#and they sure as hell didn’t use either of their good actors on the love interests

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

Nobody Likes A Secret - Max Verstappen

<word count - 1293>

The obsession with him was unhealthy to the point where it was having physical side effects on you. But, it wasn’t the obsession that you used to have over him, no. This was something darker, something vitriol filled. Something hellish. 

This kind of obsession was hating him with every fibre of your being to the point where you felt sick with rage every time you thought about him - which was more often than not. Today, however, it was made millions of times worse. 

A headline had popped up on your phone while you were eating breakfast titled: ‘Max Verstappen - The Everything Interview’. To say your curiosity was peaked was an understatement. You put your phone down to avoid reading it, but your hand was itching to pick it back up. 

After a few minutes, you relented and opened the article. Conveniently, every paragraph was headlined with the question, then Max’s response underneath. some were short answers, some took a few paragraphs for him to answer.

Your eyes skimmed over the more menial questions about racing before the column descended into the more personal queries. Your heart dropped in your chest and you could’ve sworn your heart stopped beating when you read one of the ones near the bottom of the article. 

‘So, Max, your relationships have always been something that have been marvelled at by the public for one reason or another. But, the one that people have always been interested in is you and Y/N Y/L/N. What happened there?’ 

You took a moment to compose yourself, questioning whether reading on was a good idea or not. You allowed your eyes to gloss over the words, hoping that not reading it properly would take away the inevitable sting of what his words would entail. 

But this was a bite that would sink deep into your flesh and draw blood. Each syllable you read was like a dagger to your heart, and you couldn’t tell whether the flush you were feeling was embarrassment or pure, unbridled rage. 

‘Well you know, it wasn’t a… real relationship. We dated for fun, that’s what she was’.

Dated for fun. Fun. 

You would’ve rathered that he had slapped you in the face as hard as he could than read those words. He made it sound like you knew that that was his outlook on his relationship, but you sure as hell didn’t.

He had never expressed that to you ever, and he certainly hadn’t made it out to be fun when he told you he loved you and that you were the only one for him. He was either an absolutely fabulous actor when he was with you, or he was lying through his teeth right now.  

But there was no reason to lie. If he had said that it just didn’t work out between the two of you, then no one would have batted an eyelid and it would have been normal. Of course, Max had to do the typical Max thing and blow it way out of proportion.

The paragraph went on, and you refused to read it properly. It was weird, to say the least. Every fear and tiny insecurity was being vocalised by Max’s words. Those tiny moments of doubt that you had felt during your relationship were being brought to life and it was tearing you apart. 

He had even told you that you were being silly whenever you brought it up to him, that your relationship was so much more than just intimacy and pleasure. Yet, here he was. The gist of the article was how ‘I never loved her, I was only in it for the sex’.

Only in it for the sex? Seriously? If it was just about the sex, there were hundreds if not thousands of other women who would’ve quite happily taken on the role of the fuck buddy that he apparently thought you were. 

If it was just about the sex then he wouldn’t have worshipped the ground you walked on and treated you like you were the light of his life.You wouldn’t have felt like the princess in the castle that he had built, brick-by-brick for you. 

If it was just about the sex, he wouldn’t have gotten down on one knee and asked you to marry him. But, no one else knew about that, and it was obviously a detail that needed to be omitted for his story to make sense. 

And it would make him look like less of a complete douche. You hadn’t announced it, and you hadn’t gotten chance to with how quickly he had called it quits. It wasn’t even like there was a build up, or a small deterioration over time. 

It was a completely random, seemingly spur of the moment thing. One morning, you woke up and he was in the kitchen. He sat you down and talked you through why being together was perhaps not the best idea. You stopped listening after the first few sentences. 

And, that was that. You handed the ring back and promptly moved out the following week. That was the end of you and Max. It was clean and simple, but mentally destroying. You fell asleep a fiance, and essentially woke up as a single woman. 

At this point, you really didn’t get how he could just say that and be proud of it. You both knew he was in deeper than that, so why the hell did he lie? What was the point in lying? It made you both sound sleazy, so what was the point?

All you could possibly think of was that it was straight denial. If he said he didn’t love you and he never had, maybe he’d believe it after all. Maybe he’d make himself believe something that wasn’t true. He could gaslight his way into a veracity that didn’t hurt as much as the one as he was currently facing. 

Nobody likes a damn liar, that’s for sure. How he’d kept a straight face while he’d said it was beyond you. Well, you hadn’t seen the interview, you’d read the transcripts, but there was nothing on social media about him appearing to be lying, so you assumed he had said it as nonchalantly as possible. 

You had always been able to sniff out a lie from Max from miles away, but your senses weren’t as fine tuned as they used to be. 

At the end of the day, it had almost been a year now. A year since he had broken your heart, and now a year since you had started to come to terms with it all. But even after all that, it was apparently just about the sex. 

Now your mind was in limbo. You had always been his, you had been fiercely loyal while you were together. You had always been his. But now you didn’t know what for. For vehement love or just a reliever of his pent up stresses. Or something in between. 

You didn’t know, and it was as if all of your fears and insecurities had been brought up to the surface with an acrimonious bite. It was like he wanted to hurt you. And maybe he had, just as a way for him to make you hurt like he was. 

The pain he was hiding under the surface, kept as a secret. A nugget of information that tore him apart, piece by piece until he laid it bare in front of him. Then they’d see the pain and the anguish, the hurt and the cracks, the lies and the deceit. 

Nobody likes a secret, and it was your damn mission to make sure Max Verstappen’s were aired out like dirty laundry on a summer’s day. 

A/N - I've missed this, truly. And next week? Silverstone mfs! I can't bloody wait for a weekend out with my gal @lipringlrh

|masterlist|five seconds flat|

[inkwingart]

Nor god nor man can make me believe Cyrus loves Alice as much as Will loves Alice

So we must be fair and admit that we're having more fun with Anastasia this time around with ouatiw. She's fun when they let her make actual expressions!

Cyrus still boring.

[alwaysmicado]

It's always been you

3.3k words | NSFW 18+ | Dieter Bravo x f!reader

Warnings: angst, age gap (unspecified), swearing, brief mention of p in v sex, brief mention of disordered eating and suicide, mention of black eye, toxic relationship, drug use, reader's coping mechanisms are unhealthy Summary: After a year of dating Dieter Bravo, you are forced to face reality. All good things must come to an end, right? A/N: Nothing is more painful than realizing the person you love is not good for you.

Enjoy the hurt and let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you! 🖤

“Baby, please just listen to me,” Dieter implores. You huff and shake your head, avoiding his pleading eyes. “It didn’t mean anything. It really didn’t, okay? I- I don’t want her,” you can hear the desperation in his voice. He’s a good actor, you gotta give him that.

“Baby?” He takes a step towards you but knows better than to touch you right know. Even if that’s all he wants to do. Wrapping his strong arms around you, feeling your heartbeat against his chest, inhaling your scent. He says your name softly, his voice laden with anguish. You turn your head a little and your eyes find his. Dieter’s beautiful brown eyes. The eyes you've been losing yourself in for the past year.

“Please just tell me what I can do to fix this and I’ll do it. Anything. Please,” he takes another step towards you and whispers, “I can’t lose you.” Arrogant asshole. The illusion is gone.

You furrow your brow and tilt your head, studying the man in front of you. Dressed in his favorite pair of gray sweatpants, a loose white shirt that accentuates his tan skin, perfectly disheveled hair just screaming to be played with, sad puppy eyes. He looks like always - irritatingly handsome.

Something's off though. His body language, usually relaxed and confident, is teeming with insecurity. You smirk at that thought. Dieter Bravo, enigmatic celebrity and notorious playboy, insecure because of you. What a joke.

“You really think I'm fucking stupid, don't you?” Your voice is steady, every word filled with venom. “Just some silly girl you can use to get your dick wet and feed your ego.” He winces at that. Good. “I know you're used to people bending over backwards for you, blowing smoke up your ass and never saying no to you. But guess what, they don't give a shit about you.” Your face is heating up and you can feel your restraint slipping.

“I'm sure she made you feel really good, Dieter. Like a real star.” You snort sardonically and smirk, “Did you give her the same speech you gave me when we met? How you're this misunderstood guy just trying to get by and find real love?” You look around, shrugging your shoulders mockingly. “Either you're losing your charm or she's just a lot smarter than I am. Would've made everything so much easier if I'd left that first night, too, huh?” 

Dieter huffs, averting his gaze and rubbing the nape of his neck. Your eyes follow the motion of his ringed hand, now clearly seeing the fresh hickey adorning his neck. Mother. Fucker. What the actual fuck is wrong with this man? And what the hell is wrong with you for putting up with his shit for so long? Seriously.

You’re actually very well aware of what's wrong with you, but that doesn’t really help you. Never has, if you’re being honest with yourself.

The hurt inside you becomes unbearable. Your lips start to tremble and you bite back a sob. You’re surprised at the feeling of wet tears running down your hot cheeks. What’s happening with you? You never cry in front of other people - especially not Dieter.

He hates it. Seeing you cry hurts him more than anything you could ever say to him. Unable to see you like this, he starts pacing around the living room, feverishly running his hands through his hair.

“Don’t you dare look away,” you spit out, making him turn around with an exasperated sigh, lifting his gaze to meet yours slowly. He cringes at what he sees in your wet eyes. The harm he's done. The spark in your eyes he loves so much, gone. 

“You ripped my fucking heart out, Dieter,” you sob, tears streaming down your neck. You press both of your hands over your racing heart and claw at your shirt, nails digging into your flesh so hard it hurts.

Dieter reaches out to you, eyes wide, “Baby, I know I fucked up. I'm so-” “Fuck. You,” you shout at him, startling the both of you alike. You've never raised your voice at Dieter, no matter what bullshit he put you through. But you can’t take it anymore. Fuck always being the bigger person. Not like it ever got you anything. 

And did he really just try and say he's fucking sorry?

“You ripped my beating heart out with your bare hands, felt my bleeding flesh in your palms and now you seriously have the fucking audacity to tell me it didn’t mean anything? That you're sorry?” You laugh mirthlessly and wipe your wet cheeks. Dieter swallows hard, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He has no response. 

Your head hurts and you feel weak despite the adrenaline coursing through your veins. Crying is exhausting. Having your heart stomped on is exhausting. Realizing the man you love will never be good for you is killing you. 

You sit down on the sofa, close your eyes and inhale deeply. Dieter approaches you slowly and sits down on the far end, turning his body towards you, but giving you space.

