#jack is guest starring i guess

[wandringaesthetic]

I only watched half the episode because of reasons, but I feel weird about the political implications of the last episode of The Mandalorian

[hypernova-writes]

Stupid In Love [Sniper x Reader]

Synopsis: Sniper loves you, and is not afraid to show it. He wants to spend the rest of his days with you.

a/n: Song fic one of two that I want to post, The next one is called in the closet~! Can you guess who it is??

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful There's something about your eyes Tell me these feelings are mutual 'Cause feelings are so hard to fight

Sniper didn’t really consider himself to be a romantic man. He’d been a few relationships, whooed a couple of women before. But none of that compared to how he felt whenever he was with you.

Know it's a little soon, maybe But I'd go anywhere you take me 'Long as you're calling me, baby They can all call us crazy

You were a mercenary just like him. Efficient at what you do. He was always wowed when he saw you on the battlefield in your element. You were like a jack of all trades, ready to hop in and help anyone who really and truly needed it. Whether Medic needed a little support. Scout needed someone to help him flank or Engineer needed someone to watch over his machines. You were always there.

So it shocked him when you ended up confessing your feelings to him. Him of all people. He was pretty sure you’d heard all the things the other mercs said about him. How he was cold, how he was disgusting. But once again. You looked past what they all said and took it upon yourself to get to know him. You didn’t stop until you knew just about everything about him (that he would tell you.).

Now you had him dreaming about being a family man.

He would talk about you on the phone to his parents, who were elated that their son had someone in his love life that he could depend on. And they could tell by the way that their son talked about you on the phone that he was head over heels in love.

The other mercs noticed it too.

Whenever they needed Sniper for something and he was nowhere to be found? They went straight to you.

“Hey Y/n? Have ya seen Snipes? We need him today.” “Oh! Yea i have! I’ll go get him :)”

You’re so sweet that this man could probably get a cavity from how you were. You would come padding up to his camper, knocking that special knock before entering.

“Snipey~ Baby! You’re needed for a mission.” You walk over to him and press your lips against his cheek.

It never failed to make him blush, because if he didn’t react or didn’t say anything, you would just puff out your cheeks and pout before attacking him with more kisses until you kissed his lips.

“..’lright..’lright, I hear ya sheila..”

He then tilts your chin up to place a kiss on your lips, watching as you melted into his touch. It was plenty of exchanges that made the two of you late.

It boosted his moods, he would definitely do better in whatever mission or match whenever you gave him that cute encouragement you’d like to do.

He would watch as you went off to do whatever you had to get done, he would have that giddy love sick look on his face and he knew he was absolutely whipped.

Let's get married in Vegas We don't need a guest list I don't wanna think too much Let's get matching tattoos I don't wanna think it through Baby, I'm so stupid in love

The two of you were sitting on top of his campervan, gazing up at the stars. He looked over at you as you were rambling on about something that he just nodded along to.

‘God..she’s a beaut..”

Book a flight to Paris, only one way What'd you think about sharing our last name?

“Mick. You ever think about marriage?”

That question makes him sit up as he tilts his head, he was attentive then.

“Yea..I guess i do.” “Good..Cause I was thinking of it too. How we would have ours.”

He watches as you grin at him before looking back up to the sky. “I’d like to have it under the stars..cause it reminds me of moments like these with you.

Sniper smiles softly as he pulls you over onto his chest, Kissing your forehead he nuzzles against your face.

“Of course..We’ll do whatever ya want sheila..”

Let's get straight to "I do" I don't wanna think it through Baby, I'm so stupid in love

[goodolddumbbanana]

TO BE MIRROR AU [6]

Summary: Nexus attempted to kidnap Sun to get him to find the shards by threatening Dazzle and Jack. Moon is nowhere, idk, maybe sleep.

It was just a normal day…

Only the yellow animatronic stays in daycare to clean. Moon was busy in his laboratory with Solar, butting his head off with everything from finding the whereabouts of Ruin and the Dark Sun's hideout, to studying the remnants of the Wither Storm.

They have been working hard for more than 12 hours. The overwhelming amount of work that his brothers endure makes Sun worried that Moon will fall back into his old habits, working until his battery is dried out. And he can say the same thing with Solar.

Maybe after cleaning this place up, Sun should go back to the lab to check. He can get something for his brother to eat? And water for Solar? At least, for now, this is what makes him feel like he can help in some way.

A loud sign coming out his mouth. The barrel was so shiny in Sun's hand that he could see himself on it.

He still couldn't understand how he could sense the shards of the Wither Storm, but he didn't look into the gift horse's mouth. Although... that was just a little concern in Sun's heart, why did he feel so attracted to those crystals? Why did he feel... so relieved when he touched them?

Unlike Moon, who not only had a headache, but slept so soundly that scared him near death the next day?

The sound of someone coming out of the ball pit rang out, startling Sun's train of thoughts.

The computer hasn't been fixed yet. There's so much work that needs to be done and Moon's AI creation is relatively complicated. So they have to do everything by hand for now, which is sometimes really inconvenient for Sun.

For example, he couldn't guess exactly who had entered this dimension.

A dark blue shadow appeared in the distance. A nightcap bobbed, revealing the tall, thin body of a lunar Daycare attendant. Star and moon shaped characters are embroidered on the shirt.

The shadow cast by the light caused Sun's optics to involuntarily shrink. He came closer, still holding the barrel towel in his hand.

“M–Moon?! I thought you would work until late?—”

The words coming out of Sun's mouth suddenly stopped. Sun's non-existent heart seemed to skip a beat when the stranger raised his face, revealing a bygone face that was only seen in Sun's old nightmares.

His eyes were red as blood, like two coals dipped in the burning fire. The smile was as curved as a crescent moon, white as bone, as marrow, as sickly white as the way a wild animal grins when hunting its prey. The long, slender body, bent in a way that physics could not explain, stretched out of the ball pit.

“H–Hello? Who are you?" Sun asked timidly, he silently scolded himself, why didn't he call Moon right now. It's not that he can't defend himself, because of magic, Moon still encourages him to practice day and night. But Sun didn't want things to go that far at all.

If possible, he just wanted them to leave or they could talk in peace.

That strange guest just twisted his body, his posture was too comfortable for someone who did not live here. Sun's internal chip doesn't understand why it keeps screaming, trying to emit a telegram of connection, feeling like his subconscious is whispering something about there is something very familiar towards the stranger.

Could this be KC or another version of KC?

Sun never held out hope that KC was still alive. Their KC‌ was dead, broken into pieces in Bloodmoon's hands. But something about the stranger made Sun unconsciously take a few steps forward.

They laughed, a hoarse, dry, ugly laugh like the sound of a knife carving into flesh.

“ No… Take another guess.”

Sun didn't know it was possible to shatter someone's reality with just one sentence.

In the colorful colors of daycare, Moon-Nexus stood there calmly, with a smile that didn't reach the corners of his eyes.

New clothes, new body, will any of that still can Sun call them his brother? When they at that time had hurt their own sister without any remorse, and now in those lifeless eyes, only the bloody brutality and indifference of the scientist towards his specimen were visible?

Nexus looks happy. Dangerously happy. They approached Sun, letting out a greeting as if nothing had happened, as if Nexus hadn't torn his own family in half.

“Hey, Sun… Long time no see.”

The two images melt into each other. One is the concerned eyes of a version of Moon he has learned to love and trust, the other is of a stranger that Sun doesn't recognize anymore.

Sun should run. He should scream and let any of Moon's defenses activate, but he couldn't. His throat was stiff, his mouth dry. He couldn't stop shaking, his freezing reflex made his joints immobile.

“What's wrong, Sun, aren't you happy to see your brother again?”

Nexus tilted its head, its neck as long as an owl's, the deformity that Nexus had intentionally inflicted on itself was like a punch to Sun's stomach.

‘ What happened to you, Nexus?’

“I guess this can happen.” M-Nexus shrugged, and they moved closer leisurely, ignoring Sun's momentary flinch.

"You already have your Old Moon back, how can you miss this Moon, am I right, Sun?"

He wants to say...

‘ We have missed you. We still missed you. Earth couldn't look at Moon's face without crying silently afterward. Even though Lunar didn't say anything, I still knew that the boy hid your photo in the room. Solar numb all his emotions because of you, he didn’t believe our stories for weeks before really seeing you, face to face. I missed you, I have missed you so much.

But you don't know that, do you?

Only cares about what you want, and always jumps to these places where I can't even keep up with.

And now you throw it all away to pursue a self-destructive obsession that you think we want, when what we need is for you to be happy with us.'

He wanted to say many things, but his mouth could only make pitiful stuttering sounds. His hand wanted to reach out, a faint glimmer of hope that Nexus felt remorseful and wanted to return to his family.

But the cruel mind only laughed at Sun's weak heart, mocking him about how dangerous the Nexus looked.

'Even an idiot like you can understand why he came here, right, Sun ~~' The sound of Sun's thoughts was too close to Eclipse's disdainful and even tone, making Sun unconsciously frown.

“How is the new house btw? I heard that beast say you have moved. Do you live well there? Not that I care—”

Sun wanted to refute. He wanted to grab Nexus tightly and ask if they didn't care, then why did they deliberately bring up the old story? He wanted to cry and hug Nexus tightly, to beg Nexus to return to Sun, Earth and Lunar. He also wanted to punch his other brother, to let them know how stupid the thing they did was, how much it hurt the people who loved them.

