#Jake is who stepped up to talk. imagine how many have been through similar things and haven’t.

[burry-penguin]

Guys. The shit Jake Weddle went through is fucking haunting. That shit would’ve been on a True Crime Documentary if Mr. Beast hadn’t covered it up so very well with 100k hush money that had 40% stolen in income tax.

THIS IS PURE HORROR. THIS IS SOMETHING DESERVING OF TO PUNISH THE WORST AND ITS STILL NOT ALLOWED ON MASS MURDERERS BUT A CIVILIAN DOING SOME DUMBASS CHALLENGE FOR MONEY CAN BE PUT THROUGH WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE. WHAT THE LIVING FUCK.

Guys. Please go watch Dogpack404’s newest video and support Jake’s story on his channel. Reblog this or someone else saying a similar message. These videos are being shadow banned on youtube and the truth needs to be wide spread.

[joshstambourine]

A Seconds Glance

"Hi I have a request for either Josh or Jake 💛 can I get a story where they see a girl, either at school or they can already be famous in this, and is instantly enamored. I don't know if you've seen The Virgin Suicides, but if you have then something similar to when Trip sees Lux for the first time. I'm interested in how those two would go about getting a girl's attention when they have a crush.💕💕💕" - Anonymous

//Hi Doll! I can’t say I have seen that--- but I will try my best to write something that I feel matches the idea you had. 

I’m gonna be repeating this forever--- but again, I’m so sorry it took me so long to get this request out for you! I decided to go with Josh being in school for this one.//

Warnings: Cursing, awkward beans

Word Count: 1969

Synopsis: Josh had never really believed in love at first sight... but yet....

Josh Kiszka x Fem!Reader

The first day of sophomore year. For most this was just the start of another school year; a sudden reminder that a new binder or fun pencil case is exciting for all of 10 minutes when it comes to actual classes and work. But for Josh… this year felt like it was filled with possibilities. It sounds like some sort of stupid thing you'd see on a motivational calendar, but it really truly did.

Josh hadn't imagined for a second that he actually would have a chance in making music his career; and yet, he had spent all summer with his band mates playing for different occasions and pubs. All the while they were working, working hard on writing songs that they could be proud to play for others.

All of that said, Josh was returning to high-school this year with a new found amount of confidence and excitement; it showed in every step Josh took. His one hand held loosely on to the arm of his backpack, walking in time with Jake.

"But what do you think? Would it look good on me?" Jake inquired, fingers lightly playing with the mid-length pieces of hair on his head.

"I mean… I don't know…" Josh lightly starts, glancing at his twin and begins to take a good long look at him.

Jake's eyes widened just a touch, his expression becoming one that said, 'Well…?'

"Uh… honestly I don't really know Jake. I've never seen you with anything else than this." Josh admits, then snickers a little, "Except for that one time when we decided it'd be fun to take those scissors and---"

"No, that's fine, I didn't need to think about that." Jake immediately stopped him, his hand going to take a full dive into his mess of dark brown hair. 

"Cmon, it was really funny though. Ma really lost her shit when she saw your head like that." Josh continued to muse, hands folding into his pockets with the utmost of ease. 

Jake shook his head in a mournful way, "I can say I will never go back to a buzz-cut again… not without a fight."

Josh's smile never faltered, it was his laughter that changed, softening into a bit of a sigh as they reached the double doors at the front of the school. With a swing of the doors they both were making their way down the hallway to their lockers.

"Meet by Mr.Shapiro's class before lunch?" Jake questioned, to which Josh nodded. No matter which school the twins went to the teachers seemed to know that the best course of action was to keep them separated. That said Josh and Jake always had separate homerooms at least, through most of their time in school.

"See ya in a bit." Josh waved, taking a few steps back before turning on his heels and heading to his own locker.

Josh's excitement to be back in class showed on his face more than he probably would have wanted. A few pencils in his hand along with a binder filled with blank paper and tucked away dividers.  

As soon as Josh stepped into the class room his eyes were met with many familiar faces. Some of these people he had been in school with since kindergarten; like Meg, a rather tall blunt faced girl with long kinky black hair. She simply threw a peace sign Josh's way as he stepped through the doors; he eagerly returned it, bringing a small smile to Meg's lips. 

With some brisk steps Josh moved to place himself at the back of the classroom, just behind Meg. He threw his things on his desk without much thought. Despite there being a good number of kids he knew... there seemed to be equally just as many new kids. 

Leaning on his desk Josh moved closer to Meg, "Where the hell did these guys come from?" 

Meg's brow lifted as she leaned back a little, "Know the high-school on the east side?" 

"The one where you can get crack for super cheap?" Josh inquired, 

Meg's head bobbed, "They closed it down, so now we get half the kids that went there." She explains with her head resting on her hand in a bored way. 

"Oh shit really? That's a lot of kids---" Josh was quick to respond, glancing around the room. 

"Oh yeah... way too many in my personal opinion --- not that anyone cares." Meg mutters, beginning to click her mechanical pencil. 

Josh's eyes were still taking in all the new faces as he started to respond, "Wow aren't we positive today." 

Meg sighed, "Eh.... I'm just not excited, Justin and I broke up over the summer and I'll have to see him in history." She began to explain, "Things are just really tense, yknow?" 

She waited a moment for him to give some comforting... but still idiotic response, however none came. It finally got Meg to turn and look at him, as she did she immediately noticed that Josh's eyes had widened just a touch, cheeks dusted a light pink. 

Meg followed the line of his eyes to a beautiful young woman. The expression he wore was more than enough to tell Meg that she should move. 

Josh was so busy just... taking the new girl in that he didn't even notice Meg slip to the free desk to the side of the one she was previously sat in. Josh just couldn't put his finger on it, there was something... something so breathtaking about her. Was it her eyes? Or maybe how her hair fell around her face? He couldn't be sure. What he was absolutely sure of was that he had never had a moment in his life where he could hear music just by looking at someone. 

"Hey... do you know if this desk is free?" A new voice shook Josh. It was her. She was standing at a desk to his left with a bit of an awkward air. 

He was just so shaken. What did she say again? Something about a desk? Josh's lips parted, "Uh--- I uh, what did you--?" 

"No that one isn't open, but the one just in front of my dude Josh is, right Josh?" Meg interrupted, pointing to the desk ahead of him. 

"Oh y-yeah, that one's open! Definitely 100% open! It couldn't be more open even if it tried!" Josh started spouting, he really wasn't even aware that his mouth had moved, and that was clear in the fact that it just kept moving when she had come to sit down. "Do you need any pencils at all?? I have like 20!" He continued, though his hand held one full sized pencil and one shorter than the average person's pinkie... both chewed on. "I mean not on me but--- who needs a pencil right?" 

The girl laughed a little awkwardly, her gaze moving from Josh to Meg and then to the desk. "No, no I'm okay thank you though." She slipped into the chair, keeping her gaze frontwards. 

Meg looks to Josh with a shocked look, 'What was that??' She mouthed, 

Josh responded with an absolutely mortified expression. He would never say he was the smoothest guy on the planet, but he had never been that awkward in his life. 

Meg shook her head before reaching out to tap the girl's shoulder, "I'm Meg!" She introduces, "And that goober is Josh." 

The girl lightly moved to glance over her shoulder at Josh in a shy way. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm (Y/N)." She hummed with a sweet smile. 

"That's a pretty name, isn't it Josh??" Meg quickly said, trying to get him to continue the conversation in a less awkward way.

Josh nodded very enthusiastically, "The prettiest name I've heard in a long time!" He said with a smile, 

(Y/N)'s cheeks began to hold a flush of their own. "Oh! Uh... th-thank you!" She sputtered out. 

'OH FUCK. She's so cute.' Josh thought to himself, Adam's apple bobbing in his throat with a shaky swallow. 

Little did Josh know that (Y/N) was thinking something very similar. She might not make it as obvious as he was, but being so much closer now... being able to see the warmth in his brown eyes, seeing how his wavy brown hair came to cup his cheeks --- she couldn't help but continue to stare back at him. 

The only thing that could pull them both out of the little trance they had fallen into was the bell. Both of them quickly looked toward it, followed by a man's voice at the front of the class. 

"Alright everyone, take your seats!" 

(Y/N) was reluctant but she turned herself to look toward the front of the class. A little bit nervous, but mustering an ounce of courage she tore a piece of paper from her notebook quietly and began to scribble something down. 

Josh hardly got anything out of that language arts class, he was way too busy trying to figure out what excuse he could make to talk with (Y/N) again. He was just rattling through every little conversation starter he had ever heard in his life... but none of them felt like they would work. 

Before long the bell had rung overhead once more and everyone was shuffling to grab their things and head to all of their next classes. 

Biting his lip, Josh was determined to catch (Y/N) before she could head off to her own next class. Luckily for him she had a similar idea. Both turning to each other as they stepped out of the classroom, it was painfully quiet at first. It seemed as if they were trying to get their thoughts together really. 

Finally they spoke, 

"Hey would you---" "I was wondering if you'd---" 

At once. 

A small awkward laugh left their lips, "Please, go ahead I was going to say something dumb---" Josh quickly said moving to rub the back of his neck. 

(Y/N)'s lips parted as she let out and unsure chuckle, eyes moving downwards for a moment. "I was just going to ask if you would mind if I joined you for lunch? I just am new and don't really have any---" 

"Yes!" Josh quickly said, "Yes absolutely. You didn't even have to ask, you could have just showed up if you wanted to!" He quickly says to her. 

The speed he seemed to talk at entertained (Y/N) a heck of a lot. A smile creeping across her face, "Okay! Thank you!" She responded. 

"Do you know where the cafeteria is? I can show ya if you want??" Josh quickly continued, "I mean I'm sure you could find it on you're own, you seem very smart and capable. Most women are to be honest; I remember reading an article about how men need to---" 

"That would be really great actually." (Y/N) smiled in a gentle way. 'He's even more nervous than I am.' She thought to herself. 

"Oh-oh! Okay cool! Uh, do you know where Mr.Shapiro's class is?" He asks, 

(Y/N) seemed to think for a minute, "113... right? I have him for chemistry this afternoon I think." She mutters. 

Josh swiftly nods his head, "That's the one!! Meet me there okay?" He says. 

(Y/N) nodded back, understanding the little plan they now had. "I'll see you in a little bit then?" She lightly asks. 

"Yeah absolutely." Josh began to grin, suddenly beyond excited. Even as she began to walk off to her class all he could think about was how sure he was now that this year was going to be fantastic. 

That was until a warning bell played overhead, "Oh shit--" Josh jumped in shock, immediately beginning to run to his next class.

//That's all for now lovely! I do actually have an idea on how to continue this one if anyone would like! Pretty please let me know in the comments if that's something you guys would like 💜//

[tallstars-rewrite]

Chapter 42

chapter list / previous / next

Jake was a bit nervous leaving Talltail curled in on himself in the Thunderpath tunnel. Talltail luckily didn’t appear significantly burned, but a sharp stone had left a jagged gash in his front leg that may have been singed with embers as well. Jake didn’t know how bad it was. He wasn’t experienced enough with this sort of thing to know, up until then the house cat hadn’t been used to injuries worse than a couple claw scratches. What was it that Talltail had mentioned being good for infection? To stop bleeding? Could Jake possibly apply a clan cat’s gift for healing remedies? Oh why hadn’t he paid closer attention when Talltail talked about his medicine cat friends magic plants?

Lets see, gold-something…? Merry gold was it? What did that look like again? Well, it had to be golden colored, surely. He scanned one side of the surrounding forest, then the other. Ok, there were no golden plants around. Jake had never even bothered learning all the names of plants, they all looked the same, they were just plants for star's sake, how was he meant to tell them apart? 

There were some yellow flowers that grew outside his home, but he didn’t really want the housefolk to see him right now. His paws felt suddenly heavy with a sharp flash of sadness as thoughts of Dusty and Cris flitted across his mind. He shook his head. Nope, not now, now wasn’t the time to wrestle with the heavy weight of that loss. In a small way, despite the predicament he was in with Talltail, he was relieved to have something he could do to take his mind off it. Something other than wandering alone in that far too empty house… It would never feel the same again without Dusty. 

Maybe that’s another sign that this is where I'm meant to be right now...Now if only I could find a more helpful sign to point me in the direction of merry-golds.

Feeling hopelessly lost and overwhelmed by the plants and trees that all looked identical and green and useless, there was no choice but to do what he always did when he didn’t know what path to take. Just follow his gut. ...Not that that had done him much good recently other than get him into trouble, and run straight into a bunch of very rude “ShadowClan” kits with an apparent blood-lust.

But that was just one time, what were the odds of it turning out that badly again? Jake was absolutely not about to let something as small as “having absolutely no idea where he was or what he was doing” stop him from helping a cat that he cared for. So, with that newfound surge of (possibly undeserved) confidence, Jake took a breath and closed his eyes and focused. Which direction felt right? 

...Right...? Yes, ‘right’ seems like a good direction. So, right he went.

 One of his front paws stung horribly where he’d trodden on an ember the night before. He never thought fire would be so painful. No wonder Talltail had feared it so much when Jake first showed him his fireplace. He chased the stinging away from his mind, now was not the time to start fretting over a little pain. He would not think about it, he would only think about golden flowers, and how everything would be ok as soon as he found them. 

A sharp scent hit the roof of his mouth and made his lips curl. It was familiar, though he couldn’t place his paw on what it was exactly. A looming sense of danger flooded through him from nose to tail tip, making his bright ginger fur bristle. He didn’t have time to search through his memory before his question was answered for him. A russet red muzzle poked its way out of the bushes. 

By the stars, you can’t be serious…

It was a fox. A familiar fox at that, like the one he’d pathetically swiped at before running for cover several days before. A fox investigating the remains of a forest fire for unsuspecting prey without cover. It blinked at him curiously with hungry amber-ish eyes. Jake didn’t know any better how to deal with a fox now then he did then. But he was also hyper aware of how close he still was to the tunnel, and how easy cat scent would be to track back. 

It was a stupid thing he was about to do, and he knew that, but louder then his instincts to run up the nearest tree was an overwhelming flare of anger at this predator. There was no way, after everything he’d been through, that something like this could ruin everything now. The fox took another step towards him, it’s eyes alight like a kitten eyeing a helpless baby bird. 

Jake puffed up all his orange fur and screeched at the fox as loud and as fiercely as he could. “Listen here you dung-breathed flea-brained rat-faced bastard, I have had a really bad last couple days and I am not letting you go anyway near that Thunderpath or anywhere near me! You think you're tough? I’m not scared of you! I dare you to come closer!” 

Jake lashed out a paw, yowling and spitting, and the fox looked taken aback at how this very much alone cat was not acting at all as it should. It seemed puzzled as to how it should go about hunting something that it wasn’t chasing. Jake lashed out again and caught it on the tip of the nose. The fox yelped and snapped at Jake, who barely jumped out of the way before raising both his unsheathed paws up, claws flashing in the early morning light. The fox wasn’t really so much taller than him. It snapped again and caught Jake on the shoulder. It tried to shake him and Jake twisted around in its jaws, hoping his skin wouldn’t tear, and bit it hard on the snout just below it’s eye and stuck his claws above its other eye, sinking them in as deep as he could manage. The fox, now facing the prospect of blinding itself, flung Jake to the side. The house cat saw stars as his head cracked against a tree and he landed with a thump in a pile of wet charred leaves, but he was back on his paws and hissing just as fast, driven solely by adrenaline which was thankfully staving off the worst of pain. His instincts warned him well enough to not show any sign that he was hurt. 

“Try it again! You don’t scare me!” he screamed.

 The fox took a step back, perhaps deciding at last that cat prey really wasn’t worth this much trouble. Letting out one last angry yowl, Jake lunged forward and the predator jumped back and loped away into the bushes to search out prey with duller claws. Jake slowly sat back on his haunches and licked the new wound in his shoulder. It was bleeding more than he thought and his head was spinning. He was dizzy and suddenly aware of how much he hurt now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He sat with his head pressed against his forepaws for a while, trying to convince himself to get up again. 

Flowers. Golden flowers. You need to find those flowers. If they aren’t here, maybe in the twoleg gardens? But what if I pick up the wrong ones? There are so many yellow flowers! I’m hopeless!

While crouched on the ground, he thought he heard the sound of a fox's yelp followed by a furious yowl somewhere off in the woods, but he was still dizzy and couldn’t even be sure whether or not he imagined it. If that fox decided to come back, he really would be in trouble. But there was a new scent that warned another animal was nearby again. This scent was distinctly not fox. Jake shot his head up and got to his paws, trying not to sway. What else was going to go wrong today?

It seemed to come from nowhere, a once again familiar and unpleasant muddy taste, similar to a dead rat's fur. The taste that clung to those ShadowClan brutes. He froze in his tracks and whipped around, his greatest fear was realized in the pair of fierce orange eyes narrowed at him from a raised gnarled root. He hadn’t even heard the cat approach, but there she was, hunched with one eye squinted. She was big and stormy gray with long messy fur that could certainly use a good grooming. Deep scars that warned of experience from many past battles were carved into her face and pelt, striking through the tufted murky fur. The way she hunched over and her long, faintly yellowed teeth that stuck out of her mouth at a funny angle made her seem old at first, but looking closer showed there was no out of place silver of age. No, she was much younger than he’d originally thought, but there was an aged look to her hard fire colored eyes that felt wise beyond her apparent years.

 Jake fought the urge to shrink away as she studied him closely. He stood frozen, his fur still standing on end as he tried to think what to do. Taking a peaceful approach hadn’t worked out so well last time he ran into these cats… Try to run? He wasn’t very fast even on a good day, and in his condition, he’d be caught easily. Could he threaten her like he had the fox? There is no way a cat like that is going to be threatened by me! But if she attacked him now, he would attack back if he had to. Nothing would stop him from getting back to Talltail, no matter how battle trained this clan cat was. 

But her fur didn’t bristle with aggression, in fact, she hardly moved at all. She looked like she was sunning herself, unconcerned and blinking calmly at him. When Jake thought he could not handle the tension a second longer, she finally spoke in a steady raspy voice.

“You look lost, kittypet. A puny chewed up wad of fur like you is pretty easy prey for a fox. Or so I would have thought. ‘Looked like you had some kind of death wish, picking a fight like that.” She grinned, showing her long front teeth more clearly. “It won’t be bothering us again by the way, but I suspect you have greater things to worry about.”

Jake eventually let out the breath he was holding. At this point he was more exhausted and exasperated than afraid. “Are you going to try and kill me too?” 

To his immense relief, the molly shook her head, a rumbling purr of laughter escaping her throat. “No, I couldn’t be bothered. But my clanmates may feel different. They are rather tense right now. You didn’t even notice the scent lines, did you?”

He hadn’t, but he’d been rather distracted.

 “I haven’t time for scent lines!” he argued. “And if you’re gonna be nice enough not to kill me, I just need some merry gold I think, and uh….cobweb, I don’t know what that plant looks like though...you wouldn’t happen to know, would you m’am? I’m in a big hurry and I promise I'll get out of your fur as soon as I can.”

“Cobweb isn’t a plant, it’s just spider's web.”

“Oh...literal spider web? I thought it was a weird plant name...Look, I just want to help my friend before anything else happens, you see--”

“Yes, I know. Don’t worry, he hasn’t moved from beneath the Thunderpath.”

Jake felt himself bristle again. How did she know where Talltail was? Who else knew? I shouldn't have left him alone!

“Relax kittypet," she purred, clearly sensing his immediate panic. "I have no war with your companion. Quite the opposite in fact. Running into me was quite good luck on your part.”

“I was just following my gut. I didn’t know where else to go. I know that sounds silly...”

She shrugged. “I do a similar thing sometimes. But when you're a medicine cat, you call it following the signs of StarClan. Mind you, that doesn’t mean it’s always a good idea. But sometimes it works out for the best. The name’s Ratfang by the way.”

“Ratfang? That doesn’t sound like a very nice name,” he said before he thought better of it.

Her thankfully amused purr rattled strangely in her throat. “I have little use for vanity.” Ratfang got up and stretched casually, her frighteningly long hooked claws sinking into the bark of the root she perched on. “Anyway, I have what you need. Trust me, you’ll make a mess of things if you try to do this on your own. Let's get going then, shall we?”

Jake was stunned. “Wait--you… you really want to help me? How did you know what I needed?”

Ratfang stared deeply into his eyes, suddenly looking very serious. “Why, I know everything, kittypet. My StarClan given powers show me clear visions of the future.”

Jake stared at her in wonder. “Wow...really? You can really see the future that clearly?”

Ratfang broke her composure and laughed. “Of course not!  I’m just messing with you. Imagine StarClan making anything clear. If only my job were that easy! I simply scented strange cats around our territory before sunrise and thought I would investigate. I tracked you to the tunnel earlier, saw you both looked a mess, and went to fetch what I figured you’d need. It’s part of the medicine cats code to help injured cats, even if they aren’t from my clan.”

Jake was a little embarrassed that he’d been so keen on protecting Talltail yet he hadn’t noticed some cat had already apparently found their hiding place. However, that also meant if the ShadowClan cat meant to hurt them, she could have easily done so already.

 “Well, I really do appreciate it.” He hastily dipped his head to her. “My name's Jake by the way, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ratfang bent to pick up a large leaf stuffed with sharp smelling plants that had been folded neatly between her forepaws, then she leaped off the gnarled root and began back down the path from where Jake had come without pausing. Her response was muffled through the bundle she now carried. “Well Jake, I hope meeting you will be a pleasure as well. But we will have to see.”

chapter list / previous / next

[taxicabinmemphis]

Janus gets a snake!! Maybe it's a human au and his partner adopted it with him and they're living together, maybe someone gave him one as a surprise (this could be human or not. Maybe they just conjured it.) The possibilities are endless, but I need Janus with a snake

it is a common fact that I can’t write anything without two people being cute with each other so this is gonna be shippy

tw food, swearing

Janus picked up the box. It had a lot of minuscule holes in it and was sealed tightly with tape. Janus looked up at his best friend with a raised eyebrow, pulling his pocket knife out of his pocket and cutting the tape covering the box. He went to open the flaps, but a scarred hand met his elbow to halt his movements.

"Be careful, Snexy," Remus warned, "this birthday present moves."

Janus slowly turned back to the box, and as cautious and slow as ever, opened the flaps. His eyes widened and he flinched when a blur that looked like a large, bright yellow noodle flung itself his way.

Janus fell to the floor and slid away from his two-eyed, squiggly birthday present and into the wall behind him. His eyes widened as he realized he was cornered and was too distracted by the fear of being devoured by a yellow power cord to register the implications of Remus' wickedly delighted laughter.

He was only able to bring the pool noodle into focus when it crawled onto his left arm. He would have flinched at the boundary violation, but he was frozen in fear. When the longest piece of penne pasta stilled, he was able to see that he was much closer with the power cord analogy than the pool noodle. A somewhat small yellow snake a little more than twice the thickness of a power cord was coiled around his arm and was looking at him with dark brown eyes too innocent-looking to belong to a reptile.

Janus swallowed, his relief that it wasn’t anything he had a phobia of not showing too well on his face. He stared into the snake’s eyes, its innocence not preventing it from looking like it was gazing into the depths of Janus’ soul.

“You got me a snake.”

“Yep!” Remus exclaimed happily, laughter calming down. “One that is just like you! Small, yellow, and brown eyes.”

“Yes, Remus, my scales are definitely yellow. It’s not like they’re green or anything.” Janus rolled his eyes, electing not to comment on the “small” jab of Remus’ remark so as not to provoke him into a session of height-teasing.

“Irrelevant,” Remus dismissed, bounding towards them. “Do you like it?”

Janus bit his lip. “I will have to decide as we get to know each other better. Though, considering it was you who conjured it, my hopes aren’t too high.”

