#maybe jess was a Creature all along

[guinevereslancelot]

i don't care abt spn and didn't watch probably the last ten seasons but with the way death was so often impermanent i think it would have been really funny if they just brought back jess in the last episode

[doctorbitchcrxft]

Wendigo | Supernatural Series Rewrite | Dean Winchester x Reader

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Warnings: canon violence, canon gore, Dean's a dick but so is the reader

Word Count: 8817

A/N: Happy Saturday! Enjoy the next chapter!! Taglist/Requests are open!!

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You were curled up against the backseat of the Impala writing in your journal and humming along to Dean’s Foreigner cassette tape when Sam jerked awake in the front seat. You jerked up as well, concerned.

Dean shot his brother a worried look. “You okay?”

Sam blinked and rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

“Bull. Nightmare?” you asked.

The younger brother just cleared his throat in response. 

“You wanna drive for a while?” Dean asked.

You and Sam gave him an incredulous look. 

“Dean, your whole life you never once asked me that,” he laughed.

“Just thought you might want to. Never mind.” He rolled his eyes and returned them to the road. 

“Look, man, you’re worried about me,” Sam sighed. “I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay.”

His brother just hummed in response.

“I’ll take you up on that driving offer, though,” you chimed in.

“Not a chance, sweetheart.”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“And I told you I wasn’t listening.”

“Dick.”

Dean just scoffed in response. 

Sam’s unfolding of a map brought the conversation back on track. “All right, where are we?”

“Just outside of Grand Junction,” you answered. You leaned over his shoulder and pointed at the spot labeled “Grand Junction” and drew a trail with your finger over to a spot labeled with the coordinates Dean had found in John’s journal. 

Sam hesitated before speaking again. “You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon.”

Dean shook his head. “Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica—”

“We gotta find Dad first,” Sam finished.

“Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years, it's no coincidence.”

“Wait, showing up again?” you asked. Even after poking around at Stanford, this was the first you’d heard of a previous encounter with the creature.

“I thought Sam would’ve told you,” Dean said.

“Told me what?”

Sam turned to face you. “You remember what I said about my mom dying? She died the same way Jess did.”

You nodded in solemn understanding. 

The car went quiet again; the silence only broken by the older brother. “Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do.”

Sam scanned the map again. “It's weird, man. These coordinates he left us. This Blackwater Ridge.”

“What about it?” you asked, putting your chin on Sam’s shoulder to look at the map.

“There's nothing there. It's just woods.” He put down the map, looking past your head at Dean. “Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?”

Dean just shrugged in response. 

The three of you found yourselves in a ranger’s station in Lost Creek National Forest just outside of Blackwater Ridge. You and Sam scanned a three-dimensional map of the forest atop a large table in the center of the room. 

“So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote.” The brunet tapped his finger against the ridge’s label on the map. “It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place.”

However, his brother’s attention could not be pulled away from a picture on the wall. “Dude, check out the size of this freaking bear.”

You walked over to him, and he was right. The thing was massive. The man standing behind its corpse looked like a dwarf in comparison. 

“There’s about a dozen or so grizzlies in the area,” you added. 

You and the boys were startled by a ranger’s voice coming from behind you. “You three aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?”

“Oh, no, sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper,” Sam assured him, laughing awkwardly.

Dean grinned and raised a fist. “Recycle, man.”

‘I could hit him. Jackass.’

The ranger obviously did not believe him. “Bull.”

Your eyes flicked to Dean, who was unmoving. 

“You're friends with that Haley girl, right?” the ranger continued.

“Yes. Yes, we are, Ranger— Wilkinson.” Dean faltered only to read the ranger’s name tag.

“Well I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth, so it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it?”

You shook your head. 

“You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine.”

“We will.” Dean paused only for a moment. “Well, that Haley girl's quite a pistol, huh?”

“That is putting it mildly.”

You laughed. ‘I’m sure we’d get along great.’

“Actually,” Dean stopped the ranger from leaving the room. “You know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brother's return date.”

The ranger eyed Dean curiously, but still got him a copy of the permit. 

Dean laughed smugly as the three of you left the station, waving the paper around.

“What are you, five?” you asked him.

“Listen, sweetheart, I consider this a major success.” You quirked a brow at him, mildly annoyed he called you that stupid name again. “This eliminates a lot of the groundwork we normally have to do.”

“Fair point,” you shrugged. 

Sam broke the somewhat comfortable silence. “Are you cruising for a hookup or something?”

Considering the thought you’d just had, you were taken slightly aback. “What do you mean?”

“The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?” Sam was more talking pointedly at Dean and not you. You came to a stop on your respective sides of the Impala.

You couldn’t quite see Dean over the top of the car. “I don't know, maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it?”

You could practically feel the look Dean was giving Sam.

“What?” the brunet scoffed.

“Since when are you all shoot-first-ask-questions-later, anyway?”

“Since now.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, biting the inside of your lip. “Really?’ you muttered, getting down into the car. 

***

Sam walked a little further up the walkway to the Collins house than you and Dean did. 

“Forty-five minutes in that copy room for this?” you inspected Dean’s small, fake park ranger ID.

“Can’t rush art, sweetheart.”

“Now you’re just working it into every sentence because you know it aggravates me.”

"Yup,” Dean chuckled. 

You smirked lopsidedly and Dean knocked on Haley Collins’s front door. A quite beautiful, dark-haired girl opened it moments later. 

“You must be Haley Collins. I'm Dean, this is Sam, and (Y/N), we're, ah, we're rangers with the Park Service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. He wanted us to ask a few questions about your brother Tommy.”

Haley hesitated. “Lemme see some ID.”

Dean held up the ID you’d previously been inspecting to the screen door. The girl looked between the ID and Dean. 

“Come on in.”

“Thanks.” 

The door swung open, allowing Haley to catch a glimpse of the Impala. “That yours?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice car.” She began leading the three of you into the home.

Dean looked back at Sam, mouthing something excitedly to him that you couldn’t quite make out. You rolled your eyes. You decided then and there you would push your attraction to him to the side for the rest of the time you were working with the brothers. To you, he was just an asshole playboy. 

Sam’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. “So if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something's wrong?”

You took in the sight of the table set for dinner and a young boy who looked to be about thirteen already picking at his plate of food. 

Haley entered the room with a bowl and placed it onto the table. “He checks in every day by cell. He emails, photos, stupid little videos—we haven't heard anything in over three days now.”

“Well, maybe he can't get cell reception,” you suggested.

“He's got a satellite phone, too.”

‘Well, there goes that theory.’

“Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?” Dean threw in.

The teenage boy clanked his fork against his plate, sharply stating, “He wouldn't do that.”

You eyed the boy, getting a read on him.

“Our parents are gone,” Haley said. “It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other.”

You nodded in understanding. As much as you were trying to dislike her, it wasn’t working all that well.

“Can I see the pictures he sent you?” Sam asked.

Haley pulled out her laptop to show Sam the folder of pictures and videos her brother had sent her. “That's Tommy.” You could hear the sadness in her voice.

She clicked through to the most recent video. 

A scruffy, presumably twenty-five year old man appeared onscreen. “Hey Haley, day six, we're still out near Blackwater Ridge. We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow.”

Something flickered past outside the young man’s tent. Your brows furrowed. 

“Well, we'll find your brother. We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing,” Dean assured her.

“Then maybe I'll see you there,” she answered. “Look, I can't sit around here anymore. So I hired a guy. I'm heading out in the morning, and I'm gonna find Tommy myself.”

“I think I know how you feel.”

Your eyes flicked over to Dean, growing angry at what you assumed to be an attempt at seducing the girl.

‘She’s mourning the potential loss of her brother, and you’re gonna try and charm her? Asshole.’

The younger Winchester once again broke you out of your thoughts. “Hey, do you mind forwarding these to me?”

“Sure.” Haley clicked away on her laptop again.

*** 

You and the boys wound up at a bar. The table was covered in newspapers, John’s journal, and beer bottles; some full and some half empty. 

“So, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic. Local campers, mostly. But still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there. They were never found.” 

You gestured to John’s journal, which Sam slid over to you. You began flipping through it. 

“Any before that?” Dean asked. 

