#I just think that Dean would love his child and give her everything he didn't have

[masakia]

Everyday I fight the urge of writing a destiel fic where everything is the same but Dean has a baby girl (the mother didn't want to be involved cause they were both young, like 24 maybe.) So Dean is like "well I guess I'm gonna parent this child now" and yeah he raised Sam and he did the best job he could with the circumstances they were given, but something about this little girl makes Dean wanna cry everytime he looks at her and thinks how he doesn't know how to give her a better life.

Anyway she would be two at the first season and Dean would put her hair up in silly hairstyles and Sam just has to reset himself when he enters the impala during the first episode and there is just baby stuff on the back seat.

When Cas shows up the baby gets attached to him really fast and Cas, who has never interacted with a baby before, holds her by the back of her clothes like she is a kitten.

[deanwinchestergf]

and why would an angel rescue me from hell? good things do happen dean. not in my experience. i'm not here to perch on your shoulder. i was getting too close to the humans in my charge. you. to everything there is a season. you made an exception for me. you're different. for what's worth, i would give anything not to have you do this. i learned my lesson while i was away, dean. i serve heaven, i don't serve men and i certainly don't serve you. but you guys aren't supposed to be there, you're not in this story. yeah, well, we're making it up as we go. i'm hunted, i rebelled and i did it all, all of it, for you. so what i'm thelma and you're louise and we're just gonna hold hands and sail off this cliff together? i need your help because you're the only one who'll help me. that's a pretty nice timing, cas. we had an appointment. what happened to you cas? you used to be human, or at least like one. but cas, you'll call right? if you get into real trouble? this is cas, guys. he has gone to the mat cut and bleeding for us so many freaking times, don't we owe him the benefit of the doubt at least? it sounds so simple when you say it like that, where were you when i needed to hear it? i was there, where were you? i'm doing this for you, dean. i'm doing this because of you. but we were family once, i would've died for you, i almost did a few times. i've lost lisa, i've lost ben and now i've lost sam. don't make me lose you too. cas, you child, why didn't you listen to me. you used to fight together, bestest of friends, actually. if you remember, then you know you did the best you could at the time. the very touch of you corrupts. when castiel first laid a hand on you in hell he was lost. i'd rather have you, cursed or not. well, i'll go with you. i prayed to you cas, every night. cas, we're getting out of here, we're going home. i mean you kept saying you didn't think it would work, did you not trust me? cas, it's me. we need you, i need you. i won't hurt dean. cause you didn't trust me? you didn't trust me. please, man, i need you here. nobody wants him here more than i do. you gave us an order, castiel, and we gave you our trust. don't lose it over one man. you really believe we three will be enough? we always have been. his true weakness is revealed. you draped yourself with the flag of heaven but ultimately, it was all about saving one human. i'm glad you're here, man. how are you, dean? and then you'll kill the angel, castiel. now that one, that i suspect would hurt something awful. and when you turn, everyone you know, everyone you love, they could be long dead. everyone except me. i'm not gonna send lucifer into battle inside cas, what if he doesn't make it? it's not an it, sam. it's cas. but you're always there, you know? i could go with you. you mean too much to me, to everything. i'm gonna cure you of your human weakness, same way i cured my own. it's a gift, you keep those. you mean we? yes, dumbass, we. we lost everything and now you're gonna bring him back. we got cas back, that's a pretty damn big win. just don't get dead again. it's good to hear your voice. so this is goodbye? but i swear if he did something to her, if she's- then you're dead to me. either get on board or walk away. i don't know what's god and what isn't, and it's driving me crazy. dean, you asked what about all of this is real. we are. you used trust me, give me the benefit of the doubt, now you can barely look at me. i think it's time for me to move on. you didn't deserve that. since when do we get what we deserve? maybe if you didn't just up and leave us. i left but you didn't stop me. i should've stopped you. you're my best friend but i just let you go. and i forgive you, of course i forgive you. i'm sorry it took me so long, i'm sorry it took me til now to say it. you did it cas. okay, cas, i need to say something. you don't have to say it, i heard your prayer. well, here's to being right. you know what every other version of you did after gripping him tight and raising him from perdition? they did what they were told, but not you.

[ninii-winchester]

Unveiled Sorrows (Part 9)

Pairing: Dean Winchester X Reader, Sam Winchester X Reader (platonic)

Word count: 4k

Warnings: slight angst, fluff, mentions of sex, Taylor Swift reference (?)

A/n : This series follows canon plot line but some scenes might happen differently or be completely changed. Check the warnings for each part before continuing

I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO COPY MY WORK, TRANSLATE IT OR POST IT TO ANY OTHER PLATFORM. REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED.

The drive back home was quiet. Dean was apprehensive about going back to the house but Y/n had put her foot down and told him she'd spend the night in the car than let Adeline anywhere near Samuel. She didn't trust him anymore.

"Uhm I only have one guest bedroom." Y/n said entering the house. Sam and Dean trailing in behind her.

"I'll stay here." Sam said pointing to couch on the living room. "The doors broken and I'm not sleepy anyway."

"I don't need the room either." Dean said looking at Adeline. "I'll grab a chair for your room. I need to make sure you two are safe." Y/n didn't argue. She was too tired.

"Can you watch her while I clean up?" She asked Dean who nodded taking Adeline from her arms. The little baby was already off to dreamland.

The two brothers sat beside each other, Dean was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Sam got up and grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge handing one to his brother.

"We need to talk." Sam said sitting back down. Dean looked at his brother wondering what he wants. "What more do you need to make up your mind?" Sam asked his older brother. He seemed angry.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dean said making Sam want to punch his face.

"I could punch you right now." Sam glared at him.

Dean's phone rang in his pocket and he tried to fish it out from his pocket so the ringing doesn't wake Addy. He pulled out his phone saw the caller ID.

"It's Lisa, could you hold her for me?" Sam rolled his eyes and took his niece from him. Dean walked a few steps away and then answered the phone.

"Hey, uh everything okay?"

"You tell me, Dean, are you okay? You said you'd be back by morning." Lisa asked softly.

"Yeah we uh... kinda ran into trouble." Dean replied vaguely.

"Are you okay? Who's we?" Lisa was worried.

"Me, Sam, Y/n and Adeline."

"Y/n and Adeline? Are they okay? What happened?"

"They're okay...now. Sam and I we got here in time."

"Dean." Lisa sighed.

"What?"

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Yeah I'm aware but it'd be nice if you'd elaborate." He chuckled.

"You're being an idiot, you're suffering and you're making them suffer. They're your family, they need you. And you need them just as much."

"Lisa.." Dean started but she interrupted him

"Dean, Adeline needs her father, i know how y/n feels, its hard watching your child grow up without a father, nobody would know better than me." She spoke softly as if talking to a child. "Think about Addy, Dean. It'll scar her for life knowing her father didn't choose her, when he clearly had a choice." Dean turned and watched his daughter sleeping in his brother's arms. The line went silent for a few seconds when she called his name.

"Yeah I hear ya."

"Think about Y/n, she loves you, you're crazy about her. I know what you're doing, Dean. You're deflecting, running away. It's not going to get you anywhere." Dean sighed knowing she's right. "Ben and I are safe Dean. You made us move, we started a new life, we're happy. its about time you do the same. Chase your happiness."

"You're right I guess." Dean let out a breath. "I don't know what to say."

"You could say thanks." He could hear the smile in her in her tone. "And do all of us a favour and stay there."

"Yeah, thanks Lisa." He smiled and hung up.

He walked back towards Sam, and huffed while plopping down beside him.

"What's up?"

"Uh Lisa kinda kicked me out." Sam gave him a bitch face which clearly said, im-not-in-the-mood-for-your-shit. "Well she told me I'm an idiot who's making everyone's life miserable."

"I'm not sure she said that but I totally agree with her." Sam replied.

Before Dean could reply Y/n emerged from the hallway into the living room, she looked fresh but tired. Her hair was wet and she was wearing a loose t shirt and some shorts.

"I'll take her." She said gesturing towards Adeline. "Sam, some of your clothes are in the guest bedroom, you can freshen up." The aforementioned man nodded and looked at his brother with a we'll-talk-later look. She watched Sam leave and turned to Dean. "You can use my bathroom, if you want. I'll order something."

"I'll wait till Sam comes back. Not leaving you here alone." Dean replied watching her as she ordered food.

After Sam came back, Dean went to shower, he didn't have his clothes with him so he had to make good with Sam's clothes. Which were a bit oversized for him. After dinner Sam promised he'd clean up and insisted Y/n retire to her room. Adeline was sleeping soundly in her crib.

"I'll be there in a minute." Dean called out behind her, feeing the need to reassure her. God knows she needs it. She nodded and left wordlessly.

"So what exactly did Lisa say?" Dean filled Sam in with conversation he had with Lisa earlier.

"I don't know how someone like you ends up bagging such wise women." Sam wondered out loud. Dean glared at his younger brother but didn't comment on it. "So what you gonna do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"You want to me to go in there and tell her that the woman I lived with kicked me out so I need her back?" Sam swore he could throttle his brother and he even moved his hands to wrap around his neck but stopped himself.

"Is that how it is?" Sam asked and Dean immediately shook his head. "Then her exactly how it is! You idiot." Sam rubbed his hand over his face. His brother might be a genius when it comes to monsters but he's a nutjob when it comes to feelings.

