#i know the story is long as hell and i'm asking for it to be even longer

[abrthephantomq]

You tell me I'm a good boy or a good pet and I'll melt in your hands. - Jazz, probably, when he figures out that he's a simp for Zim even if he doesn't realize WHY he's obsessed with him.

Zim this, Zim that - he's all you talk about, Dib. Maybe you don't actually hate him. Maybe you actually like, wanna suck his dick or something --

GAZLENE --

what? Am I wrong?

Nnn-- I mean -- yes. Yes you're wrong Gaz.

Hey, have you noticed there's lots more planes flying overhead around here, lately?

Yeah, that'd make sense and all, considering what happened last week.

What happened last week?

...........Dib. You know what happened last week.

I don't, actually -- oh no...

What is it? Why're you acting so weird? Like, weirder than usual?

Fuck I overshot.

What do you mean, you overshot?

Gaz, what year is it?

It's 2001. Why?

Month?

September --

Of course! That's what happened, last week. Thanks. I forgot for a second. That's all.

How could you forget about it? All you've been talking about is how Zim was the one who did all of it --

BECAUSE HE DID, GAZ.

What?

That was ZIM - he didn't manage to sell any candy bars so he lost our bet. He was so confused why humans weren't falling to their knees, terrified. In those EXACT words. I have a recording of him saying just that.

What the hell, Dib --

:voice recording plays - Zim sounds absolutely devastated: "they didn't even blink an eye when I put that city in ruins. How can these humans be so.... Eh? I forgot the word, what was I saying?

Oh. Yeah. These hyumens aren't scared of my super scary simulation of me destroying one of their precious cities! They just shrugged and said whatever. I don't want your fucking candy."

Do you humans not get enough moneys to buy these things? These are....really good chocolate. Like, I expected them to be sand based on the name of them, but -- they're actually good? Is this a PRIVATE school?

[Dib's voice can be heard in the background; he apparently planted a bug that looked exactly like The Bug --, right where Zim tended to look at himself in the mirror. Because Zim likes to talk to himself out loud - but he's gotta see his reflection to do it. But Zim's eyes are fucking terrible and he can't see shit, even with his occular implants. Even though he is an Irken Elite. You're not gonna get anymore information from me than that. Either way, you hear enough to know that it's Dib speaking, even if you can't make out what he's saying. But Zim can hear him even if Dib is WAYYYYYY. Over there bc of his antenna. Like. You can hear a Dib when he is in his home. That is how much better Zim can hear than Dib]

Did you really just hijack me, space boy? I'm trying to tell my part of the story here as the fly on the wall of every single moment the two of you think you're alone.

Bobby Dawn what are you doing. (Barbie Dan?)(nah, Bobby Dawn. But if you wanna say it where people hear the name both ways, go for it)

Anyways, Steven asked for my assistance with the next chapter of class clown. This ain't the next, next chapter, but it is a chapter that'll show up later down the road. He's gotta finish a Mr. sludgey POV, first.

This just the super unedited version done while I'm high bc I love creating bonds and strengthening them via writing them. That includes my TikToks and my journal entries I ain't shared with y'all and all the writing we ain't shared with y'all, neither.

Gonna go get myself some lunch now, tho. Been at this long enough. ❤️ Have a good day now, y'hear?

All fanfiction authors have praise kinks in the form of comments and likes

[thirdsaltyhunter]

Cassette Tape

Summary: the story of a gifted cassette tape over the course of you and Dean's relationship

Warning: fluff/angst, talk of character death, heartbreak, season 3/4 references

A/N: this is a Christmas fic like Die Hard is a Christmas movie

2006

Not long ago you had met the Winchesters through Bobby and helped them out on a one or two hunts. Right off the bat, you made a good team. You and Sam were starting to hit it off, sharing an interest in supernatural lore and serial killers. You and Dean... eh not so much. You were caught somewhere between hating and loving his give 'em hell attitude.

After the impala got totalled by that demon, Dean had spent weeks fixing her in Bobby's shop. You had made him promise that once he got her running again, that he would take you for a drive. What could you say, you had an appreciation for beautiful cars.

Now that he had rebuilt her to all her former glory, you, him and Sam had set out on the back roads of South Dakota. Dean had stopped at a gas station to top off the tank. While he filled up and Sam went in to get a drink, you leaned over the front seat and rummaged through his box of cassettes. Led Zeppelin. Ozzy Osbourne. Styx. AC/DC.

"You have good taste in music," you commented as him and Sam got back in the car.

"Thanks," he gave a proud smile "pick what you want to hear," he said motioning to the box.

At this comment Sam gave Dean a look somewhere between offense and confusion. You didn't know Dean well enough to know that he never let anyone pick the music. Even though you were choosing from his music, it was still odd. Sam just shook his head and chose not to say anything. From the box, you picked out a cassette and handed it to him to put in the tape player.