Sam pulled out a newspaper to show his brother. “Yeah, in 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack.”

You leaned across the table, squinting at the headline. You felt Dean’s eyes flick to your breasts that had subsequently been pushed up in your wife beater as you leaned over. 

You glared at him. “Stay focused, Winchester.”

Dean rolled his eyes, apparently unable to find his way to a witty response. You turned your attention back to the headline that read, “ GRIZZLY BEAR ATTACKS! UP TO EIGHT HIKERS VANISH IN LOST CREEK AREA.”

Sam pulled out his laptop. “Before that, 1959 and 1936. Every twenty-three years, just like clockwork.”

“You have WiFi in here?” you questioned.

“Don’t need it. Just wanted to look at Haley’s video.” He pulled it up from a folder on his screen. 

“Oh, shit. I almost forgot. Can I see that?” You hopped off your stool to get between the two brothers. “Watch this.” You clicked through the three frames of the video containing the shadow you’d seen flash across the screen. “That's three frames. That's a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move.”

Dean reached across you to hit Sam’s shoulder. “Told you something weird was going on.”

Sam rolled his eyes, closing his laptop. “Yeah. I got one more thing.” He put a newspaper article between you and Dean. “In 'fifty-nine one camper survived this supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive.”

You skimmed the article briefly. “Is there a name?”

The only survivor of the attack in the article Sam showed you and Dean was a child at the time. He now lived a life of what appeared to be solitude. He drove a beat up truck that was parked haphazardly in his driveway and lived several miles out of the city. You took in the poor old man’s messy house as he led your trio into his living room.

“Look, ranger, I don't know why you're asking me about this. It's public record. I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a—”

Sam interrupted him. “Grizzly? That's what attacked them?”

Mr. Shaw lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and nodded. 

“The other people that went missing that year, those bear attacks too?” Dean’s tone was slightly pointed. “What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?”

The old man continued to take drags of his cigarette. He seemed almost scared to entertain any other explanation aside from a grizzly bear attack. 

Dean continued to pressure him. “If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it.”

Mr. Shaw shook his head. “I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don't see what difference it would make.” He sat down in his recliner. “You wouldn't believe me. Nobody ever did.”

Sam sat down opposite the old man. “Mr. Shaw, what did you see?”

“Nothing. It moved too fast to see. It hid too well. I heard it, though. A roar. Like... no man or animal I ever heard.”

“It came at night?”

He nodded. 

“Got inside your tent?”

“It got inside our cabin. I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door. It unlocked it.”

You tried to keep your face from conveying your intrigue and tinge of fear.

“Do you know of a bear that could do something like that? I didn't even wake up till I heard my parents screaming.” You could see Mr. Shaw becoming lost in his mind. 

“It killed them?” Sam continued.

“Dragged them off into the night.” The old man shook his head as if to shake away the memories. “Why it left me alive... been asking myself that ever since.” He took a brief pause before reaching to the collar of his wife beater. “Did leave me this, though.” He pulled it down to reveal three long, deep claw mark scars. Through morbid curiosity, you were tempted to run your fingers over the jagged edges of the scarring. You couldn’t imagine how painful and angry the marks must have been when the poor man first got them. 

“There's something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon.”

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Shaw. We’re sorry about your parents,” you told him, turning away. “Have a good night, sir.” 

Mr. Shaw seemed too caught up in his own head to respond with more than a wave, letting a cloud of smoke slither out of his mouth. 

*** Later that night, you and the boys had just booked a room in yet another crappy motel.

‘One of these days I’ll treat myself to a stay in a halfway decent hotel.’ 

Before the three of you would be turning in for the night, you were headed to Dean’s car to pack your bags for the early morning you were about to have. 

“Spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors.” Dean broke your train of thought. “If they want inside, they just go through the walls.”

“So it's probably something else, something corporeal,” Sam said.

“Corporeal? Look at you, smartass,” you laughed.

“Shut up. So what do you think?”

“The claws, the speed that it moves…” Dean trailed off. “Could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog. Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature, and it's corporeal. Which means we can kill it.” 

“True,” you started. “But how are you gonna know what to bring to kill it with if we have no idea what it is?”

“Just trust me on this one,” Dean replied. “There’s not much a gun won’t be able to take care of.” He let the door to the motel almost completely swing shut behind him; nearly hitting you in the face. 

You caught it just in time. “Right, right. Just like you ‘took care’ of Constance by shooting her.”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Dean raised a brow at you, just barely turning over his shoulder to give you his response. He started busying himself in the weapons box in the back of his car.

“I mean, just barely. Nearly caught me in the crossfire.”

Dean rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically. “And what a shame that would’ve been.”

“Hey!” You shoved his shoulder with yours. 

He glared at you in response. 

Sam, who had been quiet the last few minutes, spoke up. “We cannot let that Haley girl go out there.”

His brother was rummaging through the weapons box; haphazardly throwing guns into his duffel bag. “Oh yeah? What are we gonna tell her? That she can't go into the woods because of a big scary monster?”

You found a shotgun that was slightly smaller than the rest, giving it a once over before moving to put it in a duffel bag of your own. Before you could fully get it settled in the bag, Dean took it from you.

You went to protest, but Sam cut you off by saying, “Yeah,” as if it was obvious. 

Dean turned his attention away from you and your shotgun long enough for you to steal it back. 

“Her brother's missing, Sam,” he tried to reason. “She's not gonna just sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend.” 

Dean seemed to notice you had taken the gun back and glared at you. He picked up his own duffel, and you closed the weapons cavity. 

“Finding Dad’s not enough?” Sam countered while you closed the trunk. “Now we gotta babysit too?”

You and Dean gave Sam a look.

“What?” he snapped.

You shook your head. 

“Nothing,” Dean replied. He threw the duffel bag at him and walked off. 

***

You yawned and pulled yourself into a tighter ball on the backseat of Dean’s Impala. You hadn’t gotten much sleep last night for a reason you couldn’t quite place.

“Don’t get too comfortable, sweetheart, we’re here,” Dean told you.

“Fuck.” You grabbed yours and Dean’s duffel bags off the seat next to you and got out of the car to feel loose gravel grating against your boots. 

A man who looked to be in his late fifties was up ahead of you next to a Jeep with Haley and the teenager you recognized as Haley’s younger brother. You approached the other three from behind Sam and Dean.

“You guys got room for three more?” the older brother asked.

Haley crossed her arms. “Wait, you want to come with us?”

“Who are these guys?” The older man pointed at your group.

“Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue.”

Sam headed past everyone, and you followed.

You assumed the middle-aged man was the guide Haley had talked about hiring the previous day. He was very skeptical of the three of you. “You're rangers?”

Dean’s confidence never wavered. “That's right.”

“And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?” Haley was apparently skeptical, too. 

“Well, sweetheart, I don't do shorts.”

‘That’s what he calls me.’ You couldn’t quite understand the pang that went through your chest when he used that nickname for her. You pushed the thought aside once again, reminding yourself that you weren’t special in Dean’s eyes. To you, he was becoming more of a playboy asshole with each passing moment. You hoped your attraction to his beautiful green eyes and sharp jawline would soon turn to disdain. 

Speaking of which, he appeared next to you as the guide spoke once more. “What, you think this is funny? It's dangerous back country out there. Her brother might be hurt.”

You turned around, trying to explain Dean’s attitude away. “He knows that. He just has a funny way of showing it.” You hoped Dean didn’t miss the bite in your tone. And from the way you could feel his glare burning a hole through your skull, you were sure it wasn’t lost on him.

The guide shook his head, brushing past you and the brothers. He headed into the forest, and you followed a few paces behind. You would never admit it, but the woods had always unsettled you just a bit. You tightened your grip on your bag and pushed forward. 

Dean had apparently learned the guide’s name from Haley while you were lost in your own anxiety. “Roy, you said you did a little hunting.” He quickened his step to pass you and get up next to Roy. 

“Yeah, more than a little.” The response came gruff and disinterested. 

“Uh-huh. What kind of furry critters do you hunt?”

You could feel where this was going. ‘Don’t fucking provoke him, Winchester.’

“Mostly buck, sometimes bear.” The disinterest was ever present in Roy’s tone as he continued to scan the treeline in front of him. 

