Many A Vanished Scene

Mystery Solved

2009-12-26T11:15:42Z

While out at Christmas dinner tonight, we were catching up with an old friend who works as a chef. (AMAZING Christmas dinner, btw). Anyway, said old friend was telling us about his previous job, and how he had to work 15 or so hours a day...he told us how he was smart and had a protein shake in the morning to help get him through it.

Then he said, "Protein shakes really did the trick, the only problem is that they are horrible...for anyone around you."

Now, we've had many a season of blooper reels that feature Jared's unique ability to gas out Jensen....we've also know that Jared works out and works long hours...who's willing to bet that protein shakes are a regular feature of his diet?

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T03:38:34Z

My trip down to America-land was successful. I visited my sister in Seattle and had a really nice time. Seattle has some very nice architecture - though the downtown itself is fairly intimidating when driving. We went on the Seattle Underground Tour and it was tons of fun. It was very informative about the city's history and whatnot - which is the kind of stuff I love.

The other cool thing about going to Seattle, is that I got to drive over the bridge featured in my icon (from 4x14) twice. The drive down was miserably rainy, but we had clear skies and beautiful weather for the drive home.

Anyway, I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas has a great Christmas, and everyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas has a great day

Random things:

Dead Man on Campus - This movie came on TV the other day, and I had forgotten how much I loved it.

The Never-Ending Story - Again, this came on TV. I would never forget how much I love this movie, but seeing it again did make me look up stuff about the film out of curiosity. I was surprised to discover that part of it was filmed in Vancouver - and sure enough, when Bastian rides Falcor at the end and scares the bullies into the dumpster, you can see the round-tower-building over his shoulder. (Does that building have a name? Probably I'm the one that's supposed to know that...). I also never knew that it was a West Germany production. Also, apparently there are some Hollywood production companies interested in doing another adaptation. I don't think they could ever top the first, but it'd be cool to see what they came up with - I wonder if they'd actually make Atreyu green-skinned and blue-haired, instead of adorable and Native-looking.

Now I'm off to make Christmas-Eve Stir-fry, because that's how we roll around here...

Happy Winter Holidays!

2009-12-19T02:34:07Z

On Sunday, I'm taking off down to Seattle to visit my sister for a few days. So I just thought I would take the time now to wish everyone a happy winter break and I hope you enjoy whatever holiday/solar-event you are celebrating!

I received a very nice Christmas card from raloria the other day, which helped brighten up an otherwise dreary week, so that was nice.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to a bit of a break from my soul-sucking job, even if it's sadly not for very long. Hopefully by the time the New Year rolls around, I will be filled with renewed enthusiasm for all sorts of writing projects. I must admit, I've missed the weekly compliments that came from posting fanfic regularly.

Anyway, love you all!

Hugs,
Hell's Half Acre

2009 LJ Year in Review Meme

2009-12-13T02:19:09Z

Stole this idea from paxlux . What you do is take the first sentence from the first entry of every month of the 2009...so here we go:

January: I know this is a day or so late, but I was out living it up!

February: Hey Everybody! Remember me?!

March: I've had a fun time in Singapore! It is very hot though, so I am looking forward to getting back to more Canadian weather.

April: Title: Damned Demented Demons 1/32
Non-fiction: I had some thoughts today (and an idea for a new icon...must get in touch with Mara...I'm going to have to get a paid account at this rate.)

May: While cruising Boing Boing today, I found a book that the Supernatural fandom could use: Girls Against Girls

June: So, I had to drive another 6 hours today...but I am now back home again, having finished my house/pet-sitting duties at my brother's (FYI: My brother had a great honeymoon, yay).

July: Canada Day is over now.

August: Hippie Music Festival a success!

September: I called a friend at 5pm, got his answering machine, left a message, put my phone down right beside my computer, and then started working on the SPN/HP epic.

October: Damned Demented Demons (Master Post)
Non-fic (and non-flocked): Awww.... *HUGS* even though there weren't any in the episode....

November: I have to research light aircraft for a story I'm writing, except that I'm afraid to type it into google for fear that the Americans will find out and misinterpret and put me on some no-fly list, and then I won't be able to go to my friends' wedding in Bermuda next summer.

December: Another vid idea!

I think it's absolutely awesome that I unintentionally posted the first chapter of Damned Demented Demons on April 1st and then posted the Master Post on October 1st. It means it took me pretty much 7 months to write a 33 chapter fic.

Other than that - the meme actually sums up my year pretty well. And yes...I DID end up getting a paid account.

My Sister's Wishlist Casting for Supernatural and some updates

2009-12-12T07:35:17Z

A conversation:

Susie: Are they going to have God on the show?
Me: I don't know. Maybe.
Susie: I wonder who they'd get to play him...*gasp* they should get PAUL RUDD!
Me: Hahaha
Susie: He'd be perfect! It's impossible to be mad at Paul Rudd.
Me: "Dear Eric Kripke..."
Susie: I'm serious! Paul Rudd doesn't have an evil bone in his body.

In other news: 15,678 words of my novel so far and I've only just completed Chapter 2. I know it's not fanfiction or crossover HP/SPN stuff, so most of you probably don't care, but I'm pretty thrilled. I'm not satisfied with the level of writing, but the goal is to get a first draft done, not to have it be perfect immediately, so I think I'm doing really well.

