#i want to do a 10 lowest rated episodes one as well

[ltwharfy]

"Bob's Burgers" Season 10 Episode Ranking Rewatch (Long Post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post! If you want to check out any of the other seasons, I've been using the "bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch" tag for all of them.

Now, on to Season 10:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.27

Mode (Most Common) Ranking: 4

Ranking Breakdown: 7 5s 14 4s 1 3

Season as whole thoughts:

This is the lowest average score for a season since Season 2, and that seems about right to me. Season 2 and Season 10 are kind of bookends for my personal Golden Age of "Bob's Burgers".

In my experience, all long running sitcoms (and I'd define long running as maybe more than 5 seasons), eventually undergo a transition where I stop seeing them as "one of the funniest things on TV!" and, if I continue watching them it's more because I like hanging out in their world with their characters, even if they don't make me laugh quite as hard as they used to on a regular basis. And a lot of shows don't make that transition successfully- I just stop watching them because they don't make me laugh as much and I realize I don't really care about the characters. Or I stick around but then retroactively realize I only like about half the episodes of the show.

I still enjoyed Season 10 and beyond of "Bob's Burgers", but (as the numbers for this silly project will likely show), I found Season 10 and onward to have a lot more episodes where my reaction was "that's good" or "that's nice" or "that was kinda boring but it was still nice to be with the Belchers" rather than "that episode was amazing!"

One caveat I will add to that is: I have noticed that some of the later season episodes tend to grow on me upon rewatching them- which honestly is great and one of the things that makes this project fun!

Some thoughts on specific episodes (and feel free to ask if you want my thoughts on an episode I didn't comment on):

"Pig Trouble in Little Tina": This was definitely an episode that grew on me. When I first watched it, I mainly found it weird and kinda gross (the pig's guts spilling out in Tina's dream.) And it is both those things! But it is also really funny and kind of touching. So, a great "Bob's Burgers" Halloween episode. I love the "skeletons doing helpful things around the farm" hayride, and the bit where Louise can't draw blood from Tina is a fun reminder that for all Louise's bluster she's just a kid. And the Fiona Apple end credits song lives in my head rent free now. "But you kissed a fetal pig and now you two are boyfriend-girlfriend" is a lyric for the ages.

"Legends of the Mall": I talk a lot about how Rudy's stories remind me of myself as a kid, but Bob and Bosco's story here reminds me of myself now. "Middle-aged man is confused and frustrated by buying pants" is the story of my life now. Well, not THE story, but a plotline. I definitely do think the phrase, "they're call pants, not can'ts" pretty often.

"The Hawkening: Look Who's Hawking Now!": Koji is a fun character and I am glad they found a story to bring him back in. And I think the story structure is really interesting in this episode: there is an A and B plot, but they both center around Louise, with the resolution of the one informing the resolution of the other. Also, the Zeke and Rudy interaction at the beginning of this episode is one of my favorite things ever. Also also, this episode led to the creation of what may be the fic I've reread the most: "I know I believe it, and so do my bones" by CourtneyCourtney (@daddygrandpaandthebeaver) which is one of those episode tag fics that is so good it has merged with the episode itself in my mind. (What? You don't remember the scene in this episode with Louise and Rudy at the frozen yogurt shop?!)

"Now We're Not Cooking With Gas": This has enough good things (especially the Riverbrook Lake Farms Heritage Turkey song) that I gave it a 4, but it's probably one of my last favorite Thanksgiving episodes. I know Bob's always kind of a jerk in Thanksgiving episodes, but the bit where the kids are so proud to have brought him that giant log for his fire and he rejects it really bothers me. It's possible I'm repressing a similar memory from my childhood or something.

"A Fish Called Tina": Yes, this episode introduces one of my favorite minor characters, Kaylee Morganstern. Yes, we get another Louise and Tammy story and I always love that dynamic. But the real highlight of this episode is Madison, Tina's old big fish, who has an incredibly high ratio of really funny lines to total number of lines. "Welcome to Caboose Kabob, what can I put in your caboose?" and "Order 71, Baba Ghanoush Caboose and a cup of juice!" always crack me up. Sorry, but caboose is just an inherently funny word.

"Three Girls and a Little Wharfy": The episode that helped inspire my confusing username here and on AO3! Just an all around fun episode- Fifth Grade Megan was a fun new character, as is April Busby (her line about studying for the bar exam "soap not the other one" and including the Madonna/Sean Penn divorce in her Wharfy scrapbook both crack me up). And Louise just has a lot of fun little moments in this one- I particularly love her mimicking Linda when borrowing the laptop from her parents, also her response to Megan's comment about not talking to the cat on her block ("I mean, I'll try, but if he talks to me I'm not going to be rude...")

"Wag the Song": The most I've ever related to Zeke and J-Ju. If me and my grade school best friends would've had the chance to write the school song, it would've absolutely turned out along the lines of their song. (And all the kids and the songs are a hoot!)

"Tappy Tappy Tappy Tap Tap Tap": A pretty meh episode. Personally, I didn't really need to revisit Josh. On the plus side, it gave us the phrase "Rudy's ballet fight", which will live in my mind forever.

"Poops!...I Didn't Do It Again": This is another episode that grew on me. Similar to "Pig Trouble", I initially found it weird/gross but now find it funny and touching. And the theme about parents trying not to pass their fears/insecurities along to their kids is an important one that I don't often see expressed in pop culture. On a lighter/weirder note, "I'm thinking animatronic doves with human private parts" is probably a top 10 Gene line for me. (However, I am annoyed that this episode basically forgets about Jezebel from "Synchronized Swimming".)

"Prank You for Being A Friend": This is the story that makes Kaylee one of the most interesting recurring characters to me. While I never tried to get kicked out of school because I couldn't find my people, I can certainly understand the motivation (I would've been more likely to do that in high school than 4th grade.) Also, this newspaper joke at the end of this episode basically inspired Rudlee, the Rudy/Kaylee ship aka my second favorite ship for of both those characters! (Please don't judge me for having multiple Kaylee Morganstern ships...)

Random thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-What's the best use of a recurring character in "Bob's Burgers"? What's the best delivery of a single word in "Bob's Burgers"? The answer to both questions can be found in "Local She-ro" when Gus appears only to say the line "Chumbawamba!" in his Gus voice.

On that note, I get knocked down, but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down.

Which is a weirdly defiant way to say that I'll see you (theoretical readers of these crazy long posts) in Season 11!

[bitty-bits]

The First and the Last of the Year

And possibly last ever... on Tumblr at least.

Where did I go?

Nowhere in particular... if you've seen my socials all year, that is. This blog/newsletter however, took an extended vacation, not just from a lack of interest (and personal real life stuff getting in the way) but also from a technical standpoint - I really wanted the email newsletter aspect of this to work, but I still couldn't. I was considering using TinyLetter ...until they announced that was shutting down. If I had a nickel for every time a newsletter service shut down out of nowhere I'd have two... you know the rest. And with Tumblr getting worse as the year went by, maintaining this wasn't exactly motivating enough.

That said, it was a less than ideal year for my productivity, inconsistent pace, money issues, the lowest amount of notable dreams to write down on my dream journal to date... you get the idea.

So I can only hope for things to be better. For me to be less lazy... and work not only on stuff I make, but on myself. And I do have a bit of optimism, since a lot has, so let's see a couple of stuff, although everything else you should expect to see in a "rebooted" version of this blog...

Also, Free Palestine!

What I've Been Playing / Watching

So while I haven't fully completed a LOT of things this year, this will be going back to the beginning of the year, essentially, so strap yourselves. (Some of it I'll be grabbing from my media thread that I've made on Twitter as well)

Lucky Star (Finished)

I have posted about Lucky Star in another issue, but I was still in the middle of watching it. Now that I've actually finished watching it (in February) I can say more about it: When it comes to this anime, it was either pretty ahead of its time, or we just have Regressed as a species since then. Maybe the latter.

And sorry folkz, Lucky Star is pro-ship/pro-fic culture and there’s nothing you can do about it. I watched the entire series including the OVA, and while I’m definitely still not sure I’m exactly the "target demographic" what I saw was still very enjoyable. it really just is whatever the fuck and I'm all for it.

At first my kin™ was Konata pretty quickly because of course. That was until Minami showed up and like, she’s basically the weeb version of Ongo Jelly Jamm™!!! I actually can say I got attached to and care about most of the characters, even if just a little.

Like I said in a previous issue, in 2015 I had watched part of an episode of it english dubbed and it didn’t click with me at all. Turns out the dub just sucks as I should’ve expected lol (And I really wasn’t used to segmented "several short stories in one" type anime and stuff to be fair - that and I was dumber too of course so I couldnt properly appreciate the ART........)

My rating is Timotei/10 - and Nichijou is next!

Pizza Tower

Easily the biggest loss for gaming this year was this game not winning "Best Debut Indie" at the Game Awards. Oh well.

I was already highly anticipating this game - having first heard of it when it had a demo at SAGE 2019 I’m glad the game turned out great and is getting the recognition it deserves. I pretty much finished the game in early March. P/10

The Owl House (Finished)

Well... it’s over... for better or worse. I do think they managed to deliver a satisfactory ending all things considered. This was definitely a great cartoon to kick off the new decade.

And of course, fuck Disney as always.

This show got me to break out of, I guess an habit, you could say, or a superstition, or whatever the hell it is, when it came to media with too much ""occultism"" in them. You know the drill. I guess it opened up the little my mind had left that was still a bit closed. Even if it’s mostly involuntary.

But this isn’t even new. As a child I’d actually have an "imaginary friend" that i made (that kinda just Existed, didn’t really "interact" much with them whatsoever cuz i was Dumb™) that their backstory was literally that they were a demon in hell "gone rogue" so they were "not an evil one". Again, I was a kid. I never thought too much about the implications of me thinking about stuff like that already at that age. But it is interesting to think about now.

Anyways, been gay, did witchcraft. ⛥/5

Invader ZIM (Series + Enter The Florpus)

Well I did it. I finally watched the funny hot topic show™ (Finished in late May)

What can I even say about it that hasn’t been already said by everyone else? ...well maybe I have one thing: for some reason I didn’t find That One Episode that people always bring up the MOST disturbing one. I thought the one with a literal character flatlining and Zim being ":)" about it got to me a bit more.

Anyways yeah it’s Cool I liked the characters especially Gaz, and GIR obviously Why Wouldn’t He Be Here. The show can be stupid and end episodes in Whatever The Fuck ways that leave you like "That's it? That's the episode???" but I think that’s one of the unique aspects of it that I Enjoy - also the movie is cool. ☮️>🐔+🍚/10

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

So I watched it first when we only had shitty cinema bootleg recordings (that aren’t even that shitty anymore at this point in terms of quality, the Shit comes in the form of godawful intrusive illegal casino ads™ placed.) even though a bit later the raw movie would sometimes be uploaded in full to YouTube with no consequence for days. And at this point I’ve rewatched it plenty of times in proper HD (though only once in English cuz I’ll be honest, the Brazilian dub really is phenomenal really and blows the original "star talent cast" out of the water in my opinion, where it falls short is the voice for Luigi, as I know the dude’s voice too well and he’s just doing his normal voice with an accent, not to mention he’s the brazilian Sonic voice already!!!)

I think Charlie Day is the superior Loogy here but I’d still say the dub is better, not only for the fact there are "real voice actors" cuz you know, that’s Their Job, but also like, Charles Martinet is still in there cuz in case you didn't know, he voiced that jumpman dude’s only line in pretty much every language possible which is absurd/admirable.

It’s a fun movie if not mostly for looking at Mario Things happening that you know and recognize, because otherwise the story is pretty ridiculously basic, though even for "Mario game story" standards it’s definitely refreshing to see Luigi as the one to be rescued... though that Also sucks because Luigi deserved more screentime. The main Toad too. Oh well. Also disappointed that the "wise Toad" in the movie isn’t Toadsworth… or maybe he is but hasn’t aged yet and maybe in a sequel we’ll see him get older and then main Toad becomes Captain Toad. Who knows 🍄/10

Honorable Mentions - Stuff I've Watched That I've Yet To Write My Thoughts About, I Don't Have The Time Now

Spy × Family (Season 1) - Not the type of anime I'd see myself watching, but I was forced roped into it by one of my partners and found it to be VERY enjoyable.

Sparkle On, Raven: The Life of Drillgirl - Charming, shitpost-y, but genuine and fun

The Amazing Digital Circus - A very promising series with unexpected popularity, and equally unexpected high quality Brazilian dub with recognizable talent.

Murder Drones (Season 1 - 6/8) - A series I've been cautiously optimistic about since its pilot - it has endearing, enjoyable characters and settings, but flawed writing and pacing - more on that at a future date.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off - An amazing take on a series that I'm not so familiar with (haven't seen the movie or read the comics, only really knew that the franchise "exists") and judging from what I've heard from others, it probably is the best take on the main storyline. Especially when it comes to the representation of who turned out to be my fave - Roxie. Watching the live action now is... probably gonna be very weird. Not sure if I want to.

Kunshikter (Күншіктер) - A new, yet very obscure cartoon from Kazakhstan. It's cute. It's for children but at this point I don't think y'all care. It's still ongoing and there are not many episodes so far. I recommend giving it a watch. Now!

Future YouTube Updates

As some of you saw in a xeet tweet from early October I was planning to do something significant on my main YouTube channel which has been stagnant for a while now, only for that to, surprise, not happen. I do have a set goal now: In very early January, a video to explain exactly what happened and what was the video I wanted to make, and... why it's hard for me to get a video like that out in the first place. The short answer (that doesn't actually account for Everything) is autism. The long answer is... stay tuned for it, lol

Song of the Issue

Although this section was supposed to be for sharing music that isn't mine, I thought I'd share snippets of music stuff I've been making since the beginning of 2023 until now, that you can look forward to!

Conclusion

I dunno. All I can say is... happy new year! It's been a tradition to make a stupid amateurish collage at the end of the year with the highlights, but this year there's been... less of them, that I took note of at least. But that won't stop me I think. Once I have that done, I may edit this to include it.

No comment on anything related to Twitter (which I'll never call "X") and the billionaire that happened this year as you all probably already know by now, and by the way you can now follow me on the social butterfly of bluesky. See you next year!

[fandomwe1rd0]

Rick and Morty season 4 episode 3 "One Crew Over Crewcoo's Morty" Review!

Let me start off this review by giving a very royal "Fuck you" to Rick! He truly wears the crown of shit in this episode! I hate him in this episode <3 I usually love him, but this one was definitely him at his worst, next to him absolutely destroying Morty's psyche in "The Vat of Acid Episode" and straight up punching Morty's "Rattlesnake Ricklactica" a very royal "Fuck you!" to him for both of those moments as well, all in season 4! This was definitely him at his lowest point. Now onto the review, just had to rant for a bit, ahem, surprise, surprise, I did not like this episode, not only was Rick incredibly unlikable in this episode when he's usually my favorite character, but I could excuse Rick being a horrible person, if the episode was funny, and while this episode had like...two jokes I laughed at that was it.

Random thoughts:

You can do it, Morty! We all believe in you son!

A very royal "Fuck you!" to Rick here! The poor boy was so excitied...

Quick buddy nickname appreciation! (Let me find something wholesome about this episode ok-)

This was a cool shot tbh

Someone else mentioned this, but I think this line sent Rick's brain into panic mode, losing Morty is probably the last thing he wants considering that he already lost Diane, that doesn't make anything he did in this episode ok, and a very royal "Fuck you!" to him again, but I think the reason why was because he was scared of losing him, but still fuck him.

Yes Beth actually being a decent mom we love you for trying honey!

MY POOR SWEET BABY NO THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT RICK WANTED TO HEAR MY POOR SWEET BABY NOOOO

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU I FUCKING HATE YOU DRUNK OLD ASS POSSESSIVE CONTROLLING JEALOUS MANIPULATIVE COLD GROSS CRANKY FUCKING SAD EXCUSE FOR A MAN. Ahem. I'm so normal about them.

Final Rating: 2/10 for the 2 jokes I laughed at.

[onlinecbttherapy1]

One Session Therapy for Phobia

One Session Treatment for Phobia or Single Session Therapy for Phobia.

This article will have a look at when this single session treatment for phobia came up, how this intervention works theoretically, how it looks practically.

However, if you have heard of a One session Therapy for Phobia, and want to discuss it, just contact me.

One Session Treatment for Phobia, where does it come from?

It is also known as OST, which coincidentally is the professor’s surname who developed it, Lars-Goran Ost (apologies for the misspelling).

This single session therapy developed from the clinical observation that seeing people for 8 to 10 sessions of 50 – 60 minutes therapy. It was observed by Ost that the anxiety reduction and habituation was sometimes minimal. Therefore, it begun to explore what would happen if anxiety would drop to the lowest possible in a single session.

Working with anxiety we take SUD (Subjective Unites of Distress), and these are rated 0 to 100 (100 being the most distressing.