Y/n watched Dean's silhouette enter the room and drag a chair beside the bed. It was completely dark except for the moonlight peeking in through the window.

"You really don't have to." Her voice quiet in the dark, he stopped his actions as he heard her voice. "That chair would be uncomfortable. Get in the bed."

Dean didn't say anything but got under the covers beside her. Ten minutes passed in silence and again Y/n spoke up,

"Dean I'm trying to sleep." He looked at her in confusion.

"I'm not even doing anything." He replied.

"The cogs in your brain are too damn loud. Stop thinking." Y/n murmured. Dean sighed shifting on the bed. "Talk to me." She said propping her head on her elbow.

"It's.."

"Nothing." She completed. "I've heard that before." He peered up at her face, her expressions unreadable.

"I don't know where to start." Dean said staring at the ceiling.

"Whatever comes to mind." Dean took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I'm sorry." His eyes flickered to her face. She was patiently waiting for him to continue. "I am so sorry for being a mess. I..I ruined us, I was a coward. I'm sorry for hurting you. I know keep saying that, I keep trying to push you away because i want to you to be safe. I hate that I couldn't protect you or Addy." Dean felt himself tearing up.

"Dean, you keep pushing us away, why do you think its the only way? Maybe if you hadn't left we could've been safe. You could've protected us. You can't keep assuming you being with us is a bad thing unless you try, how bad could it actually be? I don't think anything could be worse than what happened today."

"I know that now, I just love you so much. I know I don't deserve to ask anything from you but if you could give me another chance, I'll spend the rest of my life proving to you how much I love you."

"What about-"

"They'll be fine." Dean answered before she could even ask. "I am done running, I want to own up to my mistakes. I wanna be with you, and Adeline, where ever you two are. I want to save you, from every bad thing out there."

"Dean, you don't need to save me," she whispered looking at him. "But would you run away with me?" She grinned at him. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

He smiled at her. "We could do whatever you want, I'm okay with everything as long as you're mine. We could take it slow if you want."

"We've already wasted so much time. I don't want to take it slow. I know you're it for me." His gaze flickered from her eyes to her lips. He pressed his lips against hers, they just as soft as he remembered. Their lips clashed against each other, tongues fighting for dominance. She pushed herself up to straddle his waist but he pushed her back on the bed, hovering above her.

"As much as I want to," he breathed heavily. "You're hurt."

"Dean."

"Baby no. I promise I'll give you whatever you want but just heal for me first." She nodded and he pecked her lips laying beside her. "Sleep now." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

The events of the day finally caught up to her and she was drifting into deep slumber. The next morning she woke up she half expected the bed to be empty but when she opened her eyes, she was met with bright green eyes already looking at her.

"Good morning." Dean smiled.

"Morning." She snuggled closer to him. She was more relieved than she'd like to admit.

"You sleep good?" She hummed in response wrapping her arms around his torso. He chuckled pulling her closer.  It was suspiciously quiet and Y/n wondered how Addy hadn't woken up yet or in the middle of the night. She shot up her position on the bed and winced when she felt pressure on her stitches.

"Hey what's wrong?" Dean asked. She didn't answer and walked towards the crib which was empty.

"Dean, Addy." She gasped, tears brimming her eyes.

"Baby calm down, Sam has her." Dean told her and she walked out of the room sighing in relief when she saw her daughter sitting on Sam's chest and slapping his face with quite force if she may say so. "See she's okay." Dean said wrapping his arms around her from behind. She nodded relaxing in his arms. She turned her face to kiss him and he didn't hesitate to kiss back.

"Are you two always going to be this gross from now on?" Sam's voice made them pull away.

"Yes." Y/n replied.

"I'll go make breakfast." Dean said walking into the kitchen but Y/n pulled him back and kissed him, tongue and all. Sam made puking noises. They pulled away and Y/n smirked at Sam and he rolled his eyes at her.

"I think Addy and I should go to the park. I don't want to sit here and watch cheap porno." Sam sassed.

"Aren't you brutal these days, Sammy." Y/n pouted at her best friend.

"He actually is." Dean yelled from the kitchen.

"What so now you two are going to gang up on me?" Sam scoffed playfully.

"No, but Sam something is weird about you. And no I'm not talking about your height." Y/n replied with a smirk.

"Try being surrounded by dumbasses all the time." Sam retorted. "I am just tired." He rubbed his face, still holding Adeline firmly. "Do me a favour and pack your stuff." Sam added.

"What for?"

"You're not staying here, not anymore." Dean said coming out of the kitchen. "Breakfast's ready."

The three of them walked inside the kitchen where Dean has sit up food on the counter. Coffee, waffles and eggs. Sam poured himself as cup of coffee, Adeline still in arms who was now biting and drooling over his shoulder.

"And who decided that?" Y/n asked taking a sip of her coffee.

"We did." Sam shrugged.

"Sam we've had this conversation before, I told you Addy isn't going to grow up in this life. I want her to be normal. I am out for good." Y/n said with a scowl on her face.

"And that's how it's going to be." Dean replied. "Just not here, we'll find a new place for us. You're out and no one's dragging you back, I promise." He added softly.

"I liked this place." She pouted. Dean let out a laugh and kissed her pouty lips.

"We'll find an even better place, okay?"

"One moment of peace." Sam hissed. "Is all I ask for."

"Suck it up, buttercup." Y/n teased.

"Cmon Addy, let's go somewhere we're loved." Sam said to the baby who just stared at her uncle.

"Aye gigantor, give me my baby." She said making grabby hands towards him. He rolled his eyes but place Addy in her arms nonetheless.

"By the way... I forgot to ask." Sam started. "Why were you half naked when we found you?"

Y/n choked on her waffle and avoided looking at either of the men.

"You okay?" Dean asked handing her a glass of water. She took it gratefully and nodded. Sam raised his brow at her and she wanted to murder him right there.

"Uhm you see the moment he came here I knew he was a shifter."

"How?" Dean asked.

"Because he came in as Sam and i had just gotten of the phone with him and Sam told me there's shifter in town collecting his babies." Y/n replied making the other to nod, urging her to go on. "I assumed he didn't know the relationship between us, he just came here because he saw you coming here so I thought..." she trailed off awkwardly.

"You thought that you'd seduce him." Sam replied with a grin, ready to tease the wits out of her. She glared at him in return.

"Hey, not my fault the XY chromosome is stupid like that, be it a monster or human. I took my top off he got distracted enough for me to stab him." Y/n replied defensively. The two men laughed at her words.

"That might actually be true." Dean added shaking his head.

After breakfast the three of them packed all of y/n and Adeline's things and stuffed it into Sam's car. They had Sam run to store and get a carseat for Adeline since y/n didn't have a car and never needed one. After strapping in they drove to their destination. But had to make a quick stop at Lisa's to get Dean's stuff and obviously his other other baby, The Impala. It was quick but a pleasant meeting.

"Oooh I missed baby." Y/n said walking over to the Impala and sitting in passenger's seat.

"Hm she missed you too." Dean replied getting behind the wheel after strapping in Adeline. "I've got three of my best girls here, aint I a lucky man?" Dean marvelled at the sight.

"Even after years, I'm still competing with a car." Y/n sighed playfully.

"There's competition, sweetheart." Dean looked at her lovingly. "No one can take baby's place." He added playfully.

"Dean Winchester, you're annoying" She swatted his arm lightly. He pulled her in a for a kiss.

"Don't worry baby you're my number one." He mumbled against her lips. The ringing of Dean's phone made them pull apart.

"Are you two done making out in the car because I'd like to get there before dark." Dean heard Sam's irritated voice from the phone. He just chuckled, hanging up he revved the engine to life and they drove off.

A knock of the door made Bobby look up from the book he was reading. He wasn't expecting anyone so he grabbed his gun before walking towards the door. He aimed the gun and then opened the door. He rolled his eyes and put the gun on the table beside the door. It was Sam and Dean.

The old man went back inside and the other two followed. Y/n was hidden behind their tall frames so he didn't see her. The three of them went inside. Dean carried the carseat in which Adeline was napping.

"So what do i owe this pleasur-" Bobby stopped mid sentence as he saw y/n, a few cuts and bruises littered over her face.

"Heya Bobby." She hugged the old man.

"What happened?" He asked and they filled him in. "All that happened and you couldn't give me a call?" He said frustratedly. "Are you three ever going to let me live peacefully.?"

"I don't think so, no." Y/n chuckled. Sam and Dean nodded their head along with her comment.

"Oh dear, you're the only sane person in this family." Bobby said picking Adeline from her car seat.

"Yeah just about until she doesn't start walking on her own." Dean smirked. "Insanity is in the genes, Bobby." He added sarcastically.

"Out of my sight." The old man replied.

"Don't worry about that, we'll go house hunting tomorrow." Y/n said excitedly.

"What you didn't learn your lesson this time?" Bobby asked rolling his eyes.

"All I want is Addy to grow up in a normal house and a normal life and that's not gonna happen in a house filled with guns and thousands of lore books." Y/n said exasperatedly, gesturing to all the books around her.

Nobody spoke after, an unsaid agreement was made. The next morning y/n and Dean went to look for available houses. They agreed to stay in Sioux Falls, Dean insisted it's safer to be close to Bobby's, just in case something happens when he's away.

"I can't believe it." Y/n whispered as she and Dean signed the lease of their new house.

"Can't believe what?" Dean asked.

"This, us, all of it." She replied looking around the house.

