#however I wasn’t smart enough to come up with something more clever than depression brothers

[eelektrossfan]

Random and fun doodles, silly sketches if you will

[dancing-the-hellfire-rumba]

Seen ✓ - 2

Pairing: Sam x Fem!Reader Warnings: light anxiety Word Count: 2.2k Series Summary: On her way home, Y/n finds an abandoned, cracked phone on the sidewalk. Anxious about the well-being of its owner, she picks it up and texts the first contact she finds; Sam. A/N: Chapter 2! Our pals are kicking it off already. Can you smell the chemistry? The rOMANCE? LESSGO

Pictures used in this chapter were found on google images :)

Beta: no one.

Catch up! : Part 1 Masterlist

Chapter 2: overthinker.

From: y/n_andrews85 To: D_impala67 Subject: I have your phone. That sounds creepy. I don’t think there’s a non-creepy way of writing this. Whatever.

Dear Dean, is it?

I just wanted to let you know I found your phone at the bus stop the other night. I wasn’t planning on holding on to it, really, but I got worried that you may have been in trouble, and then you never really looked for it either so, I don’t know, I figured better than someone who’ll snatch it and leave, you know?

Anyways, that’s why I’m emailing. I snooped through it a little, sorry, hopefully you’ll understand it was kinda necessary? Maybe we can arrange something so I can get it back to you. This girl, Jamie, keeps sending me (well you technically) topless photos of her. It’s not really what lights my candle. I’m assuming you’d like it back too.

I hope you’re safe. Looking forward to hearing back from you!

Y/n Andrews

-

Do you believe me now?

oh god

you didn’t

Sure did

wow. just wow.

you just handed his ass back to him holy shit!

last time he called, he said he dropped his phone while walking back to his motel, so

he’s okay.

That’s good, I’m glad he’s safe.

I was planning on including something along the lines of “This would’ve been easier if you were an active member of the 21st century and used social media”

But I figured the Jamie thing was motive enough?

yeah. topless Jamie? that’s something else.

Don’t be getting any ideas, dude, I don’t do nudes lmao.

oh god, no i didn’t think that

you did not just type lmao though. how old are you again?

oh god, you’re not 14 or something right? i don’t know what that would make me.

Don’t worry about it, I turned 16 last week.

…

are you serious?

Lmao, no, I’m kidding. I’m twenty-two.

But I think the word you’re looking for is a creep. Oh, and an ageist.

ouch.

Haha, I’m joking.

Lighten up, what are you, ninety?

hi pot meet kettle.

Shit I walked right into that one.

also i’d like to think i don’t text like a ninety-year-old man. could be wrong though

to answer your question i’m twenty-four.                                

Twenty-four huh? I assume you’re done with college, no?

Or- wait, I guess not everyone goes to college.

Yes, this is me fishing for information.

well… i kinda dropped out.

decided to go on a road trip with my brother.

things went a little south I ended up continuing the family business.

Damn, college drop-out ey? Where from?

Also, Family business? What do you do?

Is this too interview-y? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to snoop.

you’re good.

stanford. pre-law.

and my brother and i are private investigators. that’s why he’s not in Kansas with me. he’s working a case.

Daaaaamn. Stanford AND a lawyer? And now working as a PI? You’re pretty smart, then.

an ageist and a generalist? i didn’t take you for such y/n.

Fuck, okay, you sound like a lawyer too.

hahahah

so what about you?

What about me?

are you in college?

Oh yeah! Film school. My dream has always been to be a director. It’s rare to find someone who loves movies more than I do.

that’s really cool.

hey i’ve been meaning to ask.

Thinking of me, Sam?

…

Do tell.

how come you were walking home through a park in the middle of the night the other day?

Ooh, I was coming back from work.

I’m a bartender and I had a late shift on Friday.

oh I see. That makes sense yeah.

I’m sorry to cut this conversation short, but I’m legitimately three seconds away from falling asleep. I’m gonna hit the hay.

See you later, Sam :)

See you, y/n :)

A smile creeps on Y/n’s features at the thought of more conversations with Sam. He has given her something to look forward to, something to make her a little more excited during her boring every-day life. As she tucks herself in under her covers, eyelids heavy enough to droop involuntarily, the last thing she thinks of is him, the clever, sassy, twenty-four year old college dropout on the other side of the cracked phone screen. The overwhelming urge to get to know him overtakes her as she succumbs to sleep

--

So

Do you believe in ghosts?

that’s… random.

May be

why do you ask?

Idk, just wanna get to know you better.

that’s what you ask people you want to get to know better?

Yes?

Are you avoiding the question?

no

i do. believe in ghosts.

You?

So do i.

Well, sorta. I guess I believe in souls more than anything.

hm?

Well… I guess I hope (more than believe) that we are more than our corporeal selves.

In the sense that, it’s comforting to me that when we die, and our bodies stop working, we don’t evaporate.

I guess.

yeah I understand.

i don’t know. i guess i wanna believe in science more than anything but i know better.

How do you mean?

call it a hunch.

Oh c’mon, it’s gotta be more than that.

Sam…?

Y/n huffs out a breath, gnawing at her lip. She hopes her anxiety isn’t right, that Sam isn’t sick of her silly questions and existential dread, and is actually doing something. Perhaps his battery ran out.

...Sure.

She was doing something too, before she decided to text him. Eyes falling on all her books and notes, spread around her like ugly, depressing, anxiety-inducing flower petals. There’s a blanket over her legs, chilly fall weather seeping through her bones, and there’s a half empty pizza box in front of her. She’s full and the left overs are kept for her sister, Emily, who’s currently locked up in her room.

Damn it. Y/n is stressed and tired, and now her distraction is refusing to reply. This sucks. She hates the crawling, awful, gooey feeling of cold anxiety gripping every beat of her heart and stupidly convincing her he’s purposefully ghosting her, because he doesn’t like her.

Not knowing what to occupy herself with, she heads to take a shower. In the back of her head, she knows that she’ll probably not study any longer, so she takes it upon herself to sink under the hot water and wash thoroughly, trying to get her mind off Dean’s phone. When her feet step out of the shower and she has towel-dried herself as best as she can, she tosses her wet hair in a haphazard bun, and gets dressed.

Books stack under the rickety, stained coffee table, and she grabs her sketchbook, her favorite pencil, as well as her and Dean’s phone. She shoots Connor a text, arranging a hang out of some kind, and opens her little booklet, when a text vibrates Dean’s phone.

hey i’m sorry i got caught up in something.

It’s alright.

She doesn’t press the ghost subject, because he doesn’t seem into it and she really doesn’t wanna make him dislike her any more than he possibly already does.

The empty page of her sketchbook daunts her. With a tight grip on her mechanical pencil, she urges her creativity pumps to use some gasoline, but they seem limp and dead, and once more unwilling to help her. As her eyes fall on Dean’s phone, like a light bulb out of a cartoon, she gets an idea.

Hey, this might sound creepy, but what do you look like?

She stares at the phone. This feels like a risky question. God, if he wasn’t done with her before, he certainly must be now. But then, he surprises her.

why do you wanna know?

I’m in the mood to sketch some, and my creativity has officially left the building.

Care to help a girl out? Maybe your literary descriptions will spark something in me lmao.

i didn’t know you sketched.

Yeah, sometimes. Nothing great though, I promise. I’m certainly no Picasso.

i mean you don’t have to be picasso to sketch well. and you don’t have to sketch well to sketch at all.

Yeah, may be.

I don’t wanna pressure you into anything, you really don’t have to humor me.

If you do feel like it though, don’t send me a picture. Kinda wanna spark some life into my brain cells.

haha i will. only if you show me the finished product tho.

You’ve got yourself a deal :)

She simply cannot believe he has just agreed to this. Her breath is caught in her throat.

so.

what do you want me to start with?

Just whatever. Idk, tell me about your face.

well

i have brown curly-ish hair that reaches my ears. uh, my eyes are hazel.

Okay, that’s a start.

What’s your nose like?

it’s a bit pointy. thin i think?

Jawline?

sharp? i guess?

this is by far the weirdest thing i’ve done.

Lmao, yeah, this is pretty weird.

Exciting though.

She shouldn’t have said that. Fuck, that is definitely overeager.

yeah it is.

Her stomach feels floaty at his response.

Eyebrows?

uh

normal?

How do you classify “normal” eyebrows, exactly?

i don’t know? they’re simple i guess.

Are you implying complicated eyebrows exist out there?

…

Elaborate, Sam. Are you shy? Do you not have eyebrows? Are they bushy? Or too thin? Or pointy?

i’m telling you they’re average.

Sam

what

You officially suck at this.

oh fuck off how would you describe yours?

Y/n proceeds to write a cohesive sentence that includes adjectives apart from “normal” and “average”. Words like bushy, thin, arched and curvy.

well shit yeah i guess i do suck at this.

i think it’s not a skill i mind not having.

That… is a confusing sentence.

just… draw them however. what difference can eyebrows make?

Oh you have no idea.

Okay, last thing.

Do you have a fringe?

yeah but not for long. i’ll probably let it grow out.