Dean passed him up, doing that obnoxiously confident backwards walk again. “Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?” 

Suddenly, Roy grabbed Dean’s jacket roughly. You nearly flinched.

“Whatcha doing, Roy?” Dean’s tone had hardened.

Roy grabbed a stick, and peering around Dean you could see the jaws of a bear trap close around it inches from Dean’s boot. 

“You should watch where you're stepping. Ranger.” 

‘Damn.’

Roy dropped the stick and took the lead once more.

Dean turned around to the rest of the group. “It's a bear trap.”

You scoffed. 

You could hear Haley’s quickened step crunching leaves as she passed you to catch up to Dean. “You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers.” She grabbed his arm, spinning him to face her. “So who the hell are you?”

The teenage boy passed his sister and Dean. You and Sam hesitated behind Haley, shooting Dean a quizzical look. Dean jerked his head for the two of you to go on. You followed Sam forward, but hung back close enough that you could hear Dean and Haley’s conversation. 

“Sam and I are brothers, and we're looking for our father. (Y/N) is—” you were interested in this explanation, “—a friend of ours.” 

‘Oh, so we’re friends now.’

“He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and me, we're in the same boat.”

“Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?”

“I'm telling you now. 'sides, it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman. ...ever. So, we okay?” 

‘Wonder how many times he’s used that line.’ You caught that same squeeze happening in your chest happening again. You desperately wished to get ahold of yourself and snap out of it. ‘He’s just pretty to look at. He’s a complete douche. Get it together, girl.’

You had missed Haley’s response to Dean’s “heartfelt” admission, but heard “And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions?” You heard the rustling of a plastic bag behind you, and remembered the bag of peanut M&Ms he had bought at a gas station before coming here. You heard Dean start walking again, and you hurried ahead to catch up with Sam and not look like you were snooping. 

Dean had apparently noticed you were hanging back and chuckled to himself. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment. 

He walked up beside you. “Jealous?”

“What?” you turned to him, feigning disgust. “Fuck no.”

“So… you were just snooping because…?”

You wanted to smack the smug grin off his face. His amusement at your aggravation riled you up even more. “I was just curious what she thought of us. And to be frank, I don’t exactly trust your ability to explain things away. That’s all.”

“Uh-huh.” You knew he didn’t believe you. “That’s all.” 

You petulantly stole the bag of peanut M&Ms from him.

“Hey! (Y/N)!” 

You marched on.

“This is it. Blackwater Ridge,” Roy announced after what felt like hours of walking. Your anxiety around getting lost in the forest was only deepening. That was what it all boiled down to. You had a fear of not being in control, and the idea of a place where every “landmark” looked the same, wildlife ruled the terrain, and being alone in it was pretty much a death sentence, scared you pretty severely. Not to mention, the time you almost bled to death in the middle of the woods had another hunter not found you.

You had no means of identifying where you’d come back from. All the trees seemed the same to you. You had no idea how you were going to get back to the car at the end of the day; if you were even going to make it out of here by the end of the day. You had been walking for so long that you were sure you’d be sleeping out here tonight. The thought of that frightened you even more. 

What truly unsettled you was that the sounds you had been hearing up until you made it to Blackwater Ridge— crickets, leaves rustling, birds chirping— all of it had been silenced. 

“I'm gonna go take a look around,” Roy announced.

The younger Winchester stopped him. “You shouldn't go off by yourself.”

Roy’s snark almost rivaled Dean’s. “That's sweet. Don't worry about me.” He waved his gun around and pushed between the two brothers to head deeper into the forest. 

Dean turned to the rest of your group. “Alright, everybody stays together. Let's go.”

‘Great. More fucking woods.’ You marched forward, trying to put on a brave face.

Sam’s eyes softened when he caught sight of you. “You okay?”

Apparently, your “brave face” wasn’t as brave as you thought. “Yeah, why?”

“You look… kinda nervous.”

“Yeah, I am. I’m, uh, kinda scared of the forest, honestly.”

“Aw, sweetheart,” Dean’s mocking tone interrupted your vulnerable moment. “You’re scared of a little woods?” He jutted out his bottom lip, feigning a pout. 

“Fuck off, Winchester. I’m fine.”

“Whoa, touchy. Relax.” Dean held his hands up in surrender. “Was just poking fun, that’s all.”

“Okay, well, it wasn’t funny. So, fuck off.” You rushed ahead, still white-knuckling the duffel bag on your shoulder. 

Before Dean could catch up to you or respond, Roy called out from quite a bit ahead. “Haley! Over here!”

Haley took off in the direction of Roy’s voice, closely followed by you. Haley froze at the sight in front of her. “Oh, my God.”

In the clearing Roy had found, bloodied, torn open tents surrounded mutilated camping supplies and backpacks. Deep gashes in the tent material and the surrounding trees were jagged and stained with blood around the edges. The sight wasn’t making your queasiness any better.

“Looks like a grizzly.”

‘No, it doesn’t, Roy,’ you thought. 

Haley’s backpack hit the ground next to you, and she tore through the campsite; screaming her brother’s name. 

Sam moved to quiet her down. She kept screaming. A much harsher “Shh!” passed Sam’s lips, finally getting the girl to settle down. 

“Why?” she questioned defensively. 

“Something might still be out there,” he answered. 

Dean called his brother’s name from the other end of the campsite. You followed Sam over to the sound of Dean’s voice.

You crouched down next to Sam. Dean snapped a stick and pointed to a set of drag marks on the ground. “The bodies were dragged from the campsite. But here, the tracks just vanish. That's weird. I'll tell you what, that's no skinwalker or black dog.”

The three of you stood and returned to the campsite to find Haley crying on the ground over her brother’s broken and bloodied phone. 

“Hey, he could still be alive,” Dean told her. She shot him a confused and slightly angry look. 

Out of nowhere, a scratchy male voice started gutturally calling, “Help! Help!”

Roy was quick to run to the shouter’s aid. However, you weren’t so sure it was a real person screaming like that. 

“Help! Somebody!” came again.

The brothers started off to follow Roy. 

“Wait, guys!” you called, not wanting to be left alone despite your hesitation. 

“C’mon, (Y/N)!” Sam called.

You dropped your duffel in your rush to follow Sam’s voice. When you found where the group had gathered, you could see the brothers searching the treeline. You licked your teeth, upset that your intuition was right. Your group had found no one.

“It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?” Haley said, confused.

“Everybody get back to camp,” you ordered.

You followed the path you were pretty sure would get you back to the mangled campsite. Thankfully, your sense of direction was right, but all of your supplies had been taken by the time you returned. 

“Our packs!” Haley exclaimed.

Roy grumbled, “So much for my GPS and my satellite phone.”

“What the hell is going on?” Haley was catching on. 

“It’s smart. It’s trying to isolate us so we can’t call for help. It knows we won’t last long without supplies,” you stated. 

“You mean someone, some nutjob out there just stole all our gear.” The guide’s voice was hard and angry.

“I need to speak with you two. In private.” You pulled the brothers aside by their jackets. Dean shrugged your hand off him. 

“Can I see your dad’s journal?” you asked. Yours had been taken along with your duffel bag. 

“No, why?” Dean asked petulantly. 

“Please, dude, c’mon.” You were not in the mood.

“Give it to her, Dean,” Sam chimed in.

Dean rolled his eyes and handed it over. 

You flipped through until you found a page marked by a First Nations-style drawing of a tall figure with long claws labeled “Wendigo.” You looked up at the boys expectantly.

“Oh, come on, wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or, or northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west,” Dean responded.

“Think about it, Dean, the claws, the way it can mimic a human voice,” you tried to reason. 

“Great.” He took his pistol out of his belt. “Well, then this is useless.”

“I told you guns don’t work on everything,” you quipped.

“Shut up.”

Sam took the journal from you and handed it back to his brother. “We gotta get these people to safety.” He led you and Dean back to the group. “All right, listen up, it's time to go. Things have gotten...more complicated.”

Haley seemed pissed. “What?”

“Kid, don't worry.” Roy’s tone was almost patronizing. “Whatever's out there, I think I can handle it.”

“It's not me I'm worried about. If you shoot this thing, you're just gonna make it mad. We have to leave. Now,” Sam countered. 

