I'm obsessed with any fight scene that happens there. I've never been one to complain "oh mleh the lighting in mha sucks" but when it's pretty, it's pretty and I notice

This is so random but I really liked how they showed Woman (the female Nomu) thinking. The electricity going through her brain as she worked through her thought process was so clever while also (probably) being cost effective and letting the animators focus their efforts elsewhere. I love when otherwise boring scenes are made creative

Speaking of animation, this episode looked great. The one closeup of Dabi looked a little wonky, but I think it’s because that panel was supposed to be a still-shot of him smiling. He was never meant to move or have speak in that pose. But other that than, everything looked so crisp. Mirko’s fight was amazing and all the pros looked beautiful

DJ PUNCH!!!

Tomura's dreamscape looked! So! Cool!

I was low key hoping they'd reintroduce the hat man scene that got cut in MVA during the dream sequence but... oh well. Hope that doesn't end up being important lol

Overall, very cool episode

#bnha #bnha season 6

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morganas-pendragons · 2 years

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TWD 11.17 and 18

These are going to be brutally honest thoughts. I haven't done one of these in a while, and I haven't seen any generally good thoughts about these two episodes so here we go!

DID ANYONE NOTICE THEY ADDED TO THE TITLE CARDS AND THE THEME?

I don't have the slightest clue what happened at the beginning of Episode 17 but I am 100% here for Sleezy Hornsby getting shot by Daryl

Also, speaking of Sleezy -- His actor is A List, he's done a phenomenal job!

For any of you who keep repeatedly saying that Negan doesn't deserve a redemption arc... very kindly? You're wrong. He's had it, it was executed well, and I'm glad he's gotten a decent arc from Season 9 and 10 (I need to rewatch S11 in entirety before I can say it for this season too)

MERCER *insert drooling emoji here*

I kid you not I went "MOM" as soon as carol appeared on screen

AUNT CAROL?????? *CRIES*

Judith is so big it makes me want to die

I love that little character detail about Carol where she's always thinking three steps ahead of the antagonist for that particular season. It really speaks to her life experience how she's always prepared.

YA'LL COME AFTER JUDITH AND RJ AND YOU WILL BE CATCHING THESE HANDS

JDM is so good at the comedic aspect of Negan

I remember years ago that I desperately wanted to see JDM and MMB on screen together because of the dynamic between Carol and Negan -- and how drastically different they are from one another. THIS ONE DOESN'T DISAPPOINT EITHER

Episode 17 definitely gives me the vibes of if Woodbury had gone wrong, how would it have happened?

there's alot of nice callbacks to previous seasons/characters in this episode, which is really nice. I hope the series finale has this same kind of nostalgia.

also. Melissa? blue. her color. I will now associate every shade of blue with Melissa McBride, no questions asked.

I really, really hope Sebastian gets the crap kicked out of him by everyone

I love the candle light vigil and what it means because it makes sense. All these people find out that the Governor's son is responsible for the deaths of multiple civilians from the community, and they're enraged. They're furious and want blood and I don't blame them.

here's the really ironic part of this episode: it once again showed us that not even a community of 50k is safe inside of these walls because the walkers can still get through

AH, TEAR GAS AT A PEACEFUL EVENT. WONDER WHY THAT'S FAMILIAR?

oh lord all the Caryl scenes are in episode 18 I guess I'm staying up to watch both

This got a solid 7/10 and would've been lower if Judith and Carol weren't in it LOL

Episode 18

WHAT LITTLE GIRL IS DOING THESE VOICE OVERS????

Also first impressions: I find it hilariously stupid that Daryl is questioning Carol playing both sides when she's clearly done this like a million other times????

DARYL GETS TO ACTUALLY DROP THE F BOMB??? WOW

go off my guy Hornsby absolutely deserved getting stabbed through the hand with your MASSIVE knife

I really have an issue with the regression of Carol and Daryl's relationship. That opinion might get its own post.

"You take happiness wherever you can get it, and don't ever be sorry for it." Carol honey I love you but please take your own advice

I love how the camera pans directly to Daryl and Judith as SOON as she walks away from Lydia after saying this

DARYL!! HOLDING!!! RICKS!! GUN!!!!

catch me crying at the ''here it's yours'' BYE I MISS RICK SO MUCH

I think it's interesting how some of the side characters are beginning to find themselves again at Commonwealth and that molds their decision as to whether or not they'll stay or return to the Safe Zone.

Also for you guys who are vehemently against CZ: This scene isn't romantic and has zero romantic implications. After all that happened in S9, I cannot see a world where they'd make an effort to go through this again.

You can really tell Cailey Fleming has grown up from where we saw her in S9 to now. She's been a PHENOMENAL little Judith.

And speaking of Judith -- she really is the embodiment of everything Rick and Michonne stood for, and if she doesn't appear in his spin off to reunite with her father I WILL RIOT

uncle daryl and his little niece makes me weep

uhm.... okay this wrestling scene is.. uh... extremely corny

OH OKAY STEPHANIE AND EUGENE I SEE YOU

I FREAKING KNEW THE WALKERS WERE GOING TO GET IN WHEN FAKE STEPHANIE AND HER FRIEND KILLED THAT CREW WHY IS THIS SHOW SO PREDICTABLE

okay but highkey mercer might be the most attractive man in the commonwealth

THE WAY I CHEERED WHEN EUGENE THREW THAT WALKER AT SEBASTIAN GO OFF MY DUDE GO OFF

okay but imo his death might be the most gruesome/tragic one we've had in.. quite a while

this one was alot better then 17 because it again proves that not even a civilization of fifty thousand people is safe inside of these fortified walls where they get to pretend like the world didn't end and try to live the way they did before. I enjoyed this one much more thoroughly, but not enough Carol. 8/10!

bonus: why does episode 19 look better then 18 and 17 combined

#twd spoilers #twd #darylneedscarol #caryl

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usermaha · 2 years

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Queendom 2 FINAL Performances Review

the previews were enough to tell me that this will be an underwhelming finale, and unfortunately, i was right. for the most part, i can't say i really enjoyed any of the original songs. now, what's the point of becoming Queens of K-pop when, your talents and skills aside, you can't make a banger K-pop record?

what's going on with the titles btw? this is what caught my attention first-hand. Red Sun is a Brave Girls song, performed literally last week, Whistle is a Blackpink song, WJSN's song also involves a whistle in the production, Pose is a Red Velvet song, Kepler performed The Boys last week so their song is called The Girls, like???

Hyolyn: she has consistently served throughout this show, so i was disappointed the most. with the preview i was honestly worried it would get 'ethnic hip' again, but those aspects were minimal. the sonic direction of the song i didn't dig at all. The message was so unique ya'll 🙄. The dancing was limited, and i surprisingly noticed her live vocals were weak, maybe her condition was not good (the full episode might have addressed this). The feature, however, i have to acknowledge good rapping when i see it.

VIVIZ: this song i did get to hear on spotify, and i liked the vibes, it was not intense as a final song should be, its relaxed, it felt like it should be played in a cafe. this is the kind of sound that will suit viviz in the future. for staging they went fairy-tale but the magic and majesty wasn't there, rather it gave the look of a middle school play lol. why simple monochrome dresses? didnt get the storyline this time either.

Brave Girls: I guess they hadn't played their Summer Concept straight up till this point, i have to give them that. The song was generic Brave Girls summer song, but they are good at this. I really liked the simple tie-dyed outfit, the open hair flowing in the wind, the bare feet, they looked pretty. at least i had some fun.

WJSN: the song has some things going for it. it gives a little mystical, a little fantasy, before it hits the chorus and i think im listening to 18 girl group songs at once. I thought they'd do more for the stage. the intro choreo was cool, i felt like i was watching the summoning rites to some goddess lol. Seola gave. At this performance i got tired of the lift thing, what impact does it have if everyone's doing the same thing.

LOONA: the point they were trying to make, i respect that. girl groups strut and wear black and call themselves 'badass' all day. but rarely actually get to display the sheer power that boy group releases have. if anybody should start that change it should be, miss 'Cherry Bomb cover'. that being said, i dont like NCT 😭. if i keep my personal preferences aside, i think they gave the chaos and the energy they had in mind. big takeaway from this show: i was actually not a Yves stan, and i thought her being thrusted at the front of every release was unjustified. but now i understand her role in leadership, how much of a talented dancer she is, her charisma could cut glass.

Kep1er: i have heard this song before, and god knows, i will hear it again 😓. realization: this group is just Youngeun, hikaru and dayeon. over and over, it's just the three of them my eyes keep following. its their insane stage presence that will set them apart from the competitors going forward.

my ranking: WJSN > Brave Girls > LOONA > VIVIZ > Kep1er > Hyolyn

Opinion on Final Ranking:

I was a bit shocked when i heard WJSN won. Going into the show WJSN was almost K-pop folklore to me, but i dont think they exhibited anything extraordinary in this show.

but that was actually no one lol, i suppose my expectations were too high. apart from Hyolyn, i couldn't really picture anyone else winning, and Hyolyn's loss at the later part of the competition is justified in my perspective. So im not mad.

i wasn't expecting LOONA to win based on the results of the previous rounds. but them losing by one rank, that too because of the first round obviously stings, more so as an orbit. God just really hates them, huh

VIVIZ went above Hyolyn?? How did that happen?

All of that celebration over Brave Girls winning 1st place-

i feel really bad for Kep1er. time and time again ive said competing with experienced artists is not fair on them. they came out of it just looking bad. i hope this didnt hurt their confidence personally, especially since they just come out of a demanding debut battle.

#queendom 2 #kpop #💫#why was the whole thing so underwhelming #are all queendom/kingdoms like this #i wasn’t invested through any of it

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sitcom-thoughts · 4 days

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okay no one asked for this BUT im a little annoyed so here's a bit of a "review" of the first two episodes of criminal minds season 16 AKA Criminal Minds: Evolution

(read more for spoilers)

Firstly we're going to address the elephants in the room - Spencer isn't there. Now I'm a Spencer girlie through and through but I also love Penelope and Emily, and I've handled episodes without Spencer before. But knowing that he just isn't there and isn't coming back feels real different. I'm not gonna shit on the show because of this though because actors will say no to stuff all the time for a number of reasons (I been through this with Daredevil Born Again, i'm not doing it again people.)

B: the way this is shot is.. very different. So different that even in flashbacks from previous seasons they changed the aspect ratio - you can tell because the very tops of people's heads are cut off. The lighting is also different. Now these things aren't dealbreakers and like that stuff changes all the time in a show running as long as criminal minds (advances in technology and such) but for some reason the switch felt very abrupt? In the terms of show release there was nearly a two year gap between s15 and s16 which is huge, and a bigger gap than the show has ever had before. It makes sense they'd change up the style.