Okay, I can do something with that. Thanks :)

no problem

Her creativity is finally servicing her according to her commands, and Y/n puts pen to paper and scribbles messily. Line after line, they curl and sit on the page, forming a smile with thin lips, a sharp jaw, a pointy nose. She has to guess the eyebrows a bit, and the eyes are more cartoonish and generic than she likes. In the end, she gets anxious at the prospect of having to show him, and gives him a hood, so she won’t fuck up the hair.

Okay, I’m done.

that was quick, actually.

Well I didn’t have much to go on.

Sam doesn’t reply. She worries he might have misinterpreted her teasing tone.

Gimme a sec, I’ll send it over.

Ugh, Dean’s camera is such shit. Do you mind if I send it from my phone?

no go ahead.

[Y/n has sent a picture]

As you said, it didn’t take long. It’s really not the best.

that…

is actually not too far from the truth

it kind of looks like me from two years ago

wow, really?

yeah.

and it’s honestly a pretty good sketch. good job.

Thank you :)

Sam doesn’t say anything after this, and she huffs. Her head falls back on the couch, and she stares at the ceiling. She should go to bed soon, it’s getting late.

isn’t this strange?

Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit oh shit, she thinks. He’s regretting this. He doesn’t like her. He’ll stop talking to her and that’ll be it.

Why does she care so much? It’s a thought that passes through her mind. It hasn’t been long since they started talking and, after the near-kidnapping encounter, they’ve been having nearly daily conversations, but that still doesn’t mean much. She knows barely anything about him.

She guesses, she wants to get to know him better. He seems like the type of guy she’d enjoy hanging out with and she has so far. Stopping any kind of conversation would surely feel like a loss. She’d have to go back to her boring routine. This is the most exciting thing she has allowed herself to do in years.

A part of her feels rather lame for finding such a thrill at something so trivial. She’s talking to a stranger, and that’s all it is, but the prospect that he could be anyone at all, and she’s never even seen his face… well… It feels refreshing, new. Scary in an adrenaline-rush kind of way.

What is?

us. texting.

isn’t it a little odd?

I guess it is a bit.

I mean we’ve only known each other for, what, a week? And a half?

yeah.

should we stop?

I don’t know

Do you want to?

The extra moment his reply takes to arrive makes her want to vomit.

no

Then there’s your answer.

okay then

can I save you in my contacts?

Sure, go ahead.

I just did too.

alright.

Okay :)

I’m sorry, I have to go.

I guess I’ll text you later, Sam.

Go be whoever Sam Something is.

it’s winchester.

Like the shotgun?

yup.

That’s BADASS. Can you even get more badass than this? Pre-law, now a PI, and you’re named after a shotgun? Damn dude.

Well, it’s nice to meet you Sam. I’m Y/n Andrews.

Haha thanks.

nice to meet you, too

goodnight Y/n Andrews.

Night Sam Winchester :)

--- Part 3

A/N: Thoughts? How are you liking the newer version of this? right after I post it, I’m gonna delete the other one.

Taglist:

Old Can You See The Stars taglist: @shutupiminlooove @sammysgirl1997 @kymberlytorres @bambi95-blog @demonic-meatball @thekarliwinchester @littlekay15 @li-m-ii  @thinspo-isuppose @carryonmywaywarddemigodwitch @ellen-reincarnated1967 @moonlitskinwalker @marichromatic @illuminatus42 @lazy-author @mirandaaustin93 @hauntedsiriel @pilaxia @devilgirlsarah @nobodys-baby-now @captiveties @calamitychaos @midiocris @wordswillscream​

Sam taglist @kymberlytorres @theboykingsam @depressed-moose-78 @andi-mendes-barnes @captainmarvelcorps @nerd-in-a-galaxy-far-away @nellachain

[pgjoy]

Rise of the TMNT

SPOILERS

Rise is “on pause” and, while a movie is coming out, I doubt it will be picked back up. However, it’s the most recent TMNT and still rerunning on nicktoons and nickelodeon. It’s available for purchase in the US on amazon and in the apple store.

Four turtle brothers and their rat dad enjoy their lives while they try to 1) learn ninjitsu from old martial arts movies and 2) save the city of new york (and the world) from mutation and/or death. 

Rise changes quite a few constants in TMNT- Raph is the leader. Splinter has depression over being a rat-man. The focus is more on who the turtles are rather than what they do, and it’s a comedy first and foremost. If you haven’t given it a shot, do so!

Most of the characterization of the turtles comes from what they do and say, rather than what people say about them. They have two potential communities they can join- secretly, they can taste a little bit of human New York, but OPENLY they can join the hidden city. They aren’t isolated any longer, and that lets them open up as people and characters.

My secret hope is that they get more seasons to flesh out the finale- Erase the last 4 episodes or treat them as a multi-season preview- make the 3 season arcs that nick forced them to wrap up in 4 episodes.

Rating 11/10 this one is my favorite. It’s energetic, the references to well loved anime and western cartoons are excellent, and it’s major changes from previous cannon are bold and daring.

Who are they? April: A human teenager! April’s a character as much as the turtles are- she’s best described as their sister, as this time she’s a teen, too (and because she will not hesitate to fight her brothers, or for them). She’s clever, fun, alienated at school, and always getting fired from jobs. She’s doing things outside of shenanigans with the boys. Has as crane operator’s license. Involve and instrumental in every major fight in the series. Involved in every major group hug as well. She’s very cool, but in the way your peers grow to love as you get older- She’s an April who exists outside of her relationships to the turtles and Splinter. Other Aprils tag along or support missions. Rise!April is as likely to include them in what she’s doing, too. The chaotic friend- would stop you from doing something stupid if she wasn’t too busy charging in herself. Donatello: A soft-shelled pancake turtle! Tries to help with science without regard for the consequences. Definite middle child, in that he acts out for attention but also wants to be left alone. Leo’s twin??? A scoundrel in the way that I remember being as the ‘smart kid.’ Believes he knows better than anyone else, and more likely to feign ignorance over problems he’s caused rather than apologize. Self described as an ‘emotionally distant bad boy’ but cries with joy at the slightest hint of parental approval. Smart in the way an engineer is smart, and prone to believing conspiracy theories. Probably dismantled the TV and didn’t even attempt to put it back together as a child. Leonardo: A red-eared slider! Knows how to get under everyone’s skin. Definite middle child in that he fights for attention with jokes and actively seeks to be the center of attention inside and outside the home. Donnie’s twin??? Self described ‘face man.’ Big into himself with little regard for his family members. Always on the look out for another father figure. Bad jokes, awful one liners, looks for positive attention through comedy and cheating. Very good at coming up with or seeing through plans, unless he doesn’t want to. He’s no longer in charge, and that frees him to focus on his love of old scifi movies and annoying the local populace for fun. Loves stage magic. Loves to rag on his brothers for things they like. Probably the kind of friend you need when most of your friend group is indecisive- he’s happy to make all the plans but you’ll probably have to pay. Michelangelo: A box turtle! He’s the littlest brother, and the only one who can retreat into his shell. VERY touchy-feely. Mikey loves his brothers, and is a constant source of positivity. He’s prone to selfishness when he’s pursuing his own goals, but he’s so positive and excited about what he’s doing that you won’t notice until later. He’s afraid of ghosts and loves cooking. The fact that he doesn’t know a feat is impossible is the reason he can pull it off every time. Not good at being firm or mean with other people, until he’s past his limit. Then. it’s time for Dr. Delicate touch. Probably the kid who hid on the stairs to listen to the X-files after bedtime but the whistling made him too scared and he had nightmares about it. Raphael: A snapping turtle. BIG. Largest brother so that he can hug everyone at once. Decided that being the largest brother made him the big brother, and so is in charge. Raph is very interested in justice and the correct way of doing things. He’s very aware of how his brothers are vs how they want to be perceived. He’s bad at plans, but good at action. Gets weird when he’s by himself. Does poorly under pressure, but learns to do better as time goes on. His plans mostly consist of ask questions, be helpful, and SMASH! Being the one in charge frees him from being angry at the decisions of others- but opens him up to the stress of leadership. He’s the friend who you call when you’re in trouble. He’ll freak out about it, but he’ll help you out every time. His brothers will literally eat poison just to get on his nerves. Splinter: A human man who was turned into a rat by warrior alchemist Baron Draxum. He’s raised his sons on a steady diet of movies he starred in since he rescued them. Much, MUCH more of a lazy dad than a sensei, he gradually learns that he has to be more involved as a father, that he has worth even as a rat man, and that his sons need to learn about the history and culture he came from. As a man, Splinter was named Yoshi Hamato (first/last). As an actor, he was Lou Jitsu. And Lou Jitsu is best described as this photo of Jackie Chan:

(A photo of Jackie Chan from his younger years. He is wearing a backless white cable knit turtle neck sweater, but the sweater has no sleeves which barely covers his chest. You can see his obliques. Dude is ripped.)