"Good choice," he said, when he recognized which album it was.

You smiled and sat back in the seat, air drumming to the beat.

2008

What better way to spend Christmas than to help the Winchesters hunt a pagan god? That's sarcasm, you would much rather be in a warmer state than Michigan, but they had called you for intel and you happened to be not far away. It's a good thing you came, because they were chasing false leads and managed to get themselves tied to a chair.

After offing the murderous Hallmark Christmas couple, you were going to go back and spend Christmas with Bobby. That was until Sam had offhandedly mentioned that Dean wanted to have a real Christmas this year, as it might be his last. Your chest ached at the thought. You hated that he made that stupid deal. As much of a pain in your ass as Dean was, him and Sam had become some of the only friends you had.

You called Bobby and he agreed that you should stay. You made the decision then that you were going to help Sam scrape together the best Christmas you possibly could, whether Sam liked it or not. Funds and resources were limited, but you thought you did pretty good with what you found at the gas station. You weren't going to mention the decorations you had stolen from someone's front lawn... or the poor excuse for a tree Sam had cut down.

It was all worth it to see the look on Dean's face when he came back from picking up take-out. When he walked through the motel room door, his eyes lit up.

"What made you change your mind?" He asked Sam.

Sam glanced at you and looked down, not wanting to answer the question, so you changed the subject.

"Here, try the eggnog," you said, handing Dean a glass.

He took a sip and made a face from the significant amount of alcohol you had spiked it with.

"We good?" You asked with a teasing smile.

"Yeah we're good," he coughed. "Hey I thought you were leaving, why are you still here?"

Now it was your turn to not want to answer the question. "Bobby said a snowstorm was headed his way, so it was best I just stay here." Total complete lie.

"Well I'm glad you stuck around... First things first," he said setting the bag of food he had gotten on the coffee table and pulling out the presents he had gotten for Sam from the gas station.

"Great minds think alike Dean," Sam responded, pulling out his presents he had also picked up from the gas station.

Sam had gotten him a quart of oil for the car and his favorite candy bar. You had picked out a nice (as nice as you could get at a gas station) bottle of bourbon.

"These are awesome, thanks," Dean said with a bright smile. He glanced at you before getting up and grabbing his keys. "One second," he said holding up a finger to you, before disappearing out the door.

You and Sam shared a look of confusion. Dean returned seconds later holding a small item in his hand.

"Here." He handed the item to you. It was the cassette you had picked out to play that day in the car. "It's yours." He looked down and shifted awkwardly. "Also any other tapes you want you can have." You knew what was going through his head: I won't be using them soon.

"Thank you, you know I'll play the hell out of it." You put it in your jacket pocket and tried not to think about the time when you would be listening to it without him.

May 2009

Dean was gone. And you had fallen in love with him. What better time to realize you're in love with someone, than after they get dragged to hell and now you can't get out of bed anymore. Just your luck I guess.

Since he died, you've been staying at Bobby's and trying not to think about anything. Eventually you decided to get off the bench, get back in the game and start hunting again. Now you're sitting in your car, waiting out the horrible rainstorm you had gotten caught in on the way to the town where the case was. To pass the time and drown out the sound of your own thoughts, you pop in Dean's cassette. Laying back in the seat, like so many nights lately, you cry yourself to sleep.

August 2009

Somehow, by some miracle literally, Dean Winchester was alive and breathing. You could hardly wrap your head around it. It should be impossible, but hey, you had a knack for the impossible.

You, Dean and Bobby were now driving to go find Sam so you could tell him that Dean was alive. While you drove, Dean sat in the passenger seat looking a little zoned out. Not that you could blame him, if you suddenly got pulled out of hell, you'd be reeling too.

To pull him out of his thoughts a little, you turned on some music. The first thing that played was the tape that was in the player, the one Dean had given you. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a small smile grace his lips as he recognized the song.

"This the one I gave you?" he asked.

You nodded. "Yeah, I guess you'll need it back now," you answered with a smile. You were more than happy to return Dean's cassettes. He was alive and that's all that mattered.

"I gave it to you, sweetheart. Me being back doesn't change that."

It amazed you. Him saying that was proof to you that, despite going through literal hell, his caring, giving heart was still intact. If anyone had an excuse to be cold and selfish it was him. Yet the more you got to know him, the more he shocked you with how loving he was. Your heart clenched with the weight of emotion you carried for him. Though now certainly wasn't the time to go admitting any feelings. He had enough to process as is. So instead you just smile at him and he looks at you like you're the first beautiful thing he's seen in a long time.

"Alright enough you two, you're makin' me sick," Bobby chastised from the back seat.

You just laughed and turned up the music.

[in-over-my-head]

Shut up and Kiss me

I'm so excited about my @stereksecretsanta post for @serenelystrange. I hope you enjoy your story! It was super fun to write!

