#godspeed girls. hope you shut up long enough to get some

[stergeon]

say it

Byleth makes Edelgard say swear words.

(~350 words; too stupid to post on ao3)

“‘Shit.’”

“Grotesque.”

“Give it a try.”

“… Shit.”

“Very good. ‘Ass.’”

“That one is easier. I’ve said it before.”

“Then why don’t you say it now?”

“I… er…”

“If it’s so easy, then do it.”

“… Ass.”

“Excellent.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“How about this one? ‘Cunt.’”

“Wh—I actually, um, don’t know what that means.”

“You don’t know ‘cunt’?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Byleth, it’s simply not in my lexicon.”

“It means va—”

“All right, I understand. The gesture was absolutely unnecessary. I’m astounded at how many words there seem to be for the same thing.”

“If you think that’s bad, you won’t believe how many there are for pe—”

“Well, this has been a fun exercise and hopefully a source of great amusement to you, but I think I’m finished.”

“Wait, wait.”

“No.”

“One more, one more.”

“Mm, no. I don’t think so.”

“Please?”

“… You know it’s not fair of you to give me those eyes.”

“Is that a yes?”

“All right. All right. One more.”

“Yesssss. ‘Fuck.’”

“Byleth!”

“What?! You said one more, and that’s the one to say.”

“I’m—I am not—”

“Please?”

“You can’t pull the same maneuver twice in a minute and expect to succeed. That’s poor strategy.”

“Is it working?”

“… Regrettably, it is.”

“Then it seems like a good strategy to me. Just say it. ‘Fuck.’ It’s easy.”

“It most certainly is not!”

“Try it. Say ‘fuck.’”

“… Fuck.”

“Oh, that’s rich. That’s very good.”

“Are you quite satisfied?”

“Nearly. Now use it in a sentence.”

“Byleth.”

“I’ll give you one. It’ll be easy.”

“I did not—and do not—agree to this!”

“Just repeat after me.”

“No!”

“Say, ‘Byleth, I want you to fuck me.’”

“… Oh.”

“Go on, El. You can do it.”

“… Byleth, I…”

“Keep going.”

“Byleth, I-I want you to… f-fuck me.”

“Good girl. Wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Less than I—ah—thought it would be.”

“Mm. Well, you’ve certainly earned a reward, haven’t you?”

“Yes, my teacher. Fuck…”

“Aren’t you a fast learner? I’m impressed.”

“If you don’t shut up and kiss me right now, I’m going to start swearing in earnest.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Your Majesty.”

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

oh god you have foolishly provided me a chance to dump the contains of my soul and heart out in the open through throwing all my favorite songs to listen to and think of Muriel at you in this essay i WILL

ok first i know its on his official playlist already BUT i feel a need to emphasize just how much it is ABsoLUTEly HIS song most of any of them: drumroll please::: 👏Wolf👏 by 👏First Aid Kit👏 any muriel simp reading this right now i am pounding you with my brainwaves of intent to go listen to it Right Now and Read those Lyrics and just try to tell me its not literally about him god if could draw id be doing such a cool animatic about it but alas it dies with me anyway WAYWARD WINDS!!! A VOICE THAT SINGS!!!! OF A!! FORGOTTEN!!!! LAND!!!!!!! SEE IT FALL!!!! CHILD OF WAR!!!! OH LEND!!!! A MENDING HAND!!!!!!!!!!! i believe ive made myself clear kbgxkyhfhkvd

https://youtu.be/6PmuuiXgIZE

i dont know if links work on anon but i had to try gjzghfdtomfg our wedding song straight up this is in my language and also like. about a girl but the words are easy to switch around so it fits lol it basically just goes like "you just had to know (to do something? like in a you know how to work me way lmao linguistics hard), that i cant forget you at all/i forgot my mother and father/my sister and my brother but i cant goshdarn forget you" and i dont know i probably cant translate that so it hits right but god its absolutely perfect to me cause like I DIDNT! FORGET HIM!! MC REMEMBERS HIM AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT!!!! EVEN WITH THE CURSE I DONT KNOW LET ME HAVE THIS ITS TOO GD ROMANTIC I CANT BELIEVE HE GOT ME ACTING LIKE THIS AGHGF im sorry for yelling i got excited

NEXT a classic we gotta pepper some hozier on this thing so here goes Nothing Fucks With My Baby cause thats my ultimate serenade for him in my head especially the "if i was born/as a blackthorn tree/id wanna be held by you/felled by you/fuel the pyre of your enemies" part as it perfectly describes my sentiments towards my man: hes my bby i will kill for him👁️👁️

theres Always Forever by Cults, i dont have that much to rant about it i just always think of him when i play it lol theres hozier again It Will Come Back which is on his official playlist too but i play around with perspectives in this one cause i put myself in the "it" position, like. im chasing here bro👀 oh my god i have got to shut up this is entirely tmi

https://youtu.be/mLycEitwJCA

i made a whole post about this one its a whole thing lmao long story short muriel on a murderous revenge quest au MOVING ON

OH i remembered another folky one

https://youtu.be/NrgwIo8GWDI

its SUCH a banger and i love it and it goes like i saw a Wolf a Fox a Rabbit so i just imprinted on it with Muriel Asra and MC respectively cause i dont know i had a phase where i decided mcs spirit animal is a rabbit cause of that scrapped introduction chapter with the labyrinth thing i guess idk im scrambling here ngfsfugc anyway it slaps listen to it and imagine a bangin tavern party and maybe youll calm down /meme

ohh ok we're on a folksy roll thats probably because i just mostly associate old timey sounding songs with arcana in general lmao i mean its like middle ages over there right

https://youtu.be/t9PUlNQOZ8o

this ones in my language again i know annoying but i found a translated version look!!! AND theres a bunch of people correcting the mistakes in the comments too if you were wanting to get deeper into research hkdggjyecb and its white voice style so depending on your taste it might sound silly but yeah this ones got some fitting lines too tying up with Murmur and its so cute and so cheesy and hopeful and sappy and it cheers me up aw

oh my god i wonder if anyone gets this far reading this ever if youre seeing this its probably during a scroll roll slow just enough to make out the letters Hello godspeed you continue on your journey with my blessings cause im noT EVEN DONE YET HAHAHAHAHAA

