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smolwritingchick · 1 year ago

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Forced to Believe Chapter 5- Becoming Heel

Chapter Summary: Melanie and Jon decide to try out dating, Morgan deals with being the newest member of The Shield. As she continued to work with the boys, Melanie felt like she wasn't doing enough to truly become a heel on TV until she gets suggested to do something to The Undertaker

Words: 4,000+

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"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Michael Cole and with me is the newest member of The Shield, Morgan Lopez. So Morgan, how did you get into the WWE?"

Morgan sat across from Cole to do a little interview for WWE's website. She smiled and answered, "Well, Triple H and the McMahons were very reluctant to hire me as a diva when they found out I was related to Chyna in 2010. Not sure what the beef is but I guess some assumed things would cause problems since Chyna and Triple H had a past together and all that jazz. It isn't any of my business, so I have no intention of doing that. All I wanted to do was be a WWE diva. I wanted to show them that I am not just a pretty face. But they just wanted me as a manager and to not wrestle. So, when they said that, I chose not to sign the contract and left. That's when I started doing more Indy shows. Years later, Vince saw how good I wrestled and he signed me up to FCW and then to NXT. And now...I'm finally here in the WWE."

"About Chyna, do you keep in touch with her?"

"Yes. I didn't know she was my cousin until I was around 15 or so. I never met her until I was 21. Her parents didn't want me around her and I remember Chyna talking about how she didn't get along with her family. When we met, it was emotional. She's such a cool person."

"Any favorite female wrestlers?"

"Victoria, Chyna, Ivory, Molly Holly, and Gail Kim. I love Lita and Trish as well but I started to really have my eye on these five divas. They won me over and they are my favorites. I had a one on one talk with Gail Kim and Victoria about wrestling and they really motivated me."

"Any other talents you have?"

"I can dance. Long story short, I was forced by my mother to learn how to dance because my father is a dance instructor. I hated it at first but it worked out in the end because I usually help the divas and superstars with their dances. So it's a win win situation. It's been hard but I survived. I actually grew to love dance now,"

"What type of dance instructor are you?"

"Well, I like to let them put their own little flavor into their dance to make it their own. Not just follow me all the time."

"How'd it feel hitting Dean with those chair shots at TLC?"

"Awesome! We did this in CZW, so it was like a flashback to me. Plus, he hit me with a chair during CZW, so I guess we're even."

"But you hit him 15 times!"

"Guess he has to hit me 14 times."

"How does it feel being in The Shield?"

"I'll have to grin and bear it. But it's going to be very interesting and I can't wait to see my journey with those wackjobs."

"Sweet or sour grapes?"

"Sour! I love sour stuff! One time, I ate all these different types of sour candy and my tongue went numb. Bad idea, don't try it at home! I had to wait to feel my tongue again after a few hours. It was pretty scary."

"Who would you like to wrestle in the future?"

"Naomi, Natalya and I wouldn't mind wrestling Chyna."

"Favorite match type?"

"TLC matches."

"Favorite Undertaker match?"

"The end of an era match."

"Favorite Team?"

"Team Xtreme, and DX."

"Do you have a favorite storyline?"

"You know, I really love all the Trish Stratus feuds. They all were awesome."

"People have been saying you've been bringing some of the Attitude Era back."

"Yeah because I was fighting The Shield and that I did Chyna's WrestleMania entrance. I requested to do her entrance, so I was lucky enough that WWE decided to let me try it. I have my fingers crossed to do it again soon."

"PG or PG 14?"

"Honestly, PG. It's pretty fun."

"What divas match would you like to be in?"

"I want to be in a divas tables match, just like Laycool, Beth and Natalya have."

"What about a pillow fight?"

"Never been a fan. But I do applaud Christy Hemme for being undefeated in Pillow Fights."

"Seems you've been doing a lot of research, why is that?"

"Knowledge will help me out, especially when I watch my opponents' matches to get an idea of what I'm going up against."

"Do you have a problem with anyone?"

"The Bellas."

"Really? Why?"

"You'll find out when the time comes," she replied, implying about Total Divas.

"Are you in a relationship?"

"You tell me." She countered with a smile.

"Would you like to be in a video game?"

"Yes! I really want to be in WWE 2K14. Hopefully they will have me. Please let me make the cut!"

"What do you do before a match?"

"Listen to music. I go into my own little world and calm myself down and hope that everything goes well. I usually listen to motivating music like the new Smackdown theme, born to run. Gosh I love that song! And I also stretch if I'm against an opponent who does a lot of submissions. And I make sure to pray before my matches."

"One last question, what are your plans for WWE?"

"I want to become Diva's champion and beat Maryse's longest title hold of over 200 days. I also want to make sure to make a name for myself even without a title. So please, keep cheering me on!."

"I hope everything goes well. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, you have been here with me and Morgan Lopez."

'Raw'

Kaitlyn is in the ring, waiting for Morgan, who is her partner, to go against Alicia and Aksana.

Before the match, Morgan tweets 'Interesting crowd tonight. Curious to see how the crowd will react to me. #Raw'

Morgan's theme comes on and she comes out to a big pop.

"Nice..." she said with a smirk and headed to the ring. When her theme fades, the crowd cheers 'Morgan's awesome!'

"And the crowd, letting Morgan know how much she's loved, despite being the newest member of The Shield." Cole said.

Kaitlyn starts the match against Alicia as Morgan looks on.

'We want Morgan! We want Morgan!' The crowd chanted.

"And this crowd is electric tonight!" King says.

The crowd screams when Morgan gets tagged in. Aksana gets tagged in and they look at each other.

Morgan takes control of Aksana.

'Thorn of justice!' The crowd cheered, coming up with more chants, and even chanted 'Kaitlyn' as she and Morgan looked around at the crowd in shock and amazement. The Raw after Wrestlemania crowd was so lively.

Morgan hits Aksana with the backfire. Alicia tries to get in the ring but gets speared by Kaitlyn as Morgan pins Aksana to win the match.

"Here are your winners! Kaitlyn and Morgan!" Justin announced as the ref raised their hands

'WWE Main Event'

It was during WWE Main Event where Seth and Roman were facing Heath and Jinder. Morgan was forced to manage them at ringside. She really didn't want to but here she was and she managed to tough it out, impressed with their teamwork.

She watches as Seth hits the blackout on Jinder to win the match. Once The Shield won, Heath and Jinder continued to brawl with The Shield.

"This match is over!" Josh Mathews exclaimed on commentary as Morgan made her way inside the ring

"Come on! Enough already!" She exclaimed.

Roman and Seth attack Jinder while Heath recovers. Turning his attention to her, Heath glares at her and starts to taunt her

"We all know Morgan has problems with 3MB." Miz said on commentary.

"Get out of my face!" she shouted and punched him in the face, making him stumble back

"Uh oh. Morgan better get out of there." Josh warned as Heath was about to attack her.

All of a sudden, Roman spears Heath before he can get to her as Morgan looks on in astonishment. She stumbles down and backs up to a corner.

"Morgan wasn't expecting that," Miz said

Jinder gets on the apron but gets speared by Roman too. While Roman was distracted by Jinder, Drew slid into the ring, making his way to Morgan.

"Think you are off the hook?" he asked, about to attack but gets clotheslined by Rollins and hit with the blackout.

The two Shield members help Morgan up.

"You all right?" Seth asked, in a sincere concerned tone.

"Yeah...thanks...I guess." Morgan reluctantly replied.

'Backstage'

After the match, Morgan was walking behind Seth and Roman. She couldn't help but think about why they saved her, so she decided to speak up.

"Okay, I got to ask. Why did you two save me?" She stopped walking and watched as they stopped and turned around as well

"Morgan, we're not bad guys. You are a part of The Shield. Chosen to be a part of The Shield. We have each other's backs." Seth placed a hand on her shoulder.

"And we have yours too, whether you like it or not," Roman added.

"So relax. The Shield ain't all that bad. We're not gonna let anything happen to you." Seth smiled softly, which shocked her even more.

"Did-did you just smile at me?" She asked in awe.

"Well, we're not robots or unemotional," Seth teased. "Learn to trust us, all right?"

"Wow. Okay. This uh...this is going to have to be processed in my brain. Yeah, well, thank you. I'm gonna go now." She walked away

'Next Week, Raw'

While Ryback and Cena have their segment, Ryback leaves the ring and then The Shield comes out and attacks Cena as Morgan looks on at ringside.

"John Cena is being attacked by The Shield and Ryback is just standing there," Cole looked on.

"The Shield completely manhandling Cena."

"Do you think Morgan is comfortable being around The Shield?" King asked, noticing she was just watching and not going along with it.

"She better get used to it," JBL said.

Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose hit the triple powerbomb on Cena and then Ambrose motioned Morgan to get in the ring as they stood tall over Cena with their fists out.

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'April's Hotel Room'

After the show, Mel hangs in April's hotel room to paint her nails.

"There." Melanie looked proud of her work.

"Thank you!" April said with a grin. "It looks amazing. I really didn't feel like painting them tonight,"

Melanie's phone rang and she answered it. "It's the most beautiful grape monster in the world, here. What can I do for you on this lovely night?" She answered, earning a giggle from April.

"Grapes, you gotta help us," Colby says in panic.

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on." She got off April's bed.

"It's Jon, he's drunk and Joe and I need your help."

"Is he okay!? Where are you guys?"

"We're in the hotel, we need to get him to your room since it's closer."

"Huh? Why not in your room?"

"You don't care about him?" Colby countered.

"I do care about him! Look, I'm on my way." Melanie hung up. "I gotta go, see you later."

She rushed to her hotel room door to see Joe and Colby carrying a drunken Jon in their arms. It was so weird, like why couldn't he be in their room resting but by all means she usually helps him when he's drunk so she went along with it

"Jeesh, I told you guys to stop him from drinking so much. You know how that makes me worry!" she scolded

"Calm down, we didn't know he would get wasted like this." Joe replied

Melanie rolled her eyes and opened her door, letting them take Jon inside and put him on the couch

"Can you babysit him tonight? If he's with us, he's gonna ask for you." Colby said

"For me?" she asked

"Yeah. We gotta go." Joe abruptly said as he and Colby quickly left

"Okay...that was weird..." she looked confused and turned her attention to Jon who had his eyes closed and was resting on her couch. She sighed and sat down to watch him.

She truly did like him. Ever since the CZW days. Back then she was in that horrible relationship with Greg but she always wondered what would have happened if she just moved on from Greg quicker and tried dating Jon. She was just happy to be with Jon again. And bonus points for being able to work with him together on the road.

Assuming he was sleeping, she spoke her mind, "You worry me. A lot...I don't want you to keep doing this to yourself," she brushed some of his hair back.

After she didn't hear a response, she sighed. But then she felt a hand move as Jon slowly held her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers.

"There's this girl...she's always been there for me..." he murmured as she looked down in surprise.

"What?"

"She made my birthday worth celebrating again...made me enjoy spending time with her family during the holidays,"

She started to smile. "Who?"

"I really like you..." he mumbled as she widened her eyes.

"W-what?" she started to get butterflies in her stomach. Unable to stay fake sleep he opened his eyes and sat up as she started to giggle with a blush, "You're not really drunk are you."

"I really thought that plan would work...I'm messing up big time,"

"No, you didn't. Why didn't you tell me? That you liked me?"

"Because I don't feel like I'm good enough for you." He admitted, "And I didn't think you felt the same,"

"Why would you say that?"

"You've seen where I came from."

"Who cares about that? That doesn't matter to me at all. You're good enough for me. I've liked you for a long time now. Years. I've just been nervous to take that step,"

Hearing her feeling the same made Jon happy as he asked her, "Then you wouldn't mind being my girlfriend? Can we try?"

She pulled him in for a sweet kiss, "Of course we can," she grinned

"Yes!" He exclaimed as he made a fist while she laughed.

'Next week, Raw'

The camera shows a helicopter landing and then The Shield walks out as the crowd cheers. "Wow. It's The Shield. The Shield are here Michael!" JBL exclaimed.

"Indeed it is. A fantastic arrival" Cole said.

Later, the titantron shows Morgan with The Shield in a dark area.

"Ambrose."

"Reigns."

"Rollins."

"Lopez..."

"And we, are The Shield. And we went through great lengths to get here tonight." Seth said.

"For twenty years...two decades, the Undertaker has been the judge, jury and executioner in WWE, he would decide who was guilty and throw out his brand of justice and sends his victims to rest in peace. Well, I don't know...who gave him that right." Ambrose mentioned. "So far no one has been capable of stopping him."

"Until now." Reigns added

"For the first time in three years, the Undertaker has come back to Raw to step in the ring." Ambrose said. "These days, The Shield is the law and we are the judge, jury and executioners, we make the rules."

"So tonight Undertaker, you, your brother, and your little buddy Daniel Bryan, at your expense, we'll make our greatest statement. Own the night." Seth went on

"For the first time in the Undertaker's life, he will know what justice tastes like," Ambrose guaranteed.

"Believe in The Shield." Morgan signed off with a frown and the camera cuts off.

"Do you see Morgan cooperating with The Shield?" JBL asked happily. "She finally believes!"

"Or maybe it's because she has no choice," Cole mentioned.

'Later on'

'Interested to see what my #NewWeirdTeam is planning tonight. #WatchYourBack' Morgan tweets.

Backstage, it shows Daniel and Kane talking. "Where is he? Is he here yet?" Daniel asked.

"When he's here, you'll know it." Kane replied

"How are we ever supposed to beat The Shield if we don't go over strategy?"

"You don't have to worry about the Brothers of Destruction."

"First of all, it's Team Hell No and The Undertaker. Not the Brothers of Destruction and Daniel Bryan. Second of all, I am worried. Nobody has defeated The Shield and we all need to be on the same page. Can't you just like give him a call or something?"

"Give him a call? He doesn't exactly carry a cell phone."

"Well, he needs to be here. Because I came up with a great game plan for tonight. First I'm going to start the match."

"Daniel, wait wait. The Undertaker does not take orders."

"But I have diagrams. Diagrams! What is with you tonight? Is this because we haven't hugged in a while?"

"Daniel...If I get the Undertaker you have to promise not to show him diagrams. And whatever you do...do not try to give him a hug."

"Okay, I promise."

"Good." Kane looked straight ahead. "Hey-" He exclaimed but then the camera fell down and it showed Team Hell No hurt on the floor and pairs of black shoes

"You sure that was a good idea?" Morgan's voice was heard as the black shoes walked away.

'In The Ring'

During The Shield's match against Team Hell No and The Undertaker, Morgan watches at ringside as Taker delivers the leg drop and prepares for the chokeslam.

"Hey!" She shouted as she got on the apron and tried to distract the ref.

But then Taker locks eyes with her as the crowd cheers. Her eyes widen and she is about to quickly get off the apron but screams when Taker grabs her by the neck.

"Oh no!" JBL exclaimed.

"Oh yes!" Cole cheered.

Taker raises her up to get in the ring as Morgan tries to get him off of her. He is about to chokeslam her but Dean attacks him as he releases her. Morgan slips out the ring and holds her neck. Seth gets in the ring but then Taker grabs Ambrose for the chokeslam and then him. Suddenly, Reigns spears him. Reigns pins Taker and only gets a 2 count as he looks surprised.

"What!?" Morgan yelled, releasing her neck.

"Reigns can't believe it!" JBL exclaimed.

"What is wrong with you ref?! Count faster!" Morgan yelled, showing shades that she was slowly getting into the idea of being a member of The Shield.

Later, Taker tags in Kane as he takes control of Rollins. Rollins tags in Ambrose and he goes on the top rope, only to get caught by Kane, getting chokeslammed. Kane tags in Daniel and he gets on the turnbuckle but then Reigns pushes him down. Morgan quickly moves out of the way as Taker runs to fight Reigns. She stands in front of the commentary table, looking at the action while Kane and Taker brawl with Seth and Roman. Daniel goes for a headbutt but Ambrose quickly moves out of the way and pins him for the win.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" King exclaimed as the ref counted to three.

"The Shield are still undefeated!" JBL praised.

Ambrose quickly gets out of the ring as Morgan grins and holds him. He holds onto her for support to stand up.

"And the winners of this match, The Shield!" Justin Roberts announced as The Shield quickly left the arena.

"Do you believe in The Shield now?" JBL asked.

"How can you not? " Cole asked.

Morgan tweets, 'Almost got chokeslammed by the Undertaker. #Awesome #MomentIWillNotForget'

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'Smackdown'

"Nice save last week," Morgan said, walking backstage with Ambrose.

"Heh, you're thanking me?" He gave her a confused look and stopped walking and so did she.

"Well, you're the one who chose to save me."

"Touche."

"But seriously..." she gave him a small smile, "Thank you,"

'Later'

The Shield are in another quiet area, ready for another promo.

"Lopez..."

"Rollins..."

"Reigns..."

"Ambrose."

"And we are...The Shield." Morgan announced.

"Monday night, we stood face to face with the tag team champions, Team Hell No and the Phenom himself, the Undertaker." Ambrose said. "Oh, what happened?"

"What always happens." Seth added.

"Justice prevails and The Shield were victorious once again." Morgan said with a smirk

"We broke the unbreakable. It's an injustice that Team Hell No are still holding the tag team titles." Roman said.

"Not for long, but what the true injustice is that the Undertaker ran away from Raw with his soul still intacted." Seth said.

"Not for long. And we did what we said what we were going to do on Monday night. But it still feels like that something's missing. I don't feel total satisfaction. I think it's cause the Deadman is still walking, he's still breathing. Tonight I face the Undertaker one on one. And I got an itch that needs scratching. I'm going to do what no one was able to do in 21 WrestleManias. Tonight, I'm going to beat Undertaker, and when I say that, you better believe that if it's the last thing I do. I am going to beat the Undertaker tonight." Ambrose guaranteed.

"Undertaker...you won't rest in peace. You'll believe." Morgan said.