“Virgil and Roman helped me, actually. I mentioned my present idea to them and they didn’t want you to be stuck with an annoying snake or whatever, so they helped me to make sure the snake wouldn’t be too unbearable or disturbing.”

“How kind of them.”

Footsteps were heard descending the staircase, prompting the two dark sides to turn. Patton was standing at the bottom of the steps and looked as though he was trying to figure out what was going on.

“I got Janus a snake for his birthday!” Remus told him cheerily.

Patton visibly paled. “That’s...awesome, kiddo! I hope the opening of the present didn’t rattle Janus too badly.”

Janus rolled his eyes. “Brilliant, Patton, truly. And no, I’m fine.”

Remus scoffed. “You’re on the floor like a-”

“Anyway,” Janus interrupted, getting to his feet, “what can we do for you, Patton?”

Patton shook his head. “I just heard the noise and came to check things out.”

Janus nodded and looked at his arm. Despite Janus standing up, the snake was still coiled around his arm and was now looking up at him.

“Does your snake have a name yet?” Patton asked excitedly, walking over to where Janus was but keeping a substantial distance.

Janus shook his head, indicating a negative. “Definitely. It’s not like I just got him or anything.”

Patton gasped, putting his hands over his mouth. “I’ve got it! Let’s name him Jake the Snake.”

“So my snake is just a tool for alliteration for you?”

Patton made a sound of offense. “I just think it’s cute.”

“And I seem like the type to give my snake such a name?”

Patton gave a small laugh and shook his head. “No, but it would be fun! It’s not like you have a better name.”

Janus narrowed his eyes playfully at Patton. “Watch me find one.”

---

Pamela the Snake had adjusted to Janus’ room nicely, for an atypical species of pet. While annoying at times (quite often), Janus had created an attachment to the yellow nuisance. The two serpentine figments of the imagination were now perfecting semi-telepathic communication.

(You see, Remus is this exhausting thing called “extra” about 784% of the time and told Janus that if they worked at it, he and Pamela could communicate through means of telepathy and minimal hissing.)

Janus didn’t like to trap Pamela in one place, and he could tell his snake felt similarly. So, Pamela slept in a terrarium, but either roamed around Janus’ room or coiled around his neck or limb(s) during the day.

‘Janusssssss, get a ssssnack.’

‘I’m working, Pamela. And dinner was two hours ago.’

‘Take a break. sssss.’

‘Fine.’

Janus stepped away from his laptop and sunk out of his room, Pamela coiled around his shoulder. He walked into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to see that the large bag of pretzels Virgil had opened earlier was not yet finished. He got a bowl from a cabinet and poured in some pretzels. He spotted Roman approaching from his peripheral vision.

Janus picked up his bowl of pretzels and greeted Roman with a half-smile.

“Greetings, Janus!” Roman said loudly.

“Hello.”

“Is Pamela with you? Should I greet them too?”

Janus nodded. “Pamela is on my shoulder.”

“Hi, Pamela!”

‘Hi, Roman. sss’

“They say hi.”

Roman grinned happily and went into the kitchen as Janus left it.

‘How is Remussssssssssss? I wanna sssssssay hi.’

‘He’s alright. We will see him for game night in fifteen minutes.’

‘Okay. sssss’

Janus diverted his focus from his conversation with Pamela to find Logan descending the staircase.

“Salutations, Janus.”

“Good evening, Logan.”

‘Hi, Logan. How hassssss your day been?’

‘Logan can’t hear you.’

‘But he can hear you. ssss’

“I hear your hissing. Is Pamela trying to say something?”

Janus sighed, annoyed at his snake. “Yes. They want to know how your day has been.”

At this, Pamela uncoiled from Janus’ shoulder and slithered on top of his hat. They then slithered as far off the hat and in Logan’s direction as they could, looking at him with expectant eyes.

Logan tilted his head up to meet Pamela’s gaze. “My day has been satisfactory, Pamela, and I hope yours has been similar.”

‘Ssss thank you, Logan.’

“They say thanks.”

Pamela leaned their head close to Janus’ ear.

‘Kissssssssss him.’

Janus’ mouth dropped. ‘What? What are you talking about?? No!’

‘You know you want to. ssss’

‘No, no I don’t!’

‘Why not? I told you to get a ssssnack. There’s one right here.’

Janus sputtered. ‘Many reasons!’

‘Pssssss Logan. Janusssssss wantssss to kissssss you.’

‘If you think I’m relaying that to him, you’ve got another thing coming, Pamela.’

Logan put a hand over his mouth, and Janus could see his eyes crinkle. Was he smiling?

“Does your snake have something to say to me, Janus?”

Janus huffed. “No. Not at all.”

‘I don’t, but you do. Ssssssso tell him.’

“I think that may be false.”

Janus put a hand to his forehead, looking at Logan through his fingers. He could now see from the way Logan’s eyes were alight and the hand that had moved a couple of inches away from his mouth so he could speak that Logan was indeed smiling. Janus swallowed, knowing his embarrassing conversation with his snake was almost definitely the reason for that.

‘Pretty Logan sssssmile.’

‘If you’re so keen on him then you kiss him.’

‘I’m a sssssssnake, you moron. ssss’

Janus groaned into his hand, trying to give Logan a look that could make him pity Janus and set him free from this conversation.

“Is Pamela troubling you, Janus?”

“Very much so. Would it be alright if I permanently relinquished care of them to you?”

‘Villain! sss’

“I don’t think Pamela would be fond of that idea.”

Janus rolled his eyes. “Maybe not. All the better; make them miserable.”

‘If you kissssssssed him you could ssssshare cussssstody.’

‘For the last time, I do not want to kiss Logan. I do not see him that way.’

‘Asssss your love would sssay, falssssssssehood.’

Janus wasn’t able to dignify that with a response because Logan took a few steps closer to the pair. He made eye contact with Pamela.

“You clearly have something to say. Is Janus unwilling to relay it to me?”

Pamela stuck their tongue out at Logan in a hiss and slithered their head up and down.

“Ah. Janus, you seem to be making Pamela,” he pulled out a flashcard, “angy. In order to properly deal with this, I would suggest telling me what they have to say so you can eat your pretzels without any disturbance.”

Putting Logan’s adorable flashcards and uses of modern slang that made Janus want to pepper kisses across his entire face aside, Janus was annoyed that this conversation had yet to be over. He, a master of deception, figured that it would be wise to craft a lie that would satisfy Logan and get him out of here.

“They’re offering you pretzels. I don’t want to give you any, though.”

‘Sss liar. sss’

Logan exhaled. “Well, that is very kind of you, Pamela. Since they are Janus’ pretzels and he wishes to keep them to himself, I think I will pass.”

“Great,” Janus said quickly.

‘Look how hot and ssssse-’

Janus’ face paled. “Bye!”

He raced past Logan and up the staircase.

---

Logan tapped his pen to his chin. Over the past week, he’d had several interactions with Janus and Pamela that occupied his mind, starting with the pretzel incident seven days before. Throughout these interactions, Pamela and Janus seemed to hiss angrily at each other, and Janus refused to translate. This worried Logan, and while at first he was fooled, he worried that something else was going on. After all, most of these interactions ended awkwardly and even the oblivious Logan could tell that Janus was trying to avoid him. While their interactions over the week needed two hands to number, that was over a seven day period and they lived in the same area. Logan had interacted with Roman probably thirty times or more in the past week. Logan could only count six with Janus.

More than that, Janus was clearly trying to cut their interactions short. One time when Janus had looked particularly uncomfortable, he straight-up ran out of the conversation without so much as a goodbye and didn’t even let himself be seen by Logan for the entirety of the following day. There was no other way to interpret his behavior except that he was ignoring him.

Not to mention, Pamela had been hissing in every single one.

Was the snake trying to convince Janus to insult him? Did Pamela know of malice Janus held for him that Logan didn’t?

Logan was startled from his thoughts when Virgil appeared in his room.

“Hey, dude. I can hear anxiety coming from here.” Virgil conjured a chair and dragged it to Logan’s desk, sitting beside him. He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his fist. “I rarely feel anxiety from you, so I thought I’d check things out. What’s up?”

“You have confused me, Virgil. I do not feel any anxiety,” Logan said genuinely.

Virgil made a noise communicating doubt. “I know I didn’t hear wrong. Here, how about you tell me what’s on your mind and I’ll see if I can spot any anxiety in your thoughts?”

Logan nodded. “That seems adequate. I do believe I may need another intelligent mind to help me make sense of these findings.”

Virgil bit his lip at the compliment. “I’m happy to help, L.”

Logan nodded and turned to face Virgil properly. “So, it’s about Janus.”

“Snake dude.”

“Yes. About a month ago, Remus gave him a snake, Pamela. Recently, Janus and Pamela have been communicating through telepathy via hissing that no one else can understand. This has been fine until about a week ago when they started hissing at each other anytime Janus and I would interact. The hissing seems to be angry on Janus’ part, he won’t translate for me, and he ends up ending the conversation awkwardly and then running off.”

Virgil frowned. “That’s weird. Maybe Pamela is insulting Janus or something?”

Logan shook his head. “I’ve heard and seen him interact with people like Patton with no trouble at all. Whenever Pamela hisses, he’ll translate, and that’s that. Unless you have had similar-”

“No. Whenever Pamela hisses when Janus and I are talking, he translates. We haven’t had any awkward interactions in a while since Janus is usually good at keeping things from getting awkward.”

Logan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Then what could they be saying?”

“Did you think of anything? If you tell me what you’ve brainstormed so far, I can tell you if any of those can be sources of anxiety.”

“Well, my first thought was that Pamela was trying to get Janus to insult me, or knew of concealed malice Janus held for me. Could that elicit anxiety?”

Virgil snorted. “Of course. Your brain is mistakenly telling you that Janus hates you.”

“It’s certainly a possibility,” Logan defended. “Considering how he has been ignoring me, it is a logical conclusion.”

“Yeah, but I think the more logical conclusion to make is that Pamela is saying something related to you that is making him uncomfortable in your presence.”

Logan frowned. “I don’t like that either.”

Virgil laughed. “Why not? That’s their problem. They’ll sort things out and things’ll be back to normal between you two. It has nothing to do with you.”

“But it does! The only person Pamela is saying those things around is me!”

Virgil’s movements halted. “You really care about this, don’t you?”

“What?” Logan asked. He shook his head. “Certainly not. I simply want to make sure I haven’t upset Janus in any-”

“Bullshit,” Virgil said in a sing-song tone. “You care. I don’t kno-ohhhhhhhh.”

Virgil adopted a shit-eating grin and leaned his head closer to Logan with a shake of his head, wondering how he didn’t come to this conclusion sooner.

“What?”

Virgil snickered. “You like him.”

Logan shrugged. “Sure. He is an intelligent and intriguing side who does his job as Deceit in an acceptably functional manner and we have conversations I would consider intellectually stimulating. He is a fellow side, a fri-”

“No. You like him.”

Logan’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “That’s what I just confirmed, Virgil.”

Virgil sighed. “No. Like as in, you probably want to back him against a wall and kiss the living daylights out of him. Maybe watch romantic documentaries together? Have a debate littered with sexual tension that ends in a make-out session? All of that? None? I don’t know what smart people do when in love.”

Logan’s mouth fell open. He started to stumble out a response. “I- No...that is a blatant lie-”

Virgil shook his head firmly. “Nope. It isn’t. I’m shocked I didn’t see it before. Looking back, I see the way you’ve looked at him, laughed at unfunny things he says, and smiled at him for no reason at all. You’re in love~”

Logan stared at him for a few minutes with a blank expression. He then put his head in his hands. “Oh my god, I am, aren’t I?”

Virgil awkwardly patted his back. “It’s okay...but yes, you are.”

Logan groaned. “And he hates me.”

Virgil drew back. “What? No! Of course he doesn’t!”

“How would you know? His actions seem to be communicating that he does.”

Virgil pursed his lips, thinking. “If I see any sign of hatred, or lack thereof, in any of your conversations in the near future, I will tell you. Okay?”

Logan nodded.

“Okay. I’ll leave you to your pining, Logan.”

---

Pamela would not shut up around Logan, and frankly, Janus wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take. They were constantly hissing about how hot Janus must think he was (essspecially in that outfit, Janusss, that sshirt is making you go crazy, I’m ssssure of it), telling Janus to kiss him, among other things. Janus could not keep his cool around Logan and always had to leave. He knew he wouldn’t act on Pamela’s suggestions, but they still prompted embarrassment and a desire to escape Logan’s presence.

So, for the past week, he had been trying to ignore Logan as best he could. He predicted his typical meal times, breaks, and when he would normally get water based on observations he had made throughout their friendship (for totally not gay at all reasons) and tried his best to stay in his room during those times. Of course, there was margin for error and days where he wasn’t as adamant to escape Logan as others, but he managed to have a full week of having only six interactions with him.

Did Janus miss him? Maybe. Did Pamela miss Logan? Definitely. Did either of those facts matter? Not in the slightest. Janus was fine with only keeping constant contact with four of his five fellow sides. And things would’ve continued to be fine if it weren’t for fucking Pamela.

‘I wanna sssssee Logan, Janussss, go talk to him. ss’

‘Not unless you behave. We’ve already had thisss talk and you alwayss sssay ssomething out of line, even if you promisssed not to beforehand.’

‘But I wanna ssssee him, and sssssso do you.’

‘I do not!’

‘Yesssssss.’

‘How would you know, anyway, if I did?’

‘Caussse you’re not ssssubtle about it.’

‘I take great offenssse to that.’

‘You sssssshould.’

Janus grumbled out some incomprehensible nonsense, electing to get some dry cereal for a snack. Pamela wrapped themself around Janus’ neck and rested their head over Janus’ ear. Janus sunk out of his room and appeared at the bottom of the staircase, where he then made to the kitchen. He poured some dry cereal into a bowl and headed for the sofa, deciding to eat there.

About halfway through his bowl of grainy dryness, he spotted with terrified eyes, Logan walking down the staircase. He realized he didn’t check his list of times Logan was normally in the kitchen or living room, and that now was one of those times. He wondered bitterly if a part of him purposely forgot just so he could see Logan again, for the first time in twenty-eight hours.

‘Go talk to him. sss’

Janus opened his mouth to respond, but closed it and looked to his food when Logan’s head started to turn in his direction. Janus took another bite of his dry cereal, pretending like he didn’t notice Logan’s presence.

Janus heard footsteps making their way over to his spot.

‘I don’t think I’ll have a choice, Pam.’

The footsteps stopped. “Good afternoon, Janus.”

Janus looked up and plastered on a small smile.

‘Oh my gosssssh look at that outfit, Janusssssss, you must think he issss ssssso hot!’

“Hello, Logan.”

Janus turned back to his cereal to take another bite.

‘You’re a rude friend. ssss’

‘Bold of you to assssume I’m a friend.’

‘Logan deservesssss better.’

‘Indeed.’

Pamela angrily hissed at Janus.

“How has your day been, Janus?”

Janus looked back to Logan. “As well as a day can be with a snake hovering nearby all the time.”

Logan gave him an amused smile. “It can’t be too terrible. I’ve heard Patton say he would love having a pet that talked to him.”

“I think even he would get tired of Pamela.”

“That bad, hmm?”

Janus chuckled as another hiss sounded loudly in his left ear. “At times. They’re fine a lot of the time, but they’ve also been rather annoying over certain topics.”

“At least it’s not all the time.”

“It feels like it.”

‘Tell him you love him. ss’

‘I will not.’

Logan’s eyes finally spotted Pamela. “What’re they saying, if I may?”

“Nothing of importance.”

‘Are you kidding? I am the mossst important thing in your life right now, but it would be Logan if you weren’t a coward. ssss’

Logan frowned, noticing that no matter how stupid something was, Janus would always translate what Pamela was saying to him with any other person. “Are you sure? Pamela seems quite incessant.”

‘I am! Your boy isss quite attentive. ssss’

‘He’sss not my boy, nor is he a boy, conssssidering he is an adult. Sstop.’

“They are indeed being incessant. It doesn’t mean it is of any importance.”

‘I think you sssshould take him out on a date tonight. You’ve done all the work you need to already, and you need to make up for the rudenesssss you’re dissssplaying right now. ss’

Janus stood promptly, bowl in hand. “Thank you for your concern, Logan. However, I have a bunch of work left to do today, and I need to return to it.”

He started to sink out, but Logan’s hand clasped around his wrist and pulled him back up. He took the cereal from Janus’ hand and set it on the table. Janus looked at him with wide eyes.

“Apologies, Janus, I did not mean to catch you so off guard,” said Logan, noticing Janus’ shock. “However, you have been avoiding me.”

“Where did you get that from?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I asked Virgil, and he said that he’s had normal, regular interactions with you over the past week. I can’t say I’ve seen you more than seven times.”

“Do you need to see me more often?” Janus asked.

“Um, well, no-” Logan stumbled. “But I was worried. Have I done something to offend you in any way? I sincerely apologize if I ha-”

“No, Logan, not at all,” Janus said, his voice suddenly softer. “You haven’t done anything of the sort and don’t need to apologize.”

‘Now look what you’ve done! He’ssss feeling guilty for no reassson, and it’ssss your fault. Maybe we sssshouldn’t be pursssuing him if you treat him like thisss.’

“Is Pamela saying something again?” Logan asked solemnly.

“Yeah,” Janus answered. “They’re chastising me.”

Logan snorted. “I can’t imagine what for. Either way, I want to know your reasons for ignoring me.”

Janus put a hand on his neck, brainstorming good lies.

“I don’t want you to lie to me. If you lie, we can’t sort things out.”

Janus sighed, dropping his hand. He instead pondered the pros and cons of telling Logan the truth, that Pamela was trying to matchmake them.

“Does Pamela know something you feel towards me that I don’t?”

‘I told you you’re not fucking sssubtle.’

‘Who taught you sswear words???’

‘Remusssss.’

“Do you hate me?”

Janus was startled out of his conversation with Pamela at those words. He opened his mouth to respond but he was at a loss. He didn’t understand how Logan could ever think he hated him. Where did he go wrong?

“Ah. I see you are unwilling to respond. You don’t need to figuratively sugarcoat anything. I was simply curious. The improvement of our communication with each other depends on our understanding and sharing of the opinions we have regarding each other. Only then can we work together properly. I don’t mind. This will be good, so we no longer have any questions-”

Janus was too busy being worried over the future of his friendship with Logan to appreciate how cute he was when rambling. “I honestly don’t know know if you’re blind, insecure, and/or deaf but everything you’ve said in the past two minutes has been baseless and wrong.”

Logan stopped short, looking at Janus like a deer in headlights.

“...What?”

“You heard me. What, in all of our interactions, makes you think I hate you?”

“I...”

“I’m talking with Virgil more than I’m talking to you. Do you know how much Virgil and I used to hate each other, how much shit we’ve gone through? Yet, he and I are still talking normally. You really think that I hate you?”

“It was the logical conclusion from the facts at hand-”

“You were jumping to a conclusion based on cognitive distortions-”

“I resent that!”

Janus stopped to look at Logan’s face. He looked so indignant, impulsive, and so so very confused. Janus didn’t need Pamela for there to be a voice telling him to kiss Logan in that moment. Janus needed to approach this with more care than he was in the present. Logan had clearly been caught up about this.

“This is bothering you, huh?”

“I want our working relationship to be as functional as possible.”

Janus laughed with no humor, shaking his head. “No.” He exhaled. “You want me to tell you, Logan?”

Logan nodded.

Janus put a gloved hand on Logan’s shoulder and gently pushed him to sit on the sofa. Janus sat next to him.

He closed his eyes. “This will negatively affect our working relationship.”

“I imagine so, considering my conclusion came to be quite negative.”

“Not for that reason,” said Janus. “Pamela can read me like a picture book for infants. I do have feelings for you that you are unaware of. Pamela has been harassing me over it. Every time you and I have a conversation, they always implore me to do something that would ultimately end our friendship.”

“Pamela hates me?”

Janus shook his head, repressing a scoff at Logan’s obliviousness. “They always remind me of my desire to be in a romantic relationship with you and try to get me to act on that wish. The result is me feeling a bit...awkward. So, I leave.”

Logan’s lips parted. He didn’t respond for a couple of minutes.

Janus swallowed and nodded. He rose from the sofa and made to sink out. “It was nice being your friend, Logan, you’re a wond-”

Janus didn’t notice that Logan’s hand was still on his wrist. It was, and it tightened around his wrist for the second time in this interaction, stopping Janus from leaving. Logan turned his head to meet Janus’ eyes.

“I wasn’t aware you were able to feel the same.”

It was Janus’ turn to be taken by surprise. He searched Logan’s gaze for a lie, but he could see nor sense none. His hand covered his mouth and he sat back down.

Logan seemed to adjust to the new information, no longer being the one caught by surprise. He moved his free hand to the human side of Janus’ face, taking his hand from his mouth.

Logan made no move to hide that his gaze was fixated on Janus’ lips. “And the methods of acting on these feelings you have been encouraged to engage in...”

Janus caught his lips in a kiss. Logan kissed back, dropping Janus’ wrist to rest a hand on his scales, the other going around his waist.

They pulled apart after a minute, both of them smiling.

‘My work here isss done.’

‘Don’t you dare think you’re ever leaving my cussstody.’

‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’

Logan chuckled. “What is it?” He brushed a lock of Janus’ hair behind his ear.

“They’re happy for us.”

~

Taglist: @somehow-i-got-an-account @justanotherhumanstuff @merlinfreya27

~

Thanks for the prompt! I really loved writing this and there isn’t enough Loceit anywhere. I know this was probably supposed to be snake-fixated but I really liked the idea of the snake making Janus get his act together and kiss the boy. I hope you liked it!

[ladyanaconda]

Helluva Dad Vol. 1: Murder Family

"Dad, dad, dad! Wake up, dad!"

Striker grunted as he covered his head with his pillow, but it was no use as the intruder hopped on his bed. "Kiddo, unless there's a wild animal or a homeless drunk inside the house, go away and let me sleep."

"Daaad, you promised that you'd take me along to the living world this time!"

Striker took a peek at the clock on his bedside table. "Not at 5:36 AM, boy. Couldn't you wait until I'm actually awake?"

"What am I supposed to do 'till then?"

"I don't know, use your imagination."

"But dad-" Out of patience, Striker bared his teeth at his son, tail rattling. Jake raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, I'm leaving."

Once the door closed shut, Striker went back to sleep… For about thirty seconds, that is, until the door slammed open and Jake jumped into his bed again, screaming in fright and knocking the air out of his father.

"What the fuck, Jake?!" Striker all but shrieked.

"There's a spider in the living room!"

"... What?"

"Spider!"

"And why didn't you squash it?!"

"It's a big spider!"

Striker's eye twitched. With an irritated grunt, he got off the bed, rolled up a porno magazine on his bedside drawer, and stomped his way towards the living room, Jake trailing closely behind.

"I can't believe it, A son of mine is afraid of a tiny, insignificant…" Striker trailed off and stopped in the doorway. A hog-sized hellantula was tearing the couch apart with big, sharp mandibles. "Boy, go get the rifle."

Once the issue with the spider was taken care of, Striker found himself unable to go back to sleep after the fiasco, so he went to the kitchen and poured himself a big cup of black coffee before making breakfast. Thankfully, Blitzo wasn't inside his fridge this time around, though he made a mental note to go get some more groceries.

As he served the fried eggs and wild hog bacon, Jake walked into the kitchen. He was covered in sweat like he had spent an hour lifting five-ton weights. "Dad, wouldn't it have been easier if we cut up the spider's carcass and take it out piece by piece?" he whined.

"And make a bigger mess I'll have to clean up? No, thank you." Striker placed one of the plates in front of his son. Jake frowned.

"Puaj. Tomato."

