#TJ is still up for debate

[crowroboros]

would sydney be the boyest of failures if the echo lake incident never happened? (btw personally his pirate and boxing interests were his hyperfixations and also about kicking the fuck out of his dad- pirates dont follow the law and boxers-kick- punch the fuck outta people so he probs fixated on those because he wanted to teach and change his father.)

Alive Sydney AUs are always interesting to think about but a common pitfall I see people take is just not thinking about the full extend of what changes occur and the circumstances surrounding the change. I think we need to first figure out when the timeline splits for our hypothetical scenario. Are we following a timeline in which Sydney just didn't go with the rest of the group to Lake Emma? Are we following a scenario in which Mr. Bronson didn't die the way he did and thus Sydney didn't get possessed by the Samulation? Or is it that in this timeline Mr. Bronson never accidentally killed Sam Ayers? And thus he was never possessed? Cause I think that this will end up greatly impacting how Sydney turns out.

Cause if we're going under the idea that everything up until the Lake Emma incident is the same then I do not see things going well at all for Sydney. It's noted that ever since his father died and during the months leading up to his own death that Sydney would switch between his typical normal self and extreme aggression — implied to be due to the Samulation. If this kept up through his teenage years then I could see Sydney getting into serious trouble because of this. He was said to have caused some physical injuries to his friends during this time period by getting too violent with them when playing around and getting into these aggressive episodes. If this is like Chase's experience with the Samulation then I expect this to end up being thought of as a mental health issue which won't end up getting addressed due to its paranormal origin. And if that happens I wonder if the Samulation's hold on Sydney would worsen and if his aggression and violent tendencies would increase in severity and frequency. And if that happens then I fully expect it to cause issues for Sydney. Flynn's Samulation-induced hallucination at the end of his route is probably the closest thing we have seen to what Sydney would go through if he didn't die then, but even that was based on Flynn's own personal thoughts on what Sydney was like and how he'd turn out.

If we're saying that Mr. Bronson doesn't die on that hunting trip and Sydney never gets possessed then I think that this timeline is more akin to what a lot of Alive Sydney AUs depict, with a generally happier and more healthy dynamic between the group. I think that there is a solid chance that this timeline's Sydney is a goofy boyfailure, yes. Like a Reyn Xenoblade-esque kind of guy. A rambunctious, fun-loving, boyfailure who loves wrestling, ninjas, pirates, who hates his dad and maybe possibly gets into Situations with Flynn and Leo depending on the AU and headcanon about Sydney. I don't think he'll be as happy and as healthy as some depict him, especially with how his father was, but I do think he'd probably be better off than if he was possessed.

Now that last possibility is arguably the most interesting. What happens if Mr. Bronson never accidentally kills Sam? If that happens then it is likely, if not guaranteed, that Mr. Bronson doesn't get possessed by the Samulation. And if that's the case then maybe he doesn't turn out to be such a shitty father. And if what you say about Sydney's interests are true, then would Sydney in this timeline still enjoy those things? Would Sydney even exist at all in this timeline? Cause Sam's death strained Mr. Bronson and Janice's relationship and is part of the reason they split so maybe in this timeline Mr. Bronson and Janice never break up and so Mr. Bronson and Eliza wouldn't get together and have Sydney.

There are so many possibilities with Alive Sydney timelines depending on when things split from the main Echo timeline. I think it'd be cool to see specific instances of what makes these AUs differ from the canon timelines utilized to explore Sydney's character and dynamic with Flynn and the others rather than a vague "Sydney is alive!" sort of AU. Especially with Chase, cause if Chase doesn't get possessed then he never has that more subdued "rock-like" personality that he has in the main game. I wonder how Chase and Sydney would interact if Chase still had his more judgmental and snarky traits like he does as a kid and when the Samulation stops possessing him in Flynn's route.

[doctorbitchcrxft]

No Rest for the Wicked | Supernatural Series Rewrite | Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Warnings: nightmares, angstangstangst, canon violence, canon gore, SMUT (MDNI 18+ ONLY)

Word Count: 6038

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Dean shot up in bed beside you, startling you awake as well. His breathing was shallow and quick, and you sat up to comfort him. 

“Babe, what happened?” you asked, putting your hand on his back. 

He shook his head, still breathing with difficulty. “Uh, nothing,” Dean replied. “Go back to sleep.”

You rested your head against his bare shoulder and kissed it. “Hellhounds again?” you asked quietly. 

Dean’s lack of response let you know you were right. 

You sighed. “Do you wanna go back to sleep?”

He shook his head. 

“I’ll stay up with you,” you told him. 

“(Y/N)—”

“This isn’t up for debate,” you cut him off. You leaned back on the bed and opened your arms to him. Dean hesitated at first, but he eventually relaxed into you. You wrapped your arms around him and kissed the top of his head. Dean wrapped his arms around your stomach and laid his head on your chest, listening to your heartbeat. 

“Hey, (Y/N)?” you asked. 

“Hm,” you hummed. 

Dean looked up at you with a small smirk pulling at his lips. He leaned up over you, capturing your lips in a passionate kiss. 

You rolled over on top of him, and he happily allowed you to grind over the top of him while you kissed down his neck. You ran your nails over his abs and up over his chest as he kneaded your ass in his large hands. He made quick work of pushing your underwear aside to be able to slide himself into you. 

“You sure you’re okay with this?” he asked. 

You nodded, kissing him fiercely. 

“Sweetheart—” he growled between kisses, “words—” “Yes, please,” you begged. 

Making sure you were ready by running his fingers over your folds, Dean slipped his impressive length into you in one quick push. You rolled your hips over his, and he swallowed your moans with his kiss while kneading your breasts and tweaking your nipples. Soon enough, the two of you reached your highs, and he stayed comfortably seated inside you. Dean pulled you down to lay on his chest, and you sighed in content as he wrapped his arms around you. 

These nightmares had been growing more persistent as Dean’s death date got closer. He had yet another one while you were in the midst of researching, and he’d fallen asleep on his book. 

You looked at him sadly, and Sam walked into the motel room. Dean shot up and pretended he hadn’t just woken up from a nightmare.

“Dig up anything good?” Sam asked the two of you.

You took the opportunity to cover for Dean. “Nah, nothing good.”

“Well, Bobby has,” Sam replied. “Finally.”

Dean looked up. “Yeah?” “Yeah,” Sam nodded, “a way to find Lilith.”

“Oh. With just uh—” Dean looked down at his watch, “thirty hours to go.” Dean smiled halfheartedly. “Hey, why don't we just make a TJ-run, yeah? Y’know, some senoritas, cervezas, uh, we could... What's Spanish for "donkey show"?”

“Espectáculo de burro,” you replied quietly. 

Sam snickered. “So, if we do save you, let’s never do that.”

“Acordada,” you said. 

“Gesundheit,” Dean snarked. 

You gave a short laugh and looked back down at the book on Hellhounds in front of you. 

“Hey, Dean,” Sam sighed. “Look, we're cutting it close, I know, but we're gonna get this done. I don't care what it takes, Dean. You're not gonna go to hell. I'm not gonna let you.”

Dean looked up.

“I swear. Everything's gonna be okay,” Sam promised. 

Dean looked slightly sad before looking completely panicked. You recalled that just hours before the person is dragged away by the Hellhounds, they begin to hallucinate. It broke your heart to know that was what Dean was going through. 

***

The next day, you, Dean, Sam, and Bobby were setting up a ritual to find where Lilith was hiding. You couldn’t even make out what the scene before you was, but you simply did as Bobby told you to do. 

“So you need a name, that's the whole kit and caboodle,” Bobby said, referring to the mess of pendulums and maps in front of him. “With the right name, right ritual, ain't nothing you can't suss out.”

“Like the town Lilith's in?” Sam asked. 

“Kid, when I get done, we'll know the street.” You smiled briefly and shot a look to Dean. 

With some chanting in Latin, the pendulum stopped over the top of New Harmony, Indiana, which Bobby announced to the room. 

“And we have a winner,” Bobby continued. 

“Alright, let’s go,” Sam asserted, starting for the door. 

Dean stopped his brother. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. Let's all shut up there, Tex.”

“What?” you asked. “What’s the deal?”

“Whaddaya mean, ‘what’?” he replied. “Come on, where do I begin? I mean, first of all, we don't even know if Lilith holds my deal. We're going off of Bela's intel? Now, when that bitch breathes, the air comes out crooked, okay. Second, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to gank her. And third, isn't this the same Lilith that wants your giant head on a pike?” He gestured to Sam. “Should I continue?”

“Listen, Dee, it’s worth a shot,” you returned. “What else are we supposed to do?”

“Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you guys have to, okay? Either we go in smart, or we don't go in at all,” he said firmly. 

“Okay, fine. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have a suggestion,” you said.

“Where are you going with this,” Dean warned, his tone letting you know he knew where this conversation was leading. 

“We’re so past arguing. We gotta summon Ruby,” you stated. 

Dean’s shoulders tensed. “The hell we are! We have enough problems as it is.”

“Listen! I trust the bitch about as far as I can throw her. But right now, she’s all we got,” you argued.

Dean sighed. “C’mon, sweetheart, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay. She told you that she could save me—” he gestured to his brother, “lie. She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention— oh, right! Lilith owns my soul!”

“Dean—” Bobby groaned. 

“For all we know, she works for Lilith!�� the older brother finished. 