"You will believe in The Shield." Reigns said and the camera cuts off.

After filming, Jon praised Melanie with a smile, "Nice job,"

"Really? I feel like I did a terrible job," Melanie replied with a frown.

"What?" Colby asked in shock.

"How so?" Joe asked.

"Maybe it's because I still feel like a face. I haven't really heard the crowd boo me since they always love to cheer me." Melanie pondered. "I feel like I need to do something for them to truly hate me,"

"Hey, the crowd loves you for you. Heel, Face, or Tweener." Joe reassured her.

"Thanks." She bumped her fist with him, appreciative of his kind words

"Hey, how about we talk to Creative and see if you could do something to The Undertaker tonight?" Colby suggested.

"Not a bad idea." She agreed

'In The Ring'

During Dean's match with The Undertaker, the rest of The Shield are watching at ringside. As Dean takes control, he taunts The Undertaker by doing his taunt. But then Taker grabs his throat while everyone watches in surprise.

"Oh look out! Undertaker back to his feet." Cole said.

But then Ambrose kicks him to break free of the hold. Moments later, Taker finally hits the chokeslam. Rollins tries to distract Taker but gets hit by him. Morgan decides to distract the ref as Ambrose hits Taker with a low blow. He hit Taker with a DDT but only gets a 2 count.

"No! You got to be kidding me!" Morgan screamed in frustration and banged on the mat. "Son of a biscuit!" she suddenly shouted, making the crowd laugh

Reigns slowly turned his head to Morgan, smirking out of amusement. That got a chuckle out of him

"What?" She asked him, shrugging.

"Son of a biscuit?" Cole recalled

"Don't judge me!" She snapped at Cole as he had his hands up in defense, taken aback by her outburst.

"Don't mess with the Thorn of Justice, Cole." JBL warned.

"I didn't think she would snap at me like that. Jeesh, did Ambrose get into her head? I hope Ambrose doesn't turn her into a Harley Quinn."

"What? She's far from a Harley Quinn. She's doing what she does best."

"I'm serious John, Ambrose got into her head. You've seen how she changed these past weeks. Ambrose did something to her."

"You're crazy, he didn't do anything to her!"

"Ambrose is a wackjob. Morgan said it, I said it, and the WWE Universe said it. He did something to her."

Moments later, the crowd started tweeting about how Morgan yelled Son of a biscuit and Harley Quinn started to trend on Twitter.

The crowd tweets: 'Lol, Cole called Morgan a #HarleyQuinn'

'Guess Ambrose (The Joker) brainwashed Morgan into a #HarleyQuinn #Smackdown'

'LMAO! #SonOfABiscuit. #Smackdown'

The Undertaker traps Ambrose in the Hell's Gate and he taps out while his teammates freak out. The crowd cheers but then Rollins and Reigns attack Taker while Morgan helps out Ambrose.

"The Hounds of Justice unloading on The Undertaker." Cole looked on.

Rollins and Reigns beat Taker out of the ring but then Taker starts to fight back. Ambrose recovers and is about to hit Taker but gets hit with a chair which startles Morgan

"Oh no, no no no." she started walking back, looking nervous.

Rollins gets on the barricade but gets his neck grabbed by The Undertaker. Thankfully, Reigns spears Taker while Morgan helps Seth up. Ambrose grabs a chair and is about to hit Taker but gives it to Morgan, instead, sparking the crowd's interest.

"Hit him!" Seth encouraged her as she glanced at the chair and then her teammates.

"Don't do it, Morgan. You're brainwashed. Don't do it!" Cole shouted while Ambrose got behind her.

"Do it," Ambrose whispered in her ear.

Once Morgan sees Taker trying to get up, she whacks him in the face with the chair, earning loud boos from the crowd.

"That's my girl," Ambrose praised as she grinned in delight at what she had done.

"Her mind is poisoned by Ambrose," Cole said with disappointment as she gave the chair to Ambrose and he hit Taker with it. Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose deliver the triple powerbomb on him afterward. "Undertaker driven through the table!"

"Pick em' up." Morgan motioned as Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns picked up The Undertaker.

"What are they planning now?" Cole asked before she struck him with a spinning kick to the face. "Oh! Spinning kick in the face by Morgan!" He exclaimed as the crowd boos The Shield.

"Believe in The Shield!" Seth yelled as the four had their fists out with the crowd chanting 'You Tapped out.'

"That was justice Taker. That was justice." Ambrose declared.

Morgan tweets, '#SonOfABiscuit had it coming. #Smackdown #BelieveInTheShield'

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Have a favorite hashtag?

#SonOfABiscuit

#BelieveInTheShield

#HarleyQuinn

#NewWeirdTeam

#WatchYourBack

#Loser

#Awesome

#MomentIWillNotForget

#the shield #dean ambrose #dean ambrose x oc #roman reigns #Seth rollins #the shield 4th member #wwe #wwe fanfic #wwe oc #wrestling fanfic

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whinlatter · 2 years ago

Note

What do you think about Deamus? In my head, while Ginny was flirting with Harry, Dean and Seamus were getting closer. I'm sure he went to Seamus' for a few weeks to find out what was going on in the WW, and while he was there, he started feeling things for Seamus that he was confused about.

While I would love to see Dean and Ginny meet up during HBP, I can’t see Molly letting her children out of her sight during HBP because of what happened to Sirius. Even though they bickered, she loved him like a grumpy little brother. I kind of see that bringing back memories of what happened to Fabian and Gideon. With Voldemort finally being seen and the wizarding world acknowledging his return, I can see parents being stressed to keep their children close. Especially with everything that happened with the first war, and don't forget there were attacks happening in the Muggle world, so everyone was on edge.

i really love the idea of deamus, and love both of those boys 4ever. i definitely think the year ginny and dean were together was really tough and formative for seamus (convinced of this via the fault in faulty manufacturing by @pebblysand). that said, i do think it's pretty clear in canon that dean was extremely into ginny and was hurt that he was parred off by her, so not sure that that hbp year was The Year for dean working out feelings for seamus - i think that would have happened later.

in a kind of toxic turn from me... i do prefer an extremely slow burn deamus ship. or even a sadder one, where it happens but they don't make it forever, you know? my favourite actually is maybe they do give it a go in their youth, fuck it up, and find their way back to each other later in life, when they've both done a bit of growing up (seamus) and postwar healing (both, but particularly post-war dean - the guy is on the run in really traumatic circumstances throughout DH). i've owned up to it before (here) but i think there's also something quite compelling about an unrequited thing from seamus' side, that helps him figure something out about himself and that he grows up through.

partly this is me being a bit like, okay, not everyone can end up with someone from school. and the other part of me that really likes the idea of both seamus and dean having real chaos twenties. i think, at some point, it would be nice for dean to be in a long-term relationship with a muggle for a bit, finding some peace straddling both muggle and wizarding worlds through that relationship, if only temporarily. it's just fun for the characters who we don't know about to play with different timelines or different romantic arcs than we have with the main cast of characters. i think both seamus and dean are really interesting characters in their own right, and that's what makes deamus as a ship so compelling - there are just so many ways you can do it and have it be a meaningful and compelling relationship arc. and i want those two handsome lads to be happy always ❤️

re molly not letting ginny go off to london to meet dean - you're ofc right that molly would absolutely not allow it BUT i have great faith in young ginevra's commitment to trying to give her mother the slip. i do love that idea about molly and sirius' relationship though, anon!

#deamus #ask #dean thomas #seamus finnigan #sorry deamus it's your own fault for being so interesting #thank you for this anon!#meta

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adultswim2021 · 1 year ago

Text

The Venture Bros. #41: “The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Pt. 2)” | August 24, 2008 - 11:30PM | S03E13

Part 2 of 2. Or three, if you count Orb. You should count Orb. Speaking of Orb, I thought the whole Orb thread paid off here, but it doesn’t. That actually happens later in season four.

This one starts off with the Lepidopterists alerting General Triester, who is some kind of leader in the OSI, that Brock has been killing their top assassins. Triester decides to go find Brock and bring him in, to put a stop to Brock’s rampage. Commentary-gleaned fun fact: Triester was mentioned in a season one episode, the one where Brock has to reapply for his license to kill. The administer of the test passes Brock despite his recklessness because he’d saved his father’s life, who was General Triester. (authoritatively) You see? it all ties together.

The Ventures are in custody. Hank and Dean are being analyzed by a psychologist, who seems to not believe their claims of Brock being their bodyguard (waffling between him not being real or actually being a kidnapper of some kind), or their robot H.E.L.P.eR. A later episode makes it pretty specifically clear that H.E.L.P.eR is a piece of retro tech that was mass-produced and recalled after some kind of trumped-up safety panic, but I guess it’s possible this may have slipped this guy’s mind. Maybe he was living in Europe at the time?

It’s a little ponderous thinking about how much of the Venture’s world of super science actually trickles outward into civilian society. I wonder just how likely a member of the general public might or might not be aware of the Monarch’s existence, for example. It all seems to be a matter of public record to some extent, but it also seems easy enough for a person to not know much about that whole world and be confused by it when they encounter some henchmen at the mall.

Speaking of H.E.L.P.eR, he’s being held captive by the Monarch and his men. They’re trying to get him to tell them where the Ventures are. He’s loyal through the beatings, but when Dr. Mrs. the Monarch feigns concern for him, acting as though she just wants to get him reunited with his family, he gives her a Conky print-out of their coordinates. And so, the chase is on.

The aforementioned (in the previous episode) Cleaner shows up to the police station and gruesomely melts everyone at the station with his bottle of caustically deadly “cleaning” solvent. He’s a clear reference to Mr. Clean. He busts the Ventures out, but Brock is wary of him, thinking he was set up by the OSI. Moltov shows up and reveals that she is the one who called The Cleaner. There’s a memorable gag where Brock is disgusted with her casual dress. Hank calls her a hoodrat, which is hysterical. This is a very relatable bit to me; I've had uniform-wearing jobs where I'd agreed to hang out with a co-worker and have absolutely been thrown by finding out how they dress off the clock. To be fair I am a shallow idiot.

The Monarch shows up with his cocoon, and General Triester shows up in Brock’s communicator watch. Brock gets all parties to agree to meet at the Venture compound “at Dawn”. The Monarch has strapped an explosive device to H.E.L.P.eR, and thinks he’s going to use it to kill Venture once and for all.

The “at Dawn” line is the jumping point for a somewhat baffling callback to the season two episode where Baron Werner Ünderbheit mistakes Dean for a lady, and calls her Dawn, and Hank somehow misinterprets this as him having a long-lost sister named Dawn. The commentary track makes note of this, as well as the absurdity that they voluntarily called back to what is largely considered to be one of the least-favorite episodes of the show by fans. For better or for worse, nearly every weak episode of The Venture Bros. impacts or is somehow connected to a better one. The sole exception could be the one with the Abe Lincoln ghost, but even that one offers mild context for the launch of Gargantua-2, seeing as how that episode starts with the orbit for Gargantua-1 decaying and crashing down on Earth.

Brock’s plan is basically to pit the Monarch’s men against the OSI, who for the most part mop the floor with the Henchmen. Sgt. Hatred, whose been hiding out at the Venture compound waiting for Venture to come home and kill him, catches up with the Venture family in their panic room. Hank tries to rally the family to join the fray. He wants to use the Hank and Dean clone slugs as an army, led by Sgt. Hatred. The fact that Hank and Dean know about the clone slugs calls back to another commonly-cited least-favorite episode from season two, the Ben Edlund-penned Scooby Doo episode. In that episode, Dr. Venture lies to the boys and says that they were meant to be a Christmas present for the boys; a personal clone army.

It doesn’t make a ton of sense, story-wise. It mostly only happens because Jackson and Doc had a strong desire to put an end to the clone thread once and for all. All the clones are destroyed in battle, never to return again (the season four opener actually makes a point to destroy the clone pods in order to further put a fork in them). This event causes Brock to come out of hiding, still feeling some sense of duty to protect the boys and their clones by extension.

In a deleted scene, Hatred actually gives a bit of a pep talk to Doc Venture, encouraging him to let the boys live without backups because they’re growing up and becoming men. It’s another moment that doesn’t make a ton of sense in-universe, but it’s mostly meant to convey to the audience that “yes, we are really getting rid of the clones”. The line Doc has later in the episode where he tells Hank “you only live once.” does a much more elegant job doing this.

General Treister and Brock finally hash things out face-to-face; it turns out that the OSI didn’t have orders to kill Brock afterall, and were only acting to protect him. Brock, fed up, decides to resign from the OSI as well as quit being the Venture’s bodyguard. Sgt. Hatred immediately seizes the opportunity to ask Dr. Venture to replace Brock.

(Penn Jillette season one South Park commercials voice) Brock plays both sides, Sgt Hatred gets a job, and 24 DIES. 21 and 24 are hiding out in the monarch mobile when H.E.L.P.eR, apparently still in the Monarch’s custody, breaks in and drives it in the battlefield. 21 bails, but 24 is trapped inside, having mindlessly buckled up. 21 asks him “why would you buckle it!?” to which 24 replies, pathetically, “I don’t know!”. This turns out to be their final exchange. They nearly reunite, but the bomb strapped to H.E.L.P.eR goes off, killing 24. His head flies off, engulfed in flames, and lands in 21’s arms. End credits.

We get a post-credits scene that explains everything that happened in this finale: it turns out Moltov and her crew of blackhearts orchestrated the entire thing. They were the ones who sent the assassins, and they lied to Brock about the OSI. They did this just to get Brock to kill their competition. Also, Hunter Gathers is in the organization. Hunter helped, explaining his role in the whole thing during part one.

That concludes the mostly underwhelming season three of The Venture Bros. I do think it ended strong, though. The show got a little difficult to digest with this season, and it felt like the creators decided to double-down on taking all the story stuff very seriously and trying very hard to tie everything together. While I think I might appreciate the previous incarnation of the show for being more enjoyable and comedy-focused, I have to say that I still appreciate and admire the change. The greater backstory of the show isn’t exactly spelled out for the viewer, especially more casual ones, but those who are curious can engage in the thrilling exercise of trying to make sense of it all. It simultaneously feels like the first season of a “new” Venture Bros as well as the final season of “classic” Venture. For better or worse, I feel lucky to have gotten to watch it evolve.

MAIL BAG

i meant to type "yellow fellows" but it got fucked up somehow. some blog you got here

Don't blame your imprecise and thoughtless fingers on my blog. The infrastructure is not my own. You need to pay closer attention to infrastructure, jackass.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #the venture bros.

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angelinthefire · 2 years ago

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Ignite your bones: Director's commentary

After I finished writing, I was still thinking about this fic, so I wrote some director's commentary. It's under the cut because it's pretty long, but I could still talk about it more, lol.

This was hella depressing to write at times. I’m glad it’s done. I do feel like the ending was worth it. If the reader went through that same journey, then I’ve succeeded.

CHAPTER 1

This starts with Chuck POV for a couple of reasons. First because it’s creepy. Second, to establish why Chuck would actually do it this way. Third, so I didn’t have to deal with Dean’s POV in the moment of deciding to pull the trigger, because that’s not the point of this story. The point of the story is the aftermath. CHAPTER 2

I straight up cried while writing chapter 2. When I write intense emotional scenes, I always try to focus on something physical, either with the character’s body, or the setting, or something. It’s grounding and helps give shape to the scene, and I think, makes it relatable. It puts the reader in the character’s shoes. And the visceral horror of dealing with a dead body is a very physical, intense way to start out. This was a really intense start to a story, and I think making those intense emotions as physical as possible helps to keep it from getting melodramatic. (though some melodrama is fine, it’s just not what I’m going for)

The broken cup thing wasn’t something I was intending to come back to, it was just something that occurred to me as a good way to concretize Dean’s feelings. But then it just fit to call back to it in the big Dean and Jack scene. And then since I already called back to it once, it made sense to do it again, in the diner scene and the last bit of Dean in the bunker.

Cas reaching for Dean and Dean pulling away and that having different significance for both of them is important setup. Their ideas about what’s going on between them is very different.

Bringing Cas from the high of his big confession and moment of happiness to Dean being dead was just… yeah, I cried.

Jack’s arc is the least well defined. I really wanted to give him space to exist on his own terms, even if he wasn’t getting POV. It was more about things that I wanted to give him a chance to do (like be angry, for example) than a conclusion that I wanted him to reach. That’s reflected in the final chapter. But his scenes are more like picking at threads and unravelling something than they are about leading to a particular place. That’s something that made them more challenging to write too.

In general, it was important to me that if I was writing a story with Sam being dead as the premise, I couldn’t forget about it. His absence had to be tangible at various points throughout the story. Not because I’m particularly fond of Sam, tbh I think the character really stagnates in later seasons and I don’t find him that interesting. But on principle, regardless of my feelings, I feel like if you’re going to fuck with a character like that, you need to do them proper justice. That raised a challenge for me, because like I said, I don’t find Sam interesting and I’m not interested in writing about him. So what I ended up doing was focusing more on what he represented than who he was.

I love the idea of Cas having conflicting feelings over all of this. Being happy that Dean’s alive more than anything. Because conflicting feelings are just fun. And it gives him something to feel guilty about.

CHAPTER 3

One thing I wanted to accomplish in the first half of this fic was for there to be a constant sexual tension between Dean and Cas. Like they’re in love and best friends etc. etc. But they also desperately want to fuck. But they’re also both grieving and besieged by guilt. And that’s fun. So there’s this constant thing of Cas wanting to reach out to Dean, and Dean wishing Cas would touch him (usually violently, because that’s the only way that Dean lets himself process that desire), and both of them holding back.

Jack does still play a bit of the Greek chorus role. But in a very motivated way. That’s a peeve of mine, actually, when characters Greek chorus without motivation. But Jack is a character that’s trying to understand himself and his situation and the world better, he can ask questions that no one else would ask, so he can offer commentary in a more believable way.

