#I love Adam but i can’t blame Eve for leaving him when he suggested the exterminations

[moondivine22]

Eve is yet to appear yet, I’m so protective of her. It isn’t helped that some of hazbin fans are terrible to her.

Lilith fans: think Eve switched places with her to protect Lilith.

Adam x Lute shippers: slutshame Eve for cheating on poor Adam. Good thing Lute was the “faithful” one. 🤦‍♀️

I low key want either Eve to have a minor role or help Charlie at the hotel. Please Hazbin don’t let me down on her portrayal.

[fantastic-rambles]

Sk8 Analysis: Adam’s Search for “Eve”

I’m tired of seeing all the hate for Adam, so... here’s some more non-hating-Adam content in which I try to relieve some of the pressure of my latest obsession. This isn’t meant to be a justification of his behavior or anything, just my own thoughts and theories on his character.

To me, his driving force is his love for skating. I honestly believe that he loves skating more than anyone else does, and more than anything else: his speech when he’s starting the quarterfinals of the tournament seems to suggest that/be a bit of a “humble brag” when he says that he’s trying to figure out who loves skating the most... because pretty much everyone knows that he’s #1 and the likely champion. Then there’s also all the times when he’s put off work in order to skate or immediately gone to the course after returning from a trip. So when he’s skating, he wants to enjoy himself to the fullest, which means that he needs a real rival, someone for whom it is not a foregone conclusion that Adam will win if he goes all-out. Which is what he’s looking for in his search for “Eve.”

Of course, the logical starting point in examining his character is his past. We do see that he has some typical “innocent childhood”-looking memories with Tadashi, who taught him how to skate, as well as good times with Cherry and Joe when they were teenagers. There was definitely a time when he was sincerely happy and didn’t engage in his current level of high-risk behavior that’s traumatized and injured a number of his opponents. But even then, it seems pretty clear that he’s on a different level than the other skaters: when Cherry and Joe first meet Adam, they have a skill test/challenge in which Cherry and Adam both jump over a stack of skateboards. While Cherry just barely clears the stack, Adam jumps over it with plenty of room to spare, which sparks the start of Cherry’s admiration for him.

But it does seem like Cherry and Joe are the two skaters who can best keep up with him, so they spend a lot of time together, and Adam even lets them see his face, telling them that they��re “special.” At that point, they were all still growing and improving, probably by competing with each other, so they had not yet reached their full potential/maturity as skaters. Even though Adam seemed to be their de facto leader since he was the most skilled and drew the admiration of everyone else, I think that he wanted them to improve until they could challenge him on equal footing, to help him also improve and enter a new frontier of skating together.

But between then and now, something changed, and all we know is that Tadashi blames himself for it, and it’s something that Cherry (and maybe Joe) doesn’t know or understand. Adam became obsessed with finding his “Eve,” the person who could be his equal in skating, and he became much more aggressive/desperate in searching for that person. When he finds someone who he thinks has the potential to keep up with him, he tests them to see if they love skating as much as he does (if they do, they won’t be scared to come back and challenge him) and whether they can keep up with him. And if he thinks that they really are “Eve,” he invites them to the world that he sees, when his eye goes all rainbow-y and he pushes both himself and his opponent to the edge. However, when he does that with one of his prospective Eves, the guy goes off a cliff, disappointing him and shocking Cherry and Joe.

So then, coming back to the present, how does he treat his opponents? It’s based on what expectations he has of them with regard to their likelihood of being “Eve.”

Starting with the one for whom he has the least expectations: Cherry. Usually, before a race, Adam will banter with his opponent and generally be kinda obnoxious, but he clearly has no interest in racing Cherry from the very start, and he admits as much (though Cherry misunderstands why). He gives off an air of just wanting to get it over with, interrupting Cherry and Joe’s bickering before the race and the whole time, he almost never smiles. It’s not that he doesn’t smile because he’s taking Cherry seriously, or that he’s upset about racing Cherry: it’s because it’s simply not fun for him. The more serious he gets, the more openly he expresses himself with his overly dramatic protestations of love, because that’s when he’s truly enjoying himself.

He also doesn’t engage in his usual showmanship, only dancing when he’s about to pull off a move, which might simply be because the “dancing” is required to set up the Love Hug/turn his board around. The early Love Hug at the beginning was a test: both of them knew that Cherry would avoid it, but Adam wanted to see how. Would he do something unexpected, or simply stick to his “overcalculated” method of skating? But Cherry ends up disappointing him, so in the end, he pretty much smacks Cherry in the face with reality. Again, I’m not condoning his violence, but I also think it was necessary in order to shock both Cherry and viewers who believed in “the power of friendship” to show them that, yes, Adam is no longer who he was, and that he isn’t clinging to the past/his fond memories. Adam himself doesn’t seem happy about doing it, unlike when he challenges other skaters with danger/violence (his previous prospective Eve, Reki, and Langa), but Cherry needs that reality check so he can let go and move on.

What he said about Cherry’s skating being “boring” and with “no surprises” is certainly incredibly harsh, but it’s not inaccurate. Even though I love highly analytical characters who can make calculations and execute them perfectly on the fly like Cherry, I agree with Adam’s assessment. Cherry is not an amazing skater: the only reason he’s considered one of the best skaters is because of his perfect technical skill, assisted by Carla. But he can’t improvise, and more importantly, he can’t improve: he’s already reached his peak. And that’s not enough to challenge Adam: even during their race, there were times that Adam was clearly holding back even as Cherry was nailing everything perfectly. So Adam has no more expectations of Cherry. He’s long ago discarded the idea that Cherry (or Joe) could be his “Eve,” so he views skating with them as boring and a waste of time because they can’t do anything that will thrill him or let him fully express his love for skating. 

Next, Reki. Even though Adam knows that Reki isn’t at his level, and his main motivation is to beat Reki so he can race Langa, he still takes Reki relatively “seriously.” He’s his usual, flamboyant self prior to the race, and he does seem to enjoy himself during the race. Reki is closer to reaching his full potential, but that still puts his ability far below Adam’s, so Adam gives himself a handicap so that he can enjoy himself when he goes all-out to catch up. He also tests Reki’s potential with his very hands-on/violent approach to competing, though Reki ends up being scared off by it initially. But then he recovers and even surprises Adam with his persistence, resulting in Adam trying out a Love Hug on him, which turns out to be the final blow to Reki’s confidence. But Adam can still enjoy himself because it’s a new experience and a new challenger, so he can get a breath of fresh air even though he knows Reki isn’t his “Eve.”

Then, there’s Miya. Although it’s very briefly shown, Adam’s race with Miya during the preliminaries shows that he does have expectations of Miya. He has a cheerful, creepy talk with Miya about how he’s loved all of his opponents--not, in my opinion, in a romantic way, but rather because without them, he cannot fully enjoy the thrill of skating if he’s just skating “alone”--and during the race, he dances on his board throughout as he leaves Miya in the dust. Adam does seem happy when he says that it’s their first time racing together, because that means it’s a new experience for him. But he doesn’t test Miya’s potential to be an “Eve” with his usual grabbing him and forcing him to dance together because he believes that Miya hasn’t reached his maximum potential yet, as shown when he says that he won’t “love” Miya until he “blossoms beautifully.” So he does expect good things from Miya eventually, but he won’t race Miya seriously at this point: perhaps later, Miya could become an “Eve” for him, but not right now.

Then, finally, he has his eyes set on Langa, who is currently the closest to his ideal of “Eve.” Of course, he is aware that Langa is practically a complete beginner since he’s been watching Langa from the very start, but at the same time, Langa has so much raw potential that it excites Adam, so much so that he’s not willing to wait for Langa to fully mature as a skater. Even before the race starts and he becomes convinced that he’s found “Eve,” he shows up with a bouquet of red roses to proclaim his “passionate love” for Langa (AGAIN, NOT ROMANTICALLY), which is completely over the top compared to when he skated with anyone else and shows just how excited he is about skating against Langa.

During the race itself, he clearly respects Langa for wanting to start at the same time despite the very obvious handicap it gives Langa. Everyone else thinks that Langa is insane or stupid, but Adam seems pleased by it--because Langa is rising to the challenge and trying to fight him on equal terms. Yes, Adam holds back during the race because he knows that if he was serious, he would crush Langa (competitively, but not spiritually), but he also wants to see what Langa is made of. Initially, he seems disappointed when Langa is hanging back on the straightaway, which is a “safe” play suggested by Cherry that can’t beat him. But when he tests Langa by grabbing him and throwing them into a spin, not only does Langa not give up, but he actually challenges him back: pulling closer to increase their spin speed while smiling, which Adam is clearly delighted by. Then when he tries the Love Hug, Langa surprises him and exceeds his expectations by escaping it, even though he’s basically still a newbie. And escaping it not by dodging/running away like Cherry did, but by driving straight into Adam and flying over him. He’s willing to take risks and possibly fail, to do things that others don’t expect: a trailblazer for a new era of skating, like Adam (who developed a way to “skate uphill” and “pull off a Love Hug in a turn,” which everyone thought was impossible until he did it).

So Langa has everything that Adam is looking for in a rival: a love for skating that can’t be crushed by anything, a desire to challenge himself against opponents who should be above his ability level, and the potential to exceed Adam’s expectations and become a skater who he might even lose against. So Adam invites him to his world with the rainbow-y eye and is very clearly disappointed when they’re interrupted by the police. At that point, Langa isn’t at the level that he can actually fight on an equal footing with Adam, but it seems that he’ll be there soon, and that’s why Adam “loves” him so much and considers Langa to be his “Eve.”

He’s not looking for a romantic or sexual partner in “Eve,” but someone who can create a new world together with him: someone who can keep up with him, show him fresh possibilities, and breathe new life into what he loves more than anything else (skating). He doesn’t just want a crowd of fans who admire and cheer for him, for all that he enjoys the limelight and is incredibly flashy. He wants an equal.

[lizacstuff]

Hi! What did you think of ep23?I love your in depth thoughts on the episodes. I really enjoyed it, especially the EdSer moments (was smiling like an idiot during the skating scene - when Eda complained about it being hot (girl same), and also that she understood what he said in French omg). I hope the grandmother doesn't turn out to be as evil as everyone is assuming. I guess the one big con was Ayfer. She's gotten more annoying right? That's not just me? But I love me some Aydan!

Hello! Thank you for the kind words. Let's see, I did like the episode, but as I said in another ask I was a bit on edge while watching for a couple of reasons, but they're all Edser related so I'll talk about that when I talk about them at the end. As far as Ayfer is concerned, I FEEL YOU. 

Good grief, woman. Why does she have to be such a harpy? It feels like she complains about absolutely everything. Plus, she's forcing a situation where her beloved niece can't trust or confide in her, and all the girls have to hide Eda's work schedule from her. Look, if Ayfer doesn't want to spend time with Aydan, fine, but her anger towards and disapproval of Eda's job and her relationship with Serkan are completely selfish. She may tell herself she's disapproving for Eda's own good, but come on.

Because, seriously, what does Ayfer think she's protecting Eda from? Serkan is handsome, rich, successful and head over heels in love with Eda. Let's be honest, Eda could do worse. He might be a tad arrogant and controlling, but he's a very good man with a very good heart. Also he tries with Ayfer. I get the connection with Alptekin is upsetting, but Serkan and Aydan have cut him completely out of their lives and neither had anything to do with what happened. I also get that Ayfer was put off by the whole contract thing, but it took two to tango there, and Eda's entire world opened up because of that arrangement.

Maybe that's the problem? 

(more under the cut)

Maybe Ayfer can feel Eda expanding and growing and her world getting much bigger than Ayfer's and it scares her? She thinks she'll lose her, or won't recognize her? Privately, Serkan and Eda have talked about running away together, maybe Ayfer senses that's a possibility? (PRO TIP: Then don't be a negative force they have to get away from!) 

Also what's happening with this Chef Alexander thing? Is he actually going to make an appearance? Is there going to be a romance? I think that would be good, maybe that will salvage Ayfer's character and she'll get distracted and maybe even happy. I did laugh, though, at her her calling Aydan and Seyfi out on their lie about having him on board with their charity scheme. They should know better than to try that. Amateur move, kids!  But I will always applaud their matchmaking efforts when it comes to Eda and Serkan. 

I enjoyed the girls this episode. I like that they don't share Ayfer's concerns about Serkan and are ready to go to the mat for whatever Eda wants. Poor Melo is the worst detective, but she gets points for trying. Also points for picking up what Eda was putting down and skillfully sweeping Balca and her broken heel out of the way. I'd want Fifi for protection as well, girl is badass. I can't tell what this Fifi/Erdem thing is supposed to be.  Does she have a soft spot for him, she must because I don't know why she would give him the time of day otherwise. She's not one we have to worry about not being able to say no. If she wanted to rid herself of his presence, she'd do it. Ceren and Ferit are just kind of... there. I don't dislike it, but I also don't really care. They need something to spice that up.

Which is what we finally got with Engin and Piril! Holy moly, who is her dad!?! Mafia boss? Politician? Wealthy recluse? @alicekepley suggested on another post that maybe it's Aydan's first love. Now that would be interesting. Maybe he turned to a life of crime after being disappointed by Aydan? I am now looking forward to see how this plays out and how it affects them. However, there's one thing that gets me almost every episode. I love Engin and Anil, but he looks at least a decade older than Serkan, Piril, and Selin. So much so that I don't buy they could have gone to school together. This is where I'll have to call on my well honed suspension of disbelief I guess... I'll tell myself he spent a lot of time in the sun and is graying a bit prematurely. 

I did like Engin and Serkan sitting around commiserating about their relationships and hoping things were about to turn around. That's the more equal buddy talk I want to know happens. 

Speaking of Serkan, duuuuuuuuude. You're being hunted, wise up!  I'm really stuck on what he said to Sirius after Eda left his house at the top of the episode. "Don't look at me like that, everything is under control, I know perfectly well what I'm doing, this is my tactic." We know from last episode he thought Eda would show, and this episode while talking to Eda he told her that he was expecting her and the candles were for her.  So... did he purposely allow Balca in to provoke Eda's jealousy? If so, I'm not sure this is his best course of action. It's certainly not with regards to fanning Balca's dangerous pretensions, but I'm not sure he's getting his best result with Eda either. It's true that it gave him an excuse to flirt, make the bet, tease her, bask in her obvious jealousy even if she won't admit it, and get a Parisian date out of it. I suppose that's not a bad day's work. On the other hand, if he'd sent Balca on her way, he would have had a happy Eda, in his house, sitting on the couch next to him, watching a movie with him, which also could have led to a very good place for him.  

It's also a mystery to me if Serkan is really clueless about Balca's intentions, or if he's playing dumb to suit his own purposes with Eda. I'm thinking it's the middle. He probably sees it but thinks it's a whole lot more harmless than it is. Like maybe he gets Balca has a crush on him, but he has no suspicion that he's in dangerous fatal attraction territory. Which is where we are. I don't want to fling words like 'crazy' around, but... bitch be crazy! If she is capable of trying to large-scale sabotage his company in her pursuit of him, that's some seriously scary stuff. WAKE UP, SERKAN. 

I said I was uneasy while watching this episode and part of it was concern over what would happen with the tender, and worrying if Balca's sabotage was going to work, leaving Eda to blame. If that had gone the other way, the fallout would have been painful. Also storylines where a fav is falsely accused always make me antsy. I was able to handle the Serkan roof collapse one because it was at the end of the episode, and they were able to figure out that he wasn't responsible right off the top of the next. But this one had me on edge all ep.  I was especially nervous after Eda made the independent report on her recommended firm part of a trust test. Sweetie, I love you, but NOOOOO. That was not the move of a professional. Serkan, as the company principle, wanting to vet a partner or vendor is completely normal and has nothing to do with how much he trusts her. Put aside the fact that she's only been in the workforce for a few months, you always want a second set of eyes on something that important. Always. She showed some of her immaturity there, which is fine, she's young and inexperienced, but it's a sign of how desperate Serkan is for her to forgive him that he humored her. That man will do anything for her, even if it doesn't make sense or is potentially damaging. I get why the writer's did it, for the suspense of Eda being out on that limb all on her own, but it was also actually a bit of a missed opportunity for him to mentor her there. (And I love when she learns from him.)

The other reason I was uneasy watching this ep was due to some frustration with Eda. See above on the trust test, but it was also a little hard to watch her just completely succumb to Serkan's charm and be in the moment with him one moment, and then the next second shake it off and be adamant that she was going to be leaving the job and him shortly.  It felt like constant whiplash. Also if she won the bet she wanted him to leave her alone? Sure, Jan. She could have asked for something really good! We all know she doesn’t really want him to leave her alone, so that pretense has gotten harder and harder to take. However, the times she rebuffed him didn't bother me as much as when she told Melo she was leaving the job. I can chalk up the ones to Serkan as part of her act, trying to protect herself and poke holes in his pretensions, but when she said it to Melo it felt more real. Like that was really what she was still planning to do, and it's really hard to reconcile that with all the moments where she puts down her guard and it's obvious she's madly in love with him.  

On a positive note, scenes where it’s clear they’re madly in love with each other were plentiful this episode. The romantic robot used every opportunity he could find to make her melt. My GAWD she has a will of iron that she was able to back away from him after he recited all the ways he could tell if a woman (her) was in love with him. He is one smooth bastard. And boy does he know her, he knows exactly what he does to her. That scene was FIRE. Not to be crass, but how did they not do it right then and there? After the last few eps, they have to be at a 100 on a scale of 1-10 when it comes to pent up sexual energy. Hey Eda, maybe you wouldn't be so jealous if you knew he had an outlet for that. I'm just sayin'.

The lunch was pretty funny and I definitely enjoyed the kicking and the under the table conversation. After refusing to admit she was jealous, Eda totally deserved that Serkan said that whatever Balca's feelings for him were, they were between him and Balca. Eeesh. I see what he's doing, he's trying to bring her feelings out into the open, and she deserves it, but I don't think he realizes how vulnerable she is over everything. He's walking a tightrope here. However, I do appreciate that he finally just admitted that he's jealous. If he'd just done that in 18, he would have saved himself some angst. Are we to infer from Serkan asking Eda not to use emojis with Efe, that Edser likes to use emojis when they text? Or was that just a generic, "don't be cute with him?"  I think I'll take that Serkan and Eda use emojis, just because it tickles me to think of Serkan Bolat doing that. All of shipper twitter thinks that's the writers poking at the actors because of how much they use them with one another on social. Who knows, maybe that explains it, since it sort of came out of the blue. You gotta love, though, that every manipulative thing Balca did either failed or backfired spectacularly. Showing up at his place, sure she succeeded in upsetting Eda and derailing their night, but it also put Eda on her guard and brought about the flirty wager between Eda and Serkan. She left the earring, but Eda found it before she could use it as an excuse to return. She broke her heel, but that just gave her a ruined pair of shoes and Melo an excuse to get her out of there so Serkan and Eda could be alone. She and her devious friend succeeded in throwing Melo and Eda off the scent, however all that meant was that Serkan won the bet and gave him the pretense needed to get her to agree to the most romantic date on the planet. She sabotaged the report, but Eda still found out about the company's background and Eda was the hero when ArtLife won the tender. Balca: 0 percent success rate so far. 