Motha Motha! Problems! nuff said

https://youtu.be/artn9fErRp8

this ones gonna take explaining gjxgkhpgz but maybe not that much

https://youtu.be/_h9V94b4R2g

i just had a eureka moment one day and so another animatic concept to take to my grave was born lmao but mostly its just playing into Muriels & MCs "nO i cOULd hUrt YoU Go aWaY" + "ayo hold my flower ima kill them real quick" dynamic theyve got heehee like the whole "~Dangerous~ ooh that sounds good ya" bit and also yes im in your house no im not leaving jgdghkfhgd and like i just imagined the song fitting the vibe of the whole murder lucio quest road trip with MC all "yo we Getting this shit DONE dont fuck around w my crew" (The Crew: feral milf & bear with anxiety) AND LIKE i always get to the "party like we all gon die tonight" basedrop part with the whole visual montage of us finding khamgalai and then the graveyard fight and Absolutely Everything Going to Shit and the mood shifting to "well fuck maybe we do not in fact got this" but its good we kick lucio all the way to hell at the end we good💕

https://youtu.be/ZxWiG6UJr0w

MMMMMMM THIS ONEE AWW im literally just scrolling through my endless unsorted playlist to find these gdiyyfgfz this ones just cute it doesnt really relate to anything at all actually when i think about it but its nice so here

https://youtu.be/6FEDrU85FLE

.....nope i got nothing on this one just plop it right in here

oh my god. its over. weve done it. we're free

man i hope those links work. definitely not on mobile lol whatever

Hi! and oh, WOW, this was one of the most delightfully wild essays I've ever read for Muriel and I loved it. Especially describing the dynamic on the trip south as "feral milf & bear with anxiety" XD

I've found that links don't work in asks, even with the media option turned on, so I'll include them below. Thanks for your suggestions, anon, I'll put them on the tag! ^.^

[toloveawarlord]

Day 2: Sacrifice

You can find my masterlist in my bio!

Event: Spooktober

Trick: Shadows, Mask, Cemetery

Characters: Eden Bright & Finley Godspeed Ft. Sasha Hyde

Tagging: @christmaswarlock​ @plumpblueberry​

A/N: Some angst for the lovely requester! I hope you enjoy this little bit of Finley and Eden! I aged them up just a little bit for this fic! Finley is 7, Eden is 6, and Sasha is 9.

[Spooktober Event is CLOSED]

Although peace had been brokered between the two territories, bias and anger still remained, even a year after the threats of war.

Jade eyes darted between the three masked figures towering around the two girls in a semi-circle. They wore mock army uniforms and crisp silver masks to hide their identity. “Please-please leave u-us alone,” Eden stammered, reaching a shaky hand out to clutch the back of the other girl’s dirt-stained shirt.

“Get the hell out of our territory, you red bastard!” The leader spat at the younger girl trembling behind Finley. His irritation clearly etched on his face as his brows creased.

The second one of them moved a step closer, Finley countered. It shouldn’t be so damn hard to fend off a seven-year-old, but they found it nearly impossible. She’d land pointed punches to the jaw, throat-- the slight girl having to be hauled off by both the other boys. They hadn’t the opportunity to attack their actual target.

“I won’t let you touch her.” Finley raised her fists again, defensive in her actions unless one of them moved first. They were familiar to her, but the moon cast a shadow across their mask, making it hard to remember.

Eden’s gaze flickered toward the town just beyond the trees. How long would it take for anyone to realize that they were missing? With the large crowd, perhaps they simply thought the children lost among it.

A decisive look between the three boys made the young Godspeed tense in anticipation. Their only real option would be attack all at once, but she wouldn’t allow that. She lunged, effectively toppling over the leader. The other two less likely to act without his guidance.

His arm thrust up, palm connecting with her chin to put distance between them. “They’re the enemy! You’re a traitor for protecting her!” He shouted, turning his head to avoid a direct connection of her knuckles to his cheek bone.

“You don’t deserve to have on that uniform! Hurting innocents isn’t what the Black Army stands for!” Amethyst eyes caught the movement to her right, and the girl reeled back with her elbow. The crunch of the other boy’s nose worth the pain that radiated through her arm.

It was her voice.

That sweet voice filled with absolute terror that Finley couldn’t ignore.

She’d only taken her eyes off her target for a split second, but it was enough. The leader shifted their weight, managing to plow is foot into her abdomen and throw her slight form off him...

right into a headstone.

 The rough granite greeted her head with a sickening thud, not giving a single inch in the hard ground. The world blurred. It was distant. And yet, it hardly hurt in that moment. 

Get up. You have to get up.

One had Eden securely in his arms, easily keeping her under control even as she struggled. Through the haze, Finley could see the tears spilling from her jade eyes. The pang in her chest, heart clenching at how despaired her love looked.

“Traitor!” The leader, enraged, struck his boot down into her rib cage. Twice. Three times. The fourth nearly caught with sluggish hands but managed to slip through once again. He observed her, cocking his head to the side before completely turning again. “We’ll rid Black Territory of all its enemies!”

“F-Finley!” Eden was desperate to escape but lacked any skills to do so. Her shaky cry for help drowned out by the disgusting cheers of the three boys.

The ache in her body begged her to rest, digging into her muscles to make every movement more painful than the last. Even her eyes betrayed her when she made a feeble attempt to stop their cruel game. Finley lurched forward but with little force.

“Why won’t you stay down!” The leader shouted, easily tearing her weak grip off his arm. One half-hearted shove sent the young Godspeed to the ground, knocking what little air she could get out of her lungs. 

As much as she willed herself to stand back up, she couldn’t. Her fingers dug helplessly into the soil, clinging to it as if it could aid somehow. Her ears rang, registering the screams before Finley realized that it was her own voice echoing through the cemetery.

A calculative error.

The sword unsheathed not wooden as she’d believed but painfully real. It skewered her to the ground, glinting in the moonlight.

Darkness descended upon them. Shadows springing from the forest, silently slithering across the open space toward the group. Following like a wraith was an older girl. One with a reputation.

“That’s- That’s the one they say can summon demons!” One boy shouted, leading the retreat without the permission of the leader.

The leader shouted of cowards but the closer the shadows came, the more his legs trembled in terror. Without a second thought, he, too, sprinted away with screams of a demon.

Sasha gave a passing pat on the head to Eden before she knelt by Finley. Her accompanying shadows dispersing like the wind, like a question of whether they’d truly been there or not. “You’ll live.” Her fingers ghosted around the wound.

Amethyst eyes turned upward to her favorite person. “See? Nothin to worry about! I’m gonna be alright so no more cryin’, okay?” A grin pushed her lips up, happy that the tension seemed to leave Eden’s shoulders.

“I’ll- I’ll go get Fenrir.”

Finley let her cheek rest back against the dirt once she was out of sight. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit down onto her lip. “Sash, I-”

Sasha hummed in response, sitting on back on her heels beside her. “I know. The feeling here-” Her index finger tapped down her left leg and then back up her right. It was quiet. Nothing indicated flow to her lower half.

“It’s gone.”

[dimensiontripperhibiki]

Hold It Together (As we fall apart) - Chapter 5.