For those who are interested in more HP/SPN Demented!verse: Current plan is to finish up the Bobby+Hermione piece over Christmas and start the sequel in January...given my increased work load, I will probably be waiting until I have most of it written before I start posting...so estimated posting date = sometime in late spring. Which should actually work out to be a little over a year since I started posting the Damned Demented Demons.

SPN Hunt: SUCCESS! (Third Time's The Charm)

2009-12-11T03:53:28Z

As some of you know, in recent weeks I've been casually trying to find the roving location set of Supernatural - without much luck.

Attempt #1: Found SFI signs that pointed to scary alleys but did not see hide nor hair of any equipment or, well, anyone really.
Attempt #2: Drove to North Van - could not find SFI signs, could not find my own way home.

Which brings us to Attempt #3: New Westminster!

Someone posted in spn_bc that they were filming around 10th and 6th in New West. Then someone commented and said it was a house on York St. I had just gotten home from work and Susie had just gotten home from a rough day of class, and we thought: "Hell, this is the most information we've ever had, we should totally just DRIVE THERE RIGHT NOW!" So we did.

I'm a horrible city driver and an even worse one in the dark...so, after nearly killing us a couple of times in traffic on the 1, we arrived in New West. Susie used to live there so she assured me we wouldn't get too lost. Anyway, as we drove down 10th, I suddenly realized that the entire south side of 10th was filled with parked trailers - a good sign. We turned turned left and then left again onto Massey, where we immediately encountered a HUGE lighting apparatus!

In an effort to get out of the way, I took my first right, which turned out to be York St - so I drove basically RIGHT THROUGH filming central...obviously they weren't filming or I would have ruined everything. Funny thing was that there were so many people on the street, and parked vehicles, and vehicles coming at me, that it took all my concentration just to make it through without hitting anything - I didn't even notice the fact that at some point I drove right by the Impala.

As much as we occasionally make fun of the Impala for not being very stealthy, I must assure you that it is VERY stealth AT NIGHT. Even once we parked and were on foot walking back up York, I did not realize the Impala was there until we were very close to it.

We must have come just as everyone was on dinner break, because when we walked by the location there were only a handful of PAs and no one else. All the equipment was stored to the side. We didn't talk to anyone, because they were busy speaking into walky-talkies and doing their jobs. We didn't want to be bothersome.So we just walked by at a sedate pace and looked...then stopped for a few pictures.

It's very cold, so I was shivering and couldn't keep the camera still, but luckily Susie has a very steady hand.

Really, it worked out for the best that they weren't filming at that moment because the place was practically deserted and we got some great pictures!

And yes, there were so few people around and the set was not closed off at all - so we could walk right up and touch the Impala. I don't know whether it was the Hero Impala or not, but it was a damn nice car.

So, hilarious story...while we were taking pictures that Cop car you see in the picture drove up and turned around in the driveway next to us so that it could park. Susie and I are so stupid...we were both there thinking "Oh man, I hope he doesn't stop and tell us to stop taking pictures...I hope we aren't being too suspicious....we better watch ourselves..." And it wasn't until I got home and uploaded the pictures that I suddenly thought: "Wait a second...CANADA DOESN'T HAVE SHERIFFS!"

Haha, so, yes, that's another piece of the set. Man...can you believe I have a Masters degree? I'm such an idiot.

The Impala looks much smaller in person. We peered inside (there was a backpack full of stuff in the backseat) and I couldn't imagine Sam and Dean (Jared and Jensen) crammed in there...it always looks so spacious on the show, but it's really not.

Here is another picture:

They had this AWESOME light that simulated moon-light, I think. You can see it floating there above the tree. It was tethered to the tree but would sway in the breeze. You can see the sway by the fact that the rope holding it looks thick in the picture, but it wasn't really, that's just it moving back and fourth while we took the picture.

I thought that tree was absolutely awesome for an episode of Supernatural.

Finally, the next picture is very blurry, but I kept it just so that you could see what the house looked like:

We heard some crackling of walky-talkies as we walked by again - one saying that someone would be back at 18:40 then we overheard someone say that something would be happening at midnight.

Susie and I were quite content with what we had... in retrospect, I sort of wish I had gotten a picture of MYSELF with the Impala (man, I'm an idiot), though, I was wearing my dorky hat and I'd probably look horrible anyway.

Anyway, it was cold, we were really happy with the non-blurry pictures we got (all two of them) and we nothing was going on, so we went home. On the way out, I spotted Jared and Jensen's trailers. I would imagine they'd be inside of them trying to stay warm. I really do feel sorry for those two having to film outside on these freezing nights.

As we thought about it on the way home, we realized that we had actually been incredibly lucky that they weren't filming while we were there, because not only could we walk right up to the Impala, but we could also get these awesome pictures that didn't have ANYONE in them. Besides the orange pylons and the moon light, it almost looks as though we just ran across where Sam and Dean parked the Impala.

All in all a very successful night!

Odds and Ends

2009-12-09T01:27:46Z

I miss writing my silly HP/SPN crossover epic. I want to start a sequel or finish the Bobby + Hermione piece I've been working on, but my stupid job keeps getting in the way and I'm supposed to be writing regular fiction.

Novel is slow going. I can't get the voice right.

I've decided to accept the fact that I'm never going to get better at my job or like it more. Oddly, this is comforting. Probably because "Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man" (Nietzsche).