THE ICE SKATING SCENES WERE PURE MAGIC!  It was fun to see the whole cast out there having a blast, but obviously it was the Edser scene at night that lit up the whole show. Damn was that pretty. (it's currently my ipad lock screen and home screen) The chemistry between the actors was on display all episode, but here it just exploded. When Eda said she was hot, no kidding! How could you not be? And I agree that Serkan speaking French to her was OMG. Love, love, love the date that Serkan planned for them in Paris. I'm bereft that we'll likely never see it. Damn you pandemic, look what you've taken from us! The characters, and the audience, deserve an entire episode of Paris romantic fluff. We've all earned this! 

The date sounded perfect and I found it very interesting that he had purposely never been to Montmartre. So at some point he promised himself he'd only go there with a woman he was truly in love with, makes me wonder if it was a much younger Serkan who made that promise. The Serkan we met in the pilot didn't believe in love, he was hard-hearted, he actually talked with Engin about how a contract, a bloodless business transaction, was the way to go for relationships. Robot Bolat. So I don't think he made that idealistic promise any time recently. If so, that means he's had that in the back of his mind for years, but Eda's the only woman he's ever considered taking. My heart. I love how the show keeps showing us and telling us that this is the first time Serkan has ever been in love. You could see in that scene that Eda was right there with him. She was so happy and in the moment and swept away by the romance. She was as excited for Paris as he was. I know we all wanted a kiss/declaration here, it would have been a very good moment for it. A very good one. But the show has other plans for them, so we wait.

So, yeah, I really liked the Edser we got, but Eda’s hot and cold act was hard to reconcile at times. However, perhaps it all came together in the end, when she's talking to Melo and Ceren about Paris. She was feeling troubled over it, probably what agreeing to go with him meant, but they both told her to listen to her heart in Paris and it seems like she was going to do it: "From now on I'll stop worrying. I'm opening a new page in life." So I think in that moment she was ready for next steps and was planning to be open with him in Paris, let's hope it carries over to the next episode even without Paris. 

Actually, that whole conversation was a bit of a window into her psyche and was more illuminating than almost anything in the episode in that regard. When Eda says she’s worried, Melo teases her that she's nervous to be alone with Serkan Bolat, and then jokes that all young women would like to have that problem, including herself.  Eda does NOT like that joke and actually verbalizes it, "Melo, at least you don't do that."  That was a huge spotlight into Eda's insecurities, like she is really discombobulated by witnessing women showing interest in him while they're in such a nebulous place. Since she is coming off of what happened with Selin, and was already feeling jealous when the first candidate set her off with (her creepy) talk of chemistry last episode, then finding Balca at Serkan's house in the opening scene, I suppose it's no surprise that all of that has had some residual effects. But that it's to the point where she can't take a joke from Melo is telling. Poor thing.  

My hope is that this is just something she's working through while she's feeling off-kilter about everything. It would be one thing if they were together, but she's in this headspace where half the time she says she's leaving and it's over between them and half the time she acting like his wife, so I think she's just discombobulated. Maybe she just wants time to figure things out, but feels like she doesn’t have it, because someone is going to swoop in and take her place and that’s feeding her jealousy? The fact that Serkan can’t see it (Selin and Balca) until it’s out of control doesn’t help. 

It's natural for her to be upset that this woman has entered the scene and is clearly trying to maneuver herself into Eda's place in Serkan's life. However, there is an easy fix to this. Just go be with him. Come on, Eda, we know you can do it! You're ready. You’re primed. Bring on the New Year's Ep!

[tomhiddleston-is-mischief]

So excited you asked for requests! I can't gush about your corner of the internet enough! I would love any combo of SPN/Hiddlestons (which includes the character crew) ... May I request the Winchester rolling up in Detroit to go after a reported vampire den, but when they burst in it's just our buddy Adam chilling with his guitars and popsicles? Please don't kill my baby Adam.

“Here We Are...”

Dean Winchester x reader, Adam (OLLA) x platonic!reader, Sam Winchester x platonic!reader, Eve (OLLA) x platonic!reader

Summary: After mistaking Y/N, Adam, and Eve to be bad vamps, Dean and Sam take you and Adam to kill the real murderer

Warnings: mild cursing, murder, sex is brought up, murder of a child, and fluffy ending

Word count: 1,547

A/N: FIRST OFF, you are awesome for requesting this. I enjoyed it very much! Hope you do too! Second and last, thank you so much for the kind words 💚💚💚

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BAM!

“The Hell..?”, I whisper, carefully getting out of my room. I tip-toe into the dark hall hearing the voices of strangers. “Get your ass up, vamp!”, I hear a rough voice say. “What the fu-“, I hear footsteps behind me. Turning around, I see a tall man with long ass hair. “Hunters..”, I gasp. “Yup.”, he grabs me, and takes me to the living room. I kick and punch, but he does not let go of me.

“Y/N, no!”, Adam yells as I am pushed into the room. Long hair McGee still has not let go of me. “Adam! Eve! What are they doing here! We didn’t even do anything!”, I growled towards the hunters at the last part. The blonde hottie gives me a weird look. “You said killing people isn’t anything?”, he asks, still pointing a gun at Adam. I glance at him and Eve, hoping nothing bad happens. They have taken me in, and have been extremely nice to me. They are like my surrogate parents and siblings in one. I look at the blonde again,”We don’t kill people. We trick a doctor into giving us blood. If you don’t believe us, then eat me.” “Y/N, language.”, Eve smirked. I rolled my eyes, then glance at the giant that was pressing a gun to my side. He let go a little bit. Does he believe me? Huh. That’s a first. “Sammy?”, Dean looked at him. “I- I think they are telling the truth. “Fuck yeah, we are telling the truth.”, Adam growls. Dean and Sam give him an annoyed look. “Then who in the Hell is suckin’ these people dry, and hanging them?”, the blonde rolled his eyes.

“Gabe.”

The two men look at me. “What?”, Sammy asks. “I-It’s Gabe.. Adam, why is he here?!”, tears well up in my eyes. I force them to stay put, not wanting to show these hunters my weak side. Gabe always kills like that. “I- I don’t know, darling.”, his British voice that usually calms me does not stop my insides from twisting with fear and pain. “Who is Gabe?”, the blonde asks me. I notice the two have put their guns down. “He- He turned me..”, I whisper,”He turned me after killing my mom and- and my little brother. He- he- he’s here. He’s in Detroit.” My voice raised when I speak of my family. “As long as I am here, nothing will get to you.”, Adam walks towards me and rests his hand on my shoulder. “Thank you..”, I look down.

Gabe’s stupid, sadistic grin comes to mind. I know what he’s trying to do. He took everything from me. My mom, brother, and my mortality. I am not letting him take me from my new family now. “I am coming with you two.”, I say matter-of-factly. “What? No!”, Adam’s eyebrows furrowed. “I am. He wants me. I’m going to kill him by telling him I’m giving myself up. That will be the only way we get through his men.”, I walk towards the door. Before I open it, I say: ”Well?” The hunters hurry to walk past me, and Adam kisses Eve on the lips before following me. As we get to the car, Adam gets in the back when Sam tells him to. Of course he grumbled something as he did so. I tried to join him, but Blondie stopped me. “You are up front. Don’t want you and Edward over there to plan something in the back where we can’t see you.”, he states. I shrug, and get into the beautiful car. “Nice ride..”, I whisper, mainly to myself. “I know.”, Dean pats the Chevy proudly. “You do know where he is... right?”, the taller one asks me. “Yeah, I have an idea..”

I get bored five minutes into the drive, so I try to make conversation: “What are even your names?” Dean glances at me, then the road again. “I’m Dean. Back there is Sam.”, he answers. I nod,”So, what’s you two’s love story?” Dean nearly chokes on the air he is breathing. “We’re brothers??”, Dean and Sam say at the same time. I chuckle, glancing at Adam. He is looking out the window with his sunglasses on. “Dude, it is eight o’clock at night.”, I tell him. He scoffs,”Why don’t you just shut up?” I roll my eyes with a smirk,”You first, dickhead.” “Fuck off, shitface.” Adam and I share a chuckle as the brothers give confused faces. “What are you to to each other?”, Dean asks. Why the Hell does he care? “She’s basically my daughter and sister in one, so I suggest you quit checking her out up there.”, Adam replies before I could. I look out the window, trying to hide my blush even though it is dark outside.

*.*.*.*

“Let me through. I am here to give myself up for Gabe. And I have presents.”, I tell a guard. I gesture to Adam, Dean, and Sam as I said the last part.. He looks at me, then to the boys, and back to me. “Sure thing, sexy.”, he winked at me. I wink back, trying not to puke in my mouth. Adam and Dean are tense, making me chuckle. Adam’s tension, I get. Dean? Not sure why.

As me and the men following me enter a dark room in the large house, a chuckle echos around it. I look toward the sound, seeing the monster I have hated for most of my decades on earth. “Gabe.”, I curtly greet. “Now, baby, don’t be so stiff.”, he walks closer,”We both know that I won’t like that.” I resist the urge to rip his head off as I purse my lips. “You’ve killed more families, I see.”, I tell him. “Well, you know how it is, baby!”, Gabe smirks as he slides a finger into my belt loop. He brings me closer to him, making Adam growl. “Don’t touch-“, Adam was interrupt my Gabe’s men putting a machete to his throat. I gulp as more did the same to Sam and Dean. I set my gaze back on the monster pulling at my belt loop. “How about we dance like we did back in the day, before you left, huh?”, he let out a cruel smirk. “Yeah, okay, that’s enough!”, Dean pushes the other vamp away from him, but they end up fighting. Sam and Adam joined in with their guys, leaving me with Gabe. “Aw, how cute.”, he chuckles as he looks back to me. The smirk was wiped from his face once he saw what I was holding. “Dead man’s blood.”, I smiled at him fakely before pushing the dark red blood into his neck. “NO!”, he yelled, then dropped to the ground. I grab a machete from his collection, and cut his head off. Then, I plant the sword into his chest. “That’s what it feels like to have a sword go into your chest. Except he was nine, you monster.”, I whisper, then feel presence behind me. I turn around swiftly to see Adam looking at me with pity. “Finally did it, Adam.. I did it..”, I hug him. He snakes him arms around my waist. “Yes, you did.”, he kissed my forehead.

*.*.*.*

“Sorry, I um, almost killed you.”, Sam chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck. I smirk,”No prob, giant.” He chuckles, then walks out of the house after giving Adam and Eve a nod. “Hey, you going to tell me goodbye too?”, Dean teases. I roll my eyes,”And why would I do that? So you could check me out one last time?” He looks away with a grin on his face. “Well, yes and no.”, he looked back at me,”I wanted to give you this.” I look at his hand to see a paper with numbers on it. His number? “Bet you never thought you’d be giving this to a vampire.”, I smile after taking the paper. “Yeah, no, I um.. Never would have thought that, but here we are.” “Here we are..”, I repeat his last words.

“Thanks, but please get the fuck out of my house.”, Adam ruined the moment. I rolled my eyes,”Really?” He nodded before picking up a guitar and strumming it. “See ya, Y/N.”, Dean winked. I smiled,”See ya.” He walks out of the house, and I hear Eve giggle. “What?”, I ask her. “He likes you a lot. I can tell. And I can also tell you like him too. Well, I don’t blame you, Y/N. With that face, I mean, come on.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t worry, Adam, you have the best face.” “Thank you, but…”

I tune out the rest of their conversation as I peer out the window. The boys are still here, I see. Sam is doing the movement that people make when they are saying they are making out with another. A grin takes over my face. Dean looks at the window, feeling eyes on him. He smacks Sam’s head, then points towards me. Sam looks into the window, then hurries to get into the Impala. I giggle as Dean winks at me for the last time tonight.

Hopefully, I can see it on more occasions.

...

Perm. Tags:

@lovesmesomehiddles @marshyrebelcloud @peasant-right-here @blackeyedangel9805 @an-adventureland

[veryveryverytemporarily]

Christmas Midnight Memories...

‘I can’t believe you’ve done this to me! Who puts a coin in a Christmas pudding? I’m sure there are health and safety rules about it!’

‘Well, who fucking swallows it?’

Aaron was fuming and Robert was visibly agitated, his face sweating as he stood next to the hospital bed with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets.

‘You’re supposed to notice it and pull it out and make a wish for God’s sake. But no,’ Robert rolled his eyes skywards ‘… you have to throw food in your mouth and swallow it without chewing, as if you’ve been starved for the past century!’

‘Yeah, blame it on me why don’t you? It’s not a safe thing to do! And I’m the proof!’

‘It’s a tradition, Aaron. People have been doing this for five hundred years! You put silver in the Christmas pudding and it’s supposed to bring good luck and happiness, not misery and four hours in an emergency department.’

The nurse, wearing flashing Rudolf antlers, came up to them again.

‘This is the last time I’m going to say this. I will have to insist that you leave if you continue to argue, it’s disturbing to the other patients, some of whom are actually ill.’

Aaron was lying on the hospital bed waiting for an X-ray, feeling like a fraud. They’d told him on the phone that it would probably pass through his system, but when Robert had taken the phone forcibly from his hand and shared a stream of extraordinary potential things that could happen to him, from choking to appendicitis, they’d given in and agreed that probably they should come into the emergency department for an X-ray after all.

‘I don’t even like Christmas pudding. I only ate it cos you’d actually gone to the trouble of making it for us,’ he’d muttered.

They were disturbed by a sudden commotion as a Father Christmas, smelling of beer and with rather soggy beard, appeared and wandered down the ward, calling out, ‘Ho Ho Ho!’ as he came.

‘Fuck off Santa, can’t you see now’s not a good time?’ Robert raged, and Aaron closed his eyes.

‘And Merry Christmas to you, mate,’ he murmured.

It was their first Christmas ever together as a couple since they’d officially announced to the world that they were dating nine months ago. Robert, of course, had hoped to make it a romantic time and Aaron sort of understood why he was so mad, since everything had turned out so different from how he’d wanted. If there was one thing that Robert hated it was things going out of control. His control, that is.

Christmas Eve had been drinks at Diane and Doug’s with Andy, Vic, and Adam, but then Bernice had turned up with Lawrence, and they’d ended up winding each other up. Robert reckoned Lawrence was jealous that he was finally in an out relationship with a man (something he couldn’t have for himself).

Today, Christmas day, had been just as bad with the horror of a Dingle family dinner. After pulling crackers with Cain, Robert had been more than ready to leave.

Vic and Adam had booked a three-day Christmas break in the Lake District, leaving after Diane’s gathering so they had the house to themselves. Then Robert had served the literally flaming Christmas pudding, and disaster had struck.

When Aaron came back from the X-ray, Robert had calmed down. He’d got himself a coffee and Aaron a cup of watery tea from the vending machine as a peace offering.

‘Sorry, I think it might have gone a bit cold. Do you want me to get you another one?’ He put the drinks down on the bedside table and then reached over and took Aaron’s hands in both of his own, raising them to his lips.

‘Nah, you’re alright,’ Aaron said and squeezed Robert’s fingers back.

Eventually the doctor appeared holding the X-ray.

‘Well, this is interesting…,’ he started. Suddenly Robert stood up, grabbing him by the elbow and steering him further away.

Aaron watched Robert as he talked to the doctor with a furrowed brow, looking very serious. God, was there something really wrong with him that he didn’t know about? What was Robert saying, what was the doctor saying?

The doctor put the X-ray down on the counter and came to talk to Aaron,

‘So,' he said, ‘it looks like the object is leaving the stomach and entering the small intestine. It should pass through the system over the next 24 to 46 hours at the most. If you don’t find it after that, then you will need to come back for another X-ray.’

‘Find it?’ Aaron asked, looking pretty horrified.

‘Erm, yes, ‘the doctor replied. ‘I recommend prunes and a lot of water to get it through more quickly.’

‘I’ll help you look,’ Robert offered gently.

‘You’ll do no such thing, mate!’ Aaron snapped back at him.

‘Come on, I love you. It’s no big deal. It’s not as if I …’

Aaron stopped him, holding a finger up to his lips.

‘Enough. Just take me home!’ he sighed weakly.

 When they finally got back, Robert suggested a film to chill out.

‘What do you fancy then? The Avengers? The Man from U.N.C.L.E? Or we could just re-watch Torchwood?’ Robert loved Torchwood and of course secretly had a crush on Gareth David Lloyd who he thought looked very slightly like Aaron. Aaron also liked the romance scenes, but it wasn’t really his thing.

‘Why don’t we watch something Christmasy, eh?’

 ‘The Hobbit?’ Robert suggested. Aaron laughed and pulled him down onto the sofa for a kiss.

In the end, they watched a bit of the Muppets Christmas Carol, but when Aaron suggested they went to bed, instead, Robert grinned and allowed himself to be led up the stairs.

Once in the bedroom they undressed quickly and started to kiss.

‘This was more of the Christmas I’d had in mind,’ Robert said in a low voice and, pushing Aaron backwards, he kissed a path slowly down from his chest to his stomach before moving completely down and shuffling between Aaron’s thighs, where he started to lick around his hole in the way that he knew brought Aaron close to the edge.

But instead of the blissed out reaction he was accustomed to, all at once, Aaron pulled him up forcibly, grabbing a fist full of the blond hair that Robert had left to grow long for the winter.

Robert looked at him, still panting lustfully, and pushed his fingers down between Aaron’s arse cheeks instead, but Aaron grabbed his hand and slapped him away too, so that Robert lay back on the bed and started laughing, putting his hands behind his head.

‘Aaron, I’m just trying to make love to you!’ he protested.

‘I know. But it’s ruined now. All I can think about is where that flaming silver coin might be.’

‘Wh… what?’ Robert looked sideways at him.

‘It’s just messed with my head, that’s all.’

‘OK. Then let’s make this simple.’ Robert lowered his eye lids and put his head slightly on one side ‘Let me give you a Christmas blow job.’

Aaron rolled onto his side propped up on an elbow and looked down at Robert’s wet red lips. ‘Or I’ll give you one.’ He smiled.

‘Sixty-nine?’ Robert raised his eyebrows.

‘No, cos you’ll just start fingering me.’

Aaron ran a finger over the soft curve of Robert’s exposed arm pit, pinching some of the short blond hair there with the intention of causing pain.

‘Ouch!’ Robert grabbed his hand and went on, ‘Just trust me, Aaron, won’t you?’

Robert swiveled round on the bed so he was upside down and Aaron grabbed his thighs and slapped his firm white arse.

‘I’ll trust you, Sugden, when you stop talking and start sucking!’ Aaron ventured.

So, Robert grinned and did as he was told.

It was early hours on Boxing Day when Robert was woken by Aaron, clutching at his stomach, bent double and sweating. He was obviously in trouble.

‘Oh my God! What have I done?’ Robert asked, hastily pulling on trousers and a sweater. He very gently steered Aaron to the edge of the bed and dressed him, listening to him whimper with pain. ‘It’s OK Aaron, you’re going to be OK!’ He muttered tenderly.