Number 3: The dialogue has drastically changed and I blame this wholeheartedly on it now being a Disney+ produced show. The first time Rossi said 'fuck' I audibly gasped. This sounds like pearl clutching but it's not - I had this same reaction to Brooklyn Nine Nine changing their swearing limitations - when you watch a show for so long, you get so used to the way the characters speak and the dialogue style. With a change of writers and production studios, and with release format, you get a noticeable change in the writing and dialogue. When B99 was allowed to swear (but then be censored) it was like the writers were 9 year old boys who learned the word fuck for the first time, and I couldn't help but get the same feeling with criminal minds.

IV: All the characters are so sad... and like they're sad in the rest of the show but not in the way they are here.. they killed Rossi's wife for what reason, JJ seems to be having a bumpy marriage, and Emily is in a difficult position with her job title.

All in all, I'm gonna keep watching since it's only 8 more episodes but I definitely don't feel that spark like I did with the rest of the show.

#taylor talks #taylor watches cm #s16 e2

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megashadowdragon · 6 months

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comments on hazbin hotel/helluva boss that I saw on spacebattles

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Monshroud said: What with the Executioners, and when the Helluva Boss episode with C.H.E.R.U.B gave us a tiny glimpse of heaven and some of its angels, I suppose it's likely they'll go the bashing route for them.

I guess that's why I like my Isekai idea for a "Biblically Accurate Angel", (perhaps an Ophanim/Throne), being sent to the Hazbinverse setting, a entity of such severe glory and inhuman focus and fervor, that to the more darkly comical inhabitants of the Hazbinverse they'd essentially be an Eldritch Abomination, but in a terrifyingly beautiful kind of way.

indeed. its an interesting scenario.

Honestly, I would like to see that happen in my own God's Demon/Hazbin timeline…perhaps with a "mysterious" biblically accurate Seraphim who goes by a title rather give his name…

also, having an interaction between the angel and Sargantanas would be nice.

7,388

tyranniod overlords said: Sargatanas: "At least, an actual angel-like from what I remember from the old days. The exterminators aren't even a good parody. good parodies require resembling and understanding the subject matter."

Need to specific that line would be Sargatanas' own personal opinion, not a comment on what the upcoming show will be.

If you think about it, the reality of the Hazbinverse being the creation of a Demiurge instead of THE God makes a lot of sense, particularly since even the humans are essentially poor parodies of actual humans as well.

What a coincidence! That's a similar explanation to what I was thinking of as well! with mine, more that demiurge has made a semi-takeover (not overthrown good, but swayed his creations astray and distorted everything) in my idea rather than being the true original creator of the Hazbin verse.

Say, as one of the symptoms of what the presence of an Eldritch Abomination is mutation and/or madness spreading, an actual angel in such a Chaotic setting would likely bring the opposite of both, spreading stability and sanity instead. Particularly once they start bringing more of their brethren to that reality as well.

It certainly would be an interesting twist on Cosmic Horror, being for supernaturals so used to the way things are, rather than Mankind.

Just picture I.M.P making one of their usual visits to Earth to murder someone, when they come upon a town full of humans NOT behaving as stupidly, erratically and cartoonishly as those they've encountered so far, but….. normally instead.

Then they notice the multiple ethereal entities watching over the town, the Ishim, not the cute cherubs they've encountered before, but regal beings of light, seemingly human in shape, watching them…. and when the demon assassins find their target, THAT'S when the terror starts. After all, REAL guardian angels don't F@#$ around.

tyranniod overlords said: hoo boy. proper angels are the embodiment of the trope beware the nice ones. That, and "Holy is Not Safe" in some cases.

I wonder who'd be the most susceptible to being traumatized/influenced by REAL angelic singing/music….. probably Blitzø.

Given his desire to be loved, hearing TRUE hosannas of God's undying and infinite compassion which resonate with the soul would undoubtedly paralyze him with terror and longing, unlike the screeching preaching of the Cherubs which would bore him to tears.

amy own statement :

someone else pointed out that the cherubs of helluva boss/hazbin hotel are more like putto

A putto (Italian: [ˈputto]; plural putti [ˈputti])[1] is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and very often winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,[2] the putto came to represent a sort of baby angel in religious art, often called cherubs (plural cherubim), though in traditional Christian theology a cherub is actually one of the most senior types of angel.[3]

#helluva boss #hazbin hotel

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shyrose57 · 3 years

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Brothers anon, it makes me really happy and comforts me that you enjoy reading what I submit. It makes me really happy to write all of this and finally be able to tell someone my ideas. Thank you so much.

At first he kept trying to deny the father figure role, but when one night Jackie had a nightmare and came to him and ended up calling him dad, he stopped denying it and accepted it. And once he accepted it he did basically adopt all of them. Jackie and Grievous are literally chaos incarnate most days. They regularly love to prank the contestants and just act insane. Ran and Jackie just kind of hang around eachother, like Ran could be reading and Jackie training and they'd enjoy eachothers company. They do sometimes nap next to eachother, or play card games (which is a rare instance where Ran gets (playfully) rilled up and competitive). Grievous and Ran bonding sadly gets interrupted when Ranbob suddenly drops in, but before that Grievous would try to talk to Ran about what book he's reading and just try to make conversation with him.

Oh the height difference definitely remains. And its both terrifying and hailours to new people. It's even better when it's a 2v2 fight because Jackie has a habit of just climbing Ran like a monkey gym and sitting on his shoulders and its terrifying.

Well, since the drinking age is 3, I personally think the age limit is like 14 or something close. I believe I made their ages as Ran is 19 (almost 20. Maybe 4 months away), Jackie is 16, Watson is 30 something, Grievous is 22, and Ranbob is 28 (Ran is younger than his brother by 9 years) I have written down all their ages somewhere (and the ages where the events of Mizu took place) and if I got any wrong I will submit another ask with their ages. The other gladiators have managed to keep good relationships with most of eachother. A few like Grievous and Genevieve are close, Edward, Levi, and Watson are drinking buddies. Lagguis sadly isn't as involved cause he is sick and can't vist often at all. (I think I got everyone. Tell me if I missed anyone please, I cant check cause whenever I exit tumblr, tumblr deletes everything in my ask :') )

I dont have many rules for the Pit rn but I do have, no injuries that could cause long term or chronic damage, no sabotaging opponents, no teaming unless its a team round, no blackmail or anything of the sort to force an opponent to forfeit, and in order for a battle to end due to forfeit both sides must agree to it. But the Pit in general is a lot of things, there's fights for money, fame, and positions (like general). There's tournaments meant for nothing other than to show skill and just to fight your heart out. It's open to anyone above 14 and anyone under 80, to people from Subbin to those just passing through.

And there are different battles in the Pit, theres singles, the ones we saw in the Tales of the SMP episode. Teams, where teams of 2 battles against eachother. Free-for-all, where literally everyone fights against eachother. And Ion battles, battles where there are super powered weapons (like flame 2 iron sword. Or strength 3 potions) that spawn in the area at random. Typically Ran and Watson work best toghere, as their strategists and plan everything with back up plans, and they always call out warnings and watch eachothers back so its incredibly hard to actually hit them. And Jackie and Grievous work best toghere, with the two going insane and often taking people by surprise with their unmeasure and randomized movements and attacks.

At the start Ranbob was completely under Dreams thrall, not being able to really think for himself and even foregoing self care. When Ranbob starts to become himself again the fishermen are more than confused and hesitant, with Cletus especially stating multiple times that it may just be a trick. So it takes a while but Isaac actually is the one to suggest maybe it isn't a trick, and has to do with the mask that was found. This is later confirmed when the mask is brought to the group and Ranbob has a massive negative reaction that sets him back to how he was when they first met him.

Im honestly not sure yet, I think I want it to be a 'lets never go back' type thing but im not positive yet.

I dont have a solid backstory for the fishermen, but I know I want a little bit of it to tie to the story. Do you have any ideas for their backstory or nah? I do know I want them to have met eachother while they where in unfortunate situations and because of those they got family level close.

Ranbob doesn't take the little space well at first; staying outside when able too, even though that really upset Benjamin; and Ranbob has no idea how the outside works and has no idea how to read the weather or what he can and cant eat, but hey the enderman boi is trying his best to make up for everything he's done. And trying to build his own house to not impose on the fishermen (much like Ranboo did with Techno), but Benjamin wouldn't accept that and kept dragging him inside. It wasn't that hard for Benjamin, Isaac, and Charles to get used to Ranbob, already being used to sharing a small house, it was more Cletus with him refusing to leave Ranbob alone even for a second because he doesn't trust Ranbob at all.

The two groups actually get along surprisingly well! They like eachother and Watson once said, "It was like a family reunion. Or like long lost siblings finally found their way home."

I am once again not sure! Originally I planned for them to stay in Subbin and in the Pit. But the more I think about it the more boring that is and more I like the idea of the groups traveling toghere in the world.

I like this question! So enderman travel in groups called hauntings right? I personally headcanon the enderman in this group are basically family, biological or not. And ever since Ran and Ranbob lost their family they lost their haunting, which can be mentally damaging to a enderman. Once Ran found Waston, Jackie, and Grievous and started hanging around them more, he started feeling a connection ot them he hasn't felt on a long time. He's claimed them, as his haunting, his family. And he'll defend them with his life against anyone and anything. And then suddenly Ranbob came in, a enderman that should be part of his haunting but isn't, a enderman that killed his previous haunting. So Ran is incredibly defensive over his group, and is trying his best to keep Ranbob as far from his haunting as possible, to protect them.

Now Ranbob also got a haunting, his being Charles, Isaac, Benjamin, and even Cletus. So Ranbob is also defensive over his family. But unlike Ran, Ranbob still considers his brother as part of his haunting, his family (and yes, Ranbob did think Ran was dead when he first chased him out years ago, so he's shocked and relieved that his baby brother is still alive). And he sees how his family gets along so well with Rans family and then starts to even consider Rans haunting part of Ranbob's. Basically Ranbob has a big heart and is willing to accept almost anyone into his family, no matter what they've done.

Yep, the reason Porkius is so interested in Ran is because he's an enderman hybrid. And no one else is a hybrid expect for the two brothers (and Porkius, with him being a piglin hybrid).

Porkius is excited! He's excited to see what happens and is more than happy to agree to help as long as he is kept in the loop. Though unless he's directly asked to be involved he prefers watching from a distance at whats happening. Just so he doesn't get mauled by a pissed off enderman.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes (its late) and its so long! Im probably going to try to shorten them.

I’m glad you’re happy, it’s a nice thing to feel. Your ideas are really cool, and I hope I’ll get to see more of them in the future.

Now, can I simply say how adorable so much of this is? Jackie going to Watson when he had a nightmare, the Rans being protective of their groups, Jackie climbing Ran? I love that, it’s very heartwarming and cute, and it made me smile.

So Watson wasn’t really sure what to do with his new title at first, hm? And then Jackie called him dad? How’d he feel about that? How’d Jackie feel about the slip? Or did he even notice? He’s parenting them all, he’s gonna have a dad voice and everything. How do the adopted ones feel about him embracing it?

Jackie and Grievous, two people to truly fear when they wish to cause havoc. Tremble before them. Do they prank people, or do they just become absolute madmen on the battlefield? Or something else. Honestly, anything with these two just instantly makes me amused.