"I know baby, feels surreal." He walked towards her and kissed her. "But this is us, now."

"Yeah. You think Sam will like it? And Addy?" Y/n asked him with hopeful eyes.

"They'll love it." He wrapped an arm around her.

A month after moving in their new house, it was peaceful. This was the closest to being normal Dean felt. He was being the most amazing boyfriend to y/n and even better father to Adeline. One morning Dean decided to wake his girl with kisses and breakfast in bed, y/n groaned pushing him away.

"Five more minutes, D." She mumbled. He hovered above her and peppered her face with kisses. She blinked her eyes open. "I could get used to this sight." She smirked dragging her nails across his bare chest. He chuckled as she pulled him down and purred in his ear, "I think you owe me something, now that I'm completely healed." Dean let out a laugh and nipped at her jaw and dragged his nose along the column of her neck, leaving soft kisses.

"DEAN." Sam burst into the room and the older brother jumped off of the bed. Y/n was clothed but still pulled the covers to her chest.

"Sam what the fuck?" Dean growled at his brother.

"Uh I found a case.." Sam replied sheepishly.

"You found a case.." y/n drawled and her eyes landed on the clock beside her bed. "It's six in the morning." She groaned.

"Yeah I had a long night." Sam replied. "People are dropping like flies, Dean. We have to go." His words held urgency and Dean sighed.

"Can't you wait for like two hours or something?" Dean asked irritation lacing his voice.

"Dean people are dying in really weird ways." Sam pressed.

"You should go." Y/n spoke from the bed.

"Baby.."

"Dean.." He shrugged in defeat.

"Alright I'll meet you by the car in 20." Dean said to Sam who nodded and left the room.

"You go get ready and I'll check on Addy." Y/n got up and pecked his lips pushing him towards the bathroom. She walked to the crib placed in they their room, she still wasn't comfortable leaving Addy alone in the nursery. She watched her sleep peacefully. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and she melted into the embrace.

"You've been staring at her for like ten minutes, it's creepy, sweetheart." Dean murmured in her ear.

"Shut up and get your ass moving." She replied playfully. "I wanna lock the door and sleep some more."

"Too eager to get rid of me?" He smirked.

As if sensing her father's departure little Adeline woke up from her slumber and started wailing loudly. Dean immediately picked up his baby in his arms and hushed her while gently rocking her. "Daddy's angel woke up to say bye huh?" That didn't make Adeline feel any better and Dean didn't feel like going anymore. "Awe baby I'm sorry." He cooed. "What do you say we let Uncle Sammy go on his own?" Dean suggested.

"Dean.." y/n said in reprimanding tone. "I know it's hard but we'll be here when you get back, yeah?"

"Yeah." He nodded and kissed Adeline's head. "Daddy's gonna be back before you know it, be good for mommy okay angel?" Y/n took Adeline from him and followed out to the door. Dean opened the door and turned around, "you be safe. Anything happens you call me or head to Bobby's okay?"

"Yes don't worry about us and focus on the job, don't die okay?"

With one last kiss, Dean walked out of the door. Y/n waved at Sam who was impatiently waiting by the car. She closed the door and double locked it once they drove off.

The day went by just as how it goes usually. It was around nine pm when Dean called her. She answered the phone almost immediately, eagerly wanting to know all about the hunt. As Dean filled her in with all the adventures the brother's went through, she listened eagerly. She missed hunting, she missed the the feeling of adrenaline pumping through her veins but all above that she loved Adeline. And she wouldn't risk anything happening to her.

"I'm just glad you two are okay and the hunt went well." Y/n said as Dean finished speaking.

"Yeah. Can't wait to be back with you and Addy." He replied. He paused for a minute he spoke again. "Thank you, Sweetheart."

"For what Dean?"

"For giving my dumbass another chance. For putting up with me over the years. For loving me. I can't ever make up to you for hurting you how I did but-"

"Dean, it's all in the past. I forgave you. Even if it may be a little selfish on my part but I want you. I've always wanted you. So just forget about it." Y/n replied, assuring him that they're way past whatever happened.

"I don't care if you're being selfish, or if you want to use me. Just know that I'm your problem now." Dean chuckled. "I'm at your disposal. I love you."

"No chick flick moments, De." Y/n giggled over the phone and Dean rolled his eyes at her even if she couldn't see. "But I love you too. And I miss you too much, so hurry your ass back home." Dean let out a laugh at her commanding tone.

“I’ll be home soon. You take care of yourself. Kiss Adeline goodnight for me.” Dean replied before hanging up.

Things have finally changed. For better.

Tags:

@spnfamily-j2 @galway-girlatwork @deangirl96 @queensilber

@s0urw00lf @monkey-d-hoshizora98 @deans-baby-momma @fullbelieverheart

@riah1606 @xx-spooky-little-vampire-xx @hobby27

@suckitands33

[maluceh]

Hello!! I just wanted to say that I love your art so much, everything feels so warm and comforting to look at!! Your Jily specifically is so beautiful & I love the way you draw wolfstar as well ❤️ I know you've been getting negative messages but I would personally love to hear more about your marauders as parents au!!

THANK YOU!!!!

For my 80s AU (1986-88), originally it was only Harry being raised by a big family (full of uncles and aunts and ofc his parents). But then I thought he would make a GREAT older brother, but I honestly didn't see him having any brothers. I think it's important for his character to be the only boy, and as the eldest daugther with brothers I found it natural to give him 2 younger sisters.

Some points

Marlene and Sirius are Harry's godparents; James and Lily are the godparents of Ziggy; and Peter and Dorcas are Callie's godparents. (NOTE: people don't need to be married to be godparents of a child, so I am IN NO WAY shipping Dorcas and Peter lol).

Remus and Sirius adopted the girls. One of them (Ziggy), has licanthropy and people wouldn't adopt them fearing the both of them had it. Their names are Sigrid (Ziggy for short cause they are huge nerds), and Calliope (Callie). I agree with Wolfstar not actively seeking being parents or starting a family, I see it more as if it came to them by accident and they just wanted to give them a home cause Remus understands it better than anyone, and wanted to give them a safe space.

James and Lily went on to have two other kids, both girls. Josie and Kate.

Mary and Remus are Josie's godparents, and Frank and Alice are Kate´s.

Pandora is part of Lily's friendgroup and so is Alice, so they were very excited to raise their kids together. Meaning Luna and Neville are Harry's childhood friends.

I love the hc of Mary being Dean's mum, so her and Emmeline are his moms, trust me.

Dorlene/Peter and Sybill, have still no interest of having kids as the rest of their friends and are happy just being cool aunts/uncle.

[princessallura052]

Phoebe and Coop - an analysis

Ok, so I am doing a rewatch of Charmed. From the beginning, Phoebe is this adventurous free-spirit who wants things to be exciting. We see her desire for the perfect man to basically be Cole or rather a bad boy because that's exciting. In season 2, we also hear Cupid say that Phoebe dated around because she had closed off her heart and it was easier than committing.

That was something not anyone would guess about Phoebe, in fact the instinct would be to guess that she loved and trusted too easily. But she never let herself get properly attached until S2 Cupid helped her do so. It's only after that she met Cole - initially a lawyer that she met and he tried to attract her to him but even after she knew he was a demon, she still loved him and tried everything she could to make that relationship work. She lost her baby because of him - the one thing that could have made her heartbreak a little bit easier to deal with.

Now, coming to my point, I hear people saying Coop was too boring for Phoebe and I will say I agree. Compared to Cole, he was boring, maybe even a little bland. He would be routine and normal compared to Cole who was one trial after the other but after everything that happened, Phoebe did not desire exciting anymore. The longest relationship she had outside of Cole was Jason Dean and compared to Cole, he was boring. He was a successful businessman, yes who would support her in her work career but he was boring.

If he could accept that she was a witch, they may have been endgame and she was happy with him. People say she became a little self-centred when she moved to Hong Kong with him but she was genuinely happy with a guy who wasn't so unpredictable. Cole was always uncertain - she was always left guessing and even when he was human, she struggled with him because she could see his struggle on just being human.

So, I think while young Phoebe's type was Cole, she got heartbroken and grew from that. She no longer yearned for the excitement that she wanted once - she just wanted someone to love her, she just wanted someone to be there but like before s2 Cupid came, she closed off her heart. She focused so much on just wanting a baby of her own that she didn't care who it was with - and one thing I feel people forget is she did lose her child, her baby. The reason she was so obsessed with Wyatt at first to the point of wanting aunty leave was because she had lost her baby.

To sum it up, yes, Coop is boring in comparison to Cole. But that is what Phoebe needs. Someone who can give her commitment and certainty. Where Prue was at the beginning, we see Phoebe reach by the end. She had everything, a stable career, a family she loves but the one thing she lacked was love and her own family. Coop is a cupid - he would never let her miss on that.

[annabtg]

Anna, you’re so right(i love you). It’s so annoying that all these woke yaoi-shipping sjws have taken over the fandom. You cannot put characters like James and Sev through modern lenses(“Snape was a child abuser” teachers were allowed to hit students with rulers at 90s british schools but being a little mean to a troublemaker makes you satan🙄) and understand them fully. You also cannot make James Potter into a bisexual adhd-having MOC and keep true to his character(everything about him relays on him being very privileged in society)

Love, an old man.

I don't know how you can read this post and conclude that my problem is "woke, yaoi-shipping sjws"? My problem is, like I said, the complete lack of reading comprehension skills, of creative and analytical thought and of the ability to empathize with the characters.