“One, you're talking nonsense. Two, you're in no position to give anybody orders.” Roy was now getting in Sam’s face.

“C’mon, Roy, chill out,” you told him, pressing a hand to Sam’s chest to keep him from stepping to Roy.

Sam let you keep your hand there, but still bit back at Roy. “We never should have let you come out here in the first place, all right? I'm trying to protect you.”

“You protect me? I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you good night.” The guide was so close you could smell the chewing tobacco on his breath.

Sam still refused to back down. “Yeah? It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, and it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here.”

Roy laughed mockingly. “You know you're crazy, right?”

“Yeah? You ever hunt a wen—” 

Dean pushed you out the way and shoved his brother back. “Relax!”

Haley got between you, the boys, and Roy. “Stop. Stop it. Everybody just stop. Look. Tommy might still be alive. And I'm not leaving here without him.”

You considered for a moment the implications of what may happen if you allowed them to stay. 

Dean broke the silence. “It's getting late. This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves.”

“How?” Haley asked. 

“I’m not gonna sugarcoat this,” you began. “We don’t really have the time for the ‘monsters under the bed are real’ talk. This thing is a Wendigo. I’m gonna start carving some symbols into the ground. No one crosses the circle once I’ve drawn it. Got it?”

Haley nodded at you. “What can I do?”

“Build a fire with— sorry, I never caught his name,” you gestured to the teenager next to her. 

“Ben,” Haley told you. 

“Ben. You two start gathering enough wood and tinder to keep a fire going. Don’t go too far, though, please.”

She and Ben nodded at you before setting off.

“Thank you,” you called after the Collins siblings. “Sam, Dean, help me with the Anasazi symbols.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dean said. You were surprised at his compliance.

After a while of scuttling across the forest floor drawing a circle of Anasazi symbols around the campsite, the sun had set. Haley and Ben had long since returned and were tending the fire. As you finished the last symbol, you brushed the dirt off your hands on your jeans. 

Haley looked up at you from her place by the fire. “One more time, that's—”

“Anasazi symbols. It's for protection,” Dean explained. “The wendigo can't cross over them.”

Roy laughed, feeling the need to assert the fact he thought this was bullshit. 

“Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy,” Dean told him, clearly fatigued of the man’s attitude.

Roy turned his attention back to the treeline with his gun over his shoulder. You followed Dean over to where Sam sat away from the group at the edge of the campsite. 

“You wanna tell me what's going on in that freaky head of yours?” Dean asked his brother.

“Dean—” the younger one began to protest. You sat down next to him.

“No, you're not fine.” Of course, he already knew what Sam was going to say.  “You're like a powder keg, man, it's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?”

You laughed. “Yeah, I’ve got enough of that attitude with just him, Sam.”

Dean nudged the tip of your boot with his harshly. You returned his glare petulantly. 

“Dad's not here. I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?” Sam’s mind was clearly going a mile a minute.

“Yeah, you're probably right. Tell you the truth, I don't think Dad's ever been to Lost Creek.”

You decided to just sit back and listen for a moment before throwing your two cents in. 

“Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road. Go find Dad. I mean, why are we still even here?” Sam threw his hands up in frustration. 

“This is why.” Dean held out his dad’s journal to his brother. “This book. This is Dad's single most valuable possession—everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.”

Sam shook his head. “That makes no sense. Why doesn't he just—call us? Why doesn't he—tell us what he wants, tell us where he is?”

“I dunno. But the way I see it, Dad's giving us a job to do, and I intend to do it.”

Sam’s eyes began to well with tears. “Dean, no. I gotta find Dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's the only thing I can think about.”

“Okay, all right, Sam, we'll find them, I promise. Listen to me.” Sam looked up at Dean. “You've gotta prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take a while, and all that anger, you can't keep it burning over the long haul. It's gonna kill you. You gotta have patience, man.”

Sam looked away again, still fighting the tears congealing in his water line. “How do you two do it? How does Dad do it?”

You let Dean take that question. “Well for one, them.” He gestured to Haley and Ben. “I mean, I figure our family's so screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little bit more bearable.”

You paused, looking down at the dirt and twigs below you before speaking. “It’s kind of the same for me. I don’t have a family anymore.” You felt Dean’s gaze on you, but kept the burning in your cheeks at bay. “This is really all I’ve ever known. I know I couldn’t go back to a normal life after all this. So, I do what I can to help everyone else’s lives feel a little more normal. Not everybody needs to know what’s really out there. It kinda brings me peace knowing I’m helping somebody else live their life relatively worry-free.”

Dean continued. “I'll tell you what else helps.”

You looked back up at him. 

“Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can.” 

You smiled at Dean genuinely for the first time. 

A twig snapped, breaking you and the boys out of the little bonding moment you’d just had. The same, slightly unhuman grainy voice screamed out again from somewhere in the trees. “Help me! Please!”

Dean stands with his gun. You thought about pointing out the fact that it was useless, but decided to keep it to yourself. 

“Help!” the strained sound came again.

Sam shined his flashlight through the tree line.

“He's trying to draw us out. Just stay cool, stay put,” Dean told the group.

“Inside the magic circle?” Roy quipped.

“Shut up, would you?” You snapped, narrowing your eyes at him. 

“Help! Help me!” The voice seemed to become more distant before a low growl emanated from just outside the circle.

Roy pointed his gun at the sound. “Okay, that's no grizzly.”

“Oh, now you believe us,” you quipped. 

“(Y/N),” Dean warned, still facing the outside of the circle. 

Something rushed past where Haley and Ben were standing. She let out a scream. 

“It's here,” the younger Winchester stated.

The guide shot at the rustling bushes, and then again. “I hit it!” He took off before you could protest.

“Roy, no!” you immediately ran after him.

You could hear Dean behind you addressing the Collinses, but barely registered it while trying to follow Roy. 

“Roy! Come back!” you called. 

“It's over here! It's in the tree!” the man called back.

Just as you reached him, something grabbed onto Roy’s shoulders and began pulling him up into the tree above.

“Roy!” you grabbed his ankles, doing your best to pull him back down to the ground. 

Roy was screaming above you, and the Wendigo’s strength was too much for you. Roy’s screaming was cut off sharply by a snapping sound. In that moment, you knew he was gone. You let Roy’s legs go and dropped back down to the ground. 

The Winchester brothers appeared at that second, rushing to your side.

“You okay?” Sam asked, helping you up. “Where’s Roy?”

You shook your head. “He’s gone.”

You and the boys headed back to camp to find Haley and Ben huddled together. Haley was caught off-guard by your return, and nearly took you out with her makeshift torch-weapon. “Shit!” she yelped. “You scared the crap out of me!”

“Sorry,” you laughed. “Easy, tiger.”

She threw her torch back into the fire. “Where’s Roy?”

Your smile faded. “I tried to help him. I’m sorry.”

She nodded somberly. A saddened, heavy air fell over your camp as the remaining five of you tried to go to sleep before your undoubtedly busy day tomorrow.

Haley and Ben settled down near the fire with tatters of backpacks and tent material as pillows and blankets respectively. You and Dean forced Sam to lay down and rest because it was evident via the bags under his eyes that he’d had none over the last several days. 

“I’ll take first watch,” you told Dean, settling your back against the stump of a tree near where Sam had started falling asleep.

“Not a chance, sweetheart.”

“First of all, stop calling me that,” you snapped. “Second, it wasn’t a suggestion. I’m taking first watch. Go to sleep.”

“Why are you so insistent on this?” Dean furrowed his eyebrows at you.

“Why don’t you trust me?” you countered.

“I don’t know, maybe because you’re the last person to have seen my dad before he ‘mysteriously disappeared’?”

“You’re not seriously suggesting—” you scoffed, and Dean cut you off again.

“Maybe because I don’t even know you. Maybe because you so readily agreed to just hitch a ride with Sam and I the day Jessica died. Maybe those are some good reasons not to trust you.”

“Dean, I had nothing to do with your dad’s disappearance. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m on my own. Sorry that I was just excited to finally have someone willing to take me along with them. And I don’t give a shit about you, honestly. I do give a shit about Sam, though, and I’m not gonna leave while he’s in this headspace. And I wanna help you find your dad.”

“Why do you care so much?” he hissed in retaliation.