“Look, I agree with you!” you told him. “So give me another option.”

“Dean, (Y/N)’s right—”

Dean cut Sam off with a growled shout. “No! Dammit!”

You had never been scared of Dean before, but his exclamation genuinely startled you. When he realized what he’d done, he immediately softened. “Just… no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again. You guys wanna save me, find something else.”

Bobby sighed and grabbed his jacket to head to the door. 

“Where are you going, Bobby?” Sam asked quietly. 

“I guess to…” he trailed off and threw out his arms, “find something else.”

You shared a long look with Sam that told you you would be defying Dean. 

***

“Y’know, phones work too,” Ruby smirked, leaning against the doorway after you and Sam summoned her in the basement of the cabin you were squatting in. “Hey, Sam. How’s tricks?” she asked, arms folded. Then, she seemed to notice you were in the room as well. “(Y/N)! What a surprise—”

“How do you get around so fast?” Sam cut her off.

“I got the Super Bowl jetpack,” she shrugged. “So, you called?” The demon began to stalk toward you. 

“Did you know?” you demanded. 

“Um, gonna need a tiny bit more.”

“About Dean’s deal. That Lilith holds the contract,” Sam clarified.

She sighed. “Yes, I did.”

“Don’t you think you should’ve mentioned that to us?!” you snapped. 

“Temper, temper,” Ruby taunted. “You weren’t ready.”

Sam scoffed. “For what?”

“If I told you, you three yahoos would have just charged after her half-cocked, and Lilith would have peeled the meat from your pretty, pretty faces,” she explained dryly. 

“Well, we’re ready now,” Sam stated. “I want your knife.” Ruby began to circle you, her expression completely flat and still somehow mischievous. “You're right about one thing. You are ready. And now's the time, too. Lilith's guard's down.”

“How’s that?” you questioned.

Ruby explained, “She's on shore-leave. A little R&R.”

“The hell’s that mean?” Sam questioned.

“Trust me, you don't wanna know. You didn't lose those hex bags I gave you?”

“We’ve got ‘em.”

“Good. Then she won't sense that you're coming.”

Ruby was directly in front of you now. “Give us the knife.”

“No.”

“I wasn’t asking,” you asserted.

“You wanna charge in with one little pigsticker?” she snickered mockingly. “It's a waste of a true-blue window. Like getting Hitler with that exploding briefcase. Forget it.”

“Okay, then how?” Sam asked, getting very angry.

“I know how to save your brother, Sam,” Ruby cooed. 

“No, you don’t! You told us you couldn’t! Give us the fucking knife, alright!” you shouted, getting in her face. 

“Did you ever consider that I lied, babe?” she snarked. 

“Oh, so you can save him?” Sam scoffed dryly. 

“No, but you can.”

“What?” you and Sam exclaimed simultaneously.

“Sam, you've got some god-given talent. Well, not ‘god’-given, but you get the gist,” she explained.

“All that psychic crap? That's gone ever since Yellow-Eyes died,” Sam responded. 

“Not gone; dormant,” Ruby said. “And not just visions either. Why do you think Lilith is so scared of you?”

“Why the fuck would she be scared of Sam?” you asked. 

“If you wanted, you could wipe her off the map without moving a muscle,” Ruby responded. 

“I don’t believe you,” Sam stated. 

“It’s the truth.”

“And you decided to tell me this just now?”

“Um... demon. Manipulative's kinda in the job description,” she sing-songed. “Fact is— is that you would have never considered it. Not until you were –”

“Desperate enough?” Sam cut her off.

Ruby shrugged. “You don't like being different. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes. Like you're some kind of sideshow freak. But suck it up because we've got a lot of ground to cover, and we've gotta do it fast. But we can do it.”

Sam clenched his jaw and glanced down at the floor. 

“Look. Call me a bitch, hate me all you want, but I have never lied to you, Sam. Not ever. And I'm telling you. You can save your brother, and I can show you how,” she urged. 

“So that’s you, huh?” an all too familiar voice growled from behind you. 

‘Uh-oh,’ you thought, stomach dropping and eyes widening. 

“Our slutty little Yoda,” Dean finished his insult, walking into the room. 

“Dean.” She turned to him, all the softness she’d been using with Sam gone. “Charming as ever.”

Dean stalked toward the three of you. “Aw, I knew you’d show up. ‘Cause I knew Sammy here and my girlfriend wouldn’t listen.” He cut his eyes at you, and you looked at the floor in shame. 

“But you're not gonna teach him anything, you understand me? Over my dead body,” Dean grunted. 

“Oh, well, you’re right about that,” Ruby snickered. 

“What you are gonna do is give me that knife. And then you can just go crawl back into whatever slop you came from and never bother me or my brother or my girl again. Are we clear?” he stated fiercely. 

“Your brother is carrying a bomb inside of him, and we'd be stupid not to use it,” Ruby shot back. 

You sighed, knowing you were in deep shit. “Dean, just hold on, okay—”

“(Y/N)!” Dean snapped. “Don’t.” He addressed Sam next. “C’mon man, what, are you blind? Can't you see that this is a trick?”

“That’s not true,” Ruby protested. 

“She wants you to give into this whole demonic psychic whatever, okay. I mean hell, she probably wants you to become her little Anti-Christ SuperStar.”

“I want Lilith dead. That’s all,” Ruby snarled. 

“Why?”

“I’ve told you why!”

Dean laughed mockingly. “Oh, right, yeah. Because you were human once and you liked kittens and long walks on the beach.”

Ruby shook her head. “Y’know, I am so sick of proving myself to you. You wanna save yourself, this is how, you dumb, spineless dick.” Dean looked at her, then turned around as if he was going to leave. Suddenly, he spun back and nailed her with a mean right hook. 

“Dean!” you shouted, knowing he was in a world of trouble. 

Ruby recovered quickly and delivered blow after blow; a knee to the face, then a hit to the back, then to his stomach. 

You rushed her, shoving her to the floor. Ruby dragged you down with her and rolled on top of you to hit you across the right side of your jaw, then your left, then your right again. 

Ruby, hey!” Sam shouted, but you could barely hear him over the ringing in your ears. 

Suddenly, the repetitive hits were gone. Dean was back to hitting her, or, rather, getting one hit in before being sent to the ground by Ruby. 

The fight progressed into the other room, and Dean stumbled back into the room moments later because of a hit delivered by Ruby. 

“The hell are you grinning at?” 

Apparently, Dean was wearing one of his shit-eating grins. “Missing something?” he asked, and you could hear the smirk in his voice from your position on the ground. 

Sam came over to check on you, and you could see Dean holding Ruby’s knife proudly. 

“I'll kill you, you son of a bitch.”

Your eyes widened as Ruby tried to rush him, but she was stopped by an invisible force. You breathed out in relief knowing Dean had set up a Devil’s trap. “Like I said, I knew you'd come.”

He walked away from her toward the staircase back up to the cabin. 

“Wait! You're just gonna leave me here?”

Dean ignored the demon. “Let’s go,” he ordered you and Sam. 

Sam helped you up from the floor and adjusted his jaw painfully. 

“Oh, oh, you— so you're just too stupid to live, is that it?” Ruby laughed in a panic. “Then, fine! You deserve hell! I wish I could be there, Dean. I wish I could smell the flesh sizzle off your bones! I wish I could be there to hear you scream!” Her voice followed you up the stairs into the living room of the cabin.

“And I wish you'd shut your pie hole, but we don't always get what we want,” Dean called back.

Your heart was in your throat as you followed Dean up the stairs. He was undoubtedly going to chew both you and Sam out for what you’d done. 

In silence, you began to load your weapons. You briefly smiled fondly at Dean’s Taurus as he cleaned it. Dean apparently caught you looking at him, his face set in hard lines. You could practically feel the blood flush from your face. 

“I figured Sam would do it, but you?” he asked evenly, tone on-guard. 

“Dean—”

“No, (Y/N). I told you I didn’t want you to do that,” Dean replied. 

You slammed your gun down on the table. “And what about what I want? I have less than twenty-four hours with you, and I’m trying to change that. Do you not want that? Do you want to go to Hell?!”

He sighed, and you noticed Sam had taken a step back from the weapons table to let you and Dean fight it out. 

“No, but dammit, I’m not letting you make the same mistake I did!” he shouted.

“You keep saying that, but what do you mean?!”

“First my dad, then me, and what? Now you? Now Sam? Every time someone’s ass is on the line, one of us just gives it up instead. This has to stop,” Dean explained. 

“So, what? We’re just gonna let Ruby rot down there, and you’re just gonna wait ass up for Lilith to come collect your soul?” you argued.

“Yeah, Dean,” Sam began softly, “what if Ruby’s right? What if I can take out Lilith?”

Dean slammed his hands on the table and gave his brother an angry, hard glare. 

“Quit looking at me like that,” Sam stated. 

Dean scoffed. “What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes ‘poof’?”

“I don't know what Ruby meant,” Sam replied, throwing his hands up and shaking his head. “Y’know, maybe we should just go ask her.”

“Guys, you wanted the knife. I got you the knife.” Dean walked over to another table with knives splayed across it. 

“Dean, just listen to me for a second. Last time Lilith snapped her fingers and put thirty demons on our ass, and all we got's one little knife?” Sam challenged. “I mean, like you said, we go in smart, or we don't go in at all.”

“Well, this ain't smart.”

“We got one shot at this, Dean. Just one. So if there's a sure-fire way then maybe we should just talk about it.”