I'm soooo excited that it's been revealed now!

Relationship: Sterek

Rating: Teen and up

Summary:

Stiles’ eyes shot up as the bell above the door jingled, his magic letting him know that the people coming through were not human. They were a gorgeous pair, both tall with dark hair, perfect bone structure, and the graceful gait that all werewolves seemed to have. The female of the pair had dark eyes and a lean build, muscular but without the bulk the male carried. His eyes were light and impossible to look away from. He couldn’t tell the color from the distance, but he didn’t care. He could stare into them for hours.

He jumped, giving his dad a sharp look when he was kicked in the shin under the table. “What the hell was that for?”

“Staring is rude. I know I taught you that a long time ago.”

“Shh, Jesus, Dad, they can hear you.” Glancing back toward the pair, Stiles sucked air through his teeth as their eyes met again. “Who are they?”

“Care to join us, deputies?” the sheriff asked, glancing between Stiles and his new recruits. “It seems my son is curious about you two.”

Groaning in embarrassment, Stiles buried his face in his hands. Of course, these two gorgeous people were his father's new deputies. That’s just how his life went.

[neallo]

okay, so, i decided to make a 2024 wrapped after all. i constrained myself to works which are complete, and which i wrote on my own. i also tried to avoid including fics that are part of a wider series, and focused on standalone stories, though there is one exception.

2024 was a wild year for me! i posted / updated 53 works, and wrote 158k words. yesterday (12/25) was two years since i posted my first fic for mello/near. in those two years— and especially throughout 2024— the death note fan community has come to mean more to me than i could have ever predicted. i'm excited to keep writing and sharing my work with you all in 2025 (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

a world transformed

near POV; no kira, wammy's era

F/F | rated T | 1,700 words

In which a gift transforms the way Near understands the world.

the frost

mello POV; post-explosion kira investigation

M/M | rated T | 1,620 words

“So?” Mello shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Brushes his wrist against the handle of his gun, just to remind himself that it’s there. “What the hell do you want?” Near smirks. “Who said I wanted anything but your company?” He twirls a strand of hair around his finger. The gesture is so familiar that it makes Mello’s chest ache. “Perhaps I wished to spend time with an old friend. It’s been a long while, hasn’t it?” Mello scoffs. “Oh, is that what we are?” A tilt of Near’s head. His smile skews, bafflingly, a bit more genuine. Bizarre little bastard. “Isn’t it?”

THE END IS NEAR

near POV; post-explosion kira investigation

M/M | rated T | 1,725 words

So here they are now, in the middle of the bible belt with a disposable camera and an unspoken agreement to ignore the elephant in the room. Or— elephants, plural, because there are a whole host of things they aren’t discussing. The Kira case is one, and maybe the biggest, but they also haven’t talked about Mello’s photo or the words on the back of it, and Near hasn’t dared to voice the question that he keeps asking himself:  Why am I here?

august 18, 2010 (two-hundred days)

near POV; post-kira, mello lives

M/M | rated M | 1,650 words

Near is sitting in his office. He is sitting at his desk in his office, which is also Mello’s office, because they share one, now. Mello is under two meters away from him, sitting at his own desk and glaring at his backlit monitor like he wants to kill it. This has been their status quo for about seven months. Near knows the exact figure— two-hundred days— but he usually avoids acknowledging that he knows it, even in his own mind. Having this information on hand feels slightly illicit, because he knows the only reason he recalls the duration of their professional partnership with this degree of precision is because of what happened immediately before it began.

starving

mello POV; post-kira, mello lives

M/M | rated M | 2,720 words

Near is hungry. No— not hungry. Near is famished. He’s starving. Mello can see it in the pronounced pallor of his face, the dullness of his eyes. In life, he could go for a day and a half without eating and barely notice. It wasn’t good for him, but he could do it without issue. In undeath, he is not so resilient.

to have & to hurt

near POV; wammy's era to post-kira

M/M | rated E | 7,000 words

Five times Mello is harsh with Near, and one time he is very tender.

compromised

near POV; pre-explosion kira investigation

M/M | rated E | 2,850 words

The door has only just shut behind them when Mello slams him against it, forcing the air from Near’s lungs in a painful wheeze. Hands fisted in white fabric, he gets right up in Near’s face. It is meant to be frightening, menacing, but more than anything Near finds it nostalgic, really. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Mello hisses. Near blinks, feigning innocence. “Visiting.” — In which Near finds both Mello’s base and a suitable compromise.

good boy

near POV; post-kira, mello lives

M/M | rated E | 5,350 words

Mello’s stare is warm and constant, and the comforting exhilaration of it builds and builds within Near until he feels like he may burst. There is something he wants to say to Mello, but he doesn’t know what it is. Before he can ever say anything at all, though, Mello stands to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says. Before he goes, he gives Near two lists. One for the night. One for the next morning. Near always follows them to the letter. — In which Mello and Near form a dom-sub relationship centered entirely around shared meals and to-do lists.