Indeed, modern social media seems to favour performative activism, but that's not what fanfic suffers from. I've engaged with fandom enough to understand that the prevalence of non-nuanced takes comes from younger fans who have grown up in a world massively different from the one I grew up in as a millennial with boomer parents.

Nevertheless, I don't think you're doing it right either, my love. Teachers might have been allowed to hit students with rulers in the 70s (they weren't allowed in 90s Greece, though, and I have been informed neither were they in the UK) - and an example of a strict but good teacher in the books is Minerva McGonagall, who would dole out harsh punishments and use her sharp tongue on students, but still gives you the feeling that she cared about them and loved them. That kind of "tough love" was how boomers took care of their kids. Not Snape, who had beef with a student because he didn't like his father. That's fucked up. But the thing is that Snape is supposed to be unlikeable and mean and come off as the villain, to make his arc all the more surprising and impactful. He's supposed to be a fucked up dick who works for the side of good, because the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.

As for James, I don't think his portrayal as a bisexual ADHD-having MOC is inherently incompatible with his character, even if it's not the authorial intent (indeed, James is supposed to be the picture of privilege). For instance, one aspect of HP I find fascinating is how being a POC doesn't descend into racism in the books - I think there's one single instance of it, where Pansy tells Angelina she's got worms on her head, but that's obviously Pansy being a dick, and other than that there is no casual racism thrown about to people like Dean or Lee or Cho or the Patils. Whether their portrayal is nuanced or stereotypical is a different discussion, but I think it's obvious that we're supposed to take out that if you're a racist wizard, it's not colour that matters, it's blood. James Potter could reasonably be a POC and it wouldn't matter at all in the world he lived in.

That he would struggle with ADHD or sexuality is also not implausible, and in fact I think it makes for very compelling portrayals of him to be going through that in an era-adequate way. Have people around him be annoyed because he just won't sit still, show him confused by his attraction to Sirius and downplaying it with semi-homophobic remarks. I'm personally not so much a fan of a Hogwarts that reads like you're at Pride, but it was the era of hippies, after all?? I think that Hogwarts would be on the conservative side of things, but at the end of the day it *was* the time when queerness started to gain visibility and I understand how people feel at liberty to use that. Everyone seeks to connect to these characters through fic to some degree; for me, who grew up as a gifted (and probably undiagnosed autistic?) kid in a conservative society, the canon portrayal of people like James and Lily and Sirius at Hogwarts resonates enough to keep me intrigued.

I don't lament people trying to project their own struggles with queerness or mental illness or idk just the fun conversations they have with their friends on the Marauders and Hogwarts; what bugs me is when it's being done in a way that cancels canon aphoristically, and you're suddenly idk toxic for shipping Jily because "James was an abuser and Lily had Stockholm Syndrome" - that's not what happened. Showing off like a peacock was the men's standard flirting technique, and playing hard to get was the women's standard flirting technique, and even with that Jily contains a LOT of nuance - and frankly, even through a modern lens I find it very difficult to miss if you have the first idea of reading between the lines. Which is why I keep saying: lack of reading comprehension skills and critical thinking beyond understanding straightforward text messages and cheap quips is the bane of these readers' existence (or, you know, our existence, for having to put up with it).

[deanoheartspie]

Sunshine

Pairing: Cowboy Sheriff Dean x City Gal Reader

Summary: After your family cut you off, your great-aunt Laura invited you over to her ranch you often visited when you were just a child... You drive through the beautiful town until you accidentally graze a horse that just so happens to be the sheriffs...

Warnings: None

A/N: Y/h/c (hair color) tell me what you think!

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

•°Y/N POV°•

My whole life depended on my parents, even though I wanted to leave they made me believe I couldn't do anything on my own and it was in my best interest for me to blindly follow what they wanted.

But... What about what I wanted?

After I ran out on my wedding day because everything was set up and my family was money-hungry greedy whores. I decide to leave and start fresh...even though that meant going to my Aunt Laura's house whom I haven't seen in years.

Driving through the cute little town, while people talked on the sidewalks and had conversations with people without their phones in hand.

NEIGH NEIGH NEIGH

Slamming to a complete stop, I hadn't seen the horse due to the distractions. Noticing a man on it and his head whips around practically glaring at me while he walks over to the car knocking on the window

“What the hell is wrong with you sweetheart?” He asked with his gruff deep voice, that had a hint of an accent.

“I didn't mean to... Is he okay?” I looked up at him, getting a good look at his bright green eyes and freckles on his face.

“She. It's a she. Nope, she got grazed by a woman who couldn't pay attention to the road. Oopsie daisies” The man grumbled placing a hand on his hips, the sun perfectly shining on him to show all his facial features.

I look at him and cross my arms, he sure was a grumpy man. “500 dollar ticket here ya go sweetheart. Damages and all” he said with a smirk sliding the ticket over.

“I grazed the horse not murder it!” I shout out handing him the ticket back, he slightly glares as he tosses it in your car.

“Oh, honey you should be happy that it was my horse and not my car.” He huffed out, walking away and gently pulling the horse to the sidewalk.

When I have the chance, I drive past him and start driving up to my aunts. Fields and fields of grass, cows, and horses scattered around I couldn't help but scrunch my nose. If I'm being quite honest... I've never been a big fan of animals, but I guess I'll have to deal with it while I'm here. Let's just hope they don't get too close.

Pulling up to the driveway, of the beautiful farmhouse that was a little old but sure as hell something you wouldn't find back in the city.

“Oh my! Y/n! You got so big!” before I could even register the person I got squished into a hug that ended by an older gruff voice chirps in.

“Laura, your going to squish her to death” He crosses his arm with a smile, my favorite uncle well...it was either between Daniel my dad's older brother who was a pain in the ass, or Clayton who was just chill. So of course, clay would be my favorite.

“Auntie Laura and Uncle Clay! How have you both been?”

They both have smiles on their faces, the last time I had seen them I was a kid who loved it out here... Times have changed.

“Wonderful! We had to get a ranch hand since this oldie is getting frail even though he doesn't want to admit it.” Laura teasingly mutters tugging me up the creaky porch and handing me a sweet tea.

Scrunching my nose at the sweetness, but I had to admit it was one of the best I've ever tasted so I'll give her that. I ran a hand through my y/h/c hair with a sigh slipping out, as I grab the ticket out of my pocket.

“Oh, dear! Did you get pulled over? What for?” My aunt asks curiously, with a head tilt.

“I accidentally grazed a horse... But you can barely tell, the guy was an ass.” I mutter under my breath, Leaning against the white chipped pillar.

My uncle looks at me with a raised brow, while crossing his arms with a grin. I look at him confused when I turn around to see who he looking at.

“Well hello darlin.” The green eyes look down at me, with a smirk.

Well fuck.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Chapter 2

----Tag list----

@deans-spinster-witch @leigh70 @mrsjenniferwinchester @ladysparkles78 @hobby27 @khaleesihavilliard @foxyjwls007 @lucidlivi @globetrotter28 @beskarfilms @jc-winchester @screaming-les-bean @jas-loves-stitch

[monstermoviedean]

i’ve got a list in my head of moments in spn where i think it would’ve been the perfect moment to bring in a secondary character, and there’s one in particular that i think is just. so, after the rupture, cas meets up with claire. she finds out about jack, she finds out about mary. and yeah idk i just think claire would have a really interesting perspective about it all. about dean. i don’t think she’d be completely on dean’s “side” (i don’t like calling them on diff sides but i think you get what i mean) and yell at cas or guilt him or whatever, nor would i want that(!), but… after all, claire knows what it’s like to care about, to love, people who have hurt her family. 😕

oh this one hurts. this one hurts. you're absolutely right though and my god is this a good fucking take. like. okay so first off this made me realize that jack and claire never met. and while i don't think claire would be like "you stole my dad" (because of course she wouldn't) i think there could be some really really interesting feelings to work through in term of cas having another kid who is dead now, and how hard he's taking it. i think claire would have to initiate this meetup, not cas, because cas is trying to isolate himself and would not want to look at another child he believes he failed.

absolutely 100% agree that there's not really "sides" but i also don't have a better term for it. i think claire would see cas' "side" and could give cas some real comfort, if he was open to it. she knows what it's like to lose people and to feel like you failed. she believes that cas is good, and trying to be better. and she's a living, breathing symbol that not everything he touches goes wrong. i think she could represent healing to cas, and just talking to her could nudge him towards reconciliation.