Jackie and Ran being chill buddies. very nice. Ran getting competitive over card games is a funny thought. Does he win often? Does Jackie? What kind of card games do they play?

Rather sad Ran and Grievous bonding is interrupted, but it’s nice to hear Grievous trying it. Hopefully they’ll get there someday.

Oh my god, it’s the height difference. Jackie getting on Ran’s shoulder sounds absolutely terrifying. Imagine being some poor new guy pitted against these gremlins and the short ones climbs on the tall ones shoulder-both look absolutely gleeful with the destruction they’re about to wreak, and you already know you cannot outrun them.

Jackie...Jackie...he’s da youngest. He’s small, and young, and you have no idea how much I’m laughing at this. I don’t even know why, it’s just really, really funny to me. Probably something to do with what a complete force of chaos we all know this boy is. Oddly fitting, but hilarious. How does Jackie feel about this?

How do the others? Are they a bit more protective over him? Does Ran like to flaunt his three years more over him?

Grievous and Genevieve are buddies! Very nice, they seem to have a good dynamic. Watson, Edward, and Levi also being close? Very interesting, has a lot of potential. I bet they share a lot of funny stories.

So we’ve established the basics of The Pit. Doesn’t seem too bad, for a fighting arena, to be honest. Seems pretty popular, actually. Do the gladiators live there? In the palace? Or do they just have a house somewhere nearby? What kind of establishments and areas are around? Food places, stores?

So Ran and Watson are the scariest team because of their strategy, and Jackie and Grievous are the scariest team because of their randomness? It checks out. I’m curious though, how do the other combinations work out?

Ranbob sounds like he has a less than fun time here, and the poor guy could really use some closure. What’s he like, free from the influence of the mask? He seems pretty close to Benjamin, so at least he’s got that going for him. Though he and Cletus don’t seem to have the strongest bond at first. How is that resolved?

And how does Ran feel about his brother’s new haunting, after everything? I imagine that he’s at least a little bit unhappy with it, for one reason or another-and there’s quite a few reasons for him to pick from.

How did that house-building attempt go, between Ran never being above water, and probably never building a house before? I can’t imagine too well.

Some ideas for backstory, well, hm. Isaac seemed dressed a bit fancier than the others, perhaps he comes from a richer family than the others? That’s about all I’ve got for now, sorry.

It’s nice to hear they got along, who clicks the easiest?

Possible road trip? Always fun.

So, the enderman hybrids have adopted their respective groups as their hauntings. You’ve mentioned Ranbob’s pretty cool with this, how does Ran feel? Obviously, he’s less than pleased with Ranbob, but what about the fishermen? Protective Ran and Ranbob! How protective exactly? Is it subtle, or overbearing at times? Actually, how do their instincts lead to them interacting with their groups overall?

Porkius must not see Ender hybrids too often, if he’s so interested in them. It’s nice that he’s willing to help out though, and his concern is valid. I wouldn’t want an angry enderman hybrid after me either.

Are hybrids not overly common, then, if there’s only Ran, Ranbob, and Porkius around currently, or are they just not mentioned a lot?

Thanks for the ask, a lot of it made me smile. I enjoyed reading it, and I hope you’ll be willing to send more when you have the time.

#dream smp #Brothers AU #dream smp au #tales from the smp #ranbob #ran #jackie #watson #isaac #charles #benjamin #cletus #grievous #porkius

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naradreamscape · 3 years

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TUGS was actually really well-written and directed (the episode called Munitions in particular has a lot of really good pyrotechnic work that must've taken weeks to film) so it's a shame that Salty's Lighthouse dumbed it down so much. It doesn't help that it had 13 episodes worth of TUGS footage to use for 40 produced episodes so kids probably noticed a lot of reused shots.

Oh yeah, having watched some of the actual TUGS series (both back in the day, and last night), I can say it's the superior version out of the two. The wildest change I can gather is how there are no villains in Salty's Lighthouse; everybody just works together and spends as much time as possible apologizing for any misunderstandings. Like, the villain in TUGS seems to be pretty cool and conniving (as much as a talking boat can be), while in Salty's Lighthouse, they have him edited to do weird shit like this

Regional edits like this could never be made nowadays. All a kid would have to do is search a show's title online, and then they'd immediately see there's an entirely different canon just a few countries over

#anon

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linphd · 5 years

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husband!toshinori x wife!reader | beans and rice [angst]

toshinori yagi x reader

female reader

At All Might’s funerals, his wife gives him a speech, as a farewell.

warning : death, angst, y'all gonna cry like I did.

spoil desperate housewives S8 : totally inspired by Mike's funerals episode, hence the video at the end of the story

if you watched it I hope you thought abt that when you read the title

notes for the story : (S/N) is son's name, you're in your 40s and you have been married to all might for 15 years, your son is roughly 10 years old.

'Heroes always get remembered, but legends never die'. That was what was pronounced on TV when the All Might passed. It was not long enough after his students graduated from Yuei. The Symbol of Peace just wasn't anymore, and All for One had came back to avenge himself, once more. Deku, the 'new All Might' arrived to fight the villain, finally defeating him after all those years.

But his mentor died a few minutes after. Journalists were there -they were always there- and recorded the whole scene. Oh, how sad it was. And how much Toshinori had talked about what his wife, his child, and Deku meant to him. All for One had actually came for his whole family, but even with his quirk almost totally gone, Toshinori had fought until he couldn't anymore, to protect his wife. Thanks God, (S/N) wasn't at home.

(Y/N) had run to her husband once she was sure All for One couldn't do anything anymore. He was bleeding, so much. Most of it was coming from the wound the villain had made during their first fight. ''MIDORIYA ! DO SOMETHING !'' She screamed, holding her man's body close, pressing at the wound like it would prevent the blood from falling. But he couldn't do anything anymore, except joining her to listen to the man's last words.

Many many people came to the Symbol of Peace's funerals, but only his family and friends were allowed to assist to it. (Y/N) had a speech, of course she had one. She didn't prepare it, but she knew she was going to say some thing at some point. And she finally was able to walk to the microphone towards the end of the ceremony. She waited for a few seconds to catch her breath, and sighed heavily before starting.

''I... didn't prepare anything, actually. I mean, you don't prepare yourself to assist to someone's funerals, so...'' (Y/N) wasn't crying, no. She wasn't going to cry in front of everyone. 'Don't forget to smile.' Toshinori had taught her. She wasn't going to disappoint him now !

''You know, when you're the number one hero, you don't think that you can have time to take care of your family, and to take care of the citizens at the same time. But, Toshi managed to find a balance between those. Of course, we waited a bit for him to weaken before having a child, because I wouldn't have dare disturb him during his Golden Age, right ? He was so busy.''

She had to blabber about his hero life a lot, since he was mostly known for that. It had always been his dream ; to be the number one hero. His existence itself decreased the attacks of villains ! She couldn't skip this part.

But the part (Y/N) really wanted to talk about was the Toshinori Yagi's part. The man behind the hero. ''I loved him. Even when he wasn't smiling, even when he was weak. I still love him, and I think that... I'll love him forever. How many times I saw him exhausted, spitting blood, but still changing our baby's diaper, and helping me out in the house. He was also working on his teacher's job, and I really don't know how his organs didn't just stop functioning at some point.''

That made some people chuckle, and that was a good thing. You need to smile, All Might said it. ''And for that, I'll be forever grateful. We'd been married for 15 years, and I think I saw him fully relaxing like 5 times only. And I was worried that he was always overworking himself, but it was to do all the things he loved.''

People were crying, though. They managed to crack a smile every now and then, but almost everyone was crying. All of his students were there, and every single one of them were admiring him. But those were silent cries. The speech was the only thing that could be heard.

''I know that he had a good life, and he had nothing to regret. For some, he was a hero, someone to admire, and an example. For some, he was a friend, a parent, actually a human that could show weaknesses and feelings, and wasn't only this machine that could destroy any villain. But every single one of you knew about his family, about (S/N) and I.''

The woman's eyes were wet, but it didn't look like any tear was going to fall and roll down her cheeks. ''And you told us 'don't be sad for him, he is in a better place'. But, I'm not sad for him. I mean, I am sad, but I actually believe that he really is in a better place.''

That was weird how she liked beans for some reason, and how he liked rice because of it was the easiest meal to find in a hurry where they lived. But they both used to mix it so they'd both be happy with what they were eating. She stopped, thinking about this meal, wondering if she'll ever mix those ingredients ever again now. It's weird, how insignificant things travel your mind when the person dies. It was so natural you weren't even noticing it, and now that you won't do it anymore, you remembered the existence of that special thing.

But, (Y/N) needed to focus on her speech, and kept talking instead. She still couldn't cry yet. ''I believe that he's fighting some villains, citizens everywhere, cheering for him. He's eating with his family, eating too fast so I have to tell him to calm down, because there's no need to rush, and (S/N) is laughing, wearing his All Might onesie. He's training his students, encouraging them. He's hanging out with his colleagues, telling me everything they talked about during those meetings once he's back home. And he's also on the beach, with 'Young Midoriyaaaa' to talk about his quirk.''

She chuckled when she imitated him. He was surely yelling 'I WAS HERE' to those villains he was fighting, doing some poses if he was ever spotting a camera. ''And because he's at all those wonderful places, I have to tell him goodbye, now.'' She approached the coffin, it was still open. She put a hand on her heart, and the other on the coffin, looking at her husband for the last time. She sighed heavily, once again, before telling him her farewell.

''I love you once.''

For his hero form, the Symbol of Peace, the All Might.

''I love you twice.''

For his normal form, vulnerable, that he only showed to people he trusted.

''I love you more than beans and rice. Goodbye, All Might.''

youtube

I actually wanted to write this story with Shouta or Shoto, but I made them die once already djdjsk and the I love you once I love you twice was really fitting with Toshi's forms, so yeah

I also watched his fight against All for One again and got emotional

I'M CRYING SO BAD WRITING THIS BC IT'S 4AM AND I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE OOF

This gif didn’t help and I oop

can we note that in every anime books I have, I put desperate housewives references ? I love this TV show so much omg

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #all might #toshinori yagi #yagi toshinori #toshinori x reader #all might x reader #angst

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caranfindel · 5 years

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Recap/review 14.05: “Nightmare Logic”

THEN: Maggie. Lucifer brings her back to life but she's not okay. Maybe Jack can help us stop all the evil in the world. But then what would we do? Michael is making super monsters. The hunted become the hunters.

NOW: Maggie? Are they really still trying to make me care about Maggie? {sigh} Fine. Maggie is on a hunt, all on her own, in Claremore, Oklahoma, which she calls "delightful" but I'm pretty sure she's being sarcastic. She's in what looks like a mausoleum, hunting what she thinks is a ghoul, and we know all this because she took a camera out of her bag and started talking to it. She's wearing light pink pants that are gonna show ALL THE BLOOD, so you can tell she's still a newbie. And then the ghoul gets her. Bye, Maggie?