one in the same

near POV; post-kira, mello lives

M/M | rated E | 3,500 words

“Fuck,” Mello whispers. His hands shake against Near’s chest. “Good boy,” Near repeats, experimental, smiling as he watches Mello’s eyes flutter shut again. “The very best.” A small frown tugs at Mello’s lips. Near tries to kiss it away, but it lingers. He still has work to do.

we'll pretend it ends tomorrow

mello POV; no kira, post-wammy's

M/M | rated E | 5,775 words

“What’s happening?” Near asks. “I’m not sure,” Mello says. “I think we might’ve been kidnapped.” Near makes a soft sound of disapproval. Mello bristles at this, because it sounds like Near is mad at him over their abduction, even though it’s obviously not Mello’s fault. Shutting his eyes for a moment, he reminds himself that Near is probably feeling super-scared and vulnerable, and that, considering the situation, he may not be thinking through the potential implications of the sounds he’s making. He probably didn’t mean for it to seem accusatory. -- A dire situation tests Mello and Near’s ability to work together, bringing out the good, the bad, and the intensely sexual.

[earlycuntsets]

"mikey way

"me and gerard, we're the best friends in the world"

Once again, we meet Mikey Way. But this time this guy talks soooooo much. Hi hi hi! Never thought Mikey could be this chatty!

Long coat and black jeans, that's the outfit worn by Mikey Way when he met W at the Malia Hotel, Thursday afternoon, January 31, 2008. Wow, he looked really neat. But when watching MCR's concert a few hours later, it turned out that Mikey was also wearing the same costume, he he he. It's very clear that his long coat and all-black jeans are not just a style but an important part of his identity.

Anyway… Mikey looked relaxed as he shook hands with W. As a small talk, W of course asked him what he thought about Jakarta. He answered honestly. "So far, great. But I haven't been here long. Only 12 hours, only half a day. So, you know." He said as he took a large white plastic cup of coffee from the table in front of him. His hands looked a little shaky.

Gosh, Mikey, the conversation has become so serious, huh, he he he. W reminds me that the name My Chemical Romance was taken from one of the books Mikey read when he was still working at Barnes & Noble bookstore, namely Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance by Irvine Welsh. mentioned by Mikey, here. Wow, it seems so funny to imagine Mikey being a bookworm, huh? Apart from Gerard being the vocalist and frontman of My Chem, he is still Mikey's 'big brother'. So, let's just start asking about Gerard, shall we?

Mmm, maybe we can start with a question that's not too direct, huh…

What's the most annoying thing about Gerard?

"Him? There's nothing bad about him. Even if there's something annoying, it makes me love him even more. Ha ha. Even if there's something bad about him, it's endearing. Gera is a very talented and admirable individual."

What is the annoying side of you in Gerard's eyes?

"Me? Well, I don't know. Ha ha. Maybe you guys better ask Gerard directly, haha ​​ha."

Have you two ever fought?

"We have. It's natural. But not too often. In a few years maybe."

Can you tell us a little bit about how you and Gerard are actually brothers? what kind?

"We're the best friends in the world. We always hang out together. We always talk. Especially when we're on tour, we always share a room in a hotel. only once we fought, ha ha ha. We barely fight."

Do you still have time to read a book?

"Yes, I still am. Right now I'm reading Needful Things by Stephen King. This is actually my second time reading it, he he he."

Wow, you really like horror stories, huh?

"Ha ha ha, yes. I like horror novels and also horror movies. Stephen King is a great horror writer. Many of his books are horror themed. I really like Stephen King."

From early on, it seemed like Gerard did most of the talking.

"I only talk when necessary. Not only me, Frank, Bob and Ray have also. But more often than not we have to take care of our own musical instruments, so we leave that responsibility to Gerard, he he he."

Totally agree, Mikey Unfortunately, Gerard isn't there, hu hu hu!

On stage, Gerard is the same. Have you ever joined in the conversation with the audience?

"Well, yes sure. I have."

Anyway, really happy to chat with you. Lately, MCR has been using piano players a lot at concerts, huh?

"We do everything like other big bands do."

Are there plans to make James Dewees a permanent member of MCR?

Oh, James. He's already become My Chem family member since ama. Even though he is not a member of MCR, he is our friend. We have also known him for a long time. Besides, we like the sound of our concert piano. So, we keep using it.

Why, the hell, is the sound of the piano so important to MCR?

"Piano is the basis for all music. Since we know a cool piano player like James Dewees, we might as well include him in the line-up. Unfortunately, James is currently at sound check, so he can't be here."