(side note: i would have liked to see their relationship develop further past season 10. i feel like it was a really promising start and then just. nothing. it felt like once she had jody they were like 'okay she's being parented cas doesn't need to do it anymore!')

i also think claire could easily see and sympathize with dean's "side." her dad abandoned her and her mom was absent from her life for a long time. her mom literally died in her arms. i could see why the pain of losing a parent would resonate with her. i can also see why, if she talked to dean, she would sympathize with feeling abandoned by cas (talking about seasons 4 through 10 here). and last but certainly not least, claire is going through a widow arc of her own. she's still reeling from having lost kaia. while she didn't see dean during his widower arc, jody did, and i'm sure jody mentioned that dean really wasn't doing well. and that might be on claire's mind too - that dean is in serious pain from losing a parent, a child, and a friend who could be something more.

like you said, i don't want claire to yell at or guilt either of them. i'm not sure she would, either. but i think she could sympathize with both of them in a way not many others in their lives could. and i would also like to see her again :)

[adidegmez]

spn s7 spoilers

s7 ep1(meet the new boss)

the cas we know is gone. dean,sam and bobby are accepting cas is god so easily. i thought they wouldn't call him god that easy. i love death. but really, dean gave up on cas so quickly. cas is back. and he is gone, again. he'll be back.

s7 ep2(hello, cruel world)

lucifer… i love winchester's relationship. i loved bobby's house now, everything is gone. bobby isn't gone he cant be.

s7 ep3(the girl next door)

i love sam. how could dean do that? why did he do that? is he real dean? i cant believe this.

s7 ep4(defending your life)

good guys always feel guilty. even if its not their fault. even if they know its not their fault. i was mad about dean killing amy. but then i thought about it. i thought they didnt kill lenore but then i remembered she didnt kill anyone when they let go of her. amy and lenore are not the same. and in the end dean was right imo. because amy killed for her kid and if her son gets sick she would kill again.

s7 ep5(shut up, dr. phil)

I thought the Amy topic was closed. I was wrong. we'll see later how it ends, i guess.

s7 ep6(slash fiction)

dean always deserves good things in his life, so does sam. finally sam learned about amy. he'll forgive dean, probably.

s7 ep7(the mentalists)

sammy ad dean back together again. i love them.

s7 ep8(season seven, time for a wedding!)

ep name is weird. this should be fun. i love the temp. idk but i kinda like crowley when he is not messing with the boys.

s7 ep9(how to win friends and influence monsters)

i dotcare thati dont care. ilove that scene. bobby cant die like that.

s7 ep10(death's door)

he can't die. it was nice to see rufus. i knew bobby would die. i saw spoilers before but i didnt think he would die this season. he cant die. he left the winchesters. goodbye bobby. winchesters are alone, again. i want to think bobby will return but i dont think he will.

s7 ep11(adventures in babysitting)

i like krissy. i love dean with kid. he is so sweet.

s7 ep12(time after time after time)

dean knows his brother so well.

s7 ep13(the slice girls)

emma is dean's child? Sam and Dean shouldn't have split up. emma and amy werent the same. amy killed, emma didnt. she was goin o kill dean i know but i just wanted to say there is difference. and i think there are 2 kinds of moster to dean: those who kill people and those who didn't kill people, yet. and dean thinks tho who didnt kill could be saved. and i think he is right.

s7 ep14(plucky pennywhistle's magical menagerie)

bad cop sam. he is funny. clowns were scary. supernatural gives me new fears. i miss cas when is he coming back?

s7 ep15(repo man)

jeffrey is a good guy. i liked him. lucifer is funny. and jeffrey is a psychopath.

s7 ep16(out with the old)

i liked frank but i really miss bobby. I don't understand how Dean finds time to watch so many movies. i knew frank would die. but know thinking about it i think he is not dead, yet. ıf he was dead there would be a body.

s7 ep17(the born-again identity)

i want to see cas and crowley. i miss them. did bobby refuse to go? and now he is going with winchesters everywhere and helping them? because that notebook cannot have fallen by itself. It hurts me that Cas was the one who did this to Sam. Sam has been through a lot. I hope he can get over this soon. cas!!! i wanna cry(well im crying little bit). cas is back? he is emanuel, what? he is cas. meg?! sam is still helping people. i love him. cas is back. he saved sam:) but now he is left behind, with meg! i hope dean knows where meg is and she wont do anything bad for winchesters and cas.

s7 ep18(party on, garth)

okay dean knows about meg. garth is funny. i missed impala. bobby is here!!! i want to see him more. but why couldn't he contact them? i hope we can learn it.

s7 ep19(of grave importance)

bobby finally talked. i love him. what he did was kinda wrong. but without him boys would be dead so many times. i hope things wont end bad for bobby but i doubt it. but i am glad to see him anyways.

s7 ep20(the girl with the dungeons and dragons tattoo)

i know new characters will come to spn and i am so excited to meet them. i saw them on the internet and i cant wait to see their relationship with the boys. and Charlie is one of them. and i am happy she came. i like her. bobby will do something bad isnt he? she is a nerd:) . well, is Charlie coming back?

s7 ep21(reading is fundamental)

hi cas(and meg). no way home😅(iloveyouguys). i really missed cas. he is even funnier now. he is happier. cas would do anything for the winchesters. i hate leviathans. i hope we'll see cas and meg again.

s7 ep22(there will be blood)

i wanted to see crowley. bobby is not truly gone, not now at least. this wont end good for bobby. there is 8 seasons left i am happy i get to spend so many time with my favorite characters.

s7 ep23(survival of the fittest)

goodbye bobby. baby is back!!! i knew dean wouldnt hurt baby like that. i'm glad dean forgive cas. i love their friendship. purgatory, seriously?! crowley does whatever he wants whenever he wants. and he got meg and the world. and sam is alone. Cas left Dean. of course, he'll get back(i'm 99% sure). i cant wait to see how they will survive this?

[theboykingsmichaelsword]

SUPREMELY fucked up that the angels sent dean and dean alone back to the day of mary's deal because it's just further evidence of how family is weaponized against dean

sam has this thing about being excluded because he's the youngest and had to be protected even when it left him by himself while john and dean were out hunting. then he voluntarily leaves the family unit because he wanted normalcy and safety, understandably couldn't bear the thought of the people he cared about getting hurt and so chose to run from all of it. meanwhile, dean can't leave because he can't leave john to hunt by himself--has been raised his whole life to protect and keep the family unit the family peace take care of sam take care of dad make sure sam eats even if you have to starve make sure dad's injuries are patched up help dad with research teach sam how to research keep the guns clean make sure there's enough salt shells learn how to credit card scam the list goes on--and dean canonically takes it as a personal failure if things go wrong even when it's not his fault. sam leaves and dean has to remain even if going would kill him just the same as staying does.

and then, all the minutiae of s1-s3 aside, dean spends 40 years being tormented in hell only to be resurrected because there's another thing people need him to be responsible for. heaven wants him to stop the apocalypse only no heaven doesn't actually, heaven wants him to stop sam from taking demon blood only no heaven doesn't actually, heaven wants him to prevent mary from making a demon deal ONLY NO HEAVEN DOESN'T ACTUALLY

dean goes back in time and comes face-to-face with the monster that killed his parents and ruined his and his brother's lives. dean, being only human and working off deliberately limited information, thinks "i'm here because if i kill azazel now, i stop all of that, we can all live normal lives together no one has to die" EXCEPT

if heaven never sent dean back, samuel and mary never would've gone to the whitshire farm the night azazel's there to organize another psychic child conception. if heaven never sent dean back, azazel wouldn't have met mary and decided he liked her enough to fixate on making sure she'd give him one of her babies down the line. if heaven never sent dean back, azazel never would've worn samuel as a meatsuit, stabbed himself, and then killed his own wife. if heaven never sent dean back, azazel never would've made sure to kill john THAT NIGHT to get mary to make a deal

so to dean, he essentially watches both of his parents die again in front of him and this time he's 'directly' responsible for it because he failed to stop it. only dean didn't actually fail because heaven was never going to let him interrupt because he and sam needed to be born and raised exactly the way they were. dean succeeds in doing everything heaven wants from him...by failing. he protects heaven and hell's plan for the apocalypse by doing the thing he's been raised to do--hunt and love his family. heaven watches him damn himself by being exactly who he is: someone taking on the weight of the world inevitably at the cost of himself. dean breaks his back on his own goddamn cross because that was always the plan AND he has to live with it because he's the only one who can because he's alone and because heaven doesn't sympathize (even if one angel does)

when he's back in the present, cas tells dean "you couldn't have stopped it, destiny can't be changed" but the truth is dean was never supposed to stop anything and maybe destiny can't be changed but that's weird because they sure needed his involvement to shape it the way they wanted didn't they?

then cas, also working on limited information because heaven is a bureaucracy, tells dean "your brother is headed down a dangerous road and we don't know where it leads so stop it...or we will" which we know to be false because this was always the plan BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY places the responsibility once again on dean's shoulders. dean bears the burden and the blame when he fails like they need him to because he and sam are players on a board with both heaven and hell bearing down and closing in

dean gets to meet his parents when they're younger and gets to have a sit-down family dinner with his mom and their grandparents only it's more like he has to meet his parents when they're younger and he has to have a sit-down dinner with his mom and their grandparents because it has to happen exactly like this and dean has to watch them die and sam isn't there because sam is once again excluded while dean is kept painfully front-and-center so it's just him it's all on him the way it always has been. dean meets his family he kills his family his family kills him

[themusingsofafanficwriter]

The True Meaning of Family - Chapter 7

Summary: A found family Supernatural AU. Ophelia Humphries is an English 19-year-old who is just trying to finish her online history degree when she receives a letter from two brothers she never knew she had.

A/N: Chapter 7 is here! Sorry for the little break, life got in the way. If you want to keep more up to date, I'd suggest heading over to AO3. If you didn't see the previous chapters, you can find the master list here. Let me know what you guys think!

T/W: Death of both adults and children.

Dean was right, this seemed like a simple haunting.

A 53-year-old woman went missing, and then another, and then another.

“Did anything happen in this town?” Ophelia asked Sam eventually.

“Uhhh not much can happen in a town the size of Reeds Spring, Missouri. So if we look through old records, we might find something that stands out.” Sam said with a smile.