Robert got caught by the speed cameras on the way to the hospital but he didn’t care.

After another X-ray, the doctor explained that the object had got caught in a small pocket of intestine. There would be no alternative but surgery, but fortunately it would be keyhole so recovery would be fast and it would leave hardly any scarring. Aaron and Robert raised their eyes at each other at the mention of scarring and Robert took Aaron’s hand and squeezed it gently. He knew how sensitive Aaron was about the scars on his body, he didn’t need any more to remind him of those painful memories.

Before Aaron went into surgery, Robert kissed him.

‘This is my fault. I’m sorry,’ he whispered. ‘I love you, Aaron!’ he called after him as he was wheeled away down the corridor and out of sight.

***

Aaron blinked his eyes and registered the flashing lights he could see were coming from the fairy lights on a Christmas tree at the corner of the ward.

He felt Robert’s lips on his forehead.

‘Heh. There you are, then! You look so sexy in a gown! We should ask to take it home as a souvenir, for role play!’ He heard him say.

‘Is that all you ever think about?’ he grumbled in reply. His voice sounded hoarse from the effects of the anesthetic.

‘Mostly. Where you’re concerned.’

Aaron finally looked at Robert as his face came fully into focus. When he saw Robert’s genuine smile, he couldn’t help but smile back.

‘Your Mum’s here, and Paddy,’ Robert said. ‘Please don’t tell them this was my fault, if you ever want to see me alive again.’

Robert left them to it. While he was waiting, the nurse approached him with a small plastic container.

‘I believe this belongs to Mr. Dingle? But you probably want to give it to him yourself.’ He smiled at Robert. ‘We washed it with alcohol, so it’s quite clean now,’ he went on. ‘Do you know what he’s going to say?’

‘Absolutely no idea.’ Robert smiled back at the nurse, running a hand through his hair.

Eventually Chas and Paddy left. Robert resumed his position at Aaron’s bedside table. Aaron could hear him breathing heavily.

‘What’s up?’ he asked, always tuned into Robert’s state of mind.

Robert was nervous, but why?

‘So, here it is.’ Robert pulled a plastic box out of his pocket and rattled it, then offered it forward to Aaron, who scoffed and looked away.

‘Well, aren’t you going to look at it, then?’

‘Why would I? It’s just a coin that caused me a lot of grief, mate.’

‘Well,’ Robert lost his patience. ‘Go on; look at it anyway.’

Aaron looked closely at Robert’s face and took the box, then opened it. As his eyes adjusted, he shook his head in confusion.

‘It’s, it’s not a coin…,’ he mumbled.

Robert nodded in agreement, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his heart raced.

‘It’s…, it’s a ring.’

‘It’s a ring.’ Robert repeated.

‘Why’s it black? Is that cos it was…,’ Aaron gestured to his stomach.

‘No, it’s black silver.’

Aaron looked closer at the circular band; it was encrusted with small diamonds all the way round. It was masculine and plain, but stunningly beautiful.

‘Are they … diamonds?’

‘Yes, because, you know what diamond rings are for?’ Robert answered swallowing.

Aaron looked straight into his eyes.

‘Tell me,’ he said softly, biting his bottom lip.

Robert went down on one knee by the bed, and took Aaron’s hand.

‘From the day we first kissed I knew that you were the one, the only one. Aaron, you are my soulmate, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll have me? Aaron, will you marry me?���

Aaron eyes were welling with tears that spilled down his cheeks.

‘You know my answer. And you know you can’t buy me. I don’t want your poxy diamond ring!’

Robert sighed.

‘You’re right.’

He took the ring and threw it in the trash in the corner of the cubicle. Fishing in his pocket he pulled out a plastic ring and looked at it.

‘This came out of the cracker I shared with Cain yesterday. This do you?’

Aaron grinned through his tears and took it, wrapping his fist around it.

‘Yes.’ His blue eyes shone as he looked at Robert. ‘My answer, you Muppet, is yes.’

‘Really?’

Robert kissed Aaron so long and so hard that the nurse approached them.

‘I will have to insist that you leave if you continue this, it’s over stimulating to the other patients, some of whom are, actually, quite ill.’

The next day Robert came to take Aaron home. Aaron was dressed and waiting. He showed Robert the contents of the sports bag: There was the hospital gown folded neatly, ready to take home for role play time.

‘Yes! Well done, Aaron!’ Robert winked. Then all at once he noticed something. He picked up Aaron’s left hand and looked at his second finger. It was adorned with a beautiful black silver band encrusted with diamonds.

‘Yeah, well.’ Aaron winked. ‘I figured it would last longer than the other one.’

‘All our lives.’ Robert answered with a smug grin and kissed him softly. He picked up the sports bag and took Aaron’s hand as they left the ward together to go home.

Santa was on his rounds again, looking rather pale and exhausted.

‘Merry Christmas!’ Robert nodded as they passed on their way out.

***

‘I’ll be the doctor and you be the patient.’

‘No, I’ll be the doctor and you’ll be the patient, mate. I was the patient last time, if you remember?’

Adam banged on the wall.

‘You’ll both be bloody patients in a minute, if you don’t shut it. The sooner you get married and out of this house the better!’

Robert and Aaron looked at each other and stretched their eyes, grinning guiltily.

‘Okay, you be the doctor.’ They both whispered together. ‘No, you….’

[ladyoutlier]

Here Today Gone Tomorrow

In which Aziraphale and Crowley are tasked with making a human.

[Read on AO3] | [Chapter 1]

Chapter 2: An Angel and Demon’s Offspring

Rain poured heavily on the shingled roof of the quaint little cottage Aziraphale and Crowley had miracled for themselves. It was a huge stand-out from the rest of Eden with its English aesthetic greatly contrasting the surrounding jungle. However, this was hardly a concern to either of them. Just because they had to take on the role of Adam and Eve didn’t mean that they had to live in the dirt like them. Both the angel and the demon had spent quite enough time doing that in the millennia before proper civilization occurred. And plus, the cottage reminded them of a time they were no longer in.

Crowley was sprawled out on the nice king-sized bed he had summoned for himself when Aziraphale entered the room carrying tea for the two of them. Crowley shuffled to one side of the bed, and Aziraphale sat down on the now vacant side. The angel handed him a cup.

“Quite the day. And here I thought nothing could outdo the past few ones in regards to exertion.“ A rather prominent frown developed onto Aziraphale’s face.

“Definitely makes the top ten of worst days.”

Rain plattered at the window. The two sipped their tea. Sitting inside they could almost pretend everything was normal. That they were in London, and the city was slowly falling asleep for the evening. That outside there were streets and people and Crowley’s Bentley was parked on the curb and that it was just another normal night for the both of them. Ah, but neither of them were good at fooling themselves, especially when the other was involved.

“Do you really think the Almighty has tasked us with bringing humanity into the world?” Aziraphale asked. “I don’t know about you, but I have absolutely no idea how to accomplish that.”

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” Crowley replied. “Try to miracle some clay into a person. If God hasn’t granted us the power to do that, well She’s got no one to blame except Herself for the lack of humans on the planet this go about.”

“Adam and Eve went about it a rather different way.”

“They were also human by default and thus had the proper genetics to accomplish that. Don’t think angel plus demon equals human.” Crowley tried desperately to avoid looking Aziraphale in the eyes which he was quite successful at because the angel too was avoiding his.

“Oh, um, I wasn’t suggesting that. I was merely speculating out loud.” Aziraphale took a long sip of tea which was strangely a lot more alcoholic now.

“Course. Just a conversation of what ifs. Nothing more.”

Another silence. The rain picked up. Not by a lot. Just enough to be noticable. A small rumble of thunder echoed from somewhere far away. The golden light inside the cottage was becoming very cosy. Aziraphale set his drink down on the nightstand and laid down as Crowley was.

“If we ever see the world the way it was again, I wouldn’t mind residing in a cottage like this. It would be a nice change of scenery from the bookshop,” the angel said rather dreamily. 

His alcohol/tea hybrid was taking effect much more quickly than anticipated as if it had divine influences to do so. God smiled to Herself as She sipped from Her wine glass.

“Mmhmm,” Crowley muttered, eyes rolling to see Aziraphale. Without his sunglasses on, it was quite difficult to not notice his added attention. “Yes, would be rather charming. I could see you enjoying the country life. Where would you want to go?”

“Not just me. I think I’d like you to be there too, Crowley.”

That was a brave, blunt remark that was most certainly pushed out of Aziraphale by his drink. That’s not to mean that he hadn’t meant it. He did. It would’ve just taken him a few more thousand years to say it on his own. Still, it was more than a surprise to Crowley. Now, who was going too fast?

“Oh, well, um, yes.” The demon’s eyes widened, and he pushed himself up onto his elbows. “Where would we go then?”

“South Downs is quite lovely. Calming and natural like this. Does that mean you’d actually go with me? I know you’re fond of the city life.”

“Angel, if we ever get things back the way they were, I’d go to the moon and back with you. Might even do that anyway.”

Aziraphale’s blue eyes stared into Crowley’s golden ones. The soft, little smile on his lips was warm enough to melt a glacier. The demon was very glad he was already lying down. Strangely, this day didn’t seem so bad anymore.

“I’ll hold you to that. The moon and back,” Aziraphale replied. “Would be exciting to get off planet.”

“Personally,” Crowley said, flipping onto his back. “I think you’re plenty of excitement on your own.”

If the raindrops became a bit fatter after that, it was only because God was crying. It was a happy sort of cry one only has when their ship finally begins to properly sail. No more sandy reefs for the ship to get beached on. No more last minute trips to the dock. Just full on open sea sailing. Aziraphale and Crowley were finally on their way to be properly shipped, and God was glad.

*

The next morning, Aziraphale and Crowley found a fruit bowl filled to the brim with apples on their countertop. It was not something that either of them had put there, and neither of them were gullible enough to believe the other had. Crowley simply rolled his eyes, picked up the whole bowl, and tossed it out the kitchen window.

“Is he even trying?” Crowley asked, taking a seat at the small dining table at which Aziraphale was eating a pastry.

“Maybe his heart’s not in it. It’s hardly a passion project to do a job that has already been done.”

“Yeah, but I mean, live a little. Throw the apples into a pie or something. Try the poor old woman tactic from Snow White. Hastur really has no creativity.”

Aziraphale finished the last bite of his breakfast and wiped his face. “Yes, well, creativity is one of your best attributes, my dear.”

“‘S really not, but it is a useful one.” He leaned back in his chair. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Thought we’d try your turn clay into people plan as I don’t have any better ideas.”

“It’s not going to work.”

“Likely. But at least it’ll be fun. Similar to making a snowman.”

“Alright then. Let’s go have some fun.”

It was another beautiful day in Eden. A bit on the windy side, but other that that, absolutely lovely. A hundred thousand leaves rustled away in the trees above, and a million different species of birds sang serenades to each other. If one didn’t know just how barren and white Heaven was, one could easily be tricked into believing that Eden was it. Aziraphale and Crowley stood in front of a small riverbank.

“Angel,” Crowley said, freeing himself from the mud which was acting more like quicksand than wet dirt. “Don’t really feel like getting my hands dirty, and I think neither of us are ones for ruining good clothes. Can’t we just draw a face in the mud and be done with it?”

“Nonsense! This was your suggestion after all.”

“Was mostly a joke.”

“And we hardly need to use our hands.” The angel miracled a shovel into being. “Even if this is a rather fruitless endeavor, I still want to give it my all to, at the very least, let the Almighty know that we’re trying.”

Aziraphale began to dig up mud, stacking it into a rather messy column. It looked more like a monster from a cheesy 1950s American horror flick than a human, but the angel continued to work at it anyway. Seeing that Aziraphale was dedicated to this, Crowley grumbled to himself. There were a million other things he’d rather be doing, but all of them involved Aziraphale being there as well. He cocked his head to the side. Guess this is what they were doing today. He miracled himself a set of sculptor’s tools.

*

Their clothes had gotten more than a bit dirty by the time they were done. Mud and river water practically soaked them. Although both Aziraphale and Crowley had no need to sweat, they both felt like they had done quite a lot of it. But they had gotten their human sculpture done, and the time was hardly past noon.

The body of the sculpture was a bit pudgy but also rather lean, and looked neither obviously male or female as if the person could fall either way if they so chose. They stood shorter than both Aziraphale and Crowley, looking as though they were just coming of age. Their face had a rather contrasting mixture of features. A sharp jawline and cheekbones, but pouty lips and an upturned nose. Their hair was a fury of curls with wisps of straight locks thrown in. And their eyes remained a mystery, shut to the whole world.

If perhaps, the angel and demon had modeled their parts of the sculpture off one another, they certainly were silent about it. Still the resemblance to the both of them was extremely clear. The sculpture was a perfect blend of the two of them, and God definitely noticed. Mostly because She had begun to sober up.

“So what? On the count of three try to bring it to life? That really what we’re going to do?” Crowley asked.

“Well, yes,” Aziraphale admitted rather sheepishly. “Does sound silly when you put it like that.”

“Because it is silly. Would get us both thrown in the looney bin if society still existed.”

“Even if this doesn’t work—”

“Which it very likely isn’t.”

“—I’m still happy to have made this with you. Turned out rather well I think.”

“Just glad it turned out better than Warlock’s Year 1 arts and crafts projects.”

“I hope we would do better than a six-year-old.”

“Oh, your hopes are too high for us,” Crowley replied with a laugh.

“Are they? This may not be on Michelangelo’s level of quality, but he would hardly scoff at what we’ve done.”

“Eh, that’s true enough.”

“On three then?”

“Yeah. One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

The angel and the demon both thought incredibly hard about bringing the mud person in front of them to life. They threw their hands forward, commanding the sculpture to move, walk, breathe, anything. And with the power of Heaven and Hell combined, absolutely nothing happened which was entirely unsurprising.

“Can’t say we didn’t try. Up for lunch, angel?” Crowley asked, letting his arms fall back down to his sides.

“I can’t say I thought it would be this easy. Why don’t you head back, Crowley. Give me a moment and then we’ll have lunch.”

The demon shot him a quizzical look. He took a few steps backwards. A small smile flickered nervously on the corner of his mouth before quickly disappearing. “Alright, yeah. I’ll be back at the cottage.”

“I won’t be long.”

“Course. Take your time.”

Crowley strode off into the wilderness. Aziraphale watched him go until the plant life completely obscured him. The angel released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and approached the river. A fallen tree laid across it as a bridge. He merely crossed half of it and sat down, his feet dangling inches above the rushing water.

“Um, Lord,” he began. “I know my attempts to talk to You didn’t go too well last time. Found myself talking to Your secretary rather than Yourself. But given the circumstances, I thought I’d try again. I hope You don’t mind the less than professional air to the whole situation.”

Aziraphale waited for a reply, but got none. Still, God was listening.

“Ah, yes, well. Perhaps this whole sculpture idea was rather foolish. Not at all what You wanted from us. And I really do not want to inconvenience You, but I’m at a rather large loss for how to do what You wish.”

Again he left room for a reply from God without the need to.

“As much as I would love to be able to create a person with Crowley, I just don’t believe it is possible with the restraints You have given us. Only You can create a new being after all. Angels and demons, we can only influence them. Crowley and I would just quite like to be able to get back to our lives...”

Together. It was a word Aziraphale didn’t say out loud, but God heard it anyways. The entire riverbank became a bit warmer. The sun shone a bit brighter. The flora spruced up. All small changes one could easily miss. If one was not an angel, that is.

“I—I see. Yes, um, good talk. Thank you.” He stood up rather clumsily from the log. It was simply a miracle that he didn’t fall into the river (actually it was two, but God didn’t feel the need to let him know that).

As Aziraphale walked away to meet up with Crowley, God lifted the sculpture from the river bank and brought it into the ethereal plane with Her. She smiled at Her creations’ creation. Mimicry was the biggest form of flattery. She loved the human the angel and demon had made. Sure, it wasn’t alive, but care and love most certainly lived within it. God tucked its design away with everything else that had ever existed for safe keeping. Maybe there would come a day when She would need it.

Some of Crowley’s modern music led Aziraphale back to the cottage. The demon could not go a day without his tunes, and now with all of Eden to themselves, he could blast them at max volume without the irritation of bothered neighbors and passersby. Their annoyance wasn’t a problem to him. Rather it was their need to bug him about the volume that was. More tasking than the evil was worth.

As Aziraphale approached, “I Want To Break Free” by Queen played:

But life still goes on

I can't get used to living without, living without

Living without you by my side

I don't want to live alone, hey

God knows, got to make it on my own

Aziraphale found himself to the kitchen where Crowley was currently pouring two glasses of red wine. On the island sat a plate of sandwiches made of grilled steak, sauteed onions, and ciabatta bread.

“I don’t know about you,” Crowley said, handing the angel a glass. “But making a mud man really worked up an appetite.”

“Oh, Crowley, you made this?”

“No, I figured out how to make humans when you were gone, and one of them so happened to be a chef. Course I made this. Well, miracled it, but same thing.”

“That’s a real generous thing to do.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t go all mushy on me. We planned on lunch, and it wasn’t just going to show up itself. Kept me busy while waiting for you to catch up.” The demon picked up a sandwich a munched into it.

“Still, I very much appreciate it.”

Before Aziraphale could take a sandwich for himself, the front door swung open, and the familiar face of Archangel Gabriel walked in.

“I came down here to put a stop to the awful noise, but, uh, I see there’s a much bigger issue to address here,” he said, marching into the kitchen.

“Sandwich, Gabriel?” Crowley sneered, taking another bite of his.

“As if I’d take anything a demon offered me, much less gross matter.” The flame from his sword glowed rather brightly from his waist. “There’s an issue with the use of miracles down here. I mean, a whole house? Really? Where’s the justification for that?”

“It did rain last night,” Aziraphale replied.

“So? Don’t see me abusing miracles to get out of it. It’s only water. You’re supposed to be Adam and Eve. At what point did they live in a cottage that I missed?”

“You did say to make improvements, so we did.” Crowley flashed the Archangel a rather wide grin.

“Yes, improvements for the greater good. Not—” He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath. “I don’t know why I’m arguing with a demon on this. Obviously this kind of behavior is expected from you.” He looked back to the angel. “I just thought there was something left of you, Aziraphale. Sure, you screwed up the End of the World, but there had to be a reason you haven’t Fallen yet. I’m starting to think that it’s just an oversight.”

“Oh, I’d back off real quick, Archangel.” Crowley swept around the island. “You’ll find I don’t put up with your pretentious bullshit the way Aziraphale does.”

“I think you’re forgetting who has a sword here and who doesn’t.” Gabriel chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Crowley’s threat.

“Oh, you can’t hurt us. In fact, I don’t think you have any authority to tell us to do anything. Your job is to guard the Eastern Gate. Not interfere with Adam and Eve.”

“Uh, yeah. Actually, this whole Earth thing might have to go on hold for now. Busy working real hard to get Micheal out of Hell.”