Shredder: A FERAL ANIMAL WHO KNOWS NO REASON OR RESTRAINT. Not the main villain of the series- he shows up at the end of season one and retreats into the shadows after the boys nearly die fighting him. Other cast members: Rise has a plethora of new and different mutants to fight. No bebop and rocksteady, but... Todd: Todd’s a capybara mutant who was once a man. He runs a puppy sanctuary and is the one non-parent everyone trusts their kids with. I love Todd. Makes a mean lemonade.

Did I make it ALL the way through? YES! And I will again when the movie comes out.

Are they ninjas? Not at first! They have to learn and grow into ninjitsu and the traditional martial arts of their family. And they do! And the fight scenes are dynamic and gorgeous.

Are they a family? YUP! From the gate they are a family. They know and love each other like siblings do- they have enough room

Do I like them?

Who’s my favorite?

Do they murder?

Is there magic?

How old do they seem vs. cannon ages (if any)

Are they going to ever talk to each other again after the end of the series?

If I was rescued by them in a dark alley would I be grateful or horrified?

What’s left unresolved?

The best:

The worst:

Ranking:

[sunflowerspectre]

Stranded | Dungeons and Dragons Commission Piece

This is a 5k commission piece for an anon with their DND characters.

Title: Stranded Fandom: Dungeons and Dragons (DND) Summary: Neronvain never expected anyone to find him after he left his family, but here he is. On a stranded island after getting 'caught' twice by the same dragon slayer who is determined to do her job and get him back home to face his punishment only for their ship to get completely destroyed. Character(s): Neronvain, Algatharas, Original Tiefling Character (Desire) Rating: Teen  Warning:  Suggested depression/mention of wounds and tending to said wounds

Requested Word Count: 5k

Final Word Count: 5,856 

Read it on Archive of Our Own

Commission Me | Tip A Writer | Twitter

Stranded | Word Count: 5,856

Neronvain likes to think of himself as a strategist, a genius on his best days. He has seen the results of the impulsiveness of his brother, the folly of immaturity. He has prided himself on being smart - clever. Plotting out each of his actions, each possible route that he may take and thinking of all the different outcomes that can happen. He always thinks of everything.

It has saved his life as many times as it has almost doomed and condemned him, but he likes to think that the pros out way the cons.  But there are certain things that, try as he might, he cannot plan for… Things like Chuth still living, the cult of the dragon queen still keeping him ensnared… Desire.

That blasted woman is part of the reason that he has to deal with this in the first place. If she were smarter - meaner, without mercy - than she would have killed him instead of taking him back, just as the rest of so-called heroes had wanted to do. He would have welcomed it - he could have accepted it with grace, knowing that he deserved it, that this was the only way that everything could be put to a stop.

But her mercy has saved his life - she saved his life - just as much as it has ruined it. He is amazed that someone as reluctant to unnecessary kills as her has even managed to get this far. He knows that he couldn’t take her in a fight - he couldn’t otherwise he would never have even been on the mercy end of her sword in the first place - but still, just how strong is she that she’s lived this long? How skilled is that - that idiot? How did that buffoon manage to do this to him?

That damn woman had taken him back to the kingdom that despises him. His life has become a secret scandal - the black sheep of the family being shoved into a dark closet hoping that no one will look too closely to see it there. His family wanted him brought back alive, so he says let them deal with it. If they wanted him alive so badly, then they can face the backlash of the council. They can handle the drama of his ‘rebellion.’ 

He was fully prepared to accept the ‘punishment’ of being in his room for all eternity. It was a childish move on his father’s part. Grounding him to a room like an unruly toddler. It is more of a punch to his pride than a real punishment, but he will gladly accept the tameness of it instead of the snares of some rotting cell. After all, the glories of such a mild punishment is that he knows he wouldn’t be there long.

He had already planned it all out. All it would take is a few whispers sent through the wind here. A few rumors there. Well planted and watered seeds. Someone would find out what happened. Someone would ignite the fire that would unleash the flames that would set him free. 

Unlike him, his father never fully thought out his actions. Not the way he does. They fail to see that them hiding this all from the public lets him spin the public to his side. A chance to weave whatever story he wants the public to hear before his father can. Anything that his father would say after the fact would only condemn themselves. The public wouldn’t trust them, but he had the chance to make the public trust him. It would be perfect. 

But that blasted woman. This is all Desire’s fault. She is the reason that all of his plans are crumbled. If she had killed him when she laid eyes on him, then none of this would be happening in the first place. If she at least killed Chuth, like the ‘dragon slayer’ she’s supposed to be, then he would be free from the cult. Then the cult wouldn’t have even broken him out and he wouldn’t be stuck in an even worse predicament.

After all, what is he supposed to say to a dragon that thinks he’s on its side? No?

__________________________________

“We’ll bring him back,  Alagarthas,” Desire tries to keep her voice even - political - but her stomach turns. Hesitantly, she continues more firmly.  “I’ll bring him back.”

 Alagarthas paces frantically, looking more disheveled than she’s seen him. She eyes the destruction behind him, the remains of Neronvain’s room - his ‘jail cell.’ The ruckus wasn’t exactly quiet, far from discrete, but it is just minor enough for them to spin a story to tell the public to keep this all on the down low, secret. She hates all of this political nonsense - this drama. 

Her eyes glance over  Alagarthas. But it’s not so bad. He finally meets her gaze, his eyes glistening with worry. It makes her chest constrict - the idea that Neronvain is out there, doing whatever the hell all of this is, while he has family here that cares about him, worries about him. 

 Alagarthas gives her a ghost of a smile and takes her hands in his. The gesture takes her off guard - a deep flush spreading on her cheeks as she glances away from him, trying not to focus too much on the tingling sensation in her palms.

“I know that you will.” There is a full sincerity in his voice and she takes his hope in her to heart. “You’ll bring my brother back here, I’m sure of it, and I cannot thank you enough for it.”

“I - uh -” Desire sputters, she can feel her face getting warm, “-Don’t mention it.” 

Alagarthas gives her an understanding nod and just as fast as he came to her, he’s gone, giving her his goodbyes over a fleeting shoulder as he mentions talking to his father about raising her payment for this. She mumbles under her breath, kicking the rubble under her feet, before she makes the decision to head out and get this over with.

__________________________________

The sooner she can get Neronvain and bring him back, the sooner she can put this all behind her.

Neronvain is not sure if he can think his way out of this one, if he’s honest with himself. The exhaustion may be playing a part in it, but every time he tries to think of a possible plan, he is coming up blank - nothing, nada, not one tiny possible escape. Honestly, if Desire had killed him, that would be the best possible escape from all this nonsense, but he doubts that she will be strolling around again anytime soon. He’d be lucky if his family sends anyone after him again at all. 

And he never has been a fan of relying on other people to get him out of his mess either, which means he really is on his own this time. Each possible idea that he has, he can think of a million ways why it won’t work, why it would just get him killed, and if he is going to do this by himself, then he will be sure that he will get out alive. Just to spite them. With each failure, he begins to think that maybe he is not meant to get out of this after all. Maybe this is his fate and it’s time that he accepts that his hands will always be covered in blood.

“Heads up, you fucker!”

That sounds oddly familiar - why does it sound familiar? It certainly doesn’t sound like one of the members, the cult hardly speaks to each other as it is, so he has high doubts that any of them would be shouting at the top of their lungs especially with Chuth being so close by. 

As he glances outside, just to see what the ruckus is, he realizes with horror just why the voice sounds so familiar.

Desire.

Oh. Oh she is most definitely going to kill him this time around.

__________________________________________

“Why didn’t you just kill me?”

Desire can feel her headache forming as she glances toward her prisoner. Neronvain scowls at her as he awkwardly shuffles forward on the desk of the ship that she’s acquired. His hands are bound, expertly she may add. It is only because no one wanted to carry him that his feet aren’t bound tightly and are just loose enough for a few steps. She looks him over carefully this time - after going through all of this trouble, twice, she can’t see why this guy is so worked up.

He doesn’t look like a cult member or the type that would be interested in it. She’s seen that type - his other cult members fit the bill perfectly, with that deranged look in their eye. Usually quiet unless you catch them on some world-ending rant, when they start spewing some nonsense about ‘cleansing the world’ or ‘being reborn as so and so if they do this’. Neronvain, however, looks kept together. Sane. Clean pressed and almost elegant. 

She supposes that technically he is a prince so he shouldn’t look like the normal type of cult member, but still.

“Your family wants you alive,” Desire states simply, “...Your brother is worried about you too, you know?”

Neronvain looks away from her, almost in a huff. He doesn’t comment about his brother, instead shifting focus as he eyes the skies. He doesn’t like the darkening clouds in the distance, the thickness in the air. He can hear roaring in the distance. Something in his eyes shift, resembling almost fear - frustration. He tries to shuffle to turn toward her, but only manages it with little success. 

“What type of dragon slayer are you if you can’t manage to kill Chuth,” Neronvain spits out.

“You know, technically, my job is to get you,” Desire points out, “I’ll get Chuth eventually, but I gotta get you home first.”

“I wish you the best of luck,” Neronvain’s voice drips with sarcastic wit, “Considering we are heading right toward a storm.”

“We are not -”

Desire stops. The roaring in the distance is drowned out by the growing rumble of the thunder. The dark clouds on the horizon are starting to look much bigger. 