Hours passed.

Ophelia made lunch. Then she made dinner. Then she went and found a sweet treat. Soon enough it was almost midnight when Sam quickly turned his laptop around to face her.

“A girl went missing… 40 years ago.” He said slowly enough so Ophelia could connect the dots herself.

“These women would have been 13? Did they know the girl that went missing?” There was a slight tone of excitement in her voice. “Do we know what happened to the girl?”

Sam’s face was soft and nurturing, like a teacher who was proud of a student.

“Okay, slow down, we’ve not solved it yet. If I give you the girl’s name, can you look at any records about her and I’ll work the angle that these women may have known her.”

He paused as he turned the laptop back to face him and skimmed the rest of the article.

“Okay, it looks like her name is Ruby Evans and yeah, she was 13 when she went missing after not making it home from a friend’s party. They found her body 13 days later near where she went missing.”

“Does it say who her friend was?”

“Yeah, and….” Sam paused as he checked the recent missing women articles. “The friend whose party it was, Amanda-Rose Jameson, was the first woman who went missing.”

“Okay, so the ghost is 100% Ruby then?”

“Most likely. I’ll go let Dean know that we’ve found the ghost’s details. Do we know if she was buried or cremated?”

“Does it matter?”

“Oh big time.” Sam paused slightly before explaining. “If she has been buried then we can go find her grave, dig it up, burn her bones and then that usually does it. If she has already been cremated then we have to find any small mementos that she could still be tied to like baby teeth or a locket of hair.”

“Gross.” Was all Ophelia could muster to say.

Sam just nodded in response. Ophelia scanned the old newspaper obituary.

“Looks like her parents just buried her in the local cemetery. They asked people to come wearing purple as it was her favourite colour… How sweet!”

A slight wave of sadness crept into her chest as she pictured a family grieving the loss of their child

“That's definitely a start. Nice work ‘Phelia, I'll talk to Dean and we can get Ruby to the other side soon.”

Then the waiting began.

Her brothers left early that next morning, hoping that they could dig up Ruby’s bones and get back within the day.

When they weren't back by midnight that night, Ophelia began to worry.

‘I’m sure everything is fine. They do this all the time, it is quite literally their job.’ She thought to herself. But the waiting and not knowing was excruciating.

She had done everything she could to keep busy.

Cleaned the kitchen, bathrooms and other communal areas. Wrote a paper, started writing another for university, and attended a meeting with her personal tutor.

“Oh, a new background Ophelia? Have you moved again?” Her tutor asked from her Zoom window.

Dr Ahn, a plump British-Korean woman with a speciality in Asian mythology and a love of loud printed clothing, seemed genuinely concerned for all of the people under her tutelage. She had made it known to Ophelia over the last term that she always could talk to her about Ophelia’s home life.

The Docter cocked her head prompting Ophelia’s reply.

“Yeah… I have. Umm, some family from my dad’s side reached out and I’m now living with them.” She said cautiously.

“Oh well, that’s good!” Dr Ahn replied with enthusiasm. “And how are your studies?”

Yet, after all of that, Ophelia hadn’t heard from Sam or Dean since they had arrived at Ruby Evans' parents home.

Not knowing what else to do, she reached out to Cas.

A whoosh of wings and the angel was standing in the doorway of the library.

“Is everything okay Ophelia?” He asked.

“Uhh.” She started. Not wanting to make a big deal out of nothing.

“I can read your mind if you’re unsure how to tell me.”

“Oh no. It’s okay.” She took a deep breath. “Have you heard from Sam or Dean…?”

“They have not reached out to me”

“Is that normal?”

“Quite normal.” The angel had a quizzical tone. “Are you okay Ophelia?”

“Oh yeah, I’m sooo fine.” She said, trying to convince herself.

“I can tell when you are lying, even when you try to cover it with sarcasm.” Cas said as he crossed the room towards the couch Ophelia was sitting on.

“Right, yeah.” She sighed. “I guess I was expecting more updates? They said they’d be home by now and I’m trying to be so chill about it.” Ophelia’s head was in her hands, hiding her face and the cringing that she was now experiencing.

“That is understandable.” The angel replied as he sat next to her. “Would you like me to check in with your brothers?”

“That seems weird. Like they are obviously good at this and I know nothing about any of this.” Ophelia gestured to the bunker around them.

After a long pause, Cas placed his hand on Ophelia’s back and gently rubbed in small circles. Ophelia had not realised how anxious she was about this until the small kind gesture of Cas.

“They are not used to having someone that would want them to check in with.”

“I suppose you’re right.” She said with a sigh.

“You should eat and get sleep. They will be home soon.” Cas said finally as he stood.

Taken aback by his abruptness, Ophelia just blinked in response. Another second passed and when she opened her eyes again, the angel was gone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hello.”

“Castiel! What are you doing here?” Sam asked with a start.

Sam was sitting on a single bed in a motel, papers strewn around him and his laptop propped up on a stack of books.

“I am here about Ophelia.” He replied.

“Is she okay?” Dean asked cautiously as he came out of the bathroom.

“Have either of you contacted her?”

The brothers glanced at each other. “No, why? Is something wrong?” Sam questioned.

Cas sat on the second single bed and studied the two men.

“She, in her words, is trying to be ‘sooo fine’ and ‘so chill about it’.” Castiel said, mimicking Ophelia’s likeness. “But she is simply worried about you both.” “Oh. Is that it? She’s worried about us?” Sam questioned further.

“Yes.”

“She knows we know what we are doing right?” Dean replied.

“Yes.” Was all Cas responded again.

“I’m confused.” Dean stated.

“Oh shoot, is that the time?” Sam said with a start as he checked his phone. “We told her we would be home hours ago, Dean.”

“Right but she knows that this sort of thing takes time. And… and cases can evolve and become more complicated right? Like, she knows that?” Dean gestured to the papers.

Sam looked guilty. “How would she know that Dean?” he replied.

A flash of guilt crossed Dean’s face too. “I’ll call her.” He replied.

“It is best that you do not mention that I told you about this. Remember she is trying to be ‘so chill about it’.” Castiel once again mimicked the Winchester daughter.

Ophelia had not been asleep long when her phone rang.

Dean’s name flashed across the screen. She sat up as she clicked the answer button.

“Hey kiddo, sorry for not getting in touch earlier. The Ruby case took a little bit of a turn.”

‘Remember, you’re so chill.’ Ran through Ophelia’s mind. “Oh, no worries!” She said in as chipper tone as she could. “Uhh, how is it going?”

“Ahh well, you know how these things go.”

“Dean?”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“I quite literally have no idea how these things go.”

“Oh, yeah right.”

The phone went silent for a moment.

“Well, we found her grave, dug it up and lit it on fire.” Dean started explaining the case. “We thought that would be it but another one of the women who was at that party went missing.”

Ophelia nodded absent-mindedly as Dean continued.

“So, probably some baby teeth or something kicking about at her parents' places, we thought.”

“So we were wrong about it being Ruby? Ophelia asked.

“Oh no it’s definitely her, kiddo, you and Sam did solid work.” Relief filled Ophelia.

“We’re thinking it’s an object that’s keeping her here. We saw her bedroom, her mom has kept it as a shrine to Ruby. It could be anything in there.” Dean explained.

“Did she have a childhood toy she loved? Or maybe a diary?” Ophelia asked as she looked around her new room that was already filled with mementos of her childhood. “This is a teenager, not a young child, ‘Phelia.” Dean replied softly.

“I am almost 20 years old and you have seen my room both here and at my mum’s place.”

“Point taken, but this is a shrine to her, where would you start, you know, as a teen girl and all that.” Dean said with a sigh.

Ophelia slouched back into bed, racking her brain for what she would love so much as a young teen that her spirit could attach itself to.

“What was Ruby like? A girly girl or more masculine or what?”

“She liked lots of things, horses mainly by the look of it.” Dean said.

“Did she compete?”

Dean looked over at Sam and repeated their sister’s question, there was a pause but eventually, Sam nodded.

“Look for her first big win ribbon or trophy.” Ophelia said. “I danced as a kid and the way I was obsessed with winning those medals and for a while I slept with my first place medal on my bedside table every night.”

“That’s a great place to start. I’ll let you get some sleep. Thanks, kiddo.” Dean said.

“Yeah, no worries Dean.”

“Oh and kiddo, We really are sorry for not calling earlier.” Dean replied with a genuine tone.

“It’s really not a problem, Dean. Don’t worry about it.” Ophelia kept her voice even as she picked at a hangnail on her thumb.

The phone went dead and she was alone once again. Eventually, Ophelia fell back asleep and hours passed.

She didn’t hear when, almost 10 hours later, Sam and Dean re-entered the Bunker and started debriefing with Cas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that morning, Dean walked over to Ophelia’s room and gently knocked.

A groggy Ophelia woke to Dean pushing the door to her room open and poking his head around it.

“Can I come in?”

She hummed a reply and gestured for him to sit on the end of her bed. She flattened her curls as Dean made his way across the room.

“Your thinking was right, Ruby’s spirit was tied to a first-place dressage medal she had won earlier that year.”

“Oh, nice.” Ophelia finally said. “Did you find those women?”

“We found one of them alive.” Dean paused. “Ruby had killed the others by the time we got there.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Why did she do it?” Ophelia finally asked.

“Well, they killed her.”

“Wait? Really?”