But nothing can come out except the bitterness.

“Oh come on, no need to look so tense like that.”

Close, too close, Nexus was approaching Sun without him realizing it. The shadow of Nexus fell on Sun, their voice was gentle, so gentle and considerate, like that was still the person he called his brother.

The sound of bells rang in Sun's ears. A red shadow flashed across Sun's eyes, and the ribbon on Nexus's wrist fell onto his shirt.

“I said I wouldn't hurt you, didn't I?”

The distance between them was only an inch apart, and the tip of Nexus' nightcap accidentally touched Sun's rays. Nexus's hand was clasped in his, the grip soft but firm, just like the way they used to do whenever Sun had a panic attack.

It really made Sun soften, and let his guard down for a split second.

Enough for a sick smile to flash across Nexus's lips. A wave of pain erupted in Sun's arm, Nexus's hands gripped Sun's hand tightly, their sharp nails digging into his metal shell.

“Well… I guess I lied. I actually very much enjoyed it.”

The pain caused Sun to pull away and stagger backwards. He panted, the rays of light converging with Sun's breathing. Nexus' sadistic chuckle was almost unreal, as if this were just a normal gaming session between the two of them, rather than looking like Nexus was ready to hurt Sun.

Sun shouldn't be surprised, because after all, Nexus has always hated him. This person's care is purely an order, a purpose that Moon has placed like a chain on this newly reset Moon's neck.

Sun knows Nexus always hates him for being alive, for the one who died is Solar.

“W–Why are you here, M–Nexus?”

Try to squeeze out each word. Ignoring the pain in his wrist, Sun wished he wasn't trembling, so pathetic for someone who hadn't even done anything to him.

“You know why.” Nexus retracted his hand, his red eyes looked straight at Sun, a look so determined that it scared Sun.

"No I don't." Sun gritted his teeth, both of his fists clenched. There was an anger that came out of nowhere in his chest like a flood, making his vision red and Sun didn't know what he wanted to do next.

“A little bird told me about your ability. Don’t be sad. I was just going to look into your source code, but unfortunately I found nothing.”

“So…”

“…”

Breath escaped from Sun's mouth. His joints convulsed, and Sun's entire operating system continuously crashed into each other with errors and loops.

“I want you to come with me, Sun.”

“ From now on we will do everything together Sun… I will not leave you…”

Two voices collided. One from the present and one from the past. The protective concern that once existed in that voice now turned into mockery. Nexus looked at him like a curious child looking at a sick cat that was about to die. They had no intention of doing anything, just watching with interest to see where this was going.

*** Flashback

Sun never understood Moon's laboratory preferences. Too white, too clean, everywhere is sterile white. There is a coldness and crampedness that clings to this place, even if there are more green trees. can cover up its emptiness.

Moon stood in front of the board, his shadow was too high, beyond Sun's sight. Moon's hand awkwardly touched the edge of the table, her face serious. There was only the clicking sound of the radiator running, and the gurgling sound of running water, as if time had stopped a long time ago and was working again, as heavy as a nail stuck in the wall.

Reflections of surrounding objects flashed on the Sun's gilded shell. A cup of steaming hot tea was placed in front of him.

“Hey Sun… I need you to think about this…” Moon's voice is gentle and careful, as if he was speaking to a child. “If what Dark Sun said is true, then Nexus is also searching for the fragments…”

“ That means… he might come to you…”

“I'm not telling you to decide now… but for your own good and I don't want you to get hurt…”

“ Can you tell me you are willing to attack Nexus if he comes to hurt you?”)

***

There was heavy pressure and tension between the two. It felt like there was invisible sweat dripping down the back of Sun's shirt.

Nexus is taller than him, stronger than him, both physically and intellectually. And he stinks of the smell of negative star power. If he wanted, he could take advantage of Sun being caught off guard and take Sun away at any time. Or just straight up torture him right away. But here, right now, Nexus just offers Sun an offer.

To go with him voluntarily.

Why?" Sun lowered his voice. His hands were hidden behind his back, ready for any movement by Nexus to trigger him to activate his magic. Every sensor in his body was screaming at him to attack, or run away, but for some stubborn reason, he continued to wait for Nexus's answer.

Listening to Moon was an inherent rigid habit, making him no matter how angry or disappointed he was, the first person to lay down his cards was still Nexus.

“Sun, you know what's funny? It had taken me months of manual labor to find the fragments of the Wither Storm, while the answer was right before my eyes."

"It's you. Sun."

"Yes, I was surprised too. Who would have thought that little Sunny would have this ability? How many pieces have you and that bastard found? Where did you hide it?"

“And why should I tell you?”

Red eyes glared at Sun maliciously, so evil that it would make his former self burst into tears.

“Because I will not go easy on you anymore if you keep stubborn like that.”

(Honk honk duck sound)

A flash of light erupted, right next to Nexus's feet smoking remains of a fireball. For the first time since him show up, Nexus's eyes opened wide to look at him in surprise.

Their approaching feet stopped, they looked intently at the fire burning the carpet next to them. A few balls couldn't stand the luck, half melting and emitting an unpleasant smell of burning synthetic resin.

“I won't go with you, Nexus.” Sun spoke harshly. His hand twitched. A sick feeling went deep into Sun's stomach, making him want to vomit. "Quite the opposite, I  like to stay here."

Sun had never, ever directly pointed a weapon at his family like that, and the thought of hurting someone... Even if it was Nexus, it made Sun's whole body tremble.

Bitter bile seeped into Sun's throat. A dirty feeling that couldn't be washed away flowed through him. It was like a rope was wrapped around Sun's throat, making him writhe in pain.

Sun couldn't breathe.

What is he doing?

Satisfied giggles rang out.

“Oh?” Nexus hummed. “You shot me.”

“You shot your brother.”

‘ And yet you always try to act like you're better than me.’ The meaning behind Nexus's words.

Say it casually as if it were a fact. Say it smugly as if they knew this was going to happen.

Red appeared in Sun's eyes. Red. Red like the blood flowing on Evelyn's head, red like the color of Nexus's eyes, red like the dirt on Sun's hands, which can never be washed off.

The giggle of a certain red devil rang in Sun's ears, causing Sun's snow-white pupils to shrink. No… Just hallucinations. He took a deep breath, avoiding the immediately understanding look from Nexus.

“Don't take another step, because the next shot will be real.” Sun took a deep breath, trying to speak without trembling. Magical colors like a kaleidoscope glowed in Sun's hands. His fan seemed to be overloaded, every part of Sun's body seemed to fall apart. “I suggest you leave, Nexus. Or else…"

“Or else you will kill me, right?”

Sun was about to say he would expel Nexus, but Nexus' answer left him stunned.

What percentage of his magic would succeed, and what percentage would it fail like the other things Sun had attempted.

A painful chuckle echoed in Nexus's mouth, close to the edge of madness. There was a bitter feeling in it, and it made Sun feel endlessly guilty.

“So little Sunny finally grew a spine. It's sad that it took two Moons for that to happen.”

“When did you learn magic? I remember you were so insistent that you didn't want to touch these nonsense crap at all."

“Is it because of Moon?” Nexus' eyes narrowed. Sun's silence seemed to confirm Nexus's guess. “I'm never really good enough, am I?” They scoffed. “As soon as I left, you replaced me with that monster version, and running after him like an off-leash pet.”

It hurts. Hearing that from someone who was also his brother hurt so much. But it cannot be more painful than the feeling of betrayal that Earth has experienced, or Moon getting tortured.

“Are you done yet?” Sun was tired, he knew Nexus was trying to insult him, that any reaction from Sun would only give Nexus an advantage.

But he is very tired.

Part of Sun wanted to give up, let Nexus take him away. It's better to surrender to reduce the pain than to resist and the result will still be the same. But the other part in Sun, the one had to restrain Moon, Eclipse, and whoever was in his head from trying to control give Nexus a middle finger.

Sun cannot give up, not when he has Earth, Lunar, Moon... and the destructive potential of the Wither Storm and whatever plans Nexus wants to try for the world.

Strangely, the fleeting thought of death was so light compared to what was before Sun.

“Nah— You understand me, Sun. I will never go without what I want.” Nexus chuckled, his finger pointing at Sun.

Daycare still plays the cheerful, annoying music as if nothing had happened. A feeling of deja vu made Sun's heart sink deeper, as a shot was fired right in the area where he and Nexus were standing right now.

“So, if Sunny boy really wants to leave, you have to be the one to do it first—.‌”

The gears in Sun's chest stopped turning once. A smile spread across Nexus's lips, his arms spread wide. Their eyes were closed, they looked completely at peace.

“Shoot Sun. Break me, destroy me into pieces.‌ If you have the guts, do so, so I can't cause any more harm to your family.”

Sun wants to say Nexus was also his family, Nexus is still his brother.

“But remember, I'm only giving you this first shot for free.”

Another image placed on Nexus. Blue separates into orange and red.

‘See you in hell, Sun. ’ A tired, bitter smile, angry eyes, unwilling to give up even in death.

'Cowardice. Useless. Without Moon you are nothing— ' The impostor wore Moon's face, provoking him with evil words.

“So, let's give me your best shot.”

Five-colored light flashed brightly in Sun's hand. Shoot. Don't Shoot. Just let go. Just relax. Whether it was Eclipse's whisper or Bloodmoon's, he no longer knew.

It's easy, very simple, especially when he is already charge.

Just release it.

You can do it, Sun.

‘ You are my older brother, Sun. I care about you.'