"Stop complaining and eat, boy. It's good for you."

They are in silence for the first few minutes. Striker would subtly glance in Jake's direction every now and then, smirking internally at the boy's expressions while he begrudgingly ate his vegetables.

"So, ready for today?" he asked casually.

Jake's expression brightened. "How's the living world like? Is it cool? Does it look anything like hell?"

"You could say so. The only difference is that there are humans living there instead of demons."

"Humans? What are those?"

"Well, you've seen the clients at I.M.P, right? They used to be humans during their lifetime. When they died, they came to Hell and became Sinner demons because they did bad things in life. However, some of them have..." Striker toyed with his bacon as he thought of a proper word. "...pending business with someone in the living world. Our job is to finish that business in the client's stead.

"So… The people who go to I.M.P. are dead humans who want to fuck up someone who fucked them up in the living world?"

Striker snapped his fingers. "Bingo. You're getting the hang of it, kid."

"Hey, dad, think I could use the-?"

"No."

"Hey, you didn't let me finish!"

"Sorry, kiddo. I thought you were going to ask if you could use the blessing-tipped rifle." Striker replied, his eyes reflecting off the knife he was using to butter his toast.

Jake laughed nervously. "Speaking of which-"

"No."

"Come on, dad! When will you let me use those?"

"When you're ready, not a second sooner."

"And when will I be ready?"

Striker dropped his fork to place a hand on Jake's shoulder. "We'll both know. Until then, finish your breakfast."

*HB*

"Moxxie, stop shaking. You're gonna shoot our only hellhound!"

"Wow, I feel so loved here."

Striker watched, uninterested, as Moxxie pointed the crossbow with shaking arms at a photo depicting a human family. "If this were real, he'd already been dead."

"You're not helping, Striker," Millie growled before focusing back on Moxxie. "Just take a deep breath, and let it out."

"But it's a family. Under what circumstances would we ever need to kill a human family?"

"Who knows? Maybe if that's what the client wants." Striker said matter-of-factly as he polished his pistol.

Moxxie wasn't convinced. "Maybe like a shitty dad, or a mob family. That's understandable. But to eradicate an entire innocent-seemingly in this instance-upper middle-class family bloodline?"

Loona frowned. "Hey!" You don't know they're innocent! This kid probably sets dogs on fire, maybe this girl gets off bullying Australian kids online, and this guy…"

"That guy definitely watches," Jake added grimly.

"Couldn't have said it better, little guy." Loona shared a fist bump with the impling.

"Exactly! Humans are full of secret nasties. It's why so many of them end up here."

"But-"

Striker had enough. "Allow me, Mildred." he stomped his way to Moxxie and picked him up by the throat. "Look, wimp, guilty and innocent aren't our business. We're assassins, not charity workers. Killing a target," he swiftly aimed his pistol at the photo and fired a clean shot at the woman's face, leaving a hole in its wake. His point made clear, Striker locked gazes with Moxxie, hissing. "Now pick a bloody target before I throw you out the window."

Moxxie fell to the ground with a loud thud. Millie handed him the crossbow again; he aimed the tip of the arrow at the father's face, trying to imagine it was Striker.

"I just think it's a bit excessive and we could be a bit more selective, is all."

Blitzo slammed the door open at that precise moment, startling Moxxie into firing the arrow. It bounced all around the room, hitting the computer, making a second hole on the photograph, and striking the bottom of the eel tank. Moxie jumped into Millie's arms while Striker quickly picked Jake up from the eel tank when he noticed it wobbling.

"Daad, I nearly had it!"

Blitzo caught the arrow just before it struck the client's skull. "...our newest client!"

The eel tank fell and shattered, spilling its contents all over the floor. The eels burst into electricity, setting the entirety of the room on fire.

Striker frowned at Jake, who was stunned into silence. "To think that could have been you."

"Damn it, Moxxie! I just bought those eels!"

They were forced to evacuate the building as the firefighters arrived and did their job. Striker was sure that this little incident didn't leave a good impression on the client, but surprisingly she didn't cancel. Guess she really wanted that person 86'd.

"Way to go, jughead," Jake told Moxxie sarcastically as they watched the firefighters carry the eels into their truck.

"Shut up, you little brat," Moxxie murmured.

Millie frowned at him. "Mox, don't talk to Jake like that!"

"He started it!" Striker rolled his eyes. Moxxie is 'supposed to be the adult who shouldn't stomp down to a child's level.

Wait a minute. "Did anyone save the fancy book?"

"You mean our only ticket to the other side?" Luna slipped out the blue, fancy-looking tome from her clothing without bothering to look up from her hellphone. "Yeah, got it."

"And that's why you're my favorite, Loonie!"

"I thought my dad was your favorite." Jake pointed out.

"Who says I can't have two favorite people? Your dad's my favorite employee and Loonie here's my favorite adopted daughter. You get a tweat now!"

Millie drew the chalk pentagram on the nearby wall. The lines glowed an eerie red color as the circle expanded and the area inside transformed into a forest. The portal was open.

"Cool! Can I draw it the next time?"

"Maybe. Let's get this over with."

Striker would never admit it out loud, but he found these trips to the living world… relaxing. The air smelled cleaner, like trees and nature instead of sulfur, ash, and lava-like Wrath. Its landscapes were more varied, prettier, and calm, at least compared to Hell's ecosystems. This place was particularly breathtaking; a wide lake surrounded by forest and mountains with the sun setting, giving the sky reddish colors that reminded Striker of Bombproof's mane.

Jake seemed to be having similar thoughts. The impling was looking all over the place, eyes wide. "Whoah…"

"Hey, hey, hold your horses!" Striker picked his son up by the shirt before he could dart into the woods. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I wanna look around, dad! This place is so neat!"

"It's your first time on the surface, right? Don't worry, Jakey!" Blitzo pulled Jake into a hug. "Just stick close to uncle Blitz and everything will be fine!"

"Sides, you and I got a very important job! We're going to keep an eye on... Well, the house, just in case something goes wrong!"

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Millie, I might be a kid but I'm not stupid."

"Oh, I know you aren't, Jakey." Millie chirped, ruffling the boy's hair.

Blitzo, Striker, and Moxxie silently moved closer to the house and leaned against the wall. The former two peeked through the window. It seemed like a normal-looking household with a mom, dad, and two kids. The target was coming out of the kitchen, platter in both hands.

"That's gotta be her." Blitzo chuckled darkly. "Ready to do your cowboy thing, Striker?"

As he was about to point his rifle, Striker glanced sideways to Moxxie. The cowboy sneered. "Actually, Blitz, this one's far too easy. We should let Moxxie have her."

Moxxie blinked. "Me?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't see another Moxxie around here, do you?"

"He's right, Mox. This one's simple enough for you to handle."

Moxxie's face fell after peering into the house. "It's just a happy mother who just got out of the hospital."

"You snooze, you lose, Mox."

Striker readied his rifle, taking a few steps back to aim. He set his eyes on the blonde human female, licking his lips in anticipation. "I've got you, bitch."

"Wait, are we actually killing a family?" Moxxie asked.

"No, don't be a puss. We're just killing a mother." Striker positioned the rifle as it clicked.

"Yeah, we're ruining a family," Blitzo added cheerily.

"B-But… hold on, hold on. Let's just think about it."

He was pulling the trigger when the rifle was suddenly pushed upwards. The movement made the bullet miss its target by a few inches, hitting a mirror instead.

"Why, you-!" Striker grabbed Moxxie's throat, hissing and rattling his tail.

"What the fuck was that, Moxxie?!" Blitzo snapped. Moxxie seemed to go into a panic attack of sorts, prompting Striker to release him.

"I'm sorry!" he cried, tears in his eyes. "They just seemed so wholesome and happy, I panicked!"

Striker rubbed his temple, murmuring under his breath while Blitzo facepalmed. "Get the fuck over it, you baby dick-!"

PAM!

Striker roared in pain as a bullet blasted through the wall, hitting him in the arm. He gripped the wound as blood scurried out of the wound. Fuck, and on his aiming arm!

"New hole! Scatter!"

"Dad!"

Jake's voice brought Striker out of his daze. The last thing he saw before something struck his head was Millie picking his son up and fleeing the scene. Everything went black afterward.

…

As consciousness returned, Striker felt as if he had been trampled over by a stampede. His head hurt like hell and his wounded arm was no better. He tried to move but found himself unable to. Something was binding his hands behind his torso.

"Striker! Wake up, partner!"

"Wha…? Moxxie?" As his eyes got adjusted to the darkness, Striker realized he was tied up in a bizarre chair, hands tightly bound behind his back. Moxxie was in a similar dilemma on the chair to his right. "What the fuck?!"

"Thank satan you're awake! We're in deep shit!"

"You think?" Striker hissed. "Moxxie, I swear, if those bloody humans don't kill you, I will!"

"Hey, you can't blame me for us getting caught!"

"Oh, really? None of this would be happening if I had hit the target and been done with it! God damn it, Moxxie, I had a clean shot and you made me miss!"

"H-How can you kill a mother and leave orphaned children when you have a kid yourself?!"

"Because that's what we were paid for, for Satan's sake!"

They could have continued to argue if it weren't for the two presences in the room. As they looked around, they saw the two kids from before. He might have confused the little shits with implings if they had horns and red skin; their glowing red eyes and devious sharp grins would make the sadistic smirks of the Princes of Hell look like nervous smiles.

Moxxie chuckled nervously. "Well hello there, little ones. Aren't you cute?"

The children spoke simultaneously in a low, almost inhuman voice. "It's nice to have new critters to play with."

If he didn't know any better, Striker might have thought they were in the Cannibal Colony back in Hell. The entire room was adorned with human heads, limbs, and even organs. The 'food' on the table consisted of a roasted fully-grown man with livers and kidneys as side dishes.

"Moxxie, when we're out of this ordeal, I'm going to fucking pummel you." Striker hissed.

They struggled against the ropes, but the kids had made a surprisingly good job with those knots. They were good enough to impress even Striker himself, and he was an ace when it came to tying up knots. Sadly, there was little he could do with an injured arm and Moxxie's wimpy little arms were hopeless. Striker growled. If only he could reach his knife…

A light outside the window caught his eye. Then a second appeared, then a third, fourth, as if someone was lighting up torches. Striker paled.

"Jake!"

"Millie!"

Both imps shared a concerned glance. The girl pulled out a serrated knife on Moxxie; to Striker's surprise, the wimp pushed the chair backward and fell on top of her. He took advantage of the distraction, using his tail to pull his knife out of his boot and expertly slice through the ropes. Once free, Striker sent the boy flying against the wall with a kick. Moxxie, too, had managed to free himself with the girl's own knife.

Striker tipped his hat with his good arm. "Not bad, wimp."

"Can you move?"

"I'm not limp, it's just a scratch." Striker wrapped his red bandanna around the wound and pulled out his pistol. "Now let's blow a hole through that bitch's skull."

*HB*

Jake had never been so frightened in his entire life. Well, maybe that time when he nearly got eaten by a serpent, but it was different. At least his father had been there to save him. But this time it was him who got hurt and there was nothing Jake could do to help. He tried to save Millie when she got K.O.'d, but he stood no chance against a fully-grown human and was knocked out as well. When he regained consciousness, he found himself tied to a stake in-between Millie and Blitzo.

"Striker had that fucking shot. Goddammit, Moxxie."

The crazy woman was cackling evilly as she held up a torch. "Satan! We return your filthy creatures back to the pits of Hell! May the root of evil remain honored as we continue thy work!"

The torch landed a few feet away from the logs, setting them aflame. The fire rose up around them as Martha laughed maniacally… until she realized they weren't screeching in agony. Blitzo snorted.

"Yeah, that's not exactly how it works, lady. Sorry, your fire doesn't actually hurt us, but I mean I could fake it if that'll get your dick hard."

Jake blinked. "She's a dude?"

"Grown-up stuff, kiddo. You should ask your daddy about it."

"Well, I'll just shoot you in your smart ass mouth!" Jake gulped as Martha pulled out a rifle on them.

"That would be more effective."

"Blitzo!"

Jake closed his eyes shut, whimpering as he heard the familiar click on the rifle. There were two gunshots, but he heard no screams from Blitzo, Millie, or his own throat, and no searing pain. Jake opened an eye warily. There were two smoking holes in the sockets where Martha's eyes once were. Her body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

A few steps back were none other than Moxxie and dad, both holding their pistols.

"Moxxie! Striker!"

"Dad!"

"You're not getting your god damn paycheck for this one, Moxxie!"

As Moxxie untied the ropes, Jake jumped right into his father's embrace, wrapping his arms around his neck. Meanwhile, Moxxie and Millie hugged and nuzzled each other affectionately.

"I'm sorry, sir. I compromised our objective and put us in harm's way. It won't happen again. I promise."

"Apology accepted." Blitzo pulled Moxxie into a hug, but Striker noticed he was whispering something threatening (apparently), judging by Moxxie's expression.

He waited until Blitzo let go to punch Moxxie with such force that he fell to the ground.

"What the fuck, Striker?!"

"I keep my promises, Mox."

*HB*

Striker wasn't very fond of parties. Frankly, he just wanted to go home, fall to his bed, and sleep, but Jake begged him to stay a little longer to eat cake. After what the boy just went through, he didn't have the heart to say no, so he conceded. Besides, the look on Moxxie's face was fun to look at. He had no idea what put the wimp in such a mood, but he had the feeling it had to do with what remained of the target's bloodline.

"You sure you can ride back home with that arm? I wouldn't like to lose my best shooting asset!" Blitzo protested as he climbed onto Bombproof's saddle, Jake seated in front of him.

"Big deal, it's just a scratch. Nothin' to worry about, Blitz." Striker grabbed the reins with his good arm, the injured one resting on a sling.

Bombproof moved at a slow pace, so it'd take them longer than usual to get home. Millie had once suggested that he and Jake move to Imp City; there was a vacant apartment in the building she and Moxxie lived in and she'd be thrilled at the idea of being neighbors (Moxxie, of course, didn't share the sentiment). Striker regretfully declined the offer (to Moxxie's relief). He was a country person at heart and would rather stay in Wrath. Besides, he wanted his son to experience the ups and downs of rural life.

A loud yawn made him look down. "Tired?"

"No, just resting my eyes," Jake said simply, but the exhaustion in his voice said otherwise. Striker chuckled.

"How about you 'rest yer eyes' for a while, then? I'll wake you up when we get home."

"Really, dad, I'm not tired…" Jake trailed off as he leaned back against his father, resting his chest against his chest.

Striker smiled a bit as he ruffled the boy's hair. "Surely not, kiddo. Surely not."

[writingtoforgetreality]

I just want us to be safe – Chapter 2 (Andy Barber x Daughter!Reader)

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter / I just want us to be safe-Masterlist

Summary: You managed to convince your dad to let you help him with this difficult case. Your years at law school were not completely useless & that much your dad knew as well. It was time to interrogate a few teenagers of Newton High. Who thought it would lead you to think this way?

Words: 2,448

Warnings: language (the opportunity was given, come on), father-daughter-dream team (not a real warning but it’s cute), besides that this chapter is good to go

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

When you pulled into your driveway, you could already see your dad waiting for you. You parked your car, got out & ran for him immediately. He welcomed you with open arms & you closed your eyes when you finally reached him. You were all okay but the thought itself was scary.

“You alright?“ dad asked you & you nodded in return. He knew you wanted to know as much as he did & since it was his case, he had quite some information. Dad & you made your way inside where Laurie was already waiting for you. As soon as she saw you, she got up & ran over to you, embracing you in a hug. You were just happy to see all of them but unfortunately, Jacob was still locked inside school.

“The victim was found stabbed in the woods, just a bit away from the way Jake usually takes. It looked brutal, I’m glad you didn’t have to see this.“ dad inhaled & closed his eyes for a second, the images popping into his head again. “It was Ben. You know him, don’t you?“

“Ben? Ben Rifkin? The boy who goes to Jay’s class?“ you were shocked to say the least. When you saw your dad nod you continued. “Knowing is definitely the wrong word. I just knew he was in the same class as Jay. He always seemed like a nice guy…Oh my god…this is…I don’t know what to say.“ you honestly said, your voice breaking throughout your sentence. Dad laid his arm across your shoulders, bringing you closer to him. Even though you did not know Ben personally, you were sorry this had happened. What was his family going through? Laurie mostly sat next to you in silence, processing it differently.

A few minutes of silence passed & you heard the door unlock. This had to be Jacob. You were right, he stepped inside, his expression not readable. He did not look scared or broken but neither did he look happy, obviously. The four of you went into a group hug, grateful that you were all here, together. Jacob was not in the mood for talking so you decided to let him go to his room. Maybe he just needed some alone time to process what had happened today. Dad did tell him that the victim was Ben but still, Jacob did not show any emotions.

“We weren’t friends, really, just regular classmates, you know?“ & with that, dad stopped asking Jacob about it, wanting for him to rest a bit after this eventful day. Laurie decided on doing the same, so she went into her & dad’s bedroom, closing the door. She would probably do some reading. She always did when she wanted to calm down.

Now, your dad & you were alone in the kitchen. Dad’s laptop was already sitting on top of the counter, ready to do some research, as his boss had told him to do. Yet, you did not leave his side. You were not attending law school for no reason. The crime solving had always fascinated you & dad let you have an insight in his cases every now & then. Two people working towards one goal was faster than one so you asked, not caring about your dad’s answer at all, knowing you had to convince him to let yourself be of help.

“Dad? I’d like to help you with this case.“ you stated confidently. You knew his answer as soon as his eyes had met yours. His face told you everything.

“Nope. Don’t even think about it. I’m fine, I can deal with this on my own. I don’t wanna make you a part of this, that’s no joke. This is dangerous, (Y/N).“ the way he called you by your real name surprised you a bit. He only ever used it when he was serious about something. Yet, you could not let him do this alone. It would be so helpful for college so you tried again.

“I am aware of the danger, dad. I wasn’t saying that I’d like to take over. Just helping with research, maybe even interrogations, you know, like we have done a couple times already.“ while saying that, you made sure to look directly into his eyes, trying to sound as confident as possible. Apparently it had worked because you saw your dad’s expression soften & knew you had him wrapped around your finger. You know, you were damn good at doing research, always finding the right sources & clues that helped with solving a case. Dad obviously knew that as well, so he agreed on you helping him. He told you that you had to obey his orders, especially with this case & you were fine with this. So in order to work faster, you ran up to your room, grabbed your laptop, made your way downstairs again & sat right next to dad. You still did not have much information but you worked with what you got. Mainly, the two of you searched for similar cases in the area, trying to find any connections but to no avail. A few hours later, you had not checked the time for a while, your dad yawned & stretched. He told you it was time for bed & you were shocked when the time read 3:11 am. College started in a few hours so it was destined to be a short night without much sleep. You would lie if you said that you were not affected by such cases. But that was what the job brought with itself. Sleepless nights & loads of overthinking. Were you ready for all of this in your future? Honestly, yeah. You wanted to help others in a form of bringing justice to suffering people.

6 am, your alarm woke you from your short slumber. Gosh, you were tired but that was nothing you could not manage. Following the same routine as always, you made your way to the kitchen. Everything was the usual. Dad drank his coffee, Laurie went jogging & Jacob was silent, a bit too silent for your liking. When Laurie came back, the discussion started. Dad & Laurie wanted to drive Jacob to school. An obvious reaction to a killer running around. Jacob insisted on walking again & did not want to discuss this any further. You also suggested to drive him, not planning on taking your own car today, but wanting your brother to be safe. All you earned was a glare. Okay, you would not ask him again. Today was your diner-free day so you hopped inside dad’s car, letting him drop you off in front of your college. You bid your goodbyes & told dad you would be coming over to his workplace as soon as you finished your classes. He agreed, you had been at his work a couple times already, & drove off.

News were spreading fast & so was the fact that your dad, Andy Barber, had been assigned to this case. You were surrounded by law students, just as curious as you were, so of course they asked you if you knew more than the media released. The promise you made prevented you from spilling too much so you went with the typical “That’s all we know, too.“ phrase. Lucky you, you only had one class today & after this, you walked to your dad’s office. Office? More like his workplace but whatever. You loved it there. The atmosphere, the people, the cause. Sometimes you even imagined yourself working there. Maybe your dream would come true in a few years, after successfully graduating from law school. Entering, you saw your dad on his way in his boss‘ office. He was so focused that he did not even see you walk in. Not wanting to interrupt their meeting, you waited outside, greeted some of dad’s colleagues & sat in one of the many chairs. From what you could read from their expressions, it was not a simple “updating“ meeting. When you saw your dad’s favorite colleague walk in, you knew something was off. Oh how much you hated that guy. What was his name again? Neal Logidiudice? Logidouche? Who the hell even cared, he was an asshole, that much you knew. They discussed for a few more minutes until your dad exited the office, spotting you & walking over to you. Okay, dad did not look pissed, more like accomplished. That was a good sign.

“Hi there, angel! Here so soon?“ he questioned.

“Just had one class today so I thought I’d come by earlier. Let me tell you, law students are horrible when it comes to being curious. Am I this bad, too?“ you asked, more to yourself but still loud enough for him to hear.

“Bullshit, you know the way, you’re more experienced than most of them.“ his statement made you smile.

“Soooo? What were you guys talking about? And what the hell did Detective Douche do in there?“ your last part made your dad laugh. You were a bit obsessed with “Lucifer“ so every time you saw one of dad’s co-workers you did not like, you gave them this name.

“My boss wanted to pass this case to him. You know, because of me having a relationship with some parents & students. After some convincing from my side, she agreed on letting me do it anyway. Good sign, angel, you can come with me to Newton High to interrogate a few kids. You in?“ your response was a smirk. Of course you would accompany him. You loved helping him with his job.

Dad, Detective Paula Duffy & you grabbed a few things & made your way over to Newton High. While being in the car, dad told you a few rules you had to follow during the talks with the kids. You knew how to behave during an interrogation. The two of you had gone over the steps multiple times. Yet, he felt more comfortable with telling you again & again, especially while on the way to an important appointment. So you kept listening, knowing how much of a deal it was for him. Arriving at the school’s parking lot, everything seemed normal. Nobody would have guessed that there had been a murder nearby a day prior. When the two of you stepped out of the car & met with Detective Paula Duffy again, you went over to the entrance. The principal awaited you & made you follow him to a separate, empty classroom. There was just one table at the very center. You thought that there probably were kids who could be a tiny bit scared of this sort of confrontation. They might be younger but there sure as hell were not dumb. Kids always knew more than they were revealing. You had been to high school, you knew the deal. You thought it was a good idea to let them know your apprehension. Because of that, the two of them decided to integrate you in the talks. They thought that the kids were more comfortable with talking to a younger one. Of course you were happy to hear that. They trusted you enough to include you. You all got seated on one side of the table, leaving a single chair at the opposite side for the kids.

You had lost count about how many children had been in there. There was nobody who gave you new information. Mostly, the teenagers were shocked to find out about Andy Barber, Jacob’s father. Some of them even recognized you, telling you they had seen you around a few years prior. Even though all three of you tried to get at least a tiny bit out of the kids, it was useless. It was time for the last kid of the day. You were tired. Sitting there for hours, interrogating teenager after teenager without success was exhausting. The last interrogation was with a girl. She looked cute, nice & smart. One of her first questions was addressed to your dad.

“Are you Jacob Barber’s dad?” your dad, being tired of the statement he had heard so many times already, simply smiled & nodded. Her next question, though, brought your attention back.

“Have you talked to him about it?” her face shifted but you could not quite make out what her expression looked like. It was a normal question but to you, something did not make sense. You let your dad answer, not really knowing what to say yourself.

“Um…you mean if I have talked to Jacob about this situation? No, not yet.” your dad barely ever stuttered so that was another unusual thing.