Dean approached Sam and got in his face a bit. “Ruby's just jerking your chain down the road. You know what it's paved with and you know where it's going.” He then turned around, sat back down at the table, and picked up a knife. 

Sam apparently wasn’t done. “Dean.” He sat down next to his brother as Dean continued to sharpen his knife. “What do you think is gonna happen? This is me, I can handle it. And if it'll save you—”

Dean cut off his brother. “Why even risk it?”

“Because you're my brother. Because you did the same thing for me,” Sam replied simply. 

The older brother scoffed. “I know. And look how that turned out.” He sighed and got a little choked up. “Guys, all I’m sayin’ is… sweetheart, you’re my weak spot.”

You looked up at Dean, and he was staring at you with tears swimming in his eyes. 

He smiled quickly. “You are. And I’m yours.” Dean looked over to his brother while you bit your lip and closed your eyes to try and keep from crying. 

“And Sam, we— we’re family,” Dean chuckled through his tears, “I mean, what we'll do for each other, y’know, how far we'll go? Those evil sons of bitches know it. They're using it against us.”

“So what? We just stop looking out for each other?” Sam argued through his own tears.

“No, we stop being martyrs, man. We… We stop spreading it for these demons,” he joked. Dean picked up Ruby's knife. “We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to. And if we go down, then, uh, then, we go down swinging.”

You wrapped your arm around yourself trying to self-soothe as you would have to do from here on out very soon. 

“Whaddya think?” Dean asked you and Sam.

A smirk grew across Sam’s face. “I think you totally should have been jamming ‘Eye of the Tiger’ right there.”

Dean stood and grumbled, “Oh, bite me. I totally rehearsed that speech, too.”

Sam smiled. “So, Indiana, huh?”

“Yeah, where Lilith's on shore-leave,” Dean recalled Ruby’s earlier words. “Tell me something. The hell's a demon do for fun?”

You couldn’t take it anymore. Despite the lighthearted joking, your heart was breaking in two. No amount of loss you’d experienced before was quite as devastating as this was for you. 

As you made it into the bedroom you’d been sharing with Dean, you heard Dean’s heavy footsteps following you. 

“Sweetheart—”

You cut him off. “Don’t. Please.” 

Dean wrapped his arms around you from behind and kissed the top of your head. You turned around to bury your face in his chest and inhale the leather jacket that smelled of his cologne and gunpowder. Oh, how you were going to miss that smell. 

***

You knew continuing to be sad wasn’t an option in this scenario. You had to pull it together for Dean’s sake, if not yours. Just as you were about to leave for Indiana well aware of the time constraint you were under, Bobby appeared at the door of the Impala.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Bobby drawled. 

“We got the knife,” Dean replied through the window of the car. 

You got out to greet Bobby with a tight hug.

“And you intend to use it without me?” Bobby scoffed. “Do I look like a ditchable prom date to you?”

“No, Bobby, of course not,” Sam replied. 

“This is about me, (Y/N), and Sam, okay? This isn't your fight,” Dean said.

Those words made Bobby rightfully furious. “The hell it isn’t! Family don’t end with blood, boy. Besides, you need me.”

“Bobby—”

The older man cut Dean off. “You're playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?” Sam seem surprised, but you looked at your feet sheepishly. 

“How’d you know?” Dean asked. 

“Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt. And because (Y/N) called me,” Bobby replied. 

Dean looked at you with a mockingly sarcastic stare. You just shrugged. 

***

Bobby followed behind you in his car. Sam was going to let you sit in his usual spot, but you preferred to keep things as they were; for at least a semblance of normalcy. 

Sam broke the silence in the car. “Hey, Dean? You know if this doesn't uh... this doesn't go the way we want, I want you to know—” Dean cut him off. “No, no, no, no.”

“ ‘No’ what?” Sam asked. 

Dean shot a brief look over to Sam. “No, you're not gonna bust out the misty good-bye speech, okay? And if this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward.” Dean paused for a moment, a smirk growing across his face. “Y’know what I do want?” He fiddled with the radio for a minute, and Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” began to play through the speakers. 

“Bon Jovi?” the brunet scoffed. 

Dean began to sing along with Bon Jovi. “And I walk these streets! A loaded six-string on my back / I play for keeps / ‘Cause I might not make it back.” He turned to his brother. “C’mon! I’ve been everywhere.”

“Oh, yeah!” you and Sam sang. 

“And I'm standing tall / I've seen a million faces ‘And I rocked 'em all.” Dean shot a wink at you in the rearview mirror on that line, and you squeezed his shoulder. Dean grabbed your hand with his opposite one and continued to steer with the other. He played with your fingers while his brother got more and more into singing. You and Dean, however, were beginning to realize how well the song fit your current situation. 

Dean’s smile that you’d fallen in love with was completely gone while Sam continued to sing. 

***

After getting pulled over because of the Impala’s busted taillight, Dean revealed to you he’d been able to tell the officer who’d stopped you was possessed. In fact, it was because he could see the ugly face of the creature beneath. 

You had driven the police car into the woods and covered it in branches to hide it along with the body.

“So, what, now you’re seeing demons?” Sam scoffed. 

“I've seen all kinds of things lately but... nothing like this,” Dean replied, looking startled. 

“Actually, it's not all that crazy,” Bobby jumped in. “You've got just over five hours to go. You're piercing the veil, Dean. You're glimpsing the B-side.”

“A little less new age-y, please,” Dean snarked. 

“You're almost Hell's bitch. So, you can see Hell's other bitches,” Bobby put it plainly. 

Dean seemed taken aback, but then, turned his charm back on. “Thank you.”

“Well, it actually could come in pretty handy,” Sam suggested. 

“Oh, well, I'm glad my doomed soul is good for something,” Dean scoffed. 

Bobby nodded. “Damn right it is. Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here, we're dead before we're started.”

Dean chuckled mockingly. “Well, this is a terrific plan. I'm excited to be a part of it. Can we go, please?”

***

Somehow, you’d managed to sneak into the house for sale across the street from the house Lilith was “vacationing” in. Dean looked through the closed blinds with binoculars to search for the demon. “It's the little girl. Her face is awful,” Dean grimaced. 

After much bickering over which method was best to break into the house, you waited for Dean to run behind the house with the demon hot on his heels. When it happened, you plunged the knife into the possessed mailman’s stomach. Sam came up behind him to clasp a hand over his mouth to ensure he couldn’t alert any other demons. You passed the knife off to him with an encouraging nod to send him on his way to kill the neighbor. You dragged the mailman’s body behind a bush. 

Suddenly, you were shoved into a bush. “I'd like my knife back, please. Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone.”

Sam came up behind her and held it to her throat. “She doesn’t have it. Take it easy.”

Ruby let you go, and you scrambled to your feet. 

“How the hell did you get out?” Dean asked, standing beside you. 

“What you don't know about me could fill a book,” she scoffed. 

Dean stumbled backward suddenly. “Whoa,” he breathed out. 

“What?” she asked angrily. 

Dean turned his head away not wanting to look at her anymore. “Nothing. I just— I couldn't see you before, but you're one ugly broad.”

“Sam, give me the knife before you hurt yourself,” Ruby demanded. 

“You’ll get it when this is over,” you replied. 

“It's already over. I gave you a way to save Dean, you shot me down. Now, it's too late. He's dead. And I'm not gonna let you die, too,” Ruby told Sam. 

“Try and stop me, and I'll kill you, bitch,” Sam snarled. 

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Hit me with your best shot, baby.”

Dean turned back to you. “Guys,” he whispered. “Hey. Have your little catfight later.”

You could see other black-eyed demons stalking toward you. “So much for the element of surprise.” 

“Run, run!” you whispered harshly. You broke off and headed straight to the house Lilith was in, and you could hear dozens of demons following you. 

You slid across the porch on your knees to pick the lock on the door. 

“What the hell is taking Bobby?” Dean shouted. 

Suddenly, the sprinklers turned on to shoot holy water at the demons, which had been Bobby’s task. 

Just as you finished picking the lock, you turned to see Dean smirking and laughing at the demons who’d been kept away from the house by the sprinklers. 

You closed the door behind Ruby and turned around to see an older gentleman dead on the kitchen table. “Holy shit,” you whispered. His head had been turned around completely.

Dean turned to see what you were looking at, and his face hardened. “You think Lilith knows we're here?” he asked quietly. 

“Probably,” Ruby answered. 

Sam walked into the surrounding rooms first, holding his knife out. Suddenly, Dean’s head whipped to a closed cabinet behind you where he discovered a man hiding. He put his hand over the man’s mouth to keep him from making any noise while you shushed him. 

“We're here to help, okay?” Dean whispered. “I'm gonna move my hand, and we're gonna talk nice and quiet, okay?”

The man nodded his head “yes,” and Dean slowly removed his hand. 

“Where’s your kid?” you asked. 

“It’s not—” he swallowed harshly, “It’s not her anymore.”

“Where is she?” Sam urged. 

“Upstairs. In her bedroom,” the man answered. 

“Okay, okay, okay. Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?” Dean stated. 

“Not without my wife,” the man responded. 

“Yes, without your wife.”

“No.”

Dean knew you had no time for this and knocked him out. He shot you a look, you smiled, and Dean hauled the man up over his shoulders in a fireman’s hold. 

You followed Dean down to the basement and quietly shut the door behind him while Ruby and Sam went up to the girl’s bedroom. 