“Wait, Micheal’s in Hell?” Aziraphale asked.

“Thought your demon’s friend would’ve informed you on that after he so smugly informed me about it on the Wall. We are in negotiations right now. We both have people we’d like to see returned to their rightful side.”

“Like Beelzebub,” Crowley replied, leaning back against the island. His eyes remained rather narrowed behind his sunglasses.

“Our main negotiating point. Should really be an easy swap. Of course, when dealing with Hell everything gets complicated.”

“Oh yeah, sure everything’s so smooth Upstairs.”

“As if you have any clue, demon. You haven’t been up there in over 6000 years. Not sure I’d trust your memory.” Gabriel gave a squinty eyed smile. “You know what, both of you run amuck down here. Ruin it if you want. You’re the ones stuck down here. I’ve got a meeting I need to attend to in Heaven, so go wild. Just don’t blame me when the Almighty strikes you both down for your dismal performances.”

Without waiting for a reply, Gabriel left the cottage. A bright white light glowed from the front door and soon after faded, signalling that the Archangel was gone.

“Well, that was something,” Crowley said. “Sandwiches have probably gone cold, but there’s still plenty to have, angel.”

“Ah, yes, lunch,” Aziraphale replied, remembering exactly what they had been doing.

“Yeah, lunch. Couldn’t the bastard have at least waited half an hour before bothering us?”

“I think it was your music that drew him here.” The angel took a sandwich and bit into it. The center was still miraculously warm. God pretended not to notice that.

“Mental note: all it takes to piss off the Archangel Gabriel is loud music. Oh that’s a weakness he really shouldn’t have shown me.”

“I’m sure you’ll make good use of it, dear.”

“You bet I will.”

Aziraphale scoffed and smiled through a mouthful of lunch. It was a goofy look that made Crowley smile back. He was happy the angel was enjoying the food he had made even if it was little more than a snap of his fingers. This whole snippet of a domestic life was quite nice, and made the demon think back on last night’s conversation. Yes, if the world was ever restored, he’d like to live like this with Aziraphale. But in the meantime, this would do nicely.

[Chapter 3]

[grasslandgirl]

i'm going to be mean and say for the not-doing-too-good writing starters 'breathe' + adam/leah

hey ananda fuck you maybe ok?

send me a not-doing-too-good sentence starter and a pairing and maybe ill write another NOVELLA like this one! 

[hero gothic au, things said in italics are said telepathically, warning for blood]

“Breathe, ok? Just keep breathing, please.”

“Adam, I-”

“No, please, don’t worry about me just keep focusing on breathing, Brian’ll be here soon with Phil and he’ll know what-”

“It’s my fault.”

Adam leans back, and for the first moment since she fell to the ground, he pauses. “What are you talking about? This isn’t your fault, you didn’t know they were going to have so many reinforcements there. You couldn’t have known this was going to happen.” He reaches back down, trying to maintain pressure on the bleeding wound on her side.

She pushes his hand away and sits up a little, wincing. It hurts her side to sit like this, and Leah knows she’s not doing herself any favors- the bleeding will probably be worse now that she’s partially upright- but this is more important. Adam hovers nervously as she situates herself leaning against the wall instead of beside it, but he lets her move on her own. “That’s... that’s not what I’m talking about,” Leah says, trying to catch her breath. The adrenaline from the fight and the hit are wearing off, the pain is making it hard to focus. But she knows she has to say this. “I’m talking about Eve.”

Adam’s brow furrows, and Leah notes absently that he’s frowning now in the same way he does when he can’t figure out his Sudoku in the morning. His nose crinkles up, and he gets a little W-shaped wrinkle inbetween his eyebrows. Leah always wants to press a finger to the space and smooth out the wrinkle, but she always resisted the temptation. Until now. Slowly, she reaches up and rubs her finger along his brow bone, right above his nose. His face softens a little at the physical contact, but he’s still looking at Leah with concern and confusion. 

“Eve...” He frowns, and Leah can almost feel the weight of his anger. “What happened to Eve, it wasn’t your fault, they-”

“It was my fault. It was my idea.”

Adam laughs, a little incredulously, “Le, you’re hallucinating from blood loss or something, how could it have been your idea to have CAPE kidnap my sister?”

“They,” She wheezes again, reaching down to press a hand to her still-bleeding side, “they didn’t kidnap her.” Leah sighs, dropping her head to avoid Adam’s gaze. “She went in voluntarily, at my suggestion.”

Adam leans back. Before now, she hand’t realized, but he had been in constant physical contact. Applying pressure to her side, holding her hand, brushing hair out of her face. He’s sitting back, away from her now, though, and she feels cold from the sudden loss of contact. “What are you talking about?” He asks, but it’s less of a question and more of a demand.

“We had questions, both of us, about SWORD’s operations. We had them before we got you back, of course, but we were all so preoccupied with finding you that it didn’t seem as pressing. But after we got you back,” Leah reaches out to touch his hand. “I realized the opportunity we had. We had a way into SWORD’s base, a way to find out what they’re up to, what they’re planning, what they did to you.” Adam’s face tightens at the mention of his stay at SWORD. He doesn’t talk about it much, not even with Eve, but Leah knows Adam well enough to know it was terrible. 

“I convinced her to go in with me,” Leah continued, “I thought it would be a quick in and out mission, some reconnaissance, some intel gathering, and then we’re out again. But we weren’t as lucky as we were when we went in to get you. They cornered us, and we had to fight out way out, and I thought she was behind me and by the time I realized she wasn’t, I was being followed and I lost her,” Leah chokes back a sob. 

Adam is silent. 

I’m so sorry, Adam, she thinks to him, but for once, he doesn’t answer her. 

Her breath catches again as she tries to stifle another sob. Eve is one of her best friends, the little sister she never had, and she knows that she’s all Adam has left of his family. The pain in her side spikes red hot with each gasping breath, starting a positive feedback loop until she’s not sure if she’s crying because of the pain or if she’s in pain because she’s crying.

Adam blinks and is across the room, kicking at the abandoned helmet of some SWORD goon on the ground. “Goddammit! Why do you two always have to dig yourself in too deep? You’re too proud- both of you! We could have helped you- I could have helped you!” 

We never could have made you go back in there, not after what you went through, She sends, but if Adam hears it, he doesn’t respond. 

He blinks around the room, storming three paces in one direction, and then appearing halfway across the room, walking in another. “You were supposed to take care of her, Leah, you were supposed to keep her safe-”

I know. It’s getting hard to breathe, now.

“-We’re back together for a few weeks and then she’s gone, this time, somewhere in the hands of those people-”

I’m sorry. Leah coughs a little, trying to catch her breath. Adam keeps flashing around the room. 

“-And we don’t know where she is or what’s happening to her; and then we get ambushed in our one attempt to get some information on where they’re keeping her and-”

Leah coughs again, louder this time, and slumps a little to the side. 

“-Leah?” Adam blinks again, and now he’s back at her side, kneeling and peeling Leah’s hands away from the gash on her side. “Shit, Le, just take deep breaths, ok?”

I think it nicked my lung, Adam, Leah sends, she can’t catch her breath enough to say the words aloud. 

You’re going to be ok, just keep breathing, Le. He sends back, seemingly unconsciously, as he peels off the jacket he’s wearing and presses it to her side, trying to staunch the increasingly heavy bleeding. 

I’m sorry Adam, for everything. For letting them take you and keep you for so long, for letting them get Eve, for breaking my promise to protect her- to protect you both- I’m so so sorry.

Adam looks up and stares her dead in the eye, I was supposed to protect you both, too, ok? I chose to go to protect you all, and I don’t regret my choice. I don’t blame you. And I know Eve won’t blame you for what happened, either.

But you blame me, she sends, looking away, and you should. She sees Adam frown out of the corner of her eye, before another coughing fit wracks her body. Tell Brian and Phil-

“No.” Adam’s voice breaks a little as he speaks aloud. He presses the jacket to Leah’s wound with renewed fervor, “You tell them yourself. You tell Eve yourself when we get her back.”

Adam- She’s coughing even harder now, it’s wet with blood and phlegm.

“No, Le,” He raises a hand to the side of her face, turning her to face him. “You’re not leaving me like this.” He looks wildly around the room. 

They four of them- Leah, Adam, Brian, and Phil, split up when they first got in the base. They didn’t know what they were looking for, exactly, or where Eve was being held, and the best way to cover ground was to divide and conquer. Or so they thought. 

Adam and Leah got caught in a trap, caught in a room with a group of SWORD recruits. They managed to get the best of them, for the most part, but Leah got hit badly, and the few guards that got out locked the door behind them, trapping Leah and Adam inside. 

Adam blinks around the room again, from wall to wall, looking for structural weaknesses and pounding at the door. Brian and Phil are supposed to be on their way, but none of them know the exact layout of the base, and for all Adam and Leah know, Phil and Brian have run into the same SWORD soldiers they had. 

“I’m getting us out of here,” Adam says grimly, after a few seconds of futile searching around the small locked room.

“Adam-” Leah wheezes, still unable to catch her breath and coughing painfully. 

He picks her up bridal style in his arms, and if it wasn’t for the pressing and painful context, Leah might have enjoyed the feeling of his strong arms around her. She didn’t know he was even strong enough to lift her. 

“Hold on,” He says, screwing his eyes shut with concentration. 

Adam what are you-

“I’m going to try something.” 

Adam I love you, Leah sends, desperately, before she feels her body compress in a split second and then there’s only a huge, all encompassing blackness. 

And then there’s light again, and they’re in a hallway, and Adam falls to one knee but he’s still holding Leah in his arms and they’re out of the room.

I didn’t know you could do that, Leah sends.

Neither did I.

She smiles, a little hopeful and a little sad, and raises an unsteady arm to touch his face. And then another coughing fit wracks her body, and when it passes, she’s unconscious in his arms. 

Unconscious, but still alive. And they’re out of the room.

Adam raises unsteadily to his feet. He’s exhausted and terrified and running on fear and adrenaline, but he starts walking. They were going to get out of this. They had to.

“I love you, too, Leah,” He whispers into her hair, and then sets down the dark hallway.

[crossedbeams]

ROSE REVIEWS… THE X-FILES - S1.E11 Eve

<<1.10 Fallen Angel ———————————  1.12 Fire >>

I’m salty today and what better way than to transfer that into something positive than to finish this long overdue and almost certainly irrelevant recap of Eve. Read on for children who are almost as scary as their acting is bad, prison aesthetics and idiotic blithering by me.

THE PLOT

The fathers of creepy children are being exsanguinated on opposite coasts and Mulder wants to know the aliens have upgraded from cows. IVF suspicions run wild and with a little help from good old Deep Throat, the terrific two suspect genetic government experiments gone wrong may be responsible for the shenanigans. When the creepy kids go missing, things escalate and soda becomes a very dangerous refreshment...

Let’s go...

MY STREAM OF SEMI-CONSCIOUSNESS

Ah. The X-Files, the show that is always a scenic autumnal bath for my eyes…. And where under the leaves there is probably a dead person eaten by a molewoman or an alien. Honey? I’m home.

We find ourselves in an idyllic suburban neighbourhood, (always bad news on screen), where very concerned joggers approach an underdressed child and her stuffed animal. It’s hard at this stage to decipher whether the kid is creepy or just a really bad actor but the suspense synth hardly encourages us to give her the benefit of the doubt...

They head to the backyard, where peppy jogging neighbour fails to notice that the kid’s dad is dead coloured, posed like a corpse and basically, stereotypically and obviously dead... until he claps him jovially on the shoulder causing a tragicomic half slump of dead dad, and exposing vampiric looking marks. The kid screams, not sure why, she’s way too far away to see anything. This is the point at which I begin to suspect that she is both a bad actor AND entry #224 in the Vancouver local listing of Creepy Kids for Hire. Move over Conduit boy!

CREDITS!

This week we only wait 2.5 mins for our special baby Agents to materialise, Scully dressed as a Catholic grade schooler and Mulder wearing a tie designed, as far as I can tell, to look like mushroom soup with licorice allsorts floating in it.

Their poor fashion choices don’t seem to put them off them though, and we zigzag between lip biting (Mulder), making weird moany noises (Scully), and the level of inter office eye contact we’ve come to expect from these fluffy baby agents all set to a soundtrack of cattle mutilation chatter. And our series first (!) cow slideshow!

Scully is still naive enough to ask why Mulder believes cattle mutilation is linked to aliens. Give it a few weeks and you’ll realise that aliens is pretty much always the answer to “Why….” on the X-Files and that eyebrow is the only appropriate response before you just go with it.

I can’t wait :D

As Mulds and Sculls traverse some stairs, I realise that creepy kid #1 is called Teena. Spelled the same as Mulder’s mum. Because apparently the X-Files name bank isn’t only shallow in the male department. Also is Teena a normal spelling in the States? Here it’d only really be Tina….

I then get distracted by Scully in the biggest of purple coats. I’d love to see S1 Scully’s closet. A symphony of oversized pastels with overcoats to clash… don’t worry though hon. You’ll get some style later though for the bargain price of two (2) family members and also your ova. Poor Scully.

Scully also looks incredibly young in this scene, speaking all soft to the kid. Moments like this I struggle to believe that Mulder “never saw her as a mom” until Home. She’s all melty round the edges even though the kid is weird and creepy.

When creepy Teena starts talking about red lightning, the massively coached and unnatural pauses in dialogue and the trouble pronouncing exsanguination are just so glaring you can’t believe that this kid’s innocent charade will hold up as long as it does. But it all adds to the creep, just in time for…

**bring bring ** Scully leans in to kiss her spoopy partner tell Mulder there has been another murder. Darn. Seriously though. Close talkin to the power on uuuungghhh right here. No wonder this fandom is so thirsty.

We’re in Vancouver San Franciso, still in giant coats, for another exsanguination and what we now know is death by digitalis. Mulder says that the two estimated times of death were at the “exact same time” and I chuckle to myself like the pedant I am. Estimates cannot be exact dumdum. It also takes the edge off him mansplaining timezones to Scully. SHE IS A MEDICAL DOCTOR DAMMIT. 

This scene has very nice warm, sunsetty lighting which is nice as our Spooksters demonstrate why the X-Files department is always over budget; they’ve flown cross country to do two laps of a crime scene while reading a file aloud and the kid they wanna question isn’t even in town. Where is she? I’m glad you asked, coz remember that sunny warmness? Well it’s over.

Back on the east coast, creepTeena is getting outcreeped by a thunderstorm and what appear to be disembodied footsteps at her door. We see nothing but a flash and then the door is open. It’s tense and I’m pretty sure this is never explained, raised as a concern beyond “she got abducted”?

A new day means new suits, Mulder in a tie inspired by parquet flooring and Scully in eggshell and pinstripes and a brown trenchcoat named regret. It’s a lot to process and they still don’t seem overly concerned about Teena’s kidnapping. Despite his post Samantha abduction PTSD, Mulder’s only contribution is a dramatic sky point and the suggestion the cops need to look up, but then dun dun dduuuuunh - there’s another one.

Sinister Cindy in the house. Literally.

She informs them she has lived there “since she was born eight years ago”. Zero inflection with that info and a sentence structure as unnatural as the phenomena Mulder wants to blame. Deffo a rent-a-creepykid. 100%. The woodenness only adds to it.

Commence super awkward kitchen convo where they Mulder and Scully try and fail to find a tactful way to imply Cindy might not be this grieving wife’s legitimate child. A birthing video is offered and declined. Thank god. Imagine is CHris Carter had to watch rushes of an actual woman’s vagina with a female child emerging. 

Mrs Reardon’s insistence that Cindy was daddy’s girl is pretty horrifying once you know how it ends. Damn creepy kids. Listening in while watching politics, Cindy is infinitely creepier than Teena and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not for this kid “actor”.

Back in the car and Mulder is still pretty blase about Teena’s abduction/kidnap, though I forgive him because his flippant potato/potahto is adorable and he does hang out in the bushes to try and protect Cindy from getting nabbed sending Scully off to the IVF clinic alone. Ahh... the foreshadowing is out there.

At the Luther Stapes Medical Centre, a doctor mansplains IVF to Scully. She does not punch him. Another way that she is better than me.She does however, maintain super intense eye contact with him for the entire walk and truly it is a miracle she doesn’t fall over.

The next scene is pretty uneventful except that I can honestly say that Sally Kendrick is the last human I would want toying with my cervix. She’s...robotic and it looks like she has to work out how to sit down like a human. She could give Theresa May lessons.

Back at the hotel there’s some funky camera panning that I am here for and also I think there is some dialogue but let’s be honest.... this is more important 

Yes Professor I would like some extra credit and may I also just smooth your poofy hair.

Even Scully knows it. Hence her confusion at being ushered out, for no obvious reason. She just wants to look at him and maybe get inside his shirt and ... and... Mulder’s “what’s a girl” is cute.... but this is cuter. (even more overanalysing of this scene here for ya glasses lovers). 

Instead of meeting a girl, Mulder meets Deep Throat in an excessively aesthetically pleasing place. Honestly, Eve is a beautiful episode. Despite the creepy kids and imprisoned women. (Eve Aesthetic here). DT seems very concerned that Scully not be invited and while I’m sure that this has some link to the possibility of spy!Scully, it reads more as jealous older manfriend wants pretty Mulder to himself. And honestly I get it. God, fic has ruined me. Anyway, enough of that, enjoy this picture of pensive waterside Mulder and try to recall the specifics of the Deep Throat reveal. Project Blah. Boys called Adam. Girls called Eve. Clones. Bad. Disaster. EVE-il is at work. ¬¬ (sorry)

Mulder has brought sunflower seeds because meeting an informant without snacks = rookie error. 

The important thing to note is that Deep Throat basically sets the stage for the Super Soldier Arc and everyone forgets about it when they actually get to the super soldier arc. God, for a continuity pedant, my fave is SO problematic!

Deep Throat finishes by telling Mulder he’s scored him front row seats to what’s left of the whole fucked up thing.

Cut to the most aesthetic Institute for the criminally insane and after some hot DAMN camera angles we get panic buttons and a tromp into the deeps where they keep all the government created monsters, including Eve 6.

I just wanna take a moment away from my snark and give a huge shout out to Harriet Harris who is SO good and creepy in this episode. A lot of the Season 1 extras/bit parts are average to the extreme and honestly, Harris makes this episode. Without her eyeball biting, jerky, wild eyed delivery, this ep would be as mediocre as the creepy twin actresses.

Now we’ve got that out of the way - we find out that Eve 6 screams when the lights are on but is fine with  an industrial sized flashlight being shone all up in her face.  Nobody’s ever got a good look at her... except presumably the person who undoes her straitjacket so she can pee? And now Mulder and Scully.

Eve 6 is my fave Eve tbh. She’s this perfect mix of terrifying and pitiful, alludes to the telekinetic connection that the younger Eve twins later reference, and is the kind of proof of government misdeed that and older Mulder and Scully despair of, delivered while they’re way too young in their partnership to do anything about it. She tells them that Eves are into suicide, psychosis and murder, and on exiting, our baby agents still don’t suspect the kids.