Title card!

Bunker. Sam seems to be leading a small hunting class. He wraps it up quickly when Dean comes in, and it seems like he still feels uneasy being a leader when Dean's around. Which makes sense. Dean's been the leader all of Sam's life. For his part, Dean actually seems to enjoy watching Sam in this new role, although he's a little sarcastic about things like hunter check-ins ("that's adorable!"). He asks Sam if he's getting any sleep, and we know the answer is "no" because Sam doesn't really answer. He's got 16 hunters on case, not including Cas and Jack (who are in Sarasota) or Mobby (who are in Texas.) You know, I'm okay with Cas being gone, but I'm not okay with him taking Jack with him. Just saying.

Dean thinks the new people don't need this much help, since they all survived a war, but Sam explains that a war is not hunting. Which begs the question, why are they all hunting anyway? Sam's right - the angel war wouldn't really prepare them for hunting monsters. So why are they doing it? Just because they live in the bunker now, so they have to be hunters? Is that why Maggie's out there in her damn pink pants trying not to get killed again?

As Sam's talking, he gets a notification that Maggie missed check-in. Ruh roh! {Sidebar: Seems like having to call in at a pre-scheduled time would be really inconvenient for hunting, so I've decided this just means she has to check in at least once every 24 hours.} Next we see the guys in the library, with Dean calling Maggie and not getting an answer as Sam works on the laptop. He has pulled up footage from Maggie's bodycam, which surprises Dean and me, but Sam says having the new hunters watch each other hunt is the best way to learn. You know, I'm thrilled with Sam's little vocational training program here, but I think the best way to learn would be to send the newbies out with experienced hunters, instead of sending them on their own and putting bodycams on them so everyone else can watch them die. But what do I know?

Sam says the bodycams upload directly to the server, so I guess Maggie had wifi in a mausoleum somewhere in delightful Claremore, Oklahoma. Of course, if Sam provided them, they'll have wifi everywhere, so let's not concern ourselves with minor details. They watch the ghoul from Maggie's POV, and Sam's clearly upset and afraid she's dead. Dean points that she might be okay, because 1) they didn't see her die, and b) ghouls are scavengers that don't normally feed on the living. Sam says "Yeah, but remember the ones that killed and ate Adam and his mom? And were eating me alive before you killed them?" No, he doesn't say that. But he should. Someone should. Instead he just asks why a ghoul would attack her. Because it's a monster, Sam.

(Hey, remember when Sam was tied to the table and the ghouls were eating him? That was a good episode.)

But this one has several good points too, including the fact that Sam looks like he might be growing the beard again. (I know he's not. Let me dream.)

Cut to a nice transition video of the Impala zooming down the road, and then the brothers in the cemetery where Maggie was last seen. Dean comments that a private cemetery must be nice, because it would be convenient. Yeah, when you die as often as these two, a cemetery in the back yard would be handy. On the other hand, they're usually not buried, so. Maggie was working this cemetery in the first place because some kids said online that a walker tried to end them. Sam then tries to mansplain (Samsplain?) walkers to Dean, who is very aware of what they are.

They enter the mausoleum and go down a flight of stairs. Damn, this thing is big. I've seen little mausoleums in cemeteries before, but nothing like this. They find drag marks on the floor. "But no blood," Dean says, "which means Maggie could still be alive." But those pink pants are gonna be really dirty.

(Hey, remember the last time Dean and Sam and Maggie were in a dark underground place, and someone got attacked and dragged away? That was a good episode.)

(Are you really doing this again? We get it. The show repeats itself and has frequent subtle and less-sutble references to older, better episodes. Can you stop now?)

(Fine. Geez.)

Sam doesn't think that's likely, because "ghouls don't take prisoners." I mean, I guess Sam wasn't technically a prisoner when he was tied to a table, but he does at least have to acknowledge that they won't necessarily eat you quickly. Dean's being oddly optimistic, saying that it might have taken her elsewhere to eat her, and maybe "hasn't finished the job yet." So, maybe only her arms and legs have been eaten? Well, that's encouraging. They're interrupted by a groundskeeper, so Sam introduces them as Harrison and Byrne (Talking Heads, so that had to be Sam's choice, not Dean's) from the Historical Preservation Society, sent by the city who wants to make the property a historic site. Oh, and can they speak to the owner?

When we get a view of the house, it's overgrown by weeds and out-of-control shrubs, so I think that groundskeeper needs to concentrate more on his gardening and less on who might be lurking in the convenient private cemetery. The somewhat geeky owner is very excited, saying he always knew this house had historical significance. He invites them in, but is surprised to see them, since it seems like the two who are already there should be enough. Whaaa? They walk into the living room to see the other two "historical preservationists" - Mary and Bobby.

And Bobby is wearing Michael's hat! RUN, BOYS, RUN!

Sam pointedly says he wishes they'd checked with "the main office" before coming all the way out here. {Sidebar: You know, the Show plays fast and loose with geography on a regular basis, but I like that Sam and Dean came from down Kansas and Mary and Bobby came up from Texas and they met in Oklahoma in a completely plausible timeline.} Bobby says they don't need permission from the main office to look at houses, "especially when the main office is run by a bunch of idjits."

OH WHAT THE HELL FAKE BOBBY! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS.

Mary pulls Sam away for a private talk while Dean questions the owner, Neil. But it turns out he's not actually the owner, he's only the nurse the owner, Mr. Rawling. Meanwhile, Mary explains to Sam that she and Bobby had been talking Maggie through her hunt, giving her pointers. (Gee, maybe you shouldn't have sent her off alone, Sam.) When she stopped texting, they got worried and came to check on her. Sam asks if they found anything, but before she can answer, Dean calls Sam into Mr. Rawling's room. He's unconscious, in a hospital bed, and they both agree that he looks exactly like the ghoul they saw on Maggie's video. (Which is odd, but what's even odder is that Mr. Rawling is getting a blood transfusion. Why?) If the ghoul is here, they wonder, where's Maggie?

Cut to Maggie, alive and conscious somewhere. She's strung up by her wrists and surrounded by blood bags. Hmmm. Looks more like a djinn to me.

Back at the house, Neil explains that Rawling had a stroke. Just then, Rawling's daughter Sasha shows up. She is considerably less excited to hear that the National Historic Preservation Society is interested in the house. She doesn't even know how long her father has lived here, and she's just here to wrap things up before he dies. She says it's been "a really long week," so I guess the stroke happened recently. And I'm pretty sure old Rawlings would still be in the hospital if his stroke was that recent, so put another check in the "odd" column. Sam does his best empathetic face, but she doesn't want to deal with the National Historic Preservation Society right now and asks them to leave.

Have you ever noticed that when Jared narrows his eyes a little bit, it emphasizes their tilt? Because I have.

The team regroups at the Impala. On the one hand, I like them working on their hypotheses and eliminating monsters based on their extensive knowledge. On the other hand, none of their extensive knowledge seems to have much basis in canon. First Bobby declares Rawlings "not a ghoul" because he "checked him out pretty good back there" and didn't find any bites. So I guess you stripped the old guy down under Neil's watchful eye, Fake Bobby? I don't think so. Mary suggests a shifter, but Dean says shifters don't hang out in graveyards. Sam suggests possession, which Nasty Fake Bobby dismisses because a demon wouldn't have put him back in bed after using his body, and he sprinkled him with holy water anyway. Dean calls him on his even-grumpier-than-usualness...

Something on your mind, Bobby?

Yeah. Your brother. He let Maggie come here when she had no idea what she was walking into. She wasn't ready.

Oh, come on. When is anybody ever ready?

You are or you ain't. A real leader would have seen that a mile away.

Well, okay then! Clearly I was at fault for accepting AU Bobby so quickly. He's not our Bobby at all. He's not just adorably surly, he's mean. And he's wearing that hat. And now I'm seriously starting to wonder if this is really even Fake Bobby. Did he pick that hat up at the church, after Dean took it off? Is that when Michael made him his vessel? Is Michael that attached to the damn hat? Is the hat a possessed object? Something evil is afoot, and THE HAT IS PART OF IT. I'M SURE.

This is a pretty scene, but my favorite part is Dean's "why are you being mean to my Sammy, old man?" face.

Mary smacks Fake Bobby back down, and then says they should split up. She takes Sam. Aw, this is twice that she's pulled Sam aside to take care of him. I like anyone taking care of Sammy. As she and Sam walk, she tells him not to listen to Bobby, but Sam wonders if he's right about everything. She says no, he's born to do this, and he could respond with "Actually, the only thing I was born to do was to be Lucifer's vessel," but he doesn't.

Mary continues, saying that if Bobby can't see what a natural born leader and generally awesome human being Sam is, it's not the only thing he's missing. Oh god, is she talking about what I think she's talking about? Do I even want to KNOW what Bobby is missing? Sam thinks the same thing, and segues into a talk about their relationship. Mary says that ever since they've been back (from AU Land, I guess), Bobby hunts all the time. "He won't take a break, not even for s-" and I swear to Chuck I thought she was going to say for sex, but she says "for a second." And then they have this exchange:

Bobby's not open like your dad.

Wait. Like MY dad?

Okay, at least he's not like your dad was when I knew him.

Oh my Chuck, Mary and Sam are talking about John. Poor Sam, who wasn't even allowed to talk about his mother for most of his life, now gets to talk TO her. About his father. Someone hold me. It's also funny and sad that the John he knew is so, so different from the John she knew. And now I'm imagining drunk Sam and Dean telling stories about their childhood, and Mary being absolutely horrified.

Anyway. Mary says Bobby has "walls" and she doesn't know if she can handle that, "if I even put myself out there again." Oh, wait, so she wasn't out there? So she and Bobby aren't actually in a relationship? They're just flirting and making googoo eyes and hunting together? Huh.

Sam makes an uncomfortable face, and she realizes he's not the best audience for this discussion, and it's all very weird and sweet. I'm going to stick with Mary and Sam rather than going back and forth like they do in the episode. Sam tells her that "our Bobby" wasn't very open either, at least not at first, and that he had to kill his wife and they had no kids. And Fake Bobby's walls are probably there for a good (bad) reason. Oh, Sam. You know about walls and reasons, don't you? He suggests that, if she cares about him, she won't give up on Bobby and his walls. Then they see something that looks like a pile of cloth. It's a jacket or something, and it comes with a pile of IDs - FBI, DEA, Forest Service. Must be a hunter!

Meanwhile, Bobby and Dean are having this talk:

You think I was too hard on your brother back there.

He's doing his best. He's doing better than his best. This whole hunter 5-0 thing, he's killing himself over it. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, he grew himself one of those Kenny Rogers beards... no offense.

How much do I love Dean standing up for Sam, noticing everything he's doing? SO MUCH. I mean, I'm sure part of it is the classic "no one gets to talk smack about my little brother except me," but part of it is that he really is proud of Sam and what he's doing. And really is worried about him.