Dean unceremoniously dropped the man to the floor while you surrounded the door with salt. Just as you were turning to leave, Dean grabbed your arm and pulled you back to him, kissing you with a passion you’d never felt from him before. He desperately pulled at you trying to get you as close as possible, and you pulled on his hair like you knew he loved. When you pulled away, you were seeing stars. “What was that for?” you asked quietly. 

“Just ‘cause,” he told you. “I love you.”

Your eyes pooled with tears, but you managed to keep them at bay. “I love you, too. More than you’ll ever know.”

Dean’s eyes searched your face with one of those heavily emotional and yet unreadable expressions you’d become accustomed to. “Let’s go,” he told you, grabbing your hand and carefully stepping over the salt to get out of the basement. 

He pulled you upstairs into the little girl’s room but suddenly panicked when he saw Sam about to stab the child. Dean grabbed his brother’s arm, saying, “It's not her!”

The little girl was breathing heavily from the realization of what was about to happen to her.

“It's not in the girl anymore,” Dean continued.

The child collapsed into her mother’s chest, crying, “Mommy!”

The mother shushed her child and held her tightly, clearly relieved her daughter was okay.

***

When you’d gotten the two remaining family members into the basement, Ruby spoke up. “Well, I hate to be a ‘told you so’.”

“Okay, then, where is she?” you asked. 

“I don't know,” she replied. 

“Could she get past the sprinklers?” Sam questioned, looking out of the window at the demons still trapped on the lawn. 

“Her pay grade, she ain't sweating the holy water,” Ruby replied. 

Sam huffed. “Okay, you win. What do I have to do?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, giving him a questioning look. 

“To save Dean,” Sam replied. “What do you need me to do?”

Dean tried to turn him around. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Sam shrugged him off. “Just shut up for a second. Ruby!”

“You had your chance,” she replied. “You can’t just flip a switch. We needed time.”

“And the twelve hours warning you gave us would’ve been enough?’ you scoffed. “C’mon, lady, give us something. Anything!”

Dean grabbed Sam again. 

“Don’t, Dean! I’m not gonna let you go to Hell!” Sam told his brother. 

“Yes, you are!” Dean roared. He looked to you for a moment before looking down at the floor, seeming unable to hold your gaze. “You both are.” He took a deep breath and looked up at his little brother. “I'm sorry. I mean, this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing; it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill you.”

“Then, what am I supposed to do?” Sam asked quietly, tears slipping down his cheeks. 

Your eyes began to well, too. 

“Keep fighting. Take care of my wheels. Don’t let (Y/N) drive,” Dean smirked at you. “Sam, remember what Dad taught you, okay? And remember what I taught you.”

Dean looked over to you. “And take care of my brother. Take care of you.” He tilted his head back, seeming unsure of what his next words would be. “God, I just… there’s too many things I could say to you, sweetheart. But I just need you to know that I’ve always got your six. Even when I’m gone.” Dean stepped closer to you, and you could barely stand to look at him as tears poured down your face. 

Just then, the clock struck midnight. Dean looked over to it, then looked back at you, and he tried to offer a sad smile when he did. 

“I'm sorry, Dean. I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy,” Ruby said through the deafening silence.

Suddenly, Dean’s face fell. “Hellhound.”

“Where?” you and Sam asked in unison. 

Dean nodded to a corner of the room. “There.”

You looked in the direction Dean nodded to, but obviously, you saw nothing. Dean grabbed your hand and brought you into another room, you and the Winchesters slamming the doors behind yourselves.

You took out a bag of goofer dust and quickly shook it out in a line in front of the doors to keep the Hellhounds at bay. 

“Give me the knife,” you heard Ruby tell Sam, “maybe I can fight it off.”

You turned around to see Sam’s confused expression. “What?”

Dean suddenly called out, “Wait!”

Ruby scoffed. “You wanna die?”

“Sam, that’s not Ruby,” Dean realized. “It’s not Ruby!”

Suddenly, you were thrown back against the wall next to Sam, and Dean was thrown on top of a table, pinning him. 

“How long you been in her?” Dean asked, grunting uncomfortably.

“Not long,” Lilith cooed. “But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty.” 

“And where's Ruby?” Sam asked. 

Lilith’s head snapped toward the two of you. “She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away.” Her neck crunched with each tilting motion of her head. 

“Y’know, I should have seen it before, but you all look alike to me,” Dean remarked. 

Your heart pounded as Lilith walked toward Sam. “Hello, Sam. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time.” She grabbed hold of his chin, forcing him to kiss her, and you turned your head away uncomfortably. “Your lips are soft.”

“Right, so you have me. Let my brother go,” Sam tried. 

Lilith smirked. “Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't.” Her voice was sugary sweet.

“So, is this your big plan, huh? Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?” Dean growled. 

“I don’t have to answer to puppy chow,” Lilith smiled. 

Dean was clearly in pain trying to hold himself up on the table, and you wanted nothing more than to run to him. 

Lilith grabbed ahold of the door handle, smiling sickly at Dean. “Sic ‘em, boy.”

Your eyes widened, heart dropping as Dean was thrown off the table and to the ground by the invisible Hellhound. 

“No!” you screamed. “Stop it, you fucking bitch!”

“Dean!” Sam shouted, tears choking his screams. 

Dean struggled on the floor as his chest was tattered by the vicious creature’s claws. 

“Stop it, please! Dean!” you cried, struggling as hard as you could against Lilith’s power nailing you to the wall. 

Next, the hound got your partner’s back and shoulder, and Dean writhed around on the floor in pain, screaming. Blood gushed from his chest, and your heart broke to pieces. 

“Dean!” Your scream was blood curdling as Sam cried beside you. 

The hound stopped attacking, and you could see Dean was taking his shallow, final breaths. His screaming had stopped, but blood still poured from every deep gash. 

Lilith held her hand out toward you and Sam, and a bright, white light erupted from it. Sam turned over into you, shielding you with his body. You closed your eyes, curling into a ball on the floor beneath him. 

When you felt the light was gone, Sam got up and turned to Lilith, who looked genuinely afraid of him. 

“Back,” she begged, breathing shallowly. “I said, back!”

Sam picked up Ruby’s knife. “I don’t think so.” He moved to stab her, but Lilith decided to pour out of Ruby’s body in a cloud of smoke through an air vent. 

As soon as Lilith was gone, you rushed to Dean’s side. You pulled his head into your lap as you’d done many times before and stroked his hair with your hand. “Dee— oh, my god,” you cried. 

Sam bent down next to you, tears pouring down his cheeks. 

You sobbed and held Dean’s head against yours, murmuring, “Come back to me,” over and over again. 

Series Rewrite Taglist: @polireader @brightlilith @atcamillanorrman @jrizzelle @insomnia-bookworm @procrastination20 @mrs-liebgott @djs8891 @tiggytaylor @staple-your-mouth @jesstherebel @rach5ive @strawberrykiwisdogog @bruhidkjustwannaread @mxltifxnd0m @sunshine-on-marz @big-ol-boat @mgchaser @capncrankle @chervbs @simpingdeadcharacters @nesnejwritings @stillhere197 @tearsforhan @take-it-on-the-run @iloveyou2mia @maxinehufflepuffprincess @ohgeehowdigethere @seninjakitey @berarenado @s0urw00lf @princessleahorgana @quarterhorse19 @isla-finke-blog @silverdoragon @karacaroldanvers @gayandfairycore @examishbookwyrm @star-yawnznn @real-sharena-h @fandomloverrr @metalmonki @onlyangel-444 @yu-winchester @benniwiththefanni @daisychaingirl @immagods @missmieux @yoongi-holland @littledebbieinabigworld

[mrshapeandmrshifter]

What your favorite Echo character says about you

TJ Hess

You repeat this word everyday "Babyboy must protect, Babyboy must protect" your often protecting your babyboy and babying them even if they are a 25 adult who married and has a kid thier still is your babyboy

Carl Hendricks

You have close relationship with one of your homies you are chill together did a lot of things together and pretty talk about everything together if the two of you are single in your 30s just married each other

Leo Alvarez

You either believe that Leo did nothing wrong and deny every single red flags he has or you just think that red flags are fashionable or quirky you probably have gone on internet fights defending him and his actions mostly about him and Jenna

Jenna BeGay

You admire Girlbosses you support women rights but you especially support women wrongs you want to be dominated by someone stronger than you and probably shorter than you, also you go to internet fight defending her character and debate on who worse between Leo or Jenna

Chase Hunter

You love people who are totally useless, a absolute mess and a complete fuck up if they at least do the dishes it doesn't do it for you. You love the Chunter moment where just randomly insults people like Micha or Julian

Flynn Moore

You absolutely hate what the writers did to him in the end of TJ and his route you and ready to fight God himself to give Flynn a happy ending he deserves. Chances are you have a type for tsudere and you like a lot kinky fuck up shit in bed or you like fishing maybe both

Sydney Bronson

Your either the most straightest gay man ever or the gayest straight man ever either which you like manly things, have a grinder account and wish you could break a twink in half

[risetherivermoon]

because i have a lot of headcanons to do with the kiddads given they are npcs that we dont tend to get much information on, especially in season 2, heres a shit load more! a lot of these are sad because these guys make me sad

- Sparrow starts wearing glasses in Middle School a little after they get back from Faerun, Terry Jr. starts wearing glasses when he gets to his 30's, and Grant started wearing glasses when he was in Elementary school