“Maybe you should. Can I go now?” the question everyone asked as soon as they wanted to get out of there. Your dad gave her his card, telling her to immediately call this number if she remembered anything or if she saw anything. She nodded, making her way towards the door, looking back one more time, her face showing…pity? Now that was interesting.

“We’re done for today. Go home, we’ll keep working tomorrow.” the Detective said. She said goodbye & walked out of the room, leaving you & dad alone.

Back in the car, you could not get this girl out of your head. Her words seemed to activate something inside of you & you started growing concerned. Not wanting to wait any longer, you asked what you had on your mind.

“Do you think Jacob knows more than he lets us know?” even though you faced the street in front of you, you saw dad looking at you from the corner of your eye.

“Seriously?” he let out a low chuckle. “Angel, we’ve talked to him. He doesn’t know anything else, he promised.” Dad reassured you.

“Can we be sure, though? Maybe this girl has a point. Should we ask him again?” you were scared. You hated yourself for even believing that your little brother Jacob had been hiding the entire truth from you. But you were trying to solve a case & that meant that you had to consider every possibility. The thought made you sick.

“(Y/N).” his voice was more serious now. “We know Jake, if he knew something, he would’ve told us.” He reasoned.

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, this case just…you know, not easy.” you tried to explain. Your dad nodded, understanding you were a bit confused with this situation. As he kept driving, you could not help your thoughts wandering back to the slight possibility of Jacob being involved. How could you ever doubt your own brother? But on the other hand, was the doubting justified?

 ~to be continued~

Published (01/05/2020) by Cathy

[theladylovingcrow]

Black Panties and An Angel's Face Pt 1 (Sanny Christmas Fic)

** A Continuation of Silk and Satin, Leather and Lace, but there's no actual sex in this part (sorry horny friends, sorry) **

Author (As known on Various sites): Lady Lover- Rockfic, Luluthechoosingcrow - AO3, theladylovingcrow - Deviantart and Wattpad, @sammy_bluebells - Instagram, @imacrowcawcaw - main Tumblr, @theladylovingcrow - writing/art Tumblr, @insannywestan Sanny shipping Tumblr

Fandom: Greta Van Fleet

Pairing: Sam Kiszka/Danny

Length: about 3k

Warnings/tags: lingerie, cross dressing, no smut yet, established relationship, gift giving, Christmas

Summary: Sam had said that he would wear whatever Danny bought him.... would he, really? Fuck, if not them this was about to he a sucky Christmas for the both of them.

Author's notes: I've been busting my ass all morning and last night trying it finish this, because honestly a Christmas fic after Christmas is just kinda... meh. But, alas, I only got the first half, the sort of build up, done. Well, something is better than nothing, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

From @therealswanqueen 's request for me (:

"Oh if you're going to write a continuation of the lingerie fic it would be nice if Danny buys it for Sam ♡♡♡ like if he's out shopping and sees something pretty and thinks 'Sammy would look gorgeous in this' ♡"

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

Danny mentally went over the list in his head, arms too full of stuff to actually pull it out of his pocket at the moment. He had gotten the regular shopping out of the way, and was now working his way though the upper level of the mall, searching for Christmas gifts the one day he could get away from those sneaky brothers.

He had already gotten a variety of gag gifts and weird oddities the twins were sure to enjoy at Spencer's, and a new Christmas sweater for Sam; after some deliberation, a matching one for himself, as well. Their mothers were sure to enjoy it.

It was hard to know what exactly to give when they already had most things they could want, but Danny still tried to be thoughtful and give nice things to the people that meant the most to him.

New boots, a watch, and an engraved harmonica for Jake? Check.

A vintage fur coat for Josh? Yep, and surprisingly cheap.

Books for all three Kiszka's? Yes, as well as some parchment, ink, and quills for Joshie - it was one of those random finds that hadn't been on his radar of gift ideas, but as soon as he saw them he knew Josh would love them.

All that was left was Sammy. His best friend (now lover, too) always seemed to be both the easiest and worst to shop for. He was picky, so picky that, even after all these years, Danny could rarely be 100% sure that he'd like his gift.

He went in and out of every store, desperately searching for *something* that Sam didn't already have, and that he would appreciate receiving.

Nothing.

Not a single item that would be a good fit to give his new-ish boyfriend, not even a cool pair of sunglasses to just fill put some space in his gift bag.

Danny sighed, deciding to fuck the mall and go Amazon it in the comfort of their bed. But, just as he was heading towards the exit, something caught his eye.

A blue something - pale, like a robin's egg, but speckled with small, shimmering beads instead of brown splattered spots. It was a lacy bra, hanging several racks in inside of a Victoria's Secret.

Danny stopped and stared at it, considering. Sam had said.... Sam had said that he would wear whatever Danny bought him. It had been nearly two months, and, while they had definitely had sex many, many times since then, none of the lingerie items had made another appearance. Sam hadn't even mentioned it again after that day, instead only shooting Danny the occasional meaningful look that he interpreted as "Well? I'm waiting, it's on you to continue this."

He took two steps forward, but stopped just before entering onto the lighter tiles of the store's entrance. Would Sam actually like this as his Christmas present, instead of other stuff - namely, things he could actually tell their family he got?

Danny turned and was about to walk away, but then spun around for just one last look at the bra. It was so, so pretty, and would look so, so good against Sam's tanned skin; he could envision his lover perfectly in that little blue piece, coyly teasing Danny as he ran his hands over his lacy chest.

He took in a sharp breath and marched into the store, bags of presents banging against his thighs as he rushed over to the rack to closer inspect the bra. Danny set his purchases down on the ground so he could touch it, tentatively reaching out a finger to run over the scalloped trim along one of the cups.

Danny realized that the one he was looking at would never fit Sam, but, luckily, there was a whole row of blue items in different sizes behind it. He flicked through the hangers, eyebrows knitting together at all of the different numbers, letters, prices, and, he realized, slightly different styles and designs.

Which one should he choose - what would look best on Sam, and what would fit him? Danny was at a loss. The first bra he had seen and fallen in love with appeared to be the only one of its kind, which was highly disappointing but he knew that often happened when shopping - if you fall in love with something, chances are it's not going to work out. Such was life.

The other bras, though: all were the same pale blue, but some had no beading, some possessed a ridiculous amount of straps, and one was also covered in purple, trailing vines embroidered over the lace, curling over the soft fabric.

"Sir, do you need any help?"

Danny startled, looking over his shoulder at a friendly, understanding looking employee. He nodded sheepishly, nudging aside some of his bags with his foot so he wasn't barricaded in a circle of paper bags.

"Yeah, I'm... I don't know what size to get- yeah," he cut himself off, nearly saying "to get my boyfriend" but realizing that maybe he shouldn't.

It wasn't like Danny was ashamed of being bisexual, but he figured that revealing he was dating a guy and buying him lingerie was not a good idea - not only because she could react weird, but because who knew who could recognize him. He decided it was safest to just pretend to be buying a present for his girlfriend, it was close enough and completely plausible, if only requiring more thought before he spoke.

"Of course! Do you know what size she is?"

He shook his head, looking back at all of the tags. Like every guy, he knew, roughly, that A was small and D was big - stereotypically perfect, though Danny disagreed - but there were also double letters and numbers that were confusing him. He had no frame of reference to know what size the numbers indicated, nor the scope of the sizes. 28 was the smallest he saw, but it still seemed like an awfully big number for Sam's tiny ribcage, and many of the other girls he'd met, too.

"That's all right, this is probably a surprise, huh?" The employee, he saw her name was Stephi, gave him a knowing look and a grin, and Danny nodded again, smiling back.

"Yeah, she... she's been kind of hinting, but this is totally going to be a surprise and I didn't really think to check sizes before I came. She's really small though, very skinny and uh, an A cup, I think. What are the numbers?"

"Oh, the numbers are for band size, it's like the circumference of the of the ribcage. She'd probably be a 28A, that's the smallest we have," Stephi said, sorting through the rack methodically and picking out several of the blue bras as well as a few others from a lower rung. "Do these look like they would fit?"

Danny squinted at them, trying to imagine if they would hang slack on Sam's body or sit snug like they were supposed to.

"I guess, yeah, those look like they'd fit. Though, I've never really seen her wear the shaped ones, she likes softer things. They're called, uh, it has 'bra' in it..."

Really, Danny didn't want to get the shaped ones because he thought they would pop off of Sam's body weird with nothing to fill them, and that looked both unsexy and uncomfortable. He'd heard one of his past girlfriends talk about some bra thing before; it had sounded like a lighter fabric or something, but he just couldn't remember what it was called.

"A brallette? Yes, we have those, here's a few."

She took the shaped bras and set them aside, holding out a few that looked like lacy, cut off tank tops or teddys, soft and thin fabric that would most likely lay flat if nothing was underneath.

Ah, a brallette! Danny swore he was going to pay more attention to what his partner was talking about when it came to stuff like this, be it Sam or another girlfriend - though, he hoped it would only ever be Sam from now on.

Danny looked at the bras she was holding, trying to decide. There was the soft blue one with purple vines crawling up from the band at the bottom, little flowers budding up high over the mesh and lace top and then continuing over the straps. He really liked that one, so he gently took it from her and kind of tucked it under his arm, then continued surveying.

Another was completely pale pink lace, "Millenial Pink" he was pretty sure. His eyes passed over it, going instead for one of similar design but of a rich, deep green color. He grabbed that one too, and decided not to get any of the others Stephi was holding.

He thanked her for her help, figuring he had a good grasp of what bras to get, now.

"No problem! I'm sure she'll love these, let me know if you need anything else, I'll be at the counter."

Stephi turned and started walking away, then came back to him. "Hey, you have a lot of bags, do you want to put them next to the counter while you shop, if you think it'll be awhile? It might make it easier."

Danny grinned at her. "Oh, yes, please, and thank you."

He appreciated how nice she was being to him, even though that was technically her job and she'd probably seen many hapless boyfriends in the store before. Still, it was the busy week before Christmas, and she had taken the time to patiently help him while people were rushing and yelling and making a mess of things all around them. Danny carried his bags over to where she directed and took the metal basket she gave him, turning back to survey the store for anything else that caught his eye.

Over in the left corner, he spotted a table full of colorful pieces of cloth - panties, he realized, looking at the mannequins modeling a few pairs. Danny wandered over to them, stopping briefly to run his hands over another bra but moving on when he realized it wasn't something Sam was likely to wear.

There were so many options! Danny knew that there were many, many styles of women's underwear; he was proud to say that he had seen quite a few of them first hand. Still, the colorful piles were almost making his head hurt, though his heart was beating faster with something that felt like excitement.

He picked up pair after pair, settling on the 10 for $100 deal he saw advertised. It seemed ridiculously expensive for tiny, flimsy pieces of fabric, but it would be so, so worth it when he got to see Sam's sinful hips in these cheeky little triangles.

Danny grabbed one more pair of panties and another bra - a matching, strappy set - and brought everything over to the front of the store, waiting in line with all the other ladies and boyfriends to purchase his secret gifts. He grinned at Stephi as she rung him up, thanking her profusely for the help and adding the pink striped bag to his cache of others.

He made his way past the giggling groups of teenage girls out of the store, pausing to give a few of them a smile when they blushed and pointed at him. He would stop and take pictures if they asked, but otherwise, he was a man on a mission.

Danny couldn't get the image of Sam all dressed up for him those two months ago out of his head; his stockings and garter, the corset, his sweet smile. He wasn't likely to find a corset like that at a commercial mall, but the other stuff - he wanted, he needed, to get the complete outfit.

His next stop, after dropping all the other gifts at the car like he had originally intended, was a high-end 'bohemian' boutique right next to Macy's. Danny pushed open the door, quirking his lips at some indie cover of Jingle Bells playing over the store's speaker.

Danny smiled widely, looking over the store. Florals, paisley, glitter, lace and satin and taffeta, all hung like shimmering, rainbow banners on the walls. He knew what Sam's style was, the only thing he had to do was build the bridge between the lingerie he had gotten and what Sam would wear, normally, and it was - hopefully - going to be an unforgettable gift. He decided to start at the hair clips and work his way around to the mini skirts on the other side.

~~~~

Two hours and nearly two thousand dollars later, he had three full-to-bursting bags of clothing and accessories for Sam. Danny knew he had gone over board, and over budget, but every time he thought he had found the last item he turned around and another was screaming at him, sometimes from an entirely different store, how good it would look on Sam's lithe body. This new idea had shone a new light on the mall where he had previously found nothing of interest to get his lover; now, it was like he couldn't stop the floor of gifts.

He sighed, hands straining to grasp all of the bag handles as he made his way to the parking lot, trying not to knock anyone over with his haul. Now all that was left was wrapping everything up and placing it under the tree, where Sam could receive it in a few days time.

Danny worried his lip in between his teeth as he loaded up the trunk of the car. He was happy with his purchases, but that didn't mean Sammy would like them. He tried to quell any doubt in his head, though; Sam had asked for Danny to buy him more stuff, so he had. Simple.

The only thing he had to worry about was the wrong person opening the presents - which, shit, maybe they shouldn't go under the tree.

~~~~

Jake was smirking, looking back and forth between Danny's red face and his little brother's more self satisfied, but also blushing one.

"So, Sammy, what did you get? Let us see."

Sam shook his head at first, looking like he was being asked to feed his arm to a lion, but then slowly raised his gift out of the mess of tissue paper. It was a top, silver and covered in shimmering fringe all the way down its torso and in lines along the sleeves. Some of the things Danny had gifted Sam toed the line - lacy shirts, crop tops, one skirt, booty shorts (though he already wore those) with the hope that Sam would actually like them, as in making them a part if his every day wardrobe. Dressing up for sex was fun, but Sam's androgyny, even when not sexual, was still incredibly attractive and Danny wanted to encourage it.

Jake whistled. "Dang, Sammy, I might have to "borrow" that from you. But that's not what made you blush, now let us see it. "

"Nuh-uh, no can do Jack-o. Do I demand to see everything your girlfriend gives you?"

"Ooh, so it's that kind of gift!" Josh laughed. He was sitting on the floor, surrounded by shining bits of metallic paper and rainbow wrapping, swaddled in a plush red robe and grinning like the little Christmas elf he was; he had demanded they each open one gift before they did Christmas with the entire Kiszka-Wagner clan like usual.

Danny squirmed in his seat, his face getting even darker. He had gotten Sam some regular things so as not to arouse suspicion, and then saved most of the special items for later that night, privately hoping Sam would try them on and give him a little show. But, he had slipped in one pair of frilly white and black panties to let Sam know what was to come.

Sam adamantly refused to show his brothers anything else in the bag, setting it aside behind his chair and shooting Danny a look that could only be described as sultry. Danny swallowed, dry, and opened his own gift from Sam.

It was a gorgeous silk robe, starting at a light lavender and melting into a deep, inky black at the bottom. There was embroidery along the edges, little flowers and curls trimming the sweeping bell sleeves. Black lace formed a belt along the gathered waist, little silver buttons shining against the darkness.

Danny gasped, softly running his fingers over the fabric, feeling the cool softness and already imagining it against his skin.

Sam leaned over and whispered in his ear, one hand curled around Danny's bicep. "I'll wear anything you get me, but I want you to do the same, at least try it. What do you think?"

Danny turned to Sam, almost at a loss for words. "It's... it's beautiful, Sammy, of course I'll wear it. We'll be matching."

It was incredible how fast Sam was able to take the reins of a situation and flip it - here, Danny had thought that he was indulging his lover's interest, but, apparently, Sam had realized that Danny was just as into it and brought the control back to himself. Danny was putty in his hands, buying what he wanted and following every order, and he always would be, with joy.

"Woah, that's cool. But why'd you get Danny a lacy robe?"

Danny looked up, startled, to see both of the twins leaning over and staring into the box on his lap. He quickly put the top back on and shrugged, not sure how he had forgotten they were there. It was the excitement, he supposed, and the sentimentality of the gift, too, that had distracted him.

Jake shook his head, mumbling "Weirdos," under his breath and going to start gathering up the wrapping paper strewn all over the floor. There was a weird air in the room, one Danny couldn't quite shake. Sam was still sitting way too close to him and giving him looks, not at all helping him get his head back on straight.

"So, anyways, did I mention that I got us matching sweaters? Mom will love them!"

~~~~

To Be Continued

~~~~

@satans-helper

@okietrish

@lazingonsunday

@bigthighsandstupidguys

@karrotkate

@oblvions

@lantern-inthenight

@mountainofthesunn

@ryetheruler

[chibikinesis]

Got to thinking about first kiss scenarios for the post-redemption ending au... thing and I’ve got one idea I’m really clinging to ♥

I imagine at this point it’s been, like, a year and a half or so since Sean ran into Jacob and Sarah Lee a few months after he got out, and by this point into things, much fondness has grown and lots of mutual pining has taken place, but they’re both too chickenshit to act on their feelings. But someone’s finally gotta’ reach a breaking point, right?

It’s the second night into Sean’s umpteenth visit to their place. It’s quiet; they had dinner, as usual, with Sarah, who’s gone out with some friends on this particular evening. Sean’s helping Jake clean and dry the dishes. There’s usually friendly chatter here, but Jake noticed that Sean has been a bit... off during this visit. Quieter than usual, having trouble keeping eye contact with him, and he wonders if he’s withholding something. But it’s not the first time he’s seen this sort of behavior from people he cares about, and the implications usually aren’t good, so paranoia is really starting to chew at him, against his better judgement. But, God, he’s trying not to let it get to him.

The whole house is only dimly lit by the remnants of sunlight streaming in through the windows, and the cute string lights that were hung all around. The radio yammers away in the background, and aside from the trickle stream of running water in the kitchen sink, it’s the only sound.

“You don’t quite seem yourself today.” He coaxes softly, toweling off a dish and handing it to his guest. “Is something wrong, Sean? I know I’ve already said it,  like... a thousand times by now, but, you can talk to me... about anything.”

It takes Sean a moment to ponder his response as he puts the last dish away. Out of his periph, Jake dries his hands and turns around to lean his weight on the counter, and he knows he’s on the receiving end of an expectant gaze.

“Actually, yeah... something has been bothering me, but I...” Sean hesitates for a moment. “I don’t really know how to talk about it.”

“You already know I won’t pass judgement on you for any-”

“N-no, I don’t know how to talk to you about it, Jake.” he huffs. His tone is tired and uncertain and frustrated. “Because it has a lot to do with you. Hell, everything to do with you.”

His tone and his words are all too similar to things Jake’s heard before. He feels a pang in his stomach, and the slightest wash of nausea as he thinks back on those occasions. Is this what he’d feared the whole time? He feels the air flee his lungs and all he can muster is a small “Oh” as he casts his gaze down.

“Listen, Jake, I... I don’t want to ruin our friendship, but I can’t keep kidding myself.”

Not even dating him and it still feels like I’m getting dumped somehow. Is this what I get for opening myself up to the possibility, after all this time? There’s a stinging in his eyes as he tries to fight back his emotions. He wonders what he’s possibly done this time. Because it was always his fault, after all. Too clingy. Too needy. Too much of a worrywart, because after all those years of having to step up and fill the position of not one, but both parents, old habits died hard. Too-

“Damn it...” Sean grunts and wrings his hands as he tries to find the words. Jake’s gently scolded him over holding turbulent emotions in for too long, but how else was he supposed to get this off of his chest? “This is driving me nuts. I just want...”

Jake stands patiently, somehow simultaneously only half-listening as he wrestles his own thoughts, and hanging on every syllable. It feels like an eternity as he finally lifts his gaze to meet Sean’s, and he prays that the turmoil isn’t too apparent on his face. He’s not entirely sure what did it, but something managed to capture Sean’s attention there, and his lone eye darts from feature to feature for a full minute before his expression softens, and he finally takes a step closer.

This was new. Maybe his assumptions are wrong. God, he hopes they’re wrong, because if they’re not, that makes things especially awkward now. He draws what he swears is his first breath since his soft little oh a minute, or two, or five prior, as Sean raises his hands and ghosts his fingertips up Jake’s forearms, and come to rest on his biceps in a not-quite-holding position, where his thumbs trace playfully along the folds in his shirtsleeves.

A familiar, warm expression overtakes Sean’s features, finally, and he worries at his lip, and he swallows in an attempt to rid the lump in his throat, because fuck if he knows what he’s doing when it comes to these sorts of things, or if he’s being suave or smooth or cool enough, but he sure as hell knew what he wanted. And, god, he was this far now, wasn’t he? No use holding back anymore.

As if his eye riveted on that pair of lips he’d admired far too many times and much too thoroughly to just be friendly, parted ever-so-slightly, Jake’s front teeth just barely playing peek-a-boo like they did so often when he was holding his breath, or when he was nervous, or both, didn’t already make him too obvious. 

“Jacob...” there’s such a tenderness and vulnerability in Sean’s voice that it makes Jake feel more than a little wobbly in the knees, and suddenly the mental whiplash of his expectations versus the reality unfolding before him doesn’t matter so much anymore. “- can I kiss you?”

As long as it took for the question to register, for complete, utter relief to wash over Jake, and for him to nod just once was all the longer it took before his face was between Sean’s gentle hands, for an eager thumb to trace along his lower lip, and the soft please that he mutters is all but swallowed up by the weight and warmth of Sean’s mouth against his.

It’s dizzying.

He takes a second to readjust and to take it all in. He could still smell and taste apples and cinnamon, and somehow, it made this all feel even more like home, and gave him even more incentive to move in for more once Sean finally broke away. But he didn’t do it immediately - instead lifting his hands to touch Sean’s face and to feel his skin and to remind himself that this was all really, actually happening, and not just some left-field vision or fever dream.

Reaching up, he brushes the hair away from Sean’s forehead and leans in to press a kiss there, and he leaves a trail of sweet, gentle pecks all along the signature scars and nicks on his cheeks and his jaw. He stops for a moment to give a bit more attention to a sunken, scarred eye lid, and Sean feels the breath leave his lungs as those lips find his again, entirely too content to return all attention they’d just been given, and then some.

There’s an affectionate, if not playful, push-and-pull for a moment before they both break away to catch their breath and recollect.

Sean flashes him the sweetest, most contented smile before his face seeks refuge in the crook of Jake’s neck. His arms wrap around him in a tight, almost desperate embrace that takes him by surprise. He breathes him in, and takes comfort in the warmth and closeness he’d denied himself. His mind strayed back to that morning at camp, waking up in his arms, feeling more safe and warm than he cared to admit at the time - as Jake returned the gesture. His head nestled against Sean’s hair, one hand raking through his dark locks, and the other tracing a vague oblong shape along his back, open-palmed and so very warm.

Sean’s struggled with the notion of what home really is for a long time now - but damn if this isn’t the closest thing to that ideal that he’s ever actually, tangibly felt.

“I know you said you weren’t really looking for anything right now, but...”

“I don’t think that’s quite what I said...” Jake smiles, his expression grown thoughtful. “I do recall saying that if something came my way and felt right,I might consider it.”

“And how does this feel?”

“Better than it has any right to.”

[lucacangettathisass]

How The Light Gets In (ch. 4)

SUMMARY: After your home is ransacked by a group of strange men, you and your cousin are taken in by a group of outlaws. And that’s when the trouble really starts.

PAIRINGS: John Marston x Fem!Reader, Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader

CHAPTER ONE, CHAPTER TWO, CHAPTER THREE

TAGGING: @mountainhymn if you would like to be tagged in future chapters please lmk!

NOTES: yikes so....this one took a while! yeah i’ve just been busy with work and playing red dead and junk. speaking of i’m aware i’ve done stuff out of order but listen. listen. i got no excuse. likes are welcomed but reblogs are most appreciated! be sure to support fic writers by spreading their work!