Thanks for the likes/reblogs/messages guys. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Kara closed her eyes, basking in the warmth emanating from the sunlamps above her. They were soothing, she had to admit. Almost as soothing as the feeling of Lena’s hand holding onto her own. She wasn’t sure what was going on but she didn’t want to let go of Lena for a second. Lena suddenly cleared her throat. “What do you want me to tell your sister about what happened last night?” Kara turned her head, her brow furrowing as she looked at Lena. “I don’t know? Everything’s just a little fuzzy right now.” Lena sighed at the response though she wasn’t surprised that Kara wasn’t fully lucid. “Alright.” She said, giving the hand in her own a careful squeeze. “I’ll figure it out.” Kara managed a tiny smile. “Thank you, Lena.”

Lena was silent for a long moment as Kara’s eyes fluttered shut again. Part of her wanted to leave because she wasn’t sure she was ready   to forgive Kara. The other half refused to budge from Kara’s side. She let the silence settle between them as she mulled over what she should do. She didn’t want Kara to get the wrong idea but she wasn’t even sure what the wrong idea was. 

Hearing footsteps behind her she looked up to see Alex walk into the room, Brainy and Nia right behind her. “What’s wrong?” Lena asked, immediately noticing the looks on Alex and Nia’s faces. “What’s going on?” “Can I speak to you for a moment?” Alex gestured for Lena to come closer to her so they could speak in private. Lena hesitated, eyeing Alex warily before she nodded. She turned back to Kara, lightly stroking her free hand over soft blonde hair. A small smile tugged at Kara’s lips but she didn’t open her eyes. “I’ll be right back, Kara.” Kara whimpered as Lena’s hand disappeared from her own but she didn’t protest. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” Lena said when she reached Alex. “I’m staying until I know Supergirl is okay and then I’m leaving, okay? This doesn’t make us…” She paused, noticing the guilt on Alex’s face. “What’s happening?” “Go ahead, Brainy,” Alex said quietly as she stepped around Lena. Lena frowned as she turned to see what Alex was doing. She inhaled sharply in surprise as a barrier appeared around Kara, not dissimilar to the barrier she herself had used for Sam. “Director Danvers, what are you doing?” Kara pushed herself up on the table, her eyes wide. “Alex!” “I’m sorry, Kara.” Alex’s voice cracked as she spoke. She moved to the barrier as Kara pushed herself off her makeshift bed and stumbled toward it. “This is for your own good. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Kara pressed her hand against the barrier separating her from the others. “Y-You’re locking me up?” Alex pressed her hand against Kara’s, separated by the barrier. “You’re…” “Director Danvers!” Alex gritted her teeth and turned as one of her agents burst into the room. “Yes?” “We have a hit on the speedster.” The agent said breathlessly as he glanced between the imprisoned Kryptonian and Alex, clearly wondering what was going on. Alex sighed and turned back to Kara. “We’ll talk more when I get back.” “You’re going after him?!” Kara gaped at Alex. “Alex, you can’t, that’s crazy!” “I’ll be okay. Get some rest, Kara.” Alex touched her hand to the barrier once more before she forced herself to walk away. “Dreamer, with me. Lena, don’t even think about trying to get her out. I’ll explain everything when I get back.” “Alex!” Kara exclaimed as she watched her sister walk away from her. “You need me for this, you can’t go alone! At least take J’onn with you! ALEX!” She pounded her fist against the barrier as Alex and Nia left the room. “Damn it! DAMN IT!” She pressed her forehead to the barrier, her breathing heavy. Alex was going to die, all because Kara was trapped. Because she was weak. Lena hurried to the barrier, tentatively touching the glass-like surface. “Try to calm down, I-I’m going to find a way to get you out of there.” “I believe that’s precisely what the director asked you not to do.” Brainy piped up from behind them as he took a step closer. Lena glanced at him, narrowing her eyes. “I don’t take orders from Director Danvers.” “Lena.” Kara pressed her hand to the surface of the barrier, over Lena’s. Her fingers scraped against the glass like she was trying to grasp Lena’s hand. “Please let me out.” Lena’s breath hitched, her mind drifting back to a time when she’d locked Kara inside a smaller prison than this, back in the fortress of solitude. She hadn’t known then, that Kara was claustrophobic. She’d had no idea. Brainy cleared his throat. “Supergirl has none of her abilities at the present time. If you release her, she will go to join the fight alongside Director Danvers. By my calculations, there’s a 76 percent chance that she’ll be injured and an 18 percent chance that she’ll be killed.” Lena gritted her teeth. She knew it was the right call, as much as she didn’t want to be agreeing with Alex. “I’m sorry, Kara.” Kara’s lower lip trembled at the realization that she wasn’t going to get out. “Are you leaving?” Lena hesitated for a moment before she answered. “No. I should wait for your sister to get back. Save her storming into my office later to interrogate me.” “Right.” Kara breathed out, relieved that Lena wasn’t leaving at the very least. “I need to...sit…” She sat down on the floor, leaning against the pane of ‘glass’ she was stuck behind. Lena glanced at Brainy and he seemed to take that as his cue to leave. “I’ll be back as soon as we have news.” He called over his shoulder as he left the room. Lena felt herself relax, just a little as the pressure of having yet another person she was angry with in the same room as her lifted. She looked down at Kara, her brow furrowing as she tried to work out whether she was still angry at the blonde hero. She was, deep down, but her concern outweighed that. She carefully sat down on the other side of the barrier, leaning against where Kara was sitting on the other side of the barrier. “Alex is going to be fine.” Kara gave a tiny nod in response. “Thank you, Lena.” ----- “GODSPEED!”

Godspeed couldn’t help but let a small smirk creep onto his face at the sound of the DEO’s director calling his name, anger as clear as day in her voice. He had to admit that he was impressed by their dispatch time. They’d taken only four minutes to get to where he was since he first appeared in the middle of the road. “Director Danvers I assume?”

“Surround him.” Alex ordered, signaling for the group of DEO agents with her to circle around the speedster. She waited until all of her agents were in position before raising her pistol in unison with the agents raising their own. “You’re coming with us.”

“No. I’m not.” Godspeed turned around so he was finally facing the head of the DEO. He was surprised to find that J’onn J’onzz was with the humans as well as the costumed woman he only knew as Dreamer. He didn’t care about the costumed girl but he thought the Martian Manhunter would have been positioned at Supergirl’s side, acting as a bodyguard for the injured Kryptonian. 

“I’m only going to ask once more.” Alex's eyes narrowed as she took a step forward, the agents with her following her lead a moment after. J’onn moved too but stayed a few steps behind Alex, ready to react to any attack from the speedster. “Come with us peacefully or we will take you down.”

“Will you?” Godspeed asked, trying his best to keep himself from laughing but to no avail. Lex had told him that the Danvers sister would come after him with everything she had and it looked as if he was right. “Then come try it.”

“You’ll pay for what you did to Supergirl…” Nia barely got her words out before she Godspeed’s foot slammed hard into her gut with more than enough force to send her flying backward into the floor behind her, knocking her unconscious.

“Shhh. The adults are talking.” Godspeed smugly proclaimed before he turned his attention back to the head of the DEO. “My apologies. You were saying?”