“Okay so maybe we are heading toward a storm,” Desire admits, “But at the storm will keep Chuth off our tails. Just - don’t do anything.”

Neronvain huffs, shrugging his shoulders to raise the shackles on his wrist as if to say what do you expect me to do? Desire winces, but doesn’t comment as she dashes off to prepare for the storm.

____________________________________________

No amount of preparing could have saved them - or their ship. The rolling waves only grow stronger and taller until their ship is encased in so much water that it threatens to break apart as the waves crash against them. Harsh sea water soaks them all as they struggle to salvage what they can, as if there is anything that they can do to keep their ship from falling apart into shambles.

Neronvain struggles to get back up on his feet each time a wave or the rocking of the ship knocks him to his knees. He spits up water and can taste the dirty salt on his tongue as his knees take a hard hit against the deck. He glances up with throbbing lungs to see Desire. She’s knelt down, looking panicked but still more kept together than the rest of the crew. 

“Do you know how to swim,” Desire asks desperately, and when Neronvain doesn’t answer, she repeats herself more frantically, “Do you know how to swim?”

“Yes,” Neronvain finally speaks up.

She looks relieved as she starts to undo the bindings on his hands. He watches her with confusion, the rest of the chaos blurring around them, his brows furrowing. She even hands him - him, the prisoner - the knife to do the ones on his feet. 

He makes frantic work of it, trying to recover from each wave that hits him fast enough that he will be free before the next one overcomes him. He glances up, almost prepared to return her knife, but she has already shuffled to somewhere else. He tucks the knife into his pocket. 

_______________________________________

Desire wakes up spitting sea water, surprised that she is waking up at all. She doesn’t bother moving, not at first. Taking a moment to take in the clear skies above her and the warmth that is beating down on her face; it makes it tempting to just close her eyes again, go back to sleep. Figure it out later.

She can feel sand underneath her hands, some of it getting under her still semi-soaked clothes. She coughs, turning to spit up a bit more water, and decides it is best to figure out where she is now then work from there. She sits up and slowly stands, stretching out her muscles as much as she can. 

The good news is that she did wash up on an island - not some sandy patch of land that’s only exposed during the low tides. An island can be good - means more resources, more land to explore and less likely that the rising tides will be a threat. 

The downside is that she doesn’t spot anyone else on the island - not yet at least, but if it was a well populated island then someone would have already spotted her. She starts to walk around the shore. She’s not sure how deep the trees go and she can’t risk getting lost. But walking around the shore, she can get an idea how big the island is and it is more likely that she will come across someone. 

She doesn’t even see smoke from any chimneys or fires or hear anything other than some sparse birds and insects. It’s all just trees and sand. Her hopes of finding someone start to dash as she gets the sinking feeling that the island isn’t as big as she first thought it was. 

She almost gives up the idea all together when she spots a figure in the sand in the distance and makes a fast beeline for them. The closer that she gets to them, the more familiar that they look. Despite wondering just what she did to deserve being stranded with her apparent ‘prisoner’, she still rushes to them to check to see if he is still alive. 

His eyes are closed and he looks in bad shape with bruises and cuts along his body. Unlike when she washed up, he is closer to the tides and she is sure that constantly being soaked isn’t helping his condition. She checks his pulse first - it’s faint, but still there. 

Mumbling curses under her breath and with the memory of  Alagarthas asking her to bring his brother back alive, Desire checks Neronvain over for any external head injuries or major wounds before she puts her hands under his arms and drags him away from the incoming tides. 

Alright one thing at a time, Desire thinks sourly as she tries to focus on what should be done first. She thinks that she will save drying him for last since eventually she’d have to make a fire and shelter. Hesitantly, she lays her ear against his chest and hears the rumbling, struggling breaths in his lungs. She eyes his still-unconscious form, the blue-ish tint to his lips don’t look good. 

Cursing, she does her best to pound his chest the best that she can without injuring him further. She takes a small break in between each beat to check on him. She prays that this works - she really doesn’t want to do mouth to mouth if she doesn’t have to. To her relief, he spits up the water and starts to take deeper breaths.

His eyes flutter open and look at her curiously before they flutter close again. She sighs with the realization that getting him better so she can fulfill her promise to  Alagarthas, will be harder than expected.

_______________________________________________

She starts each morning with the same routine - getting water from the creek, boiling it and splitting it between the two of them. She makes cups out of the coconuts that she finds - mixing their milk with the water in hopes that it will perk him up. She gets him to drink his first. It’s always slow, always barely enough, but it is enough. Then she drinks his water. She repeats the process with breakfast with whatever fish she can find - sometimes it’s a bird, but they’re faster than she gives them credit for. 

She’s hesitant when it comes to his wounds - at least at first. The knife that she has is dull and smaller than the one she usually has on her - the one that she used to cut his ropes was one of her better knives. But the small slightly rusted blade does its job at cutting away some of the fabric of his clothes to reveal his wounds. 

She uses the spells she knows. It helps to a degree, it at least stops the bleeding and keeps it from getting infected. She has to apply some of the spells daily on the deeper, darker gashes. But the makeshift bandages that she makes from the torn pieces of her own clothing, the pieces she cut off of him, and an odd combination of dried seaweed and leaves. 

There are a few times where he comes to - with fluttering eyes and mumbling elvish that is too soft for her to catch even if she did speak the language. Sometimes he acknowledges her presence. Most of the time he doesn’t. But he’s never conscious enough for her to talk to him and never long enough to ease her worries about him surviving. Healing him takes time - more time than Desire thought it should, to the point where a part of her wonders if she needs to start preparing for the worst case scenario. 

But as long as he is still breathing when she gets up in the morning, then she’ll keep trying. As long as there is a chance for him to survive, she’ll continue and refuse to give up.

_____________________________________

Neronvain has to admit, venomously, that Desire did a decent job at tending to his wounds - just as the shelter and food that she’s tending to is passable. Or at the very least the food is edible and the shelter keeps the rain off of them. 

He eyes the start of the rain just outside of their makeshift shelter and looks up. At least there are no leaks. His stomach rumbles and he huffs in annoyance and shifts, every bone in his body protesting the movement. 

“Why did you free me,” Neronvain’s voice speaks up as he eyes Desire nonchalantly, making no effort to help her maintain the struggling fire. 

There is no curiosity in his voice, nor sincerity. Instead, his voice is laced with mild annoyance and irritation. Frustration that he is still alive.

It’s not the first time that he wished that she would have finished the job off when they first met. But by now, she’s had multiple chances to simply finish him off. Feed him to the sharks for all he cared. To get rid of him. But each time, she has gone out of her way to keep him alive.

It’s annoying.

Desire’s brow twitches, her patience thinning at the constant nag from Neronvain. She expected him to be grateful that she saved his life, but she supposes that’s asking too much of the rebellious cultish prince.

“Considering that you’re no help, I wonder the same thing,” Desire spits out between grinded teeth before letting out a cheer as the fire starts to roar. “But I don’t make a habit of killing people that I already promised to bring back alive.”

She pauses and then adds, “-or you know, killing people in general. It seemed right to at least give you a chance.”

Neronvain scoffs, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard. Bringing me back alive doesn’t benefit you - my family would pay you for even trying in the first place and it doesn’t take a lot to make some lie about my death.”

“I don’t make a habit of doing things just because they benefit me,” Desire spits, “It’s always a plus if it does, but I’m not going to just sit back and watch someone die when I can help - just like I don’t go back on my promises. I said I would bring you back alive, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

“You really think that you’re so much better than everyone else because you keep your word? Because you don’t bloody your hands?”

Neronvain’s words are laced with venom and anger that Desire has a hard time not matching as her shoulders tense, her voice rising to match his.

“Of course fucking not!” Her voice strains, “But when your morals are all you have, you tend to hang onto them, not that I expect you to know much about that considering I’ve had to drag your ass out of a cult twice! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to make it a third time.”

A part of her hopes that that would be the end of the conversation as she works on rotating the meat that she obtained. The minor pause of silence that follows makes her breath a sigh of relief until Neronvain speaks up again. 

She is ready to bite back against whatever criticism he has to say, but stops short as he speaks.

“I wish you would have killed me,” Neronvain spits out venomously, his lips curling in a snarl, “It would have been easier on everyone involved.”

Neronvain doesn’t even look at her, just absently leaning back with his eyes closed. The anger that’s been boiling in her veins simmers as she swallows thickly.

“Don’t get your fucking hopes up. If I killed you when I had the chance then I wouldn’t have the pleasure of your company on a stranded island. Instead, I would have resorted to talking to a coconut.”

He goes quiet, the tension slowly starting to thin out in the air. He sits up without a word. She almost smiles, believing him to help her until he simply plucks a piece of the cooked meat off the bone and then sits back with his haul.

Dick.

_____________________________

Desire doesn’t question the odd barrel of liquor that she finds on the shore, nor the chances of it washing on the same abandoned island that they’re on. Instead, she is quick to check it over and after confirming that it is not water-logged and still tastes fine, she starts to make quick work of it. 