“Because I don’t have any family. I want to help reunite yours. Like you said earlier, it helps you feel a little better and sleep a little easier at night.” Your voice had softened considerably, and you turned your attention from Dean to your hands folded in your lap. 

“Fine, but after we find my dad, you’re gone,” he responded after a moment.

“Fine.” You turned away from him, hugging your knees to your chest. “I’m still taking first watch.” 

“Whatever, (Y/N).” You could hear Dean moving around behind you. 

“Goodnight,” you said. 

All you got was a huff in response. 

At some point that night, Sam was actually the one to take over your watch. He’d woken up from a nightmare, and you knew he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep any time soon. You did your best to get some sleep despite your heightened sense of awareness from your unsettling surroundings and the anger you still felt at Dean after your argument. 

When you did awaken, Sam was sitting against the tree next to you, Dean was talking to Haley about the origin of Wendigos, and Haley was grilling Dean about how he knows about monsters.

“Kind of runs in the family,” was all Dean answered her question with. 

You felt Sam push off the tree behind you. You still hadn’t rolled over from your sleeping position. 

“So we've got half a chance in the daylight,” Sam announced to the group. “And I for one want to kill this evil son of a bitch.”

“Well, hell, you know I'm in,” you heard Dean respond. 

“'Wendigo' is a Cree Indian word. It means 'evil that devours',” Sam explained. 

You began stretching while Dean continued educating Haley and Ben. “They're hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian, or other times a frontiersman or a miner or hunter.”

“How's a man turn into one of those things?” Haley asked.

“Well, it's always the same,” the older Winchester continued while you started to make your way over to them, brushing leaves out of your hair with your fingers. “During some harsh winter a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp.”

“Like the Donner Party.” That was the first you’d ever heard Ben speak.

“Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities. Speed, strength, immortality,” Sam continued. 

“If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less than human thing. You're always hungry,” Dean finished.

“So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?” Haley waited for the answer with baited breath.

“You're not gonna like it.”

“Tell me.” Haley steeled herself.

“More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It—” Dean seemed to be searching for the right words, “—uh, it stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. We gotta track it back there.”

“And then how do we stop it?”

You spoke up for the first time, holding an empty beer bottle, a white cloth, and a can of lighter fluid you’d found from near the camp. “Guns are useless, so, Molotov cocktail, baby.”

You could swear Dean cracked a smile at you, but you refused to acknowledge it. 

The sun had risen much higher since your crew had first started walking. You had passed multiple trees with bloodied claw marks on them. It was starting to unsettle you, quite honestly. You’d just passed the seventh or eighth claw-marked tree  when you decided to bring Sam’s attention to your thought process.

“You know, I was thinking, those claw marks are so clear and distinct. Not at all as jagged as they were on Mr. Shaw’s scar or the tree where the thing snatched Roy. They were almost too easy to follow.”

Almost as if on cue, a low growl rumbled from above and trees rustled. Haley looked up before jerking herself out of the way. And good thing she had, because Roy’s corpse soon landed where she’d stood. 

Dean inspected Roy’s corpse while Sam helped Haley up. “His neck's broke.”

The growling continued. 

Upon hearing the sound, Dean started to bark out, “Okay, run, run, run, run, go, go, go!”

You immediately split. You were always quite a fast runner and light on your feet. You and Haley took the lead of the group and could hear the boys’ thundering footsteps behind you. 

Before you knew it, the growling had landed right in front of you. You and Haley were brought to a skidding halt before the creature. Haley yelped as the creature grabbed your legs and began dragging the two of you. You took the bag of peanut M&Ms you’d stolen from Dean out of your jacket’s inner pocket. You let the bag’s contents out slowly as sticks and rocks scraped up your dragging body. The last thing you felt was a sharp pain on the back of your head before you vision blacked out completely.

The next time you came to, the first thing you felt were your aching wrists and hands on either side of your face. You could faintly hear Dean calling your name, and your vision began to get less hazy as Dean’s voice became more clear. 

When Dean’s annoyingly beautiful, worried face finally came into focus, you said the first thing that came to mind. “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper.”

You could hear Sam laughing behind Dean and Dean sighed. If you didn’t know any better, you would say he sounded relieved. 

Sam reached above you to cut your wrists down. “You okay?”

Despite your aching joints, you said, “Yeah.”

Sam helped you over to one of the cave’s walls. “You sure you're alright?”

“Yeah. Yep,” you groaned. “Where is he?”

“He's gone for now.” 

“Oh, thank god,” you breathed, making Sam laugh a little. “Oh, sweet.” You noticed the stolen duffel bags next to you and started rummaging through yours. Haley let out a shriek, causing you to jerk your head in her direction. She’d found her brother, and thankfully, he was alive. 

“Cut him down!” Haley ordered. Sam got to work. 

You found a flare gun in Dean’s duffel bag, saying, “Check it out.” to the rest of your group.

“Flare guns. Those'll work,” Sam responded, grinning.

You laughed, throwing one of the guns at Dean who caught it easily. He twirled it around his finger, smirking at you.

“Enough fooling around, let’s go,” Haley urged. She shouldered her brother, and with Ben’s help, started moving down the mine shaft.

You and Sam held up the rear of the group while Dean took the lead. Amidst the clunky shuffling of Tommy’s weakened body down the shaft, you could hear the same deep, low growling you’d heard in the forest. 

“Looks like someone's home for supper,” quipped Dean, scanning the corridor ahead of him.

“We'll never outrun it,” Haley said.

Dean looked back at you and Sam. “You thinking what I'm thinking?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Sam responded.

“I don’t,” you chimed in.

“You’ll catch on,” Dean shot back. “All right, listen to me. Stay with Sam and (Y/N). They’re gonna get you out of here.”

“What are you gonna do?” Haley asked the older Winchester. 

He winked at her, shooting her that same smile he’d shot you one of the first times you’d met him. You fought the urge to roll your eyes. He started yelling moments later, walking away from you. “Chow time, you freaky bastard! Yeah, that's right, bring it on, baby, I taste good.”

‘I bet he does.’ You surprised yourself. ‘What? What the fuck? He’s an asshole.’

Sam’s voice brought you out of your head. “All right, come on! Hurry!”

Your group rushed down the tunnel. You stayed in the rear, and Sam headed up to the front. He began leading your group down to where you could faintly see a bit of daylight peeking through. 

And then, the growling again. 

“Fuck,” you muttered. “Get him outta here!” you instructed the Collinses. 

“(Y/N), no,” Haley told you.

“Go!” you urged her. 

She finally nodded and started pulling her brothers down the tunnel with her. You aimed your flare gun at the direction where the growling was coming from. 

“C’mon, motherfucker,” you grumbled, scanning the tunnel. 

“(Y/N)!” Sam called from behind you. 

You wheeled around to come face to face with the Wendigo. In your startle, you missed your shot with the flare gun. Your only other option was to take off after the three Collins siblings, closely followed by Sam.

“Come on, hurry, hurry, hurry,” Sam ordered the group. “Get behind me.” Given Sam’s size, he was able to hide all three Collinses behind him. You knew your pistol was no use, but you still aimed it at the creature anyway. 

The Wendigo approached, taking its time in getting to you. 

“Hey!” you suddenly heard Dean from behind the Wendigo. It wheeled around, only for Dean to shoot it in the stomach. 

Flames curled up the Wendigo’s horribly disfigured body in twisted tendrils. The creature let out a howl before collapsing to the ground in a pile of burning embers. 

Dean was revealed behind where the Wendigo previously stood. “Not bad, huh?”

Despite yourself, you grinned. 

A quite chipper, clearly freshman EMT had patched you up upon your return to civilization. You had an uncomfortable laceration on your neck, a few scrapes above your eyebrow, and your wrists burned from where you had been tied up. You’d survive, it would just take you a few days to recover from. 

You watched from a short distance as Haley approached Dean, both of whom had been patched up. You scowled as Dean smirked lasciviously at Haley and couldn’t help the bile rising in your throat when Haley leaned in to kiss Dean’s cheek. She said one final thing to Dean before walking toward the ambulance carrying Tommy with Ben. 

“Thanks, (Y/N)!” she called to you.