Eyes closed, head resting on the backrest, you press the heels of your palms onto your eyes. You can hear Dieter's breathing, can smell his cologne. A birthday present from you he's used every day since unwrapping it. You remember that day well.

After the extravagant party with all of Dieter's fake Hollywood friends was finally over, you two went skinny-dipping in his pool. You started splashing water at each other, laughing without a care in the world. At some point, Dieter caught you in his arms, pulling you towards him, hooking your feet behind his back. He looked so happy, his beautiful features illuminated by moonlight. He kissed you slowly, passionately, savoring the taste of your lips. “I love you, you know,”  he murmured, nudging your nose with his. “You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. Gonna do it right with you.” And you believed him. How foolish of you.

“It's easier for you like this, isn't it” you note quietly, turning your head to look at Dieter. “What do you mean?” His voice is raspy, brow furrowed in confusion. “Being the bad guy,” you scoff like it's the most obvious thing in the world. “You've convinced yourself that you're a bad person who can never be good and that's why you act the way you do. Makes it easier. You can just point to your shitty behavior and tell yourself that's why people leave you.”

You furrow your brow and shake your head. “Don't you see? It’s you, Dieter. It’s always been you. It’s not the drugs, or the people you fuck, or the shit that happened in your childhood. You're the problem. It’s you.”

You huff and make for the door, in desperate need of fresh air and space.

“You think it's so fucking easy being me. Got it all figured out, huh?” Dieter's agitated voice yanks you back. “You have no fucking idea how it is. Everyone wants a piece of me and as soon as they got what they wanted - drugs, sex, fame - they fucking leave me.” He gets up and closes the distance between you two in a few strides. You don't back away. 

You’ve never needed to be close to him more than right now and it positively kills you that you can’t. You can’t wrap your hands around his waist, press your face into his chest, hold him tight until your heartbeats synchronize. You can’t. Not anymore.  

“You're the only good thing I got and I know I fucked up. I know I'm an asshole and I don't deserve you, but please,” he takes your hands in his, squeezing them gently, “please stay. I was high off my ass and I couldn't tell you her name or what she looked like if you asked me. Please let me fix this.” 

Dieter leans in, leaving barely any room between your bodies. You can feel his breath on your face, feel the heat radiating off his body. His big sad eyes are piercing your soul, pleading with you, desperately seeking to convince you. Nice try. You know this will happen again. Dieter Bravo won't change. Not for you, not for anyone.

You take a deep breath, maintaining eye contact. “I’m not leaving you because you fucked someone else in our bed last night, Dieter. I’m leaving you because you're so convinced you're bad that you won't even try to be better. Not even for me.” 

Hot tears are starting to make their way down your cheeks again. Dieter gives you a sad smile, gently cupping your face with his hands, wiping away the evidence of your sadness with his thumbs. “Please don't cry, baby,” he murmurs. His voice is strained, the corners of his mouth twitching.

You put your trembling hands around his wrists and slowly lower them from your face. “I'm done being just another person who got caught up in the whirlwind that is you and got lost on the way. I can't do it anymore.” 

Before Dieter can say something, you interrupt him by softly pressing your right hand to his chest. His heart is racing. “It felt like you killed me last night,” you deadpan and Dieter’s breath hitches, his eyes going even wider. “I'm so so-” “But you know what?” you look into his eyes intently and shrug, “I’m still here, so I guess I’m not dead.”

“I’ll go on without you,” you nod, a wistful smile playing on your lips. “I’m done, Dee. Finally done.” 

----------

You lean against the front door of Dieter’s mansion, chest heaving, trying to steady your breathing. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Slowly. Over and over. The dull pain in your head gets worse and you suddenly have the overwhelming urge to throw up. You turn around to face the concrete wall and empty your stomach contents onto the ground, trying as much as you can to not get it on your clothes.

Your throat burns, tears are streaming down your face and the throbbing pain in your head is all-consuming. Your vision starts to get blurry and you can hear your blood rushing in your ears - louder and louder - until everything is quiet. Peaceful. 

----------

I’m sorry. I want you to be happy. 

Dieter’s note on the nightstand does nothing to you. Your heart feels numb. 

You see the glass of water and the Advil next to the note. You’re wearing a clean shirt, not the one you were crying and throwing up on a few hours ago. Dieter must have changed you into one of his. Your pants are neatly folded on a lounge chair standing in the corner. Light is flooding the bedroom you've woken up in every morning for the past year. Weird to think it's the last time today.

You sit up too fast and your head pounds violently, so you try and move as slowly and carefully as possible. The pill doesn’t go down easily. Your throat burns and even the tiny gulp of water you need to swallow it feels like someone’s dragging hot knives from your tongue all the way down to your bleeding heart.

Why do you keep doing this to yourself? You know Dieter, you know what to expect from him and you also know yourself. Still, you let yourself believe. Believe that you could be loved. Believe that someone could know you - really know you - and still love you. But it’s always the same. To know you is to love you less.

It’s your fault. Dieter showed you who he was from the beginning and you still let yourself fall for him. You knew better than to open up your bruised heart to him and yet, you did. That was your decision, not his. And the most fucked up thing? You’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Loving Dieter hurt. Badly. But for a brief moment in your life, he showed you that you were capable of loving someone and being loved.

You know he was telling the truth about that. He did love you. Maybe still does. It doesn’t matter anymore. You’ve had your taste of pure happiness and that’s more than most people will ever experience in their life. It’s okay. It was always going to end this way. 

----------

Three months later

It’s hot outside. Too hot. So you usually just stay inside your new apartment after you come home from work. Shutters closed, AC blasting until the sun goes down and you can finally open the windows to let the cool night air inside. 

You’re on your balcony, finishing up your nightly bottle of white wine. You can smell the summer night, hear the hum of cars driving by, people eating and laughing, crickets chirping peacefully. When you close your eyes, you feel a comfortable buzz. This is okay. You’re still here, haven’t jumped off your balcony or slit your wrists. Too final, you think.

You don’t actually want to die, you just want to be as numb as possible. Numb the pain that is simply too unbearable to face fully present. So you drink and you pop Xanax bars and you either don’t eat or stuff yourself so full you throw it all back up.

And you fuck Ben from work.

Turns out he'd had his eyes on you for some time before you went into his office with the goal to get bent over his desk.

Swaying your hips, batting your eyelashes, tracing his arms and shoulders with your fingertips, purring into his ear how you need him to take care of you did the trick. Two minutes after entering the office, Ben was already balls deep inside you. He made you cum on his cock, spilled his seed on your ass and drove you home after. You fucked him again in the parking lot of your apartment complex, riding him until you both were a sticky mess. He didn't ask if he could come upstairs and you didn't offer. “What did I do to deserve you, hm?” he asked when you were both laying in his bed a few days later. You lifted your head from his chest to look at him. He was beaming at you with undisguised admiration. You pressed a soft kiss to his lips and buried your face in his neck. Ben was kind and attentive and handsome - he was everything you could wish for. What a sane person would wish for, anyway. But that wasn't you. And he wasn't Dieter.

You're alone tonight, sitting on your sofa, a glass of wine in your hand. You stare at your phone, index finger hovering over the Instagram icon. You shouldn't be doing this. Really shouldn't. 'Cause every time you do it, you end up crying yourself to sleep despite the alcohol and pills.

Fuck it. You open the app and are greeted with Dieter's face laughing into the camera. He's not alone, as usual. A pretty girl is hugging him and pressing her plump lips to his left cheek. You want to vomit.

He stopped texting and calling you a few weeks ago. Probably got tired of you never replying, you assume. And it's not like there aren't thousands of women out there just waiting to take your place by his side and in his bed. Why would he waste his time on a woman who broke up with him?

You're sure that Ms What's-her-face from his Instagram doesn't nag him about doing too much coke or fucking other women or meeting her parents or starting a fam- You throw your phone across the room and start sobbing violently. Three shots of Whiskey and too many Xanax bars later, you pass out on the sofa.

You stop stalking Dieter's Instagram after that night. You need to get your shit together before you do (even more) irreparable harm to your body and psyche. No more social media, no more alcohol, no more pills, no more Ben. He doesn't make a scene, letting you know that he'd like to stay friends. You know you don't deserve his kindness.

A few quiet weeks go by and you start to feel a bit better, now that you're not treating yourself like complete garbage. You eat well, take walks when the weather's nice and you've started dating a guy you met in the small coffeeshop near your apartment. Life is fine at the moment. You're fine.

----------

Loud knocking on your front door rips you out of deep sleep. You open your eyes in confusion and check your phone. It's 2:26 am. Probably someone coming home drunk and knocking on the wrong door. You wrap yourself in your blanket tightly and close your eyes again.

Another loud knock, now accompanied by a voice saying your name. You grunt and reluctantly get up, wrapping the blanket around your shoulders. You look through the peephole and your heart skips a beat.

“I'm sorry for waking you, babe. Thanks for letting me in, I-” Dieter looks down at his feet, fidgeting with his rings, “I didn't know where else to go.” You hand him a cup of chamomile tea, sitting down beside him on the sofa. “It's okay,” you nod, looking at his face intently. He's wearing his signature sunglasses. You assume it's because he wants to hide the evidence of his excessive drug use.

You both sit in silence for a few minutes before he lifts his head to look at you. He puts his right hand on the cushion between you two, wordlessly communicating his need for your touch. You gently place your left hand over his and move to intertwine your fingers. Dieter's breathing becomes heavier.

“What happened, Dee?” you ask quietly. When he doesn't answer, you move your right hand towards his sunglasses, watching carefully for any signs that he wants you to stop. You take the glasses off slowly and gasp when you see what he was hiding. It wasn't dilated pupils, it was a massive black eye.

You trace the swollen skin under his left eye with your thumb, causing him to wince. “I guess her husband found out?“ you ask with a wry smile, trying to lighten the mood. Dieter chuckles, shaking his head. “I'm sorry,” he says, lifting his gaze to meet yours. You shrug your shoulders, “I already said it's okay you came he-” “That's not what I mean,” he interjects. “I'm sorry for everything, for hurting you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness and you're better off without me, but I want you to know that I really am sorry.”

And just like that, the heart you've worked so hard on fixing over the past few months breaks all over again.

Tears are silently falling from your cheeks as you lie down on your bed. You're on your side, eyes closed, tears pooling on the pillow when you feel the mattress sink under Dieter's weight. He's removed his jacket and pants, now lying on his side, mirroring you, in his boxers and shirt.