The bunker is a character. And the bunker is Dean. And the bunker is a tomb. It represents an entire period of Dean’s life, one that he has to move on from if he wants to survive. So I keep coming back to descriptions of it having a great deal of weight, and feeling alive.

The question of how Cas would react to finding out the details of the deal with Chuck was something that I thought about for a long time. Straight denial is boring, it doesn’t move Cas anywhere. Being happy that there’s proof that Dean loves him is more interesting, but also not something I think Cas would fully embrace, because he did care about Sam. Recognizing that what Dean says is true, and then consciously rejecting it, because it fucks up the way he understands himself and his relationships too much, is the solution.

The scene after the wake is also interesting because it is a confession of love, but presented as an attack, and it’s not something that either of them can recognize.

Cas excusing Dean’s behaviour is another important part of his characterization that I knew I wanted to include from the start. I don’t like it when Cas is just the victim of a cruel Dean, it makes me feel bad, and I don’t even think it’s in character. Cas is fully capable of standing up for himself when he needs to, and in spite of everything he retains a certain amount of pride. The way Cas makes excuses for Dean, in an odd way, is healthier than some people write him. Because he’s recognizing that Dean isn’t treating him cruelly because he deserves it or because of anything he did, Dean behaves cruelly because of his own problems. And he doesn’t ignore Dean’s flaws or idealize them away. He is way too accepting of them, though.

It was also really important that Cas protect Jack from Dean. Sometimes, some people, when they’re being dark and edgy, and I’m thinking of a particular post here, don’t recognize that Cas would protect Jack. But Cas literally stood in front of the gun that Dean was pointing at him. Protecting Jack is part of who Cas is. That did make it a bit awkward to figure out where to physically place Jack in this story. So that question, of where Jack actually lives, becomes a plot point and a source of tension.

There’s a few points at which I feel like I don’t foreshadow the end so much as telegraph it. By referring to Dean as a time bomb, or Chuck’s Jack Torrance remark (I read The Shining but I never saw the movie. The book ends with the Overlook blowing up), and even talking about how Bobby’s house blew up. Those are all hints.

CHAPTER 4

Dean’s feelings about Jack, and Jack’s feelings about Dean, are full of contradictions. Partially because they were written incredibly inconsistently. Instead of trying to smooth that over, I lean into it. So Jack can be angry at Dean, and resentful of him, and care about him, and want his affection. He can be judgemental of Dean’s behaviour and still go in for a hug because he thinks Dean needs it.

And then the big thing with Dean is he has this big drive to self-sabotage. That’s the whole first half of this story. He wants to drive Cas away because he’s sure it’s going to happen anyways. There is also a part of him that gets satisfaction out of hurting Cas, but I don’t see it as an inherent part of his character. Like, I think it’s more a kind of relief. Like, he’s not the kind of guy to pull wings off of flies. It’s more that if he hurts Cas then he doesn’t have the burden of living up to a higher expectation anymore. But Cas ruins that by continuing to love him and think more of him.

Dean cleaning the bunker serves two purposes. The first is that it makes the bunker itself more of a focus, and ties the link between Dean and the bunker, to set up the payoff of Dean just destroying it at the end. The second is that it gives Dean something to do. I really try to avoid having characters that feel like they’re just waiting off stage for their cue, or like they’re delivering dialogue in a black-box stage, as if the setting doesn’t matter. So the setting matters. It occupies Dean fully.

There are a couple of chapters or sections that feel like nothing is happening, or like nothing is really moving, or scenes are repeating. Those chapters are about building up tension, and making the reader wait, along with the characters. I rarely include something in a fic solely because I just want to, I think everything needs to give the reader some kind of information to give them a fuller picture of what’s happening, and if it’s repetitive it’s not doing that. But there’s some scenes in this fic that are repetitive by design, they exist to draw things out so that the release feels bigger.

Rowena and Eileen both get a little nod, because they were important to Sam, and they need to be acknowledged. They aren’t a bigger part of the story because as much as I wanted Sam’s absence to be felt, the story isn’t about him. The story isn’t even about dealing with grief, really. It’s about Dean reaching a point where he can leave a whole forty years of his life behind.

Another thing that happens throughout the story is that Cas is always looking towards the future, and trying to drag Dean along with him.

CHAPTER 5

Jack’s Air BnB is just this hipster hodgepodge. The vibe of it is such a nice contrast. There’s a couple of times when Jack is associated with sunshine. The scene in his Air BnB, his big scene with Dean, and the last chapter in the auction house. I didn’t really realize that as I was doing it, but now that I think about it, it’s fitting. By getting Jack out of the bunker, that allows him to be the vanguard, kind of, that pulls Cas and Dean out of there too.

Jody does not exist in this story to help Dean and Cas. She exists to highlight how fucked up they are, by them being fucked up beyond her comprehension or her ability to conceptualize or deal with.

CHAPTER 6

The panic room scene was one of the first scenes I conceptualized. At the time, I wasn’t sure how I wanted Cas to react, I was considering having him go along with Dean coming onto him, just out of his willingness to be what Dean requires of him. I was also thinking of it as just a step along the way to a turning point, not the turning point itself. Sorting this out is something that restlesshush helped with.

I just like putting Dean and Cas back in the panic room for climactic moments. I did this in FYPO too.

This scene, like the post-wake scene, is another mis-fire. It’s this big emotional release, but Dean and Cas still fundamentally misunderstand each other, so it’s frustrated. There’s potential for everything to just spill over, and it almost does. But they don’t quite get there.

I’m not sure I really have anything to say about the way Dean has fucked up fantasies about Cas. I think it’s pretty much all there on the surface. Dean thinks all he deserves is to be punished, he thinks he needs to suffer, and that’s a safe way for him to experience his genuine attraction to Cas. And it kind of subsumes and overrides any internalized homophobia Dean has.

And then Dean is just such a sad little man on the floor.

Chapter 6 is the thesis statement chapter. It’s about the question at the heart of this fic: who is Dean? Is he inherently monstrous? Why does he hurt the people around him? Does he have the capacity to change? Honestly, part of the inspiration for this fic was seeing some toxic deancas posts -- and, like, obviously I am not opposed to toxic deancas on principle -- but these posts took that dynamic to the extreme of Dean being abusive, and fundamentally needing to control the people around him. And I reject that. This fic is a polemic against that interpretation. I think Dean is someone who is at war with ideas about who he’s supposed to be. This fic is about -- given the opportunity, is this insular, oppressive life something that Dean would cling to, or is it something he’d try to escape.

The confrontation between Cas and Chuck is about that. And it’s also because it’s fun. I think Cas deserved to have more confrontations with Chuck.

Also, about the title of the fic. I did initially choose it because the lyrics to “Fix You” do really capture the vibe of the story. But then, because the story is about setting fire to what seemed fundamental. “I know the bones of this story”, Chuck says in this chapter. “What do you do with ghosts?” Dean asks in the last chapter.

CHAPTER 7

The first half of the fic (I did originally plan for 12 chapters) is about setting up the question of who Dean is. The second half is about answering it.

So the first thing Dean is confronted with is his relationship with Jack. And again, it was really important to me that Jack has his own motivation in these scenes, that he’s not passive in his relationship with Dean, that he feels real. And it’s satisfying to let Jack get frustrated, and angry. He gets frustrated and angry on the show! But so often he’s conceptualized as this poor passive little guy. And like, Jack does suffer, and he is mistreated, but doesn’t that mean all the more that he deserves to stand up and push back against that, at least a little? And yes, he’s young, but instead of using that to make him child-like and naive, why not use it so he can ask the questions that everyone else takes for granted? So it’s Jack who really challenges Dean to be a better person, by asking why he isn’t; while Cas just believes in Dean.

And it is concern for Cas that gets Dean to finally move forward.

The car. Of course the Impala is representative of Dean’s identity. And the fact that he avoids the Impala throughout the fic has to do with how he’s grappling with his own identity, and the trouble he has with facing that question head-on. The car that I give them for the fic, the wood-paneled station wagon, is one that appeared in a lot of the old movies I watched growing up. It’s something markedly different from every other car that’s appeared on the show, and it also has a retro family vibe to it.

Cas isn’t 100% right about who Dean is, either, of course. He has significant blind spots. But he’s more right than Chuck. And one thing that I enjoy is that his optimism regarding Dean isn’t just inspired by having blind faith in the guy. His faith in Dean isn’t blind, he knows Dean has faults. His optimism is inspired by his spirit of defiance and pride. It’s inspired by -- screw Chuck, I’m right.

Dean doesn’t want to hurt Cas. He wants to push Cas away. Dean realizing that that’s impossible, that Cas isn’t actually going to leave and he isn’t going to stop loving him, forces Dean to rethink his approach. And it’s not just Cas saying “I’ll still love you” that convinces Dean that what he’s saying is true. It’s the way that Cas responds to the question “Do you think I hate you”? That’s the proof for Dean that Cas isn’t going to stop.

There’s two times that it rains in this story. The first time, the sky is that even, flat grey. The second time it’s all patchy and dramatic with sunbursts. I just felt like pointing that out.

Dean’s change of location is both symbolic of his changing mental state, and necessary for his changing mental state.

CHAPTER 8

Again, the setting is so important. Knowing that I wanted Dean and Cas to end up on the open road, I wanted to introduce that as a place in itself, and talk about how Dean feels about it. That he thinks of it as a “blank page” was written with the ending in mind. It’s a place where he can write his own story.

Dean thinking about how to approach Jack, and thinking about what Sam would say is one of the few, or even only, places in the story where I feel like Sam actually makes an appearance.

Regarding the big Dean and Jack chapter, there’s a few points I’ve made about Dean and Jack already that apply here. Jack being allowed to have a whole range of emotions, Jack being the one to challenge Dean to change, talking explicitly about whether Dean is capable of change. Dean does try to reject the challenge that Jack places before him, of trying to be someone better. Mainly out of a fear of failure. But Dean is finding that he can’t just opt out of people caring about him, or out of impacting people with his actions. This chapter is also about acknowledging all the inconsistencies with Jack, and Jack’s relationship with Dean, and leaning into them. Jack has been a mirror for different characters. That’s how he was introduced. And Dean has seen him in all these different lights. So this is about resolving those into one image, contradictions and all. And creating the basis on which they can move forward.

I also really like the element of the sun being too hot, and them being in a parking lot, and Dean’s eyes hurting from the light. It’s a nice change from the regular darkness of the fic. And I think just as evocative in an emotional scene as more dramatic weather.

CHAPTER 9

The way Dean and Cas finally get together immediately after the Dean and Jack scene is kinda funny to me. Like, good job, Dean, sorting out your shit with Jack, now you get Cas as a reward. It does kind of work that way. But the other reason why it has to follow that way is that Dean being too exhausted to fight, or to deny himself, and just wanting to be friends with Cas, is what makes the scene possible. The fact that he’s so emotionally worn down from everything, most recently from his exchange with Jack. So he can be really open with Cas, and really make himself understood for the first time. Like, the gist of what Dean says is very similar to what he told Cas in chapter 3, but it’s said with an entirely different aim.

I spent so much time on Dean’s speech. The flow and feel and content of it. It needed to be very immediate, something Dean understands about himself and is sharing for the first time, something that he’s been sitting with for so long. But then also, because it’s the first time he’s bringing it into the light, it’s also the first time he himself is getting a good, true look at his feelings. Writing scenes like this, it’s a balance between getting in good lines of dialogue, and staying true to the psychology and voice of the characters, and not letting the scene spin out of control.

And it really is, what does Cas mean to Dean at this point of the story? How did Cas’ confession change the way that Dean sees Cas? I think the impact of the confession, in certain way, was to put Cas back up on a bit of a pedestal, after he’d been knocked down so long ago. Like he did this thing, that’s so pure and self-sacrificial, and that’s the happiest he’s ever been. And I don’t think it showed Dean a whole new side to Cas, but it did bring him into focus. And Dean already can’t stand the world when Cas isn’t in it, so add onto that this sense of Cas being all about love, and yeah, I do think it makes sense to feel like all the love and light went out of the world when Cas died.

The moment of breaking tension was so important to get right. The sense of finally. The bridge breaking. Like, the tension breaks, and then Dean’s just done for. Like, he’s been so fucking starving for someone to touch him, and for Cas specifically to touch him, and then he gets what he’s been waiting for, and there’s no turning back.

There are a couple of lines of Cas’ dialogue that I thought of very very early on, that I just really love conceptually. “If our chance is ruined, I’ll take it anyways”. And when Dean says, “If you know what’s good for you, you’d get away from me,” Cas replying “I’ve never known what’s good for me.” Like, those really capture the depth of Cas’ devotion, to me. And I’m quite proud of it.

This was the longest sex scene I’ve ever written. I just kept thinking about the emotional beats necessary to get them to the end point, and adding on to it. It’s a journey. And there’s a few things that happen that aren’t sexy, or aren’t something that would happen if I was writing this as purely a sex scene. Because it’s never just about the sex, it’s about the character development, it’s about the psychology. It’s about Dean and Cas both being desperate for each other. And them both being sad, fucked-up guys. Dean pushing himself to have sex even when it doesn’t feel good, and Cas losing his mind from Dean cuddling with him, are the big character moments. They show how not okay Dean and Cas both are.

CHAPTER 10

In an early draft I had a big all-caps note to myself, that fucking Cas does not fix Dean, but it makes him worse. That was a really important dynamic to me. That Dean and Cas love each other, and need each other, but they also each make the other one more crazy.

I don’t really deal with Dean’s internalized homophobia per se in this fic. The way I think of him, it’s always a part of his make-up. But given the situation, it just gets wrapped up in his general guilt. Like, Dean is afraid of other people seeing him and Cas as a couple, but it’s because he fears that will lead to them realizing his guilt, and that’s the far more important problem for him at the moment.

Dean letting Jack drive is clearly an important beat. It is about Dean giving up a piece of who he’s always been, the driver, the one in control. He’s questioning where he fits in any of this, and who he’s going to be.

Dean-and-Cas-move-out-of-the-bunker-and-fix-up-an-old-house is such a common thing in fic. I was doing a bit of misdirect, hinting at the possibility of that with Bobby’s house. But the real point of bringing Dean to Bobby’s property was to mess with him psychologically. Get him in a place where he’s thinking about his past, and who he was, and who he’s capable of being. And to open the door to an option for Jack’s future.

On the topic of Jack more generally. I knew from the beginning that the conclusion for Dean and Cas was to run away from their old life. But that left the question of what to do with Jack. If I was going to be true to my principles, I had to be very careful about Jack not feeling like an afterthought. He couldn’t just tag along with Dean and Cas (especially because I intended for Dean and Cas to be very horny all the time when they run away), and he couldn’t just be deposited in his apartment. And, like, Jack has issues and some good moments in this story, but he doesn’t have the clearest arc. So that’s something I decided to lean into. That Jack doesn’t have to have everything decided, he doesn’t have to have a path all picked out. And what happens to him throughout the fic -- spending time with Jody and the girls on his own, getting his own place, making friends, having ideas about what to do with Bobby’s place, etc. -- it’s all about saying, the world is open to him. He can do what he wants and he’ll be okay. He has more options than the narrow path that he’s been on. I think I probably could have done more planning regarding Jack, but in general I’m happy with how he turned out.

Chapters 10 and 11 were originally one chapter, and all of what happens in chapter 10 was going to be from Dean’s POV. But then it got too long, and I wanted to make sure that Cas wasn’t getting lost in all of Dean’s problems. The way the garage scene went originally, was that it was Dean POV, and it was him finding a space where he was comfortable, and finding a headspace where he was comfortable, which did involve thinking back to “simpler times”, and Dean letting himself get lost in that headspace for a bit. And in doing so he lets himself be happy for a bit, so then when he leaves the garage, everything comes rushing back to him, with twice the weight and twice the guilt. And that is what happens, but we’re just seeing it from Cas’ perspective. So again there’s this tension between Dean looking to the past, and Cas very much trying to grasp for the future.

In many ways, this fic is about the relationship between one’s self and one’s location. I always like thinking about location and making sure the characters feel grounded in a real place. But the locations took on extra resonance in this fic, I feel.

Dean comes out to Jody as a kind of self-flagellation. He feels guilty for letting himself be happy with Cas, and he thinks that if he tells Jody about them, then she’ll judge him, and he’ll be punished in some way. So that’s why he does that. Writing that scene from Cas’ point of view was a little challenging.

CHAPTER 11

Again, Jody wants to help Dean and Cas, she’s worried about them, but she doesn’t have the toolkit to make much of a dent. Her purpose is to provide juxtaposition, to show just how fucked up beyond help Dean and Cas really are. It’s to show the acuteness of Cas’ blind spots when it comes to Dean, and Cas’ refusal to think of himself first. And she shows how hard it is for Dean to deal with anything at all positive in his life, how it just creates a burden of expectations for him.

CHAPTER 12

Originally I was going to have a scene where Patience talks to Cas, not Dean, and she tells Cas that he needs to be careful with Dean and watch out for him. The purpose being mainly to build tension and hint that something big is coming up. But I preferred Cas being relentlessly optimistic and didn’t want to undercut that. So instead Patience reiterates to Dean that he has a choice, and it’s a real choice. He can choose who he wants to be, reinforcing that major theme of the story. In doing so she also puts more pressure on Dean.

The diner scene was very vague for a long time. I just knew that I wanted something to happen that would put Dean in a bad headspace, and make him feel seen in a bad way. I considered having them run into Apocalypse Bobby, but that never really took shape. So instead, we have homophobia. And it’s not homophobia existing for its own sake to be treated as an issue, but just a very sharp way in which to make Dean feel like there’s something wrong with him that everyone can see.

I thought about trying to work in a stronger sense of Cas’ POV in the diner. To give a sense of his protectiveness. And also to show that everything they’ve gone through is taking a toll on Cas, and he is frustrated and angry at life, but he’s trying so hard to work towards a future that he represses it. But then this asshole comes along and gives Cas the chance to get some aggression out. But I didn’t want to get too far away from Dean’s point of view.