As you sat with the other ladies and Jack around the fire, you were all joined by a slim, older man with round glasses and a heavy coat. “I hope you all don’t mind.” He said, with a distinctly European accent. “The Reverend has been trying my patience.”

“Of course Herr Strauss.” Miss Grimshaw looked over at you and Sadie. “This is Leopold Strauss, he does the bookkeeping.”

You regarded the man curiously. “Are you from Germany Herr Strauss?”

Mr Strauss looked at you with a raised brow. “Vienna.”

You smiled brightly. “I’ve heard wonderful things about Vienna.” You said. “How long have you been in America?”

“Since 1863.” He replied, warming his hands. “Where did you hear about Vienna?”

“My mother worked for a Russian widow who spent a lot of her time in Vienna.” You explained. “She always spoke very highly of the city.”

Mr Strauss nodded slowly, regarding you with curiosity. “Do you speak German?”

Your smile grew wider. “Fließend.” You replied, with some pride. “Die Witwe hat es mir beigerbracht.”

That made Mr Strauss smile, while everyone else looked between the two of you in confusion. “She said that the widow taught her how to speak German.” He explained to everyone. “It’ll be nice to speak German with someone who can actually understand.”

You laughed lightly. “I’m sure, although it’s been a while since I had ample opportunity to speak it, so I may not be perfect.”

“It’s better than nothing.”

You laughed again, and to your delight saw Mr Strauss smile wider.

“Some old widow taught you German?” Miss Jones seemed rather intrigued.

“She taught me a lot of things.” You replied. “I owe her a great deal.” You crossed yourself out of habit, silently praying that her soul was resting as peacefully as she deserved. “She died a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Mr Strauss said. “She clearly meant a lot to you.”

“Thank you, you’re very kind to say so.” You said. Now that you were able to think more clearly, you saw that you had to try and get as many of the gang members on your side as possible as long as you and Sadie were with them. The more they liked you both, the easier it would be. Thankfully if there was one thing you knew how to do, it was charm people. “You mentioned a Reverend?”

“A former Reverend.” Miss Grimshaw said. “He ain’t much of one these days.”

That made you frown. As a child you went to church often, and you had always admired those that had chosen to spend the rest of their lives walking with the Lord, so to hear of one falling from grace hurt you, as ridiculous as that sounded. But it also intrigued you to know that a band of outlaws had a Reverend of all things with them.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” You said quietly, and your fingers twitched, momentarily going for your prayer rope before you remembered that it was lost, along with just about everything else you had ever called yours. “So, who else do you have with you all?”

Miss Grimshaw told you of the other members you had yet to meet; Dutch’s lover Molly O’Shea, a disgraced soldier called Bill Williamson, the former revolutionary fighter Javier Escuella, young Lenny Summers whom Miss Grimshaw praised for his intellect, the lost and troublesome Irishman Sean Macguire who was hopefully with the equally troublesome and twice as brash Mac Callander, and an old man known simply as Uncle.

“Uncle?” You furrowed your brow. “Has he never given you all a proper name?”

“Nope.” Miss Jackson spoke up as she prodded the fire to keep it alive. “We’ve all asked, but he’s never given a straight answer.”

That left you flummoxed. You could understand one not wanting to give their real identity if they were an outlaw, but surely they would provide a proper name, rather than just ‘Uncle’. It made you wonder what kind of life ‘Uncle’ had lead. And trying to figure out how exactly you would address him as you would no doubt have to some time soon.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Miss Roberts clinging onto Jack as he sat in her lap, whispering into his ear. You watched them for a bit, feeling your heart ache for the little boy. “What do you like to do Jack?” You smiled kindly at him, trying to put him more at ease.

Jack shrugged, avoiding looking at you. “I don’t know.”

“Yes you do Jack.” Miss Roberts said. She looked up at you. “He loves to read.”

You instantly perked up, smiling wider. “What do you like to read?”

Jack glanced up at you before shyly looking away again. “Fairy tales.” He said. “Uncle Hosea likes to read to me too.”

You nodded, touched and surprised at the idea of Mr Matthews doing something so...well, normal. It never occurred to you that people like this, outlaws and criminals, could be so domestic. “Do you read with your father?”

There was a sudden silence, and you felt a sharp rise of tension in the atmosphere, which in turn made you tense and anxious.

“His father ain’t really the readin’ type.” Miss Roberts said bitterly. “Not much of a fatherin’ type at all really.”

You felt your heart sink and you looked back down at Jack, who was frowning at the floor. “I’m very sorry to hear that Miss Roberts.” You said sincerely.

She shrugged. “It’s fine, the others around here help, particularly Arthur.”

That made you smile a little. “That’s good to hear, a boy needs a strong man in his life.” You looked back at Jack and leaned in closer to him. “So, what have you been reading lately?”

-

With some encouragement from his mother, Jack opened up and you found him to be a very chatty, and adorably precocious child. He talked animatedly about the stories of kings and knights of round tables he read with Mr Matthews, and of the games he made up and would play, either with others or by himself. As he spoke, you got the feeling that he felt rather lonely at times, even though he was surrounded by people who cared for him. Rather notably, he said very little about his father, and that made you feel for the boy. There was Mr Matthews and Mr Morgan, but you knew that nothing could truly replace a father.

All of a sudden, the low thunder of hooves cut through the conversations, making you all turn your heads. You jumped to your feet, wrapping the coat Miss Jones had given you around yourself as tight as you could. “I’m going to make sure the men are alright and that Gladys behaved herself.” You said, going to the door.

“I’m coming with you.”

You turned and looked at Sadie quizzically. “I’ll be right outside Sadie, not that far.”

“I’m coming anyway.” She looked and sounded stern, and you knew better than to try and argue this further.

The wind had died down somewhat from earlier, but the snow was still heavy and the cold still biting. As you and Sadie trudged through the snow towards the men, and you quickly noticed that Gladys and Mr Morgan weren’t among them.

“Gladys?” You looked around, thinking that maybe you had simply missed the two of them.

“Your horse is fine.” One of the men said as he approached you. He was darker than the others, but not as much as Mr Smith, and had a very finely groomed moustache and fashionable hat. In fact, he appeared to be the most well groomed of the men you had seen thus far. “We spotted another O’Driscoll on our way back and Arthur went after him.”

“Oh, that’s good to know.” You let out a sigh of relief. “Are the rest of you alright?”

“Perfectly fine.” The man replied, hitching his horse to the post.

“Did you kill all them bastards?”

You stared at Sadie, more than a little startled at her question. The rage in her eyes and the growling ferocity in her voice shocked you, and made you deeply uneasy.

The man seemed to be just as surprised, although you imagined it was far more jarring for him, as he didn’t know her at all. His eyes flicked over to you before going back to Sadie. “As many as we could.”

“Good.”

You felt goosebumps rise over every inch of your body in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.

“Sadie, are you-”

The heavy sound of hooves interrupted you, and you turned to see Gladys galloping into view, Mr Morgan on her back, and something stowed on her rear. Something that couldn’t stop struggling.

“What you got for us Arthur?” Mr Van Der Linde waded through the thick snow to Mr Morgan, and you stepped aside to allow him more room, noting the look of subdued glee on his face.

“An O’Driscoll.” Mr Morgan walked around behind Gladys and you saw that the something stowed on Gladys was, in fact, a someone. A young man, with scraggly facial hair and wide, terrified eyes. He didn’t seem like the O’Driscolls that had invaded the house and killed Jake. He was far too jittery, and you felt a little sorry for him. “Kieran Duffy.”

You saw that Mr Morgan had a look on his face that was similar to Mr Van Der Linde’s, appearing to be entirely too pleased with having a man captive. You didn’t enjoy it.

Mr Morgan tried to remove Kieran Duffy from Gladys, but she stepped aside, resulting in Mr Morgan stumbling forward slightly, his hands grasping at air.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Sadie smirking.

“Careful there Morgan.” Mr Bell’s voice called out, sounding just as amused as Sadie appeared to be.

“Gladys.” You said in a warning tone.

That appeared to be enough, as while Gladys did huff, she didn’t move again when Mr Morgan removed Kieran Duffy and cut him free, forcing him to stand before Mr Van Der Linde.

While Mr Van Der Linde spoke to Kieran Duffy, mentioning something about “feeding people as needs feeding” that didn’t sit right with you, you went to Gladys, leading her back to the hitching post and tying her reins to it securely.

“You need to be nicer to these people.” You told her in a low voice. “They’re treating us well.”

Gladys only huffed, apparently uninterested in your concerns.

At the sound of crunching snow, you turned your head, and saw Mr Morgan approach you. Gladys huffed again, harder this time, and snorted, kicking at the snow. She was clearly agitated, but you couldn’t understand why. “Sorry about that earlier.” You said sheepishly, gently stroking Gladys’s face in an attempt to calm her.

Mr Morgan shrugged, and his eyes went to Gladys, seemingly amused. “It’s fine.” He attempted to approach Gladys, but she stepped aside, at least as much as she could while being securely hitched. Mr Morgan furrowed his brow slightly, but shrugged. “She’s fast.” He said approvingly.

You smiled, a sense of pride filling you. “She’s full of surprises.” You added, turning back to Gladys to stroke her face again. “Even if she does have an attitude.”

Gladys flattened her ears against her head and snorted, turning her head away in an offended manner.

Mr Morgan chuckled deeply, his eyes traveling over to you.

It was the first time you were able to get a good look at him, or at least as good of a look as you could get while he was bundled up. He was tall and broad, not as much as Mr Smith but still impressive, unkempt facial hair, and you could just make out hair that seemed to be stuck between a particularly dirty blond and light brown. But what caught your attention the most were his eyes. They were a clear, sharp blue, like a summer sky. The kind of blue that almost seemed fake, and only got more so the longer you looked.

There wasn’t much else you could concretely make out, but there was no mistaking that what you saw was very handsome.

You felt your cheeks flush and immediately turned back to Gladys. You were actually glad it was so cold, it gave a natural explanation for the shiver that went down your spine.

“You’ve got yourself a fine animal there Miss.”

His voice was deep and had a distinctive drawl, the kind that was oddly endearing.

“Thank you.” It came out as a whisper, and you felt your face heat up even more.

“[Name]!”

You turned and looked at Sadie, having somehow completely forgotten she was there, and saw that she was frowning. “Let’s get back inside.”

“Alright Sadie.” You turned to back to Mr Morgan to say goodbye, but he was already trudging away to another house, probably the one that he had taken residence in for his stay here.

You frowned, but were unsurprised. After all, since when did men like Mr Morgan waste their time with girls like you?

“[Name]!”

“I’m coming!”

[mind-reader1]

My Promise (Part 2/3)

A/N: This was meant to be just a sequel but it was so long that I’ve broken the sequel into the two parts. Sorry in advance!

Warnings: Angst, some cursing

Word Count: 5,015 (oof, sorry it’s so long)

Recap: Taylor made a deal with Vannu on the rooftop during the final battle with Rourke. One year and a day, that was all the time she had with Jake before she had to return to Vaanu. Shortly after their deal, she discovered she was pregnant, leaving Jake with a little girl, who he named Aurora after his forever sleeping princess, her mother. This picks up after Taylor leaves. 

You can read part 1 here and part 3 here!

It had been three years since Taylor gave herself up to Vaanu, three years since she’d left him with the most precious gift of all, his daughter. It was the anniversary of her leaving, just after Aurora’s birthday, the group had planned to meet on La Huerta this year, to celebrate Taylor, normally Jake would find a babysitter, maybe ask his parents to watch her, but it didn’t feel right to leave her this year. Aurora helped him feel closer to Taylor than anyone or anything ever could, besides, she was always asking about her mom, it felt right bringing her along this year. 

 Aurora bounced excitedly in the co-pilot chair of Delilah, an old helmet of Jake’s sliding on her head, far too big for the little girl, but she didn’t care, she was just like her Daddy. Even had a similar outfit too, a green bomber jacket with a black sparkly T-shirt and jeans, and a pair of black spiked combat boots. She’d insisted on having an outfit just like her Daddy and so Jake obliged, he was wrapped around her tiny little finger. 

 “Is this where you met Mommy?” Was the very first question out of her mouth once she was in the cockpit, she knew her Dad was a pilot and knew from their friends that her Mom and Jake had met on the plane, but she still loved the princess story, easily imagining how it could be the front of a carriage. 

 “Yeah, it is Squirt. I was taking a nap right here.” He sat down and kicked his feet up, pretending to sleep while Aurora shook him. 

 “Daddy! Wake up! No naps, silly.” She giggled as he opened an eye and glanced down at her.

 “Fine, I guess I’ll stay awake for you.” She cheered and watched him intently until she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and fell asleep on the long flight to Costa Rica where he’d be picking up the rest of the group. Aurora slept until they landed on the island, stirring as Jake picked her up and rest her head on his shoulder, carrying her and their bags up to the hotel. He settled into the suite he had picked originally, it was dusty, unused with the exception of one or two times by him before he moved into the honeymoon suite with Taylor. He couldn’t go back to their room, for one the window had never been fixed and it was trashed, but also there were too many memories there, he thought about showing her their house where she was born, but he wasn’t sure he could face that either and it was a long journey, one she probably couldn’t handle yet. 

 “Daddy?” She rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up in bed looking around. 

 “Hey Squirt, we’re here.” He whispered, sitting next to her and brushing her hair back from her face. 

 “Is this yours and Mommy’s room?” He smiled softly and laid down beside her. 

 “No this is my room, from before Mommy and I were together.” She nodded and settled back in beside him, cuddling her favorite princess doll. Jake rubbed her cheek until she fell asleep, fighting his own heavy eyelids, but eventually giving in, falling into a fitful sleep as he was haunted by thoughts of Taylor. 

 The next day Aurora was up bright and early before Jake, running around harassing their friends as they took shifts watching her so they could all drink their coffee in peace. He momentarily panicked until he heard her bubbly laughter floating down the hall before there was a soft knock and the door flew open. 

 “Wake up Daddy! Wake up!” She jumped on the bed before landing on him making him groan in pain. Now that she’d gotten bigger, it wasn’t as cute when she jumped on him full force. 

 “The little twerp is anxious and ready to go,” Zahra announced handing him a cup of coffee he gratefully took. Everyone knew that returning to the island was hardest on him, Zahra could tell he hadn’t slept well by the bags under his eyes. 

 “Thanks, I’ll be down in a minute.” Aurora had wanted to play on the beach and since they didn’t have any plans before their annual bonfire, later today, he decided to take her down there and relax. His favorite hammock was already set up, he settled in with a clear view of Aurora building a sandcastle. Diego slowly sidled up next to Jake and glanced down at him, asking with his eyes if he could take a seat next to him. Jake sat up and shifted over, letting him take a seat, they’d both lost their best friend, Diego was the only one who had some kind of idea of what he was going through. They sat in silence for a long time, just watching Aurora and the waves. 

 “How are you doing?” Diego whispered. Jake sighed and dragged a hand down his face. 

 “It never gets easier, it’s good having Squirt here though. She wants to know everything about her mom, asks me all sorts of questions.” Diego chuckled, he was all too familiar with the chatty nature of the little girl.

 “She’s a good mix of both of you, you’re doing an amazing job, Jake. Tay would be so proud of you.” Jake nodded and swallowed hard fighting back tears, Aurora had filled most of the void in his heart, but there was always still a little piece missing that she just couldn’t fill, that no one could. He hadn’t even tried dating again despite his friends and family pushing him to do so. He wasn’t ready, and he didn’t want to bring a bunch of strange women around Aurora, he didn’t want to confuse her and he would never let someone take Taylor’s place as her mom. 

 “She’s perfect.” Jake sighed and looked up at his little girl, frowning when he saw her talking, she wasn’t one to talk to herself or have imaginary friends. She pretended to talk to her stuffed animals and dolls, but that was it. Jake stood up and took a step closer, it was then he saw the translucent figure, sitting across from her, shifting with the moving light as she talked to it. 

 “Aurora!” He’d recognize that figure anywhere, he raced down the sand toward her as fast as his legs could move, almost tripping a few times where it was so thick. 

 “Jake?” Diego stood behind him and didn’t realize what the problem was until he saw the figure that had sent Jake into a panic, Diego scrambled out of the hammock to get back to the hotel and warn the others. Aurora turned to look back at her dad confused, he never used her name unless she was in trouble or he was scared about something. 

 “Daddy! This is-“ 

 “I know who it is Baby, get away from it.” He scooped her up in his arms and warily watched the figure, it seemed smaller, Aurora’s size, and it was visibly upset as Jake backed away. 

 “Daddy stop! That’s my brother.” She beat on his chest and Jake stopped, frowning in confusion at her. 

 “No sweetie, that’s not possible. Mommy had to leave when you were just a little itty bitty baby. There’s no way you have a brother.” Jake fought back tears but they spilled anyways, he would have loved to have a son, someone for Aurora to grow up with and play with, but that wasn’t possible. 

 “Yes, it is Daddy!” She fought him tooth and nail but Jake refused to let go, he turned back and watched as another translucent figure appeared beside the other, this one was much larger and scooped the other up in a protective manner, similar to how Jake held Aurora. He couldn’t believe his eyes, Vaanu had never separated like that, this was cruel, even for Vaanu. He couldn’t look away though, he took a step closer, and then another, and then another. He felt drawn into it, the closer he got the more connected he felt, the more he could feel his heart finally mending, it was then he realized the larger figure was female. He squinted and took a few more steps, he was only a few feet from it now, the others gathered at the edge of the beach watching this unfold.

 “Taylor?” The thing shimmered and began shifting again, Jake stumbled back, keeping Aurora hidden from view as he watched the things manifest into people starting with the feet. The child was whole first and Jake was staring at the spitting image of himself, the child’s bright blue eyes were clearly Taylor’s though, there was no mistaking it. Jake was frozen as he watched the other person manifest completely, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Taylor was standing there holding a toddler about Aurora’s age, and there was no denying that he was Jake’s son. 

 “Princess?” Jake stammered out. She nodded and began crying, Jake rushed forward with Aurora still in his arms and slammed into her, pulling her close as he cried into her hair, breathing in her familiar scent, never wanting to let go. 

 “Daddy you’re squishing me!” Aurora whined, forcing Jake to let go. He set Aurora down and she scrambled behind his legs, staring up at the beautiful woman in front of her. The little boy had said he was her brother, but that would make the pretty lady her mom. She’d only ever seen one picture of her and so Aurora wasn’t sure. 

 “Is it really you? How?” 

 “I have so much to tell you, Jake. First, there’s someone you guys need to meet. Jake, Aurora,” Taylor smiled at the suddenly shy little girl behind Jake’s legs, in awe of how beautiful she was, “this is Michael Lucas McKenzie, your son, and your brother.” Jake felt dizzy and light-headed, he had a son, Taylor was standing in front of them with their son. He was forced back to reality as the little boy reached out for him. 

 “Daddy?” Jake began crying again and took the little boy from Taylor’s arms, squeezing him tight as the boy latched onto his neck, he already loved him so much that it scared Jake. 

 “Daddy is that Mommy?” Aurora whispered, tugging on his pants leg. 

 “Yeah, Sweetie. I’m your Mommy. You probably don’t remember me, you were so little when I left. You’re beautiful though, just like I remember. I missed you so much.” Taylor cried, squatting down in front of the little girl who cautiously walked up to her, looking back to Jake unsure. He nodded, encouraging her but the little girl didn’t move. 

 “Why don’t you tell her how we met Princess, that’s her favorite story.” Taylor chuckled and looked up at Jake before focusing on Aurora. 

 “Well, your Daddy was taking me and a group of our friends to this fancy island. I got worried and so when I went to check on him, I found him taking a nap! I woke him up and he didn’t like that very much so he said ‘don’t you know it’s rude to wake someone when they’re napping Princess.’” Taylor didn’t get to finish her story before Aurora launched herself into Taylor’s arms, nuzzling into the crook of her neck, satisfied that this was her mom. Jake moved next to her and wrapped his free arm around Taylor’s shoulders as the family finally reunited for the first time. The rest of the group watched from the beach in stunned silence at what was happening in front of them, mixed feelings coursing through them. They all wanted to see Taylor again, but they didn’t want to interrupt her moment with her family, they also wanted to know where the second kid had come from, and what this meant for Jake, how long she’d be back. 

 The four of them sat there holding each other until the sun began going down. 

 “Let’s go inside, get you guys some jackets, we have a lot to talk about.” Tay chuckled incredulously. 

 “Boy do we ever.” 

 “Should the kids be here for it?” He whispered, watching them play with each other just a few feet from them. She sighed and shook her head. They walked up to the rest of the group who watched quietly, respecting their space. 

 “Diego, can you watch the kids, Tay and I have some things to discuss in private.” Normally someone would make a witty joke about what talking meant, but they could tell by Taylor’s somber look that it wasn’t that kind of talking. They wandered up to his room and Tay sighed, looking around and breathing in his familiar scent as he sat down next to her on the bed. She curled up in his arms and let the comforting feeling of his embrace wash over her, she’d missed it, him, so much. 

 “God, I have so many questions, Princess, I don’t even know where to start. I also want to kiss you so bad, throw you back onto this bed and never let you leave. That look in your eyes tells me that ain’t possible though, I don’t know that I can stand to lose you again Princess.” Taylor cried at his words, Jake fighting his own. 

 “I’m so sorry Jake, so so sorry. I understand if you hate me, but I wouldn’t change a single thing. You and Aurora have a life now.” He shushed her gently and ran his hand down her hair and back trying to soothe her. 

 “I know Princess, I know.” He whispered. When she finally calmed down, Jake pressed his forehead against hers and sighed, steeling his nerves to ask his first question. 

 “How is...I mean...Michael.” He wasn’t quite sure how to word it, he knew how babies were made, but he didn’t understand how he was alive since Taylor had gone with Vaanu. 

 “Our anniversary, none of us knew when Vaanu took me that night. I stayed in this form and he didn’t know why, until the pull to you grew with my belly. Mike is more human than anything, and that part of him was drawn to you. Between that and our desire to see each other again, Vaanu couldn’t take it anymore and sent me back.” 

 “Why now? Why not when you found out? Why put us through all that?” Taylor sighed and Jake knew it wasn’t going to be a good answer.

 “He’s still not complete without me, but he can survive without the little pieces inside of Aurora and Mike. Mike gets to stay down here with you and Aurora, but I have to go back.” Jake felt his blood boiling, it wasn’t fair that Taylor had to stay behind, forced to watch her children grow up without her and Jake grow old alone. It wasn’t fair that he was forced to be a dad with no one to help him, no one to share those milestone memories with. 

 “That’s bullshit, Taylor! It’s not fair! Why can’t you stay? I can’t do this alone!” 

 “Jake, our daughter is beautiful inside and out because of you, I know you’re going to make sure both our children become the best they can be. You’re an incredible dad, it has been such a privilege watching you.” He stood up and hit a vase next to him, sending it flying into the wall. 

 “You should be here with me, raising them with me Princess. Our kids should know who their mother is! Aurora barely even recognized you. That’s not fair to any of us.” 

 “I know Jake! Trust me! Having to watch from the shadows is the hardest thing I’ve ever done! I don’t want to fight about this, nothing’s going to change, but I do have something that will ease that pain a little.” 

 “What?” 

 “It’s kind of an um, agreement with Vaanu, much like my first one. I get to come back for the kid's birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, every year.” Jake searched her eyes, not believing what he was hearing, it seemed so generous on Vaanu’s part considering how selfish he had been, he would take any time with Taylor he had though. 

“So how long are you here this time?” He whispered. 

 “Mike’s birthday is in two weeks. I leave that night.” 

 “How did you get him to agree to this?” 

 “He can sense my pain Jake, he can sense how much I miss you all, he hopes that giving me some time with my family will ease that pain some.” He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. 