He caresses your cheek and murmurs, “C'mere”. You lay your head on his chest, your right hand resting above his heart. He wraps his arms around you, pulling you closer, kissing the top of your head.

“I do love you, you know,” he murmurs.

“I know.”

[unnecessary-dinosaurs]

Ok! I watched Chaos Theory! I have a lot of thoughts! There were things I liked a lot and things I wasn’t a fan of. I generally liked it but came away slightly underwhelmed. If you haven’t watched it yet please go do so!!! Support the show and the wonderful crew that put it together!!!

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

WHAT I LIKED:

-MATEO!!! I literally loved him so much. A fantastic, simple character that doesn’t overstay his welcome or detract from our main characters. Great motivations and realistic backstory. Yeah. I really liked him. Yeah.

-Yasammy! Obviously they were amazing. They got to be cute and bubbly and gay but also their argument was so real and believable. Neither one of them is completely in the wrong. They are just two flawed people who’ve been through more than they can handle on their own. They need each other but not always in the way they might think. They were such a highlight this season. Can’t wait for more of them.

-This whole show just feels like a dramatic step up in visual storytelling from CC. The sets are beautiful and intricate, the lighting and textures are fantastic, and the directing is just really great. There are some really creative shots and transitions, and overall it just feels like more confident directing and storyboarding all around. (I specifically remember episode 7 being really great visually. Super fun stuff.)

-All the dinosaur action was great. Like next level shit. The way they keep finding creative ways to use these animals for action and suspense is very impressive. The raptors are genuinely scary. The Allosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus were personal favs.

-Unlike Dominion, they actually showed what living in a world with dinosaurs is like- how people are adjusting to this new way of life, adapting to the presence of these animals, and keeping themselves safe. Totally what I wanted to see from Dominion, and Chaos Theory did it better within a single episode.

-There was some very well crafted suspense throughout this season. The mystery does a great job of constantly keeping you pulled in. Every time a question is answered, five more are asked.

-The darker tone is definitely welcome. The characters are older and they’ve experienced a terrible loss. The weight of the new world weighs on them and the audience in a very tangible way.

-This one isn’t really constructive but like. I just love Darius so much. He’s so perfect.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

-Unfortunately I thought the character writing was significantly weaker than any season of CC. It was genuinely impressive how they were able to make me not care much about these versions of Ben and Kenji, my absolute favorite characters in CC. Before the characters felt like real, living people. Now, they just feel like fictional characters to me. Really good characters, yes, but still just characters. Maybe I’ll go into further detail about this in a future post. But yeah, overall it felt like the characters took a backseat this time around.

-I’m so sorry but I absolutely could not stand the new VA for Kenji. I’m sure he’s trying his best but he sounded uninterested and half-assed most of the time. Brooklynn’s new actor was… fine? Didn’t care for her either but she didn’t bug me the way Kenji did. Let’s start a GoFundMe to pay for Ryan to come back.

-Ok. Yeah. Not a fan of Darius being in love with B. Like, ok. It makes sense and it fits the plot well. But it just seems unnecessary. Darius can be devastated by her loss without it. Ehhh maybe they’ll handle it well in future seasons but. No. Not for me.

-Also didn’t like Daniel Kon’s death. I liked that they brought him back, but killing him felt undeserved. Like, he was the main antagonist for the first show, but you just kill him off in a random episode six years later? I think he deserved a little more reverence rather than reintroducing him for one episode and then quickly killing him for shock value once he’s served his purpose.

-WHY DID THEY GIVE BEN A GIRLFRIEND THAT BOY IS GAY AS HELL NOOOOO

[lightofraye]

Heya!

As you requested, I am not sharing your name!

Now to your message!

//I imagine there may be some Destiel requests he has to suck up and do because Hellers are basically psychotic and tried to ruin him before, but yes, they can and do say no.//

There have been lots of stories of hellers asking for a particular pose with Jensen and Misha where Jensen has either half-assed the pose, or even just ignored what they wanted. And we have all seen those ops with hellers proudly grinning while holding some destiel-related trash or something that is unintentionally insulting to Jensen, and his expression says it all. He looks either incredibly annoyed or dead inside with these kinds of requests. But, he does technically allow a version if their request.

Yeah... and I imagine he only does so because he knows if he doesn't... the Hellers will make his life hell. Oh wait, they still are. What am I saying?

You're not wrong about the "dead inside" look. God....

So, while I don’t think Jensen says no very often, he certainly sabatoges requested poses, or makes his annoyance or discomfort known in another way.

If only people actually notice or pay attention! Too many subscribe to the whole "Oh haha, classic grumpy Jensen!" Yes... "classic". Sure... uhm....

Weird that he didn’t look particularly bothered with that Danneel sign, if he’s so protective and loves her sooo much. You could claim it’s a joke with her, but when would she even see the op?

Right?! When I saw that picture, my heart stopped--because look at that smile he has on his face! Like, oh my gods! Would Danneel pay attention to con photos in general? Probably not. But I betcha if they used her name in a tweet or post somewhere, she probably has a finger out for it because she feeds on this attention.

Hell, she was aware of the anti-Danneel stuff. She's even admitted to reading Tumblr! When the report about The Winchesters came out and she was doing either the Upfronts or the NYCC thing, she even said "Tumblr's on fire". Uh huh. We see you, girl.

Imagine asking Jared to hold, or pose with, an "I hate Genevieve" sign? I’m thinking the requester would be one of the few people who would get a decidedly un-cuddly Jared, if he even allowed the sign in the op.

I sincerely doubt Jared would even sign on for such a pose. He might give the fan a very polite but icy "No, I love my wife." And offer them a chance to rethink.

Hell , I can’t even picture Rob agreeing to a "I hate Ruth Connel" sign, and he’s one of the more desperate extras.

Agreed! Those two, by the way, absolutely precious! I love seeing them together! (Them, Jared and Genevieve...)

Overall, I agree. Can the actors say 'no'? Yes. Do they very often? I don't think so, but I'd also like to think the reasons vary depending on the request. Destiel stuff I imagine Jensen chokes and obliges. Any Danneel related stuff (very rare, thank goodness) would depend on what it is, I'd imagine. As for the rest... hmm... makes me wonder.

Times like that gross photo op request I posted make me wonder if they need to start vetting requests too.

Anyway, I'm rambling (see! My blog title is apt!)! Thank you for the message! (Thanks for being patient until I got to it!)

[tgmsunmontue]

More than movie magic... 12/24

Hangster AU. Explicit (eventually). Jake is a Hollywood actor and Bradley is a stunt coordinator. Jake's about to make a few self-discoveries. So is Bradley.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN

ELEVEN

PART TWELVE

                “Conversation go that well hmm?”

                “What?” Jake asks, and he’s distracted, pretty sure he’s going to need to jerk off before he’ll be able to get to sleep, certain he can still feel Bradley’s fingers on his skin, unable to really process anything more than his mom standing there in her dressing gown and talking to him.

                “You’re going to have hell in makeup tomorrow…”

                “Huh?”

                “Oh Jake… I’m happy for you honey.”

                He freezes then, because he hasn’t said anything and he looks at her and she’s just watching him, expression amused and he guesses he’s been a little distracted since he got home, but not massively so… He managed to ride home, settle Blitzen in her stall, all while sporting a semi which is now quickly disappearing in the face of his mother talking to him. Thank fuck for small mercies.

                “Happy about what exactly?”

                “Well, you didn’t have that beard rash at dinner. Twenty-four hours. Amazing what you can achieve with a little motivation isn’t it?”

                Oh god. He hadn’t realized that his face and neck would be literal red flags, broadcasting his recent activity. His mom is fat too observant and has always simply known when he had been making out with people. Years as a high school teacher and recognizing bullshit probably help. He groans.

                “You’re an unholy terror.”

                “And proud of the fact sweetie. Proud of you too. Well done on using your words.”

                Jakes grins, doesn’t mention that there weren’t a lot of words exchanged, not ones that he can repeat in polite company anyway, and his mom will believe whatever she wants, regardless of what he says right now.

                “Yeah, we like each other. It’s good.”

                “Good. Now I just need to get him to accept that dinner invite.”

                “Yeah, good luck with that one mom.”

…            …            …

                “Okay, what is going on. You’re smiling at Jake Seresin rather than just watching him with that slightly… mournful look.”

                “What’s more interesting is he’s smiling back,” Bob says, spooning more oatmeal into his mouth and Bradley loves working with his friends, he really does, but sometimes he also wishes they just didn’t quite know him so well. Maybe he should spend some time with some of the other teams, allow himself some distance if this whole thing doesn’t pan out. It’s not like Bob couldn’t take over from him here.

                “It wasn’t mournful,” Bradley mutters, taking a sip of his tea. “Considering maybe.”

                “Considering how much you want him maybe…” Natasha mutters, voice low and Bradley rolls his eyes, but also he can’t outright deny it either, because they’d all know he was lying. There’s a difference between being attracted to someone and wanting them to actually acting on it though. Last night was a revelation of the best sort and while they hadn’t had a chance to talk it had felt full of promise and potential, more to come, a prologue rather than an epilogue and the way Jake keeps catching his eye and smiling across the dining hall makes him feel surer about that fact.

                “Mind if I join you?” Javy Machado asks, and Bradley takes it as the reprieve it is, smirks at the blush appearing on Natasha’s cheeks and quirks an eyebrow but wisely keeps his mouth very firmly shut. He likes his dick and balls right where they are.

                The conversation flows around him and he focusses on eating for a bit and moving his shins out of the way of Natasha’s feet where she’s trying to kick him, clearly knowing what he’s thinking about Javy Machado coming over wanting to eat breakfast with her.

                “Bradley…” He looks up and Aunty Kaye is standing there, smiling her normal smile but her eyes are slightly more narrow than usual, like she’s either assessing him for body-bag size, or she’s about to tell a joke and she’s already laughing inwardly. It’s really hard to tell.

                “Aunty Kaye. Morning.”

                “Hmm. It is morning. And you are not going to need extra time in the makeup chair this morning…”

                “I’m sorry, what?”

                “My son’s face and neck look like he lost a fight with a roll of sandpaper…”

                Oh fuck.