You waved at her with a lopsided smile. She returned your grin before hopping into the back of the ambulance. 

Sam motioned for you to come back over to Dean’s car. 

“Man, I hate camping,” said Dean as you approached.

“Me too,” you shivered.

“Still scared of the woods?” he asked you, his tone slightly patronizing.

You ignored his tone and answered earnestly. “Definitely. Probably more so, now.” You crossed your arms over your body and hugged yourself. 

A moment of silence passed before Dean addressed his brother. “Sam, you know we're gonna find Dad, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” he nodded. “But in the meantime? I'm driving.”

Dean lolled his head to the side dramatically before tossing the keys to Sam. Recalling your fight with Dean at the campsite, you hesitated to get in the car when the brothers did. 

“(Y/N), what are you doing?” Sam asked out of the driver’s side window. “Let’s go.” 

You nodded, conceding, and hopped into the backseat. You threw your legs up on the leather beside you and stared out the window. Out of the corner of your eye, you could swear Dean was staring at you. 

Series Rewrite Taglist: @polireader @brightlilith @atcamillanorrman @jrizzelle @insomnia-bookworm @procrastination20 @mrs-liebgott @djs8891

[draculas-secret-blog]

Ok but Josh’s “you’re a hunter, bro. No fear. No mercy. I mean, she won’t even know what hit her.” Is a little creepy, but it’s also perfect for a ‘Chris helping Josh’ au where there not talking about getting freaky.

So I propose, excerpts from my Climbingclass slasher Au! (Really it’s a game rewrite but shhhhh)

(It’s so so bad)

-while Josh starts his prank in the lodge to get back at Emily, Chris is off running through the woods to get to the guest cabin first to start his part of the prank on Mike and Jess. Chris gets lost and accidentally finds Beth’s phone instead, returning back to the lodge to hand it over to Josh, unaware he’s being stalked all the way back.

-“dude there’s literally no more of those masks down here, we can’t pull a scream.” “What? Nooooo I thought my dad totally had extras man.” “Your not switching costumes are you?” “Not a chance Cochise.”

-Emily, in a reluctant spur of being the better person, decides that maybe she and Matt should go apologize to Mike and Jess. Causing them to run into Mike after Jess has been kidnapped: following him into the mines

-flamethrower guy runs into Mike, Matt, and em in the sanatorium in this AU. He offers to take them back, after calling in on a personal radio for help, and in the process the group fails to evade both elk and Hannah, flamethrower guy dieing before he can tell them too much information. Luckily Emily is given the option to grab his bag in the encounter

-once Chris returns to the lodge, he’s greeted by a distraught Sam and Ashley who say there’s a psycho running around and that they saw him in the basement. So naturally they go down there and get kidnapped. if Chris chooses to play along with Josh’s game where he and Ashley have the gun, spectated now also by Sam , Josh will end up breaking character and congratulate Chris when he fires the blank at Ashley. If he uses to blanks on himself instead, him and Josh immediately get into an argument and beat the shit out of each other.

-if Chris picks himself previously, when he and Josh are tied up in the shed Hannah will rip his head off when she takes Josh. If he picks Ashley, Chris doesn’t end up in the shed but ends up being watched at the lodge instead to keep the two separated so they do not conspire anymore. They can’t get their story straight if they’re separated, can they?

-if Chris picks Ashley she leaves him behind later on when one of the creatures ends up in the lodge, dragging him off to the mines to be with Josh. In this hypothetical ending the game ends with the two half turned and clawing at each other over scraps of whatever characters die along the way (most likely Jess or Em)

-if Chris does not return to the lodge in the off chance he does not discover Beth’s phone, he joins Mike instead. Missing this clue is the only way to save Chris.

I know this is kinda rough around the edges, but it’s just word vomit. Nothing special :3

[ivormybeloved]

Okay maybe i should do more rants about my MCSM AU ideas bc like. I have a LOT and then a month later I see someone mention an idea like it and I missed my chance 😭 so let's just clear up a few things

WARNING: some things may be triggering to some, so if you don't like mentions of kidnapping, death, religious themes, and a few other serious topics then these stories are not for you.

DELUSION [Main themes: Religious Trauma, corrupt society, coping mechanisms] — This will be the main AU I post for a while. It might be finished around late 2025/2026. The entire plot of that is this: Jesse is a pretty normal guy. He lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere, wishing for some adventure or something more. Each night he has weird dreams of familiar faces and his mother, Ivy. Ivy is not his biological mother and was forced to take care of jesse after his father, her twin brother, went missing. Jesse, accompanied by Reuben, one day finds a strange portal he's never seen before and falls into it. He finds himself in a strange and wacky world with no escape. Things will quickly turn into horror as he dives into the secrets of this world and even the people he feels close to. Every character in this story is an experiment that either has or is based on some sort of disorder/disability. Not all depictions may be accurate, but I'm planning on doing more research. The scientist and made all of these creatures is Ivor, The Creator. He's treated as a god and even sees himself as such. Our World's Delusions is not the official writing and is only hints at the future story + random ideas I have that I write out so that y'all can see them. The writing is on AO3 and my only fic I have written so far

THE GREATEST SHOW UNEARTHED [Main themes: Imagination, Greif, Kidnapping] — this au is, of course, based on the song. The current story at time of posting this is: Ivor takes his son, Jesse, to a carnival. They soon get wrapped up in the plans of the evil ringmaster (Romeo) who steals and manipulates children to join his circus. At day, it's a normal and fun circus. At night, it's a horrific, gorey freakshow filled with some unimaginable horrors. This is the first AU of mine where Ivor is (FOR ONCE) a good dad (not counting me and Br0ken's rewrite AU. That one takes 2nd place)

TOYMAKER [Main themes: Death, Paranoia, Greif, Loss, Drug use] — Toymaker was an AU that actually came from an idea i had for delusion that didn't fit in the story at all. In this story: Ivor, again, is Jesse's dad (all my AUs center around them. Get used to it <3 /sil) Ivor used to make toys before an accident happened and either Harper or Soren died (or both idk). Ivor couldn't handle the loss and ended up shutting down his whole business. Years later, Jesse finds a few toys stuffed in boxes in the attic. Crazy things happen and Jesse soon helps Ivor out of his depression.

FEARS/PHOBIA [Main theme: Suicide, getting over fears, Mental health] — This AU is mainly just major death. In this AU, each of the characters represent a phobia that Jesse has. Jesse starts killing all of them, trying to free himself from paranoia. Along the way, he gets tired of it. He tries to befriend some fears but soon kills them still. After becoming fearless and killing Romeo (the fear of death) he takes his own life.

FUGITIVE AU — this was a ship AU I had made because I was sad there was barely any Jailbirds (Reginald x Milo) content. The main idea: Milo would steal items and basically commit various crimes for Build Club. He'd get arrested sometimes, but was let go as no one had any evidence that it was actually him who committed the crime. When in jail, he'd talk to Reginald quite a bit and they seemed to get along. Isa, however, was tired of these constant crimes and the fugitive going unpunished, so she ordered Reginald to do whatever he could to capture them. Once Reginald successfully captured Milo, Isa sentanced the criminal to death by void. Reginald tries to protest, claiming that the punishment is much too harsh, but Isa doesn't listen and instead orders the guards to arrest Reginald with charge of treason. Reginald and Milo end up falling off of the island together mid-battle and fall to the island. Reginald wants to find a way back up and talk some sense into Isa, but Milo is completely ECSTATIC and only agrees to find a way back up when Milo remembers Build Club

ALIEN AU — random PolyOrder AU I thought of because of a narrative writing prompt at school 😭. The Old Order are pretty much just are aliens from a planet that is mainly just The End. They crash on Earth and the only person who doesn't like the new world is Soren. They decide to stay on the planet and study the world. They meet a human (Gabriel) and he helps them learn more about the world

I will update when I make another AU or change something. Other than that, have a good day!!

BIOME AU — one-off idea I had. Each of the characters are celestial beings (or gods/admins) that rule over specific biomes. There's sections of the world for them to have these biomes and their followers/cults. A collab AU with @thegreatnure!!