“DREAMER!” Alex snarled, her gun pointed towards the speedster’s head. She had seen enough of the people she cared about getting hurt. “I gave you your chance.”

“And look where it got you. One down.” Godspeed smirked as she heard the DEO Director growl with anger. 

Alex took in a deep breath as she tried her best to keep her emotions in check. She knew full well that the speedster was trying to get under her skin. “Open fire!” She squeezed the trigger of her gun, firing at the man in front of her. Godspeed looked around at the circle of DEO agents surrounding him, white lightning crackling from his body. Alex blinked and in an instant, all of the DEO agents were on the ground, blood gushing from their throats. Nobody besides herself even had a chance to pull the trigger. “Damn it!” “You’re next, Director Danvers.” Godspeed studied his blood-covered hand before he looked at Alex again. He wasn’t surprised to see J’onn step in front of Alex as a guard. Lex also told him that the Director of the DEO and Supergirl were like family to the Green Martian, like daughters. “Wait your turn, Martian.”

Alex flinched as white lightning bolted past her, grabbing J’onn J’onzz and knocking her gun from her hand on the way past. “J’ONN!” Alex yelled, turning towards where the lightning lead. She tried to grab at it but only succeeded in grabbing at the air and stumbling forward. Again someone she cared about was hurt in front of her and she was powerless to stop it. Feeling a presence behind her, she spun around in time to see Godspeed standing next to her. “You wanted me. Here I am!”

Godspeed rolled his eyes, easily dodging the DEO director’s punch like it was moving at the speed of a statue. He slashed his phasing hand towards her neck in the same way he did with the other DEO agents but his eyes widened in shock as his hand was blasted away from her as soon as it made contact, sending him flying backward through the air. He landed hard on the ground but quickly scrambled back to his feet. “What the hell was that?”

“Protection. A gift from Star Labs.” Alex grinned as she watched Godspeed’s connection to the speed force fade away. It was the same gadget each of the DEO agents had as well as J’onn and Nia but they had the chance to activate theirs. Alex rushed forward, her fist colliding hard with the white speedsters masked face but it barely did anything. It looked as if he had been through some kind of training of his own.

Godspeed stepped to the side, flipping Alex over him before he started feeling his connection to the speed force return. He immediately backed away from the DEO Director, trying to think of a plan for her armor. He had never seen anything like it before. It meant that he couldn’t physically touch her until he figured out where the shield came from.

Alex threw punch after punch as Godspeed ran circled around her in the hope to catch him off guard again. She wished he was cut off from the speed force for longer than a few minutes but it was the best she had. “What did you do to J’onn?!”

Godspeed stopped a safe distance away from her, a smile on his face. “The Martian? I threw him into a wall of ice in the arctic at mach 6 speeds. I doubt he’s dead but he won’t be coming to your rescue for a while. Long enough for me to deal with you.”

Alex flinched as Godspeed started to run circles in front of her, throwing a white lightning bolt at her waist. She froze in horror as the shield protecting her faded away due to the damage it took from the lightning bolt. Alex barely had time to look up before Godspeed had hold of her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. She could feel her lungs being emptied of air with no way to refill them and she clawed at the speedster’s hands, trying to prise them from her throat.

“AGH!” Godspeed cried out in pain, dropping the almost asphyxiated Alex to the floor. Alex gasped for breath, her hands going to her throat. She stared at Godspeed who was too busy trying to find where he was attacked from to notice anything else. 

Alex’s confusion was quickly cleared up when the Green Arrow landed on the floor a short distance away from her and Godspeed, his bow immediately drawn and ready to fire. “Green Arrow, Run!”

“It’s too late for that!” Godspeed froze, forced to do a double-take as he fell forward instead of using his speed. He quickly caught himself and looked up in a state of panic. “W-what happened to me?”

“Upgraded nanites. Courtesy of Star Labs and my wife.” Oliver smiled as he lowered his bow, passing it to his other hand so he could fight with it instead of shooting with it. “You won’t be speeding around for a while.”

Godspeed quickly tried to start phasing his body but nothing happened. He remembered that was how the Reverse-Flash used to get foreign items out of his body but for some reason, it wasn’t working for him. “Damn it.”

“Phasing won’t work.” Oliver took a few steps to the side, crouching down beside the unconscious Nia to make sure she was still breathing. He let out a sigh of relief when he quickly found her pulse. “Give it up.”

“Never!” Godspeed growled in anger at the Emerald Archer. His plan was falling apart. All he was supposed to do was take out the head of the DEO but he’d wasted so much time. Dealing with Dreamer, The Martian Manhunter and The Green Arrow wasn’t part of the deal. He couldn’t even run away anymore. “Damn you.”

Godspeed lunged forward and swung his fist towards the Green Arrow, hitting nothing but air as Oliver stepped to the side, planting his knee into the speedster’s gut before he slammed his bow into Godspeed’s face with enough force to whirl the speedster around towards Alex who’d gotten to her feet.

Alex quickly took her chance and slammed her fist into Godspeed’s face, knocking him to the floor before Oliver fired an arrow at him that covered him in a net. “Thanks for the assist, Oliver...but what are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story. Are you okay?” Oliver asked as he noticed blood on Alex’s face and the choke marks on her neck. He had to admit that he had no idea just how good Alex Danvers was. He sure as hell wouldn’t have tried taking on a speedster by himself after the short fight he’d had with Barry.

Alex nodded slowly, wiping the blood from her face with her sleeve. She wasn’t even sure how it had gotten there. It wasn’t hers. “I’m fine, thanks. So why exactly are you on my earth?”

“I don’t know.” Oliver shrugged. He didn’t agree to come to Earth-38 in the first place but he was happy he was there. He knew almost everything about Barry and Barry knew almost everything about him but he knew barely anything about his other friend, something he wanted to fix while he was there. “The Monitor appeared in my house and teleported me here with my gear. Where’s Kara?”

“She’s at the DEO. She’s been hurt.” She could immediately tell that Oliver was taken aback by the news, probably assuming that Supergirl was indestructible. “Godspeed ran into the DEO and stabbed her with a Kryptonite blade. You should...come and see her.”

“Okay.” Oliver nodded before picking up the unconscious Nia. “I’m assuming she’s one of yours considering the way she’s dressed?”

Alex couldn’t help but feel guilty as soon as Oliver picked up her friend’s body. She was supposed to keep her and J’onn safe but she’d completely failed. She hoped J’onn was okay. “Yes. Her name is Dreamer.”