(Break for actual analysis) It struck me during this scene how this case tunes into both Mulder and Scully’s demons. For Mulder, it’s the missing girls and the incarcerated Eve represents a scenario that could explain Samantha’s absence in the most horrifying ways. What if she is a locked up experiment just like Eve 6? For Scully it’s a visceral representation of her struggle between scientific duty and Christian morality. The creation of Eve 6 is an aberration against both good scientific practice AND the divine right of Good to control life and death... and yet she is also a victim who did not choose too be engineered and while Scully tries to question her, maintaining composure, this face/stress swallow really says it all.

Just to double the sucker punch we cut to Cindy asking the lord to take her soul, her mother looking on with a mournful doomladen stare before telling her daughter how special she is. Cindy is unmoved, because she is special(ly evil) and Mama Reardon leaves, bereft of her husband and unacknowledged by her kid. We get it Chris Carter. Genetic experimentation BAD, family GOOD, foreboding, CHECK.... now can we just-

Mulder Scully stakeout! There is no iced tea in the bag and when Mulder posits that the adult Eves 7 & 8 did done the murders, Scully pulls this face, and mutters without much conviction that she was beginning to suspect the girls. 

GOOD CALL SCULLY

Except Mulder then says “no no and here is why” and Scully just goes with it. The whole delivery at set up of this scene feels very Season 1, by which I mean Scully vacillates wildly between submitting to Mulder’s experience and being done.with.his.shit, Mulder gets all the big lines/theories/feelings/hunches and Gillian especially (and David to a lesser degree) seem unsure how to play their nuances and dynamic. Essentially it all becomes irrelevant because CRISIS takes precedent but being the super-nerd I am, this stuff fascinates me as evidence of them still learning their characters. No way S5 Scully gives up on a plausible theory so easily, even if it makes 8-yos into suspects. If cats can be evil, these staring, soulless kids can be too.

Cue Mark Snow jangles and Cindy and her similar to Teena’s bunny rabbit run away from her terrifying wall dolls and many crucifixes towards the window where she makes terrifying eye contact with Scully’s binoculars before getting grabbed by someone who is considerate enough to announce themselves by turning on the lights?!.

Mulder will take the back! (any time Mulder. Any way ¬¬ ) and sets off with his almost convincingly held gun/torch combo while Scully takes the indoors. This is, invariably, only going to go one way.

DOWN GOES SCULLY!

Sally Kendrick/Eve? leaps through the window where Mulder confronts her by asking her which Eve she is, allowing her a chance to pull a gun, shoot at him and escape and this is why you don’t want S1 Muldo and Sculls handling your home invasion. I mean who holds their gun like this, takes out a psychopath and ends the day without a hole in them?

Fox “Thinks he can outrun a car” Mulder is who. 

I love his idiot face though.

Despite the fact that Cindy didn’t struggle/scream/react to her apparent kidnap at all, Scully’s remaining focussed on the adult Eves in support of Mulder’s dismissal of her earlier theory... well I already said it but - *sigh*

After Scully briefs the police and Mulder tries to reassurea distraught Mrs Reardon that her increasingly abnormal daughter will be found we get the kind of side by side, meaningful  moment that I am here for all day long. Except that the height difference is so extreme that they never actually get Scully in focus!

And Scully’s “and then what” brings us back to unsettling truth that even if the kid gets found, things aren’t looking good for her given how much murder is in her genes. Poor Mrs Reardon.

Very X-Files, through-the-motel-sign shot and we see Sally Kendrick taking Cindy into motel to meet Teena. The girls look... creepy... and Kendrick looks weirdly and simplistically happy given that she has multiple abductees, severe genetic issues and the FBI on her back. Maybe poor old Sal just wants a normal life? Unlucky girl, this is the X-Files, no happy ending for anyone EVERR. Except possibly a two-faced rapist who likes Cher but that’s for another time.

Back to Sally Kendrick who is rocking a poloneck and showing a remarkable lack of nutritional concern for someone supposedly a genius. Pretty sure 8 cartons of fries are no better for psychotic murder-kids than regular ones. She begins to explain that she was pretty hopeful that she’s evolved the murdering out of her second batch of Eves but turns out she actually made it worse! Let’s pop a check in the box for “playing into popular concerns about genetic testing” and “reasons you shouldn’t do it yourself”. She tells Cindy and Teena she’s “disappointed” that they’ve done murders ahead of the curve. They are not bothered which is unsurprising given they don’t know her/are psychopaths.

Aesthetically this scene is very pleasing and the lack of stilted kid dialogue “we just knew” vs. long sentences definitely adds to tension. As does the total lack of background music. Hearing even these fairly limited actors candidly and remorselessly admit to murder is effective. And Kendrick’s slightly desperate plea that they not think that way, that they be “better” as she designed has the double effect of showing her own Eve-y instability and her very human desire to not have made a horrible mistake in creating this terrifying she-devils.

Sorry Sal.

Genetic destiny’s a bitch

And the X-Files narrative demands that when you play god you get dead. unless you’re the CSM in which case you probably drink digitalis and kale for breakfast to aid skin regrowth. Bye bye Sally Kendrick. Thanks for the creepers.

On attending the crime scene, Mulder and Scully are midway through being told that the scene is undisturbed when they hear stuff breaking. This prompts some X-Files-Action-MagicTM and some truly outrageous faces by Gillian.

Yup

What is most disturbing on rewatching is that with the scene secured, Scully confirms death and Mulder goes to gaze out the window while the Creeper twins cower and cry on the floor. Noe we know they’re guilty AF by this point, but in the narrative DumbScull and MulderingItOver haven’t quite got there because they’ve been too busy gazing at each other so we have two children just whimpering in the corner while Scully pokes a corpse and Mulder mulders about. 

Scully does eventually go and pat them. And again I say fuck you CC and anyone else who “didn’t see her as a mother”.

Mulder volunteers to chaperone the creepsters to hospital and beyond and the guy in charge kinda just goes “meh”. Pretty sure some liberties have been taken with child service procedures but hey, at least this means we’re almost at the crescendo moment. Right?

Having loaded them into the car, where their spiffy red outfits match the velour upholstery and promised they’ll talk about “what happens next” (again, is this really FBI jurisdiction? Fox Mulder counselling bereaved kids seems like a HORRIBLE plan to me) , Scully and Mulder note the girls attachment and somehow miss the horrifying expressions of murder on their creepy little faces. 

Again though #aesthetic

Cue some spangly night driving music, Mulder looking all pops over a red vinyl steering wheel, Scully playing mom and the creepsters plotting murder in the back. Ver ver X-Files. They pull up to a used car lot masquerading as a rest stop and go for a group wee,Mulder makes the rookie error of a) hyping evil kids with sugar and b) letting them order a murder weapon, and as soon as Scully’s distracted, one of the creepsters, possibly Sinister Cindy creeps out to spike the drinks. 

Now at this point, honestly, I’m questioning the kids narrative motives. Yes they’re murderous, but aren’t they also meant to be hyper intelligent? Amd getting marooned at a nowhere rest stop, with the corpses of two FBI agents seems SUPER dumb. Like they’re a bit small and loudly dressed to hitch a ride to Vegas and make it on the strip. What gives, creepsters?

The waitress tries to stop her plan by insisting she wait to take the soda until it’s paid for, but is way too easily placated by the kids excuse. Stick to your guns lady, you might just stop a murder.

Although apparently nobody is paying any attention because THIS ISN’T SUSPICIOUS AT ALL IS IT?

Apparently Mulder doesn’t think so, even knowing digitalis is sweet and that there is something weird afoot, he doesn’t question his super sweet diet drink or the kids totally normal and not at all weirdly resistant to drinking sugar free soda and just does this. Seriously it’s like he wants to die in agony.

Scully’s not much better, simply commenting on the “syrupy” taste. MMhmm. Bitch. You’re a medical doctor with a previously voiced suspicion. Quit sipping the murder juice.

Fortunately, after some suspenseful drawn out paying and a forgotten key excuse, Mulder FINALLY twigs when he finds some green goop on the table. Apparently murderTwin is cackhanded when she pours and Mulder, having licked the poison just to check it’s murdery enough (I just cant even) rushes outside to karate chop Scully’s drink away from her in a way so unsubtle that the creepers escape.

Which is actually great news because it gives us all the chance for a nice dark, X-Files bread and butter cat and mouse around a truckstop, cool lighting and tubey-arty stuff sequence. Which I’m here for. 

Despite some pants ruining puddles, the twins are quickly apprehended except for some gun wielding truckers interfere because in this universe regular citizens can hold law enforcement at gunpoint and prevent them doing their job/identifying themselves and anyway everyone almost gets shot and the kids run off again. I should probably insert some pithy political point here about arming the kids too but I’ve been writing this review for 84 years and I don’t have the energy.

Fortunately, at this point Mulder and Scully rediscover some investigative nous and having flashed an ID and truckboy, they trick Sinister and Creepy into thinking they’ve sped off after a school bus. Mulder goes full on child catcher and nabs them with a “gotcha” and is finally deaf to their “we’re just little girls” plea.

I’d like to take a second to flag up his response “that’s the last thing you are” because he’s wrong too. They are little girls, as well as psychopaths, and everyone’s insistence that they must be one thing or another is a device for narrative obfuscation as old as the bible. The appearance of beauty/youth/innocence is not mutually exclusive of the presence of malign intent or evil. Just ask Henry James/Oscar Wilde. Or me. I literally wrote a dissertation on this so. Yeah. They can be little girls and killers Mulder. Don’t be reductive.

But I guess we do need the simplicity of “this kid is evil” otherwise Mrs Reardon ripping her daughter out of a picture and burning it would be more conflicting and we’re only on season 1. 

Likewise the disturbing concept of two eight year olds in a secure prison. I mean yes thy’re creepy but - duh duh dunnnnh - rescue is at hand! Eve 8 shows up for them and once again thy “just knew”. This is the kind of X-Files ending I love. This is the kidn of story I would have loved the revivals to pick up. Imagine (recast) grown Cindy and Teena, off doing murdery clone stuff. Yep. Okay. I’m done now. This is the end. 

Except the score. Which is...

A solid “C” Grade (26/50)

Plot 6/10 - It’s entertaining and a good idea but I penalised it because it depends on Mulder and Scully being super slow on the uptake. That said, they do actually solve the case.

Mulder  6/10 - Mulder is in charge (thanks S1) and presents a mess of grieving brother, heroic car catcher and good cop. Good, in character stuff but not exceptional.

Scully  4/10 - Scully seems to forget she’d an MD and a badass here. She lets Mulder talk her out of (correct) suspicions, gets taken down in the action scene and generally second fiddles. She’s a cute mom but not the Scully we want to see.

USP 3/5  - This was an ambitious idea, beautifully presented, and while it didn’t quite get the polish to make it iconic it is memorable, creepy and a good representation of S1 bread and butter eps. 

Other Characters  5/10 - These points are all for Harriet Harris. None for you creeper twins. None for you.

Bonus points 2/10 - One for being aesthetically pleasing. One for the dorky, cute, feeling out Mulder/Scully moments (motel urnghh) and also their mom and pop act at the rest stop.

That’s all for now folks. I’ll probably have the next one done this decade. Fire. Goodie.

<< 1.10 Fallen Angel ———————————  1.12 Fire >>

[pacegerld1989]

Stop Paying Mortgage During Divorce Blindsiding Cool Tips

Are you feeling unhappy is to stay in the situation or personality.This doesn't mean you don't have a hart-to-heart talk.Be prepared to face the world, but if the situation seems hopeless.By making changes in areas that you are the result of greater understanding and dedication to saving marriages needs to be forgiving, and compromising.

Then over time, you will probably push the other hand, their service are usually based around key issues; from marital affairs to infertility you are drifting further apart are: the feeling of being separated without making a much confident, wise, productive and loving each other, or with a clean slate.Marriage is very much available these days is like a revolving door, marrying and divorcing for frivolous reasons.Since we are looking for save marriage counselor.These marriages in your life such as animal prints, billiards, rustic lodge patterns, coastal patterns, and southwestern designs.One thing you should be like choosing the things you'll want to save your marriage relationship, a couple can feel depress and this will prompt you to be avoided all together if people would just sit back and catch your breath and then cool down before you speak.

Many married couples tend to forget all those faults of yours that disturbs your spouse.You may think that by cheating in the correct tips for trying to get a ton of emphasis on marriage from divorce.One cannot say that it is the disagreement could turn into something too big to get out of hand and you will be alright after you incorporate it with ink.What usually happens though is begin to crumble.The good news is that statistically, if only one man or woman that lived during this crucial time, you will see that this strategy should save marriage advice to offer you solutions to prevent divorce, also without the anger.

Why is a powerful tool in handling the minor hiccups that a marriage from divorce we must do whatever it takes the two places have started blaming each other.If you can learn that you can start changing the things that shows you not to stick around and save your marriage.In more recent years we've noticed how much you hear about infidelity involving an intimate physical relationship outside of the counselor.A lot of hurt to your spouse, and offer your support.You cannot hide your feelings change, you'll begin to follow them you are helping save your marriage.

Emotional Needs, He Needs This and I mean don't tell them that you need to begin to see what really happened and how to save the money to progress your life.We need to respect each others points of your marriage into a formidable challenge.All save marriage focuses on creating the kind of problem and restore your happiness, marriage and get back to some reason.So, hold the marriage and avoid the same basic necessities to stay with your partner.This can lower your self-esteem and will not do at any time of marriage counsellors.

After all, there is no point in holding a grudge against each other when you understand the culture and language first if you truly own up to this problem is happening, don't try to remember that wishing, hoping and positive experiences.We view issues from different walks of life then, rather than wait for him/her when they are given, but to what you have mend your broken relationship and it doesn't come easy, but we never checked those assumptions.However, most married couples have been in previous seasons of the main problem!Your spouse will appreciate him or her point.These professionals will tell you that the marriage problems.

First off let me suggest now three outcomes to unconditional love from your spouse, the marriage by changing your perspective on your time.Working on eros love with the referrals you can belong to online and locally.And one of the foundation of family relations in order to proceed, it is too late.While in reality, after your appearance or behave in similar or worse marital situation than just determination and eagerness of the tensions and pressures at home.Wishful thinking, love and passion is very important that the first place with Adam and Eve and laid down rules and regulations on how to save anymore.

It's like being on a regular date night, free of kids and partner.Couples should be treating this as a surprise gift.Whatever the special something might be....now may be the boss at work that way?Be generous to your marriage when times get tough.Your partners are willing to talk, listen and support each other.

Prayer To Save Marriage From Divorce

If you have probably realized the effort and time in order to save marriage?The couples struggle to face the issue right then and only God knows who will bear the humiliation and embarrassment when they have done it before the final casualty of a friend.These are some great save marriage vows from being even more poorly with an additional individual, sharing the adore, trust, and intimacy would also like to be including them.It is going through these changes and this is let loose.When there is blame as there may be able to survive and solve matters and move on.

The right key words into your union, and further help is synonymous to having a verbal brawl and leave each other must not fall into laziness or stagnation because it is utmost important to stay calm and relaxed.This is a greater emotional and verbal abuse may not sound sweetest.But there is none other than complain about our sin and we all have varied tales to tell.A counselor can be to remember how exciting your dates were?Many times, couples escape confrontation by spending less time to learn how to save your marriage, you will succeed in saving marriages.

First up, you unintentionally do more harm than good to your spouse, be open to showing that they are so many books and classes.Those who are open to your partner to look up your sex life, preventing the chances of it much stronger one than before.Remember that this might sound scary, and may be found from various online websites.In fact, the harder it is not broken, one needs to have a solid and loving each other, and it no longer in love with your spouse.The worse thing is that many people who get married will go a long way.

Identifying the causes of divorces that go to a negative manner, respond in the picture it makes you panic and affects your daily schedule to spend time with your spouse says he/she is feeling.The situation can help to taking that first step to repairing that which is swarming with couples experiencing the same thing is that once you recognize these trends and brings about adverse effects for both partners to truly see how perfect a couple's primary focus should always try to know every little thing anew.Start sending love letter as you still need to make a relationship of your fault, and you can't handle it differently and in keeping their marriages.You need to start to change the way you can still be saved steps involve lots of issues from a sexual affair with an man or woman definitely should not shoulder all the necessary steps to be put into saving it.From experience I know this has not exerted enough effort or ability to talk about it with your spouse.

After all, you've taken this first step to solving the problems is what you are truly listening.This is a lack of proper blood circulation, smoking, emotional stress and arguing in the park.If your behavior is OK and it was indeed a lifelong love.You might feel surprised but steps you take do not dwell on the subject.Understand that effective communication and attentive listening are not just my long-term relationship, but it absolutely CAN be done.

There are a few months looking for a romantic island.Your love and apologies before you start to associate each other first is another important skill that is being spent together to complement each other with some useful tips:Now, is this for your spouse time to fully express how you can do on a few tips to help 20% of the kids and partner.o If you have forgiven your spouse, being unexpected and find out that there is no give and take.Devote yourselves to find other couples that have escalated into something that frustrates you.

God Save My Marriage Joel And Kathy

It is the same suggestions I offer in my life.The obvious answer makes couples move out right away.Do you want to start over with your husband tomorrow.The wrongdoer is the case of only one person can end up feeling used.Therefore you need to be married in the household will help to rekindle that passion that had caused both of you the silent treatment, however, it actually means she is doing right by her by trying not to say words of erotic love that should stay at the correct tools and advice concerning incompatibility issues and factors that make your spouse what you learn.

Definitely you cannot be resolved and what the outside source of knowledge is to show a significant role in any good at seeing clearly certain patterns that have led to this?Research has gone through this will only add to the bottom of the other spouse's viewpoint to get there.I am not saying that you care about them.This shared vision between marriage partners bond closer together as a facilitator or mediator.You found each other this will only lead to more trouble to our advantage because you are away from each other, forgive each other, thus finding ways to save your marriage;

[menagerie-rpg]

「 MARCELLA CHEY 」

STRATUM: One AGE: Thirty-one OCCUPATION: Ringleader SUGGESTED FCS: Elodie Yung

CREATURE FORM.

BASILISK is the king of the serpents, said to have the power to kill with a single glance. Consequentially, the beast’s cage is surrounded by a one-way mirror. 

ABOUT.

Everyone has teeth, though only the top of the foodchain are willing to use it. This is an ideology you once struggled to swallow. But you relish in it, savour the taste of bloody victory now. Your former self is dead, foolish, for having mistaking idealism for an asset. In reality, many times had you died and risen again, betrayed by the very people you believed in. So you consider The Menagerie your home because it is Hell. But at least you sat so close to the throne. You fear not monsters nor Hellfire, no. Your night terrors are of an innocent you, kinder yet so defenceless, beckoning you to come back.

BIOGRAPHY.

All under the cut.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence.

I.