I'm thinking about breaking into the video-making world. This makes me nervous, as I'm frustrated easily, and don't like most learning-curves of new software. Still, I have this new fancy laptop and I think I should put it to good use.

Oh, yes, I have a new fancy laptop! It's awesome.

A really cool thing about Windows 7 is that you can shuffle your desktop background! Right now I have it alternating between my favorite Supernatural screen-caps/fanarts. It changes every 30 minutes. This ends my 7 year streak of having Orson from Record of Lodoss War as my desktop image. So, yeah, hold on a second:

Dear Orson,

You are and will forever remain my first love. Please rest assured, that although your image has been replaced with Sam and Dean Winchester on my desktop, they could never replace you in my heart. The WInchesters may not be emotionless beserkers with great swords, but they look better in wide-screen than you do.

Love you always,
Kalixa

Alright, glad I got that out of the way.

Aww..you guys are sweet

2009-12-08T01:35:03Z

Thank you to raloria ,trystan830 , and mara_snh for the holiday snowflake cookies!!

A Matter of Perspective...

2009-12-07T08:09:27Z

One thing I love about the fact that I've gotten two of my good friends into watching Supernatural is that I get to have some hilarious conversations with them.

One friend is currently working his way through S4. He just finished watching On The Head of a Pin and It's A Terrible Life. Unfortunately, he was half-asleep while watching OTHOAP, so I was repeating the major information learning in that episode in case he missed it:

Me says:
you also get the reveal that Sam's been drinking demon blood
Friend says:
yeah, I was wondering about that
I thought he was sacrificing virgins or something
Me says:
Hahaha
Friend says:
when I saw that, I was like, Oh! Well, THAT'S fine
Me says:
Glad to know Sam's still in your good books.
Friend says:
;-) *thumbs up*

PS: Thank you to raloria for the snowflake gift!

Does Supernatural film on the weekends?

2009-12-06T02:33:40Z

I always assumed that "Fraterday" was the last day of the week for them, and they got Saturday and possibly Sunday nights off like regular humans. But maybe I'm wrong. There are SFI signs in North Van. I'm trying to decide if I should go investigate.

ETA: EPIC FAIL! Not only did we not even see any SFI signs in North Van, we also couldn't find our way home. I have a feeling they must have been filming there last night, and we missed them by a whole day.

'cause I'm a sap

2009-12-03T09:27:23Z

I love stories where everyone is imperfect and broken. Where everyone is made up of loose fraying pieces. I love stories where no one is fixed at the end of them, yet, despite that everything seems perfect in it's brokenness - they are broken but together, broken but loved, and no one expects anyone to be any different.

I've had this song by Damien Rice stuck in my head all night, just the lines "and your mouth, your mouth, your mouth..."

If Hawksley Workman's songs are the playful foreplay, Damien Rice is the sex.

I really need to learn how to make vids...

2009-12-02T06:30:06Z

Another vid idea!

What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong - only SARCASTIC! Think about it..."I see trees of green", and you see Dean tied up in the orchard from Scarecrow..."red roses too", and there's Lucifer!Sam being all evil...."and I think to myself, what a wonderful world" - Dean crying while Sam hauls out and PUNCHES HIM IN THE FACE! It practically edits itself.

It's brilliant. Someone please point me in the direction of step by step vidding directions (for PC owners), I'm dying over here!

Completely unrelated:

You know you're Canadian when...

*Susie and I are watching TV - a particularly attractive guy is on screen*

Susie: *dreamy sigh* Guys should only ever wear plaid shirts.

Crack Ideas

2009-11-30T23:29:39Z

Random ideas that pop into my head that are ridiculously hilarious to think about:

1. A Supernatural/Corner Gas crossover!
-I don't know if there are any Canadians on my flist...but just to clarify, Corner Gas is a Canadian sitcom that takes place in rural Saskatchewan. It centres around life at the gas station and the diner in the fictional town of Dog River - the main characters are the gas station owner (Bret), the diner owner, the only two cops that the town has, Bret's idiot best friend, Bret's employee, and Bret's parents. It's got a pretty laid-back subtle sense of humour. Anyway...the Winchesters never go to Canada, it's true...but come-on! A show about a gas-station and a diner is just ASKING to be crossed over with SPN....at least in my head.

A clip of the show for the curious:

2. A Supernatural video to the Beatle's song: Two of Us.
-Haha...it's so upbeat and optimistic and buddy-movie-esque. Yet it has awesome lines like "Two of us burning matches, lifting latches..." It'd be so adorable!

Anyway, I suppose I should go back to my boring job now and stop having fun :-P

The Supernatural team is elusive

2009-11-28T05:11:24Z

The signs are still up for the filming, yet, we cannot find them. They north down Commercial off of Hastings, but when you turn, there are no more signs and no sign of any filming whatsoever.

There IS something going on 3 blocks east. ~~At Franklin and Hastings~~. There's some kind of chip-truck outside where people are making food. There's a security guard dressed all in black, and there were several cabs arriving. If that is the filming crew though, then they must be filming inside the building, because they sure as heck aren't filming outside of it. When we drove by, there were a couple of guys in suits, and one "regular" looking guy in a hat hanging out by an exit.

Anyway, we don't see why they would film inside a building when they could just use a set for inside shots...but then, maybe there's something particular about the inside of that building. Or, that might not be the filming crew at all and there's just some strange shindig going. ETA: Confirmed: It's a party.