Dean and Fake Bobby come up on an old shed and open the door. It seems to be full of pelts. Dean goes inside, but Bobby sees a man in the woods and runs off toward him. Without saying anything to Dean. Dammit, Fake Bobby. Dean finds a body. Must be a dead hunter! He turns toward Bobby, just now realizing he's been left alone, and then something attacks him from behind. It's the old man Rawling ghoul! Dean grabs something off the windowsill, I can't tell what, and stabs the ghoul with it. The ghoul dissolves into dust. Huh. Weird. Bobby returns to find Dean covered in ghoul dust.

Back at the house, Sasha is going over some paperwork when she hears noises that seem to be coming from upstairs. She goes up and wanders down an oddly angular hallway. She opens a super-squeaky door and a vampire leaps out. On first watch, I only noticed the teeth, but on rewatch, it's one of the AU-style vampires, with the big pointy ears. She flees and falls {Sidebar: At this point, The Husband asked why women are always falling when they run away from monsters; I said it's the high heels} but as she cowers on the floor and awaits her doom, she realizes nothing is after her. The vampire is gone.

Sam and Mary are back at the Rawling house, and while it was bright daylight when they were wandering around and Sasha was being attacked, it's dark now. She explains that whatever she saw couldn't have been real, because it looked like a vampire, and Sam tells her she's not crazy. She gets the "monsters are real" speech, and Neil is more disappointed that they're not from the Historical Society than he is to learn that monsters are real. Then Dean shows up.

You're not gonna believe what I found in the shed.

You hunt monsters!

Oh, good. You told them.

What did you find in the shed?

Dead guy.

Hee! This little scene just cracks me up. Dead Guy matches the fake IDs, and Sam tells Dean they think something is killing hunters. Mary notices Bobby's gone, and Dean says he went to get something out of the truck. Alone??? She runs out after him. Dean tells Sam about Ghoul!Rawling attacking him, and Sasha's all, "he's right there," and Dean turns toward Rawling but all we can see is the foot of his bed, so I'm fairly sure it's going to turn out he's not right there after all. (Spoiler alert: I'm wrong.) Sam tells Dean about the vampire, but since the vampire didn't feed on Sasha, and the Ghoul!Rawling "died weird," Sam suggests maybe these aren't monsters at all (relieved sigh from Neil) but some kind of manifestation (not-relieved, confused looks from Neil and Sasha) like B.J. Hunnicut Fred Jones, who made all the Looney Tunes violence.

(Hey, remember when Fred Jones made the Looney Tunes violence, and Dean's gun had a flag that said BANG? That was awesome.)

(I can't help it, guys, the Show is feeding them directly to me!!!)

Sasha assures them her father is narcissistic but not psychic, and Dean wonders why he would manifest a vampire to scare his own daughter. Well, I mean, sounds like he was a bad father, so. When Sasha tells them what happened, Dean notices that she was scared away from what she was investigating, which is probably the reason the vampire was... manifested. Sam volunteers to go upstairs and investigate. Dean hands him a machete.

Downstairs, Dean sharpens another machete while Sasha downs some pills, and I know how you feel, Sasha. I've felt like cracking open the Xanax this week myself. She vents about her father and reveals that, because he was gone all the time, she was the one who found her mother after she (I assume) killed herself. "You what the most ridiculous part is?" she says. "I worshipped him when I was a kid. Didn't know any better. He's the only family I have left." Oh, gee, who else in this room can relate to that? Dean offers her some advice, which is to let it go. "The past is... nothing you can do about it now, so. It's just baggage. Let it go, you'll feel a lot lighter." She asks if that's what he does, and he says "I try. Every single day." Oh Dean!

Upstairs, Sam walks carefully down the oddly angular hallway (really, it makes NO SENSE) and opens the door Sasha had been peeking through. It's access to the attic. Sam peers around with his flashlight find finds old toys and a spooky taxidermied animal and blood bags and Maggie, strung up like the victim of a djinn. He pulls a needle from her neck and she wakes up, saying "it's here." There's a growl behind Sam and then the AU vampire attacks. {Sidebar: I wonder what kind of PTSD flashbacks Sam's going to have the next time he tries to go to sleep?} Sam hits it with the machete and it explodes into a cloud of dust, just like Dean's ghoul.

While all of this is happening, Mary goes outside and finds Bobby isn't at his truck. We see him walking in the dark, and then the man he ran after earlier comes out from behind a tree. His eyes are burned out.

Daniel?

Hey, Dad.

OH SNAP.

Bobby is shocked to see him, since apparently he died in AU Land. He kicks the crap out of Fake Bobby and then pins him to a tree with an angel blade through the shoulder, even though he doesn't stab him nearly hard enough to go through the tree, and even though Bobby remains completely level instead of hanging from that point. Mary shows up and Bobby yells at her to run. She shoots Dead!Daniel instead, but bullets don't do anything. As Dead!Daniel chokes Mary, Bobby pulls the angel blade out and falls down from the tree. He says "I'm sorry" and stabs Dead!Daniel with the angel blade, which causes him to explode into a cloud of dust.

Downstairs, Dean and Sasha go into Rawling's room, where Neil is fiddling with something. Dean finally asks what I've been asking the whole time, which is, why is the old man getting a blood transfusion? Neil says it keeps up his iron. Dean gives him a funny look and then asks Sasha to go make him a sandwich. She's all, what, seriously? He mouths go and flicks his eyes at Neil and she finally gets it and she's all, yes, that sounds like a great idea, I will go make you a sandwich.

He's so not subtle at all. I love him.

Dean pulls his gun and says he recognizes the rig now, from when he was hooked up to it. "You're not giving him blood. You're taking it." We see a flashback from "What Is and What Should Never Be," with Dean strung up in the djinn's warehouse.

(HEY! REMEMBER WHEN DEAN WAS CAPTURED BY A DJINN AND HAD THAT WHOLE DREAM LIFE? THAT WAS AMAZING.)

{Sidebar: The thing is, this would never work. The blood bag is hanging above Rawling's head. If you've ever given blood, you know the collection bag is hung below the needle. Your blood's not going to flow upstream. Gravity, people.}

"You're a djinn," Dean says. "But you knew that already, didn't you?" says Neil, as his eyes flash blue and his tattoos briefly appear. Dean asks why he's going after hunters, and he says "Because you told me to! Is this still part of the game?" Um, whaaa? Neil thinks Dean is Michael. The Michael who told him to set up a trap for hunters. He thought this was just a test. The new power Michael gave him is the ability to read minds and see nightmares just by touching his victim. And he can bring those nightmares into the world and make them do whatever he wants. Rawling's nightmare was dying alone in this house, and Neil is making it come true. Maggie's nightmares were the AU vampires. Ah, that explains why the monsters disintegrated - they weren't real. And it also explains why the AU vampires were over here. They came from Maggie's head.

Dean is still threatening Neil with the gun, and Neil says it won't kill him, and he's pretty sure Dean doesn't have a knife dipped in lamb's blood. (Silver, Neil, it has to be silver.) Dean does what I always wish they'd do in a "your mere gun won't kill me" situation, and shoots him in the knee, cause it's gotta slow him down, right? But it doesn't actually slow him much. He lunges for Dean and says he won't hurt "Michael's favorite monkey suit," but he does want to see his nightmares. He smacks a hand on Dean's forehead and is horrified. Neil backs away and says "you... you..." and then Dean says "I don't have a blade dipped in lamb's blood, but I can improvise," and smashes Neil's skull with a bookend. Okay, but. If that would work, why would you need a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood? Isn't it a lot easier to destroy the head?

It does work, but Neil has some evil plot to reveal before he dies. "You think I'm the only one? The only trap? He made dozens of us. Just out there, waiting for you, and your family." Dean shuts him up with the bookend, and then unloads his gun into him for good measure.

So, let's talk about this. What did the djinn see? I mean, Dean's been to Hell. His nightmares are pretty awful. Was that it? Or was it something else? Something, someone, maybe, hiding deep inside?

Aftermath! Dean pulls the needle out of Rawling's arm. It's daylight now, so I wonder why he waited for the sun to come up before ending the poor old guy's misery. He tells Sasha that he'll come back around after the djinn's poison wears off.

Back to the bunker, which is full of refugee hunters. Everybody joyfully greets Maggie and her dirty pink pants. "You did this," Dean tells Sam. "You got her home." Sam smiles, but it's quick and kind of sad.

Elsewhere in the bunker, Mary is bandaging Bobby. He tells her that he was a hunter in AU Land because his wife was killed by a monster, and then his son Daniel was taken by angels because Bobby got him involved in the angel war. He feels guilty about it, but it's not like the kid would have been safe even if he hadn't been fighting. Bobby always thought he'd die in the war, but he didn't (does that mean he considers the war over? he's never going back? because there's still a bunch of angels over there), and now he's "considering other options." So the constant hunting has been a way of trying to get killed. Nice of you to drag Mary into that, Fake Bobby. She tells him she's not letting him give up, and they'll find another way to live.

Sam's reading at the map table (wearing that magnificent red plaid shirt) when Dean comes in with a couple of beers. He says he talked to Maggie and she "can't wait to get back in the saddle." Sam's surprised to hear it, and I'm surprised to hear that Dean was the one to have this conversation with Maggie. How close do you suppose they are? Because really, the most time they've spent together was the long walk to Dayton after Sam was killed, and I can't imagine Dean was a pleasant companion. I'd think she'd be terrified of him at this point. Anyway. Dean says "she learned from the best," and again, Dean noticing and commenting on Sam's actions just makes me melt into a happy little puddle.

Sam's red plaid shirt also makes me melt into a happy little puddle.

Bobby and Mary come in and say "we need to talk," and the next thing we see is Sam arranging for them to stay at Donna's cabin. Which OF COURSE has a garden gnome. Bobby calls Sam aside and Sam is SO NERVOUS to be talking to him alone, and dammit, Jared, you break my heart on a regular basis. Bobby says "this job is no picnic, and I don't know if I ever really had it in me, but you do." You know, I think it's great that people are acknowledging what a good hunter and leader Sam is. But I just can't forget how much he didn't want to do this. I know he's accepted it now, and he claims to love it, but when someone tells him he's good at it, his smile is too tentative, too fleeting. I'm probably reading too much into it, but to me it says "Yeah, I'm good at the one thing I tried to get out of doing, yay me."

Mary and Dean say their goodbyes, and he actually seems to be okay with it this time. We do get the sad piano music, so we know it's significant. But the door slams shut and Sam doesn't flinch, so all is well.

(Hey, remember that time Mary slammed the door and Sam flinched? I loved that.)

Bye, Mommy! Bye, New Daddy!

Next we see the guys calling every hunter they know, warning them about super monsters. "Use the buddy system," Sam insists. Dean feels guilty about the whole thing, and says he knows it's not his fault, and he's trying to move on from "what I - what we - what he did," so it doesn't sound like he's moved on much at all. Sam says they'll work harder.

How, Sam? You get three hours of sleep a night.

Then I'll sleep two.