“Dreamer? Is that why she’s unconscious?” Oliver inquired with a puzzled smile, something that would have been rare to see on his face a year or two ago. He guessed Mia and William’s presence was good for him. Alex rolled her eyes. “It’s not her real name. Just…” She paused as she turned back to the bloody carnage behind her. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. “I have to make a call. I’ll meet you in the car. It’s along the road.” Oliver’s eyes followed Alex’s pointing finger to three SUV’s along the road. Assuming it didn’t matter which one he chose, he nodded and began carrying Nia to the car. Alex gritted her teeth as she stared at the bodies around her. She’d gone into the field with eight agents and she’d managed to protect none of them. Feeling her eyes prickle with tears she quickly ran a hand over her face and pulled her phone out. There would be time for that later. ----

“She should be here by now. Why isn’t she back?” Lena crossed her arms in front of her chest, watching Kara pacing back and forth in what Kara had deemed as her bubble. “I’m sure everything’s fine. She could be stuck in traffic.” “Alex doesn’t get stuck in traffic!” Kara snapped irritably. She stopped, her stomach sinking as she turned to Lena. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just...worried about Alex and I feel so helpless being stuck in here and…” “You don’t need to explain anything to me.” Lena interrupted before Kara could really start ranting. “I understand.” Kara sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I’m really screwing this up.” Lena raised an eyebrow in response. “Screwing what up exactly?” Kara stepped closer to the barrier separating them. “I mean...you seem to be talking to me again a-and I don’t want to make any assumptions but that has to be a good thing, right? I don’t expect you to forgive me or forget what I did to you but it makes me happy that you’re talking to me again.” She grimaced slightly at the way that sounded. “And now you probably feel pressured and...I’m moving too fast, right?” “I don’t think anything could be moving too fast after what we did last night.” Lena quipped, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah, I...wait.” Kara’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” “What do you think I…?” Lena trailed off as Kara’s gaze drifted over her shoulder, her expression brightening. “Alex, you’re okay!” Kara’s voice was dripping with relief as she stepped slightly to the side so she wasn’t right in front of Lena. “Oliver? What are you doing here?” “Long story.” Oliver answered with a slight shake of his head. “Are you okay? Alex told me you were hurt.” “Oh…” Kara’s hand drifted to her stomach. “Yeah. I’m feeling better. I don’t know why I’m locked in this bubble.” Alex sighed at the pointed look Kara shot her. “Just a precaution. We’ve found out that you were stabbed with a fusion of kryptonite...a mixture of periwinkle kryptonite and silver kryptonite.” “Periwinkle?” Kara frowned in confusion. “According to Brainy it causes...a loss of inhibitions. Which explains your recent behavior.” Alex awkwardly cleared her throat. “I’d like to monitor you for at least the next 48 hours or until we’re sure the kryptonite is out of your system. It’s important Kara. Please.” Kara huffed in annoyance. “You know I hate the bubble…” “I know. It’s not for long, I promise.” Alex heard her phone beep and took it from her pocket, glancing at it. “Sorry, I...we lost some agents in the field. I need to notify their families.” “Wait, what happened to you neck?!” Kara exclaimed, noticing the bruises around Alex’s throat. “Did you get hurt? Where are J’onn and Nia?” “I just…” Alex was cut off by her phone ringing. “I really have to take this, Kara. Oliver will explain what he can and I’ll be back in an hour. I promise. Just...sit tight” She forced a smile before she turned and hurried from the room. Kara turned her focus to Oliver as he walked closer. “Are J’onn and Nia okay?” “Nia is...Dreamer?” Oliver asked. He waited for Kara to nod before he continued. “She’s fine. She took a hit to the head but she’ll be okay. J’onn...I’m not sure. Alex said Godspeed took him somewhere and...threw him into an ice wall?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Anyway, he’s alive.” “Right.” Kara sighed in relief though she couldn’t help but still feel troubled by the news. “It’s good to see you. I would hug you but…” She lightly rapped on the solid barrier and Oliver nodded in response. “Oh! Um...Oliver, this is Lena Luthor. Lena, this is Oliver Queen.” “Luthor?” Oliver frowned. “I see my reputation precedes me.” Lena observed. “Oh! Not that Luthor. The good Luthor.” Kara hastened to explain. She smiled broadly as Lena glanced at her in surprise. “The best Luthor. I told you about her, remember?” “Oh.” Oliver held out his hand to Lena. “Well in that case it’s nice to meet you, Miss Luthor.” “Likewise.” Lena shook his hand briefly before letting go. “I take it you’re a friend of Kara’s?” “You could say that.” “Hey!” Kara pouted at the remark. “I’m kidding, Kara. Of course we’re friends.” Oliver shook his head in amusement. “Even if we do live on different earths.” Lena did a double-take. “Sorry, you what?” “Long story. I’ll explain later.” Kara answered quickly. “So how long are you staying? You’re not leaving right away, are you? We have to catch up! And I have to show you around the city!” Lena watched the two, a sickening feeling of jealousy creeping up on her as she watched Oliver laugh at Kara’s questions. She remembered when Kara used to get that excited over seeing her. Or their lunch dates. She cleared her throat before Oliver could reply. “I should be getting to work. I have some things I need to take care of.” Kara’s face dropped at the comment. “You’re leaving? But what about Alex?” “I’ll come back later.” Lena replied, keeping her gaze fixed to Kara. She could feel the archer’s eyes on her, watching her closely. She knew why. He didn’t trust her. That much was obvious from his earlier comment. She watched Kara nervously bite her lip. “I’ll stop by. I’ll bring takeout for you, okay?” Kara sighed softly. “You won’t be able to get it in the bubble.” “Right…” Lena frowned at the barrier separating them. “I’ll figure something out. I will be back though, I promise.” Kara nodded. “I’ll see you later then.” Oliver watched as Lena walked quickly towards the door and out of the room. He turned his gaze back to Kara whose shoulders were slumped in defeat. “What’s going on there?” “It’s...a long story.” “Seems to be the theme of today.” Oliver said quietly. He watched Kara pout for a moment before he continued. “Did I tell you I met my daughter from the future?” “What?!” Kara’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wha…? How? You have a daughter? What’s her name? What is she like? You have to tell me everything!” Oliver gave a soft laugh at Kara’s response. He had expected as much. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” Kara hesitated for a moment before she nodded and sat down on the floor, cross legged. She gestured to the floor on the other side of the bubble. “Pull up a chair.” ----- Alex looked up at the sound of a soft knock on the conference room door. Her brow furrowed slightly when she noticed Lena. She gestured for the CEO to enter the room and Lena did so, closing the door behind her. “What can I help you with?” “I figured you’d have some questions for me.” Lena answered simply as she stepped toward the table. She skimmed her fingers over the back of one of the chairs but she didn’t sit down. “About what happened with Kara.” “I don’t have any questions at the minute.” Alex answered, watching Lena closely. “Besides...maybe one.” “You want to know who, besides me, could create a kryptonite fusion.” Lena had known the question was coming but it still stung when Alex nodded her head. “And you want to know if I made the weapon she was stabbed with.” “I have to consider it.” Alex answered hesitantly. “You were angry enough at Kara to steal myriad. And to imprison her in kryptonite.” Lena scoffed at the comment. “I wanted to hurt Supergirl, not kill her. I told you that. Why would I want her dead? We both know what would happen to the city without her. Is that all you need to ask me?” “What are you doing with my sister?” Alex got to her feet for the first time since Lena had walked into the room. She watched surprise flit across Lena’s features. “It doesn’t take a genius to work out what happened between the two of you last night. What I want to know is why it happened.” Lena raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think?” “I think Kara was under the influence of kryptonite.” Alex answered bluntly. “I want to know why you did it. It’s not as though you like her like that...is it?” “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” Lena managed to retort though she was still reeling at Alex’s accusation. “Are you suggesting that I took advantage?” Alex was silent, staring intently at Lena for a moment. “Did you?” “Of course I didn’t!” Lena exclaimed, anger seeping into her voice. She gripped the back of the seat, hard and glared at Alex. “I didn’t do anything Kara didn’t want me to do. I didn’t know she was drugged! If I’d known I wouldn’t have let it happen!” “Why did you? I don’t understand. Kara told me you hate her.” “I’ve never said tha…” Lena trailed off, recalling that she had said those exact words to Kara. She felt suddenly sick. Kara had believed her enough to tell Alex about it. “I don’t hate her.” Alex sighed and sat back down, leaning back in her chair. “There’s something else I have to tell you.” Lena briefly gritted her teeth. “What?” “I spoke to Kara earlier.” Alex began, watching Lena carefully. “About everything that’s happened. And why she’s in the bubble.” “And?” “I thought you would want to know…” Alex hesitated for a second before she continued. “Kara doesn’t remember what happened...last night.” “What?” Alex frowned as Lena stared at her, dumbfounded. “She doesn’t remember what happened between the two of you. I didn’t tell her. Obviously. I thought you would want to figure that out.” Lena nodded numbly. “I-I should be going. Tell Kara that I’ll come back tomorrow morning.” “If you want to see her now, I…” “I don’t!” Lena exclaimed, causing Alex to flinch slightly. “It’s not what you think. I just need to gather my thoughts about all of this. I’ll be back.” With that said, she turned and hurried out of the room. Alex watched her go, concern written across her face. Resigning herself to not being able to do anything, she got to her feet. She supposed she would have to give Kara the bad news that it was pointless to wait up for Lena. TBC.