Sigh...I don't have much hope. Figures they'd film in my neighbourhood and then hide from me :-(

ETA: Checked back, still couldn't find them. We've given up. We're assuming that they were filming Thursday during the day, or Wednesday night, and someone forgot to take down the signs on Commercial. It's either that or the entire Supernatural crew is invisible...because we freakin' COMBED those streets.

I hate my job

2009-11-28T01:48:21Z

I am spamming you with my ennui.

The sad thing is that so many people would be thankful to have my job...so many people covet a job like mine...but, my god, I just don't like it.

I'm going to hit the town and see if I can track down the Supernatural crew tonight. Hopefully I will find them, and that will cheer me up.

Supernatural Filming Hunt

2009-11-27T07:13:01Z

There are SFI signs in the sketchier part of what I consider to be the edge of my neighbourhood. Susie and I walked down there to check it out. It's about a fifteen minute walk or so, maybe twenty.

Sadly, we couldn't find them. We found a bunch of creepy alleyways and a fish processing plant...and some place that makes airline food, but no Supernatural crew. We need someone on the inside of the film industry, because we don't know how far in advanced they would put up the signs...like, maybe they are filming tomorrow? I doubt it though...you'd think the businesses would have to run tomorrow and they'd be in the way...plus those alleys are really creepy at night, but would just be boring alleys during the day.

I got some cool pictures though on our little walk. We will drive down later (to save our legs) and see if it's some sort of after midnight shoot...but somehow that seems unlikely. Maybe they were filming earlier today and we've missed them completely? But then...wouldn't they take down the signs?

Sigh...

A funny conversation on the way there:

Susie: We should just pretend we don't even know the show...'hey what are you filming? Never heard of it...who's Jeensun Ayckles?'
Me: Haha...Jared Padawhatta?
Susie: How would you even mispronounce his name? JAR-ed Poodle-acky? Hahaha
Me: Hahahaha
Susie: If I ever meet him, I should totally yell that 'OMG It's Jared POODLE-acky!!!' Hahah, you should film it for youtube. It's be hilarious just to see his face.

Ok, here's what I encountered on my unsuccessful Supernatural Hunt:

The SFI sign that points the way...to nothing.

And....

A creepy alley that they SHOULD use...because Susie and I turned down it and had the following conversation:

Susie: So, just in case I die....I love you.
Me: Aw, thanks. I love you too.

ETA: Ok, checked back...still nothing going on. Though, we figured there might be a small possibility they were inside somewhere. Still, we'll check back tomorrow to see if the signs are still up.

Susie's final thought on it was:
"Damn it, Jensen, you owe me for this."

Random Question

2009-11-27T03:54:53Z

Ok, I was cruising google maps the other day, and I came across all these fields that were in circles in the states. I mean...like, the crops were in circles. Like pies. I looked up in Canada, and we have them too. It's like someone scattered green coins across the country.

I was just wondering if anyone knew if it was a particular crop that people like to grow in circles, or if some people just liked to have circular fields. Where I grew up, people just grew things in rows...but then, mostly everyone just grows corn there. And in New Brunswick, everybody just grows potatoes.

It might be a pretty stupid question, but I am not a farmer - so I'm honestly just curious.

All about my LJ - stolen from Raloria and Trystan830

2009-11-25T20:00:26Z

1. My username is ______ because ______.
My user name is hells_half_acre. Because I like saying stuff like "I searched all over hell's half acre, and couldn't find the bloody thing." When I wanted to make an LJ devoted to my love for Supernatural, I decided that hells_half_acre was a very fitting username for that community. I didn't actually intend to put any posts about my life up, but I get bored a lot.

2. My name is _____ because ______.
My name is the only one like it in the entire world. Well, my first name-last name combination is. That's why I don't use it on LJ. I'm REALLY easy to track down. I think right now I have my name as kalixa, which isn't hiding things THAT well, but I like the way it sounds. Actually, I think there's a town in Quebec called Calixa, but I could be wrong.

3. My journal is titled ____ because ____.
My journal is titled Many A Vanished Scene, because it's a phrase from a poem I like, and I thought it fitting for a place where I post fanfiction. The poem is called The Fire of Driftwood by Longfellow. In particular, my favorite lines of the poem are:

We spake of many a vanished scene,
Of what we once had thought and said,
Of what had been, and might have been,
And who was changed, and who was dead;

And all that fills the hearts of friends,
When first they feel, with secret pain,
Their lives thenceforth have separate ends,
And never can be one again.

-Actually, reading over those lines now: They really just suit Supernatural in general. Poor boys.

4. My friends page is called ____ because ____.
My friends page is called "Like-minded individuals and communities" because I'm a dork.

5. My default userpic is ____ because ____.
My default userpic is what I called "The Damned and the Saved" - well before I knew where Kripke was taking the mythology. I absolutely love the shot and the way the creater of the icon has coloured it. The original shot is from Houses of the Holy, which was long before they wove Dean into the mythology as anything more than the burdened older brother...yet I love the symbolism in their positions...standing under the trefoil - Sam crouched and looking up at Dean, who stands just a little bit more into the light than Sam does...man, love this icon.