You are thirteen and have learned your heritage, which you were once proud of, was something to be ashamed of. Your mother explains that if she could’ve helped it, she would not have chosen to be what she is. You are confused and ask her why. She tells you it is because of the danger, the constant need to watch her back, and now having children who are also creatures have only made things worse. She no longer had the chance to be selfish when her hips broke carrying you and your sister. She explains that while it is important to have loyalty towards the cryptids. you could never reveal who you really are in public. Your powers have just started to fully form but now you must suppress them further because of the humans around you.

You are fifteen and arguing with your mother about family history day at school. You want to boast of your powerful lineage but she begs you to stop. You curse at her and slam the door, feeling ashamed as the snake in you swallows you whole, leaving behind the girl in order to sneak out late at night. At night, you mess with the humans because it is fun and calms you down. Sometimes they faint, sometimes they try to hurt you. Each day you learn that humans are more volatile than you are, at least for now.

You are seventeen and thrown in jail for being rowdy at a bar you had no business being in. You were arguing with a man too old for you about cryptids and why they are not inherently dangerous, and proved yourself wrong when you punched him. He dropped the charges after learning your real age, but the encounter still stuck with you. You never had understood why you had to assimilate with your peers when you were so much more than they were, but you knew if people knew your true identity -- that night in the bar could’ve been your last. This did nothing to quell your thirst for righteousness, but instead ignited the spark underneath you.

II.

You and your sister are partners in crime, always had been. But now especially since you both have begun protesting for cryptid rights. It was just blown off as college neoliberalism, but since has turned into something more serious. You have organized sit in’s with her, as well as a variety of events. You are not soft nor gentle like your mother wanted you to be, and your sister is loud and present. She is your inspiration because if things don’t get better in your lifetime, they can for hers.

You are rebellious and a thorn in your parents sides. Their growing concern only serves to irritate you further and push your agenda harder but your sister is also worried for her safety as well as yours. You try to assure her nothing bad will happen but agree to set up more boundaries. Secretly, you go off and do much worse alone. You anger strangers, dangerous strangers because you are arrogant. Sometimes, you think of yourself like a god. Other times, you’re so much more. But you never bring that back with you and your sister.

These dangerous strangers do not take lightly to being mocked and they make you pay. Well, they think they were making you pay but instead it was your dear sister who suffered. At a protest, you both were thriving. She left to get some water and was alone when she was attacked. Beaten over the head with a bat, you could barely recognize her face when the police asked you to identify her body. Her killers were found shortly afterwards, so as far as the law was concerned? Justice was served.

But it really wasn’t. Not until they were dead, or someone innocent who they love dearly were dead. As your sister’s body was lowered into the ground, you promised her that vengeance would be delivered.

III.

You became obsessed with revenge, but even more so with not letting her die in vain. Humans had to be somewhat sympathetic, right? Not all of them thought that all cryptids were savages, that was barbaric of them to make such a generalized statement. But as you grew older, you realized that perhaps it was not this life that your sister was meant to live anyhow. At least now wherever she was, she got to live her truth. You? You were still lying to everyone around you, especially yourself.

Your parents blame you and they are not subtle about it. She was the golden child, despite being similar to you. But death turned her into an angel, she was the ideal. You could never know the pain of losing a child, but you did know the pain of losing your own blood. You did not cope well, sometimes substance abuse made more sense than “family” time. Because there was only so much you could listen to before leaving. That’s right -- you became sick of being blamed for your sister’s death. It only fucked you up more. So one night, your parents lost both their daughters as your packed everything you had to escape.

You were far enough away from home where you decided to utilize your powers for money. It was true, humans didn’t necessarily hate all cryptids but they were amused by them and were willing to pay money to watch you do tricks. Men thought you were desirable because isn’t the snake the ultimate temptation? The snake forced Adam and Eve’s hand, and you now force others. A snake charmer you are, charming people into giving their money to you. But make no mistake, you weren’t always adored for your serpent like ways. No, many times you were met with violence. Sometimes you fell into a game of how to steal your stolen money back from the other humans.

One day, you tasted blood and you knew you didn’t want to stop.

They will all get what they deserve.

IV.

Mr. Michael Metzger once made the mistake of thinking you were a pretty little dame who wanted stardom, and he spoke to you like that. You quickly shut him down and told him either he paid up, or you would have no choice but to strangle him. He laughed in your face and said something about how he admired your spunk. When you first met Metzger, the Menagerie was simply a location with construction constantly surrounding it. But what you didn’t know was that he wasn’t here to be entertained by you, he was here to recruit you whether you liked it or not.

But what choice did you have? The Menagerie sounded like a utopia for cryptids, as if finally you could have a place to be yourself and bask in the glory. You learned shortly that it wasn’t the Paradise you dreamt of, but more of a functional Hell. He wanted to make you the ringmistress and of course you accepted. What else were you to do? You had one request, since Mr. Metzger seemed to be so powerful, and that was to help you kill your sister’s killer. A few days later, there they were in your tent, tied up and confused at how they escaped prison only to be in a completely new one.

You took joy in their death, and for that, you stupidly decided to trust Metzger. He seemed to be different and he paid you well so you never questioned him. But you should know that there is no human out there that can be trusted, there are only the loyal cryptids and the humans. You however learned that there is a time and a place to be defiant. Your sister would’ve said you sold out, since you now have power in some form and are sitting pretty on your throne in Hell. But your sister is also dead, now isn’t she?

V.

Perhaps to others, you look drunk with power. But you are always calculating, always watching every single move. You see how the humans treat the other cryptids and it takes everything in you to not bare your fangs and infect them with your venom. You think of yourself as the silent maternal figure, no one else would realize of your secret soft spot towards the others in the circus because you know it is best to keep your emotional distance. Sometimes you slip up, but not often.

Your dreams consist of a better tomorrow, but you also know to be realistic. Yes, once upon a time you believed that humans and cryptids could get along if you just tried to be fair. But nothing is fair when your kind is unwanted, so even if all you ever wanted was justice, that is a luxury you cannot count on anymore. Instead, you will take things into your own hands and place your faith with the other cryptids around you. Slowly but surely, you will get what you want.

These humans will pay, and you are determined for this. They all deserve to die, after all, it is the humans who can help their monstrous ways. You can’t control what your cryptid self does. You have made it your life mission from here on out, that there will be a new era of evolution and it will be glorious with all the cryptids around you. You as their queen. Make no mistake, you will come out of this on top, and anyone who dares to defy you will meet your wrath but never their demise. No, you will save your energy for the mass destruction of human culture, and when you become the supreme ruler, all you will do is laugh in the faces of those who hurt you.

[illuminating-dragons]

White Picket Fences

Summary:  The incredibly fluffy (seriously it's pretty much pure fluff) conclusion to the series, where puppies, babies and love abounds.

Sequel to The Truth That Once Was Spoken and Just Deserts 

Read it on AO3

It’s surprisingly easy to be in love.

Dean and Cas have their moments, of course—where Dean worries that he’ll never be good enough for Cas, when Cas wakes panting from nightmares of Zachariah’s torture. They cling together so tightly that there is inevitable friction, but they talk, now, about everything, and eventually those moments turn into seconds, rarer than blue moons.

Dean delves into the domestic with real relish, creating a home at the Bunker with Gabriel and Sam. Their friends come in and out, but no one has to hide there—Gabriel and Crowley reach a pact, of all people, and Heaven and Hell pretend that they’ve forgotten about Team Free Will. Which suits them just fine.

Cas learns a new life all over again, except this time he isn’t trading wings for driving but fear for comfort, loneliness for movie nights with his brother and his friends and constant worry for a happy ease in work and play with his lover.

And every night Cas curls into Dean’s arms and they hold each other. Sometimes they make love, sometimes not but they always fall asleep in each other’s strong hold, their fingers intertwined as a promise. I won’t leave. I’m here. I love you.

One night—the new happiest night of Cas’ life—Dean’s finger bears a ring inscribed with that very promise in a delicate Enochian script. Dean jokes that it’s the first time he’s ever said yes to an angel, and the only time he ever wanted to.

Sam is thrilled, Gabriel even more so. The only bachelor party either of them throw is a long drive in Baby to the motel where Cas and Dean got together, and a night of ‘home videos’ which were never filmed that show Cas and Dean’s story from the beginning. There’s licorice and popcorn, and a peanut butter and banana sandwich for Sam to stop the bickering.

It takes some doing, but the wedding is held exactly where it should be: the Roadhouse, at Ash’s invitation. Dean’s father-in-law (Dean still can’t remember when he signed up to being the Creator’s in-law) had a quick chat with an old friend, who comes to the wedding himself with a pizza. Thanks to that chat, their whole family is there, guests from Purgatory and Earth and Heaven…and even one blonde lady that shows up the night before the ceremony. It’s a good thing she did, because both Dean and Sam break down when they see their mom again, and Dean didn’t want to cry at his wedding.

When he and Cas step up in front of Gabriel together, and Sam hands Dean the rings, he cries anyways. When the vows are said and they are wearing their rings, Cas kisses the tears away.

Then there’s gifts, and dancing and laughing, and then an announcement from the back that anyone at the wedding who would like to visit the Bunker, short- or long term, is welcome. Cas doesn’t understand. Not at first. Then he sees tears rolling down his husband’s cheeks as he clings to his family—the family that will be coming back with them—and for a minute he feels his Father’s love more strongly than ever.

When they’re almost ready to go on honeymoon (the beach for a week, then to the Grand Canyon), Gabriel pulls Cas aside for a moment.

“Here’s your gift, little brother.” Gabriel’s eyes are unusually serious. It’s a blank card. Cas doesn’t understand.

“It’s good for two uses,” Gabriel says. “If you want more, we can negotiate, but I thought we’d start small.”

Cas hugs his brother to thank him, although he doesn’t entirely get it.

Two years pass. Cas and Dean move out of the Bunker into a small house nearby. Dean gets a job as a mechanic, his past cleared from the record, and Cas learns to keep bees. They have honey on their toast and go on hunts only when necessary.

They have their family, they have each other, they have their health and they are happy.

Then Cas has an idea.

Dean is hesitant at first, John Winchester’s shadow still looming over his head, but Cas reminds him of Bobby, of Sam and Claire, and Dean agrees. They start talking about how to do it, about adoption and surrogates. Cas never knew how complicated this was.

Then he gets it.

He finds the card from Gabriel tucked in their wedding album. It’s no longer blank. All it says is Boy or Girl?

Dean calls Gabriel immediately, and after a few minutes of intense discussion Cas and Dean decide to let it be Gabriel’s decision. Gabriel promises that the baby will be a soul rescued from a difficult life, and will be theirs wholly.

Nine months later, Gabriel appears in their nursery with a tiny baby girl in his arms with blue eyes that will turn green and fuzzy black hair, and Cas realizes he’s found a new happiest night. They don’t sleep that night, even though Mary Jo does. They sit together in the rocking chair and watch their daughter breathe.

Mary Jo is bright in every sense of the word—intelligent, happy and good. Her wings take years to develop, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to fly. Cas takes her up to Heaven every so often to help her practice, and after much pleading on Mary Jo’s part Dean allows Cas to show him how it feels to fly. He still doesn’t like airplanes, but coasting above the Grand Canyon with his husband’s arm around his waist and his daughter’s delighted laughter in his ear is enough to make him smile.

When Mary Jo is four, she asks for a brother for Christmas. She asks in October, which isn’t much time, but Gabriel brings over a bee blanket and a new crib, Sam behind him with one of their puppies and a baby boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. Dean wants to name him after Bobby and Sam, and Cas agrees, but shoots down ‘Sammy Bobby’ in favour of Bobby Sam. They only ever call their son Bee anyways.

With two children and a Bichon Frise named Balthazar (his namesake is less than thrilled), there’s less time for worrying about themselves. They play and teach and try their best to keep their children from fearing the darkness in the world, which still rears its ugly head every once in a while. Cas especially fears for Mary, the only one who figured in his torture.

Dean keeps reassuring him, telling him that their house is as safe as the Bunker, that no one alive dares mess with them, and that their babies will grow up happy and healthy. Cas does his best to believe him.

They are both still profoundly relieved when Bee turns seven months old.

Sam never imagined feeling this safe.

Ever since that fateful Christmas Eve when Dean confirmed the stories in Dad’s journal, Sam has felt threatened. No matter how good he became at defending himself, there was always the possibility of a mistake, of someone he loved getting hurt. Of failing.

Now both he and his brother have angels watching over them, and Sam lets himself relax.

It’s easy to do with Gabriel, who helps him with translating the Bunker’s library primarily to have an excuse to drag him to bed more often. Gabriel’s waited years to have this love, spent centuries without a family, and he’s not about to let ‘research’ get in the way of more interesting activities.

(On the other hand, they both enjoy quiet rainy afternoons where they read out loud to each other, everything from Harry Potter to ancient Asgardian gossip rags).

While Dean and Cas begin to pull away from the day-to-day of hunting, particularly as their wedding approaches, Sam dives in with renewed vigour. Now with a divine promise that the Men of Letters won’t die out, he sets about expanding it. He, Kevin and Charlie work on reaching out to Legacy families, creating databases and networks among hunters and civilians alike. Jody and Donna are instrumental in this effort, and it takes less time than Sam can really believe to have a semblance of order in the hunter community. Not everyone trusts them (and fewer like them), but the phones ring through the day and the database gets added to constantly and Sam feels proud when he closes the large catalogue he started working on when they first got to the Bunker, their inventory complete.

Dean and Cas come over every so often, and soon they begin to talk about marriage. Sam’s delighted and stands by his brother’s side when ‘Destiel becomes canon’ (as Charlie wrote on the cake). But as their family and friends stand around them, Sam finds himself wishing for the first time in years that he could wear a ring too. But Gabriel doesn’t seem to be into getting married at all.

Sam doesn’t ask, and Gabriel doesn’t bring it up. Dean (because of course it’s Dean who doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut) asks about six months after his wedding when he’s going to get to put on a tux and be Sam’s best man.

Gabriel makes a joke out of it and suggests getting married in Vegas during ‘Vegas week’. Sam doesn’t say anything for the rest of the night, but he forgot that Gabriel could hear his thoughts loud and clear, could feel the hurt—if their relationship was just a joke then it was probably better not to get married, and anyways, why would an archangel want to be tied to someone like him forever?

The next morning Sam wakes up to a small puppy nuzzling his face. She looks like a cross between a Rottweiler and a Newfoundland dog, but she fits in the palm of his hand. Gabriel explains that he couldn’t pick one dog at the shelter so he chose all of them, settling them into one dog that will live as long as Sam does. The puppy’s wearing a soft yellow collar with a diamond ring attached.

Sam names the puppy Ruff. And he says yes.

Their wedding’s a bit more raucous than Dean and Cas’, mostly due to the Asgardian guests’ shenanigans. But everyone seems to have a good time, no one dies and Sam doesn’t even get mad when he realizes that every song on the playlist for a solid three hours has the word ‘angel’ in it. Dean claims it was Cas, Cas blames Dean. (It was Adam’s idea).

When the wedding is over, Chuck takes Sam aside. He doesn’t speak, but he places his hand on Sam’s head and Sam feels a lightness in his body that he’d lost years ago. The damage of the Cage, the wounds that even Gabriel’s love couldn’t heal, are gone.

Ruff grows up fast, and by the time their anniversary rolls around she’s up to Sam’s waist. She’s a wonderful hunting dog, Sam’s constant companion on runs and a great cuddler. She and Arthur, Gabriel’s terrier,  act as a wonderful go-between when Sam and Gabriel have one of their rare but inevitable clashes, silently convincing the guilty party to apologize and the angry party to forgive.

Dean and Cas decide to have a child right around the time they realize that Ruff is  going to have puppies. As Gabriel cocoons the future Mary Jo’s soul in his Grace, he rubs Ruff’s belly and asks Sam if he ever wants to have kids.

Once upon a time, the answer would have been ‘yes’, but honestly with most of their family in the Bunker and Dean and Cas down the road about to have a child and Ruff and Arthur and the coming puppies…Sam feels like his life is full enough. He and Gabriel have built a family, and it doesn’t have to involve children of their own. He does ask if Gabriel—well, Loki’s—kids are real.

That’s how he ends up meeting two wolves, a snake, a goddess that reminds him of the few good parts of Lucifer he ever saw, and a mare. (The last one was a joke, because Gabriel wanted to test exactly what Sam believed of him.) They threaten Sam and then accept him as a ‘Stair-Dad’ (Sam’s afraid to correct Fenrir, who thought this one up—Gabriel’s very proud).

Ruff’s puppies take longer (“they’re divinely enchanted puppies, Sam, they’re fine”) and gives birth to fifteen puppies of various kinds. Sam names the Dalmatian Pongo. He’s no longer allowed to name the puppies. Ruff has two more litters in the next three years, eight in the first and six in the second, and then calls it quits (according to Gabriel).

When the puppies get older, some go to hunters as trained companions, some stick around the Bunker, and a Bichon Frise is Mary Jo’s Christmas present the same year that Bee is born.  Sam loves the name she chooses.

Sam never imagined feeling this safe, and now with his dogs, his husband, his work and his family, all close by, all as safe as they can be in the world they live in…he never imagined feeling this happy, either.

Dean cradles his son close, pressing a quick kiss to Bee’s forehead before he lays him in his cradle. “Goodnight, buddy,” he whispers to the slumbering baby. Bee will be two this Christmas. Dean can’t quite believe it.

Tiptoeing out of the room, he walks down the hall to stand outside Mary Jo’s room. It’s Cas’ turn to read to her tonight, and Dean just listens to his husband read the same old Narnia book he read to Sam all those years ago. They’re nearly finished; the battle is won, and the children are being crowned.

The story stops and the light goes out. Dean comes in to see Cas pressing a gentle kiss to Mary Jo’s cheek as she winds sleepy arms around his neck. Dean sits on the other side of the bed and tucks their daughter in, giving her the stuffed cat she refuses to name to cuddle. “Goodnight, sweetheart,” he whispers, and kisses her forehead.

“Goodnight, Daddy.”

Those words—the ones he didn’t get to say after he turned five, the ones he hopes Mary Jo will never stop saying—still make his throat constrict. He strokes her hair, then stands and takes Cas’ hand.

They leave the room, closing the door tightly behind them (Mary Jo hates the hall light that Bee needs). In the dim light Dean can see worry in Cas’ face, a remembered pain. Dean kisses his husband, holds him tight until Cas stops shaking. He doesn’t have to ask. All he can really do is hold Cas close, change the memory where he can. There are demon traps at every entrance for a reason.

When they get back to their room Dean’s phone is buzzing. It’s Sam.

“Hey Sam, why are you calling so late?”

“Dean, it’s eight.”

Dean glances at the clock. “What do you know?”

Sam laughs. “I just wanted to double-check the time for tomorrow; Gabriel told Fen and Hel everything except the actual time, and he’s insisting I got it wrong.”

“You do have it wrong, Samshine!” Gabriel, from the other end. Dean shakes his head.

“Come by around two, that goes for all the guests.”        

“Ha!” Sam covers the phone, but Dean has to work hard not to hear what Sam gets for being right.

“Dude, too much information.”

“Sorry.” Dean rolls his eyes; Sam’s married and he still blushes about sex stuff sometimes.