[seenashwrite]

(1/2)I've completely lost my ability to focus right now, except for hearing Dean saying, "You're awesome, sweetheart," on a loop. I've reread your many treatises on the subject, finally finding the one where someone asked you, "If not sweetheart, then what?" You seemed to believe that he would use "baby" or "sweetiepie" because of his love of his car and pie. I would object to both of these, because I believe that, for him, both Baby and Pie are proper names. (Brother and Angel similarly so, but

Cursing my name? For reals!? 

Nah, I kid. I know it’s not hate. And I do apologize, RE: that first part - I obviously was not clear, that’s on me. ‘Cause those ain’t my recommendations. Noooo.

I wanted to convey that it was interesting to me how, putting aside that he only uses “sweetheart” sincerely for Baby & Colt, even if he was using it as an endearment for, um, living things of a twue lurve nature, well….

Dude don’t use it all that often. Not when we compare it to things he no doubt, balls-to-the-wall loves, such as the Impala and pie [and alcohol, but “my lil’ whiskey sour” don’t quite do it for tinglin’ the nethers]. Thus, it got a raised eyebrow from me, how people don’t seem to have the knee-jerk of “sweetiepie” or “babydoll”, derivatives of things he does talk about/refer to adoringly on the reg. Tell me if that’s not making sense, I’ll work on phrasing it better.

Now, having said that - imagining either of those coming out of Dean’s mouth makes me wanna throw up, go eat, throw that up, then mainline Pepto so I can do it all over again til the thought is purged from my person.

All right. Let’s build a profile on Dean’s behavior & verbiage with legitimate love interests, based on what we know from canon, then see if we can’t drill down on a plausible nickname or two.

On an aside, I titled the document containing the draft of what’s below  “Endeanments” and I hate myself.

Here’s how this breaks down in my head, so that’s how it’s laid out below. Should the Mrs. or anyone reading this wanna skip ahead, you do you. Scroll til you see the heading.

I. Thing Of The First: What Do We Want & What Do We KnowII. Which Romantic Interests Do We Focus On?III. What Are We Looking For & When We Find It, What Do We Do?IV. What Else Do We Have At Our Disposal To Flesh Out Our Profile Of “Dean In Love"’s Verbiage?V. Thing Of The Second: Nash On Nicknames/Endearments For Unnamed Characters -  A.K.A.: Where I’m coming from on this, just so’s y’all can do the whole “Consider the source” thingVI. What Has Worked In The Nashhole Writing RoomVII. Thoughts On The Examples Given In The Ask VIII. Nash’s Three Key Pieces Of Advice For Pulling This Off

And Before We Get Cranking, RE: That Other Post

So here’s the meat & potatoes of what I said when somebody asked my thoughts on what Dean would use as a genuine term of endearment:

I’d bet money that for the actual contenders [both the ones I haven’t yet researched & the nonexistents/potential true loves/soulmates/blahblahblahs], they’d most assuredly be friends first, they will not be a hunter [not a hunter proper, at least, though knowledge of is not a deal-breaker], and any endearment is gonna be something that’s a riff on their name [a la “Sammy” or “Cas”] or related to a specific situation….. she knocks over the sugar bowl, so she’s “Sugar” until enough glares shut that shit down…. things like that.  

I. Thing Of The First: What Do We Want & What Do We Know

This whole shebang is based upon the premise that an author gives a shit about accurate characterization of Dean within the context of a legit romantic relationship. 

We gotta have a profile in mind regarding the broad strokes of what this chick would be like if our writing of his behavior/the things he says - such as, ta-da! an endearment - is gonna ring true.

All we can know is what’s in canon, and bless the wiki and all their transcripts because no one has to re-watch all the seasons to answer this. #hallelujah  

II. Which Romantic Interests Do We Focus On?

The bed-‘em-and-book-it chicks are ruled out, see above, RE: legit love premise.

In the draft of the answer to the other Q that’s referenced in the Q linked above, I have it fleshed out more than I do here - although it’s not completely episode/quote-by-quote sourced - so if y'all wanna know the reasoning behind why I deem these four and only these four ladies of the “legit, Dean was really into them/this had the potential for true love” category, I can share it, but I can’t promise when.

I have no idea if he had an endearment for any or all of these ladies, is my point, y'all feel free to do the deep dive in that respect, 

----> ETA later: We did the deep dive. He called Lisa “Honey” when she was dying; unrelated but kind’ve, when he was pretending to be Bela’s husband and she fake-choked on shellfish (also “dying”), he called her “Honey”, too. There ya go.