Parking Ticket :-(

2009-11-25T01:09:42Z

So, I thought I should make sure my car still worked, because I hadn't driven it in a month. I drove Susie to her studio, and then went to the bank, and got gas (but forgot to buy windshield wiper fluid)...and during all this remembered how much I ABSOLUTELY HATE driving in cities. I'm a long-distance road-trip type driver. It's not that I can't handle cities. I can. It's just that my driving skills are those meant for the open road. I can change CDs, easy as you please, while going 140km/h in a van that really only has 4 gears...but put me in a city and I feel half-blind and constantly on edge.

To top it off, my usual parking spot beside my apartment was taken when I got home, and I drove around the block, but the nearest spot was way down the hill...and then I thought "hey, I can just squeeze in here between this guy and the stop sign, and then come back out later and move it....except that an hour or so was a little too long to leave the car there, because I got a parking ticket. My first EVER, I might add. I'm sorely disappointed in myself. Plus now I'm out $50....I forgot about the whole "don't park close to stop signs" rule.

Sigh...

Loose lips...

2009-11-24T06:57:31Z

Is it just me, or have there been more spoilers for this season of Supernatural than last season? I seriously do not remember THIS many spoiler posts last year. Are they just not keeping things as under wraps? Am I crazy? Maybe I'm crazy.

I usually avoid spoilers, but the other night I thought f*ck it! and I read spoilers up to 5x12....which I guess is really only the next two episodes. Anyway, no more! Still there seems to be so much more of them this year than last.

Also, I am sleepy and do not want to write tonight, but I feel horribly guilty about it because I didn't write on the weekend either - instead I got kind of drunk and morose.

Let's look at how sexy Jensen/Dean is in my mood theme!

Drabbles from my Drabble Day (Post 2)

2009-11-21T22:28:38Z

Title: Damage Control
Author: hells_half_acre
Genre: Gen
Rating: PG
Characters: Castiel, Sam, Dean, OFC
Summary: Castiel runs into Jimmy Novak's mother. Dean and Sam have to run damage control.
Written for: liliaeth

"Jimmy?"

At first, Castiel didn't acknowledge the voice. Exactly 9 minutes and 45 seconds ago, Dean had told him that he and Sam would meet him in approximately 10 minutes. Castiel was not sure if Dean would arrive short of the 10 minute mark or long of it. He had not yet worked out when it was appropriate to get concerned if Dean was tardy. While Dean seemed to appreciate Castiel's own punctuality, he did not often exhibit the same behavior himself. Naturally, Castiel understood that the human concept of time was often relative. Yet they had invented watches and Castiel knew that Dean did in fact wear a watch.

"Jimmy! Oh my god, Jimmy?!"

Castiel realized that the woman was talking to him and looked up at her from where he sat on the park bench. Helen Novak.

"I am not Jimmy," Castiel informed her.

"Jimmy? Why...? Where have you been? I don't understand. You just disappeared. We had a funeral. We...Jimmy, what about Amelia and Claire?"

"They are safe," Castiel told the woman, "I've kept my promise."

"What promise?" Helen asks, "oh Jimmy...where have you been?"

"I am not Jimmy. I am not your son." Castiel clarified, the woman, Helen, seemed on the verge of tears. Castiel considered her for a moment. Jimmy Novak would probably not want his mother to be upset. Castiel should comfort her.

"You believe that Jimmy abandoned his family because you did not raise him right, because his own father abandoned him, because you married the wrong man. This is not true," Castiel informed her.

Oddly this seemed to make Helen Novak cry more. Very strange.

"Cas?" Dean's voice said from behind him. Castiel turned to see the Winchester brothers looking at Helen Novak in concern. "Hey Cas...what's going on?"

"Cas?...but...why? Jim-" Helen started to sputter through her tears.

"This is Helen Novak," Castiel informed Dean.

"Novak?" Dean said, and Castiel watched in fascination as a variety of emotions flashed across Dean's face. Sam's face was slightly easier to read, as he simply looked like he felt sorry for the woman.

"Jimmy Novak's mother," Castiel told them, to be certain they understood.

"What? Uh...what did you say to make her cry?" Dean asked, and seemed to be bracing himself for an impact, though Castiel could see no immediate threat to their well-being. He had made sure the park was secure before asking them to meet him.

"She was concerned that Jimmy's tumultuous childhood led to him abandoning his family. I informed her that it was his choice and had nothing to do with the fact that she married the wrong man."

"Oh god...uh...ok, yeah, um..." Dean ran a hand over his face and glanced at Sam, who nodded. Castiel felt, as he often did around Dean, like he was missing half of the conversation.

"Jimmy?...I love you, why are you..." Helen Novak tried again.

"I am not your son," Castiel repeated. "I am an-"

"Cas," Dean cut in, "why don't you come with me and we'll have a chat. Sam will explain things to Mrs. Novak."

Castiel took in Dean's hard glare, and Sam's anxious look, and acquiesced. He rose from the bench and followed Dean ten paces away. He did not have to look back at the bench to know that Sam had taken his place beside Helen Novak.

They did not talk. Dean just watched Sam and Helen Novak over Castiel's shoulder. Castiel wondered if he had done something wrong. He felt Sam approach them after a few minutes, while Helen Novak remained on the bench.

"What'd you go with?" Dean asked, as soon as Sam had joined them.

"Jimmy Novak has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Castiel is one of his alters. He's a danger to his family, and is being held in a psychiatric facility. Visitors upset him, and he's only allowed out with certified supervision."

"You lied," Castiel said, remembering what Dean had told him "did you want something from her?"

Sam gave Castiel a confused look. Dean ducked his head oddly. Sam then glared at Dean.