- When Nicholas starts to remember stuff from the Nick timeline, (basically 'becoming' Nicky if you will) scars he'd gotten from stuff in that timeline start showing up on his body, notably one is a burn scar on one of his hands from him spilling acid on it in s1 ep 34

- Lark has very scarred hands from when he was buried in the rubble in Neverwinter, though his mobility stayed relatively the same because of how quickly the wounds were healed, there was a lot of left behind scar tissue

- Sparrow has a scar across his mouth from when he was latched onto Boreanaz by his teeth when the pyramid fell

- Grant takes video games way too seriously and has in fact made his friends cry over it (Most specifically Sparrow and TJ)

- Terry didn't tell any of the other kiddads how he was going to die, just that he knew how

- Terry also knew Grant was going to be the one to kill him, but he never mentioned it, Grant was very confused on why all of a sudden TJ was becoming distant

- And he found out how he was going to die before he met Veronica, so when he met Scary he almost debated not marrying Veronica, not because he thought it would prevent his death but because he wanted to spare Scary of that pain

- Lark is incredibly confused like half the time (with basically anything) and to cover it up he usually acts stoic and tough

- Nicky is the type of person to do anything if someone phrases it like "bet you wont do *insert thing here*" no matter what it is

- Sparrow has a ton of tattoos that Nicky did for him

- Lark is colorblind but hasn't told anyone because he's too embarrassed to admit it

- For Grant and Marco's one year anniversary the kiddads all got them Titanic themed gifts, (Nicky got them sixteen dvd copies of the movie, they dont own a dvd player)

- Terry was Nicky's best man at his wedding, and Nicky was going to be Terry's best man but the betrayal happened before Terry even met Veronica,

- to add onto the angst none of the kiddads attended the wedding because it was after code purple and after they'd decided not to be involved in eachother's personal lives outside of D.A.D.D.I.E.S.

- to make this at least a little funny Veronica just doesn't think Terry has any friends-

- On the topic of weddings, Lark got so drunk at Sparrow's wedding that for his best man speech he just started reciting the Declaration of Independence (he opened the wrong tab on his phone and didnt notice)

- Grant has claustrophobia (from being inside the chimera)

- Lark used to be way better at pretending to be Sparrow but now he lacks too much spirit and gives up way too quickly for it to be convincing to most people

- Terry Jr. is extremely gullible and is usually the one Nicky would prank and trick the most just because literally everything works on him

- Nicky activated the sprinkler system at D.A.D.D.I.E.S. so much they took it out

- Terry used to talk to Jerry the Whale like he was his therapist

- Nicky would take a bunch of polaroids of the other kiddads all the time, he kept a photo album at his desk at D.A.D.D.I.E.S., it still sits there because none of the kiddads had the heart to clean it out

- Terry had beef with Darryl for a while as a teenager, for literally no reason (it was probably because he still had a lot of emotions and didn't no where to put them so he decided to just hate on his friend's dad)

[fair-city-inquiries]

Roleplay Information

Randy here, hello!

Okay - this is also out of character but I figured this would be a neat way to introduce not just the roleplay but the character involved with it! So, let’s get right to it, shall we?

Wordgirl: What the Future Holds

Lore/Information

The blog technically is an alternate universe nicknamed “What the Future Holds”. In reality, it’s a post-canon universe set after the series finale ‘Rhyme and Reason’. The blog follows title lead, Becky Botsford, who is now in high school as a freshman. The timeline is exactly how it happened in the show, though there might be some differences! Not that it’s entirely necessary to know, to be honest.

This blog is specifically for Becky Botsford, not Wordgirl. What the Future Holds will be focusing on both her time in high school, as well as silly nonsense with headcanons mixed in!

Now, onto information about the character/muse, Becky Botsford!

Becky Botsford

Name: Rebecca Botsford

Nicknames: Becky/Becks (used by friends and/or family), Beckface (coined by Victoria Best), any variant of Becky - Becky Doodles, Beckaroni, etc - (all coined by members of the Botsford family), kid/kiddo (by Dr. Two Brains), dearie/dear/my dear (used by Granny May)

Age: 14 years old!

Birthday: [404.EROR], May 15 (presumed birthday by the Botsford’s)

Allies/Friends: Violet Heaslip, Todd “Scoops” Ming, Rose Franklin, Bob Botsford

Acquaintances: Theodore “Tobey” McAllister III, Victoria Best, Eileen

Enemies: [REDACTED]

Friendly Rivals: Theodore “Tobey” McAllister III

Family Members: [REDACTED], Adoptive - Sally Botsford (Mom), Tim Botsford (Dad), TJ Botsford (Younger Brother), Bob (“pet” monkey)

Backstory

Becky Botsford is the eldest child in the Botsford family. She was taken in and adopted by them when she’d still been a young girl after being found mysteriously in front of their house. An adept reader as she was somehow reading a newspaper while still being very little.

She grew up in Fair City which was rampant with super-villains, although most were stopped by super-heroine Wordgirl. Apparently Wordgirl and Becky have interacted before but of course - that’s as far as it goes. The audience knows otherwise. As a child, Becky attended Woodview Elementary School alongside her best friend, Violet Heaslip, and her first crush Todd “Scoops” Ming. Things were a bit trying with the supervillains in the city, but thankfully - Wordgirl managed to kick butt and send them to jail, and again and again every time they broke out.

Becky would eventually graduate from elementary and middle school. Now the school year has picked up again as she’s exploring her time as a freshman. She’s part of the Debate Team, as well as an honorary member of Book Club (though she also has her moments when she seems to have disappeared-).

Things of course, are about to get very interesting.

Headcanons & Additional Muse Information

⭐️ The Botsford’s are Afro-Latin Americans, much like Becky! Even if she is adopted - she is also Afro-Latina. She’s fluent in both English and Spanish, though who knows maybe she knows other languages~ ;))

⭐️ Becky is an avid reader. Canonically, she’s known for checking out ten books at once from the library! She has a soft spot for light romance-fantasy genres - though she also enjoys crime and mystery thrillers!

⭐️ Her fixation on PPMPPH never went away!

⭐️ Becky is autistic and ADHD, and you cannot convince me otherwise. This is canon now.

⭐️ She’s a bit nervous about juggling [REDACTED] and her high school classes but she’ll be fine. After all, she could handle it in the past… right?

⭐️ Becky and Violet’s friendship strengthened following “Rhyme and Reason”, but it also caused some unfortunate trauma, and that’s all you’re getting for now!

⭐️ She has freckles because I said so

More headcanons will be dropped soon!

If you’re a fellow roleplayer who wishes to interact with the blog, please please - let me know if you want to! 🙏

[ofsupernovcs]

Closed for @fragmcntedsouls

Of course Juri had to ask TJ of all people to deliver flowers. But of course TJ, with a mouth bigger than the state of louisana, fucked it up. Flowers up his ass- TJ really was straight. There were probably a lot more he could have said in that phone call- but dumbass mall cop was enough for today. He'll kick TJ's ass another time.

No he had to focus on Asher Simmons. Asher "hot and cold" Simmons. He swears one moment he says he moved on and the next he says he keeps his books. The witch just remembered healing him that day and leaving promptly. Because he just couldn't bring himself to talk. Hence the flowers because he thought he fucked up.

Juri tried again, this time with Asher's favorite candy, sitting at the doorway. He debated just dropping it at the doorstep and run but he couldn't-because deep down he still cared about Asher. More than TJ, Briggs, and anyone else knew. He knocked on the door bracing for the worse.

"It's me." He said, letting his voice indicate who he was.

[semper-legens]

46. In the Lives of Puppets, TJ Klune

Owned?: No, library Page count: 458 My summary: Victor always knew he was different. The son of an android, raised in the woods with no other humans for company, he grew up tinkering with electronics and rescuing other robots from the scrapyards. But when a new android crosses his path, and a whale-like ship descends from the heavens, Victor must brave the outside world to find his father and understand who he is. He can't be the only human left…can he? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Puppets! TJ Klune is an author who's been on my radar since I read The House in the Cerulean Sea, a cute bit of urban fantasy based around a foster home for magical children. I've been meaning to read more of his fiction, but never quite got around to it until this landed in my lap. In The Lives of Puppets is a take on the Pinnochio story, except a little bit more dystopic and set in a robot apocalypse. It's the kind of fairytale narrative I like - clearly inspired by the source material, but not necessarily a retelling or adaptation, using the base story of the source material to craft a new tale with similar themes. It was really interesting and, despite a few hiccups, an incredibly engaging story that I enjoyed immensely.

Victor is a good character. Broadly heroic, devoted to the people (well, robots) in his life, makes smart decisions but isn't perfect. I did have one quibble, which is how clumsily his asexuality was introduced - Klune is himself asexual, but the narrative really wanted you to know that Victor is too, basically doing the narrative equivalent of turning to camera and telling you directly. It's not bad, it's just a bit fumbling. Otherwise, though, he's an engaging protagonist. What I find interesting about him is that, ultimately, he just wants himself and his family to survive - this isn't a 'save the world' plot, this is a story of a boy who wants to keep those he loves together and safe, even if his mission does end in him helping the world at large as a byproduct. He's moral, but he's also uncompromising about his goal, just a kid who wants his dad back no matter what, and I liked that about him.