I stand by these chosen few and the order in which I’ve placed them, the reasons why have to do with character autopsies I do/have done for my big story, ergo would have to be another post or fourteen. Moving on.

Here’s my ranking for “Legit, Dean Totes Felt Something” characters:

4. Jo3. Cassie2. Lisa1. Carmen

All of these ladies, no matter if nothing ever got off the ground [Jo] to the what-might-have-been [Cassie] to the long-term relationship [Lisa] to the dream ideal [Carmen] have some stark, can’t-miss-‘em, key characteristics in common  [intelligent, mature, value family, etc.] but I won’t go into that here. 

They’re as solid a guide as we’ve got right now, and not just for doing this nickname postulation exercise - I’d also recommend peeps who wanna reeeeeally drill down on an O/C love for Dean to utilize these characters as a jumping off point. R/Is are, of course, going to be [::coughs:: should be] more nebulous in their attributes.

Take home message is that he had a great deal of respect for all of them, so anything that would have to depend on tone because it walks a fine line, you may wanna axe it from the list as an everyday sub for their name.

III. What Are We Looking For & When We Find It, What Do We Do?

You are looking for any nicknames/endearments he assigned to them.

If he did use an endearment with them, do the following:

(1) Which of those 4 is your Dean love interest most like?

(2) Picture Dean calling your character whatever endearment he called them

(3) How’d that work out for you?

And if not, to speculate upon what he would say….. guess what?

(1) Which of those 4 is your Dean love interest most like?

(2) Picture Dean calling them whatever endearment you’ve chosen

(3) How’d that work out for you?

That is your litmus test. Wash, rinse repeat.

IV. What Else Do We Have At Our Disposal To Flesh Out Our Profile Of “Dean In Love"’s Verbiage?

Plenty.

We’ve got the ability to make the profile more robust because of the cooooooooopious amount of evidence on the flip side, what he zeroes in on with the bed-’em-and-book-it type of gal, what his verbiage is like with them, the peeps he doesn’t intend on keeping around for long. 

Bonus: that recent ep of what he was like under a love spell. Take what we saw, scale down the intensity, fiddle with it where appropriate - meaning, ‘86 anything that was alike in all the men they charmed, as that isn’t evidence of “Dean In Love” coming to the surface, it’s evidence of the spell’s structure so as to elicit specific behaviors in victims.

Second thing you can look at in terms of nicknaming habits are people for whom he has no romantic inclinations. The easiest cases in point being Sam and Castiel, a.k.a. Sammy and Cas. Off the top of my head, for whatever reason, I recall him calling Gadreel “Zeke” prior to the stolen identity reveal.

So Dean’s a “-y” adder and a name-shortener, consistently with Sam and Castiel, however many times with Ezekiel/Gadreel, and there’s likely more examples, godspeed on that research journey, I ain’t your girl.

I am also 100% - and I know y’all are, too - that he’s a biiiiiiig proponent of situational nicknaming, and while it’s usually snark [think “Batman” for himself, “Harry Potter” for Mick, etc.] it still goes to pattern. I’ve got so many of these in the CASPN decks, it’s unreal, and maaany, possibly most, of them - as noted just now - are TV/movie/music/book-related. [I know this because I’m trying to pull them out as I go to stick them in their own “Deanisms” deck, because if the decks ever go “public” for sale, they can’t have copyrighted content in them]

Again: here we’re looking at a broad stroke in his verbiage, to get a feel of his go-tos, his habits in what he calls others.

V. Thing Of The Second: Nash On Nicknames/Endearments For Unnamed Characters -  A.K.A.: Where I’m coming from on this, just so’s y’all can do the whole “Consider the source” thing

I don’t lean into the whole nickname thing. It’s not a purposeful effort, as in, I’m policing myself or when I edit I’m taking them out. It’s just not a reflexive brain-to-keyboard thing for me. I don’t often have characters calling each other by name/nickname/endearment, particularly when it’s just 2 people in a convo, unless it’s a heated convo, a la “DAMMIT NASH!” and “EAT ME, SHITBIRD!”

Longer the fic, trickier this gets. Somebody’s gonna have to address our nameless-faceless protag at some point, and as has been established copiously during my tenure in this fandom, I hope Y/N and her pouty, lip-nibbling, everything-she-does-including-fart-is-done-softly self would die in a fire, ceiling optional, so believe me: I *do* co-sign substitute monikers.

It’s too far to scroll up, here’s what I said about his nicknaming pattern —>

and any endearment is gonna be something that’s a riff on their name [a la “Sammy” or “Cas”] or related to a specific situation….. she knocks over the sugar bowl, so she’s “Sugar” until enough glares shut that shit down…. things like that. 

We talked above about him riffing on the person’s name. The situational thing I mentioned - I’ll tell y’all what I did for this, RE: the sticky wicket of when it’s a mini-series/series. [Personally? I think most one-shots can dodge this issue altogether, though certainly YMMV]

VI. What Has Worked In The Nashhole Writing Room

Now, I haaaaated writing the smut thing of mine when I lost a bet, so I plotted it to hell to keep my sanity, and it expanded to 5 g.d. parts. The smut part of it is *riddled* with the tripest tropes that ever troped [part of said bet’s terms], so I’m talking about the story part of it here. 

Dean and the protag had a touch-and-go, volatile sitch going on for the bulk of it, ergo chances high due to intense emotions that somebody at some point was gonna have to address each other in at least a tense manner, if not one of anger.

And she was tough as nails, a sniper called in to assist them on a hunt, and she would’ve ended him if he dared call her anything even in the realm of too cutesy-shmoopsy on the reg. It would be in conflict with what I’d built her up to be, bottom line, and likely suck the readers out of the story. 

Here’s the dodge I came up with, keeping in mind the situation is she’s a sniper:

“So, we have a decision to make,” Dean said through a partially chewed bite of his burger.

Was he actively trying to be gross? He thankfully swallowed before continuing.

“I’m not in the mood to drive all the way back to Jody’s, then have to share a bed with Sam in her guest room,” Dean began.

Okay. He was talking to me.

“I think the best thing to do is head to the bunker—”

I looked to him, aghast.

“—and we’ve got plenty of room, we can pick up a toothbrush for you when we stop to fill up—”

Did he not notice the big black bulky thing I’d thrown in the back floorboard when they picked me up? I was never not prepared. There was already a toothbrush in my backpack. And a change of clothes.

And a Glock.

“—then we’ll all be fresh daisies, get you home tomorrow. Whaddya say, Snipes?”

Oh god. He’d nicknamed me. Had my letting him win a staring contest actually infused him with enough bravado to try and make friends? Convince me to stay in what Jody had described as essentially a really large basement?

They end up in love - but the sub for her name isn’t lovey-dovey, and it doesn’t have to be, the dynamic between them is vastly more important [more on that later]. 