My Chem, that's how Mikey shortens the name My Chemical Romance. Frankly, W also knows nothing, he he he. When asked when My Chem (yikes, I'm following Mikey) will release a new album, Mikey said it would be around early or mid 2009. Wow, that's still quite a long time away, huh. When W asked about My Chem's three previous albums, this guy remained enthusiastic, cas cis cus.(?)

Tell us about the metamorphosis from the first to the third album…

"Sure sure"

Album: Bullets

"We were still very young. We were in our early 20s and we had only been in the band for about 10 months. Every song that was created at that time was indeed in accordance with our condition at that time. If you listen to it, you will definitely feel the nuances of My Chem now. The songs on the first album are like 'the younger brother of The Black Parade,

Is the creative process different?

"Let's see… The first album, / was really green, he he he. Gerard was also very young. We felt more spontaneous. The second album, Three Cheers… was more mature, more aggressive. The longer it went on, the clearer it became in The Black Parade. The difference was probably with the presence of Bob on drums. He is one of the phenomenal drummers. Many people say so. Because of Bob, The Black Parade seemed touching on many musical genres."

What if someone says that The Black Parade sounds smoother than previous albums?

"Technically, yes. The first album was made in the basement. The sound was rough. But eventually we had a bigger studio and had more time to prepare the material."

adhika annisa, marti photo: yudha

08/2008 kawanku (indonesia) from mcrhollywood

english translation done by google translate

[alessiathepirate]

Resident Evil 4: Seperate Ways

THE WITNESS: Albert Wesker x fem!reader

Summary: Ada saw something she shouldn't have seen. And she immediately knew that he didn't deserve her at all.

Note: English isn't my first language. I apologize for any mistakes I may have made while I wrote this short story.

Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone :)

Warnings: swearing

●●●

Ada was sure she never should've seen it. No one should've.

Yet she did, and she knew she'd have to take it with herself to the grave if she wants to keep her head -- and if she wants her to be healthy and safe.

Albert Wesker wasn't emotional. He was head strong, dedicated and evil, the kind of man who'd sell the world to keep his own power. He had no place in his body for love or hate, yet what Ada saw, was another side of him, a side she never imagined could exist.

He was vulnerable. He had a weak spot, a spot she could use if she would've had the soul to do so.

He had an admiration.

Her.

Ada's partner in this stupid Spanish job she hated so much...

They were in Mendez's home, they were sitting on Mendez's bed as Wesker gave her an injection against the virus she had gotten infected with. Meanwhile Ada was in the window, holding onto the rope for dear life as she almost fell from surprise -- he was so gentle; with her. He was touching her as if she was made from the thinnest glass, as if he didn't want to taint her with the sickness he was carrying.

"Thank you." she said quietly with a small smile.

And Cupid be damned, Ada knew he didn't deserve her.

He didn't deserve the way she was looking at him or speaking to him. He didn't deserve her at all.

"I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble. I didn't mean to be a liability."

Liability. Wesker's favourite word. Everyone around him was one: Luis, Leon -- hell, even Ada herself.

"You've never been a liability." Wesker argued. "Your presence doesn't effect the mission in the wrong way in the slightest." he put the needle away and then gently put his palm on her forehead, to see if she had a fever or not. "However, if you are looking for one - or more - then consider Serra as one, or Ada."

"Hey!" she said as she pulled his hand away. "Ada's doing her very best."

"Ada is causing us trouble. If she weren't an important asset, then I would've gotten rid of her a long time ago." Wesker put his hand back on her forehead, not taking no for an answer. "And I'd be happy if you left this job for her. Her... failure wouldn't matter to me at all."

"Don't say that! I like her. And I'm fine now. I can continue."

Wesker let go of her forehead, and instead, put his hands on her cheeks, his pinky fingers touching her neck, holding her hostage for his will.

"You don't understand, do you?" he asked, then continued: "I want you to quit this job and leave. I want you to come back with me to my lab and assist me there, and only there."

She looked him in the eyes with a pained expression, and Ada hated him for causing her sadness.

"Why? Because you consider me weak?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"Because I consider you important."

Ada wasn't her, yet her own heart was beating fast at the words as she read between the lines.

Did he just... tell her that he loved her?

She seemed to understand the meaning too, because she just smiled and leaned closer to him with a grin.

"Come on, I'll be fine. You know I'll be."

"I always make sure you are..." Wesker said, then leaned in to press a kiss tk her forehead. "...dear."

Ada thought it was time to go, as she was too close to looking out the window and noticing her. And that... could be dangerous. Something Ada should avoid.

Ada grabbed onto the rope of her grappling hook, and climbed up to the roof, as quietly as possible.

Then she started to think...

Poor girl. She didn't know what kind of bear she was poking...