                He can feel his cheeks heating, and at least he knows she’s Jake’s mom now and he isn’t hit with the shock of that as well. He hasn’t seen Jake up close yet, but he trusts that Aunty Kaye knows what she’s talking about and if he’s left Jake with stubble burn then… well. It’s kind of unavoidable if he wants to keep kissing him, he’s not going to apologize to Jake’s mom about it, not when Jake clearly didn’t seem to mind.

                Bob, Rueben, Natasha and Javy are all watching the interaction with glee, as are a handful of other people within hearing distance and he glances over to where he last saw Jake and he’s not there, instead he’s much closer, expression harried as he approaches and oh shit, his face and neck are definitely more pink than normal, not bright red, but definitely pink like he’s been out in the sun maybe.

                “Oh my god mom, please leave him alone…” Jake says. “I am so sorry about her.”

                “I expect you at dinner tonight. At the main house.”

                “Uh.”

                “Mom!” Jake exclaims, then he turns to Bradley. “You don’t have to come to dinner, she’s just meddling…”

                “Well, I’ve been inviting Bradley to dinner for a couple of weeks. Maybe with you there he’ll have more of an incentive to come, hmm?”

                Bradley is pretty sure he’s full-on blushing now, realizing that those dinner invitations maybe had an ulterior motive if Jake’s expression are anything to go by. He’s not going to avoid or ignore or run away from any of it anymore, and maybe they can finally have that conversation he feels needs to happen.

                “Seems like the least I can do considering the amount of makeup Jake’s going to need.”

THIRTEEN

[ughdontbeboring]

so yal may be surprised af to know I’ve never watched Elvis the movie or even any clips even though I’ve been a Austin fan since his earlier days and a bigggh Baz fan since Romeo + Juliet (still so obsessed and Moulin Rouge ahhh so good) I honestly wasn’t sure how’d they portray Elvis and his relationship with black artist of the time and culture and I didn’t want to have to go there bc I adore them both. Plus I surprisingly don’t remember that much press for it but I know that’s more of who I was following. It’s only been the past couple months I’ve been catching up on that press tour and I’m so obsessed I love love lovvvvveeee Baz and Austin tg and I pray they work tg again.

but then eventually I obviously heard such good things about it and kept telling myself to watch it and idk just never did.

sooooooooo here I go yall and I have a feeling I’m about to be even more obsessed 😅🥲😭

also I asked my mom if she wanted to watch and she said “girl I been watched it! Me and grandma watched it together and it was so good, it was like watching an Elvis concert. Put it on I’ll watch it again”

like ok wow girl you just been watched it without me 🙄 also I’m sure she doesn’t realize Austin is the same actor from our show The Shannara Chronicles. Gosh I loved that series when it aired.

so I’ll be back and down bad and even worse for Austin and stil pledging my love for Baz all these years later.

UPDATE BELOW

wow yall just wow

wow wow wowwwwww I’m obsessed

it was so emotional and so visually stunning. I personally loved the respect and appreciation they showed for black culture. I know people are 50/50 on it but I feel like was never told this way, that Elvis did in fact care and appreciate this community he grew up in and felt accepted by. When he needed to get back to himself THAT is where he could go either physically or in song.

wow Austin was wow. He was extraordinary. I love love Brendan but idk Austin just brought a life and emotion to Elvis NO ONE has been able to over all these years. From his happiness to his grief. He was able to bring back a love and appreciation for Elvis. Def Oscar worthy.

and Baz. A real fucking genius. No one could have made this movie but him, not in true Elvis fashion. I think Elvis would have loved the way he shot this. The way Baz told his story. but it is a film sadly I will probably never watch again it was just tooo emotional for me. I’m sucker for people losing their parents young or being taking advantage of and he was!!! And he died sooooooo young I swear my whole life I thought this man passed in his 60s and he was HARDLY 40!! Omg my heart just breaks for him and those who truly loved and cared for him.

I really don’t have a favorite part but i love all the early shots of Elvis and Austin in the pink!! Ah! And the pink lace omg it’s just such a look. Austin pulls off the pink so well. Him running around on Beale Street. The opening scene with Elvis and how we hardly see his face as we’re tryna catching up with him and we mostly just see the people around him. I love how the guy yells out at him fairy or something and you can just see the gf intrigued and then Elvis just goes off and then she’s the first one to scream and then he yells for her to sit down when she jumps up! lmfao I was cracking up. Loved that part.

one of the other parts I loved is how Baz shoots Toms character the colonel when he’s trying to get a first look at young Elvis out back. He truly shot him like the predator he was. That was just ugh I loved that part, young Elvis is w his mama and those who care abt him and he’s nervous and just tryna get a grip and here he is watching and just taking in what he can to use for his own good. Ugh fucking piece of shit.

and the closet scene crying over him mama 😭 that must have been emotional for Austin.

and when they threatened him not to shake a pinky and he does before letting loose and all hell breaks loose.

I can see why Austin ended up in the hospital right after filming it must have taken such a toll on his body I can’t imagine what Elvis was actually feeling and sadly I understand why he passed so young.

I mean 10/10!! stunning

loooooveeeed this scene!! And how they shot the focus.

[narrynukezankielover]

Got to say they don’t put enough Cas in Supernatural. Misha is adorable and an amazing actor yet they didn’t use him enough. Next I’m not as pissed off either Sam as I was now knowing he had no soul (beginning of season 6). I was extremely pissed at him for takeing a year to tell Dean he had been back from hell but now knowing he can’t help but not care I’m not as pissed at him. I hate Sam anyway so I’ll always have a reason to be a little pissed at him.

It’s funny to see the difference between how Cas talks to Dean versus Sam especially when they are mad at each other in the conversation. In the scene where Dean gets Cas there because he thought some heavenly instrument was in town (I’m sorry I can’t remember ep numbers or names). Dean started yelling at Cas but after 3 years of knowing Dean Cas didn’t take it personally and just poured him a drink. All of a sudden Dean softened up. He then just asked Cas what was going on. Yet when Sam got Cas to earth by lying to him you can tell Cas didn’t want to deal with him. Then Sam threatening him made Cas go back to the way he was in early season 4. He got right in Sam’s face called him boy and made sure Sam knew he wasn’t afraid of him.

Cas and Deans reaction to Sam saying Cas and Sam are friends was hilarious. Cas head tilt was a you just threatened my life and now you’re saying we’re friends?

This is definitely a look of you’re friends? Since when?

I also love how they are showing Cas and Dean are a team now. When they are interrogating someone usually it’s one of them that is doing all the questions and then the other will pick up for them. Like when they were trying to figure out what was wrong with Sam and Cas was asking him a lot of questions Dean told Sam to answer whatever Cas asks him. It’s also great to see that Dean knew he wouldn’t be able to help Sam by himself and let someone else take over. I feel like earlier seasons Dean wouldn’t have done that. Like he would’ve thought he could do it all himself. It’s nice to see Dean changeing and learning. Same as when Cas was asking Crowley if he could help get Sams soul back Dean yelled at Crowley to answer him and when Dean was asking the angel in the oil fire (there is no way I’m going to spell his name right so I’m not trying. It’s the angel at the beginning of the season I think ep 3. Cas thought he was dead but he faked his own death) Dean was asking him questions and Cas yelled at him to answer Dean. I read a while ago someone said that the first time Cas seen Dean as Dean and not his soul was when Cas became human but if in that ep Cas had to reach into Sam to figure out what was wrong obviously he can’t see their souls. Am I missing something or is that maybe something that changes later on?

I seen Cas being jealous back in season 4 when Dean kissed Anna but I’ve been waiting to see Dean being jealous of Cas. I finally got to see it. Meg flirting with Cas really got to Dean.

This is a pissed off Dean look. You can tell he’s really trying to control himself.

This is a how dare you kiss my angel look.

After Cas and Meg kiss Dean goes from did you really just do that?

To she looked satisfied. Cas is a good kisser? In less then 2 seconds. I have been waiting for the pizza man episode and it was great.

When Dean said he was going to give Cas an hour with Meg and Cas said what for? At first I thought he just didn’t know about sex but he does know. He said before that other angels do it he just never had the opportunity. So now I’m thinking it was Cas makeing sure Dean knew he don’t want to have sex with her.

[aimless-aimz]

PINNED POST

remaking my old one because ITS TWO YEARS OLD as of the time im making this. lmao.

hihi hello!! I’m aimless, aimz, aimzies, or the reason you wake up at ungodly hours of the night in a cold sweat!

the rest is under a readmore so some long ass post doesn’t make you have to scroll 2 miles. thank me later/silly. buuut, if this is your first time here, I’d recommend you take a look (at least for the DNI. i will use the block button.)

TAGS

organized? more like organs hide! anyways, here are the common tags you can root through

reblog- usually shitposts I think are funny

not my art- I don’t reblog art TOO much because of the evil and twisted social anxiety, so if I reblog art it’s GOOD!! you really should check this tag out :) !!

aimless art- i make stuff sometimes too! shocker, i know. Usually it’s drawn art, but i also do voice acting (more on this later) and i made music like one time so there’s that

break the void- BTV is a personal story I’m working on. it would mean a LOT to me if you checked out some of it (even if what i have posted is generally old. as time goes on i’ll add more, and if you have any questions PLEASE ask!!!

self rb- usually something I’ve reblogged before, or just reblogging my own stuff.

aimless’ animals- posts with pictures of any pet I have! i had a snail (that died, rip petroleum g. jelly </3) but the posts won’t be deleted, so you can check ���em out!

DNI

i really find it silly that i have to establish to not be an asshole, but oh well! i am a MINOR, so while suggestive jokes can be funny, don’t make one about ME, and don’t overdo it. just. be respectful.

also. proshippers/darkshippers are NOT welcome. Romanticizing things like that is not okay.

zionists GET OUT please. i try to keep my blog lighthearted, as i want this to be a safe place, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t support Palestine. I can’t donate, but I sure as hell don’t want someone who supports any sort of war on my page.

ablists, homophobes and transphobes BOO!!!!!! BALALALALALA GET SCARED GET SCARED GET SCARED GET SCARED!!!! NIGHTMARE🏳️‍🌈NIGHTMARE🏳️‍⚧️NIGHTMARE🏳️‍🌈NIGHTMARE🏳️‍⚧️

OTHER BLOGS

i have a few other blogs- mainly pokeblogging, but some others! check ‘em out if you wanna!

inactive: @carmen-caught-em , @regice-real , @poison-pecha-berry , @to-be-misstye ; as well as two fakemon centered blogs, @all-of-altosi , and the evil team @team-enlighten-official ! Maybe I’ll have them be active again. Maybe.

not very active, but not really inactive: other pokeblogs of ocs I’ve really fleshed the lore out- @haunting-hari and @mmaxie-musings ! i also run a gimmick blog, @psychicdamage-identified ! feel free to send asks :D

active, at the moment: @aimless-dubs !! I am an aspiring voice actor who really misses the comic dubs you’d see, and i want to bring that back :) i always credit the artists!!