Nexus's face appeared, full of concern and understanding.

The magical light grew louder and louder, before completely extinguishing in Sun's hands. Standing there stiffly, the hand still couldn't be lowered. Sun can't, he can't attack M–Nexus.

‘ What a coward, Sun.’

“It's not that I didn't expect it, but it's also disappointing.

Nexus walked around Sun, his neck sticking out excitedly like a vulture hunting its prey. Touching Sun's spell-casting arm, they suddenly lifted Sun up. 

“–!!?”

Sun screamed in confusion into the air, and in a moment that was probably only a few seconds, he was thrown hard to the ground. His metal skeleton groaned in pain, warning triangles flashed, causing his optics to turn yellow.

Maybe something broke. Suddenly, there was a soft falling sound of something hitting Sun's head. He groaned and picked it up, his sensors classifying it as a toy.

What is this?

A worn sun doll blinked back at Sun. A cold feeling reached the heart of Sun's non-existence, algorithms 0 and 1 jumped like locusts, howling in a vortex of indignation.

“Yeah… If I was you, I would have watched my baby deer better.”

Nexus's voice rang in Sun's ears as if it were annoying, the bell rang with every step they took. “By the way, the new outfit is nice, it would be a shame if it were damaged, right, Sun?"

“W–Where is Dazzle???” Sun's voice trembled. He held the doll tightly with him, clumsily stood up and rushed to grab Nexus' shirt. “Nexus, WHERE IS DAZZLE!!!?”

Not paying attention to Sun's violent attitude, Nexus just touched his fingertips. An immature sound rang out.

“H–Hello? Hey Sun!!!”

“DAZZLE!! DAZZLE!!! WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU HURT?!!!” Sun desperately clung to the receiver.

“No-o?? I'm playing with Jack. We're going on an adventure! Oh, Jack said we have to keep it a secret now…”

“Jack? Dazzle, you tell me where you are?! Please Dazzle–”

Nexus turned off the mic before Sun could finish speaking. “You know, I forgot when Solar and I created Jack, we, actually, it was Solar's idea, to put a backup code inside, in case anyone hacked Jack's code. Then, the administrator rights will still belong to Solar. And even though that idiot Monty changed quite a few things for that traitor, the original settings are still the same.”

“And with my negative star power, things can be really easy.”

Sun looked up at Nexus, they smiled cheekily. Horrible smile, full of teeth.

“You don't want both Jack and Dazzle to become Lunar. 2.0, do you, Sun?”

[marv-el-spot]

This part pretty much sums up what Loki s2 writers thought about her the entire season: they had no idea what to do with her.

They had an actress so eandering like Sophia, and they completely wasted it.

As much i love Sylvie, this season how it was, could had gone exactly the same without her. They gave her nothing meaningful to do. She could had appear just for the citadel remake scene and nothing would had change.

And for what to do with her next? you guessed! no idea either! let´s literally shrug that off.

She went from key part of the s1 plot, key to Loki change, key to Loki feels something new to him, to just a guest star with no real involvement with anything.

I´m seeing ppl saying she at least had her happy ending. What happy ending?? Being alone and still wondering around how she used to do?

She could had say something like "back to my job, poor Jack has cover me for far too long" With this same smile, and then you would convince me that´s the life she wanted, that she had her happy ending.

The fact that they are probably no plans of doing season 3, makes this worst bc we dont know if we ever gonna see her again.

Loki had an epic ending, dont get me wrong, but she could easily be at his side, meaning he wouldn´t end up alone. She ´s a godess too, "WE ARE gods", she could had appear at his side, like a protector, like a guardian, standing proud besides Loki, with a new epic outift too, and it didnt had to be romantic, if that was what they were so afraid to show. But sadly that meant nothing either.

(if you got here, thanks for reading!)

[satureja13]

After the Boys got arrested at the cantina, they were brought to the district of the First Order.

And Saiwa saw that guest from before - Cora - accepting credits from an officer of the First Order - for betraying them... Dammit! And on top of that, the elderly Weequay passing by chided Saiwa: "That's what comes of it hanging around with these scoundrels, Night Shadow! I expected better of you..." As if he'd had a choice! -.-

Down in the Cell Block. Lt. Agnon to Stormtrooper KR - 3622: "They will remain here until they're deported to Belsavis Prison." KR - 3622 nodded, shoved his blaster into Kiyoshi's back and motioned them to follow him to the cell blocks.

Vlad: "You can't imprison us without a trial! And what have you done to Ji Ho?! Where is he?" Lt. Agnon: "You will find the First Order can do a lot of things, Val." Vlad/Val: "I'm going to kill you!" Saiwa: "Vlad. You're not helping here. Stay calm."

Lt. Agnon: "Your whatever powers are useless here. These cells are conceived to contain beings way more powerful than you: Jedi Knights." KR - 3622 closed the force fields of the cells.

Sai looked at Jack - who grew pale, his eyes staring into nowhere, beads of cold sweat on his forehead: "Gods, Jack! What am I supposed to do? He can't stand being locked up!" Kiyoshi: "Jack!"

Kiyoshi and Jeb tried to reach Jack with their healing powers - in vain: "We can't do anything! All our magic - blocked!" Jack collapsed: "I - I can't breathe!" Saiwa: "Jack, stay with me. We'll breathe together. Come on. In through the nose - out through the muzzle. Come on!" Jack: "I'm going to die in here, Saiwa." He blinked. "But I'm going to die on Batuu ... in a Star Wars themed cell *Jack coughed for air* ... could be worse, right?" Sai sobbed. Jack: "Tell Vlad I love him ... and Kiyoshi... that I wanted him so much ... but I was too afraid *he coughed again* ... may the force be with me..."

Vlad threw another tantrum: "Open these doors! He's dying!" But KR - 3622 silenced him. Jeb: "Vlad stop it. Think of Ji Ho. How afraid he must be. He's all alone - who knows where. Stay calm for him. You let him feel all this through the Bond."

Kiyoshi: "Saiwa - talk to me!" Sai was still crying: "He collapsed!" Kiyoshi: "Is he breathing?" Sai: "Wait..." ... Sai: "Yes - gods, yes... eh - surprisingly slow and steady?" Then Jack let out a tiny snore... Sai: "Omg! He fell asleep?! You little brat!" Kiyoshi's voice was shaking: "Let him. Better that than being in a state of shock - or coma. He learned a better way to deal with it, I guess. That's a relief." Maybe from practising yoga and meditation? Or from the Therapy Game? Or because it's Star Wars? Who knows...

Meanwhile Lt. Agnon took Jino up to Kylo Ren's apartment. Lt. Agnon: "The Master will be here soon." But Jino already shut down. The Bond had bombed him with Vlad's turmoil and all the feelings got too much for him. It even causes him physical pain. Gods, what is happening to his friends - and Vlad?

Kylo Ren: "They will pay for taking you from me. He will never lay his filthy hands on you again. I promise, my love."

(TMI: In the book, Kylo had claimed Jino for himself and followed them through the galaxy to get him back after they'd fled ö.ö)

Kylo Ren: "Get the TIE Fighter ready. I will bring Jino far, far away from Batuu - and all this filth." Lt. Agnon: "Master..."

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-29

[czech-hunter-reject]

One of my all time favourite meta jokes on 30 Rock, a show which featured Matt Damon in a recurring guest arc as Liz's pilot boyfriend Carol, came a few episodes after Damon's final appearance on the show, when Jack recites a poem used in the film Invictus, which starred Morgan Freeman and, you guessed it, Matt Damon, and Liz goes "That's from Invictus! Wait, who was the white guy in that?". I love that joke so much, but it's also almost an impossible joke to turn into a gifset or post on this site, because it's technically only a functioning joke if you know that A. Damon used to guest star on 30 Rock, and B. Damon is also the white guy in the film Invictus. And 30 Rock had a fuckton of similar jokes that would only function for people who'd watched all previous, or at least a majority of episodes of the show. And those jokes were often the best ones! I miss 30 Rock a lot, man.

[the-last-rat-standing]

NCIS S21E02- The Stories We Leave Behind

Is that too harsh? Maybe it's too harsh.

Let me preface this by saying, I can only imagine how hard it must've been to write and film this episode. It's one reason why I don't write DeathFics, and those are only fictional people. Writing the passing of a real person, a friend and a colleague? Must be one of the hardest things to do as a writer.

So maybe that's why this felt so incredibly flat. Maybe trying to find that balance between dealing with the death and moving on dulled the emotional punch of it all? Because beyond the opening and closing, this was barely more than a clip episode shows throw in the middle of a season to save money. And of those flashbacks, we could only get ones with 3 characters who are still on the show, because Knight, Parker and even Torres didn't really know him. (I'll mention the Gibbs flashback in a second.) So you had this random assortment of clips that were supposed to engender emotions, but did the opposite in a way- because they weren't immediate reactions (they were memories), it actually lessened the emotional impact. You know what flashback would've been a kick to the gut? How about someone mention Cate, and then show us the clip of Ducky and Cate together? Then you would've gotten the one-two punch of 2 beloved characters now gone. Because if you're going to show a scene between Gibbs and Ducky that no one was present to see (using Ducky's journals as your 'out'), you could've shown Cate or Jenny or Ziva.