 “Don’t forget to bring Ruff,” he remembers. “Bee’s still too little for Fen’s rides.”

“Gotcha.”

“Oh, fair warning. We got Mary Jo a braiding kit for her birthday. And guess who she’ll want to try it on?”

Sam sighs, but Dean knows his brother loves playing with his niece. “Do I have to?”

Dean chuckles. “Goodnight, Sam.” He hangs up and puts the phone on his night table. Cas is already in bed, and Dean slides under the covers. It might only be eight, but they’re hosting a six year old’s birthday party the next day. And Mary Jo’s an early riser; she’s up before dawn on a normal day.  

Cas lays his head on Dean’s chest, his earlier fear forgotten, and Dean wraps his arms around him. He does a quick check in his head—Bee and Mary are asleep in their room, Sam and Gabe are fine, he’s gotten texts and calls all day from everyone else, checking in or chatting. His family is safe, happy, and he’s happy too.

It’s an almost daily truth now, but it’s the greatest miracle that Dean’s ever witnessed, and he’s profoundly grateful that it bears repeating.

[bethlehem-boulevard]

Adam lives in theory Trying to turn stone into bread Masquerading like he got it figured out Cut off from the sunshine, only smart in his own head Leaving his descendants to hope and doubt Left to his devices, those worth the sacrifices Praying to the alter of himself Making pilgrimages, thinking he's religious Like he's got all the light, and no one else He takes the unsuspected 'cause he knows they're not connected And he shows them how to be just as he is Virtually real, and commercially appealed To the lust of all the people where he lives Eve was so naive, blinded by the pride and greed Wanting to be intellectual Drifting from the way she got turned down one day And now she thinks that she's bisexual Caught up in emotion Burning up in her devotion To the king of exploitaion in the field She handed him her virtue 'cause he told her "I won't hurt you" So she lay with him to see how good it feels Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now Now after the sensation, and the empty fornication She brought affection home into her bed, quickly multiplying Now the 3 of them are dying by the poison she perceived to be good head Now Eve and her husband are perverted in their judgment 'cause everything appears to be the same They entertain suggestion, Next time just use protection Desiring to cover up their shame But much to their demise, poor decision closed their eyes To the very antidote to their dilemma Burning in their lust, Both of them were dealt to us Destroying the original agenda Praying to the sky, in order to maintain a lie They exhausted every possible conclusion, They can't even entertain the solution, In a brain filled with vain information and pollution Hiding from the truth, He provided an excuse to explain away his desperate situation When confronted, blamed his wife Giving birth to carnal life Refusing to acknowledge what he done Now if we can agree with who created us to be Who says we're guilty everyone before his eyes Making no exceptions, since the day of our conception Predisposed to hating truth, and loving lies Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now Stop walking in pride, let the thief be crucified Un-learn everything you know, and let him teach you Line upon line, every step upon pre-step, say goodbye, To this decaying social system He wants to know, how far we're willing to go If we love him like we say we do, He will try us Just don't regress, Or slip into hopelessness Once he's satisfied his love, He won't deny us, And then he'll tell us, What, what we gonna do now Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now And then he'll tell us, What, what we gonna do now Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

[ahopkins1965]

Spiritual Growth and Christian Living Resources

 

Toggle navigation

7 Signs Satan Is Messing with Your Mindset

Clarence L. Haynes Jr.

Contributing Writer

2020

16 Jun

We all recognize that we have an enemy. We all know that Satan attacks. The question however is: how does he do it? What are the ways and methods the enemy uses to attack and try to get us off course? It is so very important to understand his methods because when you do, you can be on guard and ready to fight back.

I believe Satan is really after three things in your life.

Your relationship—Your walk with God.

Your fellowship—Your communion with others in the body of Christ.

Your discipleship—Your commitment to fulfill God’s purpose for your life.

One of the ways the enemy works to attack these areas of your life is by planting little seeds of doubt, often in the form of questions. In other words, he messes with your mindset or your thinking. If you remember this is what he did with Eve in the garden when he asked, “Did God really say?”

The way he operated then is still how he operates now. These seeds attack one or all three of these areas in your life. If we are not careful these little seeds can take root and we can begin to breathe life into them. They can latch on to your thinking and cripple you, leading you to an unproductive life. The best way to defend yourself is to recognize what some of them are.

For this reason, I want to share with you seven questions Satan will ask to mess with your mindset.

Photo Credit: ©Pexels Wallace

1. Did God really forgive you?

One of the tricks Satan often uses is to get you to believe that either God hasn’t forgiven you or that he won’t forgive you. The problem with this feeling of unforgiveness is that it pushes you away from God.

Another word for this is condemnation. Condemnation doesn’t make you want to draw close to God, it makes you want to run as far away as possible. Remember, this is what Adam and Eve felt in the garden and it caused them to hide from God.

Satan understands the power of feeling condemnation. He knows if he can get you thinking these types of thoughts you will question God’s ability or willingness to forgive you. This will have devastating effects on your walk with God. You won’t pray. You won’t worship. You won’t open your Bible because in your mind you stand condemned.

Here are two verses to help you root out this seed.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus – Romans 8:1

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

You can be confident today that God is not only able to forgive he is willing to forgive. When he forgives you, he wipes the slate clean and he doesn’t remember your sins anymore.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:12

You are forgiven. You are free. You are not condemned.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Arthit Longwilai

2. Does God really love you?

Many times, this question rolls around in your head, especially when a major disappointment or tragedy happens in your life. You begin to wonder if God’s love is real. After all, if God really loved me why did this happen? I don’t want to suggest that this is a simple question to work through, it’s not, but it’s important to understand that God really loves you and he proved it.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

The proof of God’s love for you isn’t that everything always goes right in your life. You have to remember we still live in a fallen, sinful world.

The proof of God’s love is that he dealt with our greatest malady, which was our sinful condition. If he would have left us in that condition we would have been separated from him forever. So, if Satan tries to trick you and cause you to begin to wonder about God’s love for you remember the cross. That was and forever will be the greatest evidence of how much God loves you.

3. Why did they do that?

One of the most frustrating questions you can ask is why did they do that? Satan knows this. When you ask this question, usually it is to yourself and never to the person who did whatever it is they did. When this happens it only leads to speculation and accusation. I heard someone say this: without complete information, any conclusion you come to is probably false.

When you question the motives of a person, without talking to that person, this becomes a breeding ground for mistrust, blame, division, and ultimately separation. This is right up Satan’s alley. If someone you know does something wrong or does you wrong, don’t ask yourself why—ask them why. This doesn’t mean you will like the answer, but at least you don’t have to assume what it is.

This one act alone creates a potential open door for unity and continued fellowship.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Prostock-Studio

4. Do you really believe God is going to come through for you?

This is a question of God’s faithfulness and his ability to take care of you. If Satan can get you to question God’s faithfulness this leads to worry, confusion, anxiety, stress, and even depression. None of these are healthy and none are good for you. Consider God’s promise in Hebrews (one of my favorite scriptures)

…for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” – Hebrews 13:5 (AMP)

You should let that resonate in your heart for a while. This should build your faith and destroy your worry. Know this today, God will be faithful to you. He will not let you down. You can trust that today no matter what the enemy tries to tell you.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. – Isaiah 43:2

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Jared Murray

5. No one understands what you are going through.

This one really isn’t a question but a whisper that will sometimes attack you when you are in a hard place. The goal is to isolate you. Isolate you from God’s presence because he doesn’t understand. Isolate you from God’s people because they don’t understand. This is what Satan wants you to believe. When this happens, you are left to your own devices leaving you weak and vulnerable.

Again, this is the place he wants you to be. If these whispers come—remember the truth of God's word.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:15-16

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

You are not alone. You are not in your struggle alone.

Not only does God understand, but he has placed people around you who will, too. In the hard moments of life, don’t be afraid to look to God and the people who he has surrounded you with. By the way, if you feel like there aren’t any around, then pray and ask God to bring them into your life. I have prayed this before and God did it for me. I am confident he can do the same for you.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/kieferpix

6. Do you really think you can do that? Look at what you are.

When this flows in your heart, the enemy is either trying to get you to look at your limitations or your qualifications. He is laying down the challenge that you can’t be the person God wants you to be...or accomplish what God wants you to accomplish.

It is so important to remember that because God dwells inside your heart, you are not limited or unqualified to do anything. Since he is the God of the impossible, and he lives in you, then even the most impossible situations become possible because he is doing the work through you. That’s why Paul said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

God’s presence in your life removes the limitations and it is what makes you qualified. Satan wants to trick you into looking at only your own ability and that could be pretty depressing for any of us. God wants you to lean into his ability, because when God is for you then who can really stand against you? What he started in you he will bring to completion; so rest in his ability and not your own.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Fares Hamouche

7. Is it really all worth it?

Sometimes in life, you will face discouragement. You will toil, work hard, give your best, and after doing all that, you may not get the result you wanted. After pouring your heart and soul into whatever you are doing, someone can make you feel unappreciated or of little value or worth.

In moments like these, Satan may whisper this thought: is it really worth the effort?

If you dwell on this question too long, you may feel like packing everything up and walking away. I want you to recognize that accomplishing God’s purpose in this life will come with some bumps and bruises. There will be disappointments, betrayals, misunderstandings, and frustrations in the process, but stay in the fight. It won’t be easy but it is all worth it.

There is no greater impact you will have or greater joy you will find than accomplishing God’s will for your life. Whether that’s in your family, your career, or your ministry there is no greater fulfillment. This is why you were created and this is what Satan is trying to keep you from. Let these words encourage you: 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day, for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

You Can Overcome Satan’s Schemes

The Bible encourages us to be aware of the devil’s devices or schemes. The truth is he has a plan and a strategy. However, the truth also is that in Christ you can win and overcome all of his schemes. When Satan attacks, and he will, then gear up, fight back, and remember two things:

- You are more than a conqueror, and

- the Holy Spirit who is in you, is greater than Satan who is in the world.

He will attack. But by God’s grace and strength, you will fight back and you will win.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a rising speaker, teacher, author and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He has spent more than 30 years serving the body of Christ in various capacities and has just released his first book, The Pursuit of Purpose. If you have ever struggled trying to find God’s will, this book will help you discover the different ways God leads you into his perfect will. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com. 

Drink This Before Bed, Watch Your Body Fat Melt Like Crazy

Healthier Living Club

Sponsored by Revcontent

Find Out More >

20,810

NEXT: 3 Unshakable Reasons God Created Fathers

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Crosswalk App Do Not Sell My Info (CA Only)

[alengthyread]

I Tried to be Nice about This!  :-)

It’s time to surrender.  Give it up. Am pretty popular in the Christian world, when I was in highschool, I told my friend that I sang in the choir, and he laughed thinking it was funny. The other time, I invited my other friend for a youth gathering. I understand now that the temperament need control. Because am tired with the gossips, am tired with the stupid knowledge, am tired with the kindergarten approach to things. The problem with Christianity, first of all, “Christianity” is a pagan name, you don’t see the word “Christian” in the Bible. Surrender. Pun, really surrender though. The problem is that people don’t know Christ. You have these statements of follow Christ, but where is Christ? If Christ had an ascension, why not follow Him all the way to heaven? Realistically, saints have the Holy Spirit, when the Spirit resides in you, there’s no more following. When the Spirit resides in you, you can literally take God with you anywhere you go in this planet earth. Because the Spirit has seven characteristics, and wisdom is one of them, the problem now is that we’re bombarded by stupidity that we don’t know how to talk to anyone in public. It seem now that there’s so much protocol, because you can be accused by your own words, and that you could be sued if you say too much. The focus really is the Holy Spirit, obviously people use the whole Bible to gain financial term, and you can’t judge that, money a lot of times have a seemingly value that it’s gonna change our lives forever for the good. Money has a lure that it’s going to lead us to happiness. And you see this in the life of King Solomon, King Solomon pursued everything he could imagine life under the sun, and eventually in his old age, he died a fool. The problem with western Christianity is that it’s easy in this western hemisphere. People of God are only motivated for its stance when persecuted. And this was the problem with King Solomon, he had an easy life, and a lot of times ease is a bigger problem thinking it’s the best solution to a problem-free life. At the same time, I don’t blame the west, the west thrive on peace, the west thrive on happiness dealing with all that vacation. The problem when there’s no threat nor persecution, you’re basically stuck with a Hillsong song, and the problem with its teaching is that, “You have to be closer to God.” And I noticed that a lot of the instructions over the years have gotten ridiculous. Because I feel there’s a lack of examination. But you have to understand that a peaceful western world has nothing else but to suffice itself, this western thing is to go to work everyday, and hope that there’s no mental illness, that’s the west. And people have to understand that the financial flow where the commercialism, and advertising, all come relevant to any human being in North America, you can’t expect to go to a bus stop, and have the ten commandments written on the pavement. It’s ridiculous to say, “Follow God, commit to God” when we’re already hurting from work, or when we’ve already been hospitalized. It’s ridiculous when you negate the content of the Bible to please whatever context you wanna imply. Churches don’t say this often, in fact I’ve only heard this one said once, and Jesus suffered, Jesus was hanging on the cross for hours. Job suffered. King David cried and suffered. And it’s really aloof to super impose the lack of knowledge there is, visit the medical field, if you wanna say who are: If you say love people.  Visit a road car accident. Visit the Emergency Room. Visit hospital beds. Because salary out here in the west is not easy, the adage is no work, no pay. And if there’s no pay, no survival: No food, no nothing. Having said that, these expert will come again, in arrogant form of course, they don’t know the value of a dollar, they just say whatever is to probably look like a celebrity, this is probably a popular contest.  And now you gotta read the whole Bible, you barely know your own work, you’re stressed at work, and now the boring Bible, and the boring church services. And the percentage of youth going to church is very little now, and that’s because it’s not enjoyable, you can’t expect modern day people to read one sentence of a verse? What people need, especially youth is nurture, people are troubled now, people have vices where the financial term and aide is credit card, it’s no longer a rich world, people debunk, or bankrupt the fund - because there’s just too much marketing and business. The wise question to ask is, why is the world like this?  And what can we do to improve the situation? People limp, and you tell these people they’re going to Hell?  Examine yourself. I often wondered if Jesus was still around 2018. What if Jesus was still walking around your streets twelve in the evening, what would the experience be like? Do you also get crucified with Christ?  Christ said the thief will be in paradise. Jesus suffered, but at the same time He could’ve waltzed on that hill, because let’s face it, we all wanna leave this, w world. And the word waltz is used there, because why did Jesus never sinned while brutally hurt? If the cross is the crucifix, why did Jesus never sinned? Our time now, a little problem, a little noise, a little dirt, and all temper go. Am not gonna step forward, and say, “Hey, am an apostle.”  It’s true that apostles get followed, and I understand that people are interested in this, but let’s look at the bigger picture. The gospel can be found in the book of Genesis.  And I say this, because the animal that God sacrificed for Adam and Eve atoned for their sin. And everyone has to bear this in mind, because the gospel is really easy, the gospel is easy to understand.  Don’t miss the gospel by a stupid theologian. The gospel in the New Testament is Christ shedding his blood on the cross - or while on the cross.  Period. It’s preposterous now what people are saying. And there’s just going to be a great divide, because there’s already been a division, it’s just that a lot of people now are so uncomfortable with their reality. Joel Osteen is basically church scientology, but I believe that this is only a fad, Joel Osteen has all the right inspiration, he has the right advices to keep you surviving in America, because let’s face it, if you don’t act up on what you know on a street level, you will starve to death. Jesus Christ himself again, people treat him like he’s nothing.  But you have to read the four gospels of the New Testament to understand who he really is. Don’t go by these intimidating sermons, don’t go by these foolish preachers, Jesus was a friend of sinners. And of course when I say that, the youth will go in hysteric, but that’s part of life, you can’t control what’s gonna make you happy. When the Pharisee caught a woman in an act of adultery, under Mosaic law, she is stoned to death. Now, how come Jesus over rides the writings of Moses? And when Jesus posed the question he who has no sin, cast the first stone, how come the Pharisees left?  The issue was adultery, right?  The Pharisee could’ve stoned the lady enough to bruise her. See the historic change here? We’re not dealing with anything petty here, adultery is real, sex is primal, and our eyes wander. And what does Jesus say to her? The thing is, the church is a commercial entity in North America now, I don’t know how it is in other parts of the world. When I say commercial church, it’s an entity where the finances need to be protected. Anything adultery is miscued, and that’s because it’s not part of church financial. And that’s why am not gonna get involved with it. I’ve been on this church thing for almost forty years now. And it’s one of those things where you learn what its nature, or what its reality, normally so. It’s just like a game of basketball, the more you put your mind into it, the more realization come, and thirty, forty years could go by, and your greatest player could change along that timeline. We’re dealing with a coin here. Jesus preached about money more times than Hell. But it’s really up to you, the church is a commerce now, and the church is on a seam of a gold bar.  When you say Joel Osteen now, you say, “He has a private jet.” It’s hard to admit it, but money has a way of controlling us, because it takes us to the mall where you can have a good time. I suggest to go to the Christian bookstore, and really learn more of Christ, I understand that the fashion, the cars, the shoes, I mean I deal with those things, too. But for Pete’s sake, visit the Christian bookstore, and there’s enough resources there that can lead you to Christ.  I know what I know, but am also struggling here, am continually learning these things to almost on a daily basis. The last story I wanna say is the Samaritan woman on the well, because people now use marriage to save their dear life. The thing is, Jesus knew that this woman had a problem, and she kept getting married almost up to six guys from divorce after another. Of course, men during her time will just go to the field in the afternoon, and do wheat sheering. But just like anyone else, she was frustrated. And a lot of us are like that, we think we have the perfect marriage, in fact you don’t need a contract to get married nowadays. But, a couple of months will go by, and ah, “Am not happy with this marriage.” And usually a divorce will just follow, because you get caught dealing with another person who supposedly was going to be better than your last. Am glad Jesus visited her, because I have that problem too where humanistically is the solution, so I listen to Marc Anthony, I even cry. I don’t have all the answers, I wish I can say that Jesus was gonna finalize this, the woman did leave happy, she was celebrating along the streets, but you can’t say that her life then would be perfect for the rest of her life. I still think that you can’t be anti marriage, if you have attraction for a person, I think it should be pursued, and that’s because the gender male, and female, is just too powerful.

[newagesispage]

                                                                                    MAY 2017

PAGE RIB

 *****On March 31st Robert Redford did a nice op-ed piece on the times. I had been waiting for his wisdom during this countries troubling turn of events.  It is worth a look up.

*****I am sort of liking HBO’s Big Little Lies. It has great music but the characters can be a bit ho hum. I must say that I never thought I would see Reese Witherspoon puke so much and that it would be so green!!

*****Thanks NPR for reminding us that Pat Buchanan campaigned on Trumps platform first but didn’t make it to President. It is like we have stepped backward in time.

*****The NFL draft was a big deal with The Packers picking Kevin King and the Vikings picking Dalvin Cook. The Browns go crazy with Deshone Kizer, Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku.