I must agree with Ost observations, as I have realised with all the time I have practiced the known “therapy hour (50 minutes)” it sometimes not enough. Hence, I have moved to encourage people to longer sessions. However, this is another matter you can check here.

This single session therapy for phobia was developed in the 70’s and its manuals reviewed in the mid 2000’s

Phobia therapy: Single Session!?

As with many anxiety disorders, and based on CBT, there is always a miss interpretation or a magnified perception of what may happen, more often than not with a catastrophic flavour to it. Otherwise, the phobia would not be present or would have an impact on people’s day to day life.

The above is the cognitive element, and then there is a behavioural element. Anyone who believes a catastrophe would happen for any reason, understandably would not want to take the risk and avoid the situation to reduce the likelihood of the catastrophe to happen.

From a CBT perspective, we understand that the safety behaviour is inadvertently maintain the catastrophic believe. More often than not, people are aware that the fear/phobia is to some extend irrational.

Is really One Session Therapy for Phobia, only one session?

Well… not really.

So, the Single session Therapy for phobia has 3 sessions.

First session is done remotely, online, and it is a 60 to 90 minutes assessment. This session is used to gather information and ascertain that what you are experiencing is a phobia reaction.

Also, it is an opportunity to go through how the next session will look like.

This session sometimes brings traumatic events or episodes where the phobia was created. Not always the case in many cases, however, we will need to differentiate this. If there would be traumatic memories or events, then we may need to do some trauma work prior and the single session therapy, would certainly not be single.

Second session it is whole day session, this means it could take 3 to 7 hours. It is completely down to the individual case, and the specific phobia.

This session involves coming in contact with the feared situation. At your OWN pace, in your OWN terms, and with YOUR GOALS in mind. So, if you wanted to be able to take a glass and a paper and take a spider out of your house, then once that is done in session, then that’s that. There won’t be need for you to do any further as that would not be what you came to therapy for.

You may be wondering; how does online CBT therapy deliver this part. So really it is not online. I arrange with clients to either come to a rented room or office, and we bring in specialists. So, if you were afraid of spiders, we would need a spider keeper. If you are afraid of needles/injections then we would get needles in the session. As I am a fully qualified nurse, we would not need to get anyone.

The above is a very brief explanation of what it may look like. If you want to know more specifics, you can contact me by clicking in the bottom below.

This session is very challenging and some people reports having vivid dreams about the phobic object after the session. This is perfectly normal.

One instruction for people to take from this session is to not avoid the phobic object and when coming across the phobic object take this as an opportunity to learn and to increase gains from therapy.

[survivor-marieta-islands]

Episode 4: "Tell me why i power nap for 6 hours and wake up to the vote being for me"—Ellie

Sin Sazonar

Tanner

Adeline seems to be on my side if we lose challenges but I don’t think we will

Adeline

I’ve tried to be a little more active recently but it’s v hard hehe. Got some talking in today tho with Trinica, hairie, and tanner

Shawn

Okay I don't know I'm not loving how everyone wants to bow out. Like puzzles are fun, this is supposed to be a fun game. And people want to bow out instead, because they don't feel confident in it. Like that doesn't matter, have some confidence, we can't all sit it out. I understand I HAVE to participate, but I said repeatedly before that I was so down to do this. I play online puzzles for fun, I feel good. It takes me around 3 min per puzzle but I can get that down further if I concentrate.

Trinica

My tribe is truly driving me nuts with challenge strategizing. Why did Shawn suggest I sit out after I did so well in the other challenges? Why would we not sit out someone like Tanner who has already shown poor challenge performances in the past? Why, when I suggested we rate ourselves and simply sit out the worst two, did everyone AGREE and THEN ARGUE ABOUT "WELL TANNER REALLY WANTS TO PLAY"??? okay but i really want to WIN y'all ;___;

AJ

Puzzles? In a Raffy Season? Madness.

--

In all seriousness though I do believe we’re going to lose this challenge. Current normal tribe time is around an hour - I have heard nothing from Tanner and I do worry about that. My only hope that we win is that someone is mysteriously super good at this puzzle and finishes it in under ten minutes otherwise we….we lose. I mean I feel like we’ve already lost - this really and truly was and is our challenge to lose. But I’ll go to sleep, and what happens when I wake up happens.

Arvin

I sat out of the challenge because I'm not really confident in jigsaw puzzles, and it seems like everyone is not gonna sit out so I volunteered. But if it's a slide puzzles, I'm gonna play 100%.

I'm gonna sit out. I really enjoyed my time in the sit out bench. I even asked Jay if they have something for me in the bench, like an advantage or something, but yeah, they got nothing for me. Hahaha. But yeah we won the challenge. I didn't know what the strategy was but it worked. New school strategy rules.

Brandi

I was at my highest high from the win and my lowest low when I thought we lost for .5 seconds.

Now sin sazonar are back babyyyyy!!!!!!

Ps. Jay is the best host and they really helped me feel welcome and it makes me sad when they say they are crying or others aren’t being very nice to them. They are putting on this entire game! We are so lucky they put in all this effort for us. I hope people learn to be nicer.

Shawn

Trinica really helped us out with the puzzle thing. Our host got a lil bullied because of that, but what can we say, everything is turning out new school. No tribal tonight again for us. I hope we keep winning like this, maybe there won't even be a merge after all. Ps still hoping I make it to merge. I won't be able to win, I know that, but id like to make it to merge. Just to say I did.

Trinica

First of all, stream Unreal Unearth by Hozier gays!!!!

Second of all, we WON THE PUZZLE CHALLENGE!!!! In a way I actually hate but listen you gotta do what you gotta do, and if you gotta game a puzzle platform, you gotta game a puzzle platform. Sorry to that man (Raffy) because no way was I beating your 18 minute score. But you're the true winner of this challenge.

Tanner got 174 minutes, and Adeline didn't submit and got 178, so if it wasn't for our 10% AD we would have lost this one thanks to those 2. I would sooner vote out Tanner if we get a chance since he has done poorly on every single challenge and this is the first Adeline flopped on (and she was not in top form as she was sick).

Anyway, Hairie said he doesn't want to write my name down ever and I'm hoping he means that 💓

Hairie

There wasn’t enough social battery to get on video for confessional so this time it’s by text.

This challenge was ours to lose. A jigsaw puzzle. At first we couldn’t decide on the sit-outs which led to a randomiser.

Then, the tribe was clearly struggling with 174 mins and then the rest ranging from 30+ - 60 mins … Deadly indeed and it was probably going to someone that did not perform well going home had we lost.

I knew I had to step in and share the strategy that I learned from an ally from a game shout out to you !!!

Reducing most of our times and we ended up clutching the win thanks to the challenge advantage because that was a close one.

With that, sending the old school tribe to another tribal and hoping they shake things up. (I don’t even know what’s going but yeah) 😂

The idol hunt is interesting. People are interesting. So I decided to fake a message for shits and giggles. Maybe it sent someone spiralling? I don’t know and do I care? Also no. I’m in my unhinged era and Jay’s here for it so am I. Actually I’m THE calmest person on my tribe (or maybe I’m delusional) well maybe I am also in my delulu era because who says we cannot be in two eras concurrently. I should have been on the old school tribe since they say they’re calm and not chaotic or messy (or behind the scenes). Then I came clean about the lie of the idol hunt the next day and called people out (stop lying too much) and making stuff confusing or cryptic and to pay it forward, told more truths about the idol ground (probably more than anyone) because I did publicly. Nobody knows what game I am playing … even me LMAO

Trust rankings 1. Trinica 2. Arvin 3. Clefford 4. Tanner 5. Adeline 6. Brandi 7. AJ 8. Shawn

Antigua

Amy

no but it's the way the other side had a strategy where people were finishing under 5 minutes and they just let someone on their own tribe do that puzzle for almost 3 hours.

Raffy

I know everyone on the tribe is hung up on the other tribe doing so well, but I need them to understand that if Zo had participated, like AT ALL, then we would have won the challenge. All Zo needed to do was complete the puzzle ONCE under 51 minutes and we would have won regardless if they had some super secret strategy. Not only that we BEAT them without their advantage. I am so upset with Zo right now, but I can't even do anything about it because she has a whole non-men alliance protecting her. Without it, I could probably make a very successful push to eliminate her, but alas. I am at the whims of those on the top of the food chain and I have to exist as a second-rate tribe member.

Colin

god im so tired of LOSING i dont wanna VOTE ANYONE OUT ANYMORE i just want to REST

Raffy

So, on this call with Ellie, we both agreed we need to cut our losses and take out Colin. They are being entirely too messy with that last vote. And it's dragged both our games down as a result.

But what do I even do? I guess just survive until a tribe swap, survive until merge. My whole ORG career and life is just about survival apparently. I gotta keep being in the good graces of Zo since she is fully just controlling this entire tribe. Hopefully, Amy, Jinx, and/or Ellie can put in a good word for me with the people who actually control this tribe. It's not the worst position to be in, but it is not ideal either.

I really just don't know what more else I could have done in this game. Like, it seemed like everyone liked me, but I guess I'm just not in-group material for these types of things. Oh well. That's enough wallowing for now.

--

I am now shifting the target to Zo because the challenge performance makes it easier to target her. I talked to Ellie and Colin about it. Ellie seemed to want to do it. Colin seemed hesitant. I talked to JG. He seemed ok with it. But, according to Amy, he was just saying what I want to hear and placating me. Amy also seems hesitant since she doesn't seem to think the numbers are there. I'm tired. I'm not doing this anymore. People can just vote me out or not. It's not like anything I say can convince anyone.

Maddison

HEY PARTY PEOPLEEEE. i’ve been MIA visiting my parents but here we are at tribal again :) not live laugh loving the fact that we keep losing but it iz what it iz. i suspect a swap or a twist of some sort after this given the number discrepancy between the tribes, but who knows. i’d like to keep the barbs together for this vote and make it easy with 5 on whoever we choose, barring an idol. honestly i’d love for colin to go home because he is a self-professed ‘messy’ player, but raffy is also a threat down the line. jg seems like an easy target but i don’t think he’d be a social threat at swap/merge. the barbs are a whole other set of considerations but why ruin a voting block at this point in the game? we will see how it shakes out ig!!

Zo

I’m sensing some woman on woman crime this evening…

Maddison

barb on barb violence… stay tuned

Raffy

JG is throwing me under the bus to Zo about how I am spreading her name along with Ellie. I'm so tired of this man. I could literally give him all the information in the world and he still would rather shoot himself in the foot, dive off a cliff, and swallow a gallon of bleach before ever thinking, maybe, JUST MAYBE, that Steven, or Colin, or Ellie, or I are telling the truth. Get your head out of your ass and maybe you'd be able to win this game. But as it stands, JG is dead to me in this game because he cannot see what is right in front of him, he cannot keep his mouth shut, and he has some sort of vendetta against me and my friends. But we'll see how that works out for him.

Colin

so theres TWO major alliances (that im aware of) on this tribe. the first one was me + raffy + steven + ellie. the other one is zo + jinx + maddison + ellie. zo told me that maddison made this alliance round 2 when her name was going around. it was a huge reveal because ellie was in our alliance and didn't say ANYTHING about it. and jinx is working closely with raffy and hasn't said anything about it. thats what my perception of the two sides are.

So there’s a Secret Plan happening to vote out Zo because of the challenge (she didn't submit), but I think it’s mostly because Raffy wants to make a move against the other alliance. I like Zo a lot and don’t wanna vote her, except Zo has that alliance and I'm not in it, so I have no idea if she even actually wants to work with me, we've just had a few one on one game conversations.

meanwhile, I want JG OUT. like he has no intention of working with us and it's so obvious. I get Zo is a scary social player but I don't think that it's worth it to vote her out rn, we need allies heading into a likely swap next round.

Zo

my name: *is on the chopping block* me: but what if i took a nap until tribal?

Colin

okay THE RATS ARE LOOSE. I REPEAT, THE RATS ARE LOOSE.

i TOLD Raffy not to trust JG. like I've BEEN saying that. he threw him under the bus last round, and he's doing it again. So last round it was me, Raffy, and Ellie who decided we wanted to go vote JG. But Raffy told JG that it was Zo who put his name out. JG promptly went to Zo and was like “Heard you were throwing my name out” when she literally was not, that was just a lie said by Raffy.

NOW JG is going to Zo again, telling her that Raffy and Ellie are coming for her, and is i guess trying to orchestrate a blindside against Ellie it seems?? now I'm in the corner over here like OK NOW CAN WE VOTE JG?! I think raffy is finally getting the message that keeping him is NOT smart.

I talked with Zo and it sounds like she and Jinx were already playing with the idea of voting ellie last round. i think she thinks i can be a part of their voting block. I believe that me and Amy are smack dab in the middle of this and can realistically join either side

heres how i THINK the vote is gonna go tonight:

Ellie + Raffy + me + Amy voting JG JG + jinx + zo + maddison voting ellie

so....... did someone say rocks? :)

Zo

So the funny thing about me is I can go away for a nap for an hour and a half and come back and my name is off the block hdjsjdjjs

JG

Amy

honestly I just want to have fun so I'm being messy telling everyone everything 🤣 I will not be shocked if this gets flipped onto me but apparently Ellie Colin and raffy want me to vote out JG with them and jinx JG me zo? Maddison? will vote Ellie? I mean here's the problem I've played with Ellie enough to have assumed from the start they are with everyone (as I am 🤠) but the whole being in two opposing alliances wasn't grand with some people even though they chose to vote with the girlies but there's a concern about a swap and then being closer to Adeline than say I would be which would immediately put me more at risk of going home especially down numbers. Anyway tbh if raffy didn't flip his idea I would have voted zo out 100% and I already had my voting confessional planned.

Let's see though bc Colin wanted to make a group of me Ellie raffy and Colin to "fix communication" and force rocks lol and it hasn't been made so.... Would be a funny way to go

Oh also I can go on the other side of the idol hunt and made it directly to the other resort and was immediately barred from entry lol whoops where are these wristbands?

Colin

okay so tribal is in 50 minutes and everyone has been SO quiet today. like to a very stressful extent. i'm needing to take a step back and remember that as long as it aint me, i'm fine. I'm planning on voting JG, and honestly just because I think that everyone is so quiet, I don't see an actual organized effort happening against Ellie this round. JG and Zo seemed like they wanted to take her out, but no one's putting in the work to do so. i hope that means that ellie survives this round and JG gets out, which is what i've been trying to do since last round.

Ellie

Tell me why i power nap for 6 hours and wake up to the vote being for me

[sheacouleecametoslay]

All Stars 3 (2018)

So the first 4 episodes, plus the returnee episode, were fun. But episodes 5 and 7 had lame challenges and the story felt boring. And then the finale is a complete and utter trainwreck. Seriously, the finale has a 4.3/10 on IMDB, which is the second-lowest rated finale after AS4 (that'll be fun to review soon). Why? Because the producers decided to have the 6 eliminated queens vote on who the final two would be. The two finalists would then face off in a lip sync for the crown. It was an awful twist, made even worse by the jury basing their votes on who needed it the most; thereby rewarding the underrated queens and punishing the front runner. I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that reasoning at all. This isn't Survivor or Big Brother. This is a show meant to reward performances. Yeah, I was in favour of the all stars format during AS2, it's a very juicy twist, and I do think the eliminations are more interesting in AS3, but it shouldn't be extended into the finale. Kennedy had more jury points than Trixie too! And the cast wasn't told they needed to manage a jury either. Those group interviews with the jury looked so intimating lol. I can accept the Lip Sync For The Crown format of Seasons 9 and beyond, but the jury twist doesn't sit right with me. Also, the Handmaid's Tale references went way over my head. At the end of each episode, Chad Michaels and Alaska creepily stood behind every eliminated queen in red cloaks. Just why??? The cast is the main thing that saves this season from bottom tier. While the cast isn't as iconic as AS2, many of my favourites are back including Shangela, Ben, Chi Chi and BeBe. Meanwhile, some others grew on me considerably - namely Morgan, Aja and Kennedy. The challenges were a mixed bag though, and this feels like one of the more "rigged" seasons. The Ball had one of the worst concepts (the soup cans), and the "My Best Squirrelfriend's Dragmaids Wedding Trip" skit felt like an afterthought. The Bitchelor was kinda cringe too. And I was disappointed that the Rusical used RuPaul songs instead of incorporating songs from the respective artists. But I guess they didn't want to pay for the licensing. On the flip side, most of the queens did well in the Talent Show. And "Kitty Girl" is one of the best Ru-mixes. I liked that they filmed the whole thing in one take. Otherwise, there was a couple of great runway themes - the Ru-demption and the wigs on wigs on wigs. Much like AS2, the returnee revenge episode was a high point of the season. It included a long segment where the eliminated queens each had their moment to confront those who eliminated them - Shangela vs Thorgy, Morgan vs Ben, Milk vs Kennedy, Aja vs Bebe - and it's probably the best drama of the season. The other memorable drama moment came from a note Thorgy left behind. Otherwise, Ben's self-elimination is one of the most shocking moments in the show's herstory.   Just like AS2, the runtime flips back and forth between 42 minutes and 60 minutes (without ads). It's the first All-Stars season to air on VH1 as well. And the finale is the last 42- episode until... the one that just aired two days I believe.