 “This is our life now. Seeing each other four times a year? This isn’t a marriage Taylor! It’s a fucking joke. I know it’s not your fault, but god I hate it!” 

 “Maybe you should find someone else then. Someone who can give you the love you deserve.” He spun around shocked by her words. 

 “You don’t seriously mean that?” 

 “I do Jake. We promised each other a year and a day and our souls are forever linked. We have children, there is no separating us no matter what. You deserve to have a partner in life who can be there all the time and love you as much as I do, please Jake. It’s the one thing I want for you.” He shook his head in disbelief, he didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to even think about it. He walked out of the room, done with the conversation and Taylor chased after him. 

 “We should check on the kids.” He said cooly, this isn’t at all how either of them imagined their reunion going. 

 They re-joined the bonfire and her kids clung to her as her friends told her about everything she had missed in their lives. Marriage, kids, new jobs, finishing school, her head was spinning with how much they’d done. She excused herself to get some air, sitting down in the sand, she started to build a sandcastle with Aurora and Mike. The two were wary of each other at first, but they ended up taking to each other well as if no time apart had passed at all. 

 “Can I join you?” She recognized Jake’s gruff voice behind her and she sighed, he hadn’t spoken to her since their fight earlier. She patted the sand beside her wordlessly and he sat, watching Aurora spin a wild tale of a prince and princess living in the castle, just like their Mommy and Daddy. 

 “I’m sorry about earlier Jake, I shouldn’t have dropped it all on you like that.”  

 “I’m sorry too, Princess, I just missed you so much and to hear you say that…none of this is easy.” 

 “I know. We’ll figure it out, Jake.” They sat in silence for a moment, their shoulders brushing ever so lightly, the sensation still sent shivers down their spines. 

 “Tell me about Mike.” Taylor cracked a small smile and watched her son giggling with unbridled joy. Aurora was the first kid he’d ever actually met, he’d only ever been able to watch and play with Taylor, it was good for him to be around other kids. 

 “I don’t even know where to begin… he was the best thing to happen to me after Vaanu took me. He’s such a goofball, he loves to play and laugh, he’s chatty too, like you wouldn’t even believe.” Jake chuckled and nodded. 

 “Squirt is too. Oh, I mean Aurora, sorry.” Jake rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, realizing she didn’t know he’d taken to calling her that. 

 “Why Squirt?” Jake shrugged.

 “Her favorite movie, besides every princess movie ever made, was Finding Nemo. She’s a natural fish too, loves the water.” Taylor chuckled and watched her little girl, a pang in her heart as she realized she had missed and would continue to miss out on so many things in her daughter's life, her first child. 

“Mike doesn’t know how to swim… there’s not exactly any water where we were. He loves to climb though, anything that looks climbable he’s there. We kept an eye on you and Aurora, he loves you so much already Jake. He couldn’t wait to meet his Daddy.” Taylor’s voice faltered as she choked on her tears, Jake looked over at her and pulled her close and she leaned her head on his shoulder. 

 “I love him too, Princess. I love all of you, my sweet little family.” 

 “But our daughter doesn’t even know me, Jake. I saw her outfit, she looks up to you so much, so enamored with her daddy, both of them are. I’m just a stranger to her and Mike’s going to forget me too eventually.” 

 “I would never let that happen, Taylor. You know her favorite outfit is this princess dress Becks bought her. She says that she feels like a princess, just like her mommy anytime she wears it. I can already tell Mike is a mama's boy, the way he latches onto you, trust me, Princess, they’re never gonna forget you. We’ll take pictures and I’ll put them up all over the house.” 

 “Thank you, Jake.” She whispered, nuzzling into his side as the bonfire continued around them. After a few days at the reunion, it was time to go home. Jake dropped everyone off in Costa Rica before flying his family back home, taking Taylor to his new house. They spent every day together with the kids, trying to soak it all in, Jake even invited his family over to finally meet Mike and Taylor. Jake had told them the story, but they never fully believed him until they met Taylor, they thought Jake had hooked up with a girl and she had left him with a kid. The days seemed to fly by and before they knew it, Mike’s birthday was here, their last day together, they decided to take them to the park. 

 Taylor watched her kids playing together, so carefree and happy, not quite yet understanding the gravity of the situation the family found themselves in. They knew Mommy only came to visit a few times a year, Mike had a better understanding since he had lived with her and Vaanu for three years, they didn’t understand why Mommy always looked the same though, unlike them who seemed a little different every year on their birthday when they saw her. Jake’s hand gently ran up and down her back, a crooked smile on his face as he stole a glance at her, all he’d ever wanted was a happy little family together, and she’d almost been able to give that to him. She feared for the future though, and what it meant for them, letting her mind wander to what it would look like. 

*********************************

 The kids were forced to grow up so much faster than they should’ve, parents, teachers, other children whispering about where their mom was. Jake always told them the same thing, she was a government agent who was working on top-secret things overseas, even he wasn’t allowed to know where or what, but she always made it home for their birthdays and holidays. People began to wonder though, some thought she was in rehab, some thought she had just walked out and Jake didn’t have the heart to tell his kids, some thought she was in a mental institution and only got certain days to visit. Others thought she was dead and Jake didn’t have the heart to tell his kids. The one thing they all agreed on was that he was a dedicated dad who loved his kids more than anything on this Earth and that he was a doting husband, never taking his ring off despite his wife’s seemingly permanent absence. It wasn’t until people actually met, saw what an incredible and devoted mother and wife she was that they started to consider his story. Of course, people also began to notice and whisper as Jake got older but Taylor stayed forever young and beautiful as if she was stuck at 22. It got to be too much and they moved, somewhere nobody knew them, where the whispers wouldn’t follow. Instead, people whispered about their seemingly large age difference, how old was she when their kids were born, the scandalous rumors spread like wildfire. 

 The day finally came when Taylor had enough, she could remember the fight vividly and she hated that it was a conversation they even needed to have.

 “We can’t keep introducing ourselves as husband and wife, Jake! We can’t tell people that I’m Aurora and Mike’s mother!” She screamed, tears flowing down her face as she tangled her hands in her hair, frustrated beyond belief.

 “Why the hell not, Taylor? Screw what everyone else thinks! I love you and I’m proud of it, and our beautiful family! I’m not going to let some bored housewives get in the way of that.” She shook her head.

 “Our children hardly have any friends, Jake! They think you’re a predator and don’t want their children near you! It’s not fair to you or them. I love you with all of my heart and I love our children more than anything, it’s why we have to fix this.” 

 “What do you propose we do? Hm? Move to a deserted island like La Huerta and live there? That’s exactly what you didn’t want for us! Am I supposed to keep you hidden here during the limited time we have with you? I don’t see a solution, Taylor!” She could see the frustration boiling inside of him, his neck turned red, the vein in his forehead bulging, his eyes glassy from the tears threatening to spill.

“They’re 15 now Jake, they’re going to start dating soon, I can’t look as old as the people they’re dating. We can tell people I’m your daughter, you had me when you were young. I only visit for my sibling's birthdays and holidays because I’m at school for the rest of the time. People will believe it.” She whispered and instantly regretted it. Jake’s face fell as did the tears from his eyes, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It would change everything, turn their life upside down. 

 “You can’t mean that.” Her silence told him everything, she was dead serious. 

 “It’s the only way, Jake.” He shook his head violently at a loss for words. 

 “I won’t be able to kiss you, to hold your hand, to whisper things in your ear that make you smile. I’ll have to pretend that the sight of you in mom jeans and my t-shirt tucked in at the front doesn’t turn me on. What am I supposed to say about my wife? Are you supposed to be dead now? A tragic accident? What about our kids! They have to pretend their mom is their older sibling and watch their friends drool over you? You can’t be my princess anymore!” His last words cut her so deep she really thought her heart might break into a million pieces, that would always be their thing, she would always be his princess, so she had thought. She knew what he meant though, he couldn’t call her that and pretend she was his daughter at the same time, the meaning it held to them, the way he said it...it wasn’t what fathers and daughters do. 

 “I don’t like it any more than you, Jake! It’s just how it has to be now!” They heard a soft gasp behind them and turned to realize they’d left the door cracked, the kids standing there listening to everything as tears stained their cheeks.    

 “Squirt, Monkey. I’m sorry, I- your mom and I were just...talking about some things. Come here.” They cautiously opened the door and clung to their father, finding comfort in his tight embrace. 

 “I understand Mom.” Aurora finally came over to Taylor and hugged her tightly, they almost looked like twins the older Aurora got. 

 “You’ll always be our mom, no matter what the rest of the world thinks.” Mike came over and they both wrapped her in a big hug as she sobbed and held them close, kissing the tops of their heads gently. It wasn’t fair to put any of them through this. 

 Pretending to be Jake’s daughter was quite possibly the hardest thing Taylor had ever done until it came time to change the story again. She had to pretend to be her own children’s daughter, to be Jake’s granddaughter. He had aged well she thought, he still had a full head of hair, only it had turned white and wasn’t nearly as shaggy as his younger days. Freckles and wrinkles intermixed on his face, but his eyes still sparkled as bright as the day she married him and made him a father. His once strong muscles had weakened, but he still liked to pretend he was a tough proud Navy pilot. Really he’d become an even bigger softie, spoiling his grandkids even though they weren’t little children anymore. It took them a while to understand that Taylor was also their grandma and that she didn’t age like Grandpa. Taylor hated to watch him grow old without her, they were supposed to be on their porch together in Louisiana, sitting in matching rocking chairs, watching the sunset together as they held each other’s hands, giving each other shit for their gray hair. 

Taylor wasn’t even by his side when he went peacefully in his sleep, she didn’t find out until she came back for her kids birthdays and it devastated her, a piece of her was missing, she’d never felt such intense pain in her life, and she didn’t think she ever would again. She was wrong though, as she watched her own children grow old, and had to pretend to be their grandchildren, she thought it would destroy her. You understand that you’ll lose your parents and maybe even your spouse in a lifetime, but nothing ever prepares you for losing a child. 

Tagging:  @brightpinkpeppercorn @sleepwalkingelite @ooo-barff-ooo @endlessly-searching-for-you @agent-bossypants @roonarific @likethetailofacomet @zaffrenotes @mysteli @vickypoochoices @kayann9 @jlouise88 @zigortega4life @findingdrake @drakesensworld  @endlesstaylormckenzie @sophie-summer @feartheendlesssummer @darley1101 @emomoustache​ @xo-endlessmayhem-xo​ PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE REMOVED! 

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Animorphs: The Challenges of Adapting the Books into Graphic Novels

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If you were alive in the ’90s, you know the name Animorphs. The sci-fi book series following the adventures of a group of kids who fight a race of invading aliens using the power to morph into animals has continued to has remained a pop culture mainstay even after it finished its run in 2001. It earned a fanbase the world over which to this day still discusses the series in detail.  And for 20 years, fans have had their own images of the series in their heads, imagining what the epic battles and deep characters looked like beyond the page.

This made Chris Grine’s job exceptionally difficult.

An Eisner-nominated comic book author and illustrator, Grine was given the opportunity to adapt the much beloved books into multiple graphic novels and was met with a mountain of a challenges. How could he adapt the story without including the internal narration of the novels? Should the new covers match the iconic original covers? What’s the right way to draw an Andalite? And biggest of all, how would he handle the first Tobias focus book which has long stretches of the character, stuck in the body of a hawk, talking to himself?

We spoke with Grine after the second graphic novel was announced to discuss all these challenges and more.

DEN OF GEEK: One of the bigger elements I noticed about the graphic novel is the cover. The original book covers are very iconic. Now though the morph is on the top and the main image is one from the story. For the first graphic novel, you had the shot of the kids watching the spaceship crash. With book two, it’s Rachel unmorphed. What made Scholastic go with the decision to not completely focus the cover on the morphs?

CHRIS GRINE: That was a very long ongoing conversation between several of us there. I was pretty pro nostalgia on that. I thought we should definitely not stray too far from what the original covers look like. Even if that meant just fully illustrating the character morphing, or in similar stages like the original covers. But they ultimately decided that they didn’t want to necessarily be too beholden to that. Since this was a new generation of kids that are literally coming up with these books, they decided to go with what would be considered more of a traditional cover design nowadays. But we definitely kept the morph along the top, which I thought was a really good idea by the designer, Phil Falco, who was working closely with me. 

I must’ve done like 30, 35 sketch ideas for the cover. We were back and forth for months trying to figure out what the trade dress was going to look like. It was the most important obviously for the first book, because that sets the tone for the entire series. We listened to just about everybody’s perspective and ideas. Everybody was allowed; anybody who had an idea could bring it to the table and we’d weigh it, discuss it. A lot of thought went into that cover.

One of the things that I really liked about the comic was that you drew the characters to really look like kids. Even though original books made it clear they were kids, the cover models on the old books always made me think they were older. Was it a conscious decision to go, “Okay, I’m going to make sure that these look like kids?”

Yeah, it was. I have two kids and my daughter is the oldest. She just turned 13, literally like a week ago. So I have a pretty good idea of where her head’s at. I see them playing with their friends and everything so I tried to keep that in mind. 

So I didn’t want the (Animorphs) kids to look too old because they were supposed to be in middle school. It’s kind of ambiguous, but I know that they’re supposed to be like 12 to 13. It was important to me that I got that part right. The danger just felt way more real when the kids were younger. 

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The graphic novel is set in the ’90s, but it also does feel time agnostic in a way where, okay, it is in the nineties, but if you are a kid now, it doesn’t really take you out of it by making it a ’90s period piece. How do you tow this line?

Well, I think that was a conversation we definitely had. Is this going to be contemporary? Or are we going to try to set this in the ’90s? And I think right from the beginning, we were all pretty much unanimous that it should be set in the ’90s. If for no other reason then things like cellphones. Like, if all the kids had cellphones in Stranger Things, it would have been one episode.

But even though it’s the ’90s, it feels like it’s timeless to an extent like you said. Just removing so much technology from it kind of does that on its own. It works surprisingly well. I thought there was going to be a little bit more pushback maybe from fans who wanted it to be updated a little bit. I did remove some of the pop culture references that were in the books just because they were so specific. I still thought they were funny because I got them since I was getting ready to go to college in the late ’90s when these books came out. I was very much in the pop culture at that time. But nowadays, I mean, David Letterman references and things like that? No kid is going to know what that is. I didn’t want [kids] to be thrown out of the story because they weren’t getting the references.

That’s completely understandable. It reminds me of when they did the re-releases of the first few books back in the early 2010s where they tried to take out as many references as possible.

I definitely noticed that, too. I have the original versions of the books and then they sent me copies of the re-releases because I wanted to be able to write notes and highlight stuff and everything, and just kind of write right in there. They definitely took out a lot of the references. Some of them were updated and they felt like, I don’t know, a little too forced maybe. I think it would have been better if they had just left them more ambiguous, like, instead of being on The David Letterman Show, we could have been on a late night talk show or something.

When doing your research for the graphic novels, are you desperately flipping through to find every description for the series’ aliens to make sure they’re consistent? The first few books are a little shaky in terms of what everything looks like. There are also those posters they released later in the books run with pictures of all the aliens, too.

Yeah, I am. Especially for the first book, I took a lot of time to just do research. Even getting involved in some fan fiction type stuff and fan art. After 25 years, there’s still so much fan art coming out all the time. It’s pretty easy to see what fans’ ideas of what these characters look like. What has stuck along the way. So that was stuff that I really used to inform the way I designed everything. But then there was things like Seerowpedia.

The Animorphs wiki, yeah.

People have broken down every single book on there, like to a point where it’s ridiculous what they’ve done. But it’s so incredibly helpful for what I’m doing because there’s even sections on there that focus on inconsistencies and it has a list of things that were inconsistent from books before or books that came after. That was really good for me to see because it’s allowed me to fix a few things as we go.

Yeah, I noticed that even in the first volume, where you fixed one of the most famous inconsistencies with Jake thought speaking to Tobias even though he’s not morphed.

There were so many people who had pointed that out. Number one on the inconsistencies list on book one. That was really easy for me to fix. There was another thing with the descriptions of the aliens. One of those things that I found luckily in time was the way Andalites were described. So I had basically inked the whole book, right? I was fully in color mode and people on Twitter were like, “Well, which version of Andalites did you go with?” I had no idea what they were talking about.

I come to find out that there’s the version of the Andalite that looks a little bit more like a centaur with like a regular horseback. And then there’s the version that has more of an arch back that kind of goes from about mid back, up. It makes it hard for them to be ridden, because that was something that was talked about later but that’s not in book one.

So that was something that the fans actually pointed out, and maybe they don’t realize how much they helped me with that. It helped side step some people who maybe would have been upset that I didn’t do it right. Then if I had changed it later in the later books, then it would have been inconsistent on my end. 

You’ve mentioned you’ve been contracted to do the first three books. Do you hope to do all 50-plus books if it came to that?

Oh my God. I would like to. My goal for now is just like, I would love it if I could just get the first 10 books. I mean, at some point, I’m 45 years old, so at some point, I can’t do all 54 books, right? I’d be in my 80s or 90s. I love what I’m doing. I feel so kind of blessed to be part of this fandom now and kind of accepted. I just really enjoy these books.

Normally, I’d do my own stories. I prefer that, but in this situation I’m really, really loving the interaction and the stories themselves. And the original authors, Katherine [Applegate] and Michael [Grant], have just been wonderful to work with. The few times I’ve gotten to hang out with them even virtually, it’s just been a pleasure. 

So if I could get to like 10 books, that to me would be great. If I could get more than that, then that’s fine, too. But I think a nice round number like that would be pretty cool.

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The first graphic novels are already pretty thick, but I’m just imagining how thick would a Megamorphs or an Andalite Chronicles comic be?

Oh my gosh. What I’ve noticed is once you get past about book seven or eight and maybe a little before, the page counts drop. They go down to about 170 pages or 160 some pages on average. And there’s a lot of filler. They started bringing ghost writers. There was just lots of scenes. There’d be entire chapters talking about, “Hey, remember that time when we met Visser Three at the construction site? Oh yeah. And you did this.” There’s so much of that stuff that I just skipped right over.

So the first book was 230 pages. My book, the graphic novel, and the second book clocked in at about 201 pages. I’m guessing that’s probably the sweet spot for most of them now. Probably somewhere between like 190, 200. It doesn’t feel too scary. When I start getting sub 200 pages, I start feeling a little better.

Right, and Scholastic doesn’t necessarily have to adapt every single book. I’m sure somebody out there will say, “No book 27 is my favorite book,” but not every book is critically important. To get the main plot points you could do…  I’ll arbitrarily say at most two-thirds of the books.

Right. There’s even some books that I believe could probably just be adapted into one book because there’s so little actual connective tissue that you could have maybe two or three books combined in the one. But I don’t even know how we go about that because I assume you’d have to re-title the book. I don’t know. But yeah, there are options. Scholastic definitely has options. They could also do what they did with The Baby-Sitters Club and have multiple artists working on them.

I’ve had people say that about Animorphs and I’m instantly hurt. I shouldn’t be, but I’m like, “No, no more artists right now. Damn it. This is mine.” I love this. I don’t want to share just yet. I’m not at the point where I’m ready to share.

You’ve got to at least get through Ax’s first book, then you’ve covered all the main characters.

Yeah. And that’s what I’ve been saying. I’m going to be really disappointed if I don’t get to do books four and five. I’m going to be super disappointed.

Looking forward, you’ve found a lot of ways to get around the internal narration because that’s such a big part of the books. But coming up in book three you’ve got a Tobias book and he’s by himself a lot. How do you deal with long stretches where characters are just thinking?

Yeah, and I was thinking, that is going to be a terrible book. I had to figure out a way to make that interesting because I can’t just have a character constantly talking to themselves the whole book. He’s already doing thought speech to others, then internal thought speech to himself. I’m afraid it’s going to be confusing and it could get boring. I don’t want to lose the thread. So what I did visually, I grabbed a few panels from book one and two that I’d already finished up, just Tobias, whether he was on a branch or whatever when he’s a bird. I was just messing around with the panels themselves, trying to figure out, “Okay, how can I do this? Is there like a clever way I could pull this off simpler?”

I kind of figured it out, at least for now, and this could completely change, but I basically took the selection tool and I selected one half of the panel, kind of in a jagged selection. Then I went in and threw a color over that. So it would be almost like color grading on a movie or something. Just on half of it. 

And so there could be a word in blue in the full color art, where maybe he’s talking to somebody or maybe he’s thinking something, but then in the same panel, but in the part that I had colored coded he’s almost having, not like split personality type of a thing, but having an internal conversation. I thought it might be a way of showing that he’s talking to himself. It seemed like it was working in the images that I did, but we’ll have to see. I’m still a little nervous about getting to book three because of that.

You made it work in the first graphic novel. You had the scene with Jake when he morphs into the lizard and you frame it as he’s telling the story to the other kids. So that works well there, it’s just getting to do that for a whole book. You can’t just have Tobias say, “Guys, I had a really rough morning. I was thinking some deep thoughts.”

And he’s had so many thoughts I don’t think he would even share with the other kids, right? About just his new reality and about maybe being slightly in love with that other Hawk or just having a personal crisis. That’s not something I’m going to be able to take care of just in dialogue alone. So I’m going to definitely have to figure that out.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

This has been looming like a dark cloud over me since I started book one. Knowing that book three is very important to a lot of people and for a lot of really good reasons. I don’t want to mess that one up too badly, so I’m going to have to figure it out.

Stay tuned for the second part of this interview where Grine will break down his process in adapting a scene from second graphic novel. The Visitor (Animorphs Graphic Novel #2) is now up for pre-order on Amazon.