“Yeah, those girls weren’t her friends. They only invited her to that party to make fun of her and, I don’t know kiddo, they ended up killing her.”

The siblings were silent.

“So this was revenge?” She said.

“Yeah. Those women are the real evil if you ask me.” Dean said casually.

“I suppose they are.”

“Why don’t you come sit with us, ‘Phelia.” Dea said as he stood.

She nodded and threw back her covers. Her bright PJs instantly brought a smile to Dean’s face.

The morning was filled with the brothers recounting the final fight with Ruby’s spirit and similar fights that they had had, as well as the promise that they would be better at keeping her in the loop.

“You could always take me with you. Not on the hunt as such but, like, I could stay in the hotel or wherever you are staying and just do research or my uni work… or whatever.”

The two brothers looked at each other.

“Yeah, maybe, kiddo.” Dean said finally. The hesitation was clear in his voice.

“It could be helpful Dean.” Sam said finally.

“Okay, if you two are going to be like this, I want you,” He pointed at Ophelia, “trained in how to fire a gun and basic hand-to-hand combat before we take you out of this bunker and to the location of a case.

Sam and Ophelia looked at each other in astonishment, not believing how easy that had been.

“And I will determine when you’re ready.” Dean quickly added.

There it was, the caveat that made his relenting make sense, but at least they had made progress.

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 13 ("A Tisket A Tasket") Part 4 of ????

You can find all previous commentary including for this episode in my Pinned Post. When we last left off, Jess had just uttered four of the most iconic words in Gilmore Girls history: "Dean is an idiot." So true Besty. So true. 90% of this post will be me screaming into the void about how horrible Dean and Lorelai are, they honestly just ruin everything. Jackson: I think we should get married. Soon. Sookie, stammering: But, uhhhh, ummm... are you pregnant? I chuckled. Sookie says yes to the sudden quasi-proposal and all I can think is well, that was certainly much nicer than all the times Christopher and Max tried proposing to Lorelai to end an argument or get into her pants. Lorelai: Your burgers taste better outside. Luke (clearly so in love with her that he would literally do this) Well next time there's a leak in the roof of the diner I'll just tear the thing off for you. I smiled.

Absolutely an iconic line, and as a fellow Stubborn Person I salute you, Lorelai.

Oh this oughta be juicy. Lorelai's inner monologue: Don't say Dean Forrester, don't say Dean Forrester...

Lorelai says that last year she tried using the Line Taylor Doose's Pockets Auction to snag a teenage boy to unclog her rain gutters, but when Rory offers up Jess to do the same thing for her later (I think in two more episodes, KILL ME NOW 😞) and end her dilemma, Lorelai needs convincing from Rory that Jess was worthy enough to slop the muck out of her gutters. I NEVER FORGET, LORELAI GILMORE. NEVER NEVER. Lorelai: "It's a nice concept. Having someone you love or have some crazy crush on bid on your basket and share a romantic lunch. “ Luke: (clearly so fucking in love with her there is an ache in his heart that keeps him awake at night like a ticking clock): "Well, I'm sure one day you'll manage to find the right guy and drag him out to this thing and make him buy your stupid basket and then you'll be sitting out here with him."

Yeah. I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD!!!!!!!

YOU ARE THE SOLE REASON WHY I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO FULLY ENJOY THIS SHOW. Once again, The DALA (Dean and Lorelai Affair) throws a cold bucket of water on a tender scene and viciously murders my Warm and Fuzzies. Dean is an insecure little pissbaby and his attempts to manipulate and emotionally abuse Rory into declining the picnic with Jess didn't give him his desired outcome, so instead he COMPLAINS TO LORELAI. WHO DOES THIS? WHO I ASK YOU? WHO VOLUNTARILY TRIES TO GET THEIR GIRLFRIEND'S MOTHER TO MEDDLE IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP? ON PURPOSE? WELL WHEN YOU'RE IN THE FUCKING DALA I GUESS IT MAKES SENSE HUH.

Lorelai Looking at Dean: 🥹🥹🥹🥰🥰🥰🥰🥹🥹🥹❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 Listen, I had yet another long-ass rant about how Lorelai lacks any sense of awareness and does backflips over these glaring red flags that Dean serves to her on a silver platter, day after day, month after month, year after year. I lost it when I accidentally shut off my laptop. But it’s no big loss, we’ve been here before and we will be here again…I am so tired. Dean rudely interrupts Lorelai to which she demurrs and submits to his Man Authority by doing something she does for no other man: instantly shutting up. Lorelai if Jess rudely interrupts her:

Excuse me? What a weird thing to say about a child you barely know. ARGGHH! The more I watch this show the more I'm willing to die on the hill that Lorelai, not Rory, is the "bad" main character that should be broadly disliked and villainized (or at least split the fandom) and I really have to apologize to Rory for how I used to speak about her before I opened my eyes. I have seen the darkness. Now, if you want to understand Dean Language, you have to learn how to speak in vague generalties about people with absolutely no evidence to back it up. Let's begin:

Time to play my favorite game, ripping Deano's logic to shreds:

We're on season 2, episode 13. Dean and Jess have only met a few times. Jess has been mostly a background character from episodes 6-12. Their interactions have included the time they were first introduced (Jess did nothing wrong), the Bracebridge Dinner (Jess was on his best behavior at the dinner) and today, when Jess asked Dean for some glue and Dean was jealous of how witty and intelligent and sharp Jess is, and for that Dean said he should lose the right to breathe. Alright, maybe you can count that time they scrapped in the yard at school before the BBD, but I digresss. I am Jess Mariano's defense attorney and I am also the judge and jury and your case has no legs and I'm ejecting you from my coutrtoom. I find the defendant Jess Mariano not guilty and also that Dean Forrester is a putz. Dismissed.

Why does it matter to you if he gets in fights at school and doesn't show up. Did Lorelai and Dean run out of sex games to play so they're roleplaying Jess Mariano's Therapist and Guidance Counselor today? Why does this Little Guy live in their heads rent free?

I’m sorry, what is he supposed to do, sequester in his castle like the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, never allowed to interact with the public or else they'll come after him with pitchforks? is that the goal? (I think it is tbh)

How does he stop being "around"? He has more ties to this town than you do, Also A Boy Who Recently Moved Here From Another State.

YA THINK?!

He just what?

She's even nice to your stupid worthless ass and you still treat her like garbage. I don't get his point. She's only being nice to Jess because she's nice to everyone? It's better than her being nice to you because she's terrified of you.

I’M

SORRY

BUT

WHERE DO YOU GET THE FUCKING AUDACITY

Okay Miss Cleo, you can go do me a big favor and drown. Lorelai lowers her voice to her soft and gentle Talking to Dean Voice.

I just want to remind everyone once more that this conversation is occuring between a teenage boy and his girlfriend's mother.

Maybe he needs like, a gay best friend to dish to or something. Or therapy. Because this is not normal.

"Get you what you want"=my daughter. This is the unholy alliance I mentioned in the previous post. It feels like they're teaming up with each other to defeat Jess or something. It's weird as hell and gives me the creeps. I'm tired, still 14 minutes left in the episode, will continue with part 5 somewhere down the line when I feel like it.

[michelleelizabethtanner]

A lot of people bash Beth for being a bad mom and praise Rio for being a good dad. Why do you think that is? Yeah, we saw a lot of Beth's questionable choices as a mom, but we barely saw Rio as a dad. The few moments we did see, it was pretty evident that Marcus really loves his dad, but Beth's children seemed to love her too. So why do people automatically assume Rio is a great dad? Didn't Rhea mention something about him disappearing frequently or maybe I'm remembering it wrong? If that's the case then maybe Rhea has a lot to do with how Marcus may perceive Rio as a dad. Sounds to me like she picks up his slack a lot. I hope I don't get crucified for this, but that's a Deansie move 🫣 Deansie is a whole other level of bad, but on the fatherhood front, I think he and Rio are swimming in the same waters 🤷‍♀️ In short, I just don't think it's fair to bash Beth as a mother and praise Rio as a father in the same breath. What do you think?

Lol, Anon, this will get me STARTED!!!

The TL;DR of it is just….

They’re all flawed parents. I agree with you fully. The sanctification of motherhood in society and the erasure of women as human the moment they become mothers is why. My bigger rage isn’t even if people think Rio is a good dad. It’s when people feel Dean had a redemption arc because he was shown barely caring for his own children while his wife worked. I mean, what?? That woman ran that home flawlessly for over a decade, and even with Dean taking on a more active role, it was still Beth who knew about her kids’ likes and dislikes, their developmental stages, their troubles in school, their special interests. How many bedtimes had Dean missed to boink his flavor of the month over multiple years of his children’s lives? And he had the audacity to shame his wife for being busy? And fan opinions give him overblown credit for doing literally bare minimum of caring for his own children? It’s just misogyny, Anon.

As for Rio, I can respect the fact that Rio never really used his fatherhood as an excuse. It kinda feels like Rio carried a lot of guilt and shame when it came to his son. Not about Marcus but about Rio’s own inability (or lack of choosing to) be the kind of parent Marcus deserves. He allowed his coparent to raise his child and viewed his financial contribution and occasional emotional contribution as sufficient. Or maybe not sufficient. But certainly inevitable. When it absolutely wasn’t inevitable at all! Rio could have chosen conventional parenting, just like Beth could have. Neither of them chose that.