Queens Ranking: 10. Milk Milk received a non-stop "delusional edit" in AS3. She was smug, arrogant, egotistical, and always smirking. Did her post-Season 6 fame get to her head? Or was she was playing it up for the cameras? Milk thought she was amazing in every challenge, and had a breakdown when she was "safe" because she wanted the judges to praise her. Then in her boot episode, she disagreed with Shangela thinking Milk would be in the bottom. She said "Ben you're still alive?" and "grandma sit down" (about BeBe) in this disrespectful tone. She thought her song would be a bigger hit than "Supermodel". She claimed Celine Dion's event planner loved her Celine impression. She pissed off Kennedy by preferring Thorgy's drag - and Kennedy felt like this wasn't the Milk she knew outside the show. She had that Myspace stalking story. She called her elimination "bogus" in her mirror message. And she later blamed others for not telling her she was a "douchebag". She wasn't fond of Shangela's antics in the Rusical rehearsal either, and acted childishly in response (ie. opening a fan in her face and saying "shush Valentina"). In the competition: I disliked all 3 of Milk's performances. The Velcro bit in the talent show was dumb. Singing into a shoe and wearing a peanut butter jar necklace didn't emulate Celine Dion. And her stalker character in the Bitchelor was too real; and she bulldozed Trixie in that challenge. I didn't like her wig runway either. 9. Thorgy Thor Thorgy was so bitter and spiteful this season. I can understand feeling cynical after the riggory, but it got annoying. She spent all of episode 2 openly talking about production sabotaging her. She asked Todrick to put her in the background of other people's solos. And she said Stevie Nicks isn't a gay icon to the judges. I've also heard that Thorgy wasn't given the props she asked for, despite other queens clearly using props. But aside from that, Thorgy kept bringing up Bob (Chi Chi was right - Bob isn't here). She kept rolling her eyes in confessional - at everyone doing the same talent show performance, at Ben getting emotional about eliminations, at Shangela's response. She said BeBe needs to "shut up" with her introductions. She accused Shangela of having a secret deal with Kennedy. She trashed Ben after she self-eliminated. She was put off by BeBe's jury speech. It's like Thorgy just hated everybody and everything. I was not expecting a dick drawing in her mirror message either. In the competition: Thorgy impressed with her violin playing in the Talent Show. But she was infamously given a bad role for the Rusical (as Stevie Nicks), which only had one joke (the dizzy one), and she didn't even sell it. 8. Trixie Mattel Even Trixie looked shocked when Morgan announced the top 2. She only won because of Ben's self-elimination and the jury disliking Shangela. She tried so hard to make funny confessionals, but they were too forced, self-aware, and dry. It felt like she was telling dad jokes all season. Also, her excuses for posting Thorgy's note on the wall made no sense - why post it if you don't want Shangela to see it? She thought Thorgy should be blamed instead, and she seemed annoyed about the whole conversation. Her relationship with Shangela improved afterwards though, with them saving each other. Anyways, Trixie came in believing that she did lousy on Season 7, and she continued to struggle for the first half of AS3. I don't get why everyone was expecting her to be top 2 for the Bitchelor, but whatever. She reached a mental low point after bombing the Snatch Game, and then went on to win two challenges afterwards. Which were the two worst challenges of the season. Otherwise, Trixie didn't hold back from criticizing BeBe and Kennedy to the jury. She had this segment about being standoffish and Morgan calling her "grand". And she gave attitude during recording. In the competition: Trixie's talent show country song was boring. Her RuPaul in Snatch Game was so stiff and cringe... with all those awkward catchphrases interjections. And I didn't find Trixie's math character or the "fake bitch" in the Bitcherlor funny. She had the most memorable soup can though. Plus the book outfit and the rollerblade entrance were cute. And I'll admit she had the second best "Kitty Girl" verse. But she was only top 2 in bad challenges. 7. Chi Chi DeVayne (R.I.P.) I still love Chi Chi, but her AS3 run was disappointing. She promised her drag was together this time, but was still read for her looks. Chi Chi also felt like she wasn't on the same level as the other queens and that she came back at the wrong time. It was sad to see her in her head like that. She accepted defeat by the episode 3 deliberation and basically told Ben to send her home; but Kennedy had other priorities. I'm glad she wasn't dragged as far as Roxxxy Andrews though. When the eliminated queens returned, Chi Chi was the only one to not be bitter about it. She also told the top 2 to not bring her back. But at least we got to see Chi Chi be brutally honest again - like calling out Milk's Talent Show performance - and see her smiling in confessional again. Lol at her spelling "Mya Angelou" wrong. In the competition: Chi Chi was read for her shoes and wig in the Talent Show, but apparently she dropped her baton as well. She was in the bottom for the Rusical for her runway as well. And then it felt like she was mentally checked out during the Bitchelor and the Snatch Game. The wig runway was good though. 6. BeBe Zahara Benet I'm fine with BeBe getting a second chance, since winning Season 1 isn't as prestigious. But despite the intimidating entrance quote ("Mother, another day, another slay. Who's first?"), BeBe fell under-the-radar for the first 4 episodes. And then she got the "lack of self-awareness" edit for the other 4 episodes. She eliminated Aja after Aja helped make her outfit; even getting emotional when revealing the lipstick. And when confronted about it next episode, she made an excuse about not talking much on the runway. BeBe also wouldn't let Aja plead her case during deliberation because she went on a rant praising Aja. Otherwise, BeBe thought the eliminated queens would be their dancers (lol). She was scared of heights during choreo. She refused to reveal her second lipstick choice, even refusing to the tell jury later on. She didn't understand why she was given the queen role, and thought her negative critiques were soft. And she didn't know who Ornacia was. Ben called BeBe "poised and regal", while Shangela called her "boogie". BeBe does have this fabulous aura. She was also shy around sex talk (lol at that description of Thorgy's penis drawing). But yeah, BeBe knew the jury wasn't going to give her a second win. In the competition: BeBe showed her Cameroonian culture via reveals in the Talent Show. Her whacky Grace Jones in Snatch Game and "Rrrrra-ka-ta-ti-ti-ta-ta" in the girl groups were highlights too. And lol at her wanting to do "achoo" soup. But on the flip side, BeBe's bashful virgin in the Bitchelor was whatever. Her queen character in the wedding skit fell flat. And she struggled with the lifts in "Kitty Girl". I liked most of her runways though, aside from her final 4 outfit. 5. Morgan McMichaels Morgan knew that she wasn't a fan favourite, so she didn't care about fan perception at all. I can get behind a villain like that. I enjoyed Morgan more in AS3 than Season 2, actually. She had this ruthless way of talking. She straight-up told the Werk Room she was going to eliminate the strongest competitors, which is ballsy. She didn't want to be fake about it, but it wasn't the wisest thing to say. In the revenge episode, Morgan confronted Ben about not sticking to her policy, even calling Ben a "coward" and a "hypocrite". I mean, Morgan wasn't wrong. Ben was punishing her for not "playing by the rules". Morgan later made up with Ben, admitting she was too confrontational, and then Ben selected her to return. Despite Morgan disliking Ben's quit in confessional. It ended up being a pointless return though. Trixie and Shangela displayed sympathy with the returnee curse thing, but not enough to save her. "I look pretty good for a dead bitch" was a good entrance line though. In the competition: I didn't think Morgan was bottom 2-worthy in the talent show. The quacking swan on the other hand... yeah. Morgan even gave herself that role! Her kilt runway (with the crotch flashing) was fun though. 4. Aja Aja grew on me this season as well. She was under pressure in Season 9, but was much more easygoing in AS3. It reminded me of Detox's growth in AS2. She was having fun in confessionals. She seemed chill when she returned as an eliminated queen - well other than calling out BeBe for not giving Aja credit on stage for the outfit. The show tried to make it look like Aja was becoming overconfident with her Ball look (insert Kennedy confessional saying just that and Trixie calling her soup idea "crazy"), but I didn't understand that bottom 2 placement at all. Even Trixie called it the most beautiful outfit. Aja was doing so well before that challenge too. Her elimination reeks of riggory. She should've returned instead of Morgan. Otherwise, Aja lead the jury interrogation by asking bigger picture questions. In the competition: Aja had Ru gagging with that death drop stunt in talent show. Her Amy Winehouse in the Rusical and her Crystal Labeija in Snatch Game were highlights as well. She held her own in the "Anaconda" lip sync too. And I liked her anime wig runway and the princess redo. But Aja was annoyingly whiny in the Bitchelor. And she was read for her soup can not representing her brand... ehh whatever, her outfit was one of the best that week. Also, Aja's girl group verse was fire and should've been what brought her back to the game. 3. BenDeLaCreme The most dominant track record in Drag Race herstory. Ben had a hard time eliminating queens, and she had to do it nearly every week! There was so many confessionals from the other queens not having patience for Ben's turmoil though. They felt like Ben was concerned about maintaining a congenial image. And Kennedy pointed out that Ben plays to win and then complains about the responsibility. Ben even came up with a formula at one point so she couldn't be blamed for eliminations. She wanted to win with "kindness and integrity". She said she stole Trixie's win. She suggested repeating the AS2 group consensus, which others weren't into. She was relieved to finally lose a challenge. While in episode 6, after Morgan called her out for not following her own policy, Ben wasn't here for the drama. I guess she brought Morgan back out of guilt. Then, Ben had reasons to keep all 3 queens in the bottom, so she fell on her sword and eliminated herself instead. Which is the most congenial thing she could've done. Ben was taking the eliminations too seriously, but her storyline was interesting to watch. In the competition: I agree with all 5 of Ben's top 2 placements. The tassel bit in the Talent Show was funny (as was her "Anaconda" lip sync afterwards). Her Julie Andrews in the Rusical stood out with the microphone bit. And then she imitated Shangela in the "Jump" lip sync lol. She had the banana bit in the Bitchelor. Her Paul Lynde in Snatch Game was as good as Maggie Smith. And she sold the goth verse in the girl groups. It felt like she was throwing the challenge in episode 5 though (the soup cans). My fave runways of hers were the flower and the jewels redo. 2. Kennedy Davenport Kennedy grew on me the most from this cast. AS3 made me appreciate her lack of filter. She's just so unpleased by everything and always gives her opinion, but she's less mean-spirited this time. For example: interjecting to say "no we should look at the whole picture", disliking Thorgy's dick drawing, getting offended by Milk calling Thorgy's drag more exciting than hers, refusing to do one-on-ones, taking Shangela's side in note-gate, calling the return twist a "crock of s**t", giving Milk like 4 different reasons why she eliminated her, making Milk cry by calling her ingenuine and self-centered, and saying it's "BS" for the jury to feel animosity. Also lol at her pronouncing meme as "mimi". I guess Kennedy wanted Ru-demption for her Season 7 perception. She wasn't a popular queen, and that seems to be why the jury voted her into the top 2. She needed the recognition the most. And Thorgy felt that her answers came off sincere. But Kennedy had the worst track record of the final 4 . In the competition: Kennedy landed on the box in the Talent Show, and she was the funniest in the Bitchelor. But she was either middling or struggling in the other challenges. She missed the words in the Rusical. While her lyrics in both the girls group and "Kitty Girl" were kinda basic. But I liked Kennedy's finale lip sync more than Trixie's. I didn't care that she gave another rainbow dress at the finale, it looked great. That entrance look with all the shimmering coins was... something though. 1. Shangela AS3 solidified Shangela as one of my all-time faves. She improves each season. She's an amazing confessionalist. She's charming in how she aims to impress. And she hustled for this win that was stolen from her. Maybe her jury answer wasn't what they wanted - she mainly talked about how much work she put in. She eliminated half the jury too. And I guess her diva attitude in the Rusical rehearsal was indicative. But she killed it in the challenges. And I actually thought she handled situations tactfully? Like the Thorgy note debacle. She also encouraged Ben to smooth things over with Morgan. Lol at her saying she won't overtalk Thorgy and Thorgy not getting a chance to respond though. Anyways, the All-Stars format was perfect for Shangela's strategic mindset, since she was already doing that in Season 3. She kept whoever she could trust to save her in a later episode. That's why she eliminated Thorgy and built an alliance with Trixie. She thought Ben and BeBe were being strategic in their own ways too. And she gave so many Games of Thrones references. In the competition: Shangela's Talent Show performance was fierce and gave variety. She killed it as Mariah Carey in the Rusical. She was confident as Jenifer Lewis in Snatch Game. She was the only one in the wedding skit that made me laugh ("she did that"). She had the best "Kitty Girl" verse. And she had fun lip sync gimmicks - the jump rope, the notebook, the fat suit and sunglasses. Her cornstalk/popcorn runway was one of my faves too. But no surprise Shangela flopped the design challenge - those discs were horrible. The pregnant flower and the red spike runways were OTT as well. And her girl group verse was a little basic. Favourite entrance look: BeBe Zahara Benet Challenge ranking: 1. "Kitty Girl" Ru-mix (Shangela >>>> Trixie > BeBe > Kennedy) 2. Talent Show 3. Girl Group battle 4. Snatch Game 5. VH1 Divas Rusical 6. The Bitchelor (Improv) 7. Andy Warhol Ball 8. "My Best Squirrelfriend's Dragmaids Wedding Trip" (Acting) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Aja vs BenDeLaCreme ("Anaconda") 2. BenDeLaCreme vs Shangela ("Jump (For My Love)") 3. Shangela vs Trixie Mattel ("Freaky Money") 4. BenDeLaCreme vs Shangela ("I Kissed A Girl") 5. Kennedy Davenport vs Trixie Mattel ("Wrecking Ball") (Kennedy should've won this lip sync) 6. BeBe Zahara Benet vs Trixie Mattel ("The Boss") 7. BeBe Zahara Benet vs BenDeLaCreme ("Nobody's Supposed To Be Here") 8. BenDeLaCreme vs Kennedy Davenport ("Green Light") (borrrrring; the song doesn't really work as a lip sync) The top 4 lip syncs are all very memorable and funny. Season ranking so far: 9 > 5 > 6 > AS2 > 4 > 2 > 7 > AS3 > 3 > 8 > 1 > AS1

[westernkeith]

To download movies and shows with phone Anywhere

How to down load films and indicates from Amazon Prime Video Are you discovering it tough to preserve up with Amazon's consistent rotation of award-winning movies, shows, and Prime Video exclusives? Fortunately, the Amazon Video app approves you to download a variety of your favourite movies and episodes for offline viewing on your Android or iOS system or on a laptop Mac or Windows computer.

In this step-by-step guide, we are going to instruct you how to down load content material from Amazon to view later, as properly as how to control your archives and a few guidelines and hints for getting the first-rate offline trip possible. Get the Amazon Prime app Step 1: First of all, you’ll want an Amazon account with a subscription to Amazon Prime. Also, you’ll want the Amazon Prime Video app, that means you’ll want a well suited Fire, Android, or iOS device. You can additionally get the app for Mac and Windows computing device computers. The appear and performance are extraordinarily constant throughout them all.

Once installed, launch the app and signal in to your Amazon Prime account.

Step 2: Next, pick out a movie or exhibit that you favor to download, and open the video details. Note that no longer all Amazon Prime films or TV indicates are on hand for download, and you can solely down load content material if you are in positive areas (the U.S., for example). If it is a series, you can pick out to down load man or woman episodes or full seasons.

Also, prior to downloading, make positive to choose the down load satisfactory you desire your downloads to be — they will take up one-of-a-kind quantities of statistics.

Once you’ve chosen a film or show, faucet the Download button — for shows, you can additionally down load person episodes. Step 3: To browse the movies and suggests you’ve beforehand downloaded, pick out the Downloads button on the bottom. Your downloaded titles will show up here. Tap the one you favor for it to begin playing. If it is a series, tapping the title will open the listing of episodes you've got downloaded.

Casting your content The Prime Video app is handy for cell devices, tablets, and well matched Windows 10 and Mac computers. If you’re searching to get your downloaded films and TV episodes onto a large screen, you can do so by way of “casting” the content material to your TV. Here’s how.

Step 1: Play the video you prefer to watch, and then appear for the casting button in the top-right corner. The iOS and Android icons are barely different, with every giving you get admission to to their respective well suited devices. The instance picture beneath is from the Mac computer app. Step 2: The app will then test for gadgets that you can forged the video to, such as a Fire TV stick, AirPlay or Apple TV devices, Smart TVs, Chromecasts, and more. How an awful lot house do I need? The quantity of storage wanted for a file relies upon on its quality. We downloaded the movie Moonfall at the Best satisfactory putting and it took up 1GB of storage on an iPhone, whilst at Better exceptional (the second-lowest), it took up 535MB. Alternately, season 1 of Upload, 10 episodes in all, took up 2.6GB when downloaded on Best quality.