AXOLOTL AU — little AU where the Adventure Trio (after Jack is killed in season 2) are revived as axolotl's and are found by Ivor after the Older Order breaks up. It's a small AU idea I had to while talking to @/thegreatnure

[obstinaterixatrix]

THE GLIMM*R ZINE IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD TO BACKERS AND IT'S SO GOOD IT'S SOOOOOOOOO GOOD I think it has a good mix of requited/unrequited, mundane/fantasy, literal/figurative (though dreams inherently skew more figurative than literal) (maybe more... a good balance between a 'concrete' implementation of 'dream' in the sleep sense, and 'abstract' implementation of 'dream' as the wish/goal sense?)

all the artists did a great job, I think every single story was complete and satisfying and competently executed (though obviously some of them hit my biases more than others). I can think of positive and unique things to say about each story. so I will.

Midnight Smack by Anna Chen Campbell: The art style is fun and distinct and very expressive, I loved the role reversal of a fantastical creature being in the position of going What The Fuck. Very solid meet-cute!

Dear Nina by Kristina Luu: The story is told through the perspective character reminiscing of the past, which means a nice intimate first(/second) person narration. I really liked the mood whiplash of wistful longing and seething cynicism, the atmosphere is top-notch.

Good Morning, Rose by Rowan Maccoll: I love the dream vibes in this one--it really captures that experience of going along with different scenes that aren't supposed to cohere, disjointed in a way that works for the story. I love how the... not-really-negative space is used during the true form reveal, very atmospheric.

R.E.M. by Jona Li: It's one of the heavier stories because [spoilers] the narrative centers suicidal ideation/suicide attempt, and I think the artist does a good job with emotional nuance; I also like that there's ambiguity whether the subject of the dream is their real self, or a projection of the dreamer. The contrast between hard/soft textures is super arresting.

Merderous by Gabrielle Kari: The first of three illustrations! Alas, the two-page spread is broken up in pdf format... I can't wait to get my physical copy so I can see it in its fully glory... it's got what's clearly an intricate narrative with no context or explanation, so you get to puzzle out your own interpretation if you want, which I liked.

Eternal Waltz by Adeline Kon: EXTREMELY heated drama between women. It has resentment, it has longing, it has separation and bitter reunions, it has violence, and it has a butch woman who's definitely an arrogant fuckboy. I want fifty more comics just like this.

Derailed! by Kimberly Wang: I'm very unfairly biased towards this comic because I've been following this artist for a while and I Love Their Work. Great composition, great expressions, great energy, just all around great stuff (there's also an interview about Of Thunder And Lightning in this zine!). Anyway, they described this comic as "type A hobonichi girlie meets girl who's perpetually late and has no impulse control, who survives", it's very funny and very charming and I knew I'd love it from the very first preview. and I was right. I want fifty more comics of this duo.

The Visitor by Yuchen H: The second illustration, which is also the cover of the zine. The art looks so soft and edible, really captures a dreamy atmosphere. I want to bury my face in those feathers. The pain (and longing...?) for someone ignorant to the impact of their own actions... solid vibes.

One Last Dream by Laura Rovinsky and Ez Carol: The protagonist is an old woman in hospice care, which really grabbed my interest. Despite the heavy premise, it's super sweet and cute and Filled With Joy, and there were a lot of elements I liked (the main character being active in working with the love interest, the main character's waking life being enhanced by the dream, etc). I would love to see more old women protagonists!

Step By Step by Jess Fleming: I liked the maze setup--the artist did cool stuff like the blueprint-to-completed-gardens page, and the atmosphere's very... I think liminal fits best. Also, the impossible status divide between a groundskeeper and a noblewoman who's in an arranged marriage to end a feud, AND the emotional implications of constructing the maze PLUS having to guide the noblewoman to her betrothed? Very good setup for The Longing

Love Everlasting by Ellen Mei: The third and final illustration. VERY clear narrative and VERY heated drama. I love an unethical scientist and I love how Very Definitely Unhappy the android looks about the situation. Sooo tasty and unhinged, nobody's getting out of this unscathed.

anyway, those are my thoughts, must-read for yuri enthusiasts, if you didn't get the chance to back the kickstarter definitely pick up a copy once it's for sale. I love it.

[qaxqxd]

I’ll Wait For You.

♡Pair: Miguel O’Hara x f!reader

Genre: Angst to Fluff

Warnings: A mention of injuries and maybe death

A/n: This is my first time writing about angst. I used to write on wattpad (shame on me). I think the story came out choppy. If you have any advice on writing, (please do share) Also there will be some Spanish here. English isn’t my first language so… enjoy <3

Summary: You get injured badly on a mission.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Miguel really didn’t get along. You were a total opposite of him. You were all sunny and rainbow. While he was an grumpy rainstorm. You guys still fought along and with each other. You were a rookie Spider-person. That gave him more of a reason to turn you down. Miguel had a huge crush on you. Everyone on the team could tell, but you.

Whenever you were around his gaze would soften. He’d seem more… Relaxed? Jess would tease him about it. Which he would scoff off. He tried distancing himself from you. Not wanting to get close because he knew it would hurt you. It’d get harder everyday to distance himself from you. You were so kind, beautiful, and sweet. Everyone at base enjoyed your friendly behavior.

As much you annoyed him. He didn’t seem to mind it. He’d act like he was annoyed, but in reality he enjoyed your company. You had a slight crush on him too.

You sometimes appreciate it when he praises you. A simple “Good Job” from him would lighten up your whole day. You didn’t like failing. It’s been a habit of yours from the start. You wanted to prove to him that you could do so much more. Backup was never an option for you.

“Here’s your next mission.” Miguel pulled up a screen with information.

 Another anomaly. You skim over the information trying to soak in all the details and cramp it in your brain. You let out a small sigh, which caught Miguel's attention.

“Can you take care of it? Or is it too much?” He gazed over his broad shoulders. 

“Piece of cake.” You scoff. You turn on your watch, which opens up a portal.

“I’ll wait for you to come back.” He said before you headed into the portal.

 The anomaly you were about to fight had speed and strength. Some goblin looking creature. You enter the familiar but unfamiliar NYC. Which looked half destroyed. A loud roar alerted you to the creature's whereabouts. You swing around the buildings to find the anomaly. All you have to do is get close enough to the creature. To capture it and send it back to their world.

You were able to land on the creature back, you quickly set up your watch. The anomaly quickly grabs you, throwing you roughly against the wall. You definitely broke something. You saw your watch glow a figure of Lyla.

She had her arms crossed. “Need help-?” 

“No backup,” You spat out, quickly getting up. 

You were going to try again, and again. No way you were going to fail this. As many times you were thrown by the anomaly. You got back up, slightly shaking. Blood was dripping out of your nose. Your lips scratched. Possibly, many broken bones.

Still you were fighting.

“You just don’t give up, do you web head?” The creature spoke with a low chuckle. “I can do this all day.” The creature threw you into a building. This time, your bones weren't the only thing that broke. Your watch smashed into chucks. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck I can’t fail.” You cursed multiple times under your breath. The main part of the watch wasn’t broken but, it wouldn’t be able to get you home. All you could do is send a message. You hated the idea.

You started to glitch.

“Lyla…” You choked out. Lyla's distorted figure popped up.

“Yes?”

“Backup, please.” You spoke, your whole body on the floor. Trembling in pain.

“On it-” The creature steps on the watch. Breaking it for sure.

 Your vision was blurring. All the noise around you started to get quieter. All you could hear was your heartbeat and your heavy breathing.

-

Lyla popped out of nowhere.

“What is it?” Miguel asked, slightly annoyed.

“Backup protocols were called.” She’d pulled up a screen of information.

His brows knitted against each other. This is where he sent Y/n. Panic erupted in his body,  “Open the portal.” He spoke in a serious tone. Nanotech spreading throughout his head for his mask.

As he enters the other side of the portal. An agonized scream rang through his ear. He spotted Y/n instantly.

“Piece of cake, you said.” He mutters under his breath.

 As you were being thrown, Miguel was able to grab you before you were thrown into the wall. You felt a warm arm around you. You couldn’t recognize who it was, your vision too blurry. Breathing was getting harder for you. 

“Y/n, please open your eyes.” He said, holding onto you. “Don’t die on me, mi amor.” His voice cracked slightly. His hands stained with your blood.