[according2thelore]

What's your ideal Christmas/New Years celebrations between Sam/Dean ?

hi, anon! happy (few hours late) christmas!

since you didn't ask "an average christmas," but an ideal christmas...ohoho...

i'm picking their first christmas post-chuck. it's been almost a year since they laid him out, and they know better than to truly exhale, but they've slowly been able to wake up each morning without a pit of dread in their stomachs.

in the past, they didn't usually celebrate christmas. they got each other gas station jerky and would mix up some spiked eggnog if they were somewhere long enough to buy the jug, but that was about it. one year, dean stole a wreath off of a house of now-dead ghouls and hung it on the telescope in the library, but that was the extent of their festive spirit. now, they still pick up cases, but they have a lot more downtime in between each one. they've developed a routine, believe it or not.

dean goes to a big box store to pick up some of sam's special scar cream in late november. dean doesn't know what does it, but he finds the spirit of christmas in aisle 23. he walks past the garish red-green-99c-blinking displays of plastic-silver-pink trees and almost buys a lil two footer with built-in lights, but they're men, goddamnit. if they're going to have a tree, he's going to go out and get them a damn tree.

dean decides he's going out and chopping down a tree, since--hell-they live in the woods. he spent a lot of his childhood in/around woods like this, so it doesn't take him too long to find a tree he likes, but when he brings it back to the bunker (drops it down the ladder hatch like he's bombing a foxhole), it's shed the majority of its needles and won't stand up straight. he leans it against a wall in the library.

sam notices right away, of course, and dean gets his feelings hurt when sam asks what the hell is a tree doing inside and did you even check to see if it had a nest in it?? or bark infestation??

they never really get each other present presents for christmas, since they tend to fulfill their own wants throughout the year. if sam needs new socks, they buy a ten-pack of hanes. if dean wants a new blender 'cause he wrecked their last one trying to make a guacamole recipe that donna sent them, he slides their tricked card at the closest department store in the next few days.

dean covers his present to sam in tissue paper and tapes down any bits that stick up. at the end, it looks like a ball of tissue paper covered almost completely in tape, but dean still tosses it at sam proudly.

sam is not much better. he tried with wrapping paper, but the edges are all jagged from where the scissors caught on paper, and it just looks...lopsided.

dean gets sam a horrifically ugly mug that has 'nerd? i prefer the term intellectual badass' printed in blown-out letters ('you're such a dick,' sam says, as dean snickers self-satisfied) that he found at a thrift store (because clearly no one alive would want it) and a travel power cord adapter kit that is actually helpful.

sam gets dean a 4-in-1 grilling spatula that also functions as a bottle opener. dean makes quiet hmming noises as he examines it, but the only thing he'll make in the entire next week leading up to new years is things he can cook with his new spatula.

for dean's birthday, even though they don't usually celebrate those either outside of a 'you-get-to-pick-where-we-go-for-dinner-and-what-movie-we-watch-later-and-i-won't-fight-you-on-it' and a beer (sam's feeling kinda drunk on freedom from the narrative right now, sue him), he got dean a robe so he can hopefully trade dead-guy germs for something that...doesn't have dead guy germs on it.

they sit in the dean cave with beers and watch the "a christmas story" marathon on cable until they both pass out. they wake up the next morning when the kid gets his tongue stuck to the flagpole for the 8th time. miracle sleeps a few feet away, his new rope chew toy still hanging out of his mouth.

for new years, same affair. it takes them both to haul the tree back out of the bunker, and they chop it up for some firewood in the big old furnace downstairs. they don't watch the ball drop, but order two pizzas (one garden lovers and one meat lovers, and sam dutifully passes his onions over so dean can tuck them into his pepperoni), and eat them while binging the die hard movies.

sam checks his watch a few minutes until midnight, and turns to his brother to say "happy new year" when the second hand finally clicks up to the twelve. but when he looks over, dean is three-fourths of the way to sleep, the hand propping his head up slowly leaning over to the side.

sam stands up, leans over him, guides his chin up, and kisses him, a few seconds after midnight, at the exact seconds that thousands of people kiss the people they want to take into the new year. dean makes a weird snort-mumble into their kiss, but responds immediately, pulling sam down and eyes sleep-heavy.

it's the first beginning (even if it's just a day on a calendar) in sam's life that isn't filled with dread, and he drags dean back to their bed with dean's memory foam mattress (for his back, and isn't that such a gift, to get older), and tucks his nose into dean's neck, fitting in the loops of his arms like he did when he was small, a million new years ago.

but this is the first beginning that's entirely their own.

he spends the first hour of the new year listening to his brother's heartbeat.

thank you for thinking of us over here on our little blog this holiday season--i hope you stay warm (or cool, depending on where you are), and have a lovely holiday!!!!

-lizzy <3

[tiphprince]

Sorry for the anon ask, but I find it wild to complain that being a Snape fan is hard when it comes to finding fanfictions.