What's available? According to Amazon, solely choose titles are handy for download. When we browsed the Prime Video selections, it regarded like each and every title handy to Prime subscribers was once downloadable. Most likely, you can rely on all Amazon Originals being reachable for download. Note that you can solely down load movies whilst in the U.S. and U.S. territories if you have a U.S. Amazon account. More on this next.

The boundaries of Amazon Prime Video downloads While downloading content material and media on Amazon Prime Video is enormously convenient, there are some limitations. First, as soon as you down load a film or show, you may have 30 days to watch it earlier than it "expires," aka receives deleted. And as soon as you begin gazing a film or episode, you will have forty eight hours to entire it earlier than it expires, which means you may have to move it or simply down load it once more — if it is nonetheless available, that is.

[asianhappinesss]

The Gifted (2018)

Summary

Ritdha Wittayakom High School, a school with a "Gifted Program" that holds a special class for a handful of "special" students that were chosen by the school administrator. Incredibly, Pang, a 10th-grade student from the lowest ranking class surprisingly passed the Gifted Program placement test for unknown reasons. His entrance to the Gifted Program was filled with much confusion. He and his new friends started to feel that there is something strange about their special class. Eventually, they figured out that the Gifted Program was designed to awaken their "potentials" that pertains to some kind of special powers. As their potentials are discovered, their lives changed as their special powers come with troubles as well. Not long, their special gifts revealed a secret that the school official was trying to hide.

Review

My Rating: 9/10

I love this show so much that I don’t even know where to start. (This is going to be a long one.)

I’ll have to say that The Gifted is one of my favorite Thai series that I’ve seen so far, and whenever I’m recommending something new to watch to my friends The Gifted is on top of that list. I only watched it a couple of months ago (binging series during quarantine did me good in finding gems) while the show is now 2 years old and they have just started airing the second season: The Gifted Graduation and I’ve been so excited since the announcement.

One of the main reasons I like The Gifted, is probably because the story-line falls in the genre of stories I like, mixing some supernatural elements with making new friendships and teamwork to an extent that I would want to be part of the group and not let go of these characters. It was also due to the fact that I knew a bunch of the characters on the show from other series. (The twins, Gun (Punn), Puimek (Mon), Fiat (Korn), Sing (Ohm), Victor (Teacher Pom), …) I always enjoy seeing familiar faces.

The Intro: I have to talk about the intro because it’s iconic. I don’t think there is anyone who ever skipped the intro of this series. I sometimes listen to it on repeat, and I’m even considering making it my ringtone, that’s how good it is.

Let’s talk about the story:

In my opinion, it’s very unique in some ways. The whole students wanting justice and to change the system is nothing new, but it’s the supernatural aspect, aka their Potentials that makes this show unique of its kind. The way their potentials work doesn’t seem too far-fetched, and most of them work on the mind. Pang can control people’s minds, Clare can see their emotions, Mon’s potential is physical strength but her sweat and other substances can stimulate other people’s minds, Namtan can see the past and history of certain objects, Punn can copy other personalities and skills, the twins can feel each other’s pain, and so on. So it’s not like they can transform into something else or fly or anything like that but their potentials are more realistic (?) if that makes sense.

I love the trope of that one guy trying to figure out what he’s doing in his life and why everyone around him has everything figured out but he doesn’t, but I always worry about the main character turning a bit too annoying at some point, luckily that didn’t happen with Pang, he was a great character instead.  All the characters were great in their own way.

The Pang – Wave dynamic was just top notch, like; can we talk about the exam episode?  (Ep8) This episode was probably my favorite because of how everyone was completing each other’s answers on their talkie walkie and then Pang and Wave were completing each other’s sentences each from one side of the building. I loved this part so much since we also could see all the other characters at the same time in one episode.

The story-line itself is great; it kept me wanting to watch more every single time one episode would end; I’d have to say that I actually binged the show in two to three sitting just because I had to take online courses and do assignments in between since I was still attending University at the time.

The Characters:

Pang: As previously said, Pang was a great main character, he didn’t annoy me at all when I actually went in thinking: “ Oh here we go again another character that wants to be the leader and superior out of the bunch.” That wasn’t the case, he was actually pretty well balanced and helped his friends and cared about making things right. His potential is – obviously - the most important one between all the gifted students, and also a very interesting one.

Wave: He’s great, let’s just put it out there. For instance his potential is so powerful it makes my brain hurt. His character is also so complex, and his personality and attitude all make sense once we know more about his past and his reasons, which makes this character so good, added to how smart he also is. He and Pang complement each other’s personalities so well.

Ohm: Oh boy was his character very lovable, I think Ohm represents us in his episode, how we can be impulsive sometimes and burst out maybe even do or say something we might regret later. His character was not just funny but also important; the boy can make things disappear and reappear for the love of god. (Mr. Pom is still looking for his wallet.)

Namtan: Not only is her potential so powerful, but she’s such a goal driven person, and once she has her mind set on something, you can’t stop her, I mean if not even her health could stop her, then how could a person do so?

Claire: I think her potential is actually really cool, and her character is actually pretty realistic, I mean her ego is quite something and she’s quite confident – love that. But she doesn’t take people’s crap or lies. She is a good person, and doesn’t lead people on, she also is there for people when they need her. Her and Punn really do complement each other.

Punn: Such an important and needed character, not only is his potential so great, but the fact that he is also dealing with mental illness also makes his character so great and important. He is in some way, representation for many people who might be dealing with any sort of mental illness and that’s a great thing to see. Let’s also talk about Gun’s acting, in his episode (Ep5) it was at that one scene in the cafeteria, at that moment that everyone realized what was going on and pieced everything together. (Maimee is iconic too so-)

Mon: Superhuman strength? Don’t mind if I do. I’d love to have her potential not gonna lie, but just like her, I’d do without the side effects of it. She’s such a good person and she has to deal with people hating her because she’s … good? Let’s just say that this is realistic and happens a lot.

Korn: Some might say that Korn’s potential isn’t that great, but think about it, some people are scared to go to sleep by fear of not waking up, some feel like if they had more time in the day then they would be able to achieve so much more, maybe it wasn’t for him and he got duped but with him we learned quite a few things.

Jack and Joe (The Twins): There really isn’t much to say about them, or even their potential, I believe that there could have been much more done with them, I hope they take this opportunity this season.

Favorite Character: Punn

As someone who deals with some mental health problems, representation pulls me and makes me love a series a lot more. His character was beautiful and Gun portrayed him so well.

(I think this will be the longest review I’ll ever write because I spoke about each and every character and there is 10 mains, instead of going by couples or most important.)

[the-4077th]

IMDB Top 10 Rated Episodes  └#10 ➝ Point of View (7x10) . Rated 8.5/10

[anevolutionarynecessity]

How did Laura Neal ever get to be showrunner for Season 4?

Since Killing Eve’s horrible finale aired on April 10, 2022, and was followed up with Laura Neal’s homophobic and deranged interviews explaining its rationale, we’ve all been asking ourselves a burning question:

How did Laura Neal ever get to be showrunner for Season 4?

Our fandom knows that changing showrunners every season presented a problem for Killing Eve’s overall quality, specifically continuity, characterization, and Villaneve. This is why it was more important than ever for the showrunner for the final season to have an excellent grasp of key plot points, a deep understanding of the key characters, and an ability to finally realize Villaneve in the end.

In other words, we were all hoping that Laura Neal would do a good job.

But more than being hopeful, we had reason to expect that Laura Neal would do a good job. This is because Laura Neal wrote Villaneve’s bus kiss for S3E3, as well as writing for S3E7 with it’s dark humour, Hélène’s commanding presence, and Villaneve’s breathtaking almost-reunion.

I (bitterly) recall that our fandom was pretty excited that Laura Neal was going to be showrunner. Now after Season 4, we’re left feeling betrayed, shocked, devastated, and angry.

As showrunner, she messed things up to the point of being single-handedly responsible for Killing Eve’s lowest rated episode ever (along with being one of the worst finales in television history), wiping out Killing Eve’s legacy and re-watch value, and directly contributing to mainstream media harming LGBTQ well being and representation. 

So...what happened? How was someone like Laura Neal, with her homophobia and catastrophic misunderstanding of Eve and Villanelle, allowed to have so much power?

The answer has everything to do with how the entertainment industry works, specifically in the UK.

We all know that the entertainment industry isn’t exactly built around merit. So what “qualifies” someone for their position in the entertainment industry? Generally, the criteria can include both the quantity and quality of projects, awards won, and a good reputation that’s endorsed by industry executives.

Scouring the public record for information on Laura Neal revealed just how scarce her C.V. and other professional details are. Nevertheless, the information I have been able to find should raise some eyebrows.

The first point to note here is that Laura Neal was announced as showrunner for Season 4 in February 2020–two full months before Season 3 even aired.

Take a moment to let that sink in.

Before even gauging critic and audience reactions to Season 3, before any viewership statistics and profit calculations came pouring in, Laura Neal was given this position.

The only way this is ever possible is if an industry executive, such as an executive producer, simply makes it happen thanks to the power of their position.

At the time of this announcement, we were offered two crucial pieces of information:

Laura Neal was selected as showrunner for Season 4 simply because Killing Eve wanted to continue its tradition of having female showrunners. Although her (few) writing credits were noted, such as for the high profile show Sex Education, this was not the primary reason she became showrunner.

Killing Eve’s executive producer Sally Woodward Gentle endorsed Laura Neal: “Laura is frighteningly bright, takes no prisoners and can laugh at anything. She's wicked and wild, emotional and provocative. The stories we are already creating for season four promise a pitch-black riot."

That’s it.

Neither of these reasons have anything to do with merit. Not even past experience or industry recognition.

Speaking of which, examining Laura Neal’s qualifications shows a troubling pattern of nepotism and elitism.

Again, this is unsurprising for the entertainment industry. But it does reveal the answer to how Laura Neal got to be showrunner for Season 4.

In the UK, up-and-coming writers for the screen and stage often go through writer’s programs. More than honing their skills with a mentor, these function more like sponsorships for writers that bring them lots of exposure and coveted endorsements from industry executives. In other words, it’s a matter of prestige.

So let’s have a look at some of Laura Neal’s notable qualifications on both her official agent’s website and her IMDb page:

Laura Neal studied drama at Bristol University and has been writing since she was 18 years old.

She has more experience writing for theater than for television.

She won the the Hull Truck Prize in 2007 and then the 2012 Broadcast Hot Shot prize.

In 2007, she was selected for not one, but two prestigious writer’s programs: the Royal Court Young Writers Programme and the Paines Plough Future Perfect scheme-despite having no credited work in 2007.

Because of these programs, she was commissioned to write only one episode in 2011 for Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

She wrote only one episode for My Mad Fat Diary in 2014, notable because it was one of Jodie Comer’s early successful projects.

She was a member of the Advanced Writing for Television Drama Programme 2017-2018, which she only got because she was “nominated by a senior industry professional.”

There is no record anywhere of who has ever endorsed and nominated her, other than Sally Woodward Gentle.

Laura Neal wrote only one episode for Sex Education in 2019.

In a bit of a discrepancy, IMDb claims that Laura Neal wrote three of Killing Eve’s episodes in Season 3 (2020): episode 3,7, and the finale. However, her official C.V. and agent only list episodes 3 and 7. Keep in mind that traditionally in the UK, a showrunner (read: head writer) writes the finale all by themselves, so it’s more likely Suzanne Heathcoate wrote the Season 3 finale all by herself. In any case, at this point Laura Neal only wrote 2-3 episodes for Killing Eve before suddenly becoming showrunner for Season 4.

Laura Neal has 7 writing credits throughout her entire career.

Other than two prizes during her university years, and being selected for the writer’s programs, Laura Neal has not won any industry awards.

Laura Neal has only one co-producer credit for the 2019 Netflix show Turn Up Charlie, which was cancelled after just one season. 

Laura Neal’s only executive producer credit is for 8 episodes in her entire career, all for Season 4 of Killing Eve.

In addition, Laura Neal herself gives us some insight into her background as a writer:

She originally wanted to be a criminal investigator and almost gave up on writing altogether.

She studied drama at Bristol University, writing for university societies and for theater companies back in London.

While rehearsing in London for one of the first plays she’d written, some completely unnamed TV producers just happened to be watching the play. Shortly after, they commissioned Laura to write one episode for Secret Diary of a Call Girl. According to Laura, this was enough to secure her an agent and further projects.

Laura Neal’s focus for Season 3 and high-point for Killing Eve was to write lines for Fiona Shaw, who she’s “a huge fan of” (coincidentally, Fiona Shaw’s character Carolyn was the primary focus for Season 4)

All this serves to demonstrate that Laura Neal actually didn’t have the qualifications for a position as important as showrunner for Killing Eve’s final season.

Certainly, we can all feel that Laura Neal didn’t deserve to be showrunner after the mess we got. But I think it’s objectively clear now that we can back this sentiment up with facts. Laura Neal literally had no business being showrunner.

And now the logical counterpart to wondering how Laura Neal ever got to be showrunner for Season 4 is asking the following crucial question:

Why wasn’t Kayleigh Llewellyn showrunner for Season 4?

Kayleigh Llewellyn is Laura Neal’s direct contemporary colleague. They even got started around the same time, meaning their careers parallel each other. But the divergent results clearly speak for themselves, to the point where I think Kayleigh Llewellyn should have been showrunner for Season 4 of Killing Eve.

In no uncertain terms, Kayleigh is the most qualified woman for this position, especially by entertainment industry standards.

I mean, let’s just consider some of Kayleigh Llewellyn’s many notable qualifications on both her agent’s website (along with her C.V.) and her IMDb page:

Laura and Kayleigh both won something in 2012...except Kayleigh’s award was an industry recognized award called a BAFTA, specifically for New Comedy Writing. Kayleigh literally kickstarted her career with the UK entertainment industry’s highest honour.

In addition to being a writer, Kayleigh is also an actress. IMDb notes four acting credits in total, the most notable being for her 2015 short film Oh Be Joyful. It won 13 awards, including Best Short Film and Best Female Director. It was championed as excellent LGBTQ representation at international film festivals in London, Milan, Hamburg, and Toronto among others.

Kayleigh was one of six specifically LGBTQ filmmakers selected for the BFI Flare Mentorship Programme in 2016. Not only is Kayleigh a lesbian herself, but her entire career champions LGBTQ representation through the lens of underdog characters, exploring such themes as class division, internal conflicts with home life and sexuality, and challenging the stigma around mental illness.

Right before being a writer for Killing Eve, Kayleigh’s best known and most loved project is the 2018-2021 TV series In My Skin. The pilot alone won 2 BAFTA awards. The series went on to be nominated for 4 more BAFTA awards: Best TV Drama, Actress, Writer and Director: Fiction. This project won two of those nominations, for Writer and Director (2020).

In contrast to Laura Neal’s two university prizes, Kayleigh Llewellyn has won 5 BAFTA awards in total.

Kayleigh was executive producer for all 9 episodes of In My Skin, compared to Laura Neal’s singular co-producer credit and her executive producer credit for 8 episodes in Season 4 of Killing Eve.

Kayleigh was also consulting producer for all 8 episodes of Season 4 of Killing Eve, which means she still contributed input for Villaneve throughout.

Among Kayleigh’s 13 writing credits across her career, she contributed some of the best material for Villaneve in Season 4, writing episodes 3, 4, and 6.

Given all this, Kayleigh Llewellyn’s industry experience, her passion and work for LGBTQ representation, and her demonstrable understanding of Villaneve made her the perfect fit to be showrunner for Season 4 of Killing Eve.

To put this another way, the show In My Skin that she was directly executive producer for and actively writing for won four BAFTA awards the same year (2020) that Killing Eve’s executives were in the process of finding a showrunner for Season 4.

Kayleigh Llewellyn clearly should have been considered for the position.

And yet.

Laura Neal was announced as showrunner for Season 4 just because Sally Woodward Gentle said so.

To make this injustice worse, we know that Kayleigh Llewellyn was muzzled and literally kept from doing her job as a writer in Killing Eve, noting that she felt like “a cog in a machine.”

I cannot help but mourn the loss of what Killing Eve’s final season could have been if Kayleigh Llewellyn was showrunner. The amount of potential that was unfulfilled is maddening. Worse yet, we live with the disastrous results of the finale and Laura Neal’s legacy of homophobia while knowing that Kayleigh is a champion of LGBTQ representation.

So in light of all this, are we just supposed to be disheartened by yet more evidence of how unjust, corrupt, and bemusing the entertainment industry can be?

That’s definitely one takeaway.

Another much more important take away is that now we know how Laura Neal, the head person responsible for Season 4′s homophobia and atrocious quality, got to be where she is.

Now we know what we can hold her accountable for. Now we know some of the entry points in the entertainment industry that allow such people to slip through. Now we know what to look for when we examine who crafts our media. Now we know that there are always other options, just how Kayleigh Llewellyn is an inspiring direct contrast to Laura Neal.

It’s too late to change how Season 4 of Killing Eve turned out. And we will only spiral if we ruminate on how things could have been better if only the right person was in charge.