INTERESTS/WHAT YOU’LL SEE

not counting fandom interests, I’m a huge psychology nerd. i looove making and telling stories, and i also like listening to people’s stories! I’m also a huge fan of, for whatever reason, animals without bones!! Jellyfish, snails.. i really adore all types of unique animals- and not just the ‘cute ones’- i love axolotls as much as i love anglerfish, and i love spiders as much as i love scorpions :D

my fandom interests really do vary, so writing them down here would be difficult- instead, i think i’ll write down some fandoms that hit me pretty hard, that you’ll see a good bit of on my blog! -kirby -crk (cookie run kingdom) -pokemon

i also have a BUNCH of ocs, and I have plenty for each fandom, lmao. if you have any questions, I don’t bite!! well. I may. but it’s because I’m excited.

btw if you draw any of my ocs we’re having a spring wedding. Put on a dress I’m taking us to the cathedral./p /silly (if you want to draw an oc and can’t find a ref, ask me! I either didn’t post it, it’s lost in the sauce (my posts), or I just. Didn’t make one yet. again, if you take interest in my ocs I love you platonically)

YIKES. you read allat? or did you just kinda skip here in hoping for a tldr? No summary, but if you think you’d like to be mutuals or smth, please shoot me an ask! I’m willing to yap nonstop about interests, or even just say hi!

so uh. yeah. that should be a good amount of info. i think i word dumped an answer to any main questions, so if there’s anything you’re unsure of, once again, ask!!

thank youuu :)

[lilyvandersteen]

Home Away From Home by @lilyvandersteen

This story was written for the Klaine Prompt Reverse Bang, and is dedicated to @justgleekout, who made art for this prompt, and to my faithful beta @hkvoyage. Thank you so much!

Summary:

Cooper buys a hotel sight unseen and asks Blaine to run it for him over the summer. Only, the hotel is a health and safety hazard and Inspectors Hummel and Abrams are hell-bent on closing it down. Can Blaine spruce the hotel up in time and save Cooper's investment?

Rated M. Warning for the use of a rape drug in the story. No actual rape, though, I assure you.