The car and driving come back as motifs. Again, they’re about Dean’s identity, Dean filling the role he thinks he’s supposed to play. Dean’s the driver. He’s the leader. He’s the father, like John was the father. He’s not supposed to be weak. Dean making love to Cas and being on top is about that too. It’s him trying to meet expectations of what it means to be a man, or a hunter, or what it means to be Dean Winchester. To meet expectations that he knows he’s already failed to meet.

When Dean gets back to the bunker, he’s kind of back to the beginning. He’s back in that terrible headspace that being in the bunker puts him in. But it’s worse than at the beginning. Dean feels so much more responsibility now.

The thing with Jack running over the ferret and the talk with Cas that follows was something I came up with spur-of-the-moment. Jack was always going to make a friend, and she was always going to be walking a ferret, just as a piece of characterization. And Cas and Jack were going to talk about college. But then I thought, what if Jack runs over the ferret instead. That would be more interesting. And it creates a pattern of Jack killing other people’s pets.

There’s a threat of Dean backsliding that I wanted to be felt throughout this chapter. The fact that he doesn’t shows how much of an effort he’s really making.

CHAPTER 13

The whole question is -- how is Dean going to manage to move forward? The bunker is symbolic of everything that his life has been, his old place in the world, everything Dean has lost and everything he feels responsible for. And it’s something he’s tied to with his entire being. I wanted the reader to be afraid that Dean was going to kill himself, and in a way that is what he does -- it’s a symbolic suicide. He kills off his old self, his old life.

And that’s the closing argument on the essay, in a way, that argues the question of who Dean is. Dean wants to change for the better. But he’s so tied down by everything in his old life. Does he want to change, does he want to love and be loved enough to blow all of that up? My answer is yes.

I wanted the last scene to be a huge final catharsis, to feel crazy, but still freeing. And also to have Nicholas Sparks romance vibes. Hence, the rain. And not just the rain, but the weird, surreal mood of sunshowers.

Jack gets his last scene. He’s not on a definite path. His fate isn’t decided. It’s open for him to figure it out. I like how his last talks with Cas serve a dual purpose of orienting Jack towards the future, ending his story in a positive place, as well as, hopefully, building some tension, with Cas being so hopeful when we don’t know what’s happened to Dean yet.

I just love Cas so much, and I love torturing him and putting him through shit. He has to feel just as crazy as Dean at the end of the story, so putting him through that scare helps with that.

I love the image of Dean racing down the road in the Impala -- back in his car for the first time since the start of the story, he’s himself again. And then saying that he’s giving the car away. He’s ready to start fresh. And whatever it was about his old life, or about the car, that was positive and worth hanging on to, he’s giving to Jack.

What else can I say about the ending? I was thinking about it for so long, knowing that the whole depressing slog of the fic would only be justified if that last scene was solid and did what it was supposed to. Like, Dean is insane, but he’s free, he’s really truly free, and Cas is 100% down with whatever comes next, as long as he’s chasing happiness with Dean.

CHAPTER 14

Originally, I was just going to end the story with “tear up the pages---” But then I was worried that it wouldn’t be clear enough what happened. And, since the story started with Chuck POV, it would make sense to end with him too. So, the final bit about him never finding out what happens next.

I was considering doing an epilogue from Jack’s POV. He would’ve been at Bobby’s, starting to clear away the wreckage and explaining to Claire what happened. And it would have been hopeful and funny. But it also would have been an encroachment on the ending, so I dropped the idea.

I think writing this fic fixed something in me, lol.

#spn #dean winchester #castiel #jack kline #destiel #my commentary #by mi #iyb

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oviids · 4 years ago

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pls share some of your spn fic recs 🥺🥺

ok, a few things first:

followers and mutuals who do not have supernatural brainworms, kindly avert your eyes

i don’t normally rec or even read much fanfic any more but this is a CRISIS ok (cont.)

there is so. much. content for deancas out there and i have incredibly high standards, several ancient ao3 bookmarks, can speedread, and want to spare you guys the experience of wading through it all.

i also have a section for spn femslash since I was pretty into that back in the day (sadly a lot less fan content for this :/)

I don’t really like au’s or pure smut (I honestly usually just skim or skip those scenes) so if you’re mainly looking for that kind of thing this probably won’t be very helpful to you. jsyk.

i’m not great at describing stuff but i’ll do my best, i’ll also try and add tw’s when neccesary.

i wil try and keep updating this with any other decent fics i find, feel free to rec stuff too since i’m like 7 years behind.(edit 1/25/21) this is getting looooong so i’m going to start making another list on my spn blog rather than update this one

(edit 1/3/21) since this has gotten pretty long i’ve added rating/approximate word counts and marked my particular favorites with an asterisk.

Dean/Cas fic:

So Says The Sword*** - explicit/85k. FUCK its good...au/time travel where dean is not pulled out of hell by cas and says yes to becoming the michael sword. honestly could serve as an alternative to actually watching the show, if you want to get into dean/cas without actually doing that to yourself.

Fata morgana.* - teen/6k, pst s9 finale. very bela centric and i love it, she finds cas looking for dean in hell.

Redemption Road -misc/600+k. an incredibly long fic from a collaborative writing group back in the day. canon divergent from the end of s6 on, has a cool take on godstiel and the leviathans, as well as the lovecratian mythos connection. ngl when i reread it i only made it about 28% in but imo the casual reader can actually stop around there, the rest concerns a lovecraftian apocalypse that is still good (i think i don’t remember it very well) but not required to enjoy the first half. if you prefer i have an ebook version i can send you on gdrive.

Someone Who's Feeling For Me* - mature/45k, s12. they run into lisa braeden and dean thinks cas is into her while cas thinks dean still likes her. treats lisa way better than the show ever did and the miscommunication is pretty funny rather than annoying.

a turn of the earth - mature/95k. time travel fic where cas from s10 keeps showing up in deans life from a few years before s1 to right before the hellhounds take his soul. slow burn, good character study, and at one point cas punches the dad in the face and it rules.

On the Wings of War - teen/85k, canon divergent s5. dean accidentally becomes the Horseman of War. plays fun, fast and loose with biblical lore, michael has some rights.

Named - mature/95k, alternate s5. EXTREMELY blasphemous in a fun sexy way. manages to predict metatron almost to a T. there’s one major character death and its literally jesus christ, everyone is very sad about it and it sets the rest of the story rolling. an alternate interpretation of cas’ mission to raise dean from hell which had me on the floor. ngl its kind of misogynistic at points, but its from 2010 and tracks with late oughts-2010 spn (sorry anna the author did you dirty here:/).

The Girlfriend Experience - explicit/15k. uhhh i don’t normally rec or even read smutty stuff unless someone i know is specifically asking for it but this has stuff like sam trying to be a good ally and dean thinking holding hands with cas is ‘kinda gay :/’ minutes after having gay sex with him.

i crippled your heart a hundred times - explicit/19k, s8. cas confesses his feelings and dean spends a long time getting his head out of his ass about it. truly hits different after the actual confession, despite being written six years early it feels like its actually what could have gone down more or less if the writers weren’t talentless demons who hate us.

My Roots Take Flight** - mature/125k. reverse au where cas is a hunter and dean’s an angel...OR IS IT???? an alternate retelling of s4. tw for briefly being set in a psychiatric hospital/the hospital being mentioned somewhat frequently throughout the fic, plus more references to torture in hell and heaven than usual.

The One Thing You Can't Lose* - teen/4k.you know those posts about how cas is a super-strong super-tough ancient warrior but he just lets dean tug him around because he likes it? thats it thats the fic.

Hands, From Which All Things Are Built - teen/14k, post s8′s ‘goodbye stranger.’ cas is on the run with the angel tablet but keeps in touch with sam and dean by text, he and dean still manage to be terrible at Actual communication.

Autrement, Danger - or, The Account of an Exceedingly Long Day - mature/30k, post s11. a monster that takes the appearance of your soulmate leads to some wild miscommunications and dealing with years of repression, also dean gets to see cas’ true form which is always cool. tw for non-graphic mentions of underage sexual assault/sex work.

Down to Agincourt - mature/explicit/900++++k, endverse continuation. endverse!cas survives his encounter with lucifer and discovers another time-displaced dean from s7. i’ve only read the two of four parts but its really good, veeeeery slow burn, has a lot of fun oc’s and takes a rather surprising but (imo) entertaining and intriguing turn into Hellenic history and mythology. usual tw’s for endverse/endverse!cas but nothing graphic, it’s actually pretty light-hearted (relatively speaking of course).

Nothing Equals the Splendor** - explicit/8k, THEE finale fix it fic you’ve been waiting for! posits that the entire final episode was just a (very bad and lame) djinn’s vision.

like moses and batman and james dean - explicit/31k, post s8. explores dean’s trauma and internalized homophoba from his technically canon experience with sex work and its impact on his relationship with cas. the sex work itself isn’t really shown in any detail but it’s still a relatively heavy fic.

Crazy Diamonds - explicit/25k, s4/alternate s14. fresh-out-of-hell dean and dean from 10 years in the future are displaced from time and sent to each other’s present.

where the weeds take root - explicit/30k. au where the men of letters kick them out of the bunker and they accidentally move out into the country, get over their codependence and semi retire. featuring chicken coop building, sam volunteering at a dog shelter, gardening, and blissfully mundane domesticity.

No Resting Place - teen/6k. djinn dream fic, switches back and forth between cas’ dream of being married to dean and retired from hunting to the aftermath when he wakes up. tw for brief mention of suicide since, y’know, djinn dream.

any port in a storm - mature/52k. post s8 finale. cas and dean have to pose as a couple going through a rough patch for a case and actually deal with their emotional baggage, cas struggles with being human and metatron is up to stuff.

all this and heaven too* - explicit/7k. in the author’s own words ‘...a love letter to every trans person who ever projected onto Dean Winchester.’ absolutely unzipped me emotionally and theologically, its just. so good. tw for very brief mentions of internalized transphobia/dysphoria.

Because it is* - mature/6k, finale fix it. killing chuck does not bring back anyone back and the winchesters spend a very long time dealing with what they’ve lost, cas and dean SOMEHOW still manage to have signifigant communication issues even after the confession. tw for suicidal thoughts/brief attempt.

Vena Amoris and Other Old-Fashioned Bullshit* - teen/4k, s6. when cas fell for dean it automatically soulbonded/angel married them, shenanigans ensue when dean finds out during the angel’s civil war. funny and actually written back when s6 was airing so cas is still (or at least pretending to be) kind of an OP asshole which is fun.

Rinse, Repeat - teen/3k, s8. angsty character study of cas as he’s reprogrammed and trained to kill dean. not really dean/cas since its just cas’ pov of canon events but its beautifully written and ends with him snapping out of it through the power of love (also now a canon event!).

Emergence - explicit/59k, canon divergent after s11. dean meets a hunter he only recognizes as their friend claire novak’s missing father, but soon realizes he might be the answer behind the mysterious void in his memories and feelings (aka everyone’s memories of cas are completely wiped away for three years).

Cuckoo And Nest - explicit/10k, early established relationship/character study, cas tries to figure out how he fits into dean’s life and space in the bunker.

Build a Home* - teen/20k, canon divergent s12. sam and eileen are cute and turn the bunker into men of letters/hunters hq and everyone but cas moves in, mutual miscommunication issues and pining ensues.

Down in the River - teen/5k, early s8, cas prays to dean in purgatory while sam and dean try to figure out a way to get him out.

Teaching Poetry to Fish* - mature/52k, ?? BC through the entire series/canon divergent s14 and 15. retelling of crucial scenes throughout the shows timeline from cas’ pov, feat. actual fish and poetry.

the minor fall, the major lift - gen/4k, post confession/finale fixit. dean goes into the empty to save cas and runs into several old friends (and enemies).

With the Kisses of His Mouth* - teen/3k, gen later seasons. dean and cas keep kissing by accident.

Remaining Grace - explicit/109k, alternate s6. au where cas asks dean for help with raphael and dean, of course, does. tw for temporary major character death/semi-graphic depictions of alcohol withdrawal.

The face of heaven.* - teen/10k, au, dean is a regular guy and cas is a fallen star (think ‘stardust’, kinda).

Stories Are Made of Mistakes* - teen/5k. newly human cas has trouble getting used to a human body and humanity in general, but still figures out that he and dean are A Thing before dean does.

Hurry Up And Wait - mature/21k, canon divergent s12. a fairyland and quite possibly LOTR related case comes up and dean goes full fanboy, mary is introduced to the wonders of the peter jackson adaptions, many references and comparisons (including between cas and dean’s ‘friendship’ and arwen/aragon). also charle is still alive and has just been doing fairy stuff this whole time.

There Are Many Things - explicit/28k, s9. cas is extremely lonely/touch-starved and trying to figure out this whole human thing, as well as where he and dean stand after being kicked out of the bunker.

It's A Long Life to Always Be Longing - teen/40k, post s11 finale. amara helps dean by putting him in a magical coma so he can finally get some much needed rest and show him possible futures for him, sam and cas. meanwhile sam and cas go on a roadtrip (or several) to find componets for a spell to wake dean up. really good sam and cas friendship, they actually talk about their shared lucifer trauma and stuff.

Non-Photo Blue - gen/2k, s4/5/alternate s5. fifty moments from cas’ memories of dean.

Tall Grass - explicit/57k, canon divergent post series. cas becomes the ultimate plant dad. feat the wayward sisters gang, cathartic character growth, fun oc’s, domesticity, and lots of actual botanical info-dumping.

on vessels - no rating/gen/2k. established dean/cas, cas tells dean about how he used to imagine what it would be like to have him as his vessel.

search for tomorrow on every shore* - teen/11k, post-finale (extremely derogatory). some angels in jack’s new heaven act out and dean gets temporarily resurrected in 2003 and runs into his younger self.

Architecture of the Minotaur’s Heart - explicit/45k, very canon divergent post s1. dean’s new house seems to have a life and mind of its own, while in his dreams he sees glimpses of a world and apocalypse that never came to be and an angel that looks strangely like his mysterious neighbor, cas. loosely inspired by the book house of leaves (which i highly recommend for fans of weird horror).

The Distance Of The Setting Sun - explicit/17k, post s5. established dean/cas relationship, team free will finally takes advantage of cas’ abilities to go on vacation around the world.

diamond star halo - teen/5k, s11. dean lets cas use him as a temporary vessel while he recovers from rowena’s spell, sam is a long-suffering third-wheel.

Make Known** - teen/16k, s6/7. dean struggles to understand how cas could have become his enemy and whether he ever truly knew him in the first place.

blunt little instrument* - mature/1.4k, post finale. dean finally confronts his father in heaven, very cathartic.

my heart a compass*** - teen/10k, post confession. the empty forces cas to re-experience his most regretted moments while dean tries to snap him out of it and bring him home.

A Crash Course in Someone Else's History - teen/11k, s6. cas from the very start of s4 is brought forward in time by s6!cas to distract the brothers from his and crowley’s plans.

The Cuckoo Father - mature/8k, s7 au. the woman who found cas in the river post-leviathans does not marry him bc he was sent to her by god or whatever, but actually identifies him as jimmy novak and sends him back to claire and amelia.

The Dead Dean Clause* - teen/5k, post alt s5 ending. team free will celebrates surviving taking down lucifer by getting blitzed, cas lies to a cop and gets an impromptu driving lesson. title/description sound dark i know but it’s actually very funny and light.

Suck It, Judy Garland - mature/20k, s12 (after the ‘i love you...i love all of you’ episode). cas and sam have to pretend to be a couple for a case and dean is NOT happy about it.

By Daylight and In Dream - teen/16k, s5. pre-dean/cas, dean invites cas to use his dreams to hide from the other angels. tw for very brief mention of a memory/dream of alastair sexually assaulting dean.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven - mature/22k, post-canon. an actually happy (if sometimes bittersweet) heaven endgame written several years ago, though some details are rather eerily similar to the show’s ending.

heaven is a place on earth* - teen/2k. dean’s pov of some of the times cas left him behind throughout the show, and one alternate ending where he finally gets to stay.

I Cleanse The Mirror - teen/20k, alternate s6. dean’s body is stolen by an ancient elemental and his soul has to hitch a ride in cas’ vessel.

an exploration of gender; angelic*** - mature/4k. *oscar isaac voice* lets get into angel gender politics!! aka cas is trans.

Zenith - explicit/33k, s9. after 9x06 an angry witch curses cas with the ability to see supernatural beings and human souls.

La cucina. - gen/3k, alt s9. dean goes wild helping a newly-human cas find out what kinds of food he likes, or the early s9 domesticity we deserved!

Dean Winchester, Cocksucker at Rest***** - teen/7k, post-finale. john and mary finally come over for dinner and john reacts to dean/cas in a rather predictable fashion. SOOOOOOOOO good omg, its so funny and a little sad and very very cathartic. part of a series that has a few other really good short fics.

The Way You Didn't Go - teen/5k, s15. coda to 15.09, dean has nightmares about the moc!cas timeline.

On Drowning - teen/28k. dean saves cas after he nearly drowns, they both try and deal with the physical/mental fallout (aka the fic where thee iconic “you only touch me when you think I’m dead or dying” originates). tw for realistic depictions of drowning/triage/misc medical information.

The Thirty-Six Questions That Lead to Love* - mature/13k. claire has dean and cas pretend to be her gay dads for a case and they play the titular 36 question game, get mistaken for swingers, and birdwatch, among other things.

Assorted F/F stuff:

Deep Breaths* - mary/ellen, au where mary said no to azazel’s deal and let john stay dead, still becomes a milf.

Like Rebel Diamonds - krissy/claire, they become hunter gf’s on the hunt for cas to kick his ass for taking jimmy. not-so-stealth dean/cas as well.