Neronvain has a bit of it, reluctantly and more out of boredom than anything. There is only so much boiled river water one can drink before getting tired of it. He doesn’t complain when Desire drinks more than her fair share, not particularly caring if she emptied the entire barrel herself. It’s almost amusing to see her stumble around, making a fool of herself. 

But his few drinks slowly start to add up and while he’s considerably behind Desire in amount consumed, he can feel the numbing, foggy effects of the alcohol starting to take hold.

“I have to ask,” Desire finally addresses him, her breath reeking of the liquor. She is uncomfortable close and Neronvain gently pushes her away with the tip of his finger with disdain. She looks down at his finger with confusion and bats it away, not taking the message. 

Irritated, Neronvain settles on huffing and giving up on trying to push her away. 

“You don’t look like a cult member,” Desire confesses, “All the other guys, sure. They ha- had that whole crazy look in their - their eyes. Wouldn’t stop screaming about the dragon and all that shit. But you - you seem - normal? Put together?”

“Not a crazy cult leader,” Neronvain offers and she nods frantically.

“Yeah! How the fuck did a prince like you end up so high up in a dragon cult?”

Neronvain takes a large gulp of the coconut shell that they've been using as their makeshift mugs. He mulls it over a minute. When he blinks, he can see himself arguing with his dad over the betterment of their kingdom, arguing for change, arguing to fix the broken system. He can still hear his father’s voice echoing in his eyes, stripping him of his title. Handing it over to  Alagarthas on a silver platter.

Documents. Plans. Blueprints. All gone to waste. Everything he had dedicated his life to - granted, he was still young at the time but still, that was his life’s dream - all for nothing. 

“My father abandoned me first,” Neronvain reasons, “So I abandoned him. I tried to change the kingdom so he named  Alagarthas the crown heir.”

Desire sputters, musing over his response and twitching her nose. She is all too familiar with politicians - old kings and dukes refusing to fix anything, refusing to change because if the system benefits them then what is so broken about it? Kings turning a blind eye to their people. She imagines that Neronvain wasn’t the favorite among any of them, even before all of this happened.

She thinks of  Alagarthas. Kind eyes. Nice smile. Soft hands. She imagines that he would be a good king - he seems to really listen, really care about his kingdom. The people certainly like him. The redness on her cheeks deepen, but she blames it on the drink. 

“For like what 100 - 200 years?” Desire presses, “ Alagarthas thought you were dead.”

“I may as well have been,” Neronvain sighs deeply, “The truth is, they were the first ones to listen to me - encouraged my ambition, no matter how misguided it may have been.”

Desire nods and to Neronvain’s relief, stops pressing and asking questions, leaning back away from him with a thoughtful look on her face.

“I understand.”

Her simple declaration takes him by surprise, but he masks it with a suspicious glare. Desire isn’t quite looking at him though, just staring into the coconut shell as she idly stirs the liquor it holds.

“We all make mistakes, get caught up in the wrong crowd sometimes,” Desire admits, “That doesn’t completely excuse what we did, but it definitely makes sense. I mean, if I’m - I’m not doing okay, then some guy says hey if you join this cult and worship this dragon then we’ll take care of you, I think I would have said yes too.”

She stops there, humming slightly as a melancholic understanding passes between them. She looks to him briefly and raises her coconut at him. He gives a curt nod and raises his shell to hers before they finish off the barrel.

____________________________________

Desire is the first one to spot the ship on the horizon. The setting sun basking its silhouette, distorting it like a heat-induced mirage, only made it harder to believe. It didn’t stop Desire from trying - standing ankle-deep in the tides of the shore with waving arms, shouting at the top of her lungs as if the gods themselves were going to come get her. 

Eventually Neronvain realizes that the distortion caused by the sun and distance is just a trick of the eye. That really is a ship that is starting to turn, toward them, sails fanning out in the wind. Desire’s shouting only gets louder, more frantic and hopeful. He looks on in disbelief, a sense of almost relief in his chest that turns to dread when he sees the colors of a familiar flag.

He sits back with a numbing sensation spreading throughout his body, his hands starting to tingle. His mouth starts to go dry as the realization that what is Desire’s saving grace is going to be his doom. The fact that his father really sent other ships out just on the off chance of getting him back home tells him all he needs to know about what they plan to do with him when he arrives.

The sand starts to feel comforting between his fingers - the grainy sensation reminding him that he is here. That this is real. That this is happening. He wasn’t sure what his punishment would be, but the chilling knowledge of what is going to be waiting for him now - an angry father eager to get him back to send a message - it makes him almost not want to leave the island at all. 

But he stands up, on slightly shaking feet. Desire offers to help him, but he stops her before the words out of her mouth. His eyes are dead on the ship as he rolls his shoulders and lifts his chin. For all his talk, he never really thought that this would happen. He never really grasped the belief that the kingdom would be finished with him when he got back - a very small part of him thought that for as much as they all hated him, that there was always a small chance for him to do better. He doesn’t want to die - and especially not by the order of his father. 

But he can’t deny it now. He feels it in his bones. He can feel the glistening in the corner of his eyes. He’s not sure if Desire mistakes it for the relief of being rescued or if she simply does not notice it, but either way, she doesn’t say anything as the ship starts to get as big as the idea of going back home.

______________________________

Desire is thankful that they’ve been rescued, really, she had fully expected to just survive on the island until she simply couldn’t any longer. She didn’t expect any ships to see them, but she supposes if she were as eager as the king to get Neronvain back and had the money to send out as many ships as it took just to get an answer, then she isn’t going to complain.

But the compliments - first from the ship’s crew, then as they find themselves back in the kingdom, she gets it from the maids, the servants, the politicians - the king. Thank you for keeping Neronvain in check until we arrived. I can’t imagine being stranded on the island for two months with that monster. You’re a hero for bringing him back to us, I imagine that it must not have been easy.

It makes her uncomfortable. Sick. It doesn’t feel right when she receives her payment from the king. It most definitely doesn’t feel right when Neronvain is taken away in chains and shackles that weigh more than he does. She glances toward  Alagarthas who looks close to biting his own nails out of anxiety. He meets her eyes and shares the same worried gleam in his eyes. He almost looks surprised to see it in hers too.

Desire sticks around, overstaying her welcome to a point, but when she simply claims that she still feels seasick, most people leave her alone. They give her a small, cramped, room to stay in until she gets better - claiming that it’s the least that they can do until she gets better after all the trouble she went through. She accepts it with grinding teeth and a locked jaw.

When she sticks to the shadows to overhear their plans - what punishment that they have decided - she expects to get relief that she did the right thing, but when the word execution is spoken, she feels fire under her skin. She has to bite her tongue, dig her nails into her palms, to keep herself from speaking out.

She doesn’t think that anyone is on to her until  Alagarthas pulls her into an empty closet. The close quarters makes her heart skip a beat and her cheeks flush as  Alagarthas puts a finger to her lips as a signal to stay quiet. 

 Alagarthas listens closely through the door before he takes a deep breath and removes his finger from her lips, seemingly oblivious to the way that she licks her bottom lip afterward.

“We have to save him,”  Alagarthas whispers, his voice frantic and desperate, “They want to kill him. They want to kill my brother.”

A cold chill runs down her spine, a single icicle hitting her right in the heart. She never really thought about what may happen to Neronvain after she brought him back, but she had figured that it wouldn’t be too harsh considering their first punishment was just locking him in his room. She thought that the king would have mercy for the firstborn.

She can see the way the colors of  Alagarthas’ eyes swirl together and she tries not to lose herself in them. 

“How do we save him,” Desire asks, meeting his gaze evenly as the butterflies in her stomach settle. 

“I have a plan - I think if we both vouch for him, if we make them see that he still has some good left, that they may consider rehabilitation. I don’t think they’re willing to put him in a cell after seeing him break out the first time.”

“You were stranded with him,”  Alagarthas looks at her pleadingly, “You didn’t know him very well, but you were stuck with him for two months. As an outsider who was stranded with him, your word on it has weight to it! I’m sure of it.”

Desire doesn’t think about it - not too long nor hard. She sees the desperation in his eyes, the pleading in his tone.  Alagarthas is grasping for something - anything - that he thinks may save his brother’s life.

“I’ll do it.”

___________________________

Desire is tight-lipped and uncomfortable as she takes her leave, her things gathered on her donkey. At least the castle stable has kept Carrot in good condition while she was away, she was sure that they would have auctioned him off by now. She gives a few pats to the mule’s head, but still hasn’t spoken a word.

What can she say? She didn’t expect  Alagarthas’ plan to work, at least to a degree. The council had more or less decided that if she was so eager to save the life of Neronvain, then that makes him her problem. All while under the disguise of ‘rehabilitation.’ There are conditions of course, but ultimately, they thought that if anyone can handle Neronvain then who better suited than the dragon slayer? The same one who had been keeping him in check for two months on an island without ‘dying by his hands?’ The same who brought him back twice. Alive and mostly unscathed. 

She isn’t sure if she can explain this one to the rest of her party - to her friends - when she finds them. 

She glances toward Neronvain. He refuses to look at her, looking more frustrated about this than she does. She imagines that considering he wasn’t thrilled about her saving his life the past two times now - that he is even less thrilled about being rescued a third time. 