You can also read this story on AO3.

~~~~~~

Prologue

Thump!

Blaine woke with a start as he fell out of bed.

“Oops!” said his roommate, wincing sympathetically. “Didn’t mean to push you that hard, but you just wouldn’t wake up.”

Blaine groaned and rubbed his sore bottom as he got up, squinting at his alarm clock. “Tina! It’s three o’clock in the morning! Why would you wake me up at this hour?”

“So you could answer your phone. Or silence it. It’s been blaring off and on for at least ten minutes. You’re lucky I haven’t smashed it to bits yet!”

Right on cue, Blaine’s phone went off again. He grabbed it and tapped the Answer button.

“Hey squirt!” Cooper boomed.

“Don’t call me… Coop, why on EARTH are you waking me up in the middle of the night?”

“What? It’s not… Oh, hang on, time difference. Right. Didn’t think of that, squirt, sorry.”

Blaine sighed. “Don’t call me squirt. And okay, I guess you’re filming somewhere at the other side of the world again?”

“Yes, we’re working on that fantasy series for Netflix that I told you about. I’m in Thailand right now. Flying to New Zealand tomorrow. I’m having a total blast.”

“That’s great. Now tell me, what was so important you had to tell me right this minute?”

“Oh! Oh, just you wait, you’re going to LOVE this!”

“Uh-oh,” Blaine mumbled between gritted teeth. “What now?”

Cooper either didn’t hear him, or pretended not to.

“You know how you’re always telling me to stop spending my money on stuff like cars and tech, right?”

Blaine huffed. “And with good reason. You spend an obscene amount on gadgets. And that Bugatti is SO over the top.”

“Exactly!” said Cooper. “Well, now I’ve made a ‘sound investment’, as you call it. Real estate, as you advised.”

Blaine’s heart leapt. “Really? You bought a place in New York? And you’re calling me to ask me if I will move in with you? The answer’s yes!”

Tina put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“Nah… No. Not exactly.”

Blaine’s sense of misgiving tingled.

“I didn’t buy a house. I bought a hotel. It was a steal, I’m telling you. I couldn’t pass it up!”

“A hotel? Where? Why?”

“Well, I won’t be this pretty forever, you know,” Cooper explained. “And then I might not get booked as an actor anymore. So I needed to find a back-up plan for when I stop being in demand. Talked about it with the guys here over lunch, and Sebastian Smythe, who plays my younger brother in the series we’re filming, said he had a hotel he could sell me. I kind of like the thought of offering people a nice vacation, you know. A home away from home. Maybe I could do a one-man show after dinner. Like they do on cruises. Doesn’t that sound amazing?”

“Yes, yes, that’s all very well, but you’re still filming now. So who’s going to run the hotel?”

“Well, that’s where you come in,” Cooper announced cheerfully. “You’re done with your exams, right? And now you’ve got several months off. So you can go check out the hotel for me. See if the staff that’s in place is okay or needs to be replaced.”

“Coop, are you insane?”

“Think of it as a free vacation, squirt. I’m sure the staff will pamper you once they find out you’re the brother of the new owner!”

Blaine shook his head slowly in disbelief. “Have you even SEEN the place before you bought it?”

“On the website, yes. It looks great!”

“Ugh, Coop! So you saw a couple of pretty pictures on a website and shelled out a fortune sight unseen? How can you be sure the place even exists?”

Cooper chuckled. “Well, of course it exists! The previous owner sent me an Excel spreadsheet with the bookings. It’s booked solid for the rest of the year already! Just think what a fortune I’m going to make!”

Blaine tugged at his curls in frustration, repressing an ungodly urge to strangle his brother. “UN-BE-LIEVE-A-BLE. You are unbelievable! Okay, not everyone has a head for business, but I can’t believe you are THIS much of an idiot! Are you sure you’re actually my brother and George Anderson’s son? Our father would have a conniption if he found out about this!”

“I thought you’d be happy I’d followed your advice.”

Blaine could almost hear his brother’s pout.

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair again.

“I know you meant well. But… Buying a place without even visiting it first is not a good idea, and that’s putting it mildly. There could be all sorts of things wrong with it. If you say you didn’t pay much, that’s quite likely, in fact. This ‘investment’ of yours may be just as useless as that Nintendo Wii Supreme you just had to have.”

“Hey! It’s not useless! I’ve used it a lot!” Cooper protested. “And I’m sure it’s all on the up and up. As I said, the pics on the website look fantastic!”

Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose and suppressed another sigh. Talking to Cooper was very much like talking to a toddler, sometimes.

“Coop … Anyone can copy-paste a couple of nice pictures onto a website. That doesn’t prove anything. Did the realtor give you a virtual tour?”

“Uhm… No.”

“Did you pay someone to do a thorough inspection of the property before you bought it?”

“No.”

“Please tell me that the offer you made had a home inspection contingency, at least?”

“Uhm… No idea.”

Blaine’s voice rose an octave. “A title contingency, to make sure no-one else can claim the property?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you even so much as look the hotel up on TripAdvisor to see if it had good reviews?”

“Nope, didn’t think of that.”

“Oh, Coop…” Blaine groaned. “What a mess! You need to go there, stat, and check the property from top to bottom. You actually bought it already, right? It’s not just an offer you can withdraw?”

“It’s mine, yes. I signed a contract. But you know I can’t go check the property right now. I’m heading to New Zealand tomorrow, and I’m needed there for at least six more weeks.”

Blaine let his head down, overwhelmed. “Ugh… I’m not awake enough for this. Coop, send me all the info, and the contract, by e-mail. I’ll look it over and see what our options are.”

“I knew I could count on you, squirt. Thanks a lot. I’ll send you everything. And now I’ll let you sleep. Sorry again for waking you up, and talk to you later!”

Cooper rang off, and Blaine was left staring at the phone in his hands in bewilderment.

Tina cocked her head to the side. “So… Your brother bought a hotel? Just like that?”

Blaine nodded. “Just like that. And then recruited me to sort everything out for him. Oh, this is going to be a disaster!”

“Why are you in such a panic about this, Blainey Days? Surely, your brother wouldn’t let himself be duped?”

Blaine groaned. “Oh, yes, he would!”

He patted Tina on the arm. “But that’s my problem, not yours. You can go back to bed, and I’m sorry my idiot brother woke you up like that. I’ll make you pancakes in the morning to make up for it, okay?”

“Okay. G’night.”

Blaine wearily shuffled back to his bed, and was out like a light.

By six a.m., though, he was awake again, worrying.

After half an hour of tossing and turning, he got up quietly and started up his computer.

Cooper had sent the files, as requested.

The contract did not have a home inspection contingency nor a title contingency, as Blaine had feared.

The hotel wasn’t in a nice touristy location. It was in the middle of nowhere. A place called Lima, Ohio.

Also, the hotel had certainly not been a “steal”. Cooper must have sunk a lot of capital into it.

The photos on the website did look good, yes, but as soon as Blaine checked the reviews about the hotel on TripAdvisor, he knew they had to be fake.

All of the reviews were negative. And it was bad. Worse even than Blaine had feared.

The mildest complaint was one about the lack of free Wi-Fi. It went steadily downhill from there.

Guests complained about the hotel being overbooked. About dirty and stinky rooms. About a faulty outlet that fried their shaver. About bed bugs and cockroaches. About leaking taps that kept them up all night. About wanting a nice hot shower and only getting freezing cold water. About noisy neighbours that kept them up all night because the walls were so flimsy you could hear everything through them. About beds that creaked with every move they made and mattresses so old and thin their back was in knots. About sweltering heat in summer and bone-deep cold in winter, because the air conditioning units didn’t work. About the stale bread and lukewarm coffee they got for breakfast. About seeing mice in the restaurant. About rude staff that would come into their room without even knocking or that were accused of stealing money and a phone charger. About the lack of elevators and ramps for wheelchairs. And a blind person complained about their assistance dog not being let in.

When he’d read all of the scathing reviews, Blaine let out his breath in a big woosh.

 Oh, Cooper, what have you done now?

Blaine felt like banging his head on the table in frustration, but refrained, choosing to get started on the pancakes instead.

When Tina emerged from her bedroom and saw how unhappy her roommate looked, she steered him towards a kitchen chair to give him a shoulder massage, saying, “Tell me all about it, Bee.”

So Blaine told her everything.

She whistled low. “I know the place. I grew up in Lima. And that hotel was where I lost my virginity after prom.”

Blaine shuddered. “TMI!”

Tina laughed. “Oh please! That’s something everyone does in high school. Get over yourself!”

Blaine wouldn’t meet her eyes, thinking of the only school dance he’d ever been to and how that had ended.

“Not everyone,” he mumbled.

“Well, anyway,” said Tina, “the place was a dump even then. I’d say sell it again immediately. But who’s going to want it? And even if someone does, they’ll pay a lot less than your brother did, so he’ll lose a lot of money.”

“Yep.”

“Can he afford to lose that much money?”

“Nope.”

Tina clacked her tongue. “Then we’ll have to do what we can to save the situation.”

“We?”

Tina put her hands on her hips. “Yes, well, unlike SOME people, I believe in roommate solidarity. Don’t think I didn’t hear you, telling Cooper you’d move in with him!”

“I meant for you to come with me, of course,” Blaine tried weakly, but Tina wasn’t having it, sending him a fierce glare.

Blaine looked down and swallowed, remembering how happy he’d been for a moment before Cooper had dashed his hopes. “Sorry. I just… I saw myself living in one of those pretty brownstones, and I jumped the gun. Sorry. As it happens, you don’t need to be scared I’ll leave you in the lurch. If I want a brownstone, I’ll have to buy one with my own money one day. Cooper’s proved once again that I shouldn’t count on him. And I was a fool to think I could, even for a split second. He’s an idiot, and all he ever does is make my life difficult. I should know that by now. He’s proved it so many times.”

“Aww, don’t be so hard on him.”

Blaine put a pancake on his plate and drowned it in syrup. Then he started shovelling big bites into his mouth, chewing with vigour and determinedly not looking at Tina.

“Blaine, don’t be like that. He made a mistake. We all do that, don’t we?”

Blaine swallowed a piece of pancake and retorted, “Our mistakes don’t cost millions of dollars. That’s the difference.”

“Well, he’ll make more millions, won’t he? How much does he get for that acting job he’s doing now?”

Blaine shrugged. “Dunno. But it had better be a lot, if we’re to renovate the hotel he bought. Let me first check with Monique if we can get that contract voided, though. I don’t think we’ll be that lucky, but it won’t hurt to check.”

“Who’s Monique?”

“She works for my father,” Blaine clarified. “Has done so for years. She’s like part of the family. I’ve known her since I was very little. Played with her daughter in my father’s office.”

“Hmm, so how could she help you? And why would she?”

“Monique has a soft spot for me,” Blaine smiled, thinking of all the scrapes with his father she’d gotten him out of. “And she knows this stuff like the back of her hand. She does everything that’s to do with real estate for my father. Buying, selling, finding contractors for renovation works, buying furniture for buildings, you name it, she does it.”

Tina cocked her head to the side. “Why didn’t Cooper contact her then, if he wanted to buy a hotel?”

“Coop��s more of a split-second decision kind of guy,” Blaine told her. “Never looks before he leaps. And then he looks to me to solve the problems he’s created. It’s exhausting.”

“You’d think he were the younger brother,” Tina giggled.

“Yep. He’s almost forty, but he still has the impulse control of a four-year-old.”

After breakfast and doing the dishes, Blaine called Monique and explained the situation, sending her all the documents. She confirmed what he thought – there was no backing out of the contract anymore.

Ugh.

“Could you check if the place is Cooper’s outright, please?” Blaine asked. “Seeing as there’s no title contingency, there’s no knowing who else might have a claim on it.”

“I’ll look into it,” Monique said, “but I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

“Oh, and please don’t tell our father about this, Monique, okay?” Blaine implored her. “He’d go ballistic, and even though Coop is a moron, I don’t want him dead.”

Monique laughed and promised not to breathe a word about it to Mr. Anderson. “And if you need any help fixing the place up, you know who to call. Glad to help, whatever you need!”

“Well, the first thing we’re going to need is pest control. So if you know a good pest control firm over there in Ohio?”

Monique hummed and click-clacked on her keyboard for a minute or two. Then she said, “We’ve worked with Orkin, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Did the job well. I’ll e-mail you their contact information. What else?”

“An HAVC specialist, a handyman and an electrician to fix all sorts of stuff, and a reliable plumber. Oh, and another thing… You buy loads of office furniture and supplies cheap in auctions, right? When companies go bust and their assets are sold to pay the debts?”

“That’s right. Want me to look for hotel stuff for you?”

“Yes, please. Furniture, mattresses, quality linens, you name it, we’re going to need it. Thanks, Monique!”

Monique chuckled. “It’s your brother who should say thank you. The things we do for that boy, right?”

“Right,” Blaine sighed. “Looks like I’m heading to Ohio for the summer. I’ll keep you posted, Monique, and thanks again!”

[minato-division03]

Reiaki’s Thoughts on Okinawa Division

Ace Douglas

“Ohhhhh I didn’t think the ambassador himself would be taking part in this crazy tournament! A big national tournament that doesn’t really involve America, who would’ve thought, huh?”

Reiaki smiled brightly. “I doubt this guy remembers me! I looked pretty different a few years ago, but I used to attend lots of oversees galas when my father and younger brother were still alive, and I’ve seen this guy with his dad a few times! I didn’t really converse with him enough to get a feel of his character, I only ever saw him from afar… Oh well! Maybe ‘cuz of his high status, he has more training with his mic… Eek! That gives me high hopes!”