Instead, I hope that this post was informative and sparked a desire to experience media more thoughtfully. To peer beneath the surface of entertainment and consider who is making it, especially with what intent. To follow the trail and connect the dots to see the bigger picture.

And most of all, to know that if we truly want to make a difference in the industry of our choosing, we can best do that leading by example and looking to women like Kayleigh Llewellyn as examples of what we can create with our hearts in the right place.

[captainstarkky]

Doom at Your Service - An Appreciation Post

Before starting this lengthy post about how I love this drama, I would just like to commend the writer - Im Meari. She has done a wonderful job with this series. I am sad that Episode 10, which was supposed to be the most meaningful episode - had the lowest ratings in Korean media.  But still the whole drama as a while was a masterpiece. What can I say? It is philosophical and poetic at the same time. It entails too many meanings and it has born too many questions.

For me, the whole series is the journey to acceptance.

And Myeol Mang represents that.

When we are faced with an imminent death or destruction, our first reaction is to get angry, frustrated. That’s a normal emotional response to a bad news for humans. If you are in the right head, you will obviously cry or either space out, unable to talk for a few minutes. That is how we get frustrated, that is how we get angry.

And remember what Myul Mang said?

“No one could love me. Everyone either resent me or wants me. Or some fear me.”

It roughly translates to layterm as: ‘...everyone resents me’ (no one wants to die) “...wants me” (some wants to die)... “or some fear me.” (everyone is afraid to die)

That’s quite familiar, right? Hmmm? Now proceed.

Now there is actually a theory that talks about grief. It is a psychological construct that has been proposed to explain why people react the way they react when posed with an information they can’t accept. It is a theory of Elizabeth Ross. She called it the 5 Stages of Grief.

According to her, whenever people experience a life changing event - either death, divorce, end of relationship - a person experiences grief and to get out of that, one needs to pass through stages. It is personal and does not entail timelines and schedule - which is harder for someone who has a terminal illness.

Now, some of you might ask: Why and how did you correlate both?

Simple. Because Myeol Mang is destruction. And Tak Dongkyung is dying - she has three months to live, to be specific, she has 50 days to live as of the 10th episode. Therefore, we can say that Tak Dongkyung is currently in this five stages that I’m talking about. 

The story is all about Tak Dongkyung accepting his faith: which is her inevitable death.

By the way, a bit of a trivia, Doom at Your Service wasn’t the only drama who discussed this theory. If you are familiar with Last Romance, the story centers with the theory as well. 

There are five stages of grief as per the theory.

Denial

Denial is the stage where a person still cannot accept the fact that he/she is dying. She may be redirecting her attention elsewhere or she’s just ignoring the fact that she is.

Actually before episode 10, Tak DongKyung is still in the spectrum of denial. She doesn’t accept the fact that she’s dying. Not talking about it is the indication. She prepares to die - writes a bucketlist, clear out whatever is holding her in the world, assures her brother, etc. - but in reality, she doesn’t want to die. She is still in the process of denying the fact that she is dying.

She is basically pushing the idea of Myung Mang to the back of her mind.

That’s why, Myul Mang wants her to speak it out. He wants her to accept it with all her heart; because that’s the only way she could fully love him.

That is also the reason why the Deity told her to LOVE HIM ‘because I created them for you, humans.’

You’re not supposed to hate death and destruction. Because in the end of everything, we are doomed to end anyway. So we got to accept it. We got to love it.

Denial is probably the hardest stage to get over to because you know that there is still a lot you can do before you finally accept it out. That’s probably the reason why she stayed there for the longest time.

Anger

Anger is when you finally considers the idea of dying - but rejects it out. No one wants to die. And if we are faced with the fact, it is only natural to get angry. But to whom?

Tak Dongkyung hated Myul Mang. And she actually makes her point on this fact during the early episodes. 

She blames him for everything - for a moment.

She might’ve been thinking: why me? And honestly I don’t blame her. Out of all the 7 billion people, you are chosen to have a hundred days to live. If I was her, I would get angry too.

But a little food for the mind: Tak Dongkyung isn’t really angry at Myul Mang. She just want to blame someone for her misfortunes, for her cancer. I mean, she is still young and has a full life to live, she still has to take care of her brother and marry him off a good woman, then all of a sudden, she got cancer. All those plans ruined just because of a few words. And a cocky guy shows up outside her apartment announcing that he’s doom - etce tera, etce tera. Again, If I was her, I would be angry at Myul Mang myself.

Because anger helps us cope.

Although she’s pass that stage now, she certainly have his fair points when it comes to getting angry at our Doom.

Bargaining

Bargaining is a temporary truce. We want our life back so we tend to do everything to get it back. Even if we have to bargain with a demon or something. Some people goes back to their faith, some people risk all their possessions to their doctors. Bottomline, we want to have a chance. A fighting chance.

The second Tak Dongkyung entered the contract with Myul Mang, she already started bargaining.

She started thinking what could be her wish. Even if she never materialized them, she thought of them. So since we are talking about wishes, here are her possible wishes:

People would forget about her when she die.

Wanting to live

Happy Ending

For Myul Mang not to get hurt when she’s gone.

End of the world.

But isn’t the wish supposed to be directed to self?

No not necessarily. If you’re in the early stages of bargaining, it might be the case. But as you move to the later stages, your perspective changes and your wishes will center more on your loved ones. You will want them not to get sad when you pass; or good health for them; good fortune. And that will eventually lead you to the fourth stage - which is depression. Because you know that your wishes for them could never come true.

Depression

This is the interesting part.

What is depression? It is the feeling of immense hopelessness especially in her case that she is dying. The fact that your short life will not leave a mark and the fact that you won’t be able t see your loved ones again - that sadness - but to the greater length. To the point of you not being able to function properly in the society.

Where did the depression start? It did not even show in the whole series.

Oh no, it did.

This is the reason why this drama is for those people who can understand social cues - therefore, intelligent people. If you haven’t seen it then it’s a good time to rerun the drama on your laptops.

Tak Dongkyung has always been depressed. She wouldn’t wish the end of the world if she is not.

From the death of her parents, from the constant thoughts of being a burden to her aunt, from her missed interviews, from his brother stopping college, from her sexist boss, from her cheating ex, from her cancer. Everything is just depressing. 

But why can’t we see it?

Depression is a psychological issue. She might present herself as a happy person but there’s no guarantee that she feels the same inside.

That makes sense.

And do you know what’s the peak of her depression? The moment she knew about her sickness. 

The same day she met our handsome Myul Mang.

Acceptance

Acceptance is not necessarily a happy or uplifting stage, for it only means that you are finally in the stage where you have finally made terms with your fate. It is the stage where you’re staring to realize that ‘ah, it’s really here.’

And that, my friends, is the goal of the drama.

Tak Dongkyung who’s always scared, sad, and hated her life must accept it. She must be able to accept her fate and herself. She needs to accept Myul Mang. Her death.

And to be honest, she is making a whole lot of improvement compared to when she was on the previous episodes. She was truthfully falling for Myul Mang and it means that she’s slowly accepting her death.

We can hear her say:

“I’m not scared anymore...”

On the teaser after Episode 10. It can only mean one thing, she is a step closer to acceptance.

Tak Dongkyung’s journey to self-acceptance still is not ending. She still have a few more days.

Technically, she’ll die. But I hope she will not and she will end up with Myul Mang in the end.

With that I would like to make a point: This drama is for philosophical people.

If you cannot understand what is happening, then it’s obvious that you will not be watching it. If you want skinship and lots of cute scenes, then you can watch this - Seo In-guk and Park Bo-young serves us just enough - but you still won’t get it.

You’ll think that it’s going nowhere and eventually drop the drama because all you want is fluff and love story.

I hope it’s not like that.

Just like everyone who shares their thought and theories, breakdowns in here, let us try to read between the lines on what it really wants to tell us.

You will enjoy it, I promise.

[msgrumpygills]

Social Media Anon here!

I'll update on the Walker finals in a minute (spoiler: not good) but first...

Gen's Instagram! She buys followers and likes and when she doesn't... it falls through the floor.

These are the likes on her last posts, most recent first.

13.5k, 21.3k, 23.3k, 7.1k, 2.6k, 68k (Jared picture!), 25.2k, 52k (odette video), 4.6k, 19.5k, 23.7k, 18.2k, 20.8k, 30.5k, 17.6k, 44.7k, 139k (Valentine's with Jared), 36,4k, 29.3K, 22.2k, 18k, 23.2k, 6.8k, 79k (video of a slug!), 60.5k (Jared AND dogs).

Some seriously low numbers here! We've never seen 2k and 4k before. Even thirst Jared isn't pulling in the figures. She used to be able to count on him getting her 200k a post, now even Valentine's only got 139k and others don't get into 6 figures!

Obviously her engagement rate has dropped to 2.4%, but unless she gets some big hitter posts in the next 10 posts that is going to go well into the single percents.

Her posting rate has dropped so, who knows, she might be preparing for her new career in the Walker prequel ;)

I would say that, after a period of large (and suspicious) daily gains, the normal pattern of follower loss has returned. She is now under 1.350k. if that, miraculous, follower increase hadn't been occurring, she'd be at about 1.335 at the moment.

For clarity Jared is showing at 3.4% now, but with a lot of media. Which means he is working hard to stay in the public consciousness. A lot of that media will be built from the prequel casting announcements, which is a little indirect.

Towwn have reached the giddy heights of nearly 26k followers. So with a combined following of 7.3m followers, the Padapower couple have managed to convert.... less than 26k followers to a page that doesn't charge anything. Good thing they weren't selling anything.

So... not looking that C list at the moment...

Onto Walker, there isn't a new episode until 31st March. The final figures came in at .854m viewers (-5%) and .11 demographic (-8%). That's the second lowest viewers and the third lowest demographic. Since the start of Season 2, it has lost 40% of its demographic and 30% of it's viewers. Given it lost 70% of each in season 1... this isn't looking good.

Of course, this is CW territory, where shows with 200k viewers stay on air but, again, the stars for those don't get paid 175k an episode (purported SPN salary).

Obviously, it's green lit of Season 3, this is the big fish in the little pond with a leak in it... but if it continues to fall like this by Season 3 it'll be in the 0.5m category.... not what would be expected from the 3.47m start!

Finally, just to bore you further... this demographic is 70+ (so not SPN fans following over), it's also rotating (as indicated by the jumps in viewers) which mean very few people are committed to this show (the subreddit has less than 700 people and no one posts compared to the 179k on the SPN subreddit).

I can't stress enough how awful that demographic looks, it's old, it's unengaged and it's a small number.

I think a lot now rests on the prequel, because the main show doesn't have stable legs.

Missed you, sweet Social Media Anon! 

I’ve noticed that she hasn’t been as active and my conspiracy theory side is like “What’s goin’ on?” but I doubt it’s anything good like her learning and trying to do better. 

But of course, she had to make sure that she made a big deal about O’s birthday! Gotta make sure everyone remembers who the favorite prop is! 

I wonder if Jared realized how much his social media numbers were slipping, or if this resurgence in posts is because he’s trying to drum up interest in himself again to make sure people are interested in Walker/the prequel? 

Still blows my mind that together they can’t drum up interest in Towwn. I still want to know the sales for Mantra and how they compare to Jared’s follower numbers, but I don’t know if there’s a way to get a legit reading? 

Was it ever made known whether or not Jared took a pay cut for Walker? My memory is terrible and I can’t remember if anyone knew or had an idea?  I still can’t believe (but I kinda can) that people are still raving about this show like it’s going to save CW when the numbers and things say otherwise. Maybe they’re going to just give it a mediocre attempt for season three and then try and put all of their real efforts into the prequel?

Thank you for all of your work and input! You must have some real patience for all of this! <3

[cafeinthemoon]

The Leaves of Her Garden – Chapter XVII

Title: The Leaves of Her Garden

Genre: Fanfiction

Pairing: Madara Uchiha x reader

Rating: Mature

Word count: 2901

Chapter (s): 17/?

N.A.: Man I missed this face 👇 so much

Read the previous chapters here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Interlude, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16

Symbols: ⭕ | ➕ | 🖤 | ▶▶

Chapter 17 - Susano’o

The first week passed and the second one came at last, and with it came the sensation that you were not going to reach the level of excellence you intended when you asked your husband to teach you the shinobi ways. It’s true that you were now up to a physical fight and could decently use small weapons, and that currently he was teaching you how to climb trees and to overcome obstacles, but that wasn’t enough, not for you. You haven’t talked about this yet, but you knew that if you wanted to offer yourself real protection, you’d need more.

This preoccupation of yours was interfering in your concentration during your daily activities and even waking you up at night. Sometimes, your heart was taken by some anxious sensation and you would stop what you were doing at the time and look around, wondering what you’d do once you’d see yourself alone in that big house, without knowing what could happen next: a house without its owner was always vulnerable, whether with or without the presence of guards.

When those episodes happened, your ears would work with twice their capacity, and you would feel you were able to hear the sound of a leaf falling outside your room; you also sensed there were people near, some of them just passing by, others standing for a while. Almost all the times they were in groups, and there were differences between these groups as well: the members of some of them had stronger presences, easier to detect, while the others felt… average.

This started by the time you initiated your training. At first you supposed to be just a consequence of the exercises, but as the days passed, it became stronger, and now you couldn’t wait to speak to your husband about it.

There was a morning when you were sitting on the porch, alone, thinking about all of this while waiting for Madara to come and take you to the garden. It didn’t take much time until you sensed his arrival: you looked aside and there he was, walking towards you and taking a sit by your side.

He greeted you with the usual kiss on your temple, but this time he made it longer, warmer, as if he sensed a necessity of assurance in you. When he spoke, you understood this was precisely the case.

- You look pensive today – you felt his fingers brushing you hair behind your ear – What is it? A bad dream? Tiredness?

You sighed, uniting your hands on your lap.

- No. It’s nothing like that. It’’s just that... There are so many things in my mind now that I don’t know where to start. The least I can say is that I’m frustrated.

- Frustrated? – he raised an eyebrow.

You just let out what was bothering you.

- It is my training. I feel like no matter how hard I work, how much I concentrate on the exercises, it doesn’t seem to be enough. I am always missing something, always not being able to perform as good as I should – you turned your eyes to him and took his hand in yours – Please, don’t think I’m saying that this has something to do with you or your methods. That’s not the case. It’s just that when I asked you to teach me, I thought I would become more…

You paused, seeking for the right word, and Madara smiled.

- You would become stronger?

- No… Not stronger, but more… assertive. Less insecure about myself. Instead, I just gained more anxiety. This… – you sighed – This wasn’t what I planned!

That was his time to sigh. Still brushing your hair, he spoke in an apologizing tone:

- Maybe I failed in not telling you that this anxiety you are experiencing is the price for a shinobi’s growth. I am sorry for that, girl.

- What do you mean?

Now he was serious, as you rarely seen him before.

- What I am telling you is that as much as you become an experienced ninja, the harder it will be for you to feel in peace, with yourself and the world. No matter how much you desire peace, you will become so used to conflict that you will soon realize you cannot live without it.

You noticed he was talking about his own life in the battlefield. You didn’t have a life like his, but you met people who had, and you could see how much it have costed to them. That wasn’t what you wanted for yourself, though.

- But I don’t want to become a soldier – you argued – I just want to protect myself.

You sensed his eyes turning on you with such intensity that you had to look away. You felt his hand caressing your hair while he spoke.

- Protecting yourself and being prepared to face conflict… They are the same thing, my girl.

You spent the next minute in silence, until Madara broke it with a question that wasn’t unexpected at all.

- Speaking of this… This anxiety you said you are feeling. Could it be anything more than just apprehension?

You raised your eyes to him, waiting for an explanation.

- Yes. I’ve been noticing your restlessness these days, and I have my suspicions about it. But I want to hear what you have to say – he narrowed the space between you, as if you were about to share some sort of secret – Tell me. Have you been noticing some strange symptoms after your lessons started?

Your first thought was to question how he knew about this, but he already answered that for you, so you just gave him a confirmation.

- Yes. Specially at night. It’s like I can… feel things happening around me. I hear the lowest sounds, I see the smallest details. I also sense when there are people around, even if they are out of my sight. When I lay down to sleep, I can feel them walking around the house. I feel when they approach and when they leave. I only fall asleep when I’m tired of feeling their presences – you turned to Madara, seeking for answers – I’ve been wanting to tell this to you, but I didn’t know how.

Your husband meditated in your words for a moment, then turned to you with an enigmatic smile.

- All of this is so interesting – he stood up, then offered his hand to you – Come with me. I have my theory about your case, but I want to try something first just to confirm it.

You accepted his hand and he helped you stand up before walking you toward the garden for your morning training.

That time you went there walking, and you honestly found it better than being teleported: you enjoyed the opportunity to appreciate the nature around you as you walked, the trees marking the way, the grass under your sandals, the small animals sneaking around the bushes. You enjoyed feeling the life revolving around you, as if you were part of it as well.