By not showing the funeral, fans missed out on a proper send off and a true tie-in with the past. I know Brian Dietzen said they didn't want it to be crammed full of guest stars, but the only guest star we got was a 3 minute cameo by Michael Weatherly?? If they'd had a funeral, they could've filled the church with faces we remembered and given characters/actors a chance to pay their respects. Imagine the nostalgia in seeing Hollis Mann, Jordan Hampton, Gerald Jackson, Ziva David (would've made sense since they brought Tony back), Abby Sciuto (I know, there are off-screen problems w/PP), Rachel Cranston, etc. I know Jessica Walter has also passed away, but what about the rest of Ducky's detective group? What about Jack Sloane? Yes, I know these may have added more storytelling time (particularly Abby and Jack) but did we need McGee's poison ivy flashback?

Other issues:

What happens to Nicholas Mallard? You know, Ducky's half-brother.

What happens to Gibbs' house?

What was the actual proof that the senator was dirty? I mean, real forensic proof? I didn't seem to hear anything other than Parker reading off the autopsy report and the Marine. Or I guess we're just meant to think that ruined his career? Because they didn't charge him with murder or anything.

The entire story hinged on McGee remembering one of the pictures hid a safe? Like Ducky's only clue to an important case was a cryptic line in his journal? smh

This was... this was just not good. One of, if not THE most beloved character on this show and we got a clip episode.

Which brings me back to the Gibbs flashback: As soon as they showed the picture of Gibbs and Ducky on the bookshelf, I knew we weren't going to see Mark. And that disappoints me more than it should, really. After tonight, we should never, ever see Gibbs on this show again, because there will be no bigger reason for him to return than Ducky's death, and he didn't show. Any reason after tonight will be bullshit and a slap in the face to the fans who supported and fell in love with the Gibbs/Ducky friendship. I'm so bitterly disappointed.

[leafryoworks]

You know how Gooseworx jokingly said that Jack Black voiced kaufmo with 0 lines ? Guess who synced sketches of carnival kaufmo from @sm-baby a song that the man himself sing (It's not peaches , sorry .)

With guest stars , Jax and Cracker .

Please watch this tho , I kinda work hard on this .

[alpineshift]

I wanna join in on the fun if you're still up for it!

How about...

15. “I can’t believe you remembered.” 

I don't really have a theme or 'verse in mind. Maybe the corporate emails one or the professors one or the one where they're married and then they're exes and Nico is Jack's emergency contact. Or anything that your heart desires.

My heart desires jacknico signs of life LOL jk jk thank you for sending a prompt in!! this would fit so well in the exes universe imo ���� (from the thank you for coming anyway verse)

15. “I can’t believe you remembered.” 

The All Star Festival was only supposed to be a three-day weekend thing; arriving Friday for social stuff and set up, Captains a supporting act on Saturday and headlining Sunday, and then back to home base. Quinn was supposed to rescue him from the awkward roomie situation he's got with his ex-husband right now.

Jack may or may not still be kinda salty Nico's babysitting him over a tiny whack to the head. Understatement, the Luke-voice in his brain scolds.

But not that it's necessarily awkward, to be honest. Maybe just...quiet. Low-key. Old habits, new location. Same person, different interactions.

That's the part that surprises Jack the most, and still catches him off guard. The way he and Nico manage to fall into a routine, filling the gaps in each other's everyday tasks, moving in perfect tandem. Jack figuring out how Nico stocks his groceries now with ease, Nico arranging food on the table the way he knows Jack likes.

(What does that mean for them? Is that supposed to mean anything at all? What if Jack wants it to? Does Nico want that too?)

It's driving Jack slowly crazy, remnants of his concussion notwithstanding. But! At least he'll be free from this limbo soon, once his brothers fly back and see that he's actually fine and lets him go home.

And then the storm hits.

Strong winds, heavy rain, possibility of hail, and low-to-zero visibility conditions. All flights grounded. Dark clouds rolling in from the west coast, travelling absurdly fast over the central states overnight, and landing heavy on them on the other side of the continent.

Obviously Jack doesn't want the band and the crew flying home in that. Obviously he's telling them to take shelter and to keep an eye on Trevor, who's a twig and could get blown away.

Fuck you too, Jack, Trevor texts back in the group chat.

"Guess you're stuck here for a little while longer," Nico says quietly, staring at the rain that's already pelting down on the windows. Ever the organized guy, he's got candles and lighters and flashlights already set out, charged up a few extra power banks and filled up an extra container of water.

Jack watches his ex-husband watching the rain, and tries not to read too much into the way Nico simply lets him stay, and his own inexplicable feelings of relief and delight over it.

And then the thunder starts.

Jack hates thunderstorms. Hates them with a passion, hates the way the thunder shakes the floorboards beneath him, the way lightning flashes across the sky and throws creepy shadows all over the room. Hates the hair-raising way the noise rattles his whole body.

He stumbles out of the guest room, disheveled, not exactly sure where he's going in the dark apartment, and runs smack into Nico's (very shirtless) chest.

Nico catches him by the shoulders. "Hey, hey, easy--it's just me. Are you alright?"

"I'mfineI'mdoinggreat," Jack word vomits out, and he can see the way Nico immediately frowns.

"You're not," his ex-husband says, only matter-of-factly, not rudely, and he redirects Jack to the couch. Turns a lamp on, the lowest setting, and drapes one of the big fluffy blankets over Jack's shoulders. Then he goes into the kitchen and pulls out a bunch of stuff from the cupboards: two enormous mugs. Packets of chamomile tea. Organic honey. Two tiny sprigs of mint. One toasty-hot drink fixed up in record time and deposited in Jack's hands while Nico takes the seat opposite him.

"It's okay, Jack," he says softly. "The storm will pass. Just drink your tea. I've even got disposable ear plugs if it gets really loud."

In spite of all his experience crafting award-winning lyrics, the only thing Jack could stammer out is, "You--You made my mom's go-to tea combo for me."

"Yes...?" Nico says, confused. "It's the only thing you want during a storm. You told me before."

"I--I know I did. But you...remembered. I can't believe you remembered."

Lightning flashes again and thunder rumbles above them, but Jack only has eyes for Nico. Nico, who sighs very softly, fiddles with his mug, and meets his gaze sadly.

"You say that as if I could ever forget a single thing about you, Jack."

[ncisfranchise-source]

Even the "NCIS" origin story for Austin Stowell has a Cracker Jack opening.

The impossibly rugged actor, 39, had tried to clear his mind after his February audition for "NCIS: Origins," the prequel series to the CBS police procedural (premiering Monday, 9 EDT/PDT, after the 22nd season opener of the OG series). After all, these were high stakes seeking the coveted role of young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, famously embodied by Mark Harmon for 19 TV glory-filled seasons. Gibbs is the guy in the "NCIS" universe, even after the iconic character retired to fly-fishing in Alaska when Harmon stepped aside in 2021.

So Stowell went off the grid, skiing with Charlie Jennings, his best friend and agent. It was robust bliss, until Stowell received a miracle message on the reception-patchy mountaintop saying Harmon, an "Origins" executive producer and narrator, wanted to talk.

"Mark wanted to speak to me, and you can guess what about," says Stowell, who went ski-hill rogue. "We had to get down the mountain and get reliable service ASAP. We race down that hill, take off our gear, jump into the Jeep, and fly down the highway to get reliable service. And we do. Mark calls. We literally pull off the highway."

Harmon signaled that Stowell would very likely get the role of his younger "NCIS" self in CBS' "Origins."

"Mark was very complimentary. He said, 'It's been you from the second you walked in the room," Stowell says. "And he asked me, 'Are you ready for this?'"

Austin Stowell said after 'Star Wars' casting disappointment: 'Onward!'

Oh, he's ready. Stowell has been prepping for takeoff since earning a guest role in 2010 on "NCIS: Los Angeles" and playing a big-hearted swim champion in two "A Dolphin Tale" movies alongside KrisKristofferson. ("He was an amazing man, talk about a real-life superhero," Stowell says. The music legend died lastmonth at age 88).

Stowell even had a serious run at a major "Star Wars" movie role with J.J. Abrams. He was flown to London's Pinewood Studios and donned the "Star Wars" costume and makeup for a day. But the role went to another actor. "Of course. it's devastating," Stowell says. "This is a wonderful job, but the process is tough. But I always have said the same thing when I don't get a job: 'Onward.'"

Austin Stowell was hard to reach after 'NCIS: Origins' audition: 'So Gibbs'

After his memorable audition, "Origins" executive producers Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North faced familiar reception issues when they called to officially offer Stowell the role. "He was out in a cabin in the middle of the woods with no internet and almost missed our call," North says. "I got off the phone and said, 'That's so Gibbs.'"

Says Stowell: "One phone call that changes your life. And two phone calls that I nearly missed. But the Hollywood gods were looking out for me."

Monreal says his physical likeness to Harmon was important. But "Origins" places Gibbs in 1991 as a green Naval Investigative Service officer at California's Camp Pendleton, where the former Marine sniper deals with the murder of his wife and daughter. That required a presence that Stowell, who can turn on full Gibbs with one soulful-eyed look, inhabited.

In "Origins," Gibbs is far from the ultra-competent special agent in command. He's an unsteady newbie dealing with his trauma after failing his psychological evaluations. It was this raw premise, based on "NCIS" lore, that made Harmon's son Sean, who had played the young Gibbs in "NCIS" flashbacks, pitch "Origins." (He's now an executive producer.)

Young Gibbs has immediate "Origins" supporters, including Special Agent Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino) and his eventual mentor Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), whose power mustache is a scene stealer. "He's electric," Stowell says. "I already joke with him that we are going to see Franks' mustaches at Halloween parties."