"I wanted her to stop crying," Sam said, "Now come on, let's find somewhere more private to talk. Apparently, I'm on damage control today, and you aren't the only one who's made a mess of something."

Title: The Closest He Ever Came
Author: hells_half_acre
Genre: Gen
Rating: G
Characters: Sam and Dean
Summary: Sam's POV on finding his old soccer trophy in John's lock-up.
Written For: lelaro

"1995" Dean said from behind him, and Sam turned to see him holding a small dusty trophy. He would have recognized that trophy anywhere.

"No way! That’s my division championship soccer trophy. I can’t believe he kept this," Sam said, taking it from Dean. Just holding it, brought back all the memories of that summer.

He had wanted to play soccer so badly. It was all his friend Alejandro talked about, and they needed another player for the team, and Sam had confessed all this to Dean one night. He had stayed in bed longer the next day, though Dean hadn't asked him to...and he had listened while Dean begged their father to let them stay the season, to let Sam play soccer instead of taking them up to Colorado to teach them bow-hunting. He had listened while Dean promised all sorts of things to make up for the break in training, for staying put. And when Sam finally did get out of bed, he knew what part Dean needed him to play...he knew that Dean hadn't really wanted him to listen. So, he got up and pretended to be groggy, pretended he had just woken.

"So, Sam...I'm thinking we might stay here for a couple more months," his father had said. "Or you and Dean will anyway. That be ok with you? You might get bored. You'll have to find some activity to pass the time with..."

Sam had smiled broadly and nodded, and seen Dean's answering smile from behind their father. Then his Dad had ruffled his hair and passed over the lucky charms, and Sam had been happy.

Dean had come to every game, standing apart from the other parents. Dad was away most of the summer and Sam had expected Dean to gripe about having to stay behind to look after Sam, but he never did. He just stood at the edge of the soccer field in his combat boots, and smiled whenever Sam assisted with a goal, or successfully blocked a pass.

Dad had been on a Hunt when Sam won the trophy, but when they got home, Dean placed it in the middle of the kitchen table facing the door before they went to bed. Sam woke up in the morning to find his Dad sitting on his bed, looking tired, but smiling at him warmly.

"Good job, Sammy" his Dad had said, then patted him once on the chest and disappeared out the door. The trophy was on his nightstand.

They packed up and left the next day, and Sam didn't have a chance to say goodbye to Alejandro, but he figured that was just as well - because that way the last memory for both of them would be one where they were flushed with victory. It was a good note to leave on.

Sam packed the trophy, and would put it next to his bed whenever they stopped for more than a night. Whenever he unpacked it, it brought back the memories of being on the soccer team - eating oranges at half-time, seeing Dean smiling from the sidelines, his father praising him for something that normal kids get praised for...it made him feel normal.

"Yeah, it’s probably the closest you ever came to being a boy," Dean said as if reading Sam's mind.

Drabbles from my Drabble Day (Post 1)

2009-11-21T22:16:53Z

Title: Remake Horror Double-Bill
Author: hells_half_acre (ME!)
Genre: Gen
Rating: G
Characters: Sam and Dean (and Clay and Whathisname)
Summary: Sam and Dean go to a double-bill of Friday The 13th and My Bloody Valentine.
Written for: mymuseandi

"I didn't know they still had theaters like this," Sam said, as they queued up for tickets at the old second-run movie theater - it used to be an actual theater - with a stage for performances, but had long since been turned into a movie house.

"Dude, two movies for $7!" Dean replied, "I wish they had more of these. By the way, you're paying - punishment for seeing the Raiders movie without me."

"You were in hell!"

"Excuses, excuses..."

Sam got his revenge when the cute blond ticket-girl told them that she hoped they enjoyed their 'date night'...the look on Dean's face...

They sat towards the back, individual buckets of popcorn on their laps. As soon as he sat down, Dean slouched low in his seat, and let his head roll closer to Sam. 'Oh,' Sam thought, 'so it's going to be that type of movie-going experience.' Hiding a sigh, Sam slouched low too, his knees pressing against the chair in front of him.

The lights went down and the projector started up behind them, and Dean's low whisper started almost immediately.

"Dude, that Clay guy looks like an idiot,"

"No he doesn't, shut-up."

"Bet he dies first,"

"How many horror movies you seen? he's the protagonist, he'll live the longest."

"Whatever, where's Freddy?"

"It's Jason. Freddy's in Nightmare on Elm Street."

"Whatever."

"Man, that guy is built."

"Something you want to tell me Sammy?"

"Shut-up."

*

For the second movie, which was also a remake, but neither of them had ever seen the original, they needed to put on 3D glasses.

"How do I look?"

"Like a dork."

"Yeah, well you do too."

"My ass is asleep."

"Too much information man, now watch the goddamn movie."

"The killer is totally that dude."

"How can you tell?"

"It's my job to know these things - your's too."

"Dean, if he's the killer than it's not our job at all."

"Yeah, but we gotta be able to tell the difference."

"It's a movie, Dean. Can't we just watch the movie."

"This dude's way better looking than the guy in the other movie."

"Something you want to tell me, Dean?"

"Shut-up."

...

"Sam? Are your eyes closed?"

"...no."

"Heh...this movie too scary for you Sammy? You want me to hold your hand?"

"Shut-up. It's the...it's the 3D, I just...it's disconcerting."