To Ash and Bone - anna/ruby, same author as the previous fic (p much all of her stuff is good from what i recall). au where ruby is a witch and helps anna when she’s cursed.

Holy Clockwork Angels - jo/ruby, STEAMPUNK au with very cool worldbuiilding.

At Day's End - jo/anna (my fucking KINGDOM for more jo/anna content, the dean/cas parallels are allllll there), au where they are both at the camp in the endverse and gfs.

these posts - ok so not actually a fic but i’m now obsessed with this hannah/meg dynamic.

Tagelied - mary/ellen, the true story of how ellen got into hunting before angels interfered.

Hell's Bells** - meg/abaddon, alternate s8/9 where meg survives crowley’s attack with sam’s help and teams up with abaddon (who she has a sk year old crush on) to take back hell.

The Ecstasy of the Rose - anna/ruby, anna travels back in time to escape heaven and becomes a signifigant part of ruby’s old human life.

Angel Underground - anna/jo, kind of an urban fantasy au with a very intriguing premise (sadly its very short, i’d love to see more if this ‘verse).

Clover, Flame - billie/mary, billie was always the reaper that showed up to take mary after her death(s) over the years.

Drag Me To Heaven - anna/ruby, a variant on the ‘last night on earth’ thing with dean.

Come Home* - jo/anna, canon-divergent au where anna is the new waitress at the roadhouse and helps jo set up a (probably not really) haunted house for halloween.

#if you told me i'd be doing this in 2020 three weeks ago i'd have laughed in your face :/#deancas #supernatural #fic recs #spn femslash #destiel #fic #the alie tag #spn posting

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julemmaes · 3 years ago

Text

Robyn

Rowaelin Month, Day Ten

A/N: I'd planned on posting them in order, but you get what you get. Idk when the other prompts will come tbf. I hope soon. Anyway, I managed to write over 6k words today and I'm pretty fucking proud.

This is just fluff over fluff, so yep enjoy!!

Word count: 3,047

Rowan was unbelievably late as he sped through the streets of Orynth.

So late that the school had called not only him, but also the front desk of the place where he worked when he hadn't answered the call on his personal phone. Sorscha, his assistant, had entered his office with an embarrassed smile on her lips, as if she didn't want to tell him that he had forgotten for the umpteenth time to pick up his daughter from school.

Lorcan had joined him, for some strange reason, but Rowan had stopped bothering when it came to his best friend. He'd been trying to figure out how he reasoned for years and had come to the conclusion that there was no logical sense in the actions of the man sitting next to him, who was currently singing at the top of his lungs to one of the songs on the Frozen CD - which much to the chagrin of both of them, had gotten stuck in his car radio months before, forcing them into hours of torture.

He would never deny that the songs were all quite catchy, but after the sixteenth time Rowan had had to listen to Let It Go at maximum volume, his positive opinion of the film had begun to waver.

As they pulled into the school parking lot, Rowan noticed with deep regret that the only cars still there were those of the teachers and school staff.

They both got out of the car, Rowan walking quickly towards the entrance while Lorcan dragged behind him.

He greeted the caretakers sitting at the entrance, who returned a big smile. A smile that grew even wider when his large, imposing friend entered a few moments later. He stopped to talk to the old ladies and Rowan walked down the corridor he knew led to Robyn's classroom.

He could hear muffled voices from inside the teachers' room on the left and the one he knew belonged to Miss Galathynius coming from the right. He looked out over the classroom, spotting the two people sitting at a desk.

As soon as his daughter saw him, her eyes widened and a huge smile flashed across her face.

No words. No "hello, daddy!" or "I missed you!" from the little girl.

Her teacher turned as she leapt out of her chair and ran towards him, hugging his legs and looking up at him. Rowan smiled at her in turn, running a hand over her hair that was shot in every direction.

"Hello, little bird," he murmured to her. The child's smile widened even more if that was possible.

The woman a few feet away from them pulled herself upright, crossing her arms over her chest and offering a sincere smile to the child, who hid behind his thighs.

Rowan was about to tell her that Robyn was shy with everyone like this, ready to defend his daughter's behaviour as he was used to doing in front of every adult, but he was beaten to the punch.

"It's good to see you, Mr Whitethorn," she said, extending a hand. Rowan shook it without hesitation. "Actually, I just wanted to write you a letter regarding Robyn," she continued, never taking her eyes off the little girl. "Nothing serious," she hastened to reassure him when Rowan grimaced, "quite the contrary. Robyn is remarkably good. One of the best in the class, though I shouldn't offer that information so bluntly."

Miss Galathynius winked at him, but he couldn't process what he'd just been told.

"Sorry, could you-"

The little hands clamped around his trousers tightened a fraction more and Rowan looked down, trying to figure out what was bothering his daughter, but then something happened that he hadn't even dared to dream about in recent times.

"You're here!"

The little girl broke off and ran away from him in less than the blink of an eye.

Rowan turned just in time to see Lorcan grab Robyn in mid-air, spinning her around as he brought her to his chest and showered her with kisses. The loud, incessant laughter that erupted from her seemed too much coming from that fragile little body, but he never tired of hearing it.

"Why hello baby!" said Lorcan laughing in turn, starting to tickle her until she begun to rebel and he was forced to let her slide to the floor. Robyn was still laughing at the top of her lungs and nearly fell to the ground as she squealed left and right, letting herself be pushed around by the closest thing to an uncle she had ever had.

When Rowan turned back to the woman, she was wide-eyed and her lips slightly parted as she watched the massive man dressed completely in black and the menacing face turn into a completely different person the second he had seen Robyn.

He chuckled, "I know, it's not every day you get to see a little girl be so comfortable with a brute like that."

Lorcan, who was listening to everything, looked him straight in the eye and without stopping smiling and playing with the little girl, mouthed to him to fuck off.

"Well, yeah. You caught me a little off guard." she confessed, still shocked to hear how Robyn was having a full conversation with Lorcan. They couldn't hear anything of what she was actually saying, but even just the fact she was talking to someone seemed to have Aelin unsettled.

She returned her attention to Rowan and let out a breath that sounded more like a giggle, "I've never heard her laugh before."

He nodded, blushing a little at the teacher's surprised but relieved tone.

"I'm sure the dean warned you about the problem she has," he said in a low voice. He grimaced at her poor choice of words, "I mean, not problem, but the difficulty she finds in interacting with people she doesn't know."

Liar, he told himself. Robyn hadn't spoken to anyone but him and Lorcan since the day Lyria had died. It wasn't a difficulty, but a response to the trauma that prevented her from speaking to anyone who wasn't part of her immediate family.

"I know, I know. We've been looking for solutions together." she informed him. "I give her a white board every morning. Come on, I'll show you." she turned to the desk they were sitting at earlier and raised the magnetic board, on which a few words were scribbled on. "I'll write here what she might need. Yes. No. I need to go to the bathroom. I'm thirsty. I'm hungry." she read, listing the various options. Rowan gaped. "We've only just started going over the alphabet for a second time, so she can't really read or write yet, as I imagine you know, but the little drawings next to each sentence help her."

She continued talking, but he couldn't quite follow.

The woman in front of him - aside from being breathtakingly beautiful - had done as much as she could to help her child with communication.

"Mr. Whitethorn-"

"Rowan. Please, call me Rowan." he said, clearing his throat once he realized how hoarse it sounded to his ears. Lorcan walked up to them at that point, still holding Robyn in his arms and positioned himself next to him, letting their shoulders touch in a comforting way.

"Call me Aelin, then," she smiled at them both. Then she made a small grimace, turning to Rowan, "I wanted to ask if it bothered you, that I sought a solution like that. Maybe I put her in distress, embarrassed her. I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I wanted to solve this on my own. I really wanted to discuss it with you, with your husband too, to avoid misunderstandings. Maybe we could arrange a meeting."

He was about to tell her that she had given him the exact opposite of annoyance, that he had been more than pleased that she had helped Robyn this way, when her words finally registered.

Lorcan, beside him, had opened his mouth wide and his lips were slowly bending into a mischievous smile.

Rowan furrowed his brow, "I'm sorry, what?"

Aelin's smile seemed to falter. "A meeting? With you? To talk about how to handle the situation," then she shifted her gaze to Lorcan, "You're more than welcome to join as well. I didn't know Robyn had two dads, I apologise for assuming Robyn had a mum and dad. That was very rude of me-"

"I love this," Lorcan whispered, laughing in shock. He turned to Rowan with eyes that sparkled with amusement, "I would definitely be the top."

Rowan looked at him with an expression of complete shock on his face, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Robyn gasped, opening her eyes wide and bringing a hand to her mouth, pointing then to Rowan's.

"Yeah, sorry, love. I shouldn't have said the bad word." he apologised, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. He turned back to Miss Galathynius, "I'm sorry to have to disappoint you, but we're not married."

"No need to lie, sweetie. I'm sure Aelin," he gave her a knowing look, "doesn't mind at all about our relationship status."

Aelin nodded, "Well, yes. That doesn't change anything. Mr..." she turned to Lorcan, searching for a name.

"Salvaterre."

"Mr. Salvaterre can still attend. The fact that you are not yet married is no reason why you cannot both be present at the meeting. You don't have to worry, we are a very tolerant school and if anyone bothers you, you can come directly to me."

A sound of sheer glee escaped Lorcan.

Aelin continued, "I mean it. I was pleased to see both of you today. I was also pleased to see Robyn smiling so much." she concluded, looking the little one in the face.

Rowan took a deep breath, bracing himself, "No, I meant, we're not a couple. We're not gay. He's her uncle."

The woman's blonde eyebrows shot up and a second later she turned almost as red as the dress Robyn was wearing as Lorcan shook his head muttering something very much like 'you're no fun', which made Robyn giggle.

"Why did you even get off the car?" he asked him exasperated.

Lorcan shrugged, "Because I missed my little bean, you monster." he replied, clutching Robyn to his chest. The little girl clutched Lorcan's shirt in her chubby little hands and Rowan huffed, shaking his head.

Aelin brought her hands to her face, leaning against the desk behind her. She shook her head, her face still hidden, "Oh, god. I'm so sorry."

Lorcan let out a dry laugh, "Don't worry about it. It was fun while it lasted." then he turned to Rowan again, who was still trying to recover from the idea of being involved in a relationship with his friend, "You're really no fun."

"Yeah, no fun dad." repeated Robyn.

Silence fell over the class. Rowan looked at her with wide eyes and blinked once, twice. Robyn was staring at him with a sweet scowl that mimicked so much that of the man who was still holding her, but Rowan couldn't get over the fact that his daughter had spoken while Aelin was still beside them.

He was about to talk, noticing how Robyn had started squirming in Lorcan's arms, when there was a knock at the door.

They both turned, Aelin peering over Rowan's shoulder, and saw the figure of a petite girl with black hair and eyes standing in the doorway, watching them with her head slightly bent to the side. She had a tag on her t-shirt that was too colourful to belong to someone who didn't work in a school with children, so he guessed she was a teacher herself. Besides, Rowan felt like he'd seen her elsewhere. Probably every day when he picked Robyn up from school, he said to himself.

"I know you're not supposed to eavesdrop but I stopped by earlier and heard you were a couple of dads," she said by way of introduction. "I just wanted to reassure you that the school is an extremely safe place. I'm the one who did most of the interviews with the parents," that's where they had met then, "and one of the questions that is asked is just about the tolerance of the people who will be attending the school."

Aelin watched her, remaining silent the whole time and putting on an amused smile, nodded, "That's what I was telling them. How tolerant the school is. They make such a cute couple, don't you think, Elide?"

Rowan turned to her, arching an eyebrow, silently asking her what she was doing. The woman, as if she could truly understand what he was trying to convey to her, nodded her head towards Lorcan, who Rowan only then noticed was standing weirdly, his eyes fixed on the woman in the doorway.

He grinned, deciding to take his revenge right away. "Oh, yes. Thank you so much for the reassurance," Rowan began to play along as well. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lorcan turn towards him, dropping Robyn to the floor, who made a disapproving noise at being dumped so suddenly. "We are happy to know that this school is a safe place for our daughter. And for us."

Elide offered him a blinding smile, "Good. I'm happy to hear that you are pleased so far. And I am happy that Aelin is the one who is taking your daughter's class. She's the best one here."

Rowan didn't know her yet, but he knew the thing Elide had just said could only be true.

"Well," she said again, giving them an apologetic smile, "I really must go now, but if you need anything, you can find all my contact details on the website. Have a nice day!"

Aelin and Rowan said their goodbyes, thanking her. Lorcan took a while to recover, but when he realised he was staring into empty space he ran towards the door, almost stepping on little Robyn, who was moved by Aelin.

"We are very much not gay, miss!" he shouted into the hallway. Aelin, now beside him and with a hand on Robyn's shoulder, cackled. With Lorcan's infinite luck, someone walked by just then and gave him a stern look. "Oh, shut up ma'am. I'm an ally. The best ally."

Rowan shook his head as Lorcan launched himself in pursuit of the poor teacher and burst out laughing when he heard him shout, "I'm not homophobic! I'm willing to suck someone's cock if I have to prove it to you!"

Aelin opened her mouth wide before bursting out laughing in turn.

Robyn, seeing both adults so happy, giggled too and Rowan bent down to pick her up. The little girl laid her full head of white-light hair on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

She was tired and Rowan really needed to get her home to sleep.

He glanced at Aelin and reduced his lips to a thin line, "I'm sorry about the commotion, I'll try not to bring him into the building again. Even if it means tying him to the seat."

The soft laugh she gave made something tighten in his chest. He frowned.

Aelin didn't seem to notice the effect she had on him, "Don't worry, Elide is crazy about fools like him. If he says the right things, we might start seeing each other outside of school too."

Rowan nodded, now too caught up in the thought of having to take Robyn home to focus on anything else.

They agreed on when to hold the parent-teacher meeting and then he grabbed Robyn's backpack, walking towards the exit.

He was thoughtless as he reached into his pocket for his keys and balanced everything else - including the girl - on his other arm, but when Robyn's hand brushed his cheek, he looked down and his eyes met their twins. Green against green.

"What is it?"

The little girl's voice never stopped making him smile. Each time was like the first time she had said dada.

"I really like her."

Rowan frowned, "Who?"

"Miss Aelin." she whispered, almost as if she was afraid they might hear her.

He smiled at her, "Yeah? You like her?"

"She's nice to me."

Rowan had to put her down as he opened the door and let her get into the back seats by herself.

"I'm glad she's treating you well, love," he let her know, buckling her in.

He hoped she'd tell him more about her new teacher, but like any kid her age, the topic of conversation couldn't last for more than four lines apiece, "Where's Uncle Lorcan?"

Rowan snorted, "No idea, little bird."

Robyn nodded, "Elide is pretty too."

And as if those words had summoned him, Lorcan appeared beside the car, making them both scream. He entered the car in a heartbeat and turned to his daughter, who was still settling into the seat. "Do you know Miss Lochan?"

But before she could answer him, Rowan had entered the car in turn and smacked the back of his head, which made the Robyn giggle, "You're not using my daughter as your wingman. Now stop it and buckle up."

Lorcan gave him a gentle push, before doing as he was told and for once he was happy he'd convinced him to do something.

Or at least, Rowan thought he had convinced him.

"What if I left you a note to deliver to Miss Lochan, Rob? Would you be up for it?"

Rowan knew, even without looking at her, that she was nodding emphatically.

Keeping his eyes on the road, he murmured, "Could you stop calling my daughter Rob, please? You'll give her an existential crisis."

Lorcan clicked his tongue against his palate, "Rowan, I'm not giving her a damn thing. We live in this new world, okay? Your daughter could be called Simon and still be a beautiful princess. Grow up and educate yourself before you talk shit."

"Aaaah!" shouted Robyn, "Bad word!"

Rowan sighed and shook his head, but still he was smiling.

This was his life. Had been for the past two years.

And he wouldn't change it for the world.

tog tag list (if you wanna be added or removed just dm me or send me an ask)

@maastrash @ireallyshouldsleeprn @sleeping-and-books @hellasblessed @thegoddessofyou @ghostlyrose2 @claralady @sayosdreams @perseusannabeth @letstakethedawn @terrible-and-proud @post-it-notes33 @booksstorm @nalgenewhore @queen-of-demons-and-hell @lanyjoy-13 @vasudharaghavan @cupcakey00 @bri-loves-sunflowers @queen-of-glass @thewayshedreamed @the-regal-warrior @fangirlprincess09 @januarystears @rowaelinismyotp @starbornsinger @bookstantrash @thegreyj @feysand-loml @autumnbabylon @a-court-of-milkandhoney @highqueenofelfhame @story-scribbler @mariamuses @rhysandswingspan @tanvee1231

#rowaelinmonth #rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #tog #throne of glass #rowaelin fic #fluff #rowaelin month day ten

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luci-in-trenchcoats · 4 years ago

Text

Unspoken

Summary: Dean is cursed with the inability to speak unless a cure can be found. It begins to wear on him in more ways than one...

Pairing: Dean x reader

Word Count: 1,800ish

Warnings: language

“Stay down,” said Dean, aiming his gun at the witch.

“Why don’t you shut up,” she said, throwing something at Dean. You both shot and she was dead like that but Dean had a hand on his throat, turning to you with a bit of panic in his eyes.

“Dean!” you said, expecting him to start gasping that he couldn’t breathe but it never came. Dean only continued to claw at his throat, opening his mouth and staring at you. “What’d she do?”

You watched him move his lips and even his tongue but not a whisper came out, no sound at all. He looked like he was trying to shout but there was nothing, Dean spinning around.

“You can’t talk?” you asked, Dean nodding as he found a piece of paper and a pen, jotting something down quick.

Can breathe. No talking though. Find spellbook.

“Alright. You look down here. I’ll take upstairs.”

About an hour later, Dean was poking his head in a room, tossing a notebook at you before walking away.