I've been reading Snape fanfictions for around 15 years, almost exclusively long stories, and I still find some here and there to read today. There's not a single fandom that I'm in where I get to have even half of the content about my other favorite characters, and I'm a Star Wars, Naruto and My Hero Academia fan, not small fandoms either.

I'll agree on the lack of gen stories compared to shipping fics, and that is something that I think is a shame isn't more popular, but apart from that? Man, it's fanfiction paradise out there.

Even if we exclude Snape/Marauders + Lily, we still have Snape/Hermione and Snape/Harry as the most popular Snape ships out there, and as a Snamione fan I can attest that they have the highest number of novel quality fanfictions of any other pairing I've ever read. Snape/OC, Snape/Reader, Snape/Lucius, Snape/Narcissa, even Snape/Charity or Snape/McGonagall is a thing. I've read one Snape/Shackelbolt story, and I know that Snape/Dumbledore stories are a thing too.

Hell, there's the whole Severitus genre, which even has its own fanfiction hosting website.

Over a year ago I got into a new fandom, of one of the most popular modern fantasy authors currently still active, and my favorite ship, a canon ship with one of the three main character, has at most a couple dozen of stories, all under 3k words. Complaining about being a Snape fan because of a lack of fanfiction? Unbelievable. There's enough out there to read to keep anyone occupied for at least several years, we have it so fucking good, guys.

Being a Severus fan is so hard. Looking for fanfics where he's the protagonist on AO3 is such a hassle. When you finally find one where he's the main character, the summary is well-written and seems interesting, but then you check the tags and see: James Potter/Severus Snape, Sirius Black/Severus Snape, Remus Lupin/Severus Snape, Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape, or worse, James Potter/Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Severus Snape. I lose all motivation instantly—it makes me want to explode.

The solution is to ask ChatGPT for a fanfic without those people in the spotlight because no one deserves this.

That's one of the main reasons why I never read fics centered on young Severus, because in the end, they always go in that direction. I mean, I have nothing against anyone shipping whatever they want, and honestly, I prefer that over seeing him as a supervillain horribly ostracized by a bunch of characters who are basically OCs with canon names, but personally, I have no interest. As I've always said, I'm more in favor of Severus x OC who has nothing to do with the people who ruined his life—I think that's the healthiest option. But well, that's just a personal preference.

[blueskittlesart]

*sigh* thoughts on Nintendo's botw/totk timeline shenanigans and tomfoolery?

tbh. my maybe-unpopular opinion is that the timeline is only important when a game's place on the timeline seriously informs the way their narrative progresses. the problem is that before botw we almost NEVER got games where it didn't matter. it matters for skyward sword because it's the beginning, and it matters for tp/ww/alttp (and their respective sequels) because the choices the hero of time makes explicitly inform the narrative of those games in one way or another. it matters which timeline we're in for those games because these cycles we're seeing are close enough to oot's cycle that they're still feeling the effects of his choices. botw, however, takes place at minimum 10 thousand years after oot, so its place on the timeline actually functionally means nothing. botw is completely divorced from the hero of time & his story, so what he does is a nonissue in the context of botw link and zelda's story. thus, which timeline botw happens in is a nonissue. honestly I kind of liked the idea that it happened in all of them. i think there's a cool idea of inevitability that can be played with there. but the point is that the timeline exists to enhance and fill in the lore of games that need it, and botw/totk don't really need it because the devs finally realized they could make a game without the hero of time in it.

[petz5]

Hey, you. Ranma blogger. How's the new ranma anime. Your answer will not make me watch it but it might make me think about watching more often which is almost the same thing.

It seems to be very pretty if nothing else.

Wanted to watch the newest episode before i replied just in case i hated it 😭

UMMMM.... hmmm. It is very pretty i agree. I am constantly flip flopping from hating to loving it ngl. When it's good its incredible and when it's bad i don't even wanna look at it 💀

I think the first episode was perfect, kuno's intro was okay, ryoga's intro was ass and i'll never forgive them for what they did to the scene where akane carries ranma home from tofu's, kodachi's was good, the ice skating arc was fantastic (outside of akane's weird lips that totally took me out of the moment....), and so far the shampoo arc is superior to the original

I think the pacing sucks ass for the first half and then it gets a lot better but they really needed an extra 5ish episodes to slow the fuck down. Like i could not tell you what dr tofu's personality is in the remake, he was barely there. We hardly spent any time on the fact akane's a tomboy to the point i've had new fans tell me "nooo don't call her that she's perfect the way she is!" (its... not an insult 😭)

I think the characterizations are way better, i think the animation is gorgeous, it's literally just the pacing that pisses me off sometimes lmao. I suppose i agree it's better than the original but like.... i think i'd want to flip between the original and the remake in a rewatch just to slow things the fuck down and not lose the moments the original had that i think made the show better