"'Disconcerting' is just a fancy word for 'scary', eh college-boy?"

"I'm not scared. I just don't like things flying at my face..."

"Things fly at your face all the time"

"Yeah, but I can dodge them! I'm not confined to a chair and the things don't follow me when I move my head, and I know it's not real, but I can't exactly turn off my instincts, I don't see how people can-"

"Ok, ok...why don't you take the 3D glasses off?"

"Because then the movie would be all blurry."

"...uh, Sam? You'd still see more of the movie than with your eyes closed."

"..."

*snigger*

"shut-up."

"I can still hold your hand if you want."

"I said shut-up"

"You going to eat the rest of your popcorn?"

"No, you can have it."

"Thanks Sam"

Title: Attack of the Coffee-Monster
Author: hells_half_acre
Genre: Gen
Rating: PG
Characters: Sam, Dean, OMC, OFC
Summary: Sam and Dean battle a coffee-monster
Written for: auriliawestlake who is a fan of the Encyclopedia of Weirdness, and wanted a monster made of coffee.

"It smells fantastic around here!" Dean said, as they rounded the corner, closing his eyes to take a large whiff of the intoxicating aroma.

"Why is everyone screaming?" Sam replied. Dean opened his eyes to see people pouring out the diner...screaming. Then he and Sam were running, pushing their way against the flow to get inside and see what was happening...

"Holy..." Sam said once they were inside. There, crawling it's way over the counter, was a huge black blob of undulating liquid. The smell of coffee was so strong, Dean felt his energy spike from the fumes alone. There was a waitress and a few customers trapped at the back of the narrow diner, making small panicked whimpering noises.

"Are you ok?!" Sam yelled back, and received some frantic nods.

"It ate Francis!!" The waitress said in disbelief, "it just...it rolled right over him and he didn't come out...he'll drown!"

"Where did it come from?" Dean asked, as he watched the black blob seemingly try to decide if it was going to go after the cowering customers or come after him and Sam.

"The new coffee maker!" the waitress replied pitifully, "oh god...I've gone insane."

"Sam, try to get to the coffee maker," Dean ordered, "I'm going to distract it."

"What?!" Sam said, "how?"

"I'm going to try to find Francis," Dean replied, just as the coffee-blob lunged for them. "Go! Hurry!"

Sam leaped over the counter to make a dive for the coffee machine, while Dean made a dive directly into the mess of coffee.

*

The coffee-blob slowed after the impact with Dean. Sam watched out of the corner of his eyes as the surface of the coffee monster undulated violently.

Sam ripped the coffee machine from the wall, and studied it closely. Sure enough, demonic symbols were carved crudely around the base.

"What the hell?" Sam muttered. There was a crash from behind him, a human arm stuck out of the coffee-monster. It wasn't Dean's.

Sam quickly ran back over and grabbed hold of the hand, pulling as hard as he could. A man in his 20s tumbled out...covered in coffee.

"Francis!" the waitress cried, and ran over. He wasn't breathing. Sam helped haul Francis away from the monster, and left the waitress to revive him. He had to destroy the demonic coffee-maker.

Not knowing what to do, Sam smashed it on the floor first. The coffee monster remained. So he grabbed up the pieces and ran into the kitchen, lighting the nearest gas stove and shoving the coffee maker directly on the burner, while pouring salt over it. The kitchen staff was too busy cowering in the back to do anything more than gawk at him.

There was a great splashing sound from the diner and a soft thump, that had Sam running out of the kitchen.

Dean was sprawled on the floor, soaked in coffee, and coughing up more coffee.

"Dean!" Sam yelled.

"Ugh," Dean replied.

Sam knelt in the remains of the coffee-monster and patted his brother on the back. He glanced up to see that the waitress had successfully saved Francis, who was now giving Dean a tired smile of gratitude.

"That was the most delicious monster we've ever fought!" Dean said suddenly, as he stood up.

"Are you ok? Do you-" Sam started to say,

"Was it the coffee-maker? Did you destroy it? It must have been the coffee-maker? Did you just smash it or did you have to burn it? Judging by the smell, I'd say you burnt it. It was the best smelling monster we've ever fought too. God it smelled so good. It was a little hot though, on the inside I mean. I don't think I'm scalded, but it was close. I'm more concerned about that Francis guy. Is he ok? Oh hey, there he is. You ok dude? Huh, he seems tired. Did you know that there are people who have different reactions to coffee? Some people it wakes them up, but others it makes them tired. That usually happens when you drink too much coffee. DO YOU DRINK TOO MUCH COFFEE FRANCIS? Oh, I think he's napping. Anyway, he should lay off the coffee. Do you want breakfast Sammy? I don't think we should eat here, but I could use some breakfast. Maybe some pancakes. You remember those pancakes in Vermont. Those were good pancakes. Hey, you want to drive to Vermont for pancakes? We could get ice-cream too, I bet, that's where the Ben and Jerry's factory is..."

Quick Reaction: 5x10 Abandon All Hope

2009-11-20T06:30:19Z

Apt title.

Well, now that my little heart is broken...let's try to start from the beginning...

Yay the show finally shows a male-male deal taking place. Wish the guys had been hotter, but that's just the sleazy-side of me talking.

My sister got really excited about this scene because she knows EXACTLY where it as filmed...so exactly, that she actually did a painting of it last year. We both agreed it was a fantastic setting for filming something.