This is a really interesting take on the core Pinnochio story. There's a few obvious nods here and there - the robot Authority's logo is a cat and a wolf, the airship is called the Terrible Dogfish and looks like a whale, Victor is helped by the Blue Fairy, that sort of thing. But the core story is different. There is no personification of the idea of conscience (well, sort of - I'll get to it), Victor is the only human in a world of automatons rather than the other way around, and the story is less a curious/impetuous boy learning morality and more a coming of age narrative that's also a struggle for survival. One thing that interests me is that exactly who the Pinocchio figure is can be debated. Sure, there's Victor, grown in a lab by a paternalistic inventor, but there's also Hap, the android Victor fixes and gives a heart to who struggles to find his humanity against his background of being a literal killing machine. In the latter reading, Victor is the Jiminy Cricket figure, giving Hap a sense of morality and pulling him back into humanity - as well as providing a moral centre for the other robots, the sociopathic Nurse Ratched and the neurotic Rambo. It's a nice blend because the narrative doesn't give you a straight answer or a straightforward analogue; it's more interested in telling the story that it's here to tell, which I very much admire.

And the theme of humanity runs deep in this novel. All of the characters bar Victor are robots, but they're still very human. Gio, Victor's dad, began life designing machines to kill humans - HARPs, like Hap - but wound up creating a human life almost as a penance for what he had done. Hap was made to kill, but wants to be something more, something better, after seeing life with Victor and the others. Even Nurse Ratched, who seems to despise all living things albeit in an apathetic kind of way, loves Victor and wants him to be happy, and wants to protect him no matter what. There's some interesting symbolism going on with materials; Hap and Gio have both been repaired using wood, because that's the best Victor and Gio had on hand. Them being part-organic isn't brought up in terms of their morality - like humans, every robot has the ability to be moral, they just don't necessarily do it because of their biases. Even the less moral robots are still people! And it would be so easy to demonise even the murderous robots as inhuman, but no, they're the same as Victor, they're just made of wires and metal. Humanity is what you do, not what you are. A good moral for a Pinocchio story.

Next up…I have no excuses to make. It's more FNaF.

[paracosmicat]

12 for Andi Mack! 🏀

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Well you know minor character propaganda is not really needed in this very much still alive fandom, but my answer will stay Kira.

You, ninadove, are only on Mt Rushmore or Less so I will refrain from spoilers but everything that happened with her character was seemingly a meaningless method of adding conflict right at the end and I could have really done without it.

More than anything, I want to know how much Disney had control over her writing. I understand that Disney is known for sniping queer content, but I get the sense that with the final season she could have fought harder to bring it out of subtext and that would have made awkward things like the “so you’d rather do a costume with Cyrus than with me?” seem a lot less…up for debate.

I mean, everyone used homophobia as a reason to literally wish death upon her character and sling horrible insults at her, but I hardly picked up on that double meaning and I strongly doubt the kids did either—even though the LACK OF ANGER AT TJ seemed to imply this.

Kira is super strong and confident and she held a big fat mirror in Buffy’s face to show her how to grow, so we can assume she is capable of embodying all of Buffy’s wonderful traits as well. We’ve seen Amber and TJ both go through entire character arcs and it’s natural to assume given enough time and love she could have become just as beloved as those two.

There was a time when her name was literally dirt on the fandom and I just beg I beg anyone who hasn’t let this go to blame the odd writing choices instead!

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 44 Review

Originally posted April 22nd, 2016

Indulgence abounds.

In my review of “Cell Service,” I mentioned that Cell got most of the best jokes in that episode. That’s certainly true, but it’s also a bit of an understatement; Cell was the funniest and most entertaining character in “Cell Service,” and “Cell Reception” takes his character a step further, still relying on him for the best jokes in the episode while expanding the appeal of his charismatic psychosis.

We get to watch as Cell devours a group of fifties-inspired football players, debates with an imaginary virgin city about his plans to devour her, and tears through that city as his destruction is paralleled by the obnoxious samples and sound effects of the local radio hosts, TJ and The Wombat.1

In each of these scenes, Takahata101 brings an infectious energy to Cell that strikes the perfect balance between disgusting and awe-inspiring, while also arguably keeping him grounded; sure, Cell is on a sociopathic quest for perfection, but he’s also petty and emotional, literally getting into a shouting match with a car horn because he doesn’t want to move out of the way of a bus driver. When combined with Cell’s friendly antagonism towards Piccolo in “Cell Service,” he becomes a genuinely affable character who, sure, indulges in petty violence and disregard for others, but is just choosing to fully indulge in his worst tendencies because, let’s face it, they’re fun to indulge in.

Like the spoiled megalomania of Freeza or the compensating egoism of Vegeta, Cell represents our worst qualities without misrepresenting how enjoyable they are to indulge in, and in this way, Team Four Star channels the spirit of Martin Scorsese, letting us indulge in our worst tendencies without shying away from how ugly they can truly be.

The theme of indulgence carries over to the rest of the scenes too: Vegeta yells at Trunks that he “is the hype” after Trunks attempts to challenge his ego, Tien willingly goads Vegeta’s anger despite his tendencies for violent outburst, and Trunks and Krillin make their own sound effects as they shoot lasers (the only innocent pleasure reveled in during this episode).

Even an unconscious Goku indulges himself in a dream sequence that places him as the protagonist in an imagined One Piece Abridged and Naruto Abridged series, which is both a clever jab at obnoxious fans who’ve demanded Team Four Star abridge those other incredibly popular anime, and a sly condemnation of Goku, who chooses to enjoy this dream despite the pleading of Piccolo Zoro2 to wake up and help them in the battle against the Androids.

The scene still revels in the fun of the dream sequence though, and the only scene that actually questions this indulgence is when Trunks brings up the morality of killing a fetal version of Cell. This question is quickly diffused by Krillin, who dismisses the idea that Cell’s potential rights are worth considering, simply because it means he’ll finally get to kill a legitimate threat.

This is probably still morally the best decision, which Krillin points out in his justification to Trunks, but it ultimately comes down to Krillin’s desire to actually exert some power. And really, given everything Krillin’s had to go through over the course of this series, I can’t blame him for that in the slightest.

Rating: 5/5

If you enjoyed this review, consider supporting me on Patreon.

Stray Observations

1I want to say that Cell’s musical motif is expanded when he calls for them to play “Video Killed the Radio Star,” too, but it seems to me that it was selected solely for the irony of Cell killing radio hosts while it plays, as there’s very little thematic relation between the song’s message and Cell’s character.

2This is itself a clever joke too, referencing the shared voice actor the dubs of One Piece and Dragonball Z had in Christopher Sabat, who played both Piccolo and Zoro. What? I know some things about original anime. By osmosis… Okay, I only know this because I overheard a friend mention it once, but still!

Cell: “So, South City is to the North, North City is to the West, and East City is… also to the North.”

Bus Driver: “I am now going to start applying the horn. I am now going to use it again. I will now continue to use the horn until you politely move!”

Tien: “What are you going to become, a mega-Saiyan? Ultra-Saiyan? Maximum Over-Saiyan!”

Krillin: “I’m dropping the pretense; we’re aborting Cell.”

[coreyjensen]

Starter For: @charmainewilder Location: The Backyard Bus

It was a shame Paxton and the surrounding area were a little thin on night life, because if Corey ended up spending another night hanging out at The Glass Catcus when they weren't working, they were going to get a reputation as a loser. One of the bartenders had warned Corey it was probably a bad idea to keep taking home people who knew where you worked, and he probably wasn't wrong, especially after one girl's boyfriend had swung by to confront them.

The truth was that it didn't matter where Corey went. They simply couldn't stand to be at home. They couldn't stand to look at the now remodelled room that used to house their mother's hospital bed and machines, or to watch Lakers games on the couch without thinking of the times Andie had been cuddled up next to them, asking them to explain the rules every five minutes. The only thing that waited for Corey at home was a one-eyed, orange cat who was probably just as happy curled up on his bed by the radiator as he was in Corey's lap.

TJ was supposed to be meeting them tonight, but something had come up at the shop that needed their attention, which left Corey assessing the area and pondering whether to try and find someone to keep them company, or to just go home. They were still having the internel debate with themselves when the clearly drunken and beligerant patron caught both their eye and their ear. Shit, men could be so exhausting.

"Aw, c'mon, sugar. Just one drink. What've you got to lose?"

The conversation like this seemed to have been going on at least a couple minutes, which was a couple minutes longer than was needed for the woman to express her lack of interest. Corey probably should've let the woman handle herself. She seemed to be doing fine, but they almost couldn't help sticking their nose in. If nothing else, it'd be fun to see what happened. Hopefully it just didn't result in Corey spending the night in the drunk tank again.

"Hey, sweetie. Sorry I'm late. My boxing class ran long." They slid into her side, acting as if they hadn't even noticed the conversation they were interrupting. Straight guys hated that, which only made Corey enjoy it more. "Oh. Didn't realize you were there. Can I help you?"

The man clearly considered pushing his luck, but it seemed as if his friends were calling him over to play jenga anyway. Corey was sure that would go great.

"Nah, I'm good. See you around."

"S'what I thought," Corey snickered, not caring if he was out of earshot or not. They turned their attention to the lady again. "Would you rather I buy you that drink?"