In another one in the ol’ draft folder - and it’s not a romantic dynamic, but the nickname dodge happens because she’s unnamed - here’s how that’s gonna work. In an earlier scene, it’s mentioned that Dean was giving her a hard time via the Patsy Cline song “I Fall To Pieces” [spoiler alert: it’s the story based upon THIS thing, you’re smart cookies, you’ll get the reasoning behind it]

And you’d remember. It’s not something you’d forget. I know this because no one else has. Dean still calls me “Cline” - let me rephrase - he bellows it, with glee and snort-laughs, though I suppose there’s worse things to be called. He’s called me those, too, over the years, he doesn’t disappoint. And Sam still narrows his eyes at left my knee, watches my gait for any unevenness or wobbles, and it doesn’t matter what I say, he’ll believe he messed up the articulation til the end of days.

Tangentially-related, in “Build Me Up, Buttercup” - the nutty AU-ish thing that actually started because I was riffing on the sweetheart situation and it mutated - there’s a chunk of conversation between The Woman In Black/The Masked Vampirate/The Apprentice [—-> hint, hint, hint: we *can* refer to folks without using a name/nickname] and Dean on this very topic, of what we call others in lieu of their given names. Mini-spoiler: Even though she’s written 3rd person O/C, and even though she does end up as someone’s love interest, you’re never gonna know her name.

Not spoilers, because these stories are already “out there”, you also never learned/will never learn the names of the chicks in Hello, I’m Gone; The Lore You Know; It; The Once Demon Barber From Robintree; A Delicate Desiccation; The Bell-Watcher’s Daughter; A Fluff By Any Other Name; and who friggin’ knows what-all in the stack of quickies I’ve accumulated.

VII. Thoughts On The Examples Given In The Ask

Back to what you said….. and shit, Imma c/p it here, if anybody’s made it this damn far, I won’t ask they scroll up: 

All right, in no particular order, just as things hit me…..

It’s about 7:30 a.m. here in Nashland, this is rotten and off the top of my head, but I could totes picture seeing pumpkin in a Halloween fluff, like - something happens with a pumpkin, it’s dropped or she slices open her hand trying to carve it, is like “[something something] and don’t start calling me pumpkin” and he’s like “Nah…. Punk.” ‘Cause, again - he loves a situational riff & he’s a shortener.

Agreed on princess, I co-sign your gut, he’d say it sneery/as a cut-down on someone who’s afraid to dig in, get a little dirt in the skirt on a hunt or something.

Darlin’ is tricky, because Dean’s not Southern/doesn’t have a drawl unless a touch of Jensen slips out…. and honestly, he’s not got much of an accent from what I’ve heard, though remember that’s going through a Dixieland filter, so consider the source. Might I offer a sub for it? See how “doll” works.

Well, honey’s hitting closer to sounding like him. I’d go “hon”, though, RE: being a shortener. “Hey, hon?” is more casual than “Honey”, and “Honey” also might run the risk of popping a reader back to… [forgive the Rocket inclusion]: 

Full quote is “Honey, there ain’t no other men like me.”, but y’all knew that. It’s not on the OH HELL NO list for me, Honey/Hon’s definitely a contender.

But speaking of pinging my “OH HELL NO” radar - 

[gasps] Oh, Whoozies…. oh my Whatsis…. sugarplum?

[shakes head vehemently] 

* UNLESS* Y/N is a violet-hued fairy in ballet slippers, and they are battling a baby-chomping sentient Nutcracker. But even then, he’d call her ‘Plums.

Sweetie… hmmmm….. you know what might be worth a go? “Sweets”. I could hear “Hey, Sweets” coming out of his mouth. If you could figure a way to make it a lesser of two evils, that’s even better, like…. he pats her on the ass and calls her “sweetcheeks” and she’s all “Oh, but no”, so he downshifts to “sweets”.

“Puddin’“….. erm….. My knee-jerk is no. If it were suuuuper situational, perhaps. I’m drawing a blank on what the situation would be, though, because my mind immediately pops to that episode at the spa…. I just….

I’m hearing it in my mind as if somebody was writing a story where it’s basically a re-hash of that episode - Oh but (tee-hee) this time Y/N got the roofied pudding, and now Dean’s gonna drive her nuts never letting her forget it! Tune in for next week’s episode of Supernatural, guest starring Ordinary McTypical-Chick as Puddin’! [/announcer voice] [cue laugh track], and then I’m all……

 Round up on the “Give ‘Er A Try” list:

Honey —> sure why not; “hon” may be better

Sweetie —> ehhhh, probably situational; “sweets” could be worth a try

Pumpkin —-> sooooo situational; and if go there, would 100% roll it into “punk”

Darlin’ —> ehhhh; “doll” suggested sub

….and wasn’t mentioned, but unless it works your personal nerves, from my POV, “babe” doesn’t pull me out of the story if it sneaks into Dean’s dialogue, a la “Hey, babe? You already toss some shells into the trunk?” 

Nash’s Three Key Pieces Of Advice For Pulling This Off

1. Who is this person on the receiving end of the nickname - know this, and it’ll narrow down your choices;

2. Do it like Dean: if they have a name, go “-y” or shorten it, or take a situation/circumstance and spin it;

and, possibly the most important -

3. Limit, limit, limit

Make your own parameters for amount of times this is happening in a given piece. I’m just throwing #s - like, = 500 = 0,  501 - 1K = 1, 1.1K - 2.5K = 2, something like that. Take away the pressure of it by making “rules” and you’re free to get your brain back to the story.

Because here it is, y’all - and I’ve said this in other posts - the best thing you can do for yourself or for those you beta is to stop after every scene or paragraph or page or “x” amount of words, whatever your pref is, and ask yourself about what you’ve just read/written:

Who cares?  - A.K.A.: Is ____ advancing the plot/the interpersonal dynamics, or not?

Regarding non-nickname stuff: Does it matter that we know about her morning routine? That she had oatmeal because she was out of bagels? The make and model of her car? Her co-workers’ names? Her co-workers at all? What her cat is like? What her cat is named? Her cat at all?

And the same applies here: Does an endearment matter in this particular sentence/moment? I care about the relationships between/amongst the characters, how well they’re grooving with each other [or not], how that weaves together, how it’s integral to the plot, how it impacts the action/the task, how it plays into the climax and resolution [or lack thereof].

Is it ideal to have things coming out of the mouths of the characters we all know ring true? Absolutely. And that’s the other “who cares” here: BIG cares if things that are “un-Dean” creep in. As the adage goes: “When in doubt, don’t”.

So, when stuck on this element, figure out something else to do with the sentence…. and I’d start with 86′ing the nickname. Bet you money most of the time, the message of the sentence will read exactly the same.

You got this. 

Thanks for the Q, hope I helped in some fashion and that the curses either wane, or perhaps reach new, interesting heights and volumes, depending on the level of said helpfulness.