The post Animorphs: The Challenges of Adapting the Books into Graphic Novels appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/31j8ecF

[dsmroleplay]

#ZoeyWinchester #DSM Part Eight

@ValanceZoey @DeanWImpala79 @DeanWinchester_ @JakeValance3

Cowboy: It’d been a crazy week at the ranch. Another rift opened and yet another unsurprised visitor popping up. Dean still wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It was Jake but . . . How similar were they? The Texas sun was just starting to set, so he grabbed a six pack and headed outside to drink by the pool, gathering his thoughts. ::::::::::::::: Zoey: *steps out to the pool to take a late swim, stretching before glancing around and noticing Dean on the edge of the pool drinking a beer* You got any to share? ::::::::::::::::::::::: Cowboy: *Looks up from his chair, eyeing your outfit before turning back to stare at the sunset.* Depends on who’s asking. ::::::::::::: Zoey: *looks around then back at you* Um... it's me, Zoey. I'm pretty sure I met you yesterday right? You're the one they call Cowboy and that is dating /both/ Colt and Jake. :::::::::::: Cowboy: *Sips his beer and looks back at her* Yeah. That’s me. You can call me Dean or Cowboy. And I know who you are. I’ve seen pictures even before you got here. *Picks up a bottle from the six pack.* You asking for a beer? ::::::::::: Zoey: *frowns* Jake... showed you pictures? I assumed he was trying to forget this time. *grabs the beer and sits on the deck, dangling my feet in the pool* Why wouldn't he just stay like this then? :::::::::::::: Cowboy: *Nods* Of course he showed me pictures. He was proud and wanted to show himself off. *Shrugs nonchalantly, finishing his beer and going for a second* I don’t know, you’d have to ask him. I suppose he felt more manly. But he can still rock a little black dress. *Smiles softly* ::::::::::::: Zoey: *rolls my eyes as I twist the top off of my beer* Originally I just stayed this way because we were still trying to have kids after the twins... didn't make it. *takes a swig* But now... I couldn't imagine being a man again. That's... it's just not who I was meant to be. ::::::::::::::: Cowboy: *Pauses before taking his next drink* Oh . . . Zoey I didn’t know. Actually, guess I don’t know a whole lot about you. *Sighs and wonders how someone could be the same person he loves, but so different.* Is it just me or . . . Is this like really weird? Like even for me, weird? ::::::::::::::: Zoey: *turns to face you completely* Yeah, it's weird. Colt... is like talking to my Dean. The look in his eyes, the way he immediately tried to protect me. But you... *shrugs* You're like a stranger. ::::::::::::::::: Cowboy: Technically we are. I’ve never met /you/ before. And Colt and I have very different background. Hell, my dad died over a decade ago. ::::::::::::::: Zoey: Right... Right. *sips my beer again* It's just weird is all. I thought, when Colt said there were five Dean's I thought, it would feel like seeing my husband all over the place. *shakes my head* But it's not. :::::::::: Cowboy: *Eyes you curiously* So how long were you and me . . . Colt . . . Dean, married? :::::::::::::::: Zoey: /Dean/ and I were married for sixteen years. *smiles softly* It was an amazing marriage. We were... so in love. :::::::::::: Cowboy: *Eyebrows shoot up* Really? That long? I’m . . . Wow. I heard through the grapevine what happened to him. I’m really sorry Zo. :::::::::::::: Zoey: *nods* Yeah, That long. We lost the kids many years ago. *nods sipping the beer* We were a great couple. ::::::::::: Colt: -Having had more than a few whiskey's he come rolling up to the house and caught a glimpse of Dean and Zoey out by the pool. Opens the door and walks out to meet them.- Well, how's it going? ::::::::::: Zoey: *looks up as Colt comes out, sipping my scotch* It's great. Just sitting by the pool. Talking about our past. Come on out and join us. :::::::::::::::: Cowboy: *Pats his lap and smiles* Hey, got you a seat right here. We’re just talking. :::::::::::::::::: Colt: -Walks over and parks his ass on Dean's lap, stealing his drink.- Awesome I'd rather not watch the Zoey sex show tonight. -Was he being a dick? Just a little bit.- :::::::::::::: Zoey: *rolls my eyes* I was just talking to Cowboy. I'm not having sex tonight. *downs my scotch* ::::::::::: Cowboy: *Looks between the two of them.* Sex show? She just got here. Who’s she having sex with? :::::::::::::::: Colt: -Colt got up, fucking with him right now was a real bad idea. He walked over and knocked the drink out of her hand and grabbed her by the wrist hauling her up. His eyes flashed with barely contained anger.- Listen and listen good. If you know me as well as you say you do then you know I won't hurt a woman but I'll sure as fuck drag you out of here and you won't come back. Now I'm sorry as hell for the loss of your family, Fuck! I look at you and it fucks my head up and all I can see is my Zoey. Don't you mistake my kindness for weakness. This, right here is my /family/ and I'd kill without a thought for them. So you acting like fucking my son under my own roof wasn't a big goddamn deal.... after giving me that poor widow act lastnight. My /son/ is not your fuckin' toy and if you hurt him I swear to god you'll never come near him if I have anything to do it. I don't give a shit if you are a version of Jake or not that does not give you any leverage with me around here. You want to make the rounds to any guy who pays attention then that's your business but no fucking way you're gonna destroy what I've been trying to piece back for years. There are no excuses in my head that will make it right. I didn't physically step in because my son deserves the respect of being a man to make those decisions and hell as his father I'm rooting for him. But the fucking games... NO. It's not fucking happening. -Looks over at Dean and points to him while still holding her.- I'm /in love/ with him and Jake. -Looks back at her.- You best watch your step Zoey. Don't make me hate you. -He was so fucking mad he wanted to kill something.- :::::::::::::::: Zoey: *crosses my arms and stares at you, chin jutting defiantly* I'm not /playing/ the widow I /am/ the widow. And I haven't had sex with /anyone/ but my husband for over sixteen years. /That/ was the first time. I'm sorry it was in your home. I'm sorry it was with your son. But I I /like/ him. I'm alone and... we actually have things in common. *glances at Cowboy then back at Colt* And you have made it /perfectly/ clear how you feel about /your/ Jake and Cowboy. I get it loud and clear. I wasn't playing any games with anyone. I was scared and alone and yeah, maybe sex /wasn't/ my best choice. But it happened. And I'm sorry it's not what you had planned. Trust me, if I didn't have to come through that rift... if I could take it all back and die with the rest of them. I would. *turns to leave the back yard* ::::::::::::: Cowboy: *Sits taking it all in, watching as Colt starts to lose his shit. He stood, ready to defends Zoey, but then heard she’d had sex with Ian. Ian? IAN?! Her son? Technically it wasn’t, but was? His jaw dropped and he was ready to ridicule her when Colt pointed to him and said he was in love with Dean. He knew how much that meant for him to confess it and it knocked the wind out of him in a good way. He wanted to turn and stop Zoey, to try and sort through the chaos, but his eyes were locked on Colt. He walked over and took his hand.* For the record, I’m in love with you too.

*Redirecting his attention back to Zoey, his mind started to catch up* Wait a minute, don’t go. You seriously slept with your own son? Your /son/? Are you insane?! ::::::::::::::::::: Zoey: *turns to look at you, frowning* So... Ian is your son? Because I thought he was Jake and Colt's kid. *glances at Colt, licking my lips for a moment in thought* It wasn't /nothing/ to me okay? Sex hasn't been nothing to me in a /long/ time. :::::::::::::: Colt: -Colt stood there a minute just looking into Dean's eyes, his hands were shaking. There was a lot more going on here than was being said. How the fuck did explain the pull he felt, it scared him. It was like a rewind and he knew back then he had fucked up. When Zoey was pregnant he'd been working with the DEA and he'd be gone for weeks at a time. It fucking killed him and then when she disappeared with the twins he just gave the fuck up. It hurt so bad that only two people in the whole fucking world knew they existed. And by the time he'd finally got them back they were grown. Jesus would Jake and Dean understand why wanted to take care of this woman and make sure she never wanted for anything again. Never have to be alone or afraid again. He knew in his head she wasn't /his/ Zoey but in his heart the lines were blurred. And he'd fucked up so much in his life and hurt so many people, he didn't want to be /that/ guy anymore. He wanted to take care of those he loved, be happy for once. He looked at Dean searching his eyes his own watering. He couldn't do chaos.- :::::::::::::: Cowboy: *Rolls his eyes at Zoey* No, Ian isn’t my son, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna go fuck either him or Ali. He turned and looked back and Colt, saw how close to the edge he was and knew he wouldn’t be able to take much more tonight. He gently pulled Colt’s hand, leading him towards the house.* Zoey . . . Let’s just put a pin in this tonight. Please? I’m gonna take Colt upstairs and get him into bed. We can have brunch tomorrow and . . . Try to work through this. :::::::::::::::: Zoey: *looks down* Yeah, yeah, I'll just... *points to the house* I'll go to bed... soon. ::::::::::::::::

[myinconnelly1]

Everything in its own time ch 3 J2

Go back to Start

Go back to Say Nothing

Go back to Yell Watch it

****Give Jake the ring to remind him – NSFW

Jake moved close to her, looking deep into her eyes.  "Look, I don't usually do this kinda thing, but..."  His drawl was a welcome caress that she had missed hearing every day.  "I've never wanted anything as badly as I want you now, and I don't know why." The look on his face was one of pain and restraint, like he was waiting for her to acknowledge the thing between them.

It took everything in Taylor's power not to throw herself at him right then and there.  She reached into her bag pulling out the ring that Jake and she had found on La Huerta when they were looking for Diego.  She held the ring out to him, so that he could see it and take it from her hand.

"If you're planning on proposing to me, Princess, I think you're supposed to get down on one knee." Jake said to her, reaching out to take the ring from her hand with a laugh.

"Well you would know, Top Gun."  Taylor gave him a beaming smile.

"Princess?"  She couldn't imagine hearing the nickname enough to get tired of it.  But she realized that his tone sounded different.

"Yeah, Top Gun, it's really me."  Taylor looked into his face as she said the words remember their first night together in her room at the celestial.  She had wanted him so bad that her body had hurt, and here she was again barely able to restrain herself.  The time that she had been bereft of his touch looming in her mind.

"God I missed you, and I couldn't even realize it."  He said the words like they were one of the most painful things he had ever said.  But in the next instant he was kissing her fiercely, gripping her hip tightly, he pushed himself away from the door.  He lifted her up on the top of the sink counter, and he rested against her there. He moved his hand up along her body, finding the hem of her shirt and tugging it over her head.  It fell on the floor, and Taylor took the opportunity to relieve him of his jacket and shirt.  She kissed him again, starting at his lips then trailing them down his neck, nipping lightly.  Jake bucked his hips up against her and Taylor moaned against the spot she had just bit.  Jake took the change in pace, and took control again.  His mouth skimming across Taylor's chest and breast.  He left open mouth kisses along her collar bone, and then proceeded to suck on the skin at the top of her breast.  His hands reached down and were working at the button of her pants.  His fingers slipped under the denim of her jeans, caressing her flesh through her underwear.  

"I need you." Taylor said.  Her voice was husky as she spoke, and Jake didn't think he could have said as many words.  So instead he pulled back from her slightly.  Jake pushed his own pants and underwear down freeing himself, then put his hands on Taylor's waist, fingers curling under the lip of her pants.  She looked at his arousal and licked her lips in anticipation as Jake pulled the rest of her clothing off in one motion.

"You are gorgeous, Princess."  Jake said taking in the sight of Taylor.  Her cheeks had a rosy flush, and her eyes were dark with desire.  He moved closer to her taking her mouth with his, and aligned himself with her entrance.  "Are you sure, Taylor?"  He asked. She could tell it was taking every ounce of his self-control, but it Taylor thought that it was a sweet gesture.

"Yes."  Jake wasted no time entering her fully with a full thrust of his hips.  "Ohmygod."  Taylor gasped the words into his mouth, as he grunted "Fuck, Princess."  Jake set the pace, and in no time flat they were gasping into each other's mouths and kissing leisurely.  

Eventually they let go of each other and got cleaned up and dressed.   Taylor pulled out a pen and wrote her cell number on his arm.

"Just in case." She said, then winked.

"What are we going to tell Mike?"  Jake asked looking at her seriously.

"He actually already remembers everything.  I don't really understand how, but whatever the reason lets just be thankful.  I didn't have anything like the ring to help him remember."  Taylor responded nonchalantly as she buttoned her jeans.

"So who else have you gotten to remember?"  Jake took her hand in his kissing it gentle as they went back out to find Mike.

"Well Zahra and Quinn are the only ones.  Zahra was first because I knew I would need her help to get you cleared.  She is working on it and thinks it will only be a few more days until you have a case for your freedom.  Then I had to help Quinn because she was still sick in this timeline.  It is really weird. I don't know, I touch you, and you remember, and I bumped shoulders with Mike on the street earlier, he told me that was when he started remembering.  Anyway, she is okay now, so I came to get you."  Taylor rambled on until they arrived at the bar where Mike was waiting patiently.

"All right, so I'm gonna have to come up with a new nickname for you, Grandpa.  Because by the way, I think everyone in the bar heard you two.  So why don't we get out of here?"  Mike placed some money on the bar for his tab, and the three of them headed out the door as quickly as possible.

As soon as they stepped out the door, Taylor knew something was wrong.  She could feel it, and she knew this was the thing that Quinn had warned her about in the library.  She grabbed both men by the shoulders and hurried them to an alley, then put a finger to her lips.

"Hey, did you see where they went?"  The man that spoke was wearing an imperial uniform marking him as one of Rourke's men.

"Nah, I saw them come out of the bar but I'm not sure where they went after that."  The second man had a similar uniform.  They looked around for a short time, but eventually walked away.

"What were they doing here?"  Jake asked looking between Mike and Taylor.

"I'm not sure... But you guys should find some place safe to hide out."

"What do you think we were doing, Juliet?"  Mike asked rhetorically with a roll of his eyes.  "We probably aren't safe here anymore.  Grandpa, we are gonna need a new place to hide.  I hate to ask, but do you think your mom would take us in.   That Bayou you always talk about is probably a great place to hide in if they come looking for us."

"For the record, I hate this plan."  Jake said turning around and putting his hands on his hips.

[thedeaditeslayer]

TDS Exclusive: Interview with Evil Dead 2 actor Danny Hicks

Below is a transcribed interview done over an internet call with actor Danny Hicks. After starting in theater, Danny started his film career with Evil Dead 2 and went on to star in other Michigan Mafia flicks such as Intruder, Darkman, Spiderman 2, and My Name is Bruce.

A more recent headshot of Danny Hicks (source)

Q: First off, can you tell us what got you into acting and how you got into the profession?

A: Yes I can. It’s a little embarrassing but I’ll tell you anyway since I’m pretty hard to embarrass. Actually I was a heavy equipment operator in the Detroit area and a friend of mine invited me to take part in a little tiny performance on stage in a place called the Farmington Player’s Barn. It wasn’t even a real play. It was called The Still Alarm and I played a British fireman. I think that I had two lines. After the play was over this very attractive woman came up to me and said you know what? I run the YMCA down the street here and we have a beautiful hot tub. What do you say we get naked and get in the hot tub? And I thought you know I can get laid doing this stuff! And that’s how I became an actor. I got on stage that night and I didn’t really get off the stage again for five years.

Q: How did you hear about the audition for Jake in Evil Dead 2?

A: Even though we were all from the Detroit area I’d never met Bruce or Sam or any of those guys. I’ve met Ted Raimi before but I didn’t know much about him. I did cast him in a play one time but that was a couple of years before the audition for Jake. My agent called me one day and said that they’re shooting this movie; a bunch of guys from Detroit, and she gave me the character description which was “Scuzzbucket”. Well I said well I know that I can do scuzzbucket. That might be fun so I got up that morning and opened the hood of my car and combed my hair with grease and smeared gravel all over my face and just got as ugly as I could. Then when I got in front of the camera for the audition I said “Scuzzbucket, how scuzzy do you want this guy” Sam Raimi says as scuzzy as you can make him. So I pulled out my partial plate which made me look incredibly stupid and scuzzy and then said “You want him this scuzzy?” Sam then said “Oh my god. An actor without an ego. I love it!” That’s how I became Jake. 

Q: Did you feel excited or nervous after you got the part?

A: It was my first feature film though I’ve been on stage for about five years and I’ve done a ton of television commercials and hundreds upon hundreds of industrial films but I’ve never done a feature film before. So I was really excited about it. And then of course they postponed it for three months which made me think that maybe it wasn’t going to happen. But actually it was very good for me because it allowed me to go back on stage and play the role of George in Of Mice and Men. George is one of the best characters in American literature so I was glad that I got to do that role. It was very challenging. I had a whole week to get ready for it. It almost killed me but it was worth it. When I was finished with that, they were ready to start shooting Evil Dead 2. So I really didn’t have enough time to get nervous about it. Excited, yes. Especially after they said that they were going to start the shoot now. Then I really started to get excited. 

Danny Hicks as George in "Of Mice and Men" The Attic Theater, Detroit. 1986. (source)

Q: Supposedly Sam Raimi had the hardest time with casting Jake and was going to do the role if he couldn’t find someone to his liking to do the part. How do you think the movie would have fared if Sam ultimately played Jake instead of you?

A: Well Sam Raimi is probably the best director in the world right now or at least in my opinion. He’s a decent actor. I worked with him as an actor. He was in Intruder with me and I got to kill him which was fun. I got to kill Ted too. I got to kill most of the Raimi family which was enjoyable. I don’t know. That’s a good question. I’m sure that he would have pulled it off but I can’t really imagine the film without me as Jake. It’s pretty hard to do. I think that he would have done a decent job. I don’t know if the movie would have been exactly the same but who knows it might have even been better. 

Q: How much input did you have in your character of Jake in Evil Dead 2?

A: It really didn’t need much of my input however Sam is a great director to work with because after he gets what he wants he’ll let you do anything you want. Well at least back in the day back in that time frame. He would let me especially have a take off of my own and just do it anyway I wanted to. To tell the truth with you I don’t know if any of those takes actually ended up in the movie but they might have. I know one particular instance after Ash cuts up Evil Ed with the ax and he’s all over the floor I asked Sam if I could deliver a line. He said, yeah go ahead. I’ve been trying to get this line into movies forever and somehow or another, it’s always been cut out. The line was “I’ve been to three world’s fairs and placed second in a donkey f**king contest and I ain’t never seen nothing like this before!” And they cut it out. Can you believe that?

Q: How would you describe the difference of being a theater actor and being directed for a feature film such as Evil Dead 2? Was it difficult to adapt to the changes?

A: First of all let me answer the last part of that question. No I didn’t find it very difficult mainly because I’ve done so many industrial films and I knew how to work with the camera already. I knew what lenses were and how they affected me and my performance and so I pretty much knew all of that stuff. Though the second that I got on set of a feature film I said that this is what I want to do. I pretty much gave up theatrical acting after that. Not that I don’t miss it occasionally. But it’s an awful lot of hard work and the disciplines are completely different. When you go on stage to do a play you have to have this energy that’s burning bright that lasts for about two hours or usually a little less than two hours. If you try to keep that same attitude onto a feature film, you’re going to be dead after two days. It will literally kill you. The main difference if you have to learn how to turn that energy on and then off. When the camera is rolling, that is when you have to have that fire burning. When the camera is off you better sit down and have a Pepsi or a Coke or even a glass of water or whatever because if you don’t you’re just going to burn yourself out. As soon as I started to work on Evil Dead 2 that’s when I realized that is what I wanted to do with my career. 

Danny Hicks as Jake and Sam Raimi on the set of Evil Dead 2. (source)

Q: After Evil Dead 2 your next big role was for Intruder. How would you compare the severity of the Evil Dead 2 shoot to Intruder? Could you tell us more about the shoot?

A: Yeah there’s just about difficulties on any shoot I think. We didn’t necessarily have the hot weather like we did on Evil Dead 2 but we had the confines of the grocery store that had been abandoned. You couldn’t get near the dog food aisle without gagging. I mean the stench was just awful. We had some meat carcasses hanging up in the storage room and that were pretty ripe. Intruder was actually a pretty easy film for me. Scott had done an earlier version of this film and because I worked with him indirectly with Evil Dead 2, he kinda rewrote the script for me. He told me that I would be pretty good in this part and he kind of tweaked it so the character was more so written for me. So as a result it was a pretty easy shoot for me. I didn’t get along with some of the actors, well one actor in particular but I don’t know if I want to get in too deeply into that. But other than that it was just like any other feature film. It was very physically demanding. The hours were just horrible but the movie itself was pretty easy for me. 

Q: KNB EFX did an amazing job on Intruder with the death scenes. Supposedly crew members were getting queasy. How well did you fare? Have any memories from the shoot that you’d like to share?

A: Well personally I didn’t feel sick. I just thought that this was amazing! This looks so real! I remember that the band saw effect when it starts going through the teeth, the script supervisor who I think that her name was Pepper because we called her Dr. Pepper, well she was on top of a step ladder so she could look over the heads and shoulders of everybody and see what was going on. When they did that scene and the saw started vibrating in the teeth she actually passed out and fell off the ladder. She didn’t hurt herself seriously, thank God. It was just incredibly believable. They did a marvelous job. 

Interesting little side note, there’s a scene where I beat a guy with the head of Danny which was cut off even though you don’t see that and I’m smacking him in the back and beating him with this head. I couldn’t hold on to it because there was nothing to grab. The hair was just glued in there. So I remember talking to Robert Kurtzman and asking if he could drill some holes in this thing so I could hold it like a bowling ball. He really didn’t want to do that because it was actually a work of art but it was also a prop and I had to handle it. So he said yeah so he drilled some holes into the scalp area so I could put in my fingers just like a bowling ball. I then proceeded to beat the hell out of the other actor in the head with it and I’m sure it hurt.You know sometimes you got a suffer a little pain for your art.

Q: After working on both Evil Dead 2 and Intruder how would you compare Scott Spiegel as a director to Sam Raimi?

A: Well they’re both actually the fourth Stooge in The 3 Stooges. That was kinda similar. With Intruder, Scott just kinda let me go and do whatever I wanted to do as long as I stayed kinda close to the script. The script again was so well written that I didn’t have to change a thing. It was just perfect. He had his hands full with a lot of the other actors since they really hadn’t been in front of a camera before. So he just basically said that he was going to concentrate on those people and let me do what I do best. I still don’t know what I do best but that is what Scott wanted of me. He kinda just let me go to do my own thing so that was cool. That was actually one of the reasons why it was such an easy film for me in that regard because Scott trusted me. I think that he got what he wanted out of the film. 

Director Scott Spiegel and Danny Hicks goof around on the set of Intruder. (source)

Q: You went on to be a henchman in Darkman alongside the great Larry Drake who passed away last year. Could you tell us what it was like working on a larger budget and with Larry?

A: It was great. Larry Drake was one of the most incredibly gifted actors that I’ve ever worked with. In fact, I don’t know if you remember him from L.A. Law but he played a mentally challenged guy named Benny. He did it so well that people actually thought that he was retarded! I’m sorry that’s an antiquated term but they really thought that he was. The first time that I met him, I’d just come out of work and I was wearing a tie that was pink and black and purple and green and I walked into the makeup trailer and he was sitting there, looking at me through the mirror. I asked the woman who was doing his makeup what she thought about my tie. He answered of course. He said that it was boring, drab, blaaah just about like you. I just looked at him and said “You’re really are f**cking retarded aren’t ya?” That started my friendship with Larry Drake. He had a wonderful sense of humor and he was such an intelligent man. He was one of the smartest people that I had ever known which goes to prove what a gifted and talented actor he was to portray Benny so believably that people actually thought that he was mentally challenged. He was just a great guy. I lost touch with him for many years and then I saw him again at a convention. I believe it was in Indianapolis. It was just so good to see him again. We got to talk a little bit and reminisce which was really great because he died not too long after that. It was just a real shame, a real travesty. 

As for the big budget, it just didn’t seem to mean much to me. I mean it really didn’t affect my surroundings or anything like that. It was just work as usual. I can’t really remember now but I’m pretty sure that the catering service was better. One thing with a big budget film like this, everyday they died my hair red every morning and did my nails every morning. At the end of shooting they washed the dye out of my hair and took the nail polish off of my fingers. I guess that I did get pampered quite a bit on that film now that I’ve come to think about it. It was fun to be able to.....well for example we shot a large portion of that in a condemned area of downtown Los Angeles and they actually let us blow shit up. That was really cool. I wasn’t there for the helicopter scenes to which I’m sure that cost a fortune. It sure worked well in the movie. It was a lot of fun to work on a big budget film. 

Danny Hicks alongside Larry Drake in Sam Raimi’s Darkman. (source)

Q: My Name is Bruce had a small budget and was filmed on Bruce Campbell’s property. Can you share your experience in getting involved with the film and the shoot as well?

A: Timmy Quill and I went up there together and there was nothing in the script for us. So Bruce just says come up with just whatever you want to do and we’ll do that. We’re getting ready to shoot the first scene that Tim and I are in and this was another Evil Dead type circumstance because it was so hot in there. It was brutal. Timmy and I are sitting there and I had decided that the movie was about Bruce making fun of himself so I thought that it would be great if I make fun of myself. Tim Quill said yeah, I’ll make fun of the blacksmith in Army of Darkness. That’s what we did and we worked on our shtick. Bruce came up to us just before we started shooting and asked us what we’re going to do. We told him and he thought it was great and that it was a good idea but then stated that we’re also a gay couple. Roll cameras!! I tried so hard not to laugh. I was almost peeing myself especially right at the end when Tim leaned over and pinched my leg and goes “I wish that I could quit you”. If you look at me you can see that I’m trying to not laugh. I think that I did pee my pants a little. I was trying so hard not to laugh! That movie was a tremendous amount of fun to work on. 

TDS: That was one of my favorite parts of the movie! That and the fact that Ted played multiple roles and also died multiple times.