Found it. Doesn’t mention anything. I dealt with the witch. I grabbed the book so let’s go home. Maybe Sam can figure it out.

“Well, I’m sure this will be an enjoyable drive home.”

“Wait. So you can’t talk?” said Sam. Dean rolled his eyes and rested his head on his hands. “Really?”

“Yes, Sam. He’s cursed or under a spell. Help me figure this out, alright?” you said. Sam held up his hands, chuckling a little. “Sam.”

“Hey, compared to the usual crap that happens to us, at least this isn’t so bad, right? It’s not trying to kill him at least,” said Sam.

Dean sighed but gave a half-hearted smile and nodded. He waved and you followed after to the library, each one of you heading off to do your own research.

Hopefully you could find a cure soon.

Four Months Later

Sam was off on another random lead that probably wouldn’t pan out. You’d managed to find a nice and easy ghost hunt but you couldn’t even drag Dean along with you. That was your rule. It was too dangerous to bring him along when he couldn’t talk. It was strange how everything around him seemed to mute. Plates didn’t make noise when they stacked together. Chairs didn’t scrape along the floor. The shower was silent whenever he took one.

He was like a ghost. Except those made sound on occasion.

“Dean. Let’s get out of the bunker, go do something fun,” you said, poking your head in your room. Dean was nowhere to be found. You checked the garage next, Baby still parked in there, no sign of him. “Dean! Where are you?”

You hoped that didn’t make him mad. He’d been having a bad week. Worse than normal which was saying something. You knew he was reaching his breaking point even if he kept it to himself.

“Dean,” you said again, wandering to your old bedroom, finding him sat on top of the bed, staring at you when you walked in. “Baby. What-”

He tossed his little whiteboard across the room and you took a seat beside him, Dean turning his head away.

“I love you,” you said, wrapping your arms around him, giving him a kiss. “I know this is hard and I miss talking to you. So let’s talk, okay?”

He tilted his head and moved to stand but you kept him in place.

“Maybe the conversation is going to be a bit one sided but we can still talk, can’t we?” you asked. He nodded, looking over to where he’d thrown his whiteboard. He went to grab it but you shook your head.

“What?” he mouthed. You pressed your lips to his, gently laying the two of you back. He blinked when you moved away, eyes watching your hand slide up into his hair. Your fingers ran through his stands, green eyes flickering up and back to your face. He was thinking, trying to understand as you grabbed his shoulder and moved his head, resting it closer to your own. You smiled as he kept watching you, still thinking.

“For all the things I hate about this situation, you know what I love? Whenever I tell you how amazing you are, how wonderful and good and handsome and strong and intelligent and witty and awesome you are, you can’t make that tsk noise or scoff or sigh or grumble or interrupt to tell me I’m wrong. You have to sit back and take it,” you said.

He gave you a bitch face, rolling his eyes as you kept playing with his hair. He started to nuzzle into the touch though, his face turning soft.

“I love you,” you said. He nodded and pecked a kiss on the top of your nose, big green eyes staring softly. “I know you love me too, Dean.”

He let out a silent breath of air, pulling you flush to him.

“I don’t care what happens. I’m with you,” you said.

He smiled and grabbed your hand, pressing it flat against his chest and over his heart. You felt his heartbeat and smiled.

Two Months Later

“Dean! Lunch is ready!” you shouted from the kitchen. “Bacon lettuce tomato with extra bacon for you!”

You waited a beat, no tuft of brown hair coming around the corner. You grabbed his plate and drink, carrying them out to the library where Dean was researching again.

“You want to eat in here?” you asked. Dean lifted his head and shook it, waving you over. “You don’t want bacon...okay. That’s not concerning or anything.”

He tapped his book and you set the food down, peering over his shoulder.

“A transference spell? You want to transfer it to someone else?” you asked. Dean nodded, tossing his whiteboard at you.

We can’t break it so let’s move it. Move the spell to someone it won’t affect, like someone in a coma that’s never going to wake up. You think that would work?

“Actually, that’s not a half-bad idea,” you said. “Lunch first and then we’ll see if it’s possible.”

“It was a good try,” you said that night. Dean was in the gym, smacking hits against the punching bag. “We’ll get your voice back.”

He looked around the bag, taking deep pants, hitting it once more.

“Dean,” you said, his face scrunching up as he swung again. Hard. He did it a few times, the bag bouncing around, Dean not letting up until he was breathing hard, falling down onto his butt. He shut his eyes and put his head between his knees.

You sat beside him, Dean letting you pull off his boxing gloves. You frowned when you saw he’d cut up his knuckles.

“Let’s clean this up,” you said when his breathing was more even. He followed you to the kitchen, his head low as you wiped down the cuts and dried it off. “I can’t imagine how hard this is. I can’t. But if you need to go and let your anger out, you will do it the right way. Tape up your hands next time, Ali.”

He nodded, glancing up through his eyelashes.

“What would you like for dinner?” you asked. He shrugged. “Pizza?”

“Uf,” you heard him say, both of you wide eyed. “Igaf!”

“You can talk!” you said. Dean did a fist pump and jumped up and down, his sneakers making the cement floor smack. “Sammy! I think the curse is broken!”

“Really? That’s awesome!” he shouted back, wandering into the kitchen after a moment. Dean was still making baby noises though and he was quickly frowning. “So it’s been about six months. Could have been a timing thing.”

“Yeah,” you said, staring at Dean.

“Ea,” he said, pouting. “Ea icese.”

“I have no idea what he’s trying to say,” said Sam.

“Dean,” you said.

“Ea,” said Dean, finding one of his white boards laying around.

I’m trying to say Dean Winchester. That’s all that comes out. It’s like my mouth doesn’t know how to make the sound.

“Y/N. This may sound strange but...I think I know what the witch did,” said Sam. “I read about it like, years ago.”

“Don’t keep us in suspense, Sam,” you said, Dean throwing up his hands.

“Infantiliccum curse. Six month initial period,” he said.

“Well what is it?”

“I think Dean is very lucky that witch only decided to mess with his voice,” said Sam. “It basically reverts whatever the witch chooses in the afflicted to become that like an infant. Babies can’t talk right? Dean couldn’t talk. The other sound thing might have been a side effect.”

“Yeah but he knows how to talk. Why-“

“Yeah, he does but this is the part Dean’s gonna be pissed about. There’s another six months before it fully wears off,” said Sam.

“Ic uns!” said Dean, his face scrunched up. “Fff mfh uc afh!”

“Pretty sure there was an f bomb in there somewhere,” you said. Dean nodded, glaring at Sam.

“Hey, I said fully reversed. Maybe now you can like, learn to talk again in the meantime,” said Sam. “Get some phrases back.”

Dean growled but he still smiled at being able to make sound.

“I think that’s a good idea. I’m sure you’ll pick it up fast.”

“I know this one’s hard,” you said about a week later, holding up a flash card.

“Owiop,” said Dean, opening his mouth wide. “Owiop. Uckin etter. I ate tat etter.”

“L’s are hard. Come on. Tongue up behind your teeth, narrow your cheeks in and drop your jaw. Lollipop.”

“Ollipop,” he said with a bit of a smile. “Oll...Lol...ipop. Loll...ipop. Lollipop. Uck it L’s. I ot tis now.”

“You want to take a break? We’ve been going all morning,” you said.

He just smiled and stared at you.

“I love you,” he said, no struggle this time.

“Been waiting a long time to hear that again,” you said, kissing him for a few long moments.

“Tank you,” he said. “Th...ank you.”

“Thank you for trying. We keep working it and you’ll be back to your old self in no time,” you said.

“Love you,” he said, kissing you again.

“I love you too, Dean. Even when you couldn’t say it, I knew baby. I always knew.”

#supernatural #spn #dean x reader #dean winchester #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #dean #winchester #dean spn #dean supernatural

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zmediaoutlet · 2 years ago

Text

I posted 4,203 times in 2022

That's 812 more posts than 2021!

178 posts created (4%)

4,025 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@samshinechester

@zmediaoutlet

@mannequin3thereckoning

@silver9mm

@stanfordsweater

I tagged 4,198 of my posts in 2022

#spn - 1,940 posts

#art - 689 posts

#dean winchester - 294 posts

#sam winchester - 237 posts

#jensen ackles - 125 posts

#:) - 119 posts

#the boys - 119 posts

#wincest - 116 posts

#lol - 114 posts

#thanks canon - 99 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#hunter corp john got dean a custom-built vermeil cock cage for dean's 21st birthday and it's dean's favorite present he's ever received

I sent 2 gifts in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

fic: the constant vow (chapter one)

You ever have that fic idea that you think, mm, that'd be fun to write, and you keep kind of prodding at it and tweaking it and reworking, and then it turns out it's like 9 years later and you finally sit down to write it and it turns out to be long and complicated and, oh damn, quite the endeavor indeed? Yeah.

I'm going to post the six chapters of this over the next six Fridays (barring getting hit by a truck or something) and, I'll be honest, I really hope people give it a shot in sequence even though it's technically a wip. Hopefully each chapter will be satisfying, even if you have to wait for the conclusion.

title: the constant vow pairing: Sam/Dean (brief Dean/others) rating: E length: 12348 (chapter one) warning: dub-con tags: Season/Series 06, First Time, Case Fic, Genderswap, Fuck Or Die

summary: With Crowley apparently dead and Sam's soul back in place, even though Eve is a worry and Castiel's fighting a heavenly war, Sam and Dean at last have some space to get back to what passes (for them) as a normal life. They've just finished up a pretty standard job and are killing time in snowy Wisconsin when Dean wakes up no longer looking like Dean. That's just the start of their problems.

(AO3)

82 notes - Posted August 5, 2022

can I ask what the appeal of wincest is to you? do you have a manifesto somewhere?

I do not have a manifesto. Do people write manifestos?? The only manifesto I can imagine being required is from people whose literal not-ironic favorite movie is Sharknado. And even then, the answer should be: "lol, why not?"

I can't decide if this is a bad faith ask or not but let's assume it's not, for fun and profit: the first level of the answer is lol, why not.

The second and largest part of the answer is: by watching the show as it's presented to me, without trying hard at all, I see a deep and tangible connection between the two main characters which is so intense that it actually would be less weird if they were fucking. The fact that they aren't, according to canon, actually makes Sam and Dean Winchester very fucking strange indeed. No one is that world-leveling over a sibling. It's insane behavior. They're bringing each other back from the dead and ruining each other's romantic relationships and accusing each other of cheating (thanks Sam) and condemning all of humanity to a world that still has demons in order to keep living in the same underground bunker together. Holy shitballs.

In some ways, wincest-where-the-relationship-is-physicalized is kinda cheap and redundant. Their actual-canon gencest relationship is so intense and over-the-top and strange that physicalized wincest almost becomes the only way we can talk about it, because we can't really conceive of relationships outside of romantic ones that are that powerful and all-consuming for characters.

So given all that, why not have them express their apocalyptic, world-ending (and world-saving!) love for each other via penis jousting. Like, might as well.

136 notes - Posted August 3, 2022

if you could completely excise an element from your fandom -- like disappear it forever, there would never be another post about it and indeed the thoughts that caused them would never even appear in another fan’s head so as not to potentially foul the air with their presence -- what would it be

150 notes - Posted May 23, 2022

Sam’s fiftieth birthday isn’t much of an event. They don’t do much for their birthdays, never have, and even milestones have gotten lost in the general maelstrom that their lives became. When he was eighteen he ran away from home and felt so gut-shot horrible about it that he puked five times on the Greyhound taking him to what he’d thought was a new clean future. On his thirtieth he was in a coma in a hospital, getting nonconsensually filled with an angel. The years in between, May 2nd was a nonevent, other than a bloody reminder of bad times that weren’t far enough in the past.

In 2033, it’s different. Still reminders but they do feel distant. Some glass partition that’s slid down, between the bad old days and the current ones. They’re good, Sam guesses, but more than anything they’re---neutral. They’re exactly the days that he makes out of them, every morning. Lot of lives he could have had that would be worse than this one, and he knows that better than any other human in the universe, bar one.

It’s a Tuesday. A cool morning, for May. Sam goes for a run, like always. He comes back to the coffee not started, like always, so he starts it, and then goes and takes a shower. His knee hurts but not any more than his knee usually hurts, these days. Jeans, a sweater. The bunker seems colder than it used to, but then he’s a little skinnier than he used to be. A sweatshirt helps.

In the kitchen he pours two cups, and walks them careful back down through the halls to room fourteen. The door’s still just cracked and it’s dark inside, and he’s quiet as he sets the one mug on the bedside table but there’s a rustle, anyway. “Oh,” Dean says, and coughs phlegmy, and Sam wrinkles his nose but murmurs, “Sorry.” A waved hand, pale peeking out of the blankets, and then it gropes for the coffee. Sam shakes his head, goes to leave---thinking of the book he’s got split on the arm of his favorite chair in the library---but his knee’s hooked before the first coffee slurp is even over, and he waits.

“Ugh,” Dean says, like always---Sam rolls his eyes, like always---but then there’s a little tug at Sam’s jeans and he sits, obediently, and waits for Dean to gulp down half the mug, and even in the half-light from the hall he can see the grimace. Dean sighs, putting the mug back on the table. “One day you’re going to learn the right amount of grounds to put in, dude.”

“One day you’re going to get up early enough to make your own, dude,” Sam says, and Dean blows a half-hearted raspberry. Even with the queen mattress they moved in here years ago, there’s not much room; Sam props himself up with one hand on the other side of Dean’s hip. Sips his coffee, looks at Dean waking up. Even with a drool smear he’s clumsily wiping off his jaw it’s a nice sight.

Dean curls an arm under his head, stretching his legs out lazily. “Fifty years of being my little brother, you oughta have realistic expectations,” Dean says, airy, but there’s a little smile curled in through his beard, and Sam pauses with his cup lifted halfway to his mouth. Surprised, sort of, and then not surprised. He finishes the sip and then sets his mug next to Dean’s, and when he leans down Dean’s already tilting his chin up for a kiss. Coffee and morning breath, and the soft scratch of beard. If he had any tension in him anywhere it’s gone, just from the taste of him, in the warmth of their bed in the morning. Dean’s fingers slip through his hair where it’s still wet at the back, slide down to hook into the v of his sweater. Sam pulls away from his mouth, kisses his cheek instead, and Dean huffs and pushes him back, just fingertip pressure but Sam sways easy with it, propped over Dean, thinking---nothing. Nothing at all.

“Want to go over to Marlow’s and get burgers for lunch?” Dean says, after a little while of looking all over Sam’s face. Sam wonders what he sees. He’s content to wonder. “And I got a good lead on a bottle of scotch that might just be hidden somewhere in the library.”

“Oh, a mystery,” Sam says, dry, and Dean smiles at him outright, easy, no smirking or holding back, and god, he’s just. He’s so. Sam smiles back, helpless to do otherwise. “Yeah,” he says, and then has to clear his throat of thickness. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Cool,” Dean says, casual, like he didn’t just catch Sam in the middle of loving him.

Just another day in the life, together. Every morning that’s true---Sam wouldn’t be caught dead calling it a gift, certainly anywhere that Dean could hear it, but. It’s something, all right.

“Maybe after some scotch you’ll let me do that thing you’re embarrassed you like,” Dean says, and Sam refocuses to find Dean looking a little less sweet than previously, and---goddamn him, it’s not fair that after fifty years he can still make Sam---

“Dude, cut it out,” Sam says, and Dean grins filthy and says, “Come on, remember? That time in Germantown where I got your leg bent back to your shoulder and---”

“I hate you,” Sam says, getting up, and Dean crows back, “Oh, I know how you do,” and just for that Sam takes both coffee mugs with him, and what’s so supremely irritating about Dean is that Sam’s flushed (not blushing, thanks) and annoyed and is now thinking about how his knee isn’t so bad today that they won’t be able to do---that---which he’s not embarrassed by, he just doesn’t like how he gets so out of his mind when Dean---when they---

Dean’s cackling back in the nest of blankets. Sam heads determinedly out of range and thinks about pouring the rest of the coffee down the sink, just for retribution, but it’d be a waste of good coffee.

That night, in bed, after lunch and a movie and scotch and then other things and then clean-up, because even if Dean doesn’t mind it Sam’s never going to like sleeping like that---Dean curls up to his back, kisses behind his ear. “Happy day, man,” he says. “Many more.”

“Minimalist,” Sam says, and Dean snorts. Sam covers Dean’s hand, where it’s settled naturally over his breastbone, and thinks of all the days to come.

(on AO3)

156 notes - Posted March 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

hello, hello -- happy w.w. to all who celebrate -- and as part of that delightful day, I wanted to get a sense of interest in a similar project that might have a slightly wider scope. You'll see the details in the linked google form.

Fandom's not *dead*, it's just... tired. And busy. And overstimulated-while-simultaneously-not-taking-anything-in. And sometimes people feel like they can't send a message or leave a comment or whatever because a) they just didn't have time when they saw it, or b) because they thought the post was too 'old' and it might feel weird, or c) who knows! Tons of reasons. But, in general, it's the interaction and communication that makes fandom feel alive, so -- we want to encourage that! Wouldn't that be fun? A little 'hey, I see you!' across the various dashboards.

It'd be super helpful if you'd take the little survey. (It's seriously little: two questions plus an optional short answer.) Share it widely! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! And then, at some point, a later project (with an actual title) may come your way.

180 notes - Posted October 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #long post #i'm glad all my top posts are text based ig #and i stand by that longest tag #gpoy

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stardustnfreckles · 3 years ago

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To celebrate the DeanCas100k on ao3 here's a list of my all-time favourite Destiel fanfictions:

CANON VERSE

A turn of the earth Dean’s your typical half-orphaned, monster-killing 22-year-old until a trenchcoated stranger crashes into his back windshield one September night, claiming he’s an angel that knows him from the future and that he’s on the run.

Early seasons!Dean keeps meeting Cas at the most random moments, till he isn’t anymore... Definetly a must read.