“Well,” Desire finally speaks up, popping her mouth. She gives a cheeky, oops sorry smile to Neronvain. “I guess you’re stuck with me now.”

[ivalice-tifalucis]

Found a forum about Take That, also found some interesting discussion

Now it’s 4AM in the morning, I slept too much for past couple of days because of some flu and the medicine makes me drowzy and moody all the time and sleeping was very tempting. I should’ve finished my essay so I can get this one subject to more than a ‘B’ so I can still retain my dream of going to Netherlands this year. But here I am searching non-important things (or at least maybe it’s important for my curiosity), and tried to google if there’s any existing Take That forum. My standard is high with mygnrforum which is a super active and long term versatile fan forum of Guns N’ Roses, I even manage to find myself some friends there. The whole website is even made and funded by fans, active discussions from all age, nationalities, and genders, and even there was a time when Axl Rose decided to showed up to everyone’s surprise. But hey, obviously GN’R is bazillion times bigger than TT. I just saw their concert of same shit they’ve been singing for 35 years with terrible mickey mouse voice of Axl’s and people still went lit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that I finally see my favorite rock band. It just hanging around with old fans give me sense of cynical for the band.

Anyway...

I went to thread that is talking about Odyssey. You may check it here: http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=209704&st=440

The thread is actually meant for both Robbie and Take That fans. I found nice thread that talked about Reveal and even gave me snippets that I haven’t even seen before since I was too poor to buy Reveal. But what I want to talk about in Odyssey thread is the view of this person who definitely this kind of annoying GB Army you will find a lot around Thatters group or social medias comments sections. Try to start from the link I gave you. Here this person talks about the BBC Documentary.

Tl;dr the cynical side of Thatters and that for this lovey-dovey band, in the eyes of some of their fans they still are one of the most controversial band.

“Saw it  There were some tears involved here as well, but of boredom, unfortunately. Absolutely NOTHING new whatsoever and nothing of substance and, on many occasions, it felt like the Robbie and his backing singers documentary. The era starting with 2006 was almost brushed off, because, of course, Robbie wasn't there - most of the moments from this era were the ones with Robbie in it-, we had the neverending Jason eulogy, but nothing to actually celebrate the members that really carry Take That. And I realized another thing that pissed me off - in almost all the recent performances, Robbie had the silver jacket, to make sure he distinguished himself from the others - God forbid someone mistook him for just a member and he didn't take the center of the stage. I guess that, on a very superficial level, the documentary will do its job, it will sell the album, but I see it as nothing more than that - just a promo trick, without real substance. I hope one day we get a documentary that brushes off Robbie's coming and going and the boys' constant "guilt" over it and the Jason "I'm happy to enjoy the money I've made off the back of TT, but without TT" and actually concentrates on what Mark, Gary and Howard have been doing. I know I sound bitter and I'm probably blowing things out of proportion a bit, but, seriously, is it too much to ask, as a fan, to have one episode that doesn't involve Robbie? Gary's documentary with James was so much more fun and deep, at the same time. This looked just like a label-ordered film, with no other purpose than filling some pockets. I was really disappointed. And I didn't understand what was the whole thing of including their mums in this documentary if they gave them 2 minutes and didn't get anything of substance out of them? We got more time with the same old fans that appear everywhere and say nothing interesting. It would have been more interesting to just have 2 fans that actually had some stories to tell; the same for the mums - considering how crazy it got in the 90s, they'd have had a ton of stories to tell - they probably talked amongst themselves, but nobody was smart enough to include the stuff of interest in the documentary. Sorry, just because I'm a fan, I'm not gonna praise everything they do, especially when it's so shallow. Rant over “

I mean a documentary released close with release date of their Greatest Hits album obviously not for commercial purpose related, right? People already complain that it’s going to be only TT3 doing Greatest Hits tour and she wants this documentary only about TT3. I agree though that maybe there should be more Take That mums and less fan stories maybe. But I think she doesn’t understand that ‘We’ve Come a Long Way’ is not like ‘For the Record’ or ‘Look Back Don’t Stare’. The purpose of this documentary is celebrating and look back but with brighter light on their career in the past 30 years. Don’t expect bunch of guys look pissed and depressed in this one.

And when I say she’s definitely GB Army, just read it how she reacts around the other person who is more leaning to Robbie. 

“Take That have been a UK (almost) only act since especially after Progress. Boy or Manbands do not sell well in the rest of Europe. It is not down to them only. The music taste is different. Robbie maintained his solo fanbase in Europe different to the UK more than TT. He sells out stadiums still. Progress was the unification all time height. Gary never sold well in Europe. And in the UK in the comments on FB, Newspapers etc (aside of the usual hate comments every public figure gets) you see that his political direction and the tax issue hurt his image. Robbie coming and going makes some people happy, some unhappy as you also realize in the comments even in this thread. But what really took mojo away is Jason leaving. And the miss of huge ballads. However, as long as they sell tours, even if it is for the live moment rather than TT - it is good for them as it pays millions in their wallets. In 10 years there might be a full reunion and then the Progress effect will set in again”

And this GB Army lady thinks Gary has no political direction. Then do tell me why people mocking him as Tory. I don’t understand UK politics. I always roll my eyes when I found random comments like for example at Kit Harington, sometimes he got called Tory too and ffs the dude never say anything about his political views, the reason he got called Tory is probably people mistaken him for being blue blood because he is the nth descendant of an Earl and married to Rose Leslie, whom her uncle is an Earl. But then again, it’s even written on his wikipedia page with article related, Gary did stated he supported David Cameron.

Oh this GB Army lady again...

“To be frank, I understand certain fans liked Jason and miss him, I personally don't. I'm probably one of the few people who don't acknowledge that "intelligence" and "wisdom" the others are talking about - that's probably because I saw really intelligent, academic people in the person of my professors and I know how that truly looks. I guess Jason strived to be intelligent and he probably read a lot, but, imo, he had no real in depth view of anything. I'm not saying, by any means, he was a stupid person, just that he wasn't any more intelligent than the others. I agree with you, though, about his contribution to the band - even if it was only for the moral of the group, he was good for them. But he chose to leave, he wasn't kicked out, so I don't see why the boys have to always go out of their way to acknowledge him - if "fans" attack them for this, then they're idiots. The interviews the boys did in November clearly showed they are annoyed of always being asked about Jason and Robbie - that's why I find this documentary to be more of a "guided" one - they said exactly what people expected them to say, regardless of how they actually feel.“

“As I've said, I agree that both Jason and Robbie's contributions had to be acknowledged, that's indisputable. What I'm saying is that Robbie's presence in the documentary wasn't necessary, given all he's done to the boys. He could have left them have their moment. I truly, truly despised him when he referred to them as "my business brothers". He's clever when it comes to distorting reality without many people noticing it. Maybe the III and Wonderland eras weren't as successful as the previous ones, but, given the context, it's no wonder. They were still successful and it was all down to Gary, Mark and Howard. 30 years of work and did anyone actually acknowledge these eras? Even Odyssey was brushed off. So, I have a problem with the program being called "We've come a long way" while we're only presented the beginning and some of the middle. Oh, and funny how Robbie uploads his new single on yt precisely the day the documentary airs! How convenient! “

There’s also some talking about TT downfall, how they can’t sell as much as they used to. Personally, I wanna know too from this side of the story, long term fan all the way to the 90s. And tbh their problem is also every musicians for all time and all place problem. Even Gary acknowledge this. They’re an old act. And that’s ok. Kinda agree that they made some bad decisions on songs and singles, but to me it’s related to the first problem. I stand with all the 5 lads so I don’t think Robbie came and left and changing the dynamic has something major to do. I agree that they’re lacking huge ballads now, but I still enjoy their newer songs tbh, The Jason one is quite intriguing though.

“I agree about the impact of Jason leaving. He may have been quiet on records but from what I could see he was --Robbie and Gary aside-- the next most popular member since they reformed. (**) I think Jason represented 'the good guy' and humble aspects more naturally than the others and this gained him droves of fans. He is very intelligent, including emotionally intelligent which made him relatable with everyday members of the public. The other four are nice though in my opinion you could tell Jason was truly sincere. Of course he is also the only member not involved in any tax issue and possibly took moral issue on this. I once read he still banks with his local co-op.”

IMO, this part is even interesting

A (dylandog): “I actually feel for Howard. A few months ago he bumped into the 'elusive Jay' on Kensington High Street and they had a brief chat. Apparently that was the first time Jay had see Howard's two children. Howard has also posted some lovely heart felt posts about Jay - who has completely cut the boys out of his life. I genuinely think that Howard is upset by Jay's decision to not only walk away from the band, but also their friendship.”

B (GBA lady): “That's exactly what I'm thinking, dylandog. Howard and Jason seemed to be very good friends during the TT years and Mark, well, he seems to be friends with everyone. I'm not including Gary on this one, although, back in the 90s, they said themselves, it was Gary-Howard-Jay, on one side, and Mark-Robbie, on the other side. I can understand - to a certain extent - Jason's decision to quit the music industry, but I don't get why he had to also quit his friendships. Howard was the one who said, during an interview, that Jason doesn't even reply to their emails anymore.”