A: As for Ted Raimi, I don’t know how many times he died in that movie. He was so good. He got a lot of flack too from impersonating the Chinese character. I guess a lot of people took offense to that. Why that is, I don’t know! In fact I was with Ted a couple of weeks ago and we were talking about that and how much flack he got for playing that character. I really don’t know why. He did such a great job with all of the characters. Ted Raimi can do anything. That guy is such an incredibly good actor. He was hilarious. I don’t know why anyone would take offense to anything that he did. In fact my favorite scene in the movie is where he keeps on trying to disappear and he doesn’t and then finally after three or four times, he’s finally gone. I kept on saying look! He’s gone! It was so stupid but it was so funny. If you get the chance, watch the making of behind the scenes for My Name is Bruce. It’s called Heart of Dorkness. It’s directed by a friend of mine called Mike Kallio who also played the sleazy director in the movie. He did the making of Heart of Dorkness. It’s really entertaining so if you get a chance then watch that. 

Timothy Patrick Quill alongside Danny Hicks in their roles for My Name is Bruce.(source). 

Q: You seem to be paired with Timothy Patrick Quill often now in your newer features. Did co-starring with him in My Name is Bruce and Spiderman 2 open up the door to a new collaboration?

A: No I don’t think so. Although it’s funny that you mention that because we’re working on a feature film in September that shoots in Montana called Blood Hunter and Timmy and I are both in that. I don’t know if that really happened or not though. I’ve known Tim for awhile before we shot My Name is Bruce. I think that we worked on a couple of projects together but we get along really well together. We have a lot of fun working with one another and we’ve done some conventions together. I don’t know how that came about. Perhaps it did come about that way. I’m not really sure. 

Q: Are there any roles, projects, or missed opportunities that you’ve been involved with in the past that never came to fruition?

A: I’m sure that there’s a lot of them. I try to not dwell on things that didn’t happen. There is one I was originally supposed to play one of the leading roles in....help me out here. George Clooney ended up playing my role. 

TDS: Wow really?!

A: Yeah Quentin Tarantino was in it with George Clooney. It was one of Clooney’s first films. 

TDS: From Dusk til Dawn?!

A: Yes! From Dusk til Dawn. And the original cast was supposed to be myself, Robert Englund and Ted Raimi. They actually used our names to raise money in Europe. Then of course Robert Kurtzman didn’t direct it anymore and then one thing led to another and the next thing I know, George Clooney is playing my role and I honestly had to sit back and say ok well look. You have Danny Hicks here and you’ve got George Clooney here. You know what? I would have cast George Clooney too! That’s one of the things that I don’t know if I regretted it or angry about it but I’ve since then forgiven everybody. Actually I’ve forgiven them a long time ago. That was one and I really wish that we could have set Intruder up so it could have had a sequel. I would have really loved to play that role again. Of course that never happened. I kinda regret that one a bit. I think that it would have been fun to play that character again. 

George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino as the Gecko Brothers in From Dusk til Dawn. (source)

Q: Have you checked out Ash vs Evil Dead yet and if so what are your thoughts?

A: I have checked it out. I watched the entire first season and then I moved and didn’t get cable television anymore so I’m out of the loop there. I thought that it was fun. I thought that it was way over the top. It was more Army of Darkness than it was Evil Dead. But that’s OK since the fans seem to really enjoy it and they’re eating it up and I know that Bruce is having a good time. Well at least he was the last time that I was talking to him which has been a couple of months. I can’t imagine that they don’t beat him up too much in the third season so yeah I’m really happy for him. The fans seem to really be getting what they want. Although of course they’ll never stop clamoring for an Evil Dead 4. I mean that’s what they really want. Instead they got Ash vs. Evil Dead. I think it’s great. 

Q: The show shoots in New Zealand and Ellen Sandweiss has returned in the franchise last season as well as Ted Raimi. If you were offered a role in the show, would you do it?

A: I would be on a plane right now. I would be packing to get to the airport. I would love to do it. If you blinked then you probably missed it but they actually use a clip from Evil Dead 2. I think that it was the final episode of season one where they showed me for like a tenth of a second and then they showed my bones dressed in the overalls down in the cellar. I think that they used a little clip from Evil Dead 2 of me and then they went down to the basement and saw my bones. They paid me for it let’s just put it that way. They couldn’t use it without my permission. I don’t know if that would stop them from bringing me back as a character. I really don’t know but if they asked me then yeah. I would do it in a heartbeat. 

Jake’s deceased body in Evil Dead 2. (source)

Q:  What got you involved in the horror convention circuit and what is your opinion on it?

A: I got involved probably five years ago or maybe six years ago and the reason why I got involved is because Bruce Campbell called me from a convention that he was doing in New Jersey. He said “Danny, they’re selling your pictures at these conventions and they’re making money from it. If you don’t start doing these then I’m going to kick your ass!” So I looked into it and thought well it might be fun so I started doing them and I love them. I do maybe six or seven a year. I’ve been all over the United States. I’ve been to Germany twice and it’s all basically because of Evil Dead 2. I mean that is what I’m the most famous for although there are a lot of Intruder and a lot of Darkman fans but mostly Evil Dead 2. I’m very thankful for that. The best part about doing these conventions is how excited the fans are to just see you and say hello to you or get a picture taken with you. You know a hug or a kiss or whatever and I think that it’s just wonderful. Even though there’s money involved, I think that the best aspect of it is giving something back to the fans because without them none of us would have jobs. It’s really a good chance to give something back to the fans.

Q: Do you have any projects going on right now that you’d like to share with us?

A: There’s Blood Hunter. They’re shooting that now. It’s a low budget vampire film starring Mr. Timothy Quill and I have a little cameo in it. Well probably a little bit bigger than a cameo. That film is also set up a little for a sequel. I shouldn’t really be talking about it but I am anyway. What are they going to do? Fire me? We’re going to do that and I’m going to shoot my role sometime in September. After that I’m off to Sinister Creature Con in Sacramento, California and that’s in October. Also I might add, I’m happily retired though it doesn’t sound like it does it? I am. It’s kind of neat. In fact I love that as an actor being your job then it’s looking for a job. That’s what you do and you do it seven days a week, fourteen hours a day and I’m glad to not have to do that anymore. A lot of people send me scripts and I read them and it’s any good or if there’s something in it that I like then I take it from there. I don’t actively look for work anymore. That’s what I considered to be retired. I’m really enjoying it and I enjoy playing with my granddaughter. 

Q: You’re an associate producer in your latest film Dick Johnson & Tommygun vs. The Cannibal Cop. Is producing, writing, or directing something that you might venture into in the near future?

A: Not producing per say. I don’t know enough about it and I don’t really have much of an interest in that. There are films that I’ve worked on where I’ve taken an associate producer role just to take the credit more than anything else. I may have helped out a little bit with technical advice or something. As for directing, I don’t think that I’m qualified. I’ve had a very good career on the dumb side of the camera. I think that’s where I belong. Although I did direct a few scenes in a movie that Tim Quill and I were in called Elder Island. The director decided that he wanted to play a part in the movie so I directed his scenes and it was kind of fun. Also it made me realize that I didn’t really know enough about it but it was fun to say action and cut but I really don’t know enough about it. In writing that is something that I’ve done quite a lot of but mostly for my own self amusement or amazement I should say. I’m not going to say that I’ll never write anything because I might. I think about it every once in a while. 

I’ve also been involved in music in the last four or five years with an incredibly gifted musician named Tim O’ Saben who is in the St. Louis area. He and I have recorded thirty-nine songs now which is taking up quite a bit of time but I have an incredible amount of fun doing it. Basically Tim will write the music and play the instruments and he plays just about everything. I’ll write the lyrics and then we’ll record the music together. We’ve been doing that and having a lot of fun doing it. I actually met Tim at a horror convention and we got to talking about music and horror movies. He decided that the two went hand in hand very well so he wrote The Ballad of Jake & Bobby Joe and asked me if I’d be interested to go to St. Louis and record it and then doing the music video. We did that and it was a blast and after that we recorded another thirty-eight songs. Music was my first love before acting. Unfortunately I can’t play anymore. I have horrible peripheral neuropathy in my hands. Even picking up an instrument is painful. That doesn’t stop me from writing. 

Danny Hicks reprises his role as Jake in the music video for The Ballad of Jake & Bobby Joe. (source)

Q: As an actor, is there any type of role that appeals to you the most or that you have the most fun with? Is there any role that you would like to take on in the future?

A: I’ll just do about any kind of role that I think is interesting. In fact the movie that I mentioned earlier Elder Island, they wanted me to play the police chief to which the role went to Tim Quill. I’ve done that before and I said you know I’ve done that role about ten times and I don’t want to do that again but this other guy and I can’t remember the character’s name right now.....Lucas. His name was Lucas. I told him that I would like to play this guy because he has no redeeming qualities. There’s nothing good about this man. I would love to play that role and they let me! It worked out pretty well. To answer your question, I think that I’ve played about every type of role that I would really want to and I’ll play any role that I find interesting. 

Q: Thank you so much for your time with us Danny! Anything that you’d like to share with TDS followers?

A: No not really other than pay attention to this site! It has some incredible stuff! I’ve looked at The Deadite Slayer a few times and I always get a kick out of it so congratulations to you and I hope that you continue doing it. I appreciate all of the attention that you’re giving to me. I really do.

From left to right: Ted Raimi, Danny Hicks, Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry and Kassie Wesley DePaiva pose in for a photo taken at Wizard World. (source)

Thank you greatly to Danny Hicks for taking his time to do the interview for The Deadite Slayer!

Visit Danny’s IMDb page here.

Visit Danny’s official Facebook page here. 

[nebris]

What It Means When Doctors Say Coronavirus Symptoms Are Often 'Mild'

With coronavirus cases continuing to rise in more than 100 countries, the COVID-19 outbreak has been officially declared a pandemic, according to the World Health Organization.

As many have pointed out, most people who contract the disease will experience “mild symptoms,” which is good and bad news. On the plus side, the virus is not deadly for the vast majority of those infected. On the other hand, the large number of mild or asymptomatic cases makes the pandemic harder to track and contain.

This is why it’s crucial to pay attention to mild symptoms you may be experiencing and take precautions to protect your health and safety ― and the health and safety of others. HuffPost asked doctors to break down what exactly “mild” means when it comes to coronavirus and what people should know about the symptoms.

What Are Mild Symptoms?

“Mild symptoms refer to similar symptoms that you may experience with a cold or mild flu-like illness,” said Kristin Dean, a board-certified physician and medical director at the telemedicine service Doctor on Demand. “Most people experience a mild form of coronavirus with these symptoms being the most common: cough, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion or diarrhea. In some cases, people who are infected will not exhibit any symptoms.”

Indeed, coronavirus can present as a common cold in mild cases. People may develop a low-grade fever, chills, headache, fatigue and malaise as well.

The incubation period for COVID-19 indicates that it takes 2 to 14 days for an infected person to actually exhibit even mild symptoms. Research suggests that on average it takes about five days.

“An individual may think nothing of these symptoms because they do not significantly change or impact their daily lives,” said Eudene Harry, a board-certified physician in emergency medicine and medical director for the Oasis Wellness & Rejuvenation Center in Orlando, Florida. She noted that people could tend to be dismissive of symptoms that may be early signs of coronavirus.

“It includes symptoms that one may be denying to themselves or others because no one wants to be sick ― that’s human nature,” said Daniel Berliner, a physician at the virtual health platform PlushCare.

“Mild” cases of coronavirus can also be more severe than people imagine, however. Bruce Aylward of the WHO told The New York Times last week that “mild” cases in China were not necessarily like a mild cold.

″‘Mild’ was a positive test, fever, cough ― maybe even pneumonia, but not needing oxygen,” he explained. ”‘Severe’ was breathing rate up and oxygen saturation down, so needing oxygen or a ventilator. ‘Critical’ was respiratory failure or multi-organ failure.”

When Should You Seek Medical Care?

Due to the mildness of many early symptoms, it can be difficult to know when to seek medical care for a potential case of coronavirus.

“One symptom that does raise a ‘red flag’ is shortness of breath and/or difficulty breathing, although many people do not have this symptom as early as the other symptoms,” Berliner noted.

A high fever and worsening cough can also indicate a bigger issue that requires medical attention. If you have a history of medical conditions that can decrease your immune system’s response, you’ll want to be extra cautious as well.

“Decreased immunity may be caused by some of the following conditions: being older than age 65, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease, chronic kidney disease, cancer, HIV or taking immunosuppressive medications,” Dean explained.

If you fall into one of those categories and are experiencing any symptoms, contact a health care provider via phone or a virtual video visit to talk it through and discuss the next steps. This is especially important if you have traveled to areas with high community transmission or been in contact with someone diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus (even if you aren’t exhibiting symptoms, it is advisable to self-isolate for 14 days after contact).

Conducting initial consultations through telemedicine networks can help reduce the spread of the virus by allowing health care workers to take protective measures to prepare for a visit from a potentially infectious patient. If you’re experiencing severe symptoms, however, call 911 to get immediate medical care.

What If You Don’t Need Hospitalization Or Medical Care?

Due to test kit shortages in the U.S., people who show mild symptoms but haven’t been in contact with confirmed coronavirus patients or visited high-risk areas may not be able to get a diagnosis. But it’s still important to stay home if you aren’t feeling well to help reduce the spread of illness.

“If you suspect you have COVID-19, please do not go to work, school or out in public places until you are directed to do so by a health care provider,” Dean said. “Mild COVID-19, just like other colds you have experienced, will typically resolve on its own by taking care of your health.”

She advised people who are exhibiting mild symptoms to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated and remain isolated from others.

“You can take over-the-counter cold remedies to help treat your symptoms, such as acetaminophen for fevers or headaches, and cough medications to alleviate coughing,” she added. “Since this illness is due to a virus, antibiotics are not effective. Stay in touch with your doctor about changes in your symptoms, and when it’s all right to return to your usual activities.”

Doctors still aren’t certain about how long patients infected with coronavirus are contagious, but one study suggests that those with mild cases are probably not infectious by about 10 days after they first experienced symptoms. Pending more conclusive research, however, it’s best to exercise caution and stay in touch with your doctor.

Avoiding high-risk places, washing hands, disinfecting surfaces, keeping a safe distance between people, not touching your face, and coughing or sneezing into elbows instead of hands are all measures everyone can take to help slow the rate of infection ― even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms. Taking care of yourself is one of the most selfless things you can do in the time of a pandemic.

“If everyone with a sore throat goes to hospital, resources will be used unnecessarily,” said Jake Deutsch, a physician specializing in emergency medicine and co-founder of Specialty Infusion. “Statistically speaking, most people won’t need an intensive-care level of treatment, so make sure those resources are available for people who clearly are more at risk. If you don’t have underlying medical conditions, I’d recommend staying home until you’re not sick. Judge your symptoms and put them in context of your medical problems.”

Ultimately, it’s important to follow guidance from reputable public health leaders like the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The best treatment we can provide is making sure people have correct information and can process everything,” Deutsch said.

https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/mild-coronavirus-symptoms-235401563.html

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 19 - OTT - Jack It!

4-2 Regulation Win over Sens

The term “Must-Win” is a bit overused in our contemporary sports parlay. That phrase is placed before everything from pretty standard out-of-conference matchup to run-of-the-mill divisional games. Some games are must-win because if you don’t win em then there will be a new level of hell to pay. Last night was a must-win for the Buffalo Sabres. Rightfully. A loss against the Ottawa Senators would not just have been embarrassing from a skill versus skill perspective, it would have been a seventh loss in a row and trigger more than a couple alarm bells. Luckily it was a win, and a reasonably dominating one too. Still there are some storylines in this game that have been festering and will probably be with us for the weeks and months to come. Before that though let’s talk about Greatest Game Against! Brought to you by the 50th Anniversary Season of the Buffalo Sabres the Greatest Game Against attempts to memorialize the best game against each of Buffalo’s divisional rivals. There is history, and plenty of it, between these two clubs! However the greatest game against the Ottawa Senators is such in a walk, it’s not even close. The Greatest Game Against the Sens was May 13th, 2006. The Buffalo Sabres, a team that surprised many being so good so quickly after the lockout finds themselves in the second round of the playoffs against a team they had encountered many times before. The Senators were no laughing matter sporting the good, young versions of Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, not to mention they had won the Northeast division that season. The Lindy Ruff Sabres had Daniel Briere and Chris Drury backed up by almost peak Ryan Miller with the likes of career-year having Maxim Afinogenov, Jochen Hecht, Jay McKee, and Mike Grier shepherding young guns like Jason Pominville and Tomas Vanek. After a killer first four games of the series Buffalo had the divisional winners on the edge of elimination in their own house. It was a back-and-forth affair: Buffalo’s Henrik Tallinder scores in the first minute before the Sens Alfredsson scored at the midway mark of the first. The Sabres took the lead again in the second period via a Chris Drury powerplay goal only to be equalized again by Brian Pothier. The game went to overtime when the most memorable goal of Jason Pominville’s career for most Sabres fans occurred: Pommer gets the puck in the neutral zone and streams in along the boards crossing in front of Ray Emery in the Sens net. He outmaneuvers Emery putting it in behind for the sudden win. That eliminated the divisional champs and sent the Sabres to a fateful Eastern Conference Final against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes. A young Elliotte Friedman interviewed Pominville after the hand-shakes who was sobered by the reminder he started that season on waivers. Ryan Miller also had a gem of a post-game interview but its due time we talk about last night’s win over the Sens.

There’s no getting around the fact that the Sabres dominated the first period last night, they dominated every statistical category and the eye-test for you grumpy old men. However, they did not score and for a team in a must-win situation it was an uneasy first intermission. If you were looking for rays of light in what has been an ugly November so far the domineering start might harken back to…uh… last month when these guys pretty reliably jumped out to hot starts regardless of where it went after that. If you’re looking for rainclouds, like a lot of us seem to be doing these days, Jake McCabe and a very much not optimized defensive group shored up their numbers as one of the league’s top 20 dump-in defenses. I am particularly annoyed with the dump-in-chase style because its always statistically detrimental to your momentum in a games and normally signifies a team that does not know what they’re doing as a whole group. This season started with a quick-passing play-together kind of chemistry and I’m wondering where it went. I pray to God it didn’t freeze off with the first snowfall of the season.

Kyle Okposo took a weird hit coming on off the bench and he would leave the game early in the second period. Last time I checked the jury isn’t out on what’s going on there. We didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. Rasmus Dahlin got the puck to Jack Eichel skating along the boards hounded by Dylan DeMelo. Like so many times in his career we saw Jack quick-release a slapper that zipped past Craig Anderson, 1-0 Sabres. After what would turn out to be one of the Captain’s hottest nights, he would be asked by the Athletic’s Joe Yerdon what got him shooting so much more. The answer was something out of some demented Sabres fan fiction from 2015. Eichel said he got a text recently from an old friend named… wait for it… MATT MOULSON telling him he outta shoot more. Hmm. I’ll just let that one percolate in your head. This game was full of ghosts of Christmases past when Anthony Duclair cashed in on a Sens powerplay to even it up about five minutes later. Ok, that’s more of a personal ghost of my past. Halfway through the period Buffalo struck back. This time it was Victor Olofsson carrying the puck into the offensive zone and dropping it off to a 1, 2, 3… quadruple covered Jack Eichel? No matter what Eichel just took the puck and whacked it on net. It went in and Jack’s brace put the Sabres back in the lead 2-1. As this game got into its second half some peculiar things started to unfold. For one, a frustrated Sabres fanbase continued to wonder where we can find Colin Miller in order to free him because the top defensive minutes were not in the most capable hands last night.

Secondly, Rasmus Dahlin got benched. So this saga has already had a full life cycle in the 18 prior games this season so I am not going to prognosticate about why or how except for two things: Ralph Krueger said after the game quote “[Dahlin] just sometimes wanting too much maybe and finding the balance between his amazing genius and skill and what we need to win. He’ll improve from it.” Chad DeDominicis pointed out that’s not ever really been asked of the guy this organization keeps reminding us is still a teenager. Dahlin has, at every step of his career, including when he switch from forward to defense *checks notes* five years ago, been allowed to be creative. Certainly mistakes will be made but as you keep reminding us Ralph: he’s 19. Maybe benching him is riskier than him messing up on the defensive side every now and again. Players like him are not a dime a dozen. The other part of this worth noting is immortalized in my twitter cover photo: Captain Eichel grabbing Dahlin on the bench and giving him some kind of talk. We’ll probably never know exactly what was said but I chose to imagine Eichel imploring the young franchise defenseman to not lose his confidence and not to think too much. Eichel remembers the Dan Blysma era. What became the grievance with Disco Dan was forcing a complicated programmatic game plan on creative players. Everyone was second guessing themselves in the months leading into that Coach’s firing. That same self-doubt inducing split-second confusion is clearly evident in Dahlin these days. Eichel saw it too and addressed it to Dahlin. I chose this as my reality because the best teams in this league transcend their head coaches: the Pittsburgh Penguins, the San Jose Sharks, the Boston Bruins, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The players on those teams are the mood-setters and the leaders. Could you even name the coach on 2 out 4 of those clubs without using google? I’m sure you could name the decisive players on all four of those clubs. I want that for my team and I like to think Captain Jack is doing it.

Captain Jack scored a hat trick for the second time in his career. The third one came in similar fashion to the first as he skated along the boards and ripped one through traffic past the opposing goaltender. The hat storm goal made it 3-2. The Sens had already evened it up before that with a real blast from the Sabres past Tyler Ennis. It was really a tip-in originating with Ron Hainsey but that will count for Ennis the Menace. Nonetheless Eichel had the game winner but he wasn’t done yet. As the third period ticked away and it became clear this would be the game to break the losing streak the Sens pulled Anderson and Eichel launched an intercontinental missile into the open net to reach the four-goal dick trick. Do I need to explain that? I’ve learned my readers are a hockey-literate bunch. Well for those of you who don’t know Joe Thorton was once asked what he’d do with four goals in a single game. He said in such a scenario he’d pull his dick out and stroke it. Well last night our Captain Jacked it and pulled off the dick trick! I guess I have to mark this postgame explicit now, don’t I? It was over. The Sabres won 4-2 in regulation to collect all two points and finally get a win in November, the month they strung together ten in last year.

As always I’d appreciate a like, share and if you really want to be nice a comment on this blog. I think there is a lot to talk about with this team right now, in spite of the win. Moreover, either tomorrow or Tuesday you’ll be seeing another Sabres post on Southtowntickets.com. In it we’ll be discussing the simply befuddling question: What’s wrong with the Buffalo Sabres? The something wrong here is probably complex then let’s finally trade a defenseman but that will come into it as well. The Reply Guy of the game goes to @CaptPantalones (Brandon Andrerson) whose son got a Jack Eichel stick in the pregame skate. That’s a special kind of memory I suspect he won’t ever forget having seen the Captain tap in three goals the same night. That’s even more heart-warming then the Wedding I went to during this game, but I promised I wouldn’t brag about that here. Tonight, after a must-win Bills game in Miami I might add, the Sabres will take on another team they probably should beat: the Chicago Blackhawks. I’m almost afraid to say that because the Hawks have had our number a few times in the years since their dynasty team fell into the gutter and United Center isn’t a friendly place for any visitor. You got to start stringing those wins together again before the trip down to Florida next week. They’ve got a couple soft targets before the Bruins later in the week to do it so let’s see if we get the fun Sabres back. Last night came with a little treat beyond the Eichel Dick Trick: the Toronto Maple Leafs got rocked 6-1 by the Pens. The Atlantic Division isn’t the straightforward hierarchy we thought it was going to be. Not yet at least. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. I hope Dahlin comes back from his benching to deke the pants off Alex Nylander tonight!