In the shadow of your wings

Set after the S11 finale. Dean kinda breaks Cas’ heart. Because sometimes he can be thick SOB. The Cas finds a new shiny and witty italian boyfriend and Dean’s not happy about it. and now Sam is missing, Mary is back and Dean has a mixed bag of feelings he has to deal with. Probably my favorite canonverse ever.

Like moses and batman and James Dean dean used to turn tricks. over a decade later, he met cas.

A masterpiece in characterization by saltyfeathers. I loved everything, The dialogues, the flashbacks, the way Dean and Cas emotions are portrayed. There’s angst and internalized homophobia but also confort and IT IS JUST SO GOOD OK?

The best bang for your buck It’s not like Castiel knows who this GotImpala67 person is. There’s no personal information listed on their profile. Except that they’re male, thirty-seven, from Kansas and, apparently, they like inserting things inside themselves.

Cas plays dumb even tho he really is not and I love him for it. Dean is the kind of buyer who leaves detailed reviews of the products he buys (which is the best kind if you ask me) I love the writer’s style and their sense of humor. It’s short although I never get tired of re-reading this one. Also Bring up the deep & Till the juice runs from the same author are with mentioning.

Kisses by sunflowers beds by fanforfanatics & Watched by K_K_TiBal

This two fics have a on thing in common: At the end of both you’ll be asking yourself how can less than 5k hurt you so much?

I cried, then I smiled and cried some more. This fics will crush you in the best way possible.

Take me home country roads The most IC Deamon!Dean I’ve ever read. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions.

What’s missing is found (our souls can exhale now) by sobsicles aka queen of post S15 fix-it fics

That black dog ache A simple case turns Dean upside down as he attempts to deal with the effects of a particularly strange love spell.

The perfect gift Castiel has a big problem concerning Dean... thankfully, Sam is always around to help

Really short Crack!Fic about Cas being clueless and adorable.

So says the sword by komodobits

Actually I suggest to go on their ao3 profile and read EVERYTHING.

The profet must die

Dean starts reading Chuck’s book out of curiosity and ends up having a epiphany about his apparently not so much platonic relationship with a certain angel of the lord.

A room of one’s own All Dean wants is a little privacy. Cas doesn't understand.

It mostly smut with a bit of healthy angst and great amount of humor.

My Roots Take Flight After forty years in Hell, Dean’s more than willing to accept the offer: become a guardian angel and earn his freedom. But his new ward seems destined to hunt alongside Sam, and there are secrets in Heaven that the angels don’t want found out. Dean’s going to have to choose between his duty and the people he loves- and to work out just where Castiel fits in.

Reverse!Verse set in season 4. It’s interesting to watch their relationship develop even if the roles are reversed.

The hands that bind me Dean is struggling with adjusting back into the civilized world after a year of fighting for his life in Purgatory. He's going to need some angelic assistance reining in his darker impulses.

If your’re into BDSM/Sub!Dean/Dom!Cas/Hurt/Confort/Dark themes then that’s the fic for you.

What has eight tentacles and isn’t allowed to eat pie? Dean is an octopus 🐙 and it’s weird but also kinda sweet.

Cuckoo and nest For a long time, Castiel thought that every earthly possession other than the immediately necessary was excess to requirement. But Dean – Dean who named his car, who keeps a photograph of his mother in his wallet, some thirty-plus years after her death, who still has the crumpled ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign with a sleeping pelican emblazoned on it from the Microtel outside of Roanoke where he first kissed Castiel, clumsy and unsure, under the unsteady fluorescence of an exhausted bathroom bulb – is sentimental. it puzzles Castiel, where Dean draws the line between what is meaningful and what it is worthless.

Established relationship/ they’re really bad at communication/ fluff / hurt confort

Put up your dukes Dean can't sleep. Cas offers to tire him out.

Along my restless palms Ever since Cas started staying in the bunker, Dean’s been having these crazy dreams—dreams that feature him and Cas in absurd, tawdry scenarios like something out of a filthy paperback. Dean chalks it up to exhaustion, or some monster messing with his head, anything to ignore the real cause: Cas in his personal space, in various states of undress, and, wow, way more muscular than Dean would’ve expected. But if it’s just physical lust that’s the cause, then that’s an easy fix, right? No big deal. There’s definitely nothing else that his subconscious is trying to tell him. Absolutely not.

last but not least Pretty much anything by xylodemon. The atmosphere and the way characters are portrayed are *chef kiss* There are a lor of case fics and they really feels like actual episodes from supernatural just way less omophobic and more fun.

#deancas100k #Destiel recs #Deancas rec list #destiel fanfic #destiel #deancas #castiel #dean winchester

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autisticandroids · 4 years ago

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yknow those episodes where a character's whole personality gets split into 3-5 different distinct separate bodies? what bodies would cas have? I feel like it'd just be a mess tbh, imagine 5 different castiels all of them loving dean to a certain extent but showing it VASTLY differently. one cas would literally want to murder the others lmao

okay so i don’t actually think this trope would be an effective tool for analyzing cas? he’s not conflicted enough in himself. he’s too impulsive, too singleminded, too uninhibited. like, in the end, cas always ends up doing whatever he wants. there aren’t multiple discrete voices vying for control, really, or rather, if there are, one is always significantly stronger than the others. like in the end cas will always end up eating raw meat off the floor, you know? he’ll do what he wants. if i was going to do personality splitting i’d do it to someone intensely internally conflicted, like dean.

however, because i’m in an essay writing mood today, i’ll answer a question slightly to the left of the one you asked. cas may not be internally conflicted, but he is intensely changeable. these two things are related, actually; the same impulsivity and singlemindedness that mean he doesn’t have a ton of internal conflict at any given time mean that different ideas sound good to him at different times, because he isn’t really thinking about, say, what future-him will think of them. and he’s not really trying to maintain an image or identity. he’s just doing what feels right at the time, which is very different at different times and in different situations.

anyway, that in mind, i think a lot about ways to bring together many alternate versions of cas which sort of correspond to different times in the show.

i have a fic in my head about a bunch of cas-es pulled from alternate timelines by some kind of spell. so this would be set during the widower arc because the basic impulse here is to show dean a very bad time. just absolutely put him through hell. also, all the alternate timelines are different because different stuff happened, not because cas made different choices, because if we’re torturing dean it has to be like 5x04, the changes in cas can’t be cas’ fault. they have to be dean’s or just like, the universe’s (which makes them dean’s).

so dean is trying to bring cas back, and he finds some kind of spell that can bring someone “from another world.” and he tries it because hey. can’t hurt to try. anyway i’ve thought a long time about different versions of cas i would put in this and here is what i have. in order of when the timeline split off.

- a cas who never raised dean from hell. think 14x13 “lebanon.” this one i’m not too sure about, like, this could be fun, but i don’t know if it’s different enough from the next one. like this castiel would have lived through the averted apocalypse and subsequent general fuckery that happened as an angelic footsoldier, which would actually be pretty interesting now that i think about it, especially since all that stuff would have gone down soooooooo differently without cas specifically for your average angel footsoldier. like cas has PERSONALLY caused more upheaval in heaven in twelve years of spn than there seems to have been in millennia. so he would be the point of view of a normal footsoldier from a totally other world.

- a cas who died mid season four, and is pulled out of the empty in 2017 by this spell. i’m not sure when this cas died. my thoughts are (1) killed in on the head of a pin by alistair, (2) killed during his torture in the rapture, or (3) simply never resurrected after lucifer rising. (3) makes the most sense, but that cas has already thrown away everything for dean. i prefer the idea of a cas who loves dean, is already on the brink of disobedience for him, but has not yet taken the plunge. both on the head of a pin and the rapture are great places for this, and they both have strengths and weaknesses. if he died in the rapture, he was killed by heaven, which is fundamentally more fun, but he was also really very much over the edge already. if he died in on the head of a pin, he wasn’t killed by heaven, but he is perfectly teetering on the brink of falling for dean. regardless of when he died, the purpose of this cas is to be horrified at all the various and myriad ways he has destroyed and corrupted himself for dean in the other timelines.

- possibly endverse cas, who would have died in 2014, but like s4 cas, would have been pulled from the afterlife by the spell. i’m not so sure on this one. we as a society love endverse cas but i dunno what purpose he would serve. maybe endverse cas didn’t die in 2014, and instead was imprisoned by lucifer, because, you know. he’s the only brother lucifer has left. so he is very excited to see dean alive and well, since his dean is dead, and, not being an angel, cas can’t bring him back. the purpose of this cas would be to horrify dean that cas loves him and needs him so much, and to disgust the other cas-es with his neediness.

- a cas who was in some way on better terms with dean during s6. maybe dean and cas ride off into the sunset together after swan song instead of dean going to live with lisa, maybe dean prayed to cas while he was with lisa because he missed him, who knows. either way, cas has dean’s help with the angel revolution in season six from the start, and never goes to crowley. the plan cas and dean come up with to beat raphael includes breaking into the cage and stealing the grace of michael and lucifer, freeing sam and adam in the process. incidentally, it also involves cas possessing dean, because if cas is gonna eat archangel grace to become more powerful, he’s going to need a stronger vessel. so cas and dean have a whole like. midam situation happening. they’re a double archangel together, and godstiel never happened so none of the other terrible apocalypses that stemmed from that happened, and everything is pretty cool where they’re from, and also they’re obviously uhhhhhh SOME kind of together. the purpose of this cas is to upset dean because this cas shows how much better everything could have been and how much better his and cas’ relationship could have been if dean had simply been more considerate of cas in s6, and also freak dean out with how uh. close. this dean and cas are.

- a godstiel who managed to swallow purgatory without swallowing the leviathans and remained god. he’s probably soooomewhat less scary and murdery than canonverse godstiel because no leviathans, so you know, not as many angel purges or massacres on earth. and he probably went and fixed sam’s wall within about three days because cas is prideful but he does NOT like it when dean is mad at him. so they did kiss and make up, and so this cas would have had dean to act as his morality chain. but he’s still very scary and godstiel. and also he refers to dean as “The Beloved” you know. his purpose is to freak everyone out, because he’s scary, but also, for the past cas-es, because he is a terrifying abomination that they could never imagine becoming, for the future cas-es, because he is a reminder of their worst selves, and for dean, because he is a reminder of how dangerous cas is, but also because he uh. obviously has some feelings about his dean. unclear if they are consummated or not.

- a cas who naomi never rescued from purgatory, and who stayed there. hasn't spoken to another being in half a decade, has not recovered from his emotionally destroyed state in purgatory in s8. believes at first that the spell is his dean rescuing him, and is crushed when he realizes he was wrong. like endverse cas, his purpose is to show dean how much cas needs him and depends on him emotionally, and how he (dean) is capable of destroying cas, as well as his guilt for leaving him in purgatory and how lucky he is that his cas got out. this is especially noteworthy since the guilt for leaving cas in purgatory is part of the reason dean is trying to get cas back.

- a cas who stayed human after season nine, and has built himself a small human life over the next four years. he has a job and an apartment and friends outside the winchesters and yes, he still goes hunting after work sometimes, and he's still in contact with dean, but he is also independent in a way no other version of cas has ever been. he exists to freak out dean because dean has never seen cas independent of him. he is also fairly bitter at dean since dean did kind of stop spending time with him when he was no longer useful, and our dean feels guilty for that.

- a cas who showed up twenty minutes later in 10x03, finding sam dead and dean gone, and had to chase down demon dean, and has now spent three years following demon dean around as his tragically adoring stalker, because he hasn't found a way to resurrect sam yet and he doesn't want to put dean through the demon cure until he can save sam because he doesn't want dean to experience that guilt, but he also adores dean and wants to keep an eye on him and keep him safe and also keep him from doing anything too heinous, so he just covertly follows him around the country and watches from a distance as he commits various murders and fucks his way through every local bar scene. and occasionally cas finds dean something to kill, when the mark gets hungry, and drops it in his path. his purpose is to freak dean out with the lengths cas would go for him, and the depths cas would sink to.

anyway. lebanon cas and season four cas are horrified and perhaps disgusted (lebanon cas more than s4 cas) by ALL of the later cas-es, and how far they’re fallen, all of it for dean. godstiel and archangel cas being abominations, endverse cas and s9 cas being fallen, even purgatory cas and demon dean’s cas for their total dependence on dean.

purgatory cas and endverse cas are just happy to see a dean, even if it’s not their dean. demon dean’s cas, too, in a way. he’s happy to see a dean who is still human, who he can still have as a friend.

human cas is pissed to see that he was right, that dean would have stuck by him if he’d still had his powers, that this version of dean is doing spells to try and bring his cas, who is still an angel, back, whereas he and his dean only see each other once every couple months.

everyone is terrified and disgusted by godstiel, as i said before.

they’re mostly kind of thrown by archangel cas. a lot of them are jealous. godstiel is furious because how dare anyone, even an alternate version of himself, take dean as a vessel (even if dean likes it). godstiel isn’t really there, though, he resisted the summoning and just sort of popped his head through to see what was going on, and he goes back to his own reality pretty fast without murdering anyone.

also to be clear dean has not at this point examined or acknowledged any feelings he may have about his cas besides “friendship,” nor has he wondered what feelings his cas may have for him. given how many of the cas-es were clearly in some kind of relationship with their dean (endverse cas, archangel cas) or just openly in love with their dean (godstiel, purgatory cas, demon dean’s cas), dean is forced to reevaluate the nature of his and cas’ relationship.

#spn #asks #anonymous

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incoherentbabblings · 3 years ago

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I was wondering. Did Stephanie's mom like Tim or did she never really have an opinion on him?

Oh! Crystal and Tim are fun because they never really have a conversation outside right at the beginning with Steph being pregnant and Tim pretending to be Alvin. Depending on how much you think Crystal put the pieces together, you can see her thinking either way. If she just thinks Tim is Tim, and distinct from Alvin and Robin, then Tim is a freaking godsend for her erratic and flaky daughter. If she does put the pieces together... It's a bit more complex. And I'm pretty sure Crystal put two and two together. Maybe. By the end.

So, a timeline of Crystal and Tim moments, featuring Crystal's hilariously inconsistent character design . I think I cover everything, but as you'd expect there's not much post 2004.

Under the cut due to length~

Robin (1993) #60 and 61

To start off, Crystal did not think much of Alvin, because he seemed the type of guy that usually hung around the Brown household, like Arthur, like Dean, like those other useless guys. But, a couple of eavesdropped conversations later she's more baffled by him than anything. She didn't know or understand why this kid was so important to her daughter. Which is a bit sad really, the more I think about it.

Robin (1993) #64 and 65

Also Crystal's magically changing colour jacket. Though to be fair perhaps she brought a change of clothes. Sorry. Tangent.

But then in the great 'Who is Robin under that mask debate' Steph gets a bit hysterical and lets it slip that Alvin is Robin. Crystal is mighty baffled me too ma'am but by God she is trying.

Robin (1993) #84

So here's where a split could happen. Crystal learns that Alvin was Robin. Just a few weeks later, Tim shows up. I don't think Crystal makes the connection at this stage actually. Tim is a very conciliatory, quiet, sweet boy. God knows where Steph met him but honestly where does Steph meet any of the dudes she brings home?

Tim thinks quite kindly on Crystal, albeit a little patronisingly too. He compares her to a workhorse don't work yourself to the point of being shipped off the glue factory Crystal sorry sorry and one of his arguments for saying Steph needed to go home was because Steph and Crystal needed to take care of each other.

On another tangent, Steph argues that she's not responsible for her mother's sobriety, but it's an interesting look at how Tim views parent child relationships. Steph has the right idea, in hindsight, but still. Generational trauma~

Robin (1993) #119

So Tim ends up presenting himself as a peacemaker. Level headed and more likely to reign in Crystal's somewhat tempestuous daughter. More evidence of that is how familiarly she speaks to him when Steph is avoiding him. Like. Okay. If I were Steph's mother, and I knew my daughter was sulking because she said that she caught her boyfriend cheating on her (regardless of the truth or not - that was what Crystal was told), and my daughter did not want to speak to that boy, I would not be so casual and chit-chatty over the phone with him. Imagine having a more friendly relationship with your daughter's ex than your own child. But hey. Little bit yikes Crystal.

Robin (1993) #126 and #127

Tim doesn't speak to Crystal again. He keeps his distance at Steph's funeral, and does not maintain any relationship with the girl's mother. I don't expect him to, he's only sixteen for goodness sake. But from Crystal's point of view, it very much looks like Tim tried very hard to keep Steph on the straight and narrow, but failed. Whether or not she at this point has concluded that Tim is Alvin is Robin, when Tim and Steph were dating, before Steph died, I think she liked him.

The role of Tim being a mediator presence for Steph and her mother funnily enough continues after Steph's return, where he takes Steph to the hospital to see Crystal. He watches Steph quite suspiciously now, the joy of having her back leaching away for the good old 'she lied to me' trope. Perhaps he is jealous of how Crystal is treated versus himself.

Robin (1993) #174

And that's it.

UNLESS.

Batgirl (1993) #24

So if we go with the - it was Tim not Dr Mid-Nite that saved Steph because of that running Mid-Nite gag in RR and Batgirl then I'm glad Crystal thinks he's still nice. Even more so if Crystal, who by this point knows Steph is Robin and potentially Bruce is Batman, I would actually be disappointed if she hasn't put two and two together for Tim.

Anyway, the relationship between Crystal and Tim is significantly warmer than say Steph and Jack. Crystal probably sees Tim as a steadying influence, and Tim is shown to think nothing of Crystal but as someone who needs help from time to time and ought to have a functional relationship with her daughter. Perhaps he is projecting.

Oh, one more thing, Crystal may have been unsure of Tim, but she never encouraged her daughter to beat him up in the back garden with shears. So… she likes him better than that, at least.