Rhea is the reason Marcus loves Rio. Rio owes Rhea everything! He will never repay her, doesn’t matter how financially secure he makes her life. Rhea will be the one to raise their son, explain to their son who his father is, comfort their son should the unthinkable happen, and probably take the brunt of their son’s anger when Marcus realizes how she kept the truth from him to protect his father. And Rio just gets to be the hero. Compare this to Beth’s coparent, who will do none of the above. Who badmouths their mother, who will not shield his children the way Rhea shields her son, and should the unthinkable happen to Beth… well… I don’t see Dean as a character who would take on the responsibility of helping his children process.

For Dean, it’s enough to just be around. Same for Rio. Beth and Rhea are expected to either be everything for everyone, or to give up parts of themselves for motherhood. Again, misogyny.

I actually have a recommendation for a piece of literature on this. It’s an old essay, written in 1971, called I Want a Wife. It isn’t a long read. It’s humorous and cynical, the language of it is really accessible, and I think it gives good insight into the experience of someone like Beth.

[vanshikathequeenofheavens]

I am not a person who fails to admit the wrongdoings of a character just because I love that character.

I am a Cas and Dean girl through and through. But there are things Cas has done that I actually hate.

I do not hate cas for working with Crowley and eating the laviathens. I do not hate castiel for trying to kill the kid jesse. I do not hate cas for doing what he did to lily sunder and Claire Novak's family.

Castiel didn't wanted to separate Dean from whatever normal apple pie life he had created for himself. Cas cared about Dean too much and he wanted Dean to be happy. Cas didn't want to ask more after everything Dean has gone through and that is understandable. Working with Crowley was wrong but cas never imagined that he would end up hurting humans. Saving the world and Dean and Sam from another apocalypse was Cas's motivation to work with Crowley. All Cas intended was eating the souls, getting powerful enough and defeating Raphael. That's it. Cas didn't knew anything about the laviathens. He didn't knew that he would end swallowing one of the corrupted creatures in the world. And from the moment cas swallowed the laviathens he was under control of them. He killed so many humans and angels because he was under control of laviathens.

Killing lily Sunder's daughter is one of Cas's greatest regret. But he didn't regret it until he found out that lily sunder's daughter was a human. He had no regret of killing that child as long as he knew that the child was a nephilim. And when he was made aware of the truth he was willing to let lily sunder have her revenge even if it means she would want to kill him. Cas was ready to kill the anti-christ jesse even though he was just a child because Cas believed that Jesse was dangerous to the world. Cas was willing to let Kelly Kline and Jack die with Jack still in kelly's womb because Jack was a nephilim and cas believed him to be a danger to the world. It is when Jack showed him a vision of future that he chose to let Kelly and Jack live. It is after Cas raised Jack that he grew to sympathies with nephilims.

Now if we are going think about what he did to Claire's family, we need to open our mind. You can't hate a lion for hunting a deer. It is in the nature of lion to hunt, otherwise the lion would starve and die. The lion is wired like that. Cas was also wired to follow the order of heaven. He was wired to not give a shit about humans. It was his nature. He was ready to destroy an entire town with its people, why would he give shit about a little girl and his family ?

But cas changed, he rebelled, he chose to care about humans. He went against his very nature, something no Angel ever attempted to do. He refused to follow the script chuck wrote for him. He literally managed to Brek out of the control of the God. Again something no one ever succeeded in doing. He felt remorse for his actions. Claire is completely valid in her anger. But we as a viewer should see things from Cas's perspective as well. It is unfair of us to hate cas for not changing sooner when no other Angel except Gabriel ever tried to change.

But the things that i do not like about cas is how he allowed the sacrifice of Rowena's son in order to remove Mark of Cain from Dean. He could have stopped it but he chose to stand there doing nothing and allowing an innocent man to die so that someone he loved could be saved. That was extremely selfish of him. I will forever hate it.

Another thing I hated was when Cas killed that nephilim in order to complete the ritual of closing the gates of heaven. Now we all know that saving humanity was an excuse and cas did all that to just save Dean. Killing an innocent nephilim who wasn't hurting anyone just to save someone he loved was evil and selfish. Given what I wrote about Cas's feeling regarding nephilims, i am a little conflicted about how to feel about this.

[crockettmarcel]

I scrolled thru your missing au tag to see what was up and I’m so 👀👀 Sarah’s daughters are mentioned in quite a few of your little posted drabbles, can you tell me more about them? Did she have kids before she got kidnapped or…?

hi thank u for the ask!! i'm going to put everything under a cut bc it could be triggering (implied SA, manipulation, just general fun kidnapping vibes 🤪)

okay so she technically Had had a child before she was kidnapped, but that baby isn't rlly relevant to the au? I have a headcanon that she had a baby when she was a teenager but her mom forced her to give it up for adoption

anyway, as for Lolly and Harper, they were both born while Sarah was being held. there are two main versions of this au: the classic basement one (which has about a million variations), and the stockholm syndrome one, in which Sarah was held in Crockett's attic. he manipulated her into believing that he was the only person who cared about her and keep her safe, and she ended up "falling in love" with him. Lolly and Harper came as a result of this "love" - everything that happened between Sarah and Crockett was consensual. Sarah really thought she loved him, and aside from the whole "locked in an attic" thing, their relationship was almost like any other

in the darker (basement) version, Sarah feels no love for Crockett. she comes to rely on him, but she hates him. there's a much greater contrast between the Crockett we know and love, who cares about his patients more than anything and is an all-round good person, and the Crockett Sarah knows, who kept her locked in a basement for five years (I've changed it to match up w s8 bc I love Hannah and Nellie)

Sarah loves her daughters and she'd do literally anything to keep them safe, but they're a constant reminder of what Crockett did to her, not just for her, but for the other people in her life, especially her mom. she loves her grandbabies, but thinking about what Sarah had to go through absolutely breaks her heart

I know that the darker version is v v ooc for Crockett, but that's partly why I like it? something about a seemingly good character turning out to be evil (or vice versa) scratches my brain. Dean Archer holding a woman in his basement for five years? yeah we all saw that coming. but Crockett? "live life lightly" Crockett? Crockett who would do anything for his patients? Crockett who didn't want to fight Ethan? "the worst thing I've ever done is kiss someone who's in a relationship" Crockett? Crockett who risked his life to help in the train crash? like it's just SO shocking that he of all people would do this, y'know? anyway. hope this clears it up a bit for u !

[theinsanecrayonbox]

I saw you are watching a New Wish, how would you introduce Francis, Sanjay and Tootie if you could do anything?

I would love to see uputh counselor Francis tbh.

How would I introduce Sanjay and Francis in New Wish? Hm….

Well, first we’d do an episode where the Wells take their car to the garage (probably due to a magical mishap) and turns out Francis is the mechanic. Hazel overhears him fighting with someone, so coupled with Cosmo and Wanda recognizing him and giving her their abridged history, we play out a fairytale in the garage via wish…idk, Jack and the Beanstalk maybe? She’s collecting the car parts to fix the car herself because she thinks the ogre giant Francis will swindle her parents?? But in the end, she learns he’s not a bad guy, just has some temper issues (that he’s got therapy to work on) and the argument she overheard was with his boss who a) was going to swindle her parents (cmon Markus seems like a nerd who wouldn’t know cars after all, easy mark) and b) constantly makes fun of Francis’ name. So cops get called maybe? Hazel learns not to judge a book by its cover, and Cosmo and Wanda remark how great it is that the kids they knew could grow up to be so different.

Then in another episode later, its career day at school, with several jobs having booths setup and yadda yadda. Francis is there for the garage (that he now runs, thanks Hazel). But Sanjay is also there, offering the military angle. So Hazel wishes to go try out the various jobs since idk, her dream job isn’t there or someone made fun of it (a lame guidance council’s that just showed up this episode maybe? Maybe we started with one of those career tests and Hazel was sure she’d get her dean job but the test gave her something terrible so she’s testing out everything else to prove a point). Anyways, end of the episode after all shenanigans, she comes across Francis packing up his car in the parking lot and she notices the “my husband is military”/“military wife” bumper sticker and she goes “oh I didn’t know you were military” and he says “I’m not” but before she can ask a follow up Sanjay brings his last box to the car, is all “oh hai Hazel” and the two just head home. Thus leaving Cosmo and Wanda to go “huh…didn’t see that coming but good for them!”

Because Sanjay being military means that them being in Dimmadelphia could make sense and isn’t just convent popping up because the narrative said cameo time.

(Also, did you mean "youth counselor"? Hm...I could actually see that; maybe he'll volunteer to do that too, so we'll get a third episode with Francis with a Sanjay cameo/mention too, because Hazel would join whatever "camp at the park" activity he's running and she'd be all "so...how's your husband?" and he'd chuckle and explain that he's off on a thing, but they're good even though he misses him, thus mirroring her missing her brother/her friends (because maybe they are at this camp activity thing too but in a different group))

EDIT: Gah! I just realized you asked about Tootie too. Sorry, I actually wrote this last night and didn't realize ^^; I'd have to think about Toot, since the Live Action movies had her doing one thing, but if she's Tim's girlfriend/wife that woudl mean Tim should be there too, so...Maybe she could be the head coordinator of the park-camp thing? Not that great of an idea though...but if she headed child events (as a main job or as a side gig) that woudl tie into Vicky's party entertainer business too; maybe Tootie used to help her but since Vicky is still Vicky, she split off and does her own thing now.