But you haven’t walked that way in days, so a difference was noticed regarding that strange transformation in your senses: the smells were stronger, the sounds were louder and even the movements were felt with an intensity that scared you. And among them, there was one that caught your attention: it was subtle, but fast, well led, as if it was planned; if it indicated someone’s presence, the person knew exactly what they were doing.

You swallowed. It was getting closer, but no sound was detected, so you couldn’t do anything about it. It could be just in your head; besides, if it was real, Madara would already have noticed, but he didn’t say anything. You approached him, trying to walk as close as him as possible, but the sensation wouldn’t go away. It would only grow, just like that night you crossed the grove, fleeing from Hiroshi.

Until it became unbearable.

You stopped, looking around with your kunai in hand.

Madara turned to you, calm as always.

- What is it, y/n?

You sensed the blade trembling in your palm and clenched your fingers tight around it.

- I don’t know – and thinking of a way to put the sensation into words – It’s like… Someone is here. Following us.

- Someone? – he came to your side, looking at your surroundings.

You shook your head to confirm and spoke lower, unsure if the person could hear you.

- It’s like when I was lost in the grove, before Izuna-sama found me. But this time is worse.

Your husband looked at you in silence, but you didn’t have time to find out the meaning behind his look: a sudden sensation of alert woke up your senses and made you move the blade before you; you couldn’t even think of what you were doing. Only when you heard the sound of metal you understood that you just deflected a kunai. You looked and saw the enemy’s weapon lying on the grass, not so far from you. The next thing you heard was a laugh. You looked ahead, worried about what you’d do next, only to find Izuna coming to join you on the ground.

- So… it was just like you told me, Aniki – he stopped beside Madara, his arms folded, in his eyes a curious gaze toward you – We have another sensor in our family.

- Yes, but she is still a baby – his brother replied with a smile – There is so much I will have to teach her, and time is not our ally now. I will do what I can, anyway.

You were lost in that conversation, and it showed in your face and in your next words:

- I am… a sensor? What does that mean? – and turning to your husband – What will you have to teach me?

Izuna laughed.

- At least she’s a curious baby, Aniki.

You gave him an irritated look.

- Please, don’t talk as if I was not here, Izuna-sama. I need to know what you are talking about if it has something to do with me.

He raised his eyebrows like someone who didn’t believe what they just heard.

- I let you alone with my elder brother for a few days and you become this audacious?

That time, Madara was the one who smiled.

- Y/n, maybe it is time for you to cut off the -sama when you speak to my brother. Izuna-kun would fit him well – and widening his smile – Or even Izuna. You choose.

You stared at him for a second before understanding what he was doing. Then you laughed.

- I don’t want to break his heart, so I think I will choose Izuna-kun!

Izuna was so angry that you thought he was going to start a fight with his brother.

- So I come here to help you, I do everything exactly as you say, and this is what I get in return? You know I can’t stand ingratitude!

- Thank you for helping me, Izuna-kun.

Your interruption was so sudden that both the Uchiha turned to you.

- Thanks to you, I understand the importance of keeping up with my training better than before – you explained – It is true that I managed to deflect the kunai you threw at my direction, but my reaction was too slow. I need to work on this.

Izuna stared at you for a moment, but soon his seriousness was replaced with a smile.

- I would never agree with this if it wouldn’t make a difference, you know?

He asked his brother permission to leave, and the other said yes. Your eyes barely followed his movements before he disappeared among the trees, but you still sensed his presence diminishing until he was out of your reach.

You turned to Madara and found him observing you with a satisfied smile.

- So we can say we both won today. I confirmed my theory and you learned a new lesson.

This second mention of a theory revived your curiosity about the previous conversation between him and Izuna.

- Tell me… What were you and Izuna-kun talking about? What is a sensor individual? I remember hearing you say you were a sensor once, but you never explained it to me. Is it… something bad?

- It depends on your current situation – he replied with a smile – If you are in the battlefield or lost in a hostile environment, persecuted by enemies, it is something good. If you are lying at night, trying to sleep, but the guards won’t stop walking around your house, it is bad.

Madara approached you and soon you felt his fingers brushing through your hair, an imitation of the chakra flowing all over your body.

- A sensor is an individual who can identify and track chakra signatures of other creatures. The signature is what you would call someone’s presence. There are countless types of sensory abilities in this world. Some people can activate and deactivate them as they please; others can’t do that and sense things all the time. There are people who can differentiate signatures of a human from an animal’s, of a child from an adult’s, or even a clan from another using their abilities. Of course one needs special training to develop such capacities, and this takes time, which we do not have right now.

- So what are we going to do about this?

He thought of it for a moment.

- From what I observed, you are the type who cannot deactivate your ability and can track people by their distance. You can also recognize some people’s signature, right?

You nodded.

- I can easily identify you and Izuna-kun. Your signatures are different than the others’. But all the shinobi’s signatures are different from the common people when I sense them. Yours are always stronger – you shrugged – That’s why it’s hard to sleep at night when I can’t help sensing the guards around the house.

With a smile, Madara passed his arms around you; you rested your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeats while he spoke.

- In this case, let’s start teaching you how to manage this – he touched the back of your head as to help you with your concentration – Instead of trying to sense everything at once, let’s try to sense one thing at a time. Starting with this.

You raised your eyes to his and held your breath when you noticed that the pattern of the Mangekyou Sharingan has appeared. You haven’t seen it since the wedding night; if he was using it this time, it could only mean something important was about to happen.

Soon you found out it was. You saw him making hand signs, still embracing you, and from his mouth came out a word you never heard before.

- Susano’o!

Before you had the time ask yourself what kind of jutsu was that, a bluish barrier quickly formed around you two. At first, you thought it was a sort of a rounded wall, but as it completed itself, it looked more like a body: firm structures surrounded it like ribs, and others above as shoulder blades. As this new body closed itself around you, it became impossible to sense anything outside it, whether it was an animal running among the trees, the birds flying or any people who eventually were at the garden’s surroundings taking care of their own tasks: the only thing you could sense was your own chakra and Madara’s, this latter seeming to extend itself to the blue structure as if they were just one.

- Do you like it? – he asked with a muffled laugh – This is the Susano’o. It works like a supreme armor, through which nothing can pass unless I want. Only the Mangekyo bearers can use this technique.

- And you are using it to block any chakra signature… – you commented while looking around, trying to see through the Susano’o’s translucent body.

- So that you will not have any distractions while you learn to manage your focus.

You didn’t reply immediately. Moving away from his arms, you walked toward the barrier, where the signature was as strong as in the center. When you stopped in front of it, the sensation was almost unbearable: you felt like it could push you back if you gave one more step at its direction. You closed your eyes and without thinking much of it, you raised your hand to touch it.

There was nothing solid in that structure, yet you couldn’t make your hand pass through it even if you tried with all your strength. You were able to see through the blue wall, but it would still obstruct your sight and modify anything you looked at.

You looked around yourself and above, where you noticed that the humanoid aspect of the Susano’o didn’t resume to the ribs – it had arms and a head too – and thought it could be the perfect prison as much as it could be the perfect resort.

You turned back to your husband, who didn’t take his eyes off you during your examinations.

- All of this… made of pure chakra… – and with a smile that managed to bring a distinct bright to his eyes – Of course I would love it. It’s beautiful.

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Chapter One: Lonely Together

Jack Kline x OC

Rated: PG

~I might hate myself tomorrow

But I'm on my way tonight

Let's be lonely together

A little less lonely together~

Sent: 10:52 PM

Merry Christmas, stranger. I hope yours is as bright as new fallen snow. Stay warm.

I smiled down at my phone before clicking it off and slipping it into my pocket. I didn't know who I had sent the message to. It was just a number I had punched in at random. I didn't expect anyone to reply.

Wrapping my dark green cardigan tighter around my body, I pulled my knees in closer to my chest and pressed myself closer against the wall of the bakery. The wall was only slightly warmer than the frigid air around me. It was December 2nd and icy gales were blowing in from Lake Superior and stinging the skin of the city's occupants.

The sky hung dark, low, and flat over Copper Harbor, Michigan. Copper Harbor was an itty-bitty town at the northern most tip of the northernmost part of Michigan. You know that piece of land that's only connected to the mainland by a highway, that in-between place that really should be Canada, but isn't? That's where Copper Harbor is and that's where I was.

Copper Harbor was the sort of town where newcomers and visitors are as common as flying pigs and are treated with about as much scrutiny. It's not one of those small, friendly towns just off the highway; the ones that are pleasant to find yourself in if you've taken a wrong turn. It's quite the feat to get lost and turn up in Copper Harbor, considering its miles away from anything and everything remotely interesting, unless you're searching for Bigfoot or a drunk Canadian that took a wrong turn. Though those two things might just end up being one and the same. No, nobody came to Copper Harbor unless they had a reason. That's just the sort of place it was. And aside from the mind-numbing cold, it was exactly the sort of place I wanted to be.

The clouds were so heavy with the snow that now drifted down, dusting everything in a layer of fine white powder, it seemed that someone standing on even the lowest rooftop could reach up and touch them. The snowflakes raining down from those clouds gave the appearance of tiny shooting stars. Many would have found the sight beautiful. I didn't. I just found it cold and somewhat depressing. Some people say that shooting stars are angels, falling to the earth to bless the lives of people in need. I've never liked those sorts of stories. The stars belong in the heavens. The dust belongs on the earth. Collecting in puddles, the sparkling, sugar-like ice crystals did nothing to ease the bitter cold. I shivered and coughed, my breath fogging in front of me.

I should have frozen to death hours ago.

But I can't die. At least, not that way.

Suffering, on the other hand, I can do that to no end.

I put my head between my knees, hoping to retain what little heat my walking corpse had to offer. I struggled to remain conscious. The story of the little-match-girl was playing in my head. I'd never liked that story's ending. Hallucinations really weren't my thing, especially hallucinations about things I tried not to think about, the things I tried to burry in the farthest corners of my mind. I had to distract myself, to think about anything that would keep me awake. The problem was, there was nothing to distract me.

Pling!

My phone buzzed in my pocket with a text. I grasped it quickly, greedy for a distraction, but I paused upon seeing the number displayed upon the screen. It was that number I had texted the Merry Christmas message to. Whoever it was had texted me back. I unlocked my phone and peered at the mystery person's message.

Received: 11:18 PM

Merry Christmas to you as well!

The message read. I smiled a little, surprised that anyone would care to return my quiet Christmas wish. The screen of my phone lit up with another message.

Received: 11:19 PM

Who are you?

The question was a simple one. Though tone can often be difficult to infer over written text, the question seemed to bear no hostility, only innocent curiosity. I thought for a bit about what to say, the answer was not as simple as the question had implied.

***

Located quite literally one thousand miles away from Copper Harbor, was the small, out-of-the-way town of Lebanon, Kansas. Now, in the outskirts Lebanon there was a hill. The hill was modestly sized and carpeted with thick grass painted with a layer of frost. Although it was a rather pleasant sight for some stray hiker to find, the hill was really quite unremarkable. That is, if you ignored the hulking steel door built into the side of it that looked like the entrance to a post-apocalyptic hobbit hole. See, built under that hill there was a bunker. It looked like any ordinary bunker if one can ever describe a bunker as ordinary. But inside this ordinary looking bunker, sat something rather extraordinary and his name was Jack.

Jack Kline was quite happy where he was. Sitting with his legs crossed on a chair beside the bunker's fireplace, Jack held Sam's beloved lap-top between his knees. Sam let him borrow it on the nights he couldn't sleep. Those nights were many. Sleepless nights were one of the many side effects of being half-angel, but he didn't really mind. Jack wasn't overly fond of sleep, not like Sam or Dean who adored the few hours they got. Jack would much rather be awake because if he was asleep then he couldn't observe. He liked to observe. He loved learning. He loved taking in anything and everything going on around him, soaking it all up like a sponge with legs. He especially loved to soak up a story. Epic ones with heroes that defeat powerful villains. Jack loved stories.

So, no; Jack Kline was not overly fond of sleep. No, Jack preferred to just sit quietly and watch those epic stories as they played out in front of him on the screen of Sam's lap-top.

Currently, he was watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The computer had said he would like it, and the computer had been right. He had just finished season 2 and had begun on season 3. Some small voice in the back of his mind told him he should slow down and draw the series out a little longer, but Jack just couldn't find the will to do so. This story was just too good to stop. Jack shoved a hand full of popcorn in his mouth as he pressed the play button on the next episode. He had managed to sneak several bags of popcorn from the kitchen and into the secret stash in his room a few nights earlier. It was perfect, except popcorn needed to be popped and popping the kernels without attracting notice was a bit of a challenge. But he found that if he popped them during the day, when everyone was clamoring about and busy with whatever, the noise from the popping kernels wouldn't peak any suspicion. The only downside to his strategy was that it left him with cold popcorn. Though this too could be remedied via his angel powers, if he was careful about it, he could warm up the popcorn undetected.

Now, don't get the impression that Jack was being starved, or held in this bunker against his will, or something awful like that. As was mentioned before, Jack was very happy there. The Winchesters, Sam and Dean, and the angel Castiel, lived there with him and took care of him. They were his family and Jack loved them. The only reason he had a secret stash at all was because Sam was the only one in the bunker who cared about the importance of having a somewhat healthy diet. Whereas Dean let the boy eat pretty much anything he wanted and Cas- well in Cas's mind food was food and that's all there was to it. But Sam didn't like it when he caught Jack eating what he referred to as 'junk food'.

Somehow, Sam always caught him.

"That stuff’ll rot your teeth, Jack!" He'd sigh, as he'd flip on the kitchen light and catch Jack eating cereal sometime around midnight. Then he'd look at Jack with a disappointed look on his face until Jack threw the cereal away and went back to bed. Jack hated it when Sam looked at him like that, he just couldn't bear to let the Winchesters down.

But Jack loved to eat. Eating was enjoyable as it brought with it something new every time. Yet more things to absorb and to experience. Although the younger Winchester disapproved of the more sugary foods; Jack liked those a whole lot more than the salads Sam tried to get him to eat. Jack didn't like the salads or 'Rabbit Food' as Dean called it. No, Jack liked popcorn a quite a bit more.

He smiled as he brought another handful into his mouth. Yes, Jack Kline quite enjoyed eating.

Plip! Ploop!

Jack's head swiveled away from the screen to stare at the phone laying face-up on the arm rest of the chair in which he sat. The screen was alight with a text message. He picked up the phone and unlocked it. The message read:

Received: 10:52 PM

Merry Christmas, stranger. I hope yours is as bright as new fallen snow. Stay warm.

That was all. Jack was quite confused; he didn't know that number. Who had sent the text? What should he do? Should he say something back?

Curiosity and caution struggled in a match tug-of-war in his head. He wanted to know who the message had come from. He wanted to know why that person had sent it. He also wanted to know why he had a strange feeling that whoever had sent the message was horribly sad. But would the Winchesters be mad at him if he answered? Sam and Dean had given him the phone just a few days earlier.

"For emergencies," Sam had said as he laid the device in Jack's hand before resuming his packing. Jack had stared at it, rather confused as to its purpose. Castiel had been off somewhere doing something and Sam and Dean had been leaving for a hunt, leaving him alone which Dean was completely and utterly against.

"Only for emergencies," Dean had stressed, jabbing his finger in Jack's general direction as he inspected various articles of clothing before tossing them into a duffle bag. "That means don't text or call unless someone is breaking in or you're dying!"

Sam shot his older brother a warning look. Dean ignored it and pulled a pair of socks out of his dresser, sniffing them briefly before making a face and chucking them to the other side of the room. Jack looked back down at the small black rectangle in his palm.

"Okay so, only text or call in case there's an emergency. Got it." Jack clinched the thin black box between his thumb and forefinger, carefully lifting it up as if it might explode in his face. "But, one question, if something happens like-like you said, like somebody breaking in or me dying, how-how would I do that?" He asked, looking back at the two brothers. They both froze their hasty packing and pivoted to stare at him, their eyebrows raised with disbelieving question.

"What?" Dean asked the young Nephilim. Jack shrank away a little, not wanting to upset the older Winchester.

"How do I text or call you? I don't know how to do that," Jack had timidly replied. Dean just shook his head and returned to over-stuffing the duffle. Sam, however, was much more understanding.

"That's right, you-you don't, do you?" Sam asked, realizing his mistake. Jack turned his attention to the younger of the brothers, shaking his head in an answer to Sam's question.

"Unbelievable," Dean muttered, rolling his eyes. Sam shot him another glare which Dean merely shrugged off.

"Well, come on then, I'll teach you," Sam had said. Jack watched as Sam set the contacts and explained how everything worked. He showed Jack how to send a text, how to dial and answer a call, and all the other things Jack would need to know. Jack just watched him and took note of every little thing. Watching and replicating was how Jack learned best.

"Now, if I don't answer my phone, you call Dean. But if he doesn't pick up, I want you to call me again, if I still don't answer a second time, I want you to call this number right here. That's Jody Mills, she's a friend of ours and she'll help you, alright? You get all that?" Sam finished explaining and looked for Jack to confirm his understanding. Jack nodded.