Also as much as everyone says the remake is "more faithful to the manga" it really has a lot of new scenes lmaoooo i'm not complaining i think they've all been great changes/additions but i do think it's funny. I've never been a manga purist

I guess my answer is..... it's very good. If it got anime of the year i'd desperately point at frieren and dungeon meshi but i'd understand. But 12 episodes is not enough time to let them truly shine and because of that i don't think it could replace what the original anime is to me, only supplement it

You'd probably like it if you watched it but if you've seen the old anime you'll also understand what i mean abt the lack of time to just breathe and get to know who these people are and why we should care about them. Like ranma is fully on board w being in love w akane from the start and while akane deserves that i don't think we have enough scenes of them just.... hanging out without any stakes to really get a handle on what it is ranma likes abt her so much other than Cute Girl Who Punches Hard and akane is so much more than that 😭

[dootznbootz]

opinions on helen of sparta being compared to prey animals? blink blink

*blink blinks back* Then immediately sits like this because of the question.

It's a good question that I'm happy to answer! It just makes me mad.... I sincerely hate the wording of "prey" being used to describe her.

SHE IS A VICTIM! THAT DOES NOT MEAN SHE IS "PREY"!

I can...see how people in ancient times may have used that word and still meant it in how she is a victim... but modern-day English-speaking people calling her that??? (considering how in different languages the word "prey" could have different meanings.) I'll just say that as someone who has been "prey" herself at one point, I REALLY hate that word as a descriptor. Just say victim or survivor. 👍

Honestly to call ANY victim "prey" is so fucked up. "Prey" to me, feels like "it's meant to happen." "Prey" are part of the food chain and so that's what happens. And to compare that to abduction and SA? Almost as if "that's our place"? It also kind of implies something being "eaten" or killed... Helen SURVIVES. She's traumatized and definitely needs healing and support but it's not like she can't find joy or peace ever again. Prey just feels so fucking gross.

Also, if someone calls victims "prey", I hope they know that Moose, Elk, Boars, Bovine, ZEBRAS, etc. are technically "prey". And these are VERY aggressive animals while still being "prey" for some other animals. And also that doesn't mean that "Oh, they're powerful! Clearly they should've been able to stop it." That's victim blaming :P

She is a clever, determined, caring woman who was ripped from her home for YEARS because Paris was a dipshit who decided he needed the prettiest woman in the world despite already having a wife. He didn't care about the fact that Helen didn't want to be there and was already married. He is so selfish that he will not let her go back even when THOUSANDS have died in the war! EVEN HIS BROTHER HECTOR AND PRIAM DO NOT BLAME HER! Granted, we do not know if Aphrodite would have let him undo their deal of "I want the prettiest woman" if he DID end up feeling bad for Helen and he wished to let her go home (I doubt it based on his personality though).

"Oh, if she is so independent/strong, then why didn't she just kill Paris and leave?"

AGAIN! Victim blaming!!! First thing, people who ask that have media literacy that is piss on the poor. You also have no idea about the political implications that would have happened if she DID kill Paris. She literally cries about staying there and argues with Aphrodite about seeing Paris, only to get strongarmed by Aphrodite as, guess what? A GODDESS WILL ALWAYS OVERPOWER A DEMIGOD. (This isn't Percy Jackson where he "killed" Ares as a 12 year old (Percy, you were my childhood, but that's bullshit.))

Even confined in Troy, she ARGUED with APHRODITE about going to see Paris! She is not some meek woman who just does as she's told with no pushback! She argued with a GODDESSS! Very few survive doing that!!!

She's not "Prey to fate", she's a "VICTIM of Fate".

[tenok]

.

[imagine-nerd]

The fucking disconnect is so real.

[fionnaskyborn]

pros of learning how to play fighting game:

undergoing a learning experience, trying out something entirely different from anything i have previously played

i get to look at a little guy do cool things on my screen :)

cons of learning how to play fighting game:

i am clumsy as all hell with the inputs

the order in which you press and/or hold buttons to create inputs is less like trying to get a sequence of movements right and more like playing a rhythm game (down then while not letting go of down press forward then let go of down and THEN press an attack button on the other side of the keyboard). i suck at rhythm games. hell world

sometimes, the damn things just... won't register? at all? you do a half circle to forward input and the game says "half circle forward? oh, sorry, that's ensenga :)" or, worse, "too slow, that's a regular heavy slash move :)". brother. why must you do me like this.

the area between the knuckles of my ring and little finger hurts like a motherfucker (though this has hurt in various areas since at least this morning, but i'm willing to bet that practicing quarter and half circle inputs for at least an hour did not make the situation any better)

[pocketramblr]

srimptesting??? What does that mean??

It means I can't spell "shrimptesting"

[born-to-lose]

I want to strangle this DJ for playing Reckless Love at an 80s party (not 80s inspired or glam in general, whole ass actual 80s along with ZZ Top, Cinderella etc)