A: “Jay was always the one that struggled with the limelight so to some extent it wasn't a surprise that he was the one to jump ship. I also felt that he was, to put it bluntly, rather work shy.  I think they probably understand/accept his decision to leave the music industry, but I agree with you, they must be hurt and confused by his actions to cut them out of his life. I know if a friend I'd spent many years with did that to me I'd feel very hurt. It does make me wonder what an earth went on? Was Jay appalled by their involvement in the tax scheme or was it something else? Whilst I understand Jay has his own life and friendship groups to completely erase them from his life is drastic to say the least. “

B: “I don't think it has anything to do with the their tax scheme. I doubt he even knew what the boys did with their share. Jason's finances are managed by his brother, the boys' by someone else. I don't see them sit down and talk: "oh, did your lawyer/accountant make you sign that paper regarding that investment?". I really trust Gary when he says he had no idea what he was signing - if he had any suspicion back then that it would be something that would backfire, he'd have pulled the money out immediately and payed the tax to the State, just like he did when he found out what it was all about. BUT, in the eventuality that Gary and the others lie and they knew they were doing something morally questionable and Jason was aware of this and this is the reason he left the band, then shame on him! He isn't a saint, he's done his fair share of morally questionable things in life - at the end of the day, using fans for sex is way more wrong than making an investment that doesn't break any laws -, so he wasn't in any position to judge. Just like all the others, he did alcohol, he did drugs, he used people for his own pleasure.....he really had no foot to stand on when it came to this. He is enjoying, after all, a life of doing nothing off the back of others, limelight shy or not. I sincerely hope that is not the reason he quit the band. If it were, his mum being in the documentary would look very weird.“

Then another guy came...

C: “I don't understand the talk about Jay like he is a bad guy here when this is probably the main reason why he quit the band, to stop stangers being judgmental on him. What's wrong with him dating young girls or older girls (Catherine Tate wasn't exactly young when they were dating)? He is single and should be allowed to date whoever he wants. And if he decided to quit because of the tax thing then I don't see any problem. People has different values in life that hold dear to their heart. Anyway, all this was just you guys' speculations (not even truth) and you still manage to use it to talk down on him just because he is not your favorite. Jason has never been a fan of technology since when he was in the band so I see no reasons for him to change after he left the band. Being of grid is so Jason that I don't know why everyone would be surprised. I have a lot of old colleagues that I was close to when I was working with them but never bother to keep in touch. I still like them but they are not my priority at the moment. There are so many levels of friendship and Take That is definitely a unique one.”

A: “I'm sorry you see it that way BadHabit. I in no way meant to be dismissive of Jay or suggest that he is a 'bad guy.' If you read my post I do say I miss Jay and for me they were at their best as a four piece. However, it's not unfair of me to point out that he had few leads, which I think is a shame by the way,because he's my second favourite vocalist in the band, or that he had very little input re song writing. The forum is for comments and opinions and unless we're looking at facts such as sales figures, then of course it's merely conjecture. My point was that I didn't fully understand the intellectual label given to Jason. Of course he can 'date' whom is wishes, regardless of their age, I don't think I suggested otherwise, but simply made an observations that he appears to have been photographed with much younger women on a number of occasions and therefore falls into that stereotype of older man/ younger woman. By the way for balance Howard is married to a much younger woman as well.“

B: “In regards to Jason dating younger women - although I couldn't care less about his private life (as long as his private life doesn't affect TT's image/reputation/connections)-, I do believe it's morally wrong for a 40+ old man to be dating 20 year olds. No, a person doesn't have the right to date whomever they please. In some countries, it's legal for 80+ year olds to marry young girls, some are still kids - based on the mighty principle that "one can do whatever/whomever they please". Just because it's not illegal, it doesn't mean it's not wrong. Plus, it's just disturbing to see an almost 50 year old - or is he 50 already? - jumping from woman to woman - he's either interested in settling down, in which case he should be dating just one person -or he's not interested in a family life, in which case he shouldn't be dating at all. I could understand it to some extent when all the boys were teens or in their early 20s, but now it's just ridiculous. I know you all live in a "liberal" thinking country, but I have the feeling nowadays abnormalities are being perceived as normal, which is soooo wrong. It's not right that any person on this forum be made to "retract" an opinion based on a system of values, just because others' fan bias. Like dylandog said, nobody believes Jason is "a bad guy", but that doesn't mean he's a saint either- he's just showing signs of immature and questionable decisions. Every single member of this band has been criticized for various choices they've made in their lives, why would be Jason exempt from the same treatment? He actually had it pretty easy going while he was in the band. For all his questionable public appearances, he never got the 10th amount of the slagging Gary did for simply existing.“

*sigh* now I’m getting some pattern that the older you are as a fan of an act, the cynical you are.

If anyone manage to read this until this part, please let me know your thoughts. Especially about Jason because tbh even I still confuse about his mindset.

[benoist-mcgrath]

Is Dangerous Liaisons coming soon?! You left on quite the cliffhanger ;) love your work!

tonight episode was so good so i’m in an incredible mood. so i’m gonna post a little fragment from next chapter (and last chapter ahhh)

remember this is from Kara’s pov again. 

“I think they’re trying to set usup” Barry said, drinking from his beer.

“You think?”

“Yeah” he nodded “I think I’mbringing them down. I’m the only one single in the group”

“Hey!”

“The only guy single, I mean it makes sense, okay?” he replied, laughing“We’re decent people, you’re beautiful, I’m okay-looking…”

“Barry, shut up”

“Okay, I’m beautiful too…”

“Oh my god”

“Listen, I’m just saying it makessense” he laughed again “They will be disappointed”

“If you’re right, then Bruce andOllie need to mind their own business” you said, also drinking from your glass.

“I know” he said “Just to be sure,we’re only friends, right?”

“Barry!”

“Just friends, that’s what I said.Jeez, calm down” his smile dropped “I… I’m sorry. You know I’m joking”.

Barry Allen was Clark’s youngestfriend. They had met while your cousin investigated a murderer case, both ofthem convinced that the principal suspect was innocent. They had beeninseparable since then. Clark told you that Barry reminds him of you so heintroduced him to his other friends. There was Bruce Wayne, the eccentricbillionaire that was always brooding and only Clark could make laugh; OliverQueen, Barry’s best friend, CEO of Queen industries and politic enthusiasticwhom believed in people’s justice and second chances. And last but not least,there was Diana, Clark and Bruce’s dreamy-almost not real-friend. Diana was anart curator that was currently on Metropolis coordinating the Greece gallery atthe museum. She was taller than you, has no flaws and was incredibleattractive. Your attraction towards her probably born out her resemblance ofsomeone else…

But it was incredible soon for youto start something with anyone…

Someone who wasn’t…

“I’m afraid we’re only friends,Barry” you said “Don’t try to play with me, Allen” your tone was more playful“I know about your feelings for certain reporter”

“Shut up”

You had become fast friends in suchshort time. Your characters and same interests play a part on it but the majorthing you shared was your feelings for someone you couldn’t have. Barry was in love with Iris West, a close friendgrowing up, but he was in a relationship with another girl, firmly believingthat Iris would never look at him the way he wanted to.

It was like a deja-vu, seeingyourself in Barry: he was ready to propose to his girlfriend, telling himselfit would be enough and he will learn to love her like he loved Iris.

You talked to him about it, openingyourself for the first time since forever. You were sincere about Mon-el, aboutLena (even if you never mentioned her name), and the whole debacle that wasyour marriage.

His ex-girlfriend hated you afterthat as she was convinced you wanted Barry for yourself.  

“Hey lovebirds! Wanna play pool?”Oliver Queen screamed from the other side of the bar.

You rolled your eyes but followedBarry towards their table. Clark, Bruce and Oliver were already half-tipsy. Itwas Clark’s first boys night in awhile and he was enjoying himself with his friends. You smiled at him: Clarkhad stayed true to his word, he received you as family and introduced you tohis friends, making you feel less lonely. Without him, you would be bored outof your mind, always thinking about your past-mistakes. Now, you felt happy knowingsomeone beside your sister, had your back.

You enjoyed your time together andyou ended up heading back home at four in the morning. It was a weekend and Dianaoffered to give you a ride. You smiled at her like a fool but fell asleepalmost as fast as you hit her car’s couch.

CatCo’s magazine was doing great. Thefirst number was a total success and Ms. Grant gave you all the credit,mentioning how proud she was of you. After that, you just wanted to be alone. Itwas hitting you hard trying to spend so much time with other people. You triedto deny it but every single detail made you miss Lena, the life you could hadtogether.

Things were so unresolved and you felt like you were carrying around a leadweight all the time from the guilt of how you treated her. You would give anything to be able to go back and endthings differently. You knew it had toend, but you didn’t have to be so cruel.

Your guilt was your only truecompanion, and you had so much of it. Your entire life in National City wasdestroyed by your actions, and even though he didn’t know it, you’d betrayedMon just as badly as Lena.