"I got it!" He said, enthusiastically. Sam gave the young boy a nervous smile.

"You do? Can you repeat it back to me?" Sam asked Jack the question the same way Sam and Dean's father had always asked them.

"If something happens, call you, and if you don't answer, call Dean. If Dean doesn't answer then I call you again, but if you still don't pick up, then call Jody Mills." Jack repeated all of Sam's instructions perfectly, grinning proudly at the younger Winchester when he finished. Sam laughed a little, but nerves twinged his voice.

"Good, yeah. Okay," Sam paused, thinking things over, "You know what, Jack? If neither of us answer your call and it's really that urgent, don't bother calling me a second time. Just call Jody right away if you can't get through to either of us. Alright?"

"Alright!" Jack nodded, grinning. Sam nodded back, stiffly.

"Alright." He seemed like he wanted to say something else but didn't know how to say it.

"You two done in there, Sammy?! We gotta go!" Dean called, walking in from another room. Sam stood and looked at his brother.

"Uh, yeah. I think we're good," He took a few steps towards the stairs that lead up to the door before pausing and turning back to Jack, "We're good, right? You're gonna be okay here by yourself?" Sam asked again. Jack grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"I'll be fine. You don't have to worry."

Sam nodded and smiled with so much nervousness it almost hurt to watch.

"Okay, good. It's good. We're good," He said, nodding and trying to reassure himself more than anyone else. Dean raised an eyebrow at his overly anxious little brother, tugging his old leather jacket on over his shoulders, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he directed his remarks at Jack.

"Hey, kid. Whatever you do, don't do anything stupid," He'd said, half glaring, "We'll be back in a few days." Then they'd left.

Now, Jack glanced back down at the phone in his hands, remembering Dean's warning about not doing anything stupid. But his curiosity regarding the sender of the message was overwhelming. It couldn't hurt to text this person back, right? Was that what Dean had meant by his warning? Did this count as something stupid? What was the worst that could happen? Deciding that the benefits outweighed the risks, he texted back.

Sent: 10:18 PM

Merry Christmas to you as well!

Jack wrote.

Sent: 10:19 PM

Who are you?

No sooner had asked his question, he began to worry that he might have sounded rude. He waited with anticipation for the mystery person to reply. He didn't have to wait long.

Received: 10:20 PM

It doesn't matter, you don't know me.

I'm just someone wanting to give you a warm holiday wish.

Jack frowned. Again, he got the distinct feeling that the person on the other side of this conversation was deeply saddened by something. He desperately wanted to know what. So, he did the thing he did best. He asked and waited to see what would happen.

***

Received: 11:21 PM

If you don't know me, why do you care?

I don't mean to be rude. I'm just curious.

Why do this?

I read the person's question once, then twice, then three times and I realized that I didn't have an answer. Why did I care? Why was I texting some random person a Christmas wish? For all I knew, this person may not even observe the holiday. I had so many of my own things to worry about I was nearly drowning in them. I didn't know this person. I had nothing to do with them. So, why did I care about their holiday season? Why was I doing this?

I told myself it was just a random act of kindness. But deep down I knew what the reason was, and even if I didn't want to think about it, I felt it in my heart. I was doing this for the same reason I did everything. So, I took a few moments and came up with a reply.

Sent: 11:25 PM

I'm doing this because I believe that no one should ever have to be alone,

especially during the holidays.

I sent my reply and remembered to keep on shivering. I could hardly feel the cold anymore, I had gone almost completely numb. But I knew if I didn't keep moving, I would surely freeze in place and be unable to move until spring came. I vaguely wondered how cold it was. I remembered having heard on someone's car radio that this was supposed to be the coldest winter Michigan had experienced in the last decade. Though winter had only just begun, it was already cold enough for the district council to be suggesting face coverings to prevent citizens from getting frostbite and losing their nose.

I sneezed. I had no such face covering. Hell! I didn't even have a jacket! Let alone a coat or anything mildly warm. All I had was my oversized green cardigan, my black Star Wars t-shirt and my black jeans. That was it. Yet here I sat, outside a bakery in well below freezing temperatures, shivering myself into next decade.

I could go to a shelter. At least there I wouldn't have to endure the bitter biting of the wind as it gushed with double its normal force through these tight, abandoned alleyways. But if I went to a shelter then there was no chance of leaving undetected, I reminded myself. No, it was better to stay here, cold and alone, than to risk human contact.

I was pulled from my thoughts by another pling from my phone. Another message from that unknown contact.

Received: 11: 27

Are you alone?

Again, the question was simple. And although the mere thought hurt like a knife twisting in a fresh wound, I looked around at the dark, trash littered alleyway I sat in, watching the scattered rags of paper flutter and tumble in the winter gales, and I looked at the brutally beautiful puddles of speckled ice gathering along my body and melting on my skin, and I examined the bleak night sky, choked starless by the drifting dreary clouds; and the utterly silent stillness of the sleeping city revealed the harsh reality of my answer.

No one was here.

Nobody cared.

Not even the stars would keep me company. Because the stars never cared who I was.

So, with no reason to keep the truth hidden. I answered the question honestly.

Sent: 11: 29 PM

Yes.

Sent: 11: 30 PM

I am alone.

I was completely and utterly alone.

***

Received: 10: 30 PM

I am alone.

Once again Jack got the distinct impression that these words carried a heavy burden. It made him frown. What could he do to help a person he didn't even know? He wanted to ask this person if they had any friends, but something about those words told him the answer. When this person had said they were alone, Jack got the feeling they weren't just talking about the current moment. But maybe that's what this person needed. Maybe they needed a friend.

Sent: 10: 32 PM

Well, I'll be your friend and talk to you. There, now you're not alone anymore!

Jack smiled as he sent the text. The reply didn't take long.

Received: 10: 33 PM

Thank you.

You don't have waste your time on me but thank you.

It didn't take any special powers to read in between the lines this time, anyone could see the sadness in those words. Though Jack wasn't sure if it was his powers causing that strange feeling or if he was just imagining things.

Sent: 10:34 PM

I don't mind. Really!

Besides, I don't have anyone to talk to either.

Received: 10: 35 PM

Well, in that case, we can be lonely together!

Jack grinned. He'd made himself a friend. He couldn't wait to get to know them.

***

Received: 11: 36 PM

Since we're friends now, what's your name?

I smiled down at my new mystery friend's message. There was something about the words that made them seem innocent and earnest. It couldn't hurt to give my name, right? It’s not like he could find me. After all, I'm supposed to be dead.

Sent: 11: 37 PM

My name is Martina.

I sent my name and waited for the response. It came quickly.

Received: 11: 38 PM

I like your name Martina!

It's very pretty.

I flinched as I read the text. Something about seeing my name written in the text brought me back to a conversation with a different person a long time ago. It was a painful memory, and I didn't want to see it anymore. I didn't want another reminder of the still bleeding wounds in my heart. I remembered why I didn't let anyone call me that name anymore.

Sent: 11: 39 PM

Thank you.

But I would prefer you call me Marty.

I didn't want to be so sensitive to things like this, but I just couldn't help it.

Received: 11: 40 PM

Alright! I like Marty too.

It's a fun name.

I smiled; grateful they didn't ask why it was so important that they called me by a nickname.

Sent: 11: 41 PM

Thanks for understanding.

So, what's your name?

Received: 11: 42 PM

My name is Jack!

I grinned to myself. I'd made me a friend. I just couldn't wait to get to know him.

Sent: 11: 43 PM

Heya, Jack!

It’s nice to meet you!

I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

Received: 11: 44 PM

I agree, Marty. We are going to be great friends!

Sent: 11: 45 PM

So, what's your favorite movie?

And just like that, we talked until the sun came up. And suddenly, for the first time in quite a while, I wasn't completely alone.

***

"Hey, uh, Jack? We're back!"

Sam's voice drifted in from just outside Jack's bedroom door. Jack was surprised. He hadn't heard the brothers come in which, for him, was quite peculiar.

The door creaked open and Jack hastily attempted to pretend like he hadn't been using the phone.

He failed.

Miserably.

The device slipped from his hand and he fumbled to catch it before it smashed against the grey, polished concrete floor. He let out a sigh of relief as he snatched it just in time.

Sam peered around the door, checking in on Jack, who was now hanging halfway off his bed and clutching the phone. Scrambling to sit upright, Jack gave Sam a half-panicked smile.

"Hi Sam!" He waved a greeting, shoving his phone behind his back. Sam raised his eyebrows in a questioning expression and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. He folded his arms and leaned back on his heels.

"Hey Jack," Sam seemed a little distracted, "Have you seen Cas?" He asked. Jack shook his head vigorously.

"He's not back yet," He answered. Sam nodded and started to leave before stopping and turning back. Only now seeming to notice Jack's odd behavior. Sam gestured at the phone hidden behind the boys back,

"So, what were you doing in here just now?" Jack's eyes flew wide as quarters and his gaze shifted rapidly around the room, focusing on anywhere but Sam. His mind was working overtime trying to find a viable excuse.

"Uhhhh...Nothing!" Jack tried; his brain had gone blank. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"You sure about that?" Sam leaned forward a little, narrowing his eyes. Jack leaned back to match; his face scrunched up with the guilt he was trying very hard to hide. Everyone in the bunker knew how terrible Jack was at lying. He might be able to pass a few simple fibs by a stranger, but his family saw through him like he was made of glass. He couldn't deceive them. But that didn't stop him from trying, however.

"Yes..." Jack said slowly, his eyebrows pulling together in a rather sad attempt at looking sincere.

"Jack, what were you doing?" Sam asked more sternly. Jack looked at his feet and didn't answer. His shoulders moved up and down in a shrug.

"Do I have to go get Dean?" Sam pressed. Now Jack's head shot up. He stretched his hands out in a pleading gesture.

"No, no! Don't tell Dean!" Jack begged. Sam's expression shifted into one of concern.

"If you tell me, I won't tell Dean." Sam agreed, moving to sit on the bed beside Jack who shifted to give him some space. Sam waited patiently for the young Nephilim to speak. Jack kept his head down and rubbed his hands together nervously as he tried to think of how he should explain himself.

"Well, last night I was watching Netflix when I got this text from somebody wishing me a merry Christmas-" He started.

"Someone we know?" Sam asked, interrupting. Jack shook his head and continued.

"I asked them why they would do that, and they said it was because they thought that nobody should be alone this time of year. So, I asked if they were alone and they said, yes ─" Jack looked the younger Winchester in the eyes ─

"I don't know why but I just got this- this feeling, and they sounded just so sad, and now we're friends! But Dean said not to do anything stupid, and now I'm worried that I did! Are you mad?" Jack finished, worry coloring his features. Sam blinked. Once again astounded by the size of the half-angel's heart, he shook his head.

"No, Jack. I'm not mad," He said, softly.

"Really?"

"Really. I think you did a good thing. Everyone needs a friend." Sam patted Jack's shoulder and smiled. Jack looked down, grinning to himself as pride filled his chest.

Sam waited a moment before getting up from the bed. Stretching his back out and groaning a bit as he stood. It had been almost 48 hours since he last slept, and he was more than ready for a long nap. His hand rested on the doorknob and he paused a moment before turning back around.

"Hey, uh, Jack. Just one more thing. Do you by chance know this person's name?" Sam asked. Jack looked up briefly before looking back at the floor again, trying to hide the embarrassment creeping up to stain his cheeks.

"It's, uh, it's Marty," He replied. Sam nodded and moved to leave again but he stopped. His eyebrows pulled down with confusion before he turned back.

"And uh, is that a boy's name or a girl's name? Do you know?" Jack turned his head a bit to the side and picked at a thread in his jeans.

"Does it matter?" He questioned back. Truthfully, it didn't. Sam wouldn't make Jack stop if he didn't want to. But to say that the boy's current evasive behavior didn't pique his interest, would be a lie. Though, the kid’s flushed cheeks told him quite a bit about the answer.

"It doesn't matter," Sam said, shrugging, "I'm just curious is all." The tall man watched the boy's reaction. Jack nodded and shifted as if uncomfortable.

"Marty's a girl." He answered, trying to force his voice into sounding nonchalant. And failing.

"Okay, cool." Sam nodded, turning around again, and reaching for the handle. Jack's head whipped around.

"Wait, Sam!"

Sam looked over his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Don't. Tell. Dean!" Jack stressed. Urgency was evident in his voice. Sam huffed a laugh.

"Okay, Jack." With that, Sam pulled open the door and walked out letting the heavy steel swing shut behind him. Behind the door, Jack sighed with relief. He'd dodged a bullet with that one.

Walking a ways down the hall, Sam got to Dean's room where his older brother was now unpacking. The younger brother leaned on the door frame and expelled the laughter he'd been holding on to since Jack’s room. Dean turned around, holding a pistol and a pair of weeks old and hopelessly blood caked socks in his hands, he faced Sam with a questioning look.

"What's got you so giggly all of a sudden?" The older of the brother's asked.

Dean glanced at the pair of socks in his hand. He grimaced at the stench and held them further away from his face, trying not to breathe. It didn't work. The socks odor was so pungent, Dean could smell them through his mouth. There was no hope of washing them. Nope, those things would have to be burned. Though, taking another whiff of them, Dean wasn't sure that even incinerating the socks would do him much good now. The stomach-turning stink would be branded into his memory forever. Sam straightened up, shaking his head of shoulder length hair.

"It's just something Jack said." Sam smiled and laughed again before taking notice of the unholy stench wafting off the socks. He coughed. "Dude, those stink. Bad!"

"Yeah, it's a sad day, Sammy." Dean nodded solemnly. Sam covered his nose.

"Why?"

"These were my second luckiest pair of socks."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, they're not anymore," Sam pointed out. Now, they were just rancid.

"I think we should give em' a Viking funeral, something to honor their service. I mean, I remember one time when I wore these things for two weeks straight!" Dean reminisced, grinning. Sam looked mildly disturbed.

"That's, uh... nice... But, uh, is there somewhere we could put them before the funeral? Because they, uh, they reek." Sam was trying hard not to gag and couldn't understand how Dean could be holding them and remain unaffected. Dean smirked.

"You wanna go put em' somewhere?" He asked, waving the socks into Sam's face. Sam leaned away.

"Ah! God! No! Put those things somewhere! Please!" He choked out. Dean just grinned and moved to the other side of the room. Grabbing a cardboard box from off the shelf, he shoved the socks in there and sealed the lid. The stench quickly began to dissipate.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"We're gonna have to burn that box too."

"Yup." Sam still felt a little sick but at least the socks were gone.

"So, what was it Jack said that you thought was so funny?" The older brother asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing. It was nothing," Sam said. But laughter began to creep up on him again. Dean rolled his eyes and went back to pulling more dirty clothing from the duffle bag.

"Are ya gonna stand there or are ya gonna spill?" Dean pushed. Sam sobered up again.

"Well, I'm not supposed to tell you," He said.

Dean shook his head, mildly annoyed. He knew Sam was going to tell him whatever juicy information he had gotten, just like he always did when he got that sly look on his face. Sam could be a bit of a schoolgirl that way. Except, of course, when it came to the important things, the things Dean was supposed to know. Those things Sam always kept to himself.

"Well, Sammy, if you ain’t gonna spill─" he used the gun in his hand to gesture from Sam to the duffle bag─ "get workin'."

The younger Winchester moved to the bag and started unpacking, grinning his face off all the while. Dean knew his little brother was waiting for him to ask about the thing with Jack again, so he said nothing. He just waited for Sam to look over to him eagerly, which is exactly what Sam did.

"So get this!" Sam started.

'Here it comes.' Dean predicted internally. Sam kept starring.

'Yatzee.' Dean thought. He knew Sam like the back of his hand. Actually, he probably knew his brother better than that.

"Apparently, Jack got a text from some random person last night wishing him merry Christmas. And, well, you know Jack! So he─" Dean stopped his brother mid-sentence.

"What's her name?" He interrupted. Sam looked confused.

"I didn't say anything about a girl," Sam trailed off. Dean sighed and shook his head.

"Geez, Sammy! If you love drama so much, you should go be an actor. You ain't foolin' anybody. We both know where this is goin' so just cut to the chase!" Dean sighed, opening a trunk and tossing in the gun he'd been holding along with several knives. His small outburst had startled his younger brother, but Dean didn't really care. Sam wasn't the only one who hadn't slept in 48 hours. Sleep was calling and Dean wanted nothing more than to answer. Sam frowned.

"Marty. The girl's name is Marty," Sam stated, sounding rather put out that Dean had guessed at his not-so-cleaver ploy. The older if the pair turned to the younger with a perplexed expression.

"Wait, wait. Marty?" He clarified. Amused disbelief written all over his features.

"Marty," Sam confirmed.

"Marty?"

"Yeah. Marty."

"Like the zebra in Madagascar, Marty?" Dean asked, grinning. Sam nodded.

"Yeah, like that. But remember, you didn't hear anything from me!" He answered, smiling as well. Dean laughed as he turned his attention back to the mess of clothing and weapons surrounding him on the floor.