Oh Sam! I love his "I will do anything you need, even if it kills me" determination. He insists they'll find Michael and kill him, and Dean asks how. Sam brings up Monster!Kaia's spear again, and WHAT ABOUT THE FREAKING ARCHANGEL BLADE???? WHY HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN IT????? But the scene ends with Dean sadly walking away (something else I love? Dean's "I'm gonna pretend I believe you can fix this but I know you can't" expression) and Sam sadly biting his lip and oh, so much sad.

So much pretty, pretty sadness.

So! A little bit of nonsense, but mostly a pretty decent episode. I do wonder why they brought up Jack's powers, and the possibility of "ending all of this," in the THEN, since it wasn't addressed at all. But we got Chief Sam getting the respect he deserves. Some nice brotherly stuff. But most importantly, this episode made me realize that if monsters are the Big Bads this season, that means mytharc episodes can also be MOTW episodes. Praise Chuck. This could turn out to be a pretty decent season after all.

Please help me stay unspoiled, thanks!

#spn #14.05 #spoilers #tv recaps #recap

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fly-pow-bye · 6 years

Text

DuckTales 2017 - “The Shadow War!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Directed by: Hatthew Humphreys, Tanner Johnson

Storyboard by: Vince Aparo, Emmy Cicierega, Ben Holm, Vaughn Tada, Brandon Warren, Jason Zurek

The Day of the Ducks, and the Night of DeSpell. I almost wish they kept those titles!

We start where we left off from the previous episode, with Huey, Dewey, and Louie packing up the newly repaired houseboat. They're not too happy, but they're also not happy with a mother-losing uncle, either. Donald tries to cheer everyone up with some sardine crackers, which, judging by Webby's expression, aren't that great.

Webby's there too, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of. Is she going to move in with the boys, or is this some temporary home for her? The fact that the boys were some of the first friends she ever got to meet probably had a hand in that.

But enough about that, time for some recap of something I skipped earlier: in Lena’s last episode, Magica manages to possess her, taking over her body. She's already possessed here, as she starts to plot to get that number one dime before the lunar eclipse happens. She only occasionally regaining her senses to show the viewer that this isn’t actually Lena’s real personality. How? Maybe it’s just like just shaking her head, or her eyes changing color, or...

KIDS SHOW. KIDS SHOW. OH, GOOD LORD IT’S A KIDS SHOW. I mean, I'm not against this. Having Magica's shadow form literally getting attached to Lena's poor eyes shows how little control Lena has now.

Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of this when Other Bin used it as a twist, mostly because it lessened Lena’s importance in the plot. Why have any investment in Lena doing the right thing if her evil aunt can just possess her to do the wrong thing? Turns out, this episode has some twists that make that an easier pill to swallow.

They even throw three items from three separate filler episodes into the ocean, including the Druid’s Cup and the “I Didn’t Survive_d_ Mount Neverrest” shirt. Yeah, there’s a lot of references to the previous episodes, and these are just the most blatant. One neat joke is that, despite everything, Louie is still the money-making schemer as he desperately tries to keep the hook from the Toth-Ra episode to sell on their version of eBay.

As Louie desperately tries to scuba dive for the soon to be lost treasures, Donald shows up to tell the boys that he’s taking the boat to Cape Suzette. Just in case, the logo is even in the style of TaleSpin and it has the Sea Duck on it. I wonder how the ducks feel about that name.

Meanwhile, Magica, let's be honest, while it's Lena's body, it's clearly Magica in 100% control here, finally infiltrates her nemesis's manor by using Lena's voice to tell Scrooge that Webby would be so disappointed that he's going through one of those "old man moments". She finally comes face-to-stolen-face with Scrooge...

...and he looks like this. After everyone left him, including ghost Duckworth, long story, Scrooge is at his lowest moment. It apparently didn't take too long for him to become a pizza loving duck with a stained t-shirt, living off of the last remains of his money. Magica thinks this is all some psychological ploy, and gets irritated when this increasingly does not turn out to be the case.

Back at the houseboat, Webby does a plan to get some sort of farewell party going. Since the boys are starting to have second thoughts about Cape Suzette, sans Dewey who gets all dressed up for the occasion, they decide to agree to this.

Webby tries to gets a special guest to join this parent trap, and yes, they outright call it that. She also gets Launchpad, who was oblivious to all of this and is confused to why Scrooge won't let him into the manor, and accidently gets Mrs. Beakley, who finds out about it and wants to investigate this. Thankfully, she wants in on it as well. Crisis averted. Webby decides to call up Scrooge McDuck, and to her ears, it seems like Scrooge answered the call and would happily go anywhere with free food.

Unfortunately, it was Magica talking in Scrooge McDuck’s voice, as Scrooge is still wallowing around in his own sorrows. For the record, they do the body swap voice change thing, with Lena speaking in Magica's voice when she's not trying to be in-character. It's still Lena's vocal cords, but, it's magic, okay? They actually say that later in the episode.

Magica really wants Scrooge to drink nutmeg tea which was spiked with a sleeping potion. Y'know, so she could get the dime. Short answer, he doesn't, and her reactions are funny. She even ends up putting it in a sippy cup, only for him to knock it over and break it. However, her other strategy ends up working better.

She also accidentally convinces him to try to go on an adventure on his own, and start fresh, forgetting about everything in the past. This includes forgetting his family; that’s another major theme in this episode, and it’s not just in the Huey, Dewey, and Louie part. He throws away his clothes, and Magica suggests giving the Number One dime away to her.

Of course, that's the one trinket he doesn't want to get rid of, much to Magica's lament. Gotta say, that's pretty harsh but yet fitting for him that a piece of money is held to a higher regard than his own family, even if his own family disowned him. Eventually, Magica gives up on tricking the old man into a slumber and starts wrestling him for it. Since Scrooge has been out of it for the last few days, this does not take too long.

Turns out, she had a decidedly different and legitimate reason to get the Number One Dime, even though previous episodes implied that she thought it had mystical powers just like in the original comics and cartoon. For the first and only time, we see that it’s an ordinary dime that happened to have Magica's true form banished into it in a battle that happened 20 years ago.

A little bit different from the naive assumptions from the original, possibly due to Magica's new character. They may have also felt that would be a lousy ending if it turned out to be an ordinary dime without Magica's real body in it. She grabs it just as soon as the lunar eclipse begins, and...

...this reveal of Magica's real form is so cool. The green feathers are a bit odd, considering she never had that in the other adaptations or the original, but it is addressed in the end.

Scrooge and Lena plan to take on Magica. With Lena's knowledge of magic, and Scrooge's skills, nobody can stop them! Especially not sorceresses that were listening in on their plan right outside of the cage!

Magica taps her staff, and Lena gets sucked into her shadow. Magica, when she's not getting irritated by everyone around her, really is a nightmarish figure. Yeah, kids show, oops, she gone!

Oh, and Scrooge is sucked into his number one dime as well, and becomes the new back of the coin. It seems like all hope is lost. But, there's still some family left, right?

Sure enough, yes, though at least one of them had to think about it. To make a long story short, Huey and Louie are convinced to go back to Scrooge by a combination of Donald’s talking to them about family and Mrs. Beakley’s guilt trips. Apparently, as a spy and a grandmother, she knows fully well how to do those.

Dewey, on the other hand, is still the odd one out. It makes sense; he was the one that was the most involved in the mission to find his mother, and he was the one who was the most shaken about it. I'm not a fan of the complainer is always wrong trope, but the complainer is definitely in the wrong.

He eventually gets over it, because, let’s be honest, we got to get to the better part eventually. Dewey goes into the hug, and tearfully tells Donald that he wants to go back to the manor. Donald agrees, but they’re immediately interrupted by some commotion outside.

They see a huge magical tornado where the manor used to be. Soon, other people hop into the boat as well, including Gyro Gearloose, and Manny. Y'know, that headless horse they're trying to make into a thing.

We get to see Magica's plan in action; not only does she want revenge on Scrooge, she's going to take it out on the entire city of Duckburg! She causes everyone's shadow to rise up to join her. They make sure to do many cameos with this, including Glomgold, Gladstone Gander, and even Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera and his mother, the former even getting Gizmoduck snatched away from him. I'm sad to say that was essentially a cameo and not a lead to an amazing fight scene. Not to say there won't be one.

I’ll set yourself up for disappointment: no, they didn’t give this any sort of payoff beyond an implied off-screen fight later in the episode. Eventually, this turns into a huge shadow vortex that eventually settles into a tornado above the money bin, where Magica has formed a throne made out of Scrooge’s remaining money.

Someone has to have a plan to stop this, and who else but our lovable Uncle Donald? Unfortunately, there’s a problem.

One problem the comics couldn’t have in a audio-visual based medium does rise up, and one I had suspicions with even when I was first watching this: Donald’s voice is still that classic Donald voice, and nobody can understand him. That “[speaking gibberish]” is an actual closed caption.

Thankfully, Gyro has the solution that doesn’t involve taking a role away from the most well known character in the series: a Barksian Modulator, an obvious reference to Carl Barks, and a not-so-obvious reference to a classic Disney cartoon that involved Donald taking pills to mitigate his speech impediment, is forced into Donald’s throat.

While Donald with an intelligible voice always felt wrong in an audio-visual medium, it is necessary at this point, and it leads to some great moments later in the episode. Here’s a good example, from where Donald takes the wheel of the boat, letting Mrs. Beakley know that he can handle it:

Mrs. Beakley: Watch out for the storm.

Donald Duck: I am the Storm!

Mrs. Beakley ...were you always saying things like this?

Eh, I could see people thinking this is out of character for him, too. At least, for the "unlucky everyman" character he was until now.

He then tells the kids to stay home, as it's too dangerous. They reference the lifejackets from the first episode a lot in this episode, which is a little more subtle than the "box full of items" scene. Of course, they don't listen to that. They need to find someone who’s crafty, like a teenager who knows how to get into places. Somelike...like Lena.

They go to the theatre Lena lived in, which I’m not entirely unconvinced was the Beagle Boy’s old hangout from the original, but they can't seem to find her. They do find a trapdoor leading to her room, though, which happens to contain her journal! They debate whether or not to open it, and decide it may lead to where she ran off to.

It's here where Webby learns an even deeper secret about Lena, one that the audience wouldn’t have guessed and one I won't entirely spoil here. I know this because I sure did not! A part of what cloaked this secret is that Magica had a niece in the original comics named Minima De Spell, and I just assumed this was the reboot’s version of her, but the truth is a little bit different. In an only slightly inaccurate way, they figure out that Lena was the big betrayer, and Webby is the one hit the hardest by this.

This explains a lot about her character development; she was just slowly gaining her conscience this entire time. I still wish it was a little smoother, as it seemed like she had a different personality in every episode. But, now I can see the progression.

I'm going to skip around a little bit, just because I don't want to ruin the episode too much. This episode was said to be like an "action movie airing on a Saturday morning" by one of the writers, and they weren't kidding; there's a lot of outright fisticuffs in this episode! Granted, most of it is against these shadow creatures.