Robin (1993) #80

Actually no wait, the way this is framed Crystal doesn’t even know who Dean is. ‘Now what did he do to make you so mad?’ Does Crystal even know who the father was? I don’t think she did!

Sorry, this has gone on long enough hasn’t it!

#dc #stephanie brown #crystal brown #tim drake #batfam meta #ask and i'll babble

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gra-sonas · 3 years ago

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was the year time jump because of the pandemic? To sidestep making that too central to the plot, or was that always the plan?

JEANINE MASON: That was always our intention and it was just sort of a saving grace in that way. We also don't acknowledge the pandemic in real-time on our show. There are no masks and that was just so wonderful just to get work in that way and have that time where it was a little more normal. Also, that's just our show — we want you to come to us the way you always do, which is for nineties nostalgia, sexy Cowboys, brilliant scientists, you know? CHRIS HOLLIER: So we wanted to drop our characters in a year later, let them stew in their individual decisions that were made last season. We want everyone to root for our poster couple but we want to honor what happens in real life, which is sometimes you step away from that person, even if you are entwined with them in a very particular way. So we wanted it to be a real enough time and distance so that they could live a little life on their own.

With showrunner Carina Adly MacKenzie departing at the end of season 2, has much changed? Or are you still working with ideas she had in place?'

HOLLIER: It's a little bit of both. There are things that Carina and I built that live all the way through and then once the story got up on its feet, discoveries were made with our new crop of people that we were like, "Oh, we're going to bend it this other way."

Jeanine, how is Liz doing in her new life in L.A. when we pick up this season?

MASON: Well, it's been a year and at this point, her life is actually pretty great. She just hasn't taken a second to acknowledge that. She's doing what she does best, which is just full head in her work and trying to figure out what she could use of her discoveries and her brilliance to save Maria. She has a great job, a really nice place, and an awesome partner at work who is a good time and a real match for her in terms of intellect and ambition. He begins to ask her to recognize that and to maybe give something a chance that she's been reluctant to because of how drawn she is to Roswell and to Max. It's a fun first episode. It's sexy. It's fun to find opportunities for her. She's our hero so she's got a lot on her shoulders and anytime where we can find levity for her is always a real treat for the writers and for me.

And no Crashdown waitress uniform must be nice?

MASON: Honestly, I miss it quite a lot right now. I have a note in my notes with Chris, I'm like, "I gotta tell him we gotta find him more opportunities for it."

Should Liz and Max shippers be worried about them finding their way back to one another after he destroyed her work and didn't follow her to L.A.? Should we resign ourselves to a season apart?

MASON: This season really is about these characters having themselves mirrored to each other. Max and Liz need some growing and ultimately they can't do anything but be orbiting each other. We found so many opportunities to have such a beautiful language around the cosmic element of their connection. They're asking, "Is this our decision, or are we just acting off of a decision that the cosmos made for us?" It was so fun to navigate that. I always have such a good time with Chris Hollier and with Nathan Dean, just finding the little tiny notches, a tiny bit of movement towards where they're going next. I really loved following them. It's my favorite Max and Liz season to date.

HOLLIER: It's not a season apart. I'll tease that they, in an unexpected way, end up in front of each other relatively soon. But it's really about when am I ready? And what does it mean to talk to my ex? When someone makes such a big influence in your life, when do you know it's over and when do you know you should fight again? We tried to give them real grown-up lives.

Steven Krueger (The Originals) also joined the cast as Heath this season. What can you tease about his character?

HOLLIER: He's just an awesome human being. I know him from The Originals and we were like, "If we're going to have to be stuck with people in the desert, who do we want?" You want to be stuck with a handsome and lovely and charming Steven Krueger. So really this was looking at, "Well, what did Liz want and what does it look like when you start to give Liz versions of what she wants?" Heath is somebody that is beyond being just a lovely person, he is smart and wants to advance science and that's appealing to Liz. It becomes, "What does it look like when the man that I hang around with all day is also into the same things that I am?" MASON: I love him. Heath is just such a fun, whip-smart, fantastic character. His humor was so fun. We've been having a good time with kicking the humor up really through season two and in season three, we just took it up another notch. There are some moments that are like, "Is this a drama or is it a sitcom?" Looking back on it, he was such a fun partner to spar with. They're both such intellectual characters and I love that there's a real meeting of the minds. It makes it competitive and sexy. I know a lot of fans are so excited because they know him from The Originals and he's going to be a great addition.

Technically, Mr. Jones is a new character too. Can you tell us anything at all about him?

HOLLIER: I'd say he's a new character — and a fully-fleshed interesting new character. Mr. Jones has an awesome beard. At some point, he might lose that beard. A lot of people are asking me, "Is Jones good or bad?" And what I would argue is that's a perspective based upon who you are in the conversation that you're having with him. He knows a lot about our heroes' story and he knows a lot about home. He'll be able to answer questions for them. This season our heroes will get to learn why they ended up here on earth. One of the things I think that people will love is that they're going to get to see that home planet this year. We asked ourselves a lot about this whole season, "What have we set up for the past two?" We look at these first three seasons almost like a trilogy so a lot of things are going to be paid off.

Has Nathan enjoyed pulling double duty this season? Or is he just exhausted?

MASON: He's exhausted, but he's such a champ. That really is the beginning of this mirroring thing that starts with Max and Jones with him actually getting to look at himself to a degree and those questions that come up. The self-analysis that it provokes in him is really the beginning of what is happening to all of our characters this year; everybody's being confronted with themselves. I loved that the Max/Jones of it was also a real sci-fi element.

Did he really grow that beard or was that not possible if he had to go between the two characters?

MASON: That was a prosthetic beard and our makeup team killed it. He was not accustomed to early mornings, which, of course, all of us babes are. It was a lot of extra time in the chair for him.

Can Jones dupe Liz into thinking he's actually Max since she doesn't know he exists?

MASON: You're totally on to something. It's a real and pressing threat. I mean, she's totally in the dark and he looks like her cosmic lover!

HOLLIER: What I will say is that, Liz — beyond her being number one on the call sheet — is integral to this story in a way that she and none of our characters are going to perceive when they start episode one. We're bringing [the characters] to a new crossroads moment in their lives and they're getting, through Jones, a mirror into their own lives to decide what they're going to become next.

How's Rosa (Amber Midthunder) doing this season?

MASON: By the end of season two, Rosa really makes the decision to start taking care of herself. She really becomes an incredible asset to the Scooby-Doo gang. It's something that Liz is in constant adjustment to. As much as she's the younger sister, she feels very protective of her sister and Liz has had to make adjustments in her trust and faith in Rosa. I loved it because it just felt like a real personal, authentic thing that sisters would go through, but also that Hispanic sisters would go through. I think we sometimes, culturally, have a tendency to baby our women — maybe that's the wrong word — but just to underestimate their physical ability and what they might take on, and sort of 'queen' our women in a way where we treat them tenderly. I hate that. I'm a tough bitch and so is Rosa. So Liz has to confront that and go, "I'm an idiot to underestimate you. You've done nothing but prove me wrong."

What about Maria and her visions?

HOLLIER: This year I think Maria has the most complete arc of any season, as she recognizes things about herself that cause more questions about who she is, who her family is, how she's linked to this story. We dive into it in the present-day and we dive deliciously back in time too.

In the exclusive clip above we see her have a vision of a funeral, can you tease anything about who potentially might be about to die?

HOLLIER: Maria is front and center in driving the first half of the mystery for us. She's burdened with trying to figure out whose death she is seeing. It takes a few episodes to unravel and we use it to ask, is this linked to our supernatural stories or real-world stories that are going on politically? Is it bad luck? Is it herself? There's a whole gambit at play. We joke that we solved a past murder, now we're going to try to stop one.

Can Malex (Michael and Alex) shippers have hope that this might finally be their time?

HOLLIER: What I would say is that I think that Malex fans are really going to dig this journey. We, as writers, put them at the same level of importance as Max and Liz. So we wanted to really honor the next step in what they may or may not be. How did they grow up and how did they have those hard conversations just like Liz and Max are going to have?

Is Isobel going to continue to date women this season?

HOLLIER: Isobel is going to go on a more personal journey. You got to love yourself before you can love someone else. We lean into those possibilities by the end of who she might love. It's not something that is dropped all season — it is something that you'll see. We play some romantic comedy stuff with her character this year and with Maria that I think fans are gonna dig. There's a lot going on in the world and wanted to pump some humor and hope into it.

Will see more of Liz fighting to challenge the perception of the Latinx community?

MASON: I think that just by nature of it being one of such few shows that are led by a Latin woman, it's always going to be, to an extent, a protest or an assertion of the space that I get to fill and that Liz Ortecho gets to fill on network TV. I was really excited to just have Chris as a collaborator. Over our hiatus, before the season started, I was doing a lot of reading. I chronicled the books that play into Liz every season on my Instagram. I was reading some Sonia Sotomayor. Her book is just incredible. I was texting him screenshots of pages of the book with things underlined. Ten episodes deep into season 3, he's like, "Remember that page you sent me?" He's a real dream collaborator. I loved him for that. A pressing struggle for people of color is going through the ranks in these big corporations and then sometimes coming to find out that those corporations are purporting to support marginalized groups but actually aren't following through. So how do you, as someone who's having your success, your dreams become reality, navigate supporting the company and giving so much of your intelligence and your work — that they often legally own, especially with science — to a company that isn't going to be for your people?

Roswell, New Mexico returns Monday at 8 p.m. on The CW.

#long post is long #jeanine mason #chris hollier #liz ortecho #max evans #echo #isobel evans #rosa ortecho #malex #alex manes #michael guerin #rnm spoilers #maria deluca #rnm cast interviews #roswell new mexico s3 #roswell new mexico

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dcforts · 4 years ago

Text

[week 3: i can still recall our last summer]

1.6k, pre s12.

Dean said it was too hot. He’d said it fifty times already since they left the bunker this morning and they were not even halfway through the journey.

He huffed and puffed, saying how uncomfortable he was in his jeans and tshirt and how much he hated his sweaty skin sticking to the vinyl seat. Cas tried to look sympathetic.

“I can’t even look at you right now,” said Dean, his eyes on the road, little drops of sweat above his upper lip. “At least loose the trench coat. I feel like I’m wearing it, it’s making me physically sick,” he said overly dramatic.

Cas indulged him and slipped it off, took off his jacket as well and loosened his tie.

Then he unbottoned his cuffs and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows. He did a pretty nice job of it, he thought. He'd had done it a couple of times before, but Dean always said it looked messy and usually rolled them down again to do them himself.

Cas didn't mind that too much; Dean's fingertips travelling up his arms felt different than anything else he'd have ever experienced and he kind of started anticipating it.

Dean must have felt really bad today though, because he didn’t do anything but throw a quick look at him. Despite not being affected by it, Cas could tell the weather was unusually hot and Dean was definitely not used to it. Still, he could do with a change of topic.

Dean seemed to cheer up a bit when they passed a sign saying they were nearing a gas station, but then spent the time it took to get there to complain some more and apologize to his girl for not thinking of getting her a drink sooner. Cas managed to avoid making a comment on Dean talking about his car like that.

The place was pretty much empty. There were only two pumps that looked pretty old and a little store behind them. Dean stopped the car at the pump closer to the road and wriggled in his seat to take out a few dollar bills from his jeans, “I’m gonna get gas, could you go ahead to pay and get me something to drink?”

Cas nodded, “Sure.”

So he stepped into the store where the A/C was blasting and some mellow music was playing in the background. He wandered towards the fridges that held the beverages and spent a while trying not to feel overwhelmed by the choices available.

He knew what kind of beer Dean preferred, but it was too early for that. He scanned the shelves and looked for something that seemed refreshing.

There was one kind of juice that promised to be a "Natural Fruit Drink" and was stored in little colourful pouches. It looked refreshing enough. He grabbed two lemonaded drinks and a big water bottle.

“Would you consider this being a refreshing beverage?”

The old lady at the cash register smiled at him as if he was being funny, “Sure. There’s only one*, right?” she said, winking. She looked like she was expecting a reaction from him, but Cas didn’t know what to say. First of all, he was paying for two pouches.

“Uh –"

“Nevermind, dear,” she huffed a laugh, “you were probably too young to remember.”

That was highly unlikely, Cas thought. Thankfully she was handing him his receipt already so he was able to get away from the conversation with a, "Have a good day, ma’am.”

When he got outside Dean was waiting for him leaned against the Impala. There was no one else still, so he wasn’t in a hurry to free the space and lose the shade of the canopy over his head.

He had his arms crossed and looked like he was thinking intensely. Probably a way to murder the Sun.

He looked up when Cas approached, “What you got for me?”, he said and when he saw what he was carrying, he had the funniest reaction.

He started laughing.

“What?”

“Capri Sun?” he laughed some more, genuinely delighted, “God,” he said, taking one of the pouches from Cas, “Wh-why did you get these?” he asked in a silly voice and didn’t even wait for Cas to reply. “I haven’t had one of these in like – forever.”

He turned the pouch in his hands and then his smile softened and disappeared. He cleared his throat and knitted his eyebrows.

“You don’t like it?” Cas asked, confused by the sudden change of expression. “I also got you water.”

“Uh – no,” said Dean, “No, nothing like that. It’s just –” he was still turning the thing in his hands and not making any move to start drinking it. “These remind me of my mum?” he said like it was a question. He looked up at him and let out a little laugh. “It’s – weird. I can’t really – I mean I was three. I know I can’t possibly remember, and maybe most of the things are like – a wish or a dream or something, but – You know when you get like, memories from tastes and stuff? Like in In Search of Lost Time.”

Cas didn’t really know.

It must have read on his face because Dean snorted, “Forget it,” and kept going, “It brings me back to when I was a kid and – I don’t know.” He looked at the pouch. “I think it was summer? Must have been summer. I don’t even – She’d like, take me to the park, I think. I don’t remember Sam being there, so it must have been the last summer where it was just me and her, you know, before she – ” he trailed off, his hand gently squeezing the pouch. “Yeah. Anyway, I don't even know if it's real. Could be a commercial or something." He clicked his tongue, then finally jammed the straw in the plastic and brought it to his lips.

Cas was still standing there, his hands full, watching him as he drank. There was more to the story and he didn't want to interrupt. Sure enough, Dean added, “Anyway, when she was gone and we got on the road, money got a bit tight. I remember crying and kicking ‘cause my dad wasn’t buying it for me. That I remember well. I remember I learned not to ask for it anymore. So I had kind of – forgotten about it.”

He fell silent. Dean's childhood had been unfair and tragic and if Cas could have had the power to do something to set it right he would have. Dean rarely talked about it so casually. He didn't seem sad like other times, but as he finished his drink, Cas still felt the need to tell him, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, I'm not upset," he was quick to reply, shrugging, "I mean, real or not, it makes me feel good." He flashed out a smile, "It's making me feel good right now," he said, raising his eyebrows playfully at him, "Guess it'll remind me of today now too. And at least I'm sure this is real."

“Is today really a good memory?" asked Cas, skeptical, "You complained all the way here. And I thought you said, 'I'd rather go back to Hell than live another day like this.'"

Dean snorted, “Yeah, well," he said, one corner of his mouth going up in half a smile, "the weather is not all there is."

He looked away and walked a few steps to throw out the empty pouch. On his way back he headed straight towards Cas, and came to stand very close to him.

Cas blinked, “Do you want the other one?”

Dean smiled like he was being funny. “Nah, I’ll drink that later,” he said, but still took out of his hands both the water bottle and the juice and Cas didn’t understand what was going on when Dean sent them bouncing onto the backseat from the open window, barely taking his eyes off of him. Cas could not help but stare back.

“What-" he tried to ask, but Dean was already cupping his left elbow with one hand, soon joined by the other and unrolling the sleeve of his shirt. Oh.

Dean lowered his gaze as he worked and Cas took the chance to stare at him from such a short distance, focus on his eyelashes, his sweaty brow, the dark freckles on his skin. He was really close, closer than Cas thought he'd like to be in this heat. Cas' arm dangled by his side like a dead weight when he released it and his right arm was already halfway up in offering. Seeing that made Dean smile a little.

They were really close.

They were really close and Cas kind of wanted to step closer.

“You are so bad at this,” Dean huffed, his fingertips and knuckles brushing his skin. Cas thought it hadn’t looked that bad, but Dean would surely know better than he. He'd almost finished rolling up the other one as well, and he was slowing down his movements.

Cas wished he had four other arms.

"So -" Dean said, taking his time to smooth the last of the wrinkles, "How about a deal? If I start complaining too much, you -", he pursed his lips like he was thinking it through, but he was just trying to be funny. Cas found him funny, "you can play some music, drown out my voice."

"Do I get to choose the tape?" Cas asked, feigning innocence.

Dean looked up to give him an unamused look that said he was taking it too far, but when their eyes met he realized Cas had been waiting for that and was actually holding back a grin.

So Dean puffed a sigh to smooth the smile that was threatening to curl his lips. It didn't really work so he had to look away to hide it.

"Fine," he said in the end, finally letting go of his arm. He gave him a pat on his shoulder as he walked past him. "I'll let you choose the tape." He pointed a finger at him from the other side of the car. "Just this one time."

Cas was fine with that.

*a reference to the 82' commercial you can see here - just a fun a coincidence that it's the same year Dean's referring to :)

@bend-me-shape-me said #deancassummerprompts21 and I said YES

#deancassummerprompts21 #deancas #deancas ficlet #destiel fanfic #mentions of dean & mary #and #john winchester a+ parenting #me: okay for this prompt i have a very sad idea #cas: k but what if i rolled up my sleeves?#so i researched capri sun and they were distributed in the us starting from 81 so phewww just in time #or this whole thing wouldnt have made any sense #i know i cheated cause its not really their last summer but it was THEIR last summer yk?? :)))) yeah i know i cheated #my writing #cant believe im finally posting this #bet ill find 29032 mistakes a second after it goes live #playlist to write you say? i only listen to 80s commercials on repeat

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