You had a feeling your current statewas just the beginning of your atonement for your actions.

Barry dragged you out of the flatevery weekend, telling you that wallowing away locked in your house was what cat ladies did. When you told him you didn’thave a cat he said it was only a matter of time.

Sometimes he took you to crowdedbars with some of his other friends, a doctor named Caitlin and his bestfriend Cisco. But as soon as the clock hit midnight, you snuck out and wentback home. You weren’t in the mood for celebrations and parties. Going out withClark was different, his friends were older and they were more tamed.

You thought the new job and the responsibilitieswould bring you out of the funk, but inside you still knew you were goingthrough the motions. You may have finally made a decision and let Lena go, butit just didn’t feel right.

Barry continued trying to bring youout of your self-imposed shell, making you try new things and leave thesolitude of the flat. You even started spending more time with people fromwork. Interesting enough, you formed a tentative friendship with Iris West,Barry’s crush, and you can see why he had feelings for her. Tiny steps, youkept remind yourself, tiny steps, letting them know the real Kara, the one you were trying to getback to. You just weren’t sure how to find her again.

Lois Lane became a good friend aswell, and she often reminded you of Alex with her snarky but smart comments,intelligent and clever. The only problem you had with Lois was that she alwayshad a ‘friend’ who you would be perfectfor. She didn’t understand why you wanted to be alone.

“Don’t take it personal, Kara” Clarksaid one day, feeling your discomfort with Lois’s words “She just want you tobe happy. That’s all”.

Nobody seemed to understand you didn’thave any interest in dating when your heart was truly broken. You knew you didn’twant to end up alone, but you just weren’t ready.

…

By spring break, you had managed tobreak out of your depression with some professional help, and decided that youwere tired of living your life as a shell.

Caitlin, Cisco and Barry invitedyou to go with them to Oregon for break where Caitlin had a cabin they spendmost of their summers in. You managed to invite Iris as well and she broughther little brother, Wally, to the mix. Both Bruce and Oliver were busy withtheir CEO’s lifes and Clark had planned a trip with Lois and the children toKansas. Diana, however, surprised you when she agreed to go.

A cabin in Oregon was the last placeyou could imagine for Diana to spend her break.

“I’m offended, Kara” she said,looking at some papers on her desk “You know I actually have a wild side”.

You were at the museum after talkingto her about an article you were planning exposing the Greek Gallery. Offhand,you had mentioned the travel and she had agreed immediately.

“I’m sorry” you replied quickly “It’sjust… I can’t imagine you on anything else besides a fancy dress”.

“Funny, I can imagine you on anything else besides a fancy dress” your heartbeat increased and you could feela blush forming on your cheeks “Anyway, my mother valued physical education andI’ve been trained since I was a child”.

You laughed awkwardly at that,trying not to imagine a younger Diana, less serious and freer, having fun withher family. You didn’t want to go there, protecting your heart at all costs.

It was going to be peaceful, and youwere looking forward to spending some time away from your flat and the city.You liked living by yourself, but it was also isolating, and there was only somuch time you could spend with Barry. He was a great friend, but he still couldn’ttake your mind completely off of Lena.

She was a constant in your thoughts,and even though you tried to get her out of your head, she was not leaving. You’dbriefly considered talking about allwith the doctor you were seeing, about the affair behind your divorce, but ifyou took that step it would lead you towards closure and you didn’t want that. There was a tiny,little sad part of you that still had hopes for the future even though you knewyou didn’t deserved it. It would fade eventually, you were sure.

“Wow” you said as you unfoldedyourself from the backseat of Caitlin’s tiny Prius. She insisted on driving,and since you would only be here for five days, all of you conceded. It was agood thing Barry and you were so skinny. Anyone a little heavier would squishedin this car.

“It’s been in my family forgenerations” Caitlin said, starting to unload the back. You’d all just broughtsmall bags. The majority of the space was taken up by the food you’d broughtwith you.

The cabin was larger than youthought it would be. It was two stories, with the entire exterior looking likea log cabin. There were several large windows that wrapped around the side ofthe house, and it didn’t look like it was as old as Caitlin was implying.

[withoutcomedy]

HC: Sans Childhood pt. 2 (Parents, Upbringing)

[Man I have been struggling with coming up with a good headcanon for Sans childhood for a LONG while now. Since I kind of have a Child!Sans thread now though, I HAD to sit down and think about this in order to play him correctly. Please mark, that this is is not a Dadster Sans, and that neither him nor Papyrus are science experiments. They are also not orphans from the beginning. Also, this is kind of completely made up, and has no relation to any Canon information since there is none about their Childhood. However, I tried really hard to think about how and why Sans turned into the kind of Sans I play him as, and yeah, idk if I did good. Also I used horrible grammar on this, because I am lazy. xD I hope it still makes sense!]

General physical description:

Sans was a normal sized child, although always a bit chunky. Only in his teenager years he kind of stopped growing and remained short.

Type of home/ neighborhood:  

Wealthy home, a good neighborhood with hardly any crimes or poverty. Sans and Papyrus grew up kind of sheltered, protected from the hardships of Life. At least in their early childhood years.

Father’s name, background, and occupation:

X  actually fought in the great Human  Monster War and used to be some kind of War Hero. However, when Monsters lost and got banished into the Underground, he was never the same. He fell into some kind of depression and hopelessness, until he met Sans and Papyrus' mother Y. For a while it seemed as if X was doing better, and they lived peacefully and happily together, first giving birth to Sans, and then, 3 years later (??? This can be changed) to Papyrus. It was between Sans and Papyrus birth that Chara fell into Underground, and added another ray of hope to X's growing positivity. It was shortly after Papyrus birth, however, that Chara and Asriel died, and all hope seemed to be, once again, lost. This destroyed everything X had been holding out for and although Y tried everything in her might to support X, he never really recovered after that, until he one day vanished without a word. He never returned. His whereabouts remain unknown, yet it was he likely that he simply fell down. Y, however, never told this to Papyrus and Sans. Instead she made up some kind of  Fairytale story about how their Father was left behind on the surface when Monsterkind got banished, deciding to stay there alone because he was a keen explorer and adventurer who didn't want to give up that kind of lifestyle.

Mother’s name, background, and occupation:

Y also was present during the great Monster Human War, however, that wasn't when she met X. Unlike X, she worked as engineer and scientist, helping to build new weapons for the war. That's why she actually never got to the Frontlines. When the war was lost, unlike Y, she never gave up believing that there was a way for monsters to return to the surface. As such she continued her job as scientists, even though she stepped away from her official position as weapon engineer. She didn't want to see anyone suffer any longer, and instead wanted to channel her energy into something productive, into something that would truly bring happiness to people. Thus, she went on to conduct a lot of private research, living off the high widow's annuity she continued to get after X's death (it was high because he was a war hero, his income was also high because of this and that was why they were rich) Still she always needed to look for connections and people to support her, in order to make her research more popular. This was why she was often away from home and left a lot of responsibility to Sans, as the older sibling. Despite everything, she loved her children more than anything, and always tried to protect them from the hardships of life. In her eyes, they had already suffered enough, being forced live without a father and in a place where they'd never be able to see the Sun or Moon and Stars.

Brothers and sisters:

Of course, everyone knows that Sans younger brother is Papyrus. From his birth on, he always was more sensitive than his brother, yet not less clever. Yet, Y, knowing that Papyrus was a sensitive soul, went to great length to ensure that Papyrus wouldn't get hurt. Thus, she tried everything possible to make him happy, in the process maybe even going so far as to spoil him a bit too much. Since Y often was too busy with her research, she put a lot of that responsibility for Papyrus on Sans, as well. A task, that the skeleton more than happily took over, since he too, loved his brother more than anything; and, always having had a great intuition, he took great care not let anything or anyone harm Papyrus innocent view of the world around him.

However, that behavior kind of backfired, as this never really gave Papyrus the opportunity to be able to relate to others properly, turned him kind of isolated. He therefore often got bullied by others, and had a hard time making friends. Trying to compensate this, he built up fake self-esteem, appearing conceited.

Of course Sans knew about this, however, not wanting to break Papyrus heart even more, he'd simply go along with it, not commenting on it aside from the typical teasing you'd commonly find between siblings.

Extra Information (that I'm too lazy to write out in Full Text right now):

- Inspired by Y's stories about the surface and about their father, one of child!Sans biggest dreams is to get to the surface. That and his mother's occupation inspire and fuel his enthusiasm for science.

- Still, when Sans is old enough (about 14) he finds the truth behind their Father's disappearance. Being smart and always a sceptic (inspired by the scientific nature of his mother), he had had suspicions before already, that he then finds confirmed. This doesn't change his ambition to get to the surface, however, although it leaves him disappointed nevertheless.

- When Sans is about ~16 their mom, too, dies in a research accident. Because of this, Sans has now full responsibility over Papyrus and everything else. Since their main source of income falls away with their mother's death, however, they have to give up their high living standard, and move into a smaller home, that Sans can somehow afford by picking up various minijobs next to his studies. He still tries to ensure that Papyrus living style doesn't change much, however, and puts most of his earned money into sustaining that illusion for Papyrus.