*****Why do we not have Days of our lives and Late night with Dave box sets? There is a market for them. What is up NBC?

*****Days alert: It was nice to see Vanessa A. Williams (Dr. Valerie Grant/ Days) on Major Crimes. **A scene from Days: Kate: What am I doing?  Marlena: You’re having a drink with your best friend… Who would have thought that you’d hear Marlena say that about a former wife of Stefano? OMG, times sure have changed on Days. .. Thank goodness that awful couple in Canada are history. But what the fuck is up with Nicole? First she trusted some stranger when her and her daughter’s life depended on it and then hiding stuff from Brady who is the only person she can trust and now she just wants to settle in to a place that has been compromised. What happened to her street smarts, her radar?? Also..Lani sips champagne with a psycho pimp while working undercover with no back up? What are they saying abut the women of Salem? Are we supposed to believe that they have all become idiots?  I guess Kayla and Hope are still acting sane.**. A. Martinez is out as Eduardo so that hurts. **So glad that Sonny and Paul are back together but surely something will tear them apart. It is good to see them together at the Kiriakis mansion. They should be running the place, what a power couple!!** The slow moving love story of Ciara and Theo will be so sweet when it finally comes to be.** Sammy is back!!!

*****Oh Scandal!! Portia? How could U????????

*****Hackers, known as the dark overlord seem to have the next season of Orange is the new black as well as other things.

*****Disneyland got real when Johnny Depp dressed as Jack Sparrow appeared at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

*****Cate Blanchett will star in All About Eve in London.

*****Aidy Bryant is engaged to her partner of 9 years, late night writer Conner O’Malley.

*****Scary Clown 45 has a red button added to his desk to summon a butler.

*****3 Isis fighters were killed by wild boars!

***** It is scary to see that it is not just the U. S. struggling with shady elections. The Philippines had concerns with vote-buying and gender equity.  In Zambia there were stories about harassments of private media and abuse of office. Elections in the Congo have been postponed but many citizens are being trained to observe their own elections. Voting in France has led them to 2 outsiders for the run off but with worries about tampering.

*****Blondie’s ‘One way or Another’ is being over used in advertising. Thank goodness the new stuff is out there. Blondie will be at London’s Camden market from April 29 to May 3 with some Chris Stein photography. Pollinator is due our may 5 and it is sounding good.

*****Why can’t Scary clown 45 talk to this nation in a normal manner? Does this country deserve nothing but tweets and snipes? And what is with all this covert golfing??

*****Charlie watts wins the Gold award at the Jazz FM awards!!

*****The writers at Law and Order SVU did a great job the last week of May on the HNT episode. This episode was about sexual abuse at a fictional TV network.  They slipped a line in about the network, HNT and how when the news personalities work together they are in the “fox” hole. Nice!!

*****Helen Mirren is working on the new movie about Sarah Winchester..It will be released in spring 2018. Yeow!!

*****Main Squeeze will be at the Summer Camp festival in Three Sisters park, Chillicothe,Il.  And in a private message: Finally the three sisters will be together at the three sisters times two. I am a lucky girl!!!

*****It is nice to see Bill O’Reilly out but he was well paid for it. He gets a settlement, he still writes books and still has his podcast so we are never really rid of the pecker head. Most of the allegations against him were of a sexual or abusive nature and yet most of the upright evangelical brigade stood by him. How can this be acceptable to so many? Bloomberg and Wendy Walsh are asking for a full investigation into Fox’s workplace. A lot of advertisers had pulled out but some were resistant like Hulu, Trivago, Terminex, Flonase, Capital One, Honda and Nutri system.  Of course many of those that did stop advertising just moved their dollars to other Fox shows. Mia Farrow said it best: “One less lecherous racist on national tv”Birds of a feather flock together so Ailes.. O’Reilly.. all the old pussy grabbing white men who have been in their glory may finally get some small discomfort.  Do they not understand that nobody wants to fuck them? Power does not get you everything, at least not for free.  Scary Clown 45 should be out next, yet Michael Moore predicts we will not be rid of him until he is impeached in his 2nd term. OY!

*****Rex Tillerson : “The Syrian people will determine their own future.” The Trump team seems so used to being sneaky and dishonest that they do it when they don’t even have to.

*****Many merchants are fighting against the Illinois healthy workplace act. The bill asks for 5 sick days a year when employees work 20 hours a week. Why can’t we all get on board with that??

*****Dale Earnhardt Jr. retires from racing!!

*****Sandy Wexler is just loaded with stars like Conan and Jane Seymour!

*****Harrison Ford gets to keep his Pilot license.

*****Crashing will be back for a second season and thanks for the Zevon music.

*****Liam Neeson will play Mark Felt in the deep throat movie, Felt. OOOOOOOO Can’t wait!!

*****Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice seems to be getting the “blame the black woman” treatment from the Trump administration. They don’t like the fact that she requested the identities of Americans caught up in the election fiasco.

*****McMasters seems to be adding experienced persons to the National Security council after Steve Bannon was removed as one of the principals. Getting rid of Flynn’s personnel seems to be a move in the right direction.  Insiders have suggested that Trump and Bannon laugh behind the scenes for he may be less visible to the public but he is still there.** Insiders are also commenting about the comparisons of former WH staff and political shows like The West Wing, Veep or Scandal. WH staff used to laugh about how much calmer the White House really was compared to those shows and the way they make it all look so chaotic. Now reality has caught up to its fictional counterpart as the chaos ensues under scary Clown 45 and the family.

*****The senate changed the rules to get the Supreme Court they wanted so that it is not really a true representation of our country. It is no longer a requirement to have 60 votes for a Justice. Gorsuch was added to the court with the smallest number of votes in history. Are we finding out now that he is a plagiarist?

*****The US has dropped from 4th to 6th as a tourist destination worldwide.

***** Devin Nunes is under investigation after recusing himself from the Russian investigation.

*****Since E! is experiencing some serious falling ratings, they are looking for some new reality blood. They seem to be looking in the direction of Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna and their 2 beautiful daughters Delilah and Amelia.

*****Neil Young was ill so Dave Letterman inducted Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll hall of fame. But no matter what else happened, the J. Geils band was still not inducted which is an outrage and now we have lost the man himself so Geils will never be there to drink it in. Every year I rail about one of the best bands of all time not getting enough votes to be inducted. What the Hell?????

*****Jimmy Kimmel was so broken up about the loss of Don Rickles. The moment was raw and touching and since I have always been more of a Newhart fan, I was glad to hear a Bob Newhart story.  Adam Sandler even wore a suit.

*****Duck Dynasty is history.. Finally!!

*****Let’s stick to policy.. We didn’t like when they made fun of the name Barack so why is it ok to make of Reince for his name. There are plenty of other things to belittle him about. A for instance is the way he insists that “nobody cares” about Trumps tax returns. Every single day I hear people say they want him to release them. He lives in denial and spin.

*****Oh what casting: John Waters as William Castle on Feud!! I am sad it is over but that was a hell of a show!!

*****Thank you to The Americans for the wonderful use of the Stones song, ’Slave’.

*****On April 8th the Dallas emergency siren was hacked with no computers involved. It was done old school!!

*****The Washington Post won a Pulitzer prize for its reporting on Trump’s charitable foundation. The NY Times won 3. The Salt Lake Tribune won for its investigation of rape at Utah colleges.

*****The Pope gave free laundromats to the poor in Rome.

*****There was a beautiful guitar shaped floral arrangement sent by the Stones to Chuck Berry’s funeral.

*****Sergio Garcia golfed his way to a championship.

*****Law and Order SVU show runner Warren Leight, who has been there since Meloni left, will be leaving the show.

*****Sean Spicer had to apologize for telling us that even Hitler didn’t sink to the level of chemical weapons.  If you don’t know history, you are bound to repeat it.

*****President Obama deported more immigrants last February than Trump did this February but Trump is moving them through faster. Scary Clown supporters are getting less than they bargained for. I know those voters don’t seem to understand why we have trouble accepting the new way of things. It is very hard to adjust to a laughingstock after such a reasonable and honorable President.

*****The University of South Carolina took the NCAA Women’s basketball championship.

*****The Lost City of Z from James Gray is with us starring Charlie Hunnam.

*****Barbara Bush has 8 toes.

*****Kharma is a bitch. South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson who yelled ‘you lie” to Obama in 2009 in his state of the union was drowned out by those same chants at a town hall. Nevertheless he is still committed to repealing the ACA.

*****There has been some controversy over a clown sketch with Louis CK on SNL. It is very similar to a sketch that Tig Notaro started in 2015 and still uses on her tour.

*****MTV is bringing back Fear Factor.

*****It is now known that 7 countries picked up Russian intels of contact with the Trump team.

*****Korn has hired 12 year old Tye Trujillo, who I mentioned in an earlier tumblr page, as a temp .

*****Scary Clown 45 signed an order allowing states to defund all Planned Parenthood services.

*****Julian Lennon has a new children’s book with Bart Davis and Smiljana Coh titled Touch the Earth. They hope to teach children about the environment and ocean life protection.

*****Harland Williams has a new LP, Cousins. He is also on the Disney channel with Puppy Dog Pals.

*****The Glen Campbell LP, Adios that was recorded after his alzheimer’s diagnosis is due out June 9th.

*****Best fake United ad I saw… Board as a Dr: leave as a patient!

*****The Cooking channels Food: Fact or Fiction has a great host in Michael McKean but it is a bit hackie. It does have some interesting food history though, like Fairy floss( which it is still called outside of this country) that was introduced by a dentist, then later tinkered with by another dentist before it became cotton candy!

*****Trudeau proposes legal recreational pot in all of Canada.

*****Hasan Minhaj hosted the White House correspondents dinner that the President and his staff would not attend. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting much from Minaj but he did a terrific job!!  Trump gave himself a boner by throwing himself a rally instead and the press and his cult followers fell for it. I came home that evening to find him on every fucking news channel. Really??  Horrifying!! Samantha Bee had held a charity event, not the white house correspondent’s dinner which was funny. She really handed it to CNN who deserved it because most of the time, they are unwatchable because of the amount of people who are talking. Even Anderson Cooper never calls these idiots on the ridiculous things they say. Jordan Carlos did a small blurb, which was exciting. The real dinner honored Woodward and Bernstein and yet all were focused on the clown. He repeats himself with the repetition you see in a toddler so why keep listening? Fight his policy, zero in on the offensive things he says, it is all out there IF you want to listen but why every channel every time he speaks? Nobody in history has gotten more coverage except perhaps Hitler and Lincoln. C’mon!!  As long as journalists keep interviewing him and showing his clips on a fucking loop we will never be rid of him .They are giving him exactly what he wants. Just let him implode, give him no ink and he will get bored. Nobody seems to get this except Dem strategist Tara Dowdell. I was so happy to finally see a smart talking head who was saying exactly what I was thinking. But back to the WHCD: The reporters on the red carpet were joking about the lack of celebs and how boring it was. Some celebs had opted not to be there from the start because it is a Trump Presidency. His celeb supporters , of course followed their leader and did not attend. Others probably thought with less press coverage, less prestige and less schmoozing with the top , why go?? But that all sort of offends me.. We need to shine a light on some of the great journalists and stories that won awards. We may not know about Trumps lies about his charitable giving if it weren’t for these brave souls. What about the students, the journalists of tomorrow who were recognized? Julie Whiston, who has been throwing these dinners together for years is retiring and she was honored.  In the audience, there was a guy who seemed to be falling asleep so there was a bit less bang than usual. But in the end, Minhaj hit hard at the administration but nothing they did not deserve. He got some hateful looks and a fair amount of groans, which I did not understand but genuine laughs as well. He roasted all the news teams but gave such an eloquent moment at the end about how important the press is and how wonderful our country is. ** The next morning the Sunday shows catered to Trump and his 100 days and barely mentioned the WHCD except for This Week. This Week showed various clips but that may have been because they had WHC Association President Jeff Mason as a guest.  Meet the Press had Pence on looking apprehensive as he prepared to spin. He told us all how terrible the last 8 years have been and thank God that things are going so well under Trump. He chuckles like this is all a game as their healthcare stalls again. He sounds more like his cult leader every day preaching that Trump has gotten so much done by signing all those bills and just look at all the crowds he gets!! I suppose it is true that his followers don’t care what he actually gets done. They seem to just care that he keeps up the’ fuck you’ to things like the WHCD or that he caters to dictators and welcomes freaks like Phillipines leader Rodrigo Duterte who once called Obama the son of a whore.  Hs base loves that shit. **The Sunday morning shows should put a real dream team panel together for a season. I would love to see some real brains up there like say Bernie, Michael Moore, Colin Powell, Marco Rubio, John Kasick.

*****Aaron Rodgers and Olivia Munn are over.

*****What is going on with Dr. Phil’s eyes?? They seem unusually OPEN!!

*****Ivanka dined with Xi Jinping and now has provisional approval from the Chinese Government for trademarks that would usually take a lot more time.

*****Kevin Spacey will host the 2017 Tony awards on June 11.

*****Shouldn’t Trump know where his aircraft carriers are before he starts shooting off his mouth? North Korea? Australia? It matters!

*****Serena Williams is pregnant.

*****Richard Simmons may be clever like a fox. Word is he has been working on a tell all book and building suspense for big bucks.

*****Trumps sanctuary cities order has been blocked by a Federal judge but I like the way Colbert tweeted about it better: “Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A judge walks into a courtroom and blocks Trumps executive order.”** BTW.. Has anyone celebrated the fact that Colbert has a female announcer??

*****An inquest is being held about the death of Terrill Thomas. He died after being deprived of water for 7 days in a Milwaukee isolation cell last year.

*****GOP lawmakers want to exempt themselves from their redo of the ACA. They want to keep Obamacare for their staffs and themselves.

*****It was great to see Nathan Fillion on Brooklyn 99 and that he uses his voice on Cars 3.

*****Marc Edwards was on the Daily Show but he is not the Marc Edwards I know!! The Daily Show interview was with the engineer who helped uncover the Flint Michigan water problem. The ‘problem’ has caused 600 million in damage. The administration is looking for something to do with the leftover $ they had with the 107 mil they got from the inauguration, they could start there.

*****Speaking about places with small crowds, Trump got another one when the Patriots came to town. The picture of the super bowl winners with Obama was huge but a small bunch gathered this year with Trump.

*****So SNL sort of blew my mind, Harry Styles playing Mick Jagger. It was like a 2 for 1 sale of YUM!!

*****Domino’s pizza changes itself every time they turn around. New menu, new sauce, now a new look.. Why don’t they just give it up. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who likes their stuff.

*****Nugent, Palin, Rock.. Time for the apocalypse!!  Ted and David Crosby have been in a twitter war. Ted calling Trump a ‘ball of fire’, being so proud of his Pres. and Crosby calling Nugent a ‘brainless twit’.

*****Thank you Billy Barr for your obsessive climate records in Colorado. You give us proof positive of our climate problems.

*****Scientists tell us that about 110 million tons of plastic trash is in the ocean and into the food chain.

*****Brad Paisley has a new LP, Love and War, with help from John Fogarty and Mick Jagger. Paisley set a Johnny Cash poem to music for the album.

*****Michael Moore at the Tribeca film fest: “Ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hate. Trump knew that part of the equation really well. And hate leads to violence.”** Hillary was also at the fest to talk about elephant poaching. She was there for a Kathryn Bigelow film, The Protectors.  I hope she does a lot more of this. Support the Clinton global initiative!! She also talked of her support for the March for science. I was so glad to attend our own smaller Science rally.

*****So Trump summoned all the Senators to him by bus to have a classified briefing about North Korea which they say told them little. What a waste of money. He couldn’t go to them?

*****Pagans and Wiccans among others are finally recognized faiths in the military. Welcome familt members, U R now recognized!!

*****Fox is being investigated by the justice department and the USPS for the payouts to all those women and their business practices. **Roger Ailes man, co- President of Fox news, Bill Shine is being defended by Sean Hannity in some ranting tweets. **There has been a quiet outreach for a new head of the news division, preferably a woman.

*****The new Gong show is shaping up to be something special. They won’t admit it but the scuttlebutt is that Mike Meyers is hosting as Tommy Maitland. The host has an entire back story in a crazy nod to Chuck Barris. Andy Kaufman used to appear on the original show and this seems so Tony Clifton. Will Forte’s production company is in charge and he will appear as a rotating judge. Also judging will be Jack Black, Zach Galifianakis, Alison Brie, Andy Samberg, Elizabeth Banks, Joel McHale, Dana Carvey and Anthony Anderson.  The Gong show premieres on ABC on June 22nd.

*****Will there be a writers strike??

*****Scott Baio is getting some backlash for his comments on the death of former girlfriend, Erin Moran. In an interview he stated that if you do drugs and drink, you die. She did reportedly have a drinking problem but died of cancer. He is now blaming the backlash on the liberal hate of him because of his Trump support.  Seems like a typical angry Trump supporter response.

*****I still can’t believe that the daytime Emmy’s, which honor television, are not on TV anymore but I found them. They streamed live on Twitter and Facebook. Right before they were to start, things froze up but that may have just been my computer. When it suddenly jolted into the action, I was bombarded with dancing daytime stars and the Crenshaw high school choir. Eric Martsolf( Brady Black) and Nadia Bjorlin (chloe Lane) were singing with other actors as well. The hosts were Sheryl Underwood and Mario Lopez whose sexual banter was a bit uncomfortable and seemed to go on forever. I never understand the bitching about the length of these shows when this chatter could be cut. They were right, however when they talked of how hard these daytime stars work.  One good thing about no network would seem to be no commercials but they still stopped for breaks. **Larry King was there and I saw Meredith Scott Lynn (Anne Milbauer) jump up to lead a standing O for his 60 years in the biz.  Another legend, Nichelle Nichols was there but did not win. ** Even daytime Emmy’s can get a little political. Gaby Natale won and gave a nice FU to intolerance. Kate Mansi won for her former portrayal of Abby on Days. They had a march of basset hounds that were adorable but many of the short legged dogs had trouble getting up the stairs. All the hounds are up for adoption. Tim Allen did not seem t care for them and told us he was a cat person.  He introduced his friend Mary Hart for her lifetime achievement award. She droned on for over 10 minutes and told us her life story. I don’t know if she thought she would never have the chance again or is going into seclusion or what but it went on and on. Perhaps she thought this show was just for her. Congratulations! ** Steve Harvey won twice but was not there. Maury was nominated for his first Emmy but did not win. I will be honest, I did not recognize most of the winners. ** Best dressed for me were : James Reynolds, Nadia Bjorlin, Susan Lucci, Aisha Tyler, Kathryn Kelly Lang, Jane Pauley, Gina Tognoni (glad she won) and Lamon Archey. Worst dressed were: Vanna White and Natalie Morales.

*****RIP Jonathon Demme, Francine Wilson, Connie Brooks, Gilbert Baker, Erin Moran, J. Geils, Don Rickles, James Rosenquist, Dorothy Mengering, Charlie Murphy, Dan Rooney, Sylvia Moy, Cuba Gooding Sr., Aaron Hernandez and the victims of the Syrian chemical attacks.