[krillest1]

Week 4: Suburban Pastoralism

PREFACE Hello all my dedicated readers. Speaking vaguely, this week has been strange. I was pretty well isolated for the first half, and spent the second half working and being around people. Too much time alone is undoubtedly a bad thing. Still, I find myself shirking more and more. I feel less and less certain around people, and more and more like I'm using them to make myself feel smarter. I am not smart, however, so the interaction inevitably falls apart. Anyway. I had the dubious pleasure of watching the vice-presidential debate this week. I also had the undubious pleasure of starting the New Testament. So, what can I get from smashing these things together?

THE DEBATE I was impressed by the debate this week. I haven't been keeping up with the "conversation" around it, but I found both men pretty convincing, calm, and interesting. Sure, JD Vance might be hiding some pretty gross shit behind his cute blue eyes, but performance-wise the whole thing was enjoyable. There were several points throughout where both parties agreed, and there was a semi-legit back and forth. One point that was quite interesting to me was both sides insisting that we need to build more housing, quickly and cheaply. While I agree that housing needs to be available, I'm a bit skeptical that the current mode is sustainable [I'm disregarding the less-interesting stuff here i.e. immigrants driving up prices and building on federal land]. During the debate Walz had a nice point about living in the same house his whole life, and going back there 'after Christmas mass.' Kind of cheesy, but I get the sentiment. I, however, grew up in the burbs. The burbs, unlike the city, are disparate. There's no 'center' really, though the [absent] city gets close. The idea of a house, or community, gets a bit complicated in the burbs. We, as good and well-read people, know that third places have disappeared. Some of us, as sickos with too much time on their hands, have read NRx etc. explanations of housing and flight [see: Nick Land's 'Dark Enlightenment', racially upsetting but interesting when it comes to things like doughnut housing]. I don't know what percent of new housing in the country is suburban, (I could just google it, but then I might be wrong...) but to move to a place without center is strange, in some ways. To return to the (first) point, the debate focused on housing as a problem (legit), and promoted more construction, without looking at the form our housing/infrastructure takes. America is unique; I'm open to that, and recognize that what works in one place might not work here. Still, how did we get here (and how can I shoe-horn in the bible?)?

THE PASTURE The New Testament is riddled with Pastoral imagery. A shit-ton of the parables focus on cultivation/herding/not 'pure' nature. The lost sheep is a popular one, lots of vineyard talk, people spend a lot of time laboring in fields. Even the lilies of the field, toiling not, feel like they're cultivated or encountered during grazing. They're certainly placed in the context of working (or not working, lazy bastards). The Christian approach, in short, is a pastoral one. We are cultivated, the world is cultivated. Nature is scary, but Christ can quell it and let us traverse it safely. I don't think I'd like to say that Christianity only works in a pastoral setting or whatever, but the language is steeped in it. TJ (known to non-friends as Thomas Jefferson) was also a big fan of pastoral, or at least rural living. He, famously, added a pretty good amount of land to America so we would remain cultivators, and not get caught up in business. America has moved away from that vision (in a lot of ways), but remains Christian and taken by rural/pastoral narratives. People LARP as trad-wife-based-conservative-home-makers, or something. At this point, I should say: I'm really glad I don't have to live and work like this. It's hard and shitty and lame. I do, however, live in the suburbs and I think we can draw a through-line here. Suburbs were (I think) originally places outside of the city set apart for cultivation/grazing/etc. The Levites got the suburbs, or an undue portion, or something, in the old testament. In some ways, the modern suburb is no different. The Christianity-circuit remains strong out here, and the language of cultivation is still somewhat present. People spend less time growing olives, and more time tending to a lawn. No sheep, lots of dogs. You get the (boring, I'm worried) point. The modern suburb keeps the pastoral dream alive, in some ways. In other ways it's a failure. As mentioned above, there's no center. The city has become too yucky [To de-fang Land]. The suburbanite today is, in some ways, more nomadic than those early Christians. They, at least, had some city center they could live in reference towards, and some church body they helped constitute. Now we go to mega churches and avoid the city, cast into the centerless suburb to cultivate ourselves and an image.

DRAWING TO A CLOSE Don't worry, I'm basically done. Both vice-presidential candidates claim to be Christian, and both adopt a policy towards housing that's rooted in the tradition. Still, things have changed materially, and de-centered. On a more personal note, I'm doing alright. I've been working on less self-hatred, as that sets on in a definite (deficient) place, which is ego. It's also not interesting, and I'm basically living for gratitude in knowing and not knowing. Still, I often act like I'm smart when I am not, and I'm not sure how to relate to people when I'm not trying to be interesting/smart. I had a nice chat with someone recently, and they forced me to re-consider my approach in some ways. I'm grateful for that, but it's hard. I also want to quit my job. This week was, like the others, scattered. I kind of just sit down and write these, so I'm thinking some changes are due. First, I'd like to sketch out some argument/direction I'm moving towards. Second, I'd like to get a bit more relief when I write these things (as they are ignored, so I'd like to feel good afterwards), and Third, I'd like to remain not-caring about this project. Love ya, keep up the good work, and vote I guess maybe.

[crowroboros]

!!! Opinions on: chase.

There is a very solid chance that Chase is my favorite character not just in Echo VN, but in any Echo Project work. He might just be. I just think that he is such a boyfailure in all the best ways. He's such a sopping wet man and he captivates me. I've written and rewritten this so many times because it is so hard for me to even explain why (it's also 3am at the time of me writing this. I'll put it in queue when I'm done)

I think back to how characters in-universe (Chase included) say that he's dull or lacks personality, and I've seen people in the fanbase say that too. And I don't know if I agree with that. Though I do think that his personality is subdued thanks to the presence of the Samulation. He's kind of awkward, easy going, a bit of a pushover, and somewhat friendly. He really is a normal guy. His communication skills are non-existent, especially when he was younger, but he does grow over the course of the VN in most routes. And he seems at least somewhat introspective. A lot of his inner monologue is him reflecting on and being ashamed of his past actions.

Let's talk about those actions. Sydney oh boy oh god. I think a lot of people focus on Chase drowning Sydney but don't look at their relationship leading up to that. It's fucking sad all around. Sydney is said to have considered Chase a close friend, which really just....ow, you know? From all the interactions between Chase and Sydney we see in flashbacks, and from Chase's own words toward the end of Flynn's route, I really don't think Chase liked Sydney but I also don't think he hated him either. I see Chase's thoughts about Sydney and I see a kid going way too far with his efforts trying to protect a friend.

Chase said himself that he was a fucking asshole as a child and I believe him fully. He spread around the rumor that Sydney killed his father, manipulated Carl's fear of ghosts to get what he wants, drowned Sydney, etc. But in the ~12 years since Sydney died he really has grown as a person and I think that's part of what makes Chase so captivating to me and why I like him so much. He did several fucked up things. He was a dick when he was younger and in his teenage years. And to see him during the events of the main game, it's kind of remarkable. Even with that change though, he says himself that he fully believes that Sydney was a danger to TJ and to others and that he's glad he's dead. Yet he still feels a lot of guilt for killing him and has repressed those memories enough to where it is debatable that he even remembers that he did it in the routes where it isn't directly brought up. I find his complexity so intriguing especially when layered with the fact that ever since Sydney died, Chase has been possessed and influenced by the Samulation.

This is hard to write haha. Chase has so much going on that it's just so difficult to get my thoughts in working order to talk about him. Uh to put it simply: I'm a massive Chase fan. I really like this otter. He's so interesting in every way, from his thought-process, to this past, to the little tendencies he has. Fucking love this guy. Maybe I'll make a series of posts talking about different aspects of Chase from his relationships with other characters, to the things he does and the decisions he makes cause there is just SO MUCH to talk about with this otter.

[justatumblinweed]

[Video ID: A TikTok from user @loewhaley depicting a conversation between coworkers about work hours. The video is titled "The coworker who doesn't respect boundaries." This title remains in the center of the shot, highlighted by a blocky white background, and the word "boundaries" is surrounded by sparkle emoji. Below this are the video's captions, in a font about half the size.

The video opens with a shot of the disrespectful coworker, facing left toward a MacBook with a cover in a misty forest pattern. She is light-skinned and slim-built, wearing a dark blue buttoned suit, a pair of grey-rimmed glasses, several gold earrings, and her straight, dark blonde hair in a bun. She speaks in a clipped, businesslike manner, sits stiffly the entire video, and any questions she asks sound more like statements.

(As a note, she is not named in the video, but for the transcript I'll call her Blue Suit, or BS.)

- BS: (sternly) why have you been signing off at 5pm everyday?

The shot cuts over to the same person facing right. She is looking at the same MacBook, has the same piercings, hairstyle, and makeup, and even appears to be at the same table in the same room, but she wears a different outfit and conducts herself differently to show that she is playing a different character. She is wearing a light tan (perhaps nude) leather jacket with a white shirt underneath, and her glasses are pushed up on top of her head. Whether due to lighting or dye, her hair appears to be a dark brown.

Unlike BS, who keeps a straight poker face that comes across as cold, this character is smiling and speaks in a friendlier, but still professional tone. She gestures freely throughout the video.

(Again, this character is not named, so I will refer to her as Tan Jacket, or TJ.)

- TJ: (mildly confused) pardon me?

The camera cuts over again, and continues to do so each time either character responds to the other.

- BS: you stop working at 5 everyday, I can see your status change

- TJ: (confident, but polite) because my workday ends at 5

- BS: no one else signs off so early, I work until 9pm most days

- TJ: Is there a concern with my work hours? did you wanna shift my hours to starts and end a little later?