"Yeah, whatever, drama queen." Dean rolled his eyes and kept working. The room was silent for a moment before the older Winchester burst out laughing again. He couldn't help himself; he found the subject hilarious.

"Ah, man. Marty! Now there's a name!" He exclaimed as he started folding the few clean clothing items laying in the pile. "What? Did her parents just take one look at her and say: 'Look at our beautiful baby! Let's name her Marty!'" Dean scoffed.

Sam snorted and shook his head at his older brother's bad joke. Then he leaned his head back and yawned.

"Man, I think we need some sleep," Sam sighed. Dean smirked.

"Is it your bedtime already?" He taunted, expecting a playful retort. But this time, Sam didn't argue. He just nodded.

"Yeah, I think it is." Though worried about his little brother, Dean held his playful smirk in place perfectly, just like he had been doing for so many years.

"Well, you go ahead and hit the sack. I'll finish up here." He said, easily. Even though he was just as tired and Sam was, he would finish out like always. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, o'course. There's not much left anyway." That was a lie and they both knew it, but Sam took the offer of sleep while it was on the table.

"Thanks, Dean."

"You're welcome, Sammy."

Sam patted his older brother on the arm as he stood and left the room. Traveling down the corridor he got to his bedroom and was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Meanwhile, Dean mouthed the strange name of Jack's mystery girl and chuckled about it to himself. Sitting on the floor in his room as he continued folding the rest of the clean clothes, cleaning out all the weapons and putting everything back in its place. The chore took him two more hours to complete but when it was done, he stretched himself out and laid back on his bed.

"Marty. Now, that's hilarious." Dean snickered to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

~I might hate myself tomorrow.

But I'm on my way tonight.

Let's be lonely together.

A little less lonely together~

Lyrics from: Lonely Together by Jasmine Thompson

[insertdeeplyrics]

On the ending of Supernatural

Hi, I’ve never actually posted anything on Tumblr of my own creation (I mostly reblog stuff), but I’ve just seen the ending of Supernatural, and given that this is where I’ve been fed my SPN content, it felt right to share my thoughts here. I’m sure nobody is going to read this, but whatever, I just need to get this out of my chest. Sorry in advance if this is too long, but I have to type this out if I want to move on.

I still need to take some time to process everything that’s happened, because it is a lot. I did have my hopes up for the finale, thinking that Cas would at least show up, but like many of the fans, I was let down.

So I guess that would be the first issue I had with the episode. Regardless of what Dean felt towards Cas, if he reciprocated his feelings or not (which he totally did, I mean, we have all been watching the same show for 12 fucking years, and if you don’t believe me, there are plenty of metas that would support this statement), he still is his best friend and it doesn’t sit right with me the fact that he doesn’t even try to find a way to rescue Cas from the Empty. And okay, maybe he didn’t, make Cas got resurrected by Jack, then why the hell wasn’t he on the final episode? He was a pivotal character for the series, I mean, the proof is in the ratings: Season 7, when he was killed off to apparently never return, the ratings were at their lowest. The show may have started as just Dean and Sam, but over the years it became much bigger than them, and it is so disappointing that the show runners failed to acknowledge it. But I’ll get back to this point later.

Okay, I need to talk about Dean’s death, the only part of the episode that made me cry, because my poor baby had to suffer so much! Like, when he started saying that Sam never put up with John’s crap (which reinforces my headcanon that John was abusive towards the boys) and how much he admired him for it, my heart just shattered. I just love Dean Winchester so freaking much, and they did him so dirty... Don’t get me wrong, Jensen and Jared’s acting was 10/10, like, I thought I had a grip of myself and then Sam started crying and tears came back to my eyes. Nonetheless, I felt that the scene was so freaking long! I mean, Dean was dying, and he had time to make a 10 minutes-long speech! C’mon! Also, I get that Sam and Dean’s relationship is quite deep and strong and whatever, but I felt a bit unconformable watching it: it didn’t feel like a brotherly goodbye, more like a lover’s one. They were too touchy and intimate, and, overall, their relationship from this point on was coded as a romantic one, in my opinion. And Chuck, did I hate it! I have an older brother and I know what it is like to be close to your sibling and to love him more than anything else in the world, but the way they portrayed their relationship on this last episode felt incest-y, which makes me believe that this scene was originally written with another character in mind (cough CAS cough) or the writers don’t know the difference between romantic and brotherly love. To finish off, the way they killed off Dean??? I mean, I did expect Dean to die, but this was such a horrible and ridiculous way to go... I would have accepted it if he died actually fighting, but impaled??? After all he’s been through, after fighting so many demons, angels and deities, that’s how he dies??? That just felt cheap and rushed. Dean did not deserve that ending and I refuse to accept it. In fact, I refuse to acknowledge the existence of this whole fucking mess of an episode. Also, I just can’t believe that no one showed up to Dean’s funeral. I just can’t. I get that maybe it was difficult to bring in a lot of actors due to the pandemic, but they could have added them on post-production...

Next, we have Sam’s ending. He quits hunting and finally obtains his white-picket fence life. I did like the fact that he honored all of his friends and family that he lost along the way, especially Dean. Like, yes, if my brother died, I would like to keep a token (don’t know if that’s the actual word for it, my first language is not English), to have something with me that reminded me of him and to have him with me wherever I go. And I did like that he named his son Dean, in honor of his brother. However, we don’t know how he met his wife, we don’t even know who she is. They set up Sameileen for what?? Like, Sam and Eileen deserved better, tbh. And, again, even with Covid restrictions they could have done something to signal that Sam got married to Eileen, you don’t need the actor there. In fact, we never actually found out what happened to her, and just like I can’t believe that Dean didn’t even try to save Cas from the Empty, I can’t believe that Sam didn’t reach out to Eileen. Furthermore, the montage with his son felt cheap and a way to try to appeal to the audience’s emotions... (Btw, as a side note, the grey wig and the glasses, my god, they did Jared dirty 😂😂). But it wasn’t doing it for me, I didn’t care much for the kid, and while I do believe that was always going to be Sam’s ending, I didn’t like how it was executed.

And the worst part of it all: that suuuuuper long scene with Dean driving in Heaven, waiting for Sam. They could have used that time to show something more meaningful, even to develop a bit more Sam’s new life, how he adjusted to domesticity and fatherhood and all that crap. Or, I don’t know, A TEAM FREE WILL 2.0 REUNION??? And I guess this is my biggest issue with the whole episode. I get it, Sam and Dean are the central characters, the ones that started it all, but family don’t end with blood, and they were not the only ones who deserved a goodbye. They had formed so many bonds and friendships over the years, and to not have them address them on the final episode just feels infuriating. Especially Cas. His arc was not finished, he deserved to be on the finale. We never got Dean’s reaction to his confession, we don’t know how he felt about him, nor did Cas get to say goodbye to any other character. How did he get out of the Empty? What is he doing now? Is he still an angel? Also, he gave his life to save Dean, only for Dean to be killed not long after. My headcanon that is helping me cope with Dean’s death is thinking that he was so quick to accept his death because he was hoping to reunite in Heaven with Castiel. A girl can dream, ok??? But also, what about Jack? He is the new God, but I highly doubt it that he won’t drop by the Bunker from time to time, after all, Sam and Dean (AND CAS, ESPECIALLY CAS) raised him. And Charlie? Did she get back with Stevie? Did she and the boys go for drinks from time to time? And Jody? Donna? Claire? Sorry to be so repetitive, but I just can’t understand why the writers thought that these characters weren’t important enough to deserve a spot on the finale, and not just an off-hand mention (and not even all of them got that). Of course, the brothers are the main characters and their goodbye must be the longest and the most emotional of them all, but like I said before, the show stopped being just about the Winchesters on season 3, when Bobby was first introduced, maybe even 4, with Cas.

Overall, the finale left a lot of questions unanswered, most of them regarding secondary characters (but not less important for that!), completely destroyed Sam and Dean’s character development (Dean never got to be free, like he had been fighting for all season, probably all his life; Sam’s development is non-existing, as he ended up as he would’ve if he never had gotten on that hunting trip with Dean 15 years ago), and completely disregarded all the themes they had been setting up this season, probably on previous ones as well. It is sad knowing that the writers, either don’t know the show good enough to give it a proper goodbye, or they just didn’t care to do so. I don’t know who’s to blame here (definitely not the actors, though, probably someone higher up the chain), but I just know that I am so fucking disappointed. I expected more from the last episode of a 15-season TV show, one that has been part of my life for 7 years. I guess, that despite all of it, I can’t hate Supernatural. Maybe I was not a hardcore fan like some people on this site, but I did care for the characters and what happened to them. This is the show that introduced me to the world of shipping (Destiel will always hold a special place in my heart, it doesn’t matter how badly their relationship was treated, as well as the characters) and I got to discover one of my favorite characters, Dean Winchester. He is just such so complex, one that I relate to on so many levels, and his relationship with Cas has been the source of many short stories that I’ve never posted anywhere, but that have made me take up writing again. That’s the reason why I love the show so much, it has helped me tap into my creativeness and go back to writing, a passion of mine that I seem to have forgotten over the years. Anyways, maybe one day I’ll publish some of those stories, and maybe even write my own fix-it fanfic, but right now, I can’t deal with anything that has to do with the show, I am too hurt. Maybe once the five stages of grief are over, I might give it a try and read all of the amazing codas and fanfics that I’m sure will be posted here or on AO3. But for now, Supernatural is dead and gone, and I don’t want to talk nor think about it anymore. I’m done wasting my time here, because I feel like that’s what I’ve been doing this past 7 years after watching this crap of a finale.

To finish this long rant off, I just want to say thank you to some meta-writers, the true heroes of the fandom. Thanks to them, I carried on watching the show, because they made me have hope that things will get better. They are the ones that have made this experience worth something, and even though I’ve never spoken to any of them, I see you and I love you. Thanks for everything ❤. 

@tinkdw @charlie-minion @dotthings @heliodean @verobatto-angelxhunter @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Fandom Thoughts

First thing I want to say is this post is just me speculating and expressing my thought on things. I’m sure many people will disagree with me or have a different interpretation and that’s ok. I could be totally way off base with everything I say but like I said this is just my interpretation of and my thoughts on things, also just want to say that I mean no disrespect to anyone or anyone’s fandom so yeah.  

So we all know that B*ghead is the largest fandom and the most popular ship. There’s no lying about that. I think it became so popular out of a combination of things, I think Cole’s popularity from his time on the Disney channel did bring across a lot of fans. I mean I could be totally wrong about this but I do feel like alot of the B*ghead fans were originally Cole fans. I’ll be honest, I didn’t watch Riverdale when it first aired, it was about 6 episodes in when my sister told me it was a good show about a murder mystery and that I’d never guess who was on it? Cody from suite life. I myself originally started watching the show because I was curious about the fact that Cole was on it and then stuck around because I got invested in the mystery and because from that very first episode I was hooked by Barchie and saw so much potential with them. I do think another contributing factor to the B*ghead ship’s popularity was the fact that the actors themselves became a couple and so people weren’t just invested in the ship but in the actors’ relationship too. I also do think that the fandom was very ‘loud’ on social media and there was alot of engagement. All of that combined with the fact that they did have some cute scenes together I think was the perfect storm to creating a popular ship.  

However V*rchie doesn’t actually seem that popular to me. In fact from what I can tell its a much smaller fandom and I would argue that after B*ghead the most popular ship out of the three is Barchie. Barchie has always won out in fan polls against v*rchie and I feel like I see more comments from the Barchie fandom than I do the V*rchie fandom. To me it has always been more of a B*ghead vs Barchie thing than a V*rchie vs Barchie thing. It always felt more like V*rchie got support because it kept Archie out of the way of B*ghead. In fact I see quite alot of support for Veggie and for Archosie and alot of people admit that they liked those parings over V*rchie. I myself loved Veggie together far more than V*rchie and I didn’t mind Archosie I thought they were cute, I didn’t like them as much as I did Veggie but I still thought they had some really nice moments together. I think after Betty, I liked Archie with Josie best. 

But here’s another thing to bear in mind. Whilst Riverdale and its ships are popular online and get alot of chatter on social media and has its fandoms which are very vocal on social media, there is also the general audience. These are the people who just watch the show every week, they don’t talk about it on social media, they don’t look up interviews and obsess over every little crumb of info the writers put out trying to figure out what might happen in the next episode. They are the silent part of the audience, I suppose you could call them. And I would say that this part of the audience far outnumbers the part that are involved in the fandom side of the show. Of course its very difficult to really know what this side of the audience really thinks of the show because they aren’t out on social media telling people what they think. The best way is to know what they think is to look at the ratings and the netflix streams. 

I mean I know that the ratings don’t really matter a whole lot when it comes to whether or not the network will renew a show and that streams mean more nowadays anyway. But in my opinion I do think the ratings can still give you an idea on how interested the audience is in the show. The way I see it is that if I am really excited by a show, I spend all week looking forward to the next episode and you can bet your ass that when that show’s next episode airs I am sitting down in front of that tv and watching it live if I can, because I don’t want to wait a second longer than I have to when I want to see it. With this season all the Barchies know that the most live viewed episodes of the season were 5x05 and 5x06, the two episodes that were promoted with Barchie. The lowest two episodes not just for this season but in the shows history were 5x08 and 5x09. These were the two episodes that had the V*rchie and B*ghead content. 

I also discovered this website flixpatrol that tracks the top tens on Netflix in various countries each day of the week. You can also look up specific shows to see where in the top ten they come each day of the week and I think I found something interesting. Now obviously because its week by week I could only really get information for episode 9.  

So what can this information tell us. Well episode 9 aired on the 24th and appeared on Netflix in alot of countries on the 25th. This chart shows where in the top 10 Riverdale fell this week, I’ve outlined those two dates in red. A dash indicates that it didn’t appear in the top ten that day. Now we can see that Riverdale most definitely does better on Netflix than it does in the live views and is consistently in the top ten in most countries. However, as I said, I did notice something. On the days it appears on Netflix we can see  that in most countries it doesn’t appear in the top ten and in the countries it does it is very low on the list coming in at mostly, 8,9 or 10. To me this suggests, like with the live ratings, that people just aren’t rushing to watch it. Some of this can be explained by the fact that it airs on a week night and it does fall high on the list on the Saturday after it airs on Netflix which could suggest that people are waiting until the weekend to watch it. But again, maybe its just me, but when I really want to watch a show, when I am really excited by a show, I will stay up late or I will get up early to watch it. I mean when 5x05 and 5x06 aired I was up early on the Thursday morning refreshing my Netflix page over and over waiting for the episode to become available because I was that excited to watch the episode.

*Edit: I’ve learnt that I have read this chart completely wrong as there is a one day lag, so the ratings on the 26th show that people were tuning in on the 25th which is the day it becomes available on Netflix in those countries. So ignore everything I just said in the paragraph above. I am going to keep the chart in for those who are interested in those numbers though. But yeah apologies for that.*   

To me this doesn’t really line up with the whole B*ghead is the most popular ship. I mean with B*ghead being the most popular ship then this last episode should be the most watched and I’ll admit I was a little surprised that it didn’t have more views. So why is that, we know B*ghead is popular so why aren’t we seeing it in the views. Well I think the answer is whilst they are popular, whilst it has a large fandom, its not popular or big enough to save the show by itself. And to be clear this is just my opinion which I’ve based on what I’ve seen people saying on social media and in YouTube reactions and reviews and from this data from the amount of people tuning into the show. But I think as much as many people like B*ghead, more people dislike/ are bored of V*rchie, are bored of the repetitive plotlines, are getting frustrated with the nonsensical plots. I think it has just gotten to the point where the things they don’t like about the show, or the things they’ve become bored with, far outweigh any appeal one ship might have. Basically I just get this overwhelming sense that people have lost any excitement they felt at this show. And this goes beyond any ships, whilst I do think alot of people tune in because of ships, there is more factoring into it than just that. I feel like all the excitement that came with the time jump and with seeing something new with Barchie and seeing something new with them being adults and dealing with adult themes, has worn off. It happened so fast too. I mean after episode 8 aired it was like a dementor had come along and sucked all the happiness out of the fandom. All of that energy that had existed before was just gone in the space of 45 mins. 

But here’s my question. I did notice a little bit of that energy come back when the promo for ep 10 was released and it showed that shot of Jabitha together. Again I do think that alot of people like this idea of Jabitha together or at least are intrigued by it. Although I know there are quite a few B*ghead fans who think the romance is unnecessary. But again I think this interest in Jabitha is because it is something new and therefore it is something interesting. I’ve also seen some Veggie fans creeping out of the woodwork over the last few weeks. So what I am wondering is if the show decided to go the route of Barchie, Veggie, Jabitha, Choni and Kangs would that generate enough buzz and would all those smaller fandoms together be enough to revive the show a bit. Especially if they couple those ships with some interesting new storylines to go with them as well as keeping the interactions between characters varied. I mean I am not expecting the views to suddenly jump up massively back to what they used to be in like season 2 but I do wonder if it would be enough to breathe life back into the fandom again.