Stowell dived into research, reading 1980 U.S. Marine manuals to understand the life and taking long runs with a weighted-down backpack. He stepped up the rifle training he learned in 2018's Chris Hemsworth-led Afghanistan war film "12 Strong" to look silently confident with Gibbs' rifle. Stowell still binge-watches "NCIS" episodes to pick up small mannerisms.

"I want to embody his essence. There are Gibbs-isms," Stowell says. "There is a head nod and he has this stare."

That stare, and Harmon's intense blue eyes, are so pivotal that Stowell wears blue contact lenses over his naturally green eyes. Seeing the world that way changes his perspective: "They make me feel different," he says. "They're such a powerful tool."

Harmon appears near a campfire in the "Origins" opening. The camera zooms up close on his stare, which morphs into Stowell's haunted look.

"It's not the passing of the throne; Mark Harmon has the throne," Stowell says. "If it's the passing of the torch, he lit the torch. It's my job to show how this kid becomes that guy that people admire so much. But I get to play one of the world's greatest heroes. And that's pretty rock and roll."

[fellow-travelers-fic-recs]

Fics with winter and holiday themes as the main theme and/or setting.

Be sure to show the authors plenty of love with your comments, kudos and reblogs!

❄️ More fic recs can be found at the fic register, here. Not quite what you're looking for? Tell us what you had in mind, here! -> 💌

Snowed In, Cold Weather & Winter Blues Baby, it's cold outside! Grab yourself a cuppa, curl up by the fire and dive into these cozy winter reads.

❄️ Hot Water Bottle by@carrotcakecrumble | LuxLox [T, 1K] “Hawk?” He calls, the sound rubbery and weak, like a first step into fresh snow.

The latch answers, knocking back on the wood solidly, scraping and hissing. The door yawns half-open, Hawk standing in the hollow of its lamp-lit throat. He doesn’t say anything, he looks wet, almost dripping. A lock of hair collapses into his eye. He doesn’t blink.

Or, Tim goes to Hawk’s apartment in the middle of winter.

❄️ When You Know, You Know by sockka19* [G, 2K] “For me?” He looks at Hawk with the biggest doe brown eyes. He chuckles as Tim begins to plant small kisses all across Hawk’s face. Who would Hawk be to ever deny those beautiful eyes? “Okay fine, tonight.”

And there Hawk stood, staring at the ice skating rink, wondering what the hell he got himself into.

Or, Tim and Hawk go ice skating.

❄️ In Sickness and Health by Kimora_V* [G, 1K] Sets in modern times, Tim gets ill just before Christmas, and Hawk is there to take care of him. As his boyfriend.

❄️ A Joy, Hard Learned by @partialresonance | partialresonance [E, 12K, WIP 4/6] Tim and Hawk get snowed in together.

Later, Tim comes back from the war a changed man.

☃️ Christmas Fluff If you're still in the holiday spirit or just missed them the first time around, here are a few fics to make you wish you were under the mistletoe.

❄️ This Year's For Me and You by @bluebellsinburbank | ConsumingLove (Bluebellstar) [G, 1K, WIP 1/2] It's Christmas 2023, and Hawk has a surprise for Tim.

❄️ It's That Time Of Year (When The World Falls In Love) by @bluebellsinburbank | ConsumingLove (Bluebellstar) [G, 3K] Tim had to admit that he loved this time just as much as he did the sleepy yet energetic celebration of Christmas Day. This brief snippet of time between walking through the door Christmas Eve and curling himself around his slumbering partner, snug and warm, upstairs in their bed.

Or, A Christmas Eve in the Laughlin-Fuller household.

❄️ Cheek to Cheek by Iviviendo* [NR, 1K] A special guest arrives unannounced at the Laughlin house on Christmas Day in 1953. ❄️ Christmas Dreams by @palfriendpatine66 | palfriendpatine66 [E, 3K] Tim dreams of a Christmas spent together with Hawk in New York after their Christmas gift exchange shown in Season 1, Episode 4 "Your Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire"

❄️ The Fairy Tale Of New York by Cozy_coffee* [G, 815] A fill for the comment_fic prompt: any, any, you will get a pleasant surprise.

❄️ 'tis the damn season by @satelarry | satelarry [M, 16K] This year's Christmas celebration isn't like the others because Tim invites his closest friends to celebrate it with him and Hawk.

A lot of unexpected things can happen before that. ❄️ Sure As The Stars Shine Above by @bluebellsinburbank | ConsumingLove (Bluebellstar) [G, 1K] Modern AU. Hawk misses his Skippy.

❄️ I Guess I've Got The Christmas Blues by @jesterlesbian | captainquint [E, 5K] Tim Laughlin stood in front of Hawk, one hand still raised as if to continue banging on the door, his tweed jacked dotted with snowflakes. Water droplets were trapped on his glasses, maybe from melted snow. But with how red-rimmed his eyes were, there might have been teardrops on his glasses as well.

Hawk’s slightly intoxicated reflexes took a moment to spring into action upon seeing Tim. “Skippy,” he grinned, “what, did you miss me that much? I’ll still be here after New Year’s.”

Tim’s face screwed up in a look of righteous fury that Hawk knew meant an argument was coming. And before he could react, Tim was shoving Hawk backwards and into the apartment, slamming the door behind them. “You absolute ass!”

Or, Tim confronts Hawk about his being investigated by the M Unit.

🥂 New Year’s Eve

Crack open the bubbly, find someone to kiss at midnight, or better yet, stay home and catch up on these New Year's Eve fics.

❄️ Now I Know What A Fool I've Been by sockka19* [G, 3K] “One.” They both say at the same time before Tim pulls him in for a death defying kiss. Tim wraps his arm around Hawk's neck to deepen it, while Hawk gladly obliges. They stay in the kiss, neither one wanting the moment to end. Hawk reluctantly broke the kiss apart to say something, but not before he placed another kiss on Tim’s nose. “Happy new year, Skippy.” “Happy new year, Hawk.” Tim couldn’t wait to see what the new year brought him. Or, the New Year's fic I needed because they didn't spend Christmas together. ❄️ Love Light and Tenderness by @bluebellsinburbank | ConsumingLove (Bluebellstar) [G, 1K] Before they can run away together, Hawk has a little surprise for Tim. Part 2 of Bravery

❄️ I Will Not Ask You (Neither Should You) by procr_stination* [G, 2K] "I could have made that my New Year's resolution," Tim told Frankie a few days ago in an apologetic tone. "To meet more people?"

"I'd tell you what your resolution should be, but you'd get defensive," he responded, not even looking in his direction. Yet, Tim knew he wasn't getting out of this conversation before Frankie spoke his mind. "It starts with 'Stay away' and ends with 'from Hawkins Fuller."

"I am not—"

"See? Defensive already."

*Authors: If your tumblr (or other socials) isn’t linked, and you'd like it to be, let me know and I'll be happy to add it. Or, if you are linked, and you'd rather not be, please contact me and I will remove it.

[crashdevlin]

Permission Granted 1- New Girl

Author’s Note: This is the first chapter of Permission Granted, the first part of To Have it All. This is Open...from Jensen's side!

Summary: Jensen meets Y/n, the new guest star on Supernatural. There's an instant connection, but a dozen reasons not to pursue it. 