Evelyn Rose

"Oh, her! She’s a super cute one! I don’t work with her all that often since I don’t really see her for horror films, but she can be a real treat to work with! She’s just the sweetest~ If only you knew how excited I get when I see Evelyn-chan’s name in my client list! She’s big here in Japan, but I sure hope she makes it bigger in Hollywood! I think she’s got what it takes— and I’ve worked with lots of Japanese and Hollywood actors.”

Rashaad Young

"Oh hell yeah, this guy! So I vlogged my first visit to his bar and that did super well! Then when I visited a second time, I got the guy to let me advertise the place some more! We get along pretty well, I’d say! He doesn’t talk about himself all that much— I mean, I don’t, either— but he’s a pretty chill guy and he makes for a good conversation partner.”

Liberty Guild

“I fucking love this lineup! A group full of foreigners? That’s new! Bring it on, you guys! Don’t think just ‘cuz I like you guys, that I plan on letting you guys off easy on the battlefield!” Reiaki’s lips lifted into a cheeky, mischievous smile. “Our team leader gave us instructions, so you guys better give it your all! Bring it on! Man, I’m so excited…!”

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 179: Return of the Texan

Release date: Feb 13th, 1952 

Studio: 20th Century Fox 

Genre: drama/western

Director: Delmer Daves 

Producer: Frank P. Rosenberg 

Actors: Dale Robertson, Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan 

Plot Summary: After Sam’s wife dies, he and his two sons move back to their old rundown family farm. Sam struggles to earn a living and deal with the grief from the loss of his wife. He finds help from his stubborn grandfather and a flirtatious woman in town. 

My Rating (out of five stars): *** 

This was just a nice simple family drama without too much melodrama. It’s more colorful and character driven than plot heavy and schmaltzy. The story could have easily become maudlin, so I appreciated the relatively restrained tone of it all.  (major spoilers!)

The Good: 

Dale Robertson as Sam. I’ve found him appealing in everything I’ve seen him in thus far (Outcasts of Poker Flat, Lydia Bailey, and O. Henry’s Full House), and I liked him here. He played Sam effectively as an outwardly stoic guy with clear pain and sensitively under the surface. 

Joanne Dru's Ann was a shocking character at times. She was a kind woman who also openly and shamelessly juggled a lot of men, flirting intensely with anyone she wanted to. The flirting could even be sexually suggestive. In most Classical Hollywood films, she easily could have been judged as a “bad girl” or a slut, but she wasn’t here. It was very interesting. 

I got quite invested in the characters- I really cared about Sam and his kids. 

The screenplay and the overall tone of the movie was handled simply and without excessive sentiment. 

I liked the fact that this was a film about grief; about dealing with a painful loss and trying to find a way through it. To have that as a central topic for a film was not very common in this era. 

The opening music was beautiful, and I enjoyed most of the score. 

The Bad: 

Grandpa! I love Walter Brennan, but I hated the character. Why the hell he just kept going to hunt on Rod’s land, knowing it could jeopardize his son’s livelihood and home... I was literally yelling at my screen, telling him to knock it the fu-k off. The film didn’t seem to totally judge him for it either, some of it seemed to be joking about what a colorful guy he was. That annoyed me. 

The “No Hunting” sign sent off alarm bells the very first time I saw it. I even wrote in my notes “foreshadowing??” It was pretty obvious. 

Grandpa sure recovered miraculously from the stroke he had. 

I was disturbed at the messages given when the two little boys (probably about 4 and 7?) looked at pictures of their late mother or told stories about her to other people. Grandpa especially acted like this was wrong- the kids needed to move on. Ann was always upset by it because it made her jealous and insecure. Sam just kind of tensed up. Please let these little babies remember their mother and process their grief in a healthy way!! 

I’m getting sick of seeing men get into fist fights whenever they have an argument or one of them feels butt hurt in any way. In Classical Hollywood it’s portrayed as seemingly the ONLY way for men to deal with their problems. Or at least the only MANLY way. A crown of respect is placed on the head of the hero who uses his fists. Barf. 

The trope of the wedding day for a character who is marrying the “wrong” person. In real life, are there honestly this many last-minute occurrences of “bride fleeing with her dress on to run to the man she really loves”?? 

Why, dear god, would you call one of your children Yo-Yo?? 

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 294

Devil’s Bargain/Twice Upon a Time

“Devil’s Bargain”

Plot Description: Dean, Sam, and a newly freed Castiel pursue a weakened Lucifer who’s travels lead him to a faith healer who is not what she seems

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: I mean, CAs barely looked alive at the beginning…oh, Lucifer’s going to steal some of that Cupid’s grace for sure

Lucifer, you didn’t need to punch a hole right through him

Aw, poor Lucifer is still experiencing human symptoms like hunger

Ketch, you are so fucked. Yeah, just go kill the devil before he fills back up on grace

Uh oh. I’m very curious about who this faith healer actually is but now I’m scared for her

No, Cas, don’t push your feelings about having been captured and Dean not knowing Azmodeus wasn’t actually you down for the sake of the mission

I mean, Sister Jo is an actual angel but WHO is she? Ok, not one we’ve seen before

She’s right. She’s not a very good angel, but she’s pretty good at negotiating business

If I never had to see that smug English bitchass again….

Thank you, Castiel, for saying what everyone was thinking:Ketch CANT just want to strike a blow for the good of humanity

This angel is so hot for Lucifer, good lord. Especially when she’s almost let him fully deplete her grace and she feels almost human (my phone tried to autofill allo … I mean, that too)

I’m convinced they made Donatello need a whole bunch of fried chicken to do his thing just so they could make evil Colonel Sanders Azmodeus be disgusted with it

Oh fuck. She’s a terrible angel, but I guess if you spent eternity just pressing a button each time a soul entered heaven and no one listened to your ideas on how to fix heaven, but then the universe’s bad boy angel took a liking to you and listened to you, yeah, you’d betray the Winchesters, too. Who are they to you?

(I’m being so brave trying not to cough, thus spooking Megumi)

Ketch…just because you CAN pass info from Azmodeus to the boys doesn’t mean you WILL. Thank you AGAIN, Cas, for stating the SHOULD BE OBVIOUS

I’m not saying the angels should take Lucifer’s offer (he’ll make more angels and give them back their wings in exchange for making him the indisputable ruler of heaven) but it’s a tempting offer

Omg they actually did it. They made him ruler of heaven.

I DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM. GABRIEL?!?! THEY BROUGHT GABRIEL BACK?! He’s been imprisoned in Hell for who knows how long?!

“Twice Upon a Time”

Plot Description: the twelfth Doctor must face his past to decide his future

I love that the “previously on” took us back 709 episodes

Uh oh. If the first Doctor doesn’t regenerate (I know he eventually will), will twelve start to back to the future disappear?

I should not have gone to imdb to see if that was Mycroft…I just got spoiled for actors who will be back (though, if they weren’t, I’d be surprised)

Time is just stopping everywhere for just about everyone. It’s wholly unnerving

No one likes TARDIS redecorations, and One HATES Twelve’s

Hey….it’s occurring to me that Mark Gatiss has already been a character on Doctor Who [insert obligatory England has 12 actors joke here because so has David Bradley but you don’t see me complaining that he took over the ship with the last living dinosaurs and is now the Doctor]

Oh poor Peter. I also thought he was older than he is. Finding out not that long ago that he’s five months older than my dad was jarring. Either my dad looks younger than his age or Peter looks older, but to have to defend to a man born in 1942 that you are younger than him 😭

Twelve having to defend all his decisions to One is hilarious and I can’t believe I came across a post about what your younger self would say if they saw your living space today. One called the dim lighting akin to a restaurant for the French and he’s about to criticize the electric guitar

Also Twelve having to try to stop One from saying casually misogynistic things, you’d hardly believe Moffat wrote Twelve’s lines

I had to pause because seeing Bill again and watching her hug Twelve made me sad

Who’s been stealing the faces of the dead? Like you didn’t take the face of a Pompeiian

I mean, he’s not wrong. They did cut out all the good things the Doctor has done, but “to be fair, they cut out all the jokes” is possibly the funniest way to defend himself

Ok. We can stop with the “a female companion’s job is to clean the TARDIS because I’m the Doctor from the 1960s” jokes now, we MAY continue the “1960s Doctor isn’t up to date with modern tech terms and asks Twelve what browser history is and we watch Twelve become uncomfortable” ones

I’m trying so hard to not say things like “Mycroft would never let that happen to himself” I need you to know how hard I’m trying not to say that when small octopus-like aliens launch themselves at his face

Fuck. She IS a duplicate

Oh, are they actually on Skaro? I didn’t want to hold out hope that those were Daleks

I’m confused as to what Twelve is doing with this particular dalek, but I’m sure it’ll get spelled out eventually. What I’m actually more interested in is why testimony needs all this info from One

He’s spent so much of his time fighting capitalism in space and the future and toxic positivity that he doesn’t know what to do when confronted with a plan that doesn’t sound evil on the surface

Of course not-Mycroft is a Lethbridge-Stewart. The thought had been noodling its way through my brain since I saw that he was just referred to as The Captain on imdb. I love that the Doctor kept his promise to keep watch on his family

HE ADJUSTED THE TIME BY ONLY HOURS AND SAVED THE CAPTAIN’S LIFE BECAUSE OF THE CHRISTMAS ARMISTICE OF 1914 🥹

Ok, FINE, Steven. You got me. You pierced my heart with One thinking that THIS is what it means that his future selves are a Doctor of War 😭

I know it’s not over yet but I was promised another special guest…THERE SHE ISSSS!! There’s Clara 😭😭

His smile when he sees and remembers herrrrrrrrrrr

Godddddd he’s so happy

Twelve’s arc is so so so wonderful. He started out with Clara being his “carer” (she cares so he doesn’t have to) and now he cares SO MUCH. Possibly TOO much

Him giving advice to the next Doctor before he regenerates 😭 I just…

Ok much as I do like Jodie’s Doctor outfit, I do sort of wish she could have had Twelve’s

[greenyandlazy]

Having finally clocked the RE4 remake, I have a compulsion to speak my thoughts into the void. This is basically just going to be a bullet point comparison of certain aspects of the game and which version I personally feel did better.

But first! Overall I’m very happy with the remake! I think it did a really good job at maintaining the spirit of the original, even if they did cut out quite a few things that made it so beloved, they added in some aspects of their own that were fantastic. They also honoured the original in little ways that were wonderful. Now onto…

- The gameplay;

The original’s was revolutionary, and it’s no surprise that 18 years later the remake’s are overall better. Tank controls are no problem for me so I don’t particularly care about it being updated to something more modern. What really stands out is the knife being more heavily involved to the point you can do stealth kills and parries. That was a brilliant addition.

- The areas;

In summary of quality, the village is better, the castle is about the same, and the island isn’t as good. The last was trimmed down significantly (they cut the U-3 boss fight!) and veteran players can really feel it. The sections with the regeneradors weren’t as scary either when they used to be the most terrifying aspect of the game. At this point in time I can’t pinpoint why, by the island section left me with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction, which is a problem when it’s the final part of the game and there’s nowhere to improve because you’re at the end.

- The dialogue;

Come on, the original wins hands down. But I love that they kept Leon’s personality so that he came up with some new campy dialogue in the same vein.

- The shooting gallery!

Oh my god, it’s just so amazing! It was such a small, fun, totally out of place side game in the original, and they took it to 11 in the remake! It’s so insanely fun AND we get to hear more Merchant lines.

- The heroes’ characterisation;

Leon is *hand-wave*. I admittedly prefer his original personality where he was more cool-headed and snarky, but I like how they did him in the remake as well. With how much more serious the remake was, I don’t think his original characterisation would’ve worked anyway.

Glad we got the ending scene with Ada in the helicopter, because otherwise I’m very let down. She gets less scenes and has less of a presence in this one. It’s like they have her there because she was in the original, not because they wanted her there. It’s a concerning trend I’ve noticed RE doing lately regarding her character.

Ashley is about the same. I know most people are happy with her “improved” characterisation, but really she was just as good in the original. The only difference is that she didn’t have dialogue saying how she wouldn’t run away and that she felt good about helping Leon every second area. In fact I found her characterisation a bit annoying in the remake because it felt like they put a big flashing sign over her head saying, “Look at how much tougher she is this time!” when she did all the same things in the original.

Luisss. So much better. He was criminally underused in the original and deserved so much more screen time. I still prefer his original character design, but I can’t deny his jacket in the remake is fly as hell (I want to own it). The voice actor and mo-cap actor did a fantastic job and gave him so much emotion. Him being revealed to be a repentant Umbrella scientist made so much sense and fit in perfectly.

Mike. What the fuck accent was he supposed to have?