Usually in the comics, original cartoon, and even this cartoon, they have to win through cleverness. They do only one scene where they actually stop the shadows by turning off the lights and then using Webby's nightvision goggles. For the most part, it's an extended Power Ranger-esque putty fight.

Once the ducks manage to get into the money bin, we get back to the irritating the evil sorceress bits that are all really clever. All of the boy's personalities show in this fight scene. For example, Louie scams Magica by telling her that she broke an ancient cursed mirror, and Huey...

Huey: (dodging Magica’s attacks) How did Scrooge curse you, anyway? Isn’t Scrooge not the magic type? And we never saw you on the back of the coin before now? And how does the lunar eclipse factor into all of this?

Magica: You see, the lunar eclipse enhances...it’s magic, okay?!

...does my job for me, apparently. Notice how I said the boys, but I could understand why Webby would act the way she does against someone who fooled her into making a false friend. No use of her gadgets here. It feels very out of character and out of style...and maybe that was the point.

At one point, Magica shoots another beam, which hits Webby's friendship bracelet. A scene anyone could expect happens here; it was certainly a scene I expected. What I didn't expect was how short it was, and how tragic it eventually became. It worked in the same way as that shocking scene from Other Bin, except this is reality rather than a dream.

The tragedy doesn't last long, though. It really wouldn't be much of a spoiler to say that Scrooge and the boys eventually win over Magica, and part of this is from Scrooge coming out of the coin...somehow. Something about the shine of the lunar eclipse, I guess. Scrooge even somehow got his clothes back when he got out of the coin.

He then tells Magica the greatest irony of them all: her attempt to ruin Scrooge's family ended up bringing them together again. In fact, Magica had nothing to do with the breakup; she didn't even know it happened!

Of course, it's a super happy ending for the most part, with the family coming back together in the end, Magica gets defeated, the voice pill breaks to give Donald his old voice back, and the houseboat becomes unable to take anyone to Camp Suzette. Of course, it's for the most part; Lena's fate is up in the air. It really depends on how you interpret one of the last scenes. Lena may have been "false", as non-spoilery as I can call her, but she’s become a character in her own right.

There’s one final scene regarding the one plot thread that wasn’t exactly closed up by the end of this episode. While I'm glad it's there, it did lead to one huge question: why not check the moon first?

How does it, and the whole season, stack up?

Angones has said that this was essentially an action movie, and I can’t disagree with that. A great ending to a good reboot.

And thus, that’s the end of Season 1 of the DuckTales reboot. A very good season all around! But I must talk about something.

People have noticed that I have never given a negative review to any episode of this series as of yet, though there were episodes that came very close. This would have been the image if I went with my initial opinion of Other Bin before I thought about the importance of it in the long run. Terror of the Terra-Firmians was ultimately a useless episode that had to have Lena shoved in to be halfway decent.

It was a captivating season from beginning to end, and that’s not something I would say about most seasons of anything, especially not reboots.

I’ll say this, reviewing two shows at the same time took a lot out of me, but I can’t say it wasn’t worth it. Who knows what journeys our boys will go through next, and if the demand is there, or if that other show ends first, maybe I can go for it when it airs.

← The Last Crash of the Sun Chaser! 🦆 The Most Dangerous Game...Night! →

#ducktales 2017 #ducktales #disney #fpb rerun

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caranfindel · 5 years

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Recap/review 14.04: “Mint Condition “

THEN: Michael's gone. Supposedly. Dean feels bad. Ghosts are a thing. Salt circles. Monster Kaia's magic spear.

NOW: A comic book/collectibles store. The camera pans over a variety of figurines and memorabilia, including a poster for the movie Hell Hazers, which you may remember from Hollywood Babylon, (thank you, Continuity Fairy!) and briefly pauses on a poster for the movie All Saints' Day before showing a television. Someone's watching Shocker TV, showing scary movies "24 hours a day, all week long." We see clips from Route 666 and that movie they were filming in Hollywood Babylon, whose name escapes me, as well as from a movie we will eventually find out is All Saint's Day. Cut to a guy unpacking a box of collectibles under the watchful eye of a long-haired freak right out of All Saints' Day. I keep waiting for this guy to realize he's being watched, but I am the one who eventually comes to a realization - that's not a guy, it's a statue.

The guy unpacks a box and literally drops it in shock. Because it's haunted, right? No, it's just a Thundercats collectible figure Panthro, in its original box. (No one in my house knows anything about Thundercats, but I assume this is a real character.) He stuffs the box in a backpack, and then his phone rings. The incoming call is a video call, which is weird, because people this age don't even call each other, let alone via video, but it makes for better television, so we'll let it go.

The caller is a girl named Sam, who is apparently his boss. She immediately starts berating the guy for his bad customer service, which resulted in a negative Yelp review. He promises to do better and confirms that she's coming over for game night. Stewart picks up his bag and a set of keys on a Batman keyring and locks up the store, under the watchful eye of the creepy statue.

(Boy, this is a lot of recap before we even get to the title card...)

We see Stewart at his house, arguing with a pizza delivery place. Panthro is sitting on a table and he turns and looks at him. It's surprisingly well done, BTW. Stewart turns to see Panthro on the floor, gets closer, watches Panthro swing his mace, and then screams.

Title card!

Bunker. Dean's lying on his bed, eating pizza and watching Hatchet Man: All Saints' Day, which is a gloriously cheesy salute to the 80s. Well, I'm glad he finally got a TV in his room, but does this mean the Fortress of Deanitude is no more? Is it full of refugee hunters now? Aw, that's sad.

{Sidebar: I wonder if this movie is called All Saints' Day because they knew the episode would be shown on All Saints' Day, and were being meta/clever? Or is it just supposed to be a riff on the Halloween franchise?}

Sam comes in and asks what he's doing, and when Dean looks up, he's shocked to see the Beard of Despair is gone. "Why are you so surprised?" Sam says. "Obviously, judging from my glorious scruff, it's been a few days since I shaved. Have you really not seen me in a day or two?" (No, he doesn't really say that.) But Dean says "it's so smooth; it's like a dolphin's belly." And it's not. It's really not. And as much as I love the scruff - which is quite a bit - I'd also like to see Sam's pretty face smooth as a dolphin's belly sometime. Just sayin'.

Sam (still) wonders if Dean's okay, since he hasn't really come out of his room in a week, which I guess explains how he missed the Big Shave. Dean expositions that Cas is "showing Jack the ropes," because if Jack wants to learn how to be a hunter, there's no better teacher than Cas, right? Absolutely no one. And with Monster!Kaia and Michael "in the wind," and his home full of strangers, Dean apparently figures he's got nothing better to do than hole up in his room watching Hatchet Man movies. (Is Hatchet Man the franchise, and All Saints' Day just one of the titles? I'm having trouble getting a grip on this.)

He knows Sam doesn't get it, because Sam doesn't even like scary movies. "Our life is a scary movie," Sam points out. And speaking of which, he's found a case. He shows Dean a YouTube video of a bloodied Stewart describing his Panthro attack, and I wish I could take credit for this catch, but I saw it on Tumblr... look at the left side of the screen. The "Recommended for You" videos are about zombies, a conspiracy theory, and how to clean your sink, which are all very interesting, but look at the "Up Next" video.

IT'S A FUNNY CAT VIDEO. HAS SAM BEEN WATCHING FUNNY CAT VIDEOS?

Oh, Sammy knows just what he's doing, and I love him for it. He's all, we don't have to take this case involving KILLER THUNDERCAT TOYS if you're not interested, but he's got Dean exactly where he wants him.

His smug little face at the end of this scene gives me life.

Guys, I was so ready for this. A MotW, and Sam giving Dean a hunt he knows he'll enjoy just to help him kick his Michael blues... This is the show I'm here for!

The guys show up at the comic book store dressed like absolute dorks, in short-sleeved shirts and ties. Sam has a pocket protector. I don't know why. But it's single-layer Winchesters and I'm gonna embrace it. Looks like this episode is happening on Halloween and not on All Saints' Day, because they're accosted by costumed children outside the store. Dean comments that Sam still isn't a fan of Halloween (which we've known ever since the pilot; thanks again to the Continuity Fairy). Sam confirms.

Apparently this red mask is a character Jensen voiced in an animation? And of course Jared was in House of Wax. Pretty deep meta here, Show.

BossLady!Sam is there, wearing a red plaid shirt, and Dean comments that she's like Sam's twin. "I don't know what you're talking about," Sam says, as he and BossLady!Sam tuck their hair behind their ears in sync, and I die.

That’s me, in a puddle on the floor.

“Soft, delicate features," Dean points out. "Luxurious hair. She's like your Wonder Twin." All of this is true, Dean, and good on you for noticing that your brother has soft, delicate features and luxurious hair. Sam notices a guy stocking the shelves - black All Saints' Day t-shirt, shortish spiky hair, lollipop just like the one Dean snagged at the door - and says "if that's me, then that's you over there."

Dean's distracted (and delighted) by the Hatchet Man statue, giving him the name David Yaeger. {Sidebar: did you know the word jager means hunter in German?} His doppelganger encourages him to push a button that plays his catch phrases from the movie, including "we all do bad things sometimes." Which is, like Dean's motto. Dean's joy is infectious and adorable.

BossLady!Sam finishes her business with the police and asks what she can do to help the guys, offering "Funko Pops, Magic cards," and given the number of Supernatural Funko Pops decorating my office, I'm pleased with that shout-out. Sam asks about Stewart as Dean asks about vintage Hot Wheels, and Dean, I am very sad to inform you that Hot Wheels apparently never made a 1967 Chevy Impala.

The guys introduce themselves as Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, The Husband points out) from Campbell and Sons Insurance (hee!), wanting to speak to Stewart. Presumably not about Hot Wheels, unless he got run over by one. They'd gone to his place, but his roommate said he moved out. Or got kicked out. BossLady!Sam explains that Stewart is an "acquired taste" who makes a lot of online enemies, and he can be found at his mom's house.

I still don't understand why the guys are dressed like nerds. Is it a Halloween costume? Because we've seen them as insurance agents before, and they were wearing regular suits.

Mom's house. Mom puts a couple of mugs on the table - one is a superhero (Flash, maybe?) and one is decorated with cats - and announces that Stewie will be up in just a minute. Dean reaches for the superhero mug, even though it was placed in front of Sam, but the joke's on you, Dean, because we now know Sam likes cats! But more importantly, Dean has added a pair of black Clark Kent eyeglasses to his getup. WHY? I mean, it's hilarious, but WHY?

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

We hear Stewart pitching a fit in the basement. He stomps upstairs and sees the Winchesters, and I know the guy in the store was supposed to be Dean's avatar, but this guy is wearing a RED SHIRT WITH A SQUIRREL ON IT. COME ON .

Truly a Red Shirt of Bad Decisions.