Pairing: none yet, eventual Jensen x Reader

Word count: 4354

Story Warnings: none really, little bit of Y/n's shitty self esteem peeking through

~~~~

"They're replacing Ruthie quick, aren’t they?" I commented to Jared as I read over Dabb's email in the Hair and Makeup trailer. "Wonder why they didn't just bring Rowena back."

"Fresh face, probably. I dunno. You know Dabb's always looking for new female characters to kill off." Jared shrugged and took a drink of his froufrou iced latte.

"Oh, if we're lucky, maybe she'll be a lesbian so they can leave her broken in a bathtub," I said, rolling my eyes as they started blow drying Jared's hair.

"Or a fuckin’ love interest so they can kill her off in two episodes," he shouted over the sound of the dryer.

"Shoshanna got more than two."

"Barely, Ackles! She got two and then forty-five seconds of a death scene!”

I nodded and licked my lips. Yeah, they had to kill her off. Every fuckin’ time. “Well, maybe this one won’t go the same direction.”

I settled back and read over the rest of the email. Damn it. They’ve got Dean on the ‘Kill Jack despite the fact that the kid hasn’t done anything wrong’ track. Of course they do. Have they ever watched the show? Whatever.

It was a couple days later that I was sitting in the makeup chair and a short woman walked up the steps and stopped in her tracks. She's not the first guest to freeze when they see me the first time but she was definitely the cutest doing it. I didn’t call attention to her 'deer in the headlights' thing as she stood in the doorway, clearly debating leaving until she looked at her phone screen and determined that she had to stay.

She had to get herself comfortable with me somehow. As fun as it can be to tease the new girl, professionalism is the best way forward for most of these situations. I determined to tease her when she got a little more comfortable.

She sat down in the stylist’s chair and looked down at her phone, obviously trying to distract herself with something more than Jennifer doing her hair. It was pretty adorable. She was pretty adorable. But...I had to start the task of getting her okay.

“You must be our new witch,” I said. She made a little squeaky noise and I could see her eyes glaze over a little in the mirror. “I’m Jensen.” Normally, I would have offered my hand but we weren’t in the position for that.

“I know that,” she whispered, making me chuckle as she cleared her throat and turned a little to look at me as much as she could. “I’m Y/n. Big fan.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep. Uh, I used to watch Days with my mom, but I think I became a real fan with Smart Alec on Dark Angel,” she said and I smiled. Eric Brady and Alec McDowell. Two amazing characters. I really liked Alec. Jessica could’ve been less of a prima donna but I guess she could’ve been worse, too.

“That feels like a million years ago. That show was badass, though,” I mused. “Fox shoulda kept it longer.”

“Agreed,” she said, smiling all shy. She looked so fucking nervous, so I had to move the conversation along.

“So...fan of mine...have you seen much of this show or are we gonna have to give you context for scenes?” I teased. She seemed to relax a little, slumping in her chair.

“Might’ve been a fan of you longer, but I love the show. Seen almost every episode.”

Better than me. I haven’t seen half of ‘em. “Almost every episode? What kinda fan are you?”

“Do not question my nerd cred, sir,” she sassed me. “I’m a fan, big time. I even went to a Creation Con late last year, just to see you guys up close.”

I laughed a little at that. The cons are great, but I really don’t think we’re worth all that money just to see us in person. “Yeah? Gold?” I had to figure out how devoted a fan she actually was. It would determine my interaction moving forward.

“Silver. I was working retail at the time,” she responded, shaking her head a little. “Couldn’t reconcile dropping a thousand dollars on a vacation.”

I was happy to hear that she kept her crazy to reasonable levels. “Oh, so we met in the autograph line.”

“Yep,” she said, popping that ��p’ like vocal directors hate so much and looking away from me in the mirror.

There was obviously a story there, so I pressed her. “What’d I sign for you?”

“A hat. A white hat...with a devil’s trap in the middle and SW and DW on opposite sides.”

Crazy as it is, I remembered the hat, but the conventions all blur together so I couldn’t tell where I met her. “Which con was this?” I asked.

“Atlanta,” she answered quickly.

A one-off con. That helped, because I only had one night of memories to sift through. White hat, shaking young woman who could barely speak to me and definitely couldn’t look me in the eyes. I remember my handler getting up after she walked away, came back a minute later to say that Y/n had almost passed out as soon as she got outside the curtain. “Oh, yeah, I remember. I tried to sign Jared’s side but you wouldn’t let me.”

Y/n turned to look at me, obviously shocked with those pretty eyes all wide. “You were doing it on purpose? I thought you were just tired and not paying attention.”

“Nah, I was exhausted in Atlanta, but you looked mortified. I was trying to make you laugh.” Obviously failed on that. I chuckled again as Jennifer started curling her hair. “You seem a lot more put together now.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes just a bit. “I’m mortified now too, but I saw you and Jared were gonna be on Lot today so I took an Ativan before I got in the car this morning.” Always nice when people are honest and open about their anxiety problems.

“Well, that’s good. Take a double dose tomorrow,” I teased as Trisha pulled the makeup drop cloth and I stood, looking down at her as panic crossed her face.

“What? Why?” she squeaked.

I could tell she hadn’t been given the pages for our scene the next day. I couldn’t resist a little torture. I just laughed as I left the trailer. “You’ll see when you get tomorrow’s pages.” I met Jared on the Bunker set and he patted my shoulder as we walked up into the library. “First meeting with the new girl went well. She seems a little out of her element but nice overall.”

“Oh, uh, Y/n?”

“Yeah, she is a fan, actually. We met her at the Atlanta convention. She had that Devil’s Trap hat.” Jared shook his head. He didn’t remember her. “She’s the one that tripped or whatever right after I signed her hat.”

“Oh, the one that fuckin’ fainted?”

“Yeah, I think so. She’s still uncomfortable so we’ll have to warm her up.”

“‘Warm her up’, huh?” Jared raised his eyebrows suggestively and I laughed.

“Not like that, you dummy.”

Of course, Y/n was cute, but messing around with the guest stars was a bit of a no-no, and messing with fans was a big no-no. Especially considering that there’s almost nothing to keep a fan from talking...and the open marriage thing needed to stay quiet.

But I was curious about her. Can’t lie about that. So, I asked around. I went to a few other crew members before I went to Andrew Dabb.

“You remember that casting call we did toward the end of eleven? We got a few of the British Men of Letters off of it?” He leaned back in his chair and looked up at me. “We opened it up for a few folks without representation for a couple weeks. CW didn’t advertise it but we did a post on a few acting sites and there was a bit of circulation once the fandom got a hold of it. She sent a video in. She wasn’t right for the Brits, not posh enough, but her accents were good and she was a pretty great actress, so...”

“So, she isn’t an actor?”

“She’s been doing pretty well for the fact that she hasn’t acted in anything before.”

I blinked at him a few times. “Wow. So, she’s completely green?”

“Technically, yeah. But the second unit directors say she’s doing good.”

“Cool. Thanks.” I started to leave but stopped at the door. “So, what’s the track on her character? She stickin’ around?”

“She’s on for five episodes.”

“Is she going to bite it after those episodes?” I pushed.

“We’re not exactly-”

“Is she a love interest? Is she gonna disappear without a trace? Will she at least get an actual storyline?”

Andrew rolled his eyes at me and shifted in his chair. “I don’t know if she’s going to be a love interest. The writers’ room is in disagreement about that. She’d be a good match for Dean, but we’re not sure how the viewers would react. They never really like it when Dean and Sam have women in their lives.”

“So, you don’t even know. Okay.” I was not impressed with that answer so I left him in his office.

I went looking for her at lunchtime, a little after 1. She was sitting at a table in the Craft Services tent, in the corner by herself, looking down at a paper coffee cup. She was really good at making herself small and seemingly insignificant...but it had the opposite effect on me. It made me want to talk to her more. I grabbed a coffee for myself and a caramel macchiato for Jared from the coffee cart.

“So, I asked Dabb where we got you from and he said it was an open cast. You sent a video in but you’ve never done anything else. You don’t even have an agent.” I walked up and sat in front of her on the other side of the table. She looked up and her eyes went all wide. “So you just decided to become an actor in your twenties?” I guessed her age.

She bit her bottom lip for a minute before leaning forward. “No. I decided to become an actor in high school,” she disputed. She looked a bit disappointed as she continued. “I then graduated from high school and decided that it was a stupid dream and I’d never make any headway so I gave up on it and got a real job.”

She did say that she was working retail. “Retail. So where are you from, Y/n?” I took a drink of my coffee as she leaned back.

“Northwest Florida. Little town about fifteen miles from the state line.”

I smiled, remembering a Spring Break with Christian back in the 90s. “North Florida. I spent a couple Spring Breaks at PCB when I was...younger and unmarried.”

She gave a little laugh. “Panama City is about an hour and a half away from home.”

I took another drink, trying to think of something to keep the conversation going. “So you acted in high school, huh?” I asked as I saw Jared walk into the tent behind her.

“Yeah. School plays, Thespians, Forensics competitions, that kinda thing.” I heard about that competition shit from Jared. ‘Competition’ is the key word on that. Apparently, it’s harder than screen acting.

“You did Forensics?” Jared asked, his whole face lighting up. “I won Nationals with my friend Chris in high school.” He came over and folded himself backward into a chair. I handed him his coffee and he nodded at me.

“I did monos. Got second in State, but didn’t make Nationals.” She sounded a little disappointed, but shit, second in State is pretty damn good.

“I did monos, duos, and extemp, but I only placed in Duo. Jared,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand.

She looked a bit more comfortable with Jared and that made me feel a little bit jealous. I’m nice. I didn’t understand why she was awkward with me. “Y/n. It’s amazing to meet you.”

“Oh, he gets an ‘amazing to meet you’? I didn’t even get a handshake.” I covered the jealousy with a teasing comment.

Jared teased back before she could. “Well maybe I’m just more approachable, dude.”

“You? Giant muscley gym-bro?” I hit back.

“Honestly, I’m five-three so you’re both giants to me,” she joked with a laugh.

“So, Y/n, how long did they sign you for?” Jared asked.

“Five episodes to start. They said they’ll give me more or not depending on fan response. They’ll probably hate me, though, so I’ll be gone by midseason Hellatus.” ‘Hellatus’ made me smile.

“Why would they hate you?” Jared asked. “It’s not like your character is a love interest.” He looked between Y/n and me for a minute. “Wait, Tara’s not a love interest, is she?”