Not sure if he’s a hero or not, but the Merchant’s oh-so slight expanded characterisation was very welcome. He’s been a fan fave for ages, he deserves more moments!

- The villains’ characterisation;

Saddler isn’t as good. I like how he leans into the religion aspects more, but it’s at the cost of his controlling bastard tendencies which made him such a great villain originally. Also, with him not hacking Leon’s comm device we lose a ton of his best moments. I also don’t like the vague implication he was under control by the plagas. He was better when he was fully in control.

Mendez only a got a minor expansion in showing how overly religious he was, and that was all that was needed.

Fitting with the feel of the castle section overall, Salazar is about the same in quality. I didn’t feel like they improved on him, but I also didn’t feel like they made him worse. The brief moments where he and Leon got up in each other’s faces were standouts per normal and they should’ve had way more interactions. His boss fight was a lot more challenging, which is great, and music that plays during was phenomenal.

Krauser. This is one where I can’t decide which version I like more. On one hand, I prefer his original manner of speaking which really shows off how level-headed he is and the odd moments of almost intimate dialogue he sends Leon’s way during fights. I really dislike how condescending he is towards Leon in the remake, whereas part of his appeal originally was that he saw him on equal footing with himself and treated him as a serious threat. At the same time, the remake gives him much more backstory and talks about Operation Javier in a lot more detail. His section ended up being the standout for me on the island in remake because of this and his overhauled interactions with Leon that really showed how highly they once regarded one another. Also, not related to his characterisation and not to be rude to the new VA, his original baritone voice was way better.

I have a few other thoughts, but when someone asks me what I think of the game, these are the things at the front of my mind.

In the end the remake did what I’d wanted, gave me two fantastic versions of the same game. It didn’t make the original feel aged at all, and in fact it’s made me want to go back and play it again.

[iloveart06]

Whoopsies  Chris Evans x Male Reader

Gif Not Mine

“Here we are with Actor Chris Evans and M/N M/L/N, gentleman how are we doing?” The interviewer asks. The two men smiled, showing off their charming appearance off. “So here we are, tell us what kind of characters you play in the film?” 

With a straight posture and face, Chris began-

”Lloyd is CIA agent, sort of the villain of the movie and he is very demanding, sarcastic kind of guy, always wants to get the work done no matter what even if it has to be done in sinister way” The Bostonian man finished with a small smile around his lips, turning to M/N. “My character is the brains of the movie, he helps out Court, played by our bestie Ryan Gosling,” He giggles, “Yea they are a team, my character helps Court who is being hunted down by Lloyd.” 

“Now in the film you both are enemies. Put in real life, you both are lovers. How did it feel to do fighting scenes with each other?” The interviewer asked. Small Chuckles fill the room. “Me and Chris are very serious when it comes to acting and doing those scenes was really fun especially since I got to do it with him.” 

“And who always win?” 

“Why me of course” Chris playfully exclaimed.  “

“Of course you do, bet ’chu know how to manhandle Mr. M/N/L very well in bed too, turn him into your submissive boy.” Chuckled the interviewer. 

The room went silent with the interviewer turning to the next question while Chris kept on smiling. While M/N felt his body turn hot and red with anger, his veins popping a bit to much in his arms as his knuckles went white from gripping onto the chair. He waits for Chris to say something, surely,  he will...

-Some time later-

Slamming the door as soon as he entered their apartment, the door opens to an annoyed Chris going after M/N who just slapped the door right in his face. “The hell is your problem?” The Bostonian man asked, unbuttoning a few buttons of his shirt. M/N doesn’t answer instead rushes to the bathroom, slamming the door once again. Sighing, Chris walks up to the door, hand reaching for the doorknob all for it to be lock. “M/N are you serious right now? Stop acting like a fuckin-”

The door swings open, the young male’s brows knit together with the glare he gave. “Are you being fucking serious right now? Are you really asking me why Im acting like a bitch?” “I never said bitch. But you are being one right now, especially ignoring me...What’s up with you huh? Since the car ride home you’ve been acting like this” He crosses his arms

 “God Christopher you’re so fucking clueless...in the interview, when that asshole said ‘I bet you can handle M/N so well’” He mocks, “You sat there without saying anything back. Only chuckled and ignored it.” “Well what the hell was I supposed to do? MN it was just a stupid little joke.” “Stupid little joke? Are you fucking with me right now? You were supposed to stick up for me, but you didn’t...” Small shed of tears began forming in the young male’s eyes.

The Bostonian man sighed, looking deeply into M/N’s eyes. He could see how hurt he truly was. “M/N...your right and I...I am sorry I didn’t stand up for you like a good partner should...Will you forgive me?” It was M/N’s turn to see how Chris truly meant his words, so with a soft sigh-”I do...” “Can we hug it out?” “Sure Christopher.” The lovers wrap their arms around one another, exhaling each other’s scent. “I love you M/N, love you with all my heart.” Chris whispered into his ear, lips peaking a kiss into M/N’s cheek. “Love you too Chris.” 

“...I’m hungry...” 

“Your punishment for today is cooking tonight’s dinner.” 

“But M/N you know I suck at cooking, probably gonna burn the whole kitchen down.” 

“Either you cook or there will be no sex tonight. Your choice, Evans.” 

“Hmph...” 

“But you still love me, Chris.” 

“And will forever do...” 

[shipsandlattes]

So I know everyone has already dissected this scene to its core, but it’s taken me a good 48 hours to digest this and I just needed to get it out.

I’m an aspiring actor, I’ve been training for a long time, with a lot of amazing teachers. I’ve watched a lot of shows and shipped a lot of couples. Some of them beautiful and canon, others, well, let’s just say waiting 22 years and counting for acknowledgement, closure, anything, it’s a damn challenge. I’ve seen a hell of a lot of will-they-wont-they’s, baiting, purposeful ignorance, deliberate fake outs, zero explanations, storylines that basically caused canon disintegration, the works.

In saying that, Dean and Cas were right up there on the list with the other “impossibles” because honestly, I didn’t think the writers would have the guts to do it, but I am so f*cking proud they did. It’s safe to say I’ve watched the scene a good hundred+ times already. 

I’ve seen a lot of “controversy” around Dean’s reaction/Jensen’s acting choices and whether or not Dean reciprocates Cas’ feelings, and obviously, I needed to add my own views to the mix.

Just work with me for a minute here.

Dean Winchester is an emotionally repressed trainwreck, and ironically enough, the one that is so full of emotion it hurts to watch. When Cas first starts his speech, he’s confused, really confused because why on earth would Cas start off on a rant now? Billie’s waiting to kill them, he just said he knew something that was more powerful than she was, something that could save them. That’s where he thought this speech was going.

The confusion turns to realisation that it’s a goodbye when Cas starts telling him how incredible he is, how his entire essence is love. Go back and watch the scene again, when Cas says “you’re the most caring man on Earth”, you physically see Dean look down, his eyes searching, he’s actively trying to make sense of what’s happening, he knows what’s coming and you can see him coming to terms with the shock of the words being said to him. He then looks directly at Cas. That look, that was pure shock.

Also, notice how he doesn’t stop Cas from talking? He doesn’t interject, make a joke, doesn’t talk about how there is no time for this now, they’ve got to at least try and stop Billie. He. says. nothing. He listens, he listens like I’ve never seen Dean listen before. Because it’s sinking in now.

When Cas really starts crying, when he says “you changed me, Dean”, you can actually see the pain in Dean’s eyes. He’s no longer in control of his emotions, he’s crying too. He’s never seen Cas like this, so raw, and vulnerable and human. This is the hardest, most emotional conversation they’ve both ever had. They are talking about the one thing that everybody knows, but is never addressed. When it wasn’t talked about, they could deny it, live in the lie. Once it’s said aloud, it’s real and they can’t turn back.

This above series of interactions is the part that kills me the most. The moment Cas says “because it is”, that’s the exact moment of realisation. Look at that last GIF, really look. He’s just worked it out, that he is Cas’ true happiness. He knows what’s coming before Cas even says it. Go back and watch the scene again, they pulled that off so well, the way the music swells at this exact moment. Jensen is giving us everything here, you can see what’s happening in his head - he is Cas’ happiness. He is the one thing on Earth Cas wants and thinks he can’t have. He is the reason Cas is about to die. He knows what Cas is about to say and he’s not sure he’s ready to hear it, not now, not like this. It’s almost a silent plea not to say it, because he knows. Of course he knows. It’s like he can’t quite believe Cas is really, after all this time, finally going to say it.

And because obviously Jensen decided that that wasn’t enough to break us, the loaded reaction when Cas says “I love you” has me nothing but convinced that it’s reciprocated. Because Dean knows. He’s always known. Those tears, that head tilt, that gulp. He’s so genuinely confused that they’re really having this conversation. It’s like he can’t quite believe that this is the reality before him because he’s been living in that denial, in that self-loathing and unlovable layer he believes to be true. He’s been under the ‘what if... but it could never be’ umbrella for so long. 

What also makes this real is that there isn’t anyone else around this time. When “I love you’s” have been said before, they have always been able to deflect it, with other people or other words. Now it’s just the two of them. No deflecting, no running away. Dean is forced to hear it, to absorb it, to realise it’s for nobody else but him.

Now, I don’t know if you guys felt this, but when Dean says “Don’t do this, Cas”, he wasn’t just referring to Cas sacrificing himself to the Empty, he’s telling Cas that he can’t just say this, not now, knowing he’s going to die, knowing that Dean won’t get a chance to think, to process, to say what he needs too. I keep staring at that GIF above, Dean is breaking down, I’m almost convinced that Jensen was using an “I love you too, please just stop this” inner monologue for this bit. Look at the way he’s looking at Cas before he realises the Empty has started materialising and turns around. That’s a look of pure heartbreak. Trust me when I tell you, it’s really hard to keep those inner thoughts inside if you’re so in the moment - actually, don’t just take my word for it, read any acting book, ask any actor, it’s so hard to keep that in and sometimes you don’t, and sometimes you do - it’s in both the resistance and the letting go that the gold happens. This my friends, is gold. 

Did anyone else hear “Cas, I-”, well, regardless of whether or not it was an “I” or a very sharp breath, the outcome is the same. Dean’s gone into immediate panic mode. The Empty at one end and Billie at the other, and all poor Dean wants to do is gather his thoughts on not what to say but how to say it. I don’t think he comprehended just how little time he had, he was so focused on what was being said that the reality of the situation caught him completely off guard.

Also, I know this post was about dissecting Dean’s reaction, but can we sidebar a minute to talk about Cas as he pushes Dean out of the way? He’s sobbing, he’s fully crying. That hit me really hard, I’ve never seen Cas cry like that, I’ve never seen Misha get to play that level of emotion before and it was the most heartbreaking thing to watch since The Doctor and Rose and Buffy and Spike, to which by the way, I find many parallels between those couples and this scene.

Speaking of crying, that brings me to this: Dean slumped on the floor, ignoring a call from Sam, sobbing his heart out knowing he’s lost everything. Dean-I’m-emotionally-unavailable-Winchester is sobbing. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t recall ever seeing Dean cry like this before either, the sobbing was so evident and piercing in that silence. The look around the room, the burying of his head in his hands, that is a classic writers romantic love trope if I’ve ever seen it, they really pulled out all the stops with this one.

So, to summarise, I think Jensen’s choices and Dean’s reactions were absolutely and utterly perfect. They both did it so well that it didn’t break from character that these two emotionally distant and repressed men are in love and finally voicing it. Jensen barely said two words and still managed to cause mass coronary’s across the fandom. That my friends is what you call a brilliant actor. I bow down to the talents of these two amazing human beings.

Before I leave this novel, I have to say there are now a few things I’m going to need from the powers that be to not screw this up, help me manifest this:

1. Dean gets to reciprocate his feelings to Cas in person. So, I’m gonna need Cas back and a very emotional Dean.

2. Dean to be actively dealing with heartbreak in the next episode (unless they decided to bring Cas back that soon, which I wouldn’t put past them at this point).

3. Sam to confront Dean about his feelings for Cas, because out of everyone, he’d be the one to hit Dean with the truth of his fears. Sam knows. Sam is supportive. Sam sees it all.

4. I’m gonna need some physical affection, cause after 12 years of nonsense, we damn well deserve it. A hug, and not just any old reunion hug, a proper, this is different now hug. A kiss because hello, in love out loud now. Forehead touching, handholding, really gonna need the works here.

5. A happy ending for the two of them, one way or another. We’ve never had one, it’s time.

Okay, have at it now, let’s speak these into existence please.

Note: GIFs are not mine, I did not make them, credit to owners who I’m not sure of, but they’re beautiful, thanks for making them. EDIT: I’ve just been informed that these gorgeous gifs belong to @michaeldean​ and @inacatastrophicmind​!