I like Castiel being the Winchesters blood-hound.

ETA: I totally forgot to talk about them getting the Colt! Haha...I thought the rumpled carpet was pretty damn sloppy of them. I guess they didn't have much time before Crowley showed up. Crowley was cool though...it was so well done the way he just gave them the Colt, and then the fact that Sam tried to shoot him right after and it wasn't loaded...brilliant.

I also like the short scene of everyone hanging out at Bobby's place. Ellen and Jo trying to get Castiel drunk and failing, and Dean and Sam being all brotherly...and Dean failing in his attempt to give Jo the "last night on earth" speech. Susie and I both agreed that self-respect be damned, we would have taken him up on it. That being said, I like Jo better for not having done it....I've always liked her for being the girl that Dean obviously had a thing for, yet never got with. It made her special. Plus, I mean, dude, her Mum was right there.

I loved the little portrait.

Ok, then we get Cathage. Cathage was always one of my favorite place names...ever since my first ancient history course. It just, the way it feels on the tongue is...wonderful...like promises that you aren't sure are good things. Perfect choice. Um...anyway, my strange fetish for language aside...let's get back to the episode.

I like the way they did the transistions with Castiel's umm..movement. I love that he can seemingly be in two places at once, for just a split second, and you are left feeling a little discombobulated. I thought it was awesome how they did that.

The reapers were cool...interesting how we are back to the visage of the original spn-reaper, which sort of separates Tessa from the herd.

Then Castiel gets trapped and Lucifer isn't looking too good...and man...I love everything about their interaction. How Lucifer tempts Casteil, how Castiel stands his ground...how now that he's chosen the Winchesters, he's loyal.

Meg's back in the body she abandoned before. We get invisible hell hounds...and...then...mortally wounded Jo.

I thought it was so well done, the way Dean stayed away and let Ellen and Sam tend to Jo...I just...it was fitting.

But then we get the part that absolutely broke my heart - the conversation with Bobby.

What do I say? I loved it from even before it started, because Bobby was cursing and worried about his "boys"...and then, he called Dean "boy" and Dean was trying not to cry...and it was so like Dean's call to his Dad's voice-mail in Home, only Bobby was THERE keeping Dean together.

I liked the way Jo went out. Ellen too. I'm sorry to see them go. That scene broke my heart. I mean, first off: Forehead-kisses are my kryptonite. I just...wow...and I'm not surprised Ellen chose to go with Jo. I mean, Jo was all she had...just like Dean and Sam have to go together or not at all. Once I realized that Jo wasn't going to live, I knew that Ellen wasn't going to either, even before she said anything.

Susie was upset because it didn't work, and they died for no reason...but they don't know that, and they DID save Sam and Dean from the hell-hounds, so there's a reason. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

I love how Dean and Sam didn't have any last words - Sam didn't attempt a mushy speech about how much Dean meant to him. I like the idea that they know where each other stands now - that there's a feeling of knowing each other completely.

Then I was sure Dean was going to blow it by announcing his presence before he pulled the trigger. Then when he pulled the trigger...my breath seriously caught, because I realized there was no flash - and Susie and I thought that Crowley had given them a fake, but damn it if the Colt just doesn't work on Fallen Archangels. Which means that they are screwed...because they can't kill the devil. Not unless Castiel finds God or something...not unless Dean kills himself by saying yes.

But Castiel is clever and escaped, and dude if it didn't feel all kinds of nasty when Meg was all leaning up against him. Ugh. Yay for him dumping her in the fire. But we do learn that Castiel can't exorcise demons anymore...so, geez...basically all he can do is heal himself and teleport? Really sucks to be him.

He rescued Sam and Dean though...that was nice of him. But they didn't prevent Death from showing up. So, I guess when we come back from break, they'll be hunting Death and despairing. There's stil Famine and Pestilance to contend with too, if they are going to do all four.

I wish Bobby hadn't burnt that picture.

All in all, a fantastic mid-season finale. It's going to be a long sad winter break. :-(

The Status of Things

2009-11-19T02:52:09Z

Possible sequel to Damned Demented Demons:
-I have all the character interactions figured out, all the little nuances that I enjoy writing. What I don't have is a plot. I have enough ideas to fill a good number of chapters, but nothing really to tie them all together. So, worse comes to worse, you'll get timestamps instead of a sequel...because, to me, sequels require plot.
-Oh, also, the show hasn't given me a good opening yet for inserting a sequel...so, I'm still waiting on that.

My Novel:
-It's coming along. I'm about midway through chapter two. Not sure how I feel about it yet.

Other Fanfic:
-I'm halfway through a Bobby + Hermione piece
-I'm part way through a Dean piece.
-The two above facts have been true for a couple of weeks.
-I still have two prompts that I could do on my little meme from the other week. I'm not sure if I'm going to get to them...maybe just one of them.

Myself:
-I need to get my head in the game. I'm slacking off so much at work that I'm worried about being fired. My psychological insomnia is back like a bitch. I just don't know how to correct these things...my will power isn't strong enough or something.
-I should look into schooling in order to get another career maybe...the problem is, the more I seem incapable of going to bed and waking up and doing my job like a normal person, the more I feel incapable of doing ANYTHING.

Vancouver: A Comic

2009-11-17T08:05:19Z

Pictures For Sad Children summed up the weather in Vancouver really nicely without evening intending to:

My favorite is panel 4.