We learn that Sam is aware of Fortnight, and Dean notices the smell of burning sage. Stewart explains that he dated a goth chick who told him it would bring good luck, but he broke up before they could "merl." Dean's as confused as I am about "merl," but Sam explains it's MIRL - Meet In Real Life. Dean asks how he knows what that means, and Sam very quickly changes the subject. And this opens up all sorts of interesting possibilities, doesn't it, regarding Sam's online activities and his knowledge of MIRLing, and that would certainly be an entertaining rabbit hole to go down, and I hope some of y'all indulge in that, fic-wise or meta-wise or whatever. I look forward to reading it.

Anyway. Sam asks about the Panthro attack, and Stewart jumps in to say he made it up. When Dean presses, he gets mad and kicks them out of the house and then we cut to an exterior shot and WHAT THE FUCK? NOW DEAN HAS A TACKY CHECKERED BLAZER? It's like he's slowly turning into Matt Foley from SNL. At some point in this episode he's got to say something about living in a van down by the river.

Dean refers to Stewart as "Big Bang," which reminds me that I meant to ask, when we first learned his name, if he was a shout-out to Stewart the comic book store owner on Big Bang Theory. {Sidebar: Would this be a reciprocal shout-out, since that show has a character named Kripke? Is there a connection I don't know about?} Given Stewart's Wiccan girlfriend, they think the toy might have been under a spell, and they decide to check the house for hex bags later. Although I don't know how she would have left any in the house, since they never MIRLed.

Later. The guys are sitting in the car, still outside Stewart's house, when a little lumberjack and vampire walk by. Look, it’s Dean and Benny!

Sam’s instructing someone to use lamb's blood and "stay safe," because he's still Chief, Dean, whether you like it or not. Dean asks "seriously, what is your deal with Halloween," and "don't give me that 'every day is Halloween for us' crap." It's kind of odd that he doesn't already know. I mean, we already know. His life is Halloween. And his mother died two days after Halloween. {Sidebar: Is it just headcanon, fueled by fanfic, that John got blind stupid drunk every year around the anniversary of Mary's death? Or is that canon?} The conversation is interrupted when Stewart's mom leaves the house, and the guys have to duck - toward each other - to avoid being seen. It's ridiculous and hilarious and I love it.

Dean could have just taken off the Clark Kent glasses.

Sam suspects Stewart changed his story because he's being brutally mocked online. And he won't say the word bitch. Is this something we can't do now that we're airing at an earlier hour, Show? Then Stewart comes out of the house, bloody and screaming for help. Dean goes inside, gun drawn, and follows a trail of blood to Stewart's man cave (um, boy cave?). As he gazes at a Texas Chainsaw Massacre poster, he hears a chain saw, which hurtles into the room and barely misses his pretty head.

Hospital. Stewart's mom, still in costume, sits at his side and thanks the guys for saving his life. She wants to go home and get his favorite pillow, but they convince her to stay. "Everything's fine," Dean tells her. "Everything is not fine," he says to Sam, as they leave the room. He says he swept the room for hex bags and found nothing, but the EMF went crazy. So it's a ghost. Hey, guys, you should have watched the "Then." We already knew that. Dean is going to stay at the hospital and keep Mom from going back to the house, while Sam asks around to see if anybody "got dead lately."

At the house, Sam finds the light switch in the Den of Stewartitude doesn't work, even though a lamp and computer monitors are turned on in the room. He laughs at himself for being startled by the Panthro toy and says "nice, Sam, smooth," and for some reason this just almost makes my heart burst open. The toy isn't putting off EMF now, which he finds odd. Then he looks at one of the monitors and sees a group photo of Stewart, LadyBoss!Sam, Dean's doppelganger, and an older man.

Back at the hospital, Dean's doppelganger is standing outside Stewart's darkened room. He is wearing an army green canvas jacket and has acquired some scruff of his own and he's just such a precious little mini Dean; I can't stand it. He asks what Dean's doing there, and Dean says he's just keeping an eye on Stewart. "He must have awesome insurance," Doppelganger says. Which is very funny, and also very Dean, because he says "awesome" so much. I love it.

Dirk explains that Stewart is a jerk, but he's his best friend, and he's there when Dirk needs him. They eat pizza and watch movies and who else does that, my friends? You know who. Then the guys bond over their love of scary movies, and it looks like the franchise is actually called All Saints' Day. I'm sure you were really dying to know. Stewart comments that no hospital would ever be that empty, and Dean says he's been to a lot of hospitals at night, and "trust me, it gets pretty empty," and at first that's just heartbreaking because I figure he was at these hospitals because John or Sam were injured. But maybe he's just thinking about hunts in hospitals. (Again, I need to differentiate fic-fueled headcanon from actual canon.) And then Dean says he likes to watch movies "where I know the bad guy's gonna lose" and yep, my heart is definitely broken.

Sam shows up at the store and asks BossLady!Sam if anyone close to Stewart has died lately. She explains that Jordan, who used to own the store, was kind of a Willy Wonka to her, Stewart, and Dirk (Aha! His name is Dirk! Which is close to Dean, and hasn't Dean actually been called Dirk before?). He died and left the store to BossLady!Sam and Dirk. Not Stewart, because he fired him twice for stealing. But she hired him back because he's a friend. It seems like Stewart has better friends than he deserves. She tells Sam that Jordan was cremated, and then we see something frosting over behind her.

Sam is adorable, trying to look casual as he pulls out his EMF meter and it lights up like a Christmas tree. He tells her it's a carbon monoxide detector and she needs to leave. He starts to tell her she's in danger, and then the David Yeager statue smacks him into the comic book display and knocks him out cold. Even though he hits it with his back. (Handwave!)

When he wakes up, BossLady!Sam is terrified but unhurt. She gets a quick version of the "monsters are real" speech and finds that the door is locked, and Hatchet Man took the keys. He throws something at the door, but it's shatterproof glass. Apparently Jordan was serious about thieves, which explains why he's so keen on killing Stewart, that Panthro-stealing little asshole.

He calls Dean, who's fanboying with Dirk about horror movies, and tells him it's Jordan's ghost. And the David Yaeger figure is on its way. Dean can hardly believe his luck. He pours a ring of salt around Stewart's bed, having given him the speech, and orders him to stay in it. Boy, it's a good thing they reminded us what salt is for in the "Then," or else we'd be really confused right now.

Store. BossLady!Sam figured out what I did, that Jordan wants to kill Stewart because he's a thief. She says she's been taking money out of his check to pay for what he steals, but Jordan wouldn't know that. Sam breaks his lockpick, and then asks if they have any cleaning supplies.

Hospital. Ghost stuff starts happening in Stewart's room, and Dirk panics and flees. Dean takes a hatchet out of a fire emergency box, even though I think that would probably set off a fire alarm. (Handwave!) Dirk's mom is carrying a tray of food from the cafeteria and comes across the Yaeger figure. She drops her tray and screams, just like the woman in the movie. Dirk shows up and puts on a stern face and tells Jordan that if he's going to kill his friend, he has to go through him. Oh Dirk, you sweet little thing, you're channeling Dean so hard now and I adore you. Jordan does come for Dirk, who says "crap" and runs off. There's a funny sequence where we cut back and forth between Dirk and some hospital guards who are watching All Saints' Day and ignoring the actual mayhem happening on their monitors.

Meanwhile, Sam is mixing drain cleaner and something else in a Scooby Doo lunchbox. {Sidebar: I'm not a Scooby Doo fan, but I love the show's constant references to it and the way the Continuity Fairy always remembers Dean's a fan.} BossLady!Sam asks how he learned to do this, and he says "I had a messed up childhood." It's funny because it's true. He hangs the lunchbox bomb on the door and they hide behind the desk. After it blows the door open, they both slowly peek over the desk and simultaneously say "cool." I'm starting to love Sam and his little doppelganger too.

Hospital. Dirk hides in the morgue (no, Dirk, never in the morgue!) and gets a scary hand on his shoulder, but it's Dean. Then a body on one of the gurneys sits up. Yeah, it's Yaeger.

At this point there's a fake movie promo for All Saints' Day III: The Reckoning. It starts out "Three Years Ago," which reminds me very much of a certain scene that starts out "Twenty two years ago." Looks like David Yaeger was killed in a fire on October 31, 1983, which is two days before Mary Winchester dies in a fire. Oh, you clever, clever show.

Back to the show. Dean gleefully fights the Yaeger figure. At least he's gleeful until it seems he's not doing very well. Sam and BossLady!Sam show up, and she's wearing Jared's coat from the EW Halloween photoshoot last year.

Bless you, Show.

She figures out that Jordan must be attached to the Batman keychain. Meanwhile, Dean is cornered, and about to get axed, when precious little badass Dirk stabs Jordan in the back. It doesn't kill him, of course, but it gives Dean a chance to get up and start losing the fight again. The Sams run in and BossLady!Sam figures out that alcohol will help them burn the keychain faster. Whoosh! There goes Jordan, and the statue falls lifeless to the floor.

Aftermath. The guys tell Dirk and BossLady!Sam that everyone is safe now. The Impala scene starts with Dean thanking Sam for "giving me a win." Sam asks him to stop hiding out in his room. "What happened with Michael, you said yes for me, for Jack, for your family. You did the right thing." He says nothing Michael did afterward is Dean's fault, and he needs to stop blaming himself.

"I'm never gonna get over it, okay?" Dean says. "I'm just not." And once again, Sam could say "yes, I understand how you feel, because I've been there too," not to make this all about him, but just to commiserate and show Dean that he's not just blowing off his horrific experience, he knows how bad it was and he might have some good ideas about getting past it. And once again, he does not. But that's okay. What isn't okay is what happens next. Dean asks again why Sam hates Halloween, and Sam tells some ridiculous story about having a crush on a girl in sixth grade and throwing up on her at her Halloween party, and you know what? I just refuse to accept this. WE KNOW WHY SAM HATES HALLOWEEN. AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A GIRL IN SIXTH GRADE. I don't know why you're doing this to me, Davy Perez. You're usually so good about canon. I cannot accept that Sam Winchester, whose entire life has been Halloween, whose mother died two days after Halloween, is distressed because of something that happened in sixth grade. I'm going to pretend this part never happened. Who's with me?

Dean says that next year, he and Sam are going to wear couples costumes (and if you happened to be wearing your shipping goggles, I think I heard you squealing). Batman and Robin. Bert and Ernie. (!) Rocky and Bullwinkle. (!!) Shaggy and Scooby. Turner and Hooch. Ren and Stimpy. Thelma and Louise. "We just it in drive and go." {Sidebar: Who wants the show to end that way, Thelma and Louise style?}

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, one of those useless security guards finds the Yaeger figure in the morgue. The guys left it there? Oh well. It's a good horror movie ending.

So! For the most part, this was just what I needed after three episodes of mytharc. A good MOTW with lots of humor and nods to canon. On the other hand, there's that one thing. But since I'm ignoring that one thing, I guess this was a fantastic episode! What did you guys think?

Please help me stay unspoiled, thanks!

#spn #14.04 #spoilers #sam winchester #dean winchester #tv recaps #recap

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