“Andrew said the writers are at an impasse on that one. No, the fans will hate her for one simple reason: jealousy.” I shrugged. “She’s a fan. Some of ‘em probably know her from, like cons and shit. They’re gonna be jealous that she’s here and they aren’t.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’ve kinda tried to keep a lid on this from the fan groups. Haven’t told anybody except the family and my best friends about it. Unfortunately, had to stop posting in my Facebook groups when I got the job.” I cringed a bit at the mention of the Facebook groups. Fan groups are a subject best ignored as much as possible.

Jared laughed. “Man, you seem like a reasonable woman so don’t be offended when I say...some of our fans are crazy. You’re better off staying away from the fan sites.”

She smiled. “No, I know how crazy some of us can be. I’ve had some fights online with the tin-hat folks.”

I know I grimaced when she mentioned those folks. Jared did, too. “What is wrong with those people?” Jared shook his head.

She started laughing and it was such a cute, uninhibited sound. “They just...really want you to be gay for each other.”

“Yeah.” She was definitely comfortable and I wanted to take full advantage of it. “So, uh, you get tomorrow’s pages yet?” I asked, smirking. She looked down for a moment before hiding by drinking her coffee. “Yeah, she did. You gonna be okay? You’re not gonna freak out, are you?”

“I will…” She swallowed so loud I could hear it across the table. “...try my best...to not freak out.”

“You look like you’re already freaking out,” Jared said, smiling.

She took a deep breath and let it out as a scoff. “Totally. I am totally freaking out about tomorrow’s scene.”

Jared and I both laughed before I leaned forward a bit. “How about we run lines later?” That wasn’t a new thing for me. I often offer to run lines, especially with the guest stars. But the next words that came out of my mouth were new. “We could grab some dinner, meet up at my trailer, and get the nerves out of the way.”

I was just about to apologize for overstepping any bounds by inviting her to my trailer when she whispered, “That sounds...amazing.” It was this breathy, sexy voice coming out of this sweet woman and I just didn’t feel like I’d overstepped after that, even when she stuttered out, “I mean, it sounds amazing to get the nerves out of the-”

“6 o’clock. Don’t be late,” I said as Jared and I stood to get back to the Bunker.

“What am I gonna do? Go back to my motel to watch one of the ten channels that actually come through clearly?”

“They’ve got you in that Budget Inn, don’t they?” Jared guessed. We have heard a lot of horror stories about that motel.

“Yeah. It’s not so bad. Gotta sleep in the tub to avoid the bed bugs, but it’s cool. Livin’ the dream,” she joked and I laughed as we walked away.

"So...your trailer, Ackles?" Jared asked as we walked away, his eyebrow cocked.

"I'm just tryin' to be friendly, man."

"I know what your 'friendly' looks like and that was not just friendly."

"I just met her!" I argued. "And she's a guest...and a fan! I'm just trying to accommodate her nervousness so we don’t have to do a million takes tomorrow."

"Okay, well...I won't tell Dee, but you should-" I reached out and pushed his shoulder roughly and he laughed as he teetered a bit. "She seems nice, though. Don't scare her away."

I wasn’t planning to scare Y/n away. I wasn’t planning anything except hospitality. I really wasn’t. But she was cute and interesting and she was obviously incredibly attracted to me, so I couldn’t do anything anyway because that might get awkward quick.

No, I was just gonna make a new friend out of the new girl. I’ve done it a bunch of times before. I mean...look at Misha.

She showed up about half an hour early and watched us flub a few takes of this argument between Sam and Dean about Jack and it was fun to watch her expression get more awed with every take. Phil cut us for dinner after a while I jumped down from the soundstage, smiling at the look on her face. “Well, hello, Newbie,” I greeted. “I’m thinkin’ pizza. You good with pizza?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Pizza’s fine.”

I walked away from her, trying to keep everything casual as we went off to my trailer. She ran after me and I slowed down a bit. I was used to Jared and Misha following me around the lot, so I had to consciously slow myself to make it easier for Y/n’s short legs.

“Any dietary restrictions? Lactose, gluten, vegan?” I asked, just to make sure that I wasn’t going to poison her by ordering a pie with pepperoni or something.

“It’s not a pizza without cheese and meats and…” Y/n shook her head and laughed. “I’m a Southern girl. We don’t deal with crazy…gluten-free, meat-free, paleo-vegan...blah, blah, blah,” she finished, gesturing with her hands in the air. It was adorable.

“I thought you were from Florida,” I argued teasingly. “Not really ‘Southern’.”

“And I thought you’d been to North Florida. You should know that Northwest Florida is pretty much UCLA: Upper Corner, Lower Alabama,” she responded and I laughed. Never heard that one before. “That’s not my joke.”

“It was pretty funny anyway. So, you like pepperoni?”

“Look at me. Do I look like I’ve ever turned down free food? Well, except lasagna, but got a...thing with lasagna.”

That threw me so hard I had to stop and turn to her. “What does that mean, you’ve got a thing with lasagna?” I asked.

“There was a bad thing with some really horrible microwave lasagna when I was about seven. Couldn’t eat it for years, now I can only eat it if I make it.”

There was a story there, but I wasn’t ready to push for it. “Wow. Okay. Do not order lasagna. Check.” I opened up the trailer and let her in, grabbing my phone off of the counter as soon as I got inside. I pulled up the speed dial for the closest good pizza place and went into the bathroom to change. It was a mix of teasing her and preparing her that I drove me to change my clothes. Well, change my pants into shorts and take the wardrobe shirts off. I wrapped a towel around my waist and checked in the mirror to make sure the shorts weren’t visible before setting the phone on the sink counter and grabbing the door handle. “Okay, pizza will be here in ‘bout forty, which gives us plenty of time to run lines,” I said, to get her attention before I’d opened the door, so she could get the full effect of my outfit.

Which got me exactly the dumbfounded look from her that I was expecting. She stared. And when I say ‘stared’, I mean it. Her jaw dropped, her eyes went focused and unfocused and roamed over me like crazy. Usually, I start feeling shy when women stare at me like that, but not with her. With Y/n, it felt less like objectification and more like appreciation.

“See, this is why we need to practice,” I said to snap her out of it. I smirked as she cleared her throat and looked off toward the fireplace before closing her eyes.

“Sorry.”

“No, you have to look at me, kid. It’s part of the scene.”

She sighed and looked over at me. “I’m not a kid. I have a kid. I’m a woman.”

“Then act like one,” I challenged.

She licked her lips, cleared her throat again and sat forward. “Please, do keep both hands on the towel, Winchester. One never knows where you hunters have hidden weapons.”

I went into Dean mode like the second nature that it is. “Tara. What do you want?”

“World peace, a condo in Malibu, and a little respect would be nice,” she said, confidence that was definitely not her natural mode leaking out of her. “I mean, I did save your asses in Chicago.”

“Yeah, that’s not how I remember it.”

She laughed out loud and stood. “Of course not. You can’t possibly admit that a witch helped you. I mean, a witch other than Rowena Macleod.”

“Yeah, your mentor, right? Explain again why I’m supposed to trust that you’re a white witch?”

“She wasn’t my mentor. She wasn’t allowed to be. Olivette wouldn’t let me. Shit! ‘Olivette wouldn’t let her’.” Her face fell as she pulled out her pages, obviously upset that she’d blown a single word in her line. “‘Olivette wouldn’t let her. We had to train in secret, but that doesn’t mean I carry her ideals’,” she read frantically.

I smiled as soothingly as possible. “Calm down. It’s a lot better to fuck up here with me than out there on camera. Don’t wanna end up on the gag reel, do you?” She shook her head. “All right. From the top.”

We made it through the scene completely on the second try and she said her lines like she was completely immersed in Tara’s character. It shocked me a bit, actually. No wonder Casting picked her out of a pile of video submissions. She hit those facial expressions and the overwhelming sense of ‘trying to do right without the right tools’ better than I could have imagined. There was so much pain in her eyes when she said, “Don’t trust me. Don’t like me. I don’t care” and it wasn’t even in the script to be anything but pissy.

She asked how well she’d done and I smiled as I pulled the towel off and tossed it across the room to land on the counter. She looked relieved to see my golf shorts. “You did great. You think you’ll be able to stay focused in front of the cameras?”

“Well, if I can manage to not drool all over myself staring at you when it’s just the two of us, I think I can keep my shit together in front of Phil and everyone else.”

I smiled as she carried some of her Tara energy over into her real life. “Ah, so you’re one of those fans,” I teased.

She scoffed loudly. “Oh, come on. You know how sexy you are.” She scrunched her face up in a grimace and looked away. “That was not what I intended to say.”

“Can’t take it back now,” I said, chuckling.

“Oh, how I wish I could,” she said, shaking her head. “Okay, so have they told you anything about the Chicago episode ‘cause I have no clue what’s going on with that. They haven’t given me anything on that.”

They do that sometimes, where they’ll forget to tell folks what’s going on in the episodes before. It’s part of shooting out of order, but it usually doesn’t affect the guests too much...and they almost always told me and Jared in advance. “Right, I’ve got a first draft script round here somewhere.” I went looking around the counter near the kitchenette to find the script and handed it to her. I’d already read it but I looked over her shoulder as she went through it herself.

“Oh, she...is very flirty, isn’t she?” she said when she got to the part where Tara said ‘If we were doing what I wanted, we’d be in bed not a warehouse’. She seemed a bit uncomfortable about it so I smiled and knocked my knee into hers.

“You can handle that, right?”

“Of course I can,” she defended.

“Good,” I said, getting up to retrieve the pizza from the PA knocking at my door. As we ate slices of floppy pepperoni pizza, she pointed out a line where Dean tells Sam ‘Tara was kinda hot in a Khloe Kardashian circa 2007 kinda way’. “Which means…?”

“That’s when she was the ‘fat’ Kardashian,” Y/n explained, looking down at herself a bit self-consciously. “She was still hot, I guess…’cause she knows how to make herself look good with the clothes and makeup and all the stuff money makes easy, but she was not considered the prettiest one.”

It seemed like a subject that made her sad, and I guess I could see that Y/n was what Hollywood considered ‘fat’, but I thought she was hot...and I didn’t like her feeling bad about herself. “Oh, so a chick likes to eat, so she’s not hot? Never understand that.”

“Me either,” she said, smiling as she took a big bite of her pizza.

I made her feel a bit better and that was exactly what I needed at that moment.

The Kitchen Sink Tags- @flamencodiva @sacriceria @lyarr24 @440mxs-wife @nancymcl @mariekoukie6661 @alwayskeepfightingsweetheart @cosicas-cuquis @queenoftheunderdark @myheartbelongsintz @squirrelnotsam @akshi8278 @muhahaha303 @agirlwithdemonblood @this-is-me19 @mrswhozeewhatsis

[walkergirlsposts]