- BS: I just think being willing to only work 8 hours a day says a lot about your commitment to this company

- TJ: (says nothing, but makes a skeptical face that is translated via asterisks) *wtf in corporate*

- BS: signing off at 5 will have long term consequences, especially when it comes to promotion

- TJ: (starts using the trackpad on the MacBook) do you mind if I start recording this call?

- BS: (slightly alarmed) why would you do that?

- TJ: I want to ensure that there is no confusion on my end when discussing the consequences of me working within my hours (she finishes her sentence with a nod)

- BS: (says nothing, hardening her expression and tightening her jaw, which again is translated via asterisks) *pissed in corporate*

- TJ: (fiddles with the trackpad some more) or would you prefer to send an email outlining the consequences? so I have them on hand for future reference (nods again)

- BS: (says nothing, growing as visibly aggravated as possible while still in the realm of "professional")

- TJ: (smiles, raising her eyebrows in a vaguely challenging way, and grabs a mug from just off camera. The mug is white with the letters "UNT" in large black typeface across it. Together with the curved blank handle, which is about the same height as the lettering, the mug is clearly intended to spell the word "CUNT" towards whoever is facing the drinker, which in this case is BS)

- BS: (back to her usual cold demeanor) no that won't be necessary

- TJ: (smiles widely, knowing she's won the debate, and moves to close the video call) I didn't think so, Toodaloo! (toasts BS with the CUNT mug and clicks out)

The TikTok jingle plays, and the video ends.

/End description.]

[plungelo]

it is day 6 in philly, but the fifth full day. my adjustment has been very pleasant but it has yet to set in that i'm gonna be here in this apartment for another twelve months. when that sets in i hope it's a good feeling and i think it will be.

the first few days were very productive and standard for the earlytimes of a new move: unboxing, refurnituring, and touristing. i spent quality time with ellie and their parents, who i had only met a day before. we got some delicious kbbq and then went to the rocky stairs, where the clouds were going crazy.

ellie and i were both ready to be on our own by the time their parents left, and so we celebrated by watching peppermint candy over at the philly film center. it was beautiful and sad and difficult and good.

i memorized the wifi password despite its auto-generatedness. i've been applying to jobs but every time i do i feel like i'm dropping a day's worth of cover letter/resume work into a black void that will never email me back. plus the captain at the trader joe's that i intended to transfer to was not in and "won't be in for a while" according to the manager i talked to. i talked to the person scanning my groceries and when i asked whether they liked it here they hesitated and said "yeah it's, good." so maybe i should check out the one on arch street instead or just go full throttle with non-TJ's applications.

my room on day one was a mess and it still basically looks like this. i need a desk but now that there's no car i'm debating just chilling without one. our landlord has said nothing about our broken washer since informing us that it was broken on our move in day, so i still have no clean sheets to put on my bed.

yesterday ellie and i explored south street and went to the magic gardens. it was very beautiful and very cool to walk through. i was a bit tired throughout so i got a dirty chai after and ellie and i watched the barista and some guy get into a fight and then went to a cool bookstore. i had the below-pictured spirally, eye-like bit from the magic gardens in my mind the entire rest of the day.

we watched aftersun and connected with ryan the last couple days. a big thing on our minds is safety and making sure we're walking in the right areas of town when we go to and from the house. boston was extremely safe so this is, though dangerously real, an exciting new element of life to get accustomed to. and today we waited for a man who never arrived to look at our gas meter because it's in the basement that we don't have access to.

now all i'm waiting for is some tea that i ordered and an original nintendo DS i got off facebook marketplace. getting it in a legit retro games shop has been a bit of a white whale for me so i just sucked it up and bought it online, but i'm really excited to have a new system with a backlight(!!!) to play all my gameboy games on. plus i beat link's awakening today too so i'm ready to delve into the 2D zeldas from the DS era.

overall it feels really good to be on my own away from what i'm used to. there's always something to do and i'm usually getting it done because i'm unemployed, which is very good for me at the moment. tomorrow i'm seeing didi and probably la haine, yay!

[packernet]

New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2024/06/27/5-dreadful-picks/

5 Dreadful picks

In the darkness of the offseason, with training camp almost a month away, let’s take a nightmare walk down memory lane. This is my take on the Packers worst 1st round draft picks since 1980. It’s good fodder for debate, and many fans might offer many counter arguments.

My criteria: • Was the player a true bust, or just not great? • How many good or great players did the Packers pass on to take him? • Did his selection set the franchise back long-term?

Many players were just ok or drafted so late in the 1st it’s hard to judge. Others were victims of great players drafted around them. Others were simply busts.

5- DE Vonnie Holliday 1998

Drafted 19th overall in 1998, Vonnie Holliday was not a bust. In fact, he had a respectable 15-year NFL career. He was a decent starting defensive end in Green Bay but was never great. Two picks later the Minnesota Vikings selected Randy Moss. A few picks after that, Pittsburgh drafted Alan Faneca. It’s not often that 2-Hall of Famers go so late in the 1st round.

The next season Ron Wolf drafted 3-defensive backs mainly to deal with Moss. More importantly, is there any doubt Green Bay would have won another Super Bowl with Brett Favre and Randy Moss in his prime?

4-DT Justin Harrell 2007

The 16th overall pick in 2007, Harrell was Ted Thompson’s worst top pick ever. Harrell brought a special combination of being injury prone and not very good. Darrelle Revis and Greg Olson went later in the 1st.

3-DE Jamal Reynolds 2001

Reynolds was too small and lacked talent. Somehow, then GM Mike Sherman thought Reynolds was worthy of the 10th overall pick. Reynolds is the definition of bust. Additionally, the Packers passed on Reggie Wayne and Steve Hutchinson who went on to be Hall of Famers, as well as Deuce McCallister and Ryan Pickett. To find a worse Packer drafter than Mike Sherman, you’d have to go all the way back to Bart Starr.

2-OT Tony Mandarich 1989

ORG XMIT: MPID5441969 Tony Mandarich, Historical, 9/8/91

Many would rank Mandarich the worst ever Packer draft pick. Not me. The hype machine around Mandarich was made “bigger than life” by a pre-draft SI cover story. Taken 2nd overall in 1989, some experts thought he should have gone first, ahead of Troy Aikman. Were the experts ever more wrong? At the time, those experts said the athletic freak was a generational left tackle. It turns out his hype was built on steroids. It’s bad when you’re a bust, which he was. It’s so much worse when Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders and Steve Atwater are taken after you. Still, I can’t blame the Packers for taking the guy pretty much every NFL team would have taken.

1-QB Rich Campbell 1981

Back when coaches spoke a more freely, offensive coordinator Bob Schnelker said Campbell didn’t have an NFL arm during his rookie camp. Campbell quickly proved him correct. The Campbell pick sealed the Packers into QB purgatory through most of the 1980’s.

According to Packer’s historian Cliff Christl, player personnel director Dick Corrick pleaded with then GM Bart Starr, to take Ronnie Lott.  Would the 49ers 80’s success and the Packers perennial losing have flipped had the Packers taken Lott? We’ll never know.

Honorable mention, taking Alphonso Carreker over Boomer Esiason and Keith Millard in 1984, taking Brent Fulwood ahead of Jerome Brown and Rod Woodson in 1987, taking Kevin King (albeit in the 2nd round) over TJ Watt or Ryan Ramczyk in 2017.

Next up the 5 greatest Packer #1 draft picks since 1980.

[avictimofthejazz]

We were outvoted. (Luca to Street)

@iloveitxwhenaplanxcomestogether

“I know.” Street grumbles, sinking down in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “I was positive volunteering to clean the weapon’s locker and the War Wagon would be enough to convince Harrelson to excuse me from this charity event.” Street, generally, is a big fan of charity in its various forms. He always gives money to good causes, and enjoys working on Hondo’s Christmas party for the kids at the hospital. He supports various police charities, even partaking in the Police Olympics when he gets a chance. The only kind of charity event he really cannot abide are the charity galas. A bunch of rich people paying fortunes per ticket just so they can swan around, and pretend they made some difference in the world irks him badly. Sure, the money goes to a good cause—the one in question helps support the wives and families of killed and disabled officers—but he still hates attending these events. Hondo usually has to go because he is the head of not only Olympic Swat, but a central figure in the entire program. Having him in attendance gives the Chief someone to point at when people ask him what SWAT actually does, and if it is worth funding. Harrelson usually needs someone to go with him—another officer to help field questions. Traditionally Deke goes, but this year he claimed his in-laws are in town, and his wife expects him home at reasonable hours. TJ made some excuses involving Susan, and the on-again-off-again wedding, that they are apparently still planning in between breaks. That leaves Dom and Street. Before they can start trying to volunteer the other one as the proverbial sacrificial lamb, Hondo takes the debate out of their hands by announcing that they are both going with him. No amount of pleading, bargaining, and volunteering for extra cleaning duties appears to be moving the Lieutenant this time.

Street shifts a bit lower in his seat, a remarkable feat considering that he is well over six feet tall and a good bit of it is in his legs. Somehow, he finds a place to put them. “I guess our only hope is to both get appendicitis and end up in the hospital. Of course, that would be tricky for me since I had to get mine out when I was in high school…” Biting down on his lower lip, he frowned as he thought. “Do you think the Lieutenant will accept food poisoning as an excuse not to go? Or would he require proof I was actually sick?”