i appreciate your calling fans on bullshit when it comes to fact about SPN, but Misha being demoted back to guest star in season 13 is a lie that can be easily checked by simply watching opening credits of these episodes. Misha's name always comes before the guest star section. for example opening credits of 13x06 are going like this: Starring JARED PADALECKI, JENSEN ACKLES, ALEXANDER CALVERT And MISHA COLLINS, Guest Starring SARAH TROYER, JONATHAN CHERRYM, ERIC SCHWEIG. what really happened was Misha's agent negotiating for him the prestigious last billing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billing_(performing_arts)#Last_billing

with a large cast the first and the last billing are always the most noticeable and thus the most prestigious

That's what I meant tho. He was demoted to after the "and", not the guest stars who are different every show. Sorry, I guess I just worded it wrong. The "and" is more noticeable than the guest stars, yes, but I wouldn't go so far as to call his role prestigious. I mean, Jack had a more important role to play when he was introduced. Any angel could do what cas did, which was screw up. Lol

[hollowtones]

Any other favorite I Think You Should Leave segments besides Bozo Dubbed Over?

Barely seen any of the show. I think there's one sketch about a funeral & a dude jacking off or something? I'm second-guessing myself & wondering if this is from another show, though. Connor O'Malley was a guest star in it.

[coraclavia]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by the inestimable @mylittleredgirl. I could be doing Actual Things, but nah. This.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 112

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 338,559

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly: Stargate Atlantis, Star Trek Voyager, Stargate SG-1, and recently added X-Files. I have also written a handful of things for The Rookie, I once wrote a gazillion things for Castle and Bones, and I've written for Due South, Cupid, Agent Carter, etc. It's a crazy quilt of "they're pretty; they should kiss."

[I also admit, shamefully, that I wrote 26 fics for Brad/Claire back in the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen days. They were posted under my other pen name, badtemperedchocolate.]

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

dark switch (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack; a re-imagining of what might have happened once Jack returned from Edora)

Five Times Sam Gets Married (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack; exactly what it says on the tin)

Guest Lecture (Star Trek Voyager, J/C; Kathryn delivers a lecture at Starfleet Academy after their return home)

Acquired Taste (The Rookie, Chenford; 5+1 in the form of a bakery AU)

here's a dumb idea (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack; "what if they had to kiss")

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to. Sometimes I'm slow, sometimes I miss one, but I try to respond.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm. I don't do a lot of sad stuff, I guess? I guess I see the end of fall in place as angsty, just because it's in line with the real end of the season (John and Monica are on the run, with everything they had now long gone).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uhhhhh. Maybe The Woman in the Snow? "And then I fixed it and they got to be happy, finally, unlike canon. The end."

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. Many moons ago, I got some rude comments on Castle fic, but that was a long time back, and it wasn't bad. So not really.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have, but I rarely do anymore. For me it has to be part of a larger romance; I really can't do pwp. I much prefer a tasteful fade-to-black which means I don't have to keep calculating bare skin and body parts 😂

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not often, but I did write one: Stolen Sky, a Castle/Firefly crossover. iirc, it was the first, or maybe one of the first, Mal/Kate stories? It did pretty well, and it was funny reading comments that said "I only watched one of these shows, and this fic convinced me to watch the other one, too." It was originally posted on ffnet; I have since transferred it to AO3.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes! Only once that I know of. It was a (not very good) (since deleted) Bones fic that got stolen in its entirety; all the thief did was change character names. I reported it, and it was taken down.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

I have! It was very flattering.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! I co-wrote Castle fics with chezchuckles, Cartographicals, sandianecarter, and shimmeryshine back in the day. It was a DELIGHT. I would love to do it again!! (looking at you, @mylittleredgirl 😜)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I honestly don't know if I could pick just one. John/Elizabeth from Stargate Atlantis, Janeway/Chakotay from Voyager, John/Monica from X-Files, and Castle/Beckett are all up there. It rotates based on what I'm watching at any given time.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have this wonderful giant Voyager "missed connection" fic in my brain, where KJ and Chakotay belatedly realize they met at the Academy and fell a little bit in love in just one silly, lighthearted, adventurous evening of running around San Francisco together. I have a very long, detailed outline for it; we'll see if I ever tackle it for real.

16. What are your writing strengths?

@mylittleredgirl would say fluff, and I don't disagree. I love characters bantering, I love teasing, I love when they're kind and heartfelt to each other. I think I'm good at little moments like that.

UPDATE: LR has reported that my strength is, in fact, "FEELINGS."

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I do not enjoy writing smut; sometimes it's good for the story, but I do not like writing it and I don't think I'm particularly good at it. I have trouble fleshing a thing out from first idea to polished product. Physical accounts of action baffle me sometimes. Also, I often find it hard to come up with convincing conflict. I'm fluffy at heart, I guess.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

It can be effective, I guess? But there's usually a way around it if necessary. I haven't really had to deal with it, so I don't have strong feelings about it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh shit, I think this was Numb3rs. It was a really fun crime show on CBS featuring a mathematician who did Big Complicated Math to help the FBI solve crimes. I wrote a bunch of fics for it, they were all absolutely terrible, and yes, I have long since deleted them.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Letters From War, a Voyager fic where KJ and Chakotay keep in correspondence with each other through the Dominion War. It's the sequel to By Firelight, but took a long, long time to put together, and once a few conversations and ideas clicked into place, it felt like it all came together. I was happy with how it turned out.

--

Thanks for the tag, Little Red! I am tagging @cfr749, @captaincarriekathryncoffee, and @neverenough37 (apologies if y'all have already done this and I missed it).

[majnoonathelibrarian]

2024 Fic Wrap Up

Thanks for the tag @on1occasionfork. I was so happy to see the notification!  And shout out to @cheeseplants for starting this.

What fandoms do you write in?

Currently:

Doctor Who 

Good Omens 

How many words have you published in 2024?

105,318 (!) Wow, like 10x more than any previous year.

What is your greatest achievement this year?

Blowing away all my previous writing records! Next week I’ll pass 60k published words on one story, beating my old Nanowrimo record (and that was a lot of unreadable stream of consciousness drabble, not a coherent, researched, beta-ed, work other people are actually reading!)

What are your favourite top three fics you wrote this year?

I only wrote 4 so I guess I just have to exclude one?

Red Tape (Doctor Who (2005))  (1,276 words), G – this is just a fun one shot with 14 and a bad ass administrator Donna moment.

Before She Knew Me (Doctor Who (2005)) (17,442 words), 14th Doctor and Shaun Temple end up on a little adventure that touches on both their past and future. Guest starring River and Jack.

Good Works (Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Some Guy & Terry Pratchett) (currently 52,526 words) My 1980s political human AU.

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

I knew I was going to take a break while travelling in October so I had spaced out publishing to make sure I didn’t leave things on a cliffhanger but I didn’t know I would get COVID on the flight back and then, just as I was recovering from that, get hit upside the head by a election-triggered existential crisis. There was a while where I wasn’t sure I would get it together to come back to writing but, six weeks later I got another chapter up!

What have you learned?

Long stories are hard – especially if you insist on publishing each chapter as it’s written. Because you will figure things out later in the process that you could have threaded through the earlier chapters. Knowing the whole story is pretty important if you really care about building towards a conclusion that is both surprising and coherently unsurprising because it all clicks together, as it should. 

I don’t know if I can write without the comments and kudos along the way, but I would like to try getting through a whole work before publishing just so I can see what it’s like to have the whole draft open and editable when it’s all worked out. 

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

I loved the Rogue character in Doctor Who and I made a few bullet points about having Ruby and Rogue run into River (and yes, all the “r” names get called out early on). It would have been a Doctor Light french farce in space. But the mood passed and I don’t think I’ll come back to it unless the character makes another appearance and I’m more inspired. 

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

Only casually. I do want to look for more opportunities to ‘give back’ to the community in 2025!

I did get a chance to give early feedback on Headlong and I’m excited to see where that goes.

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

Haha, 3? Man, top 30 would be hard enough. 3 is comical!

I’m going to skip the BIG CLASSICS and shout out some less well known ones that really grabbed me and keep bringing me back.

Rearrangements by sheendav E, 60k, Human AU, the slowest burn possible (they don't even talk for like 30k)

always crashing (in the same car) by mayhawk 32k, E, Cannon time loop. Probably in my top 3 ever.

Seirbheis by Kalimyre 27k E,  mind the tags. Clear communication and consent is so hot. 

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Untitled Wine Mom AU for the Ineffable Wives – Recently divorced Angela moves to town and meets single mom Antonia. Can they figure out how to survive carpools and PTA meetings? And maybe some healthier coping mechanisms?

“Nobel Prize for Idiots in Love” – Two brilliant scientists vying for the prize and totally failing to discover what’s glaringly obvious to everyone around them. Tell me in the comments if either of those sound like something you would read!

Who do you want to thank? A huge THANK YOU to @on1occasionfork for reaching out to invite me to join GOAD (wow, just wow! it was a game changer for me) and for being such a kind touch with the copy edits and always ready with encouragement! And to @nosferatini and the whole @goodomensafterdark  crew for always being supportive and welcoming. What a great group. Gives one hope in grim times.