 He dropped you off somewhere safe before returning to the creature. It took him a little over 3 minutes to handle the creature. He captures the creature, sending him off to base. Heading back to you.

He checked your pulse making sure you were still breathing. He carried you in his arms. Your eyes opened a little to see him. You were glitching again.

“M- Miguel?” You choked, seemingly worn out. “Mi amor, I’m here.” He said. He was pretty warm. You felt like you were about to cry- No you were crying. Tears fell down your face. Mixing with your blood.

“I- I’m sorry. I.. I failed you.” You were so tired, so very tired. “Shh, It’s okay. You're going to be okay.” He tried to reassure you. It felt more as he was reassuring himself. You could feel his arm shaking violently.

“Stay awake.” He ordered. Your eyes were dropping slowly. “Stay. Awake. Please.” This time it felt more like a beg than an order.

“Y/n!”

-

Everything was quiet. Lonely, you didn’t think death would be this empty. Were you in Hell or Heaven? Your guess. Neither.

‘Beep, Beep.’

A constant beep rang through. 

Later on, you heard a faint sob. 

“Please, I can’t lose you too.” It sounded like Miguel.

And there it was. Quiet again. 

“Stable!”

Then more sobbing, but it was louder this time. You’d regain another sense. Touch. You felt a warm grip on your hand.

“Mi querida, please wake up.” He said, with more of a sob. The warm grip on your hands never leaves your senses.

-

“Miguel, you haven’t eaten anything in days.” Jessica said.

“I don’t care.” He spat.

She had her arms on her hips and looked at him in a worried gaze. “Waiting right next to her, won’t make her wake up any faster.”

He repeated again. “I don’t care.” His words getting a little more frustrated. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have sent her alone.” He mutters.

“Do you think she’d be happy to see you in this condition?” She placed a hand on his shoulder. Miguel shook his head no.

“I’m not hungry-” He was cut off. “I’m getting the doctors to bring you food. Y/n, would have wanted for you to eat, too.” She walked away. Hearing her name, he tightened his grip on her hand.

-

Atlas, you regain vision. Your vision was blurry at first. Before seeing a figure right beside you.

It was Miguel. In all his glory. He was asleep. You snicker a little bit. Since you have never seen him asleep before. The lights in the Med Bay seem to dim a little. Which comforts your eyes a little. You stared at his brown locks.

You tried raising your hand, but stopped since it ached too much to raise. You wanted to feel his hair. He slept so peacefully. Looking so. Handsome? You shook your head to get rid of the thoughts. You saw that you were hooked up to multiple maschine.

Your eyes trace back to Miguel as he seems to be waking up.

“G’morning sleepyhead.” You smiled.

You could see his eyes widen. He brought you close to an embrace. Careful not to hurt you. He’d crash his lips onto yours. Kissing you lightly.

“I told you I’ll wait for you.”

-

W.C 1.4k

[embodies]

EXTENSIVE HORROR PLOT WISHLIST.

in no particular order, specific muses listed where relevant. some taken from this meme. let me know what takes your fancy! (pls)

30 days of night: our muses live in alaska, which experiences a month of solid darkness every year. they are 2 of the few residents that stay behind during this time. this year their town is targeted by a group of vampires. ideal for: alisha, beatrix, dean, faith, jesse, lucas, malia, mike, dutch, geralt, deacon, richie.

as above so below: our muses are exploring the catacombs of paris, a tunnel collapse preventing them from going back. they encounter horrors such as cultists and spirits of dead loved ones as they descend. they come to realise they are travelling through the levels of hell. ideal for: bellamy, dean, faith, lucas, mike, deacon, richie.

cloverfield: a giant monster attacks new york city, our muses are trying to flee the city. along the way they have to fight off smaller creatures that continue to attack them. ideal for: beatrix, faith, jesse, amélie, genji, hana, mike, deacon, alec, richie, lisbeth.

ghost ship: our muses are part of a salvage crew that come across an abandoned passenger ship. once on the ship they discover it is haunted by the deceased guests and crew along with a demonic entity responsible for their deaths. ideal for: dean, faith, jesse, lucas, mike, dutch, deacon, richie.

pitch black: a deep space transporter crash lands on a desolate planet. our muses are the only survivors: they find out the planet suffers a total eclipse every 22 years, which is when the hibernating flesh-eating inhabitants awake and hunt, and the eclipse is about to begin. ideal for: bellamy, dean, amélie, genji, hana, vanasha.

the purge: our muses are trapped away from their home on the night of the purge, where all crime (including murder) is legal for 12 hours. they must try and survive the night. ideal for: beatrix, bellamy, faith, jesse, lucas, deacon, richie, lisbeth.

the ritual: our muses are on a hike through the wilderness, a wrong turn gets them lost in the forest where they begin to encounter strange phenomena: dead animals hanging from branches, symbols carved in trees, nightmares and blackouts. they realise they are being stalked by an ancient evil. ideal for: bellamy, jesse, lucas, malia, mike, vanasha, dutch, yennefer, geralt, alec, richie.

halloween: the idea of evil taking form / manifesting as a physical entity, whether in one of our muses or a being they need to combat! a slow madness that can't be abated, until the person possessed by it is no longer recognisable. ideal for: dean, elizabeth, faith, lucas, amélie, genji, mike, geralt, yennefer.

gravity falls: cryptic vibes all around, maybe replicating the style of found footage but in a thread. gaps in our muses' memory, getting mixed up, reversed, rewinded. seeing things in fleeting glimpses, lots of the unexplained. ideal for: bellamy, dean, faith, lucas, malia, mike, richie.

frankenstein: the idea of man vs. monster and what it means to be / make a monster. either one of our muses is a monster or makes the other into one, what does that dynamic look like in the end? do they take on the world together or become bitter enemies? ideal for: alisha, bellamy, dean, elizabeth, faith, jesse, lucas, malia, amélie, genji, mike, vanasha, geralt, yennefer, deacon, alec, richie.

other movie plot inspired wishlists: blair witch project, the conjuring, it follows, the crazies, the descent as detailed in this meme.

some generic ones for most of my muses!!!

findin a book they most definitely shouldn’t read out loud but :~)

lookin back at a video of a fun group event except something menacing shows up on the film...

one character is presumed dead, comes back out of nowhere with no memory of anything but something seems off...

you know that myth of swallowing apple seeds? yeah what if it had some weight to it

woodsy horror, bodies strung on antlers, trees that seem to inch closer, eyes watching and branches snapping and they can’t find their way out

a shooting star / meteorite lands in town but brings something with it

road trip to a foggy silent hill esque town that swallows them whole

vibes from this meme (detailed below):

tips for walking in an abandoned graveyard

if it’s dark, don’t shine your flashlight into the trees.

if a child approaches and asks you a question, don’t tell the truth.

you may find some harrowing artifacts (i found a ribbon on a tree and some bible pages) pick these up and keep them. they belong to you.

if you walk down a long, straight pathway, you will feel someone behind you. don’t look

you may see people in your peripheral vision; these are the spirits. they won’t hurt you.

if you wish to communicate with the spirits, do not do it alone. cast a protection circle. only ask polite questions.

you will feel bursts of dread and terror. ignore them.

don’t read too much into what the graves say. some things are best left unsolved.

research the history of the graveyard beforehand. you need to know what you might encounter.

some beings may not want you to leave. should you come into contact with one of these beings, leave immediately.

don’t read the hidden graves.

if you find a headless angel statue, don’t look for her head.

if you find a tipped over angel statue, leave her be. she’s only resting.

don’t listen to music. this will distract you from them.

don’t look in the bushes. you will find something that you weren’t supposed to.

gothic vibes as per this meme (detailed below):

southern gothic: abandoned churches, cryptic gospel signs, don’t go near the marshes, elusive and overly religious people that are probably up to something but everyone is too afraid to ask what.

midwestern gothic: something lives in the corn, broken down trucks, gravel roads that lead nowhere, empty gas stations placed between tiny towns with only one attendant who makes too much eye contact but never speaks.

southwestern gothic: animal skulls hung from posts, shacks miles into the barren desert that still look lived in but nobody is ever seen around, they watch from the mountains, shapeshifting creatures hiding in the brush.

[safety-writes-noms]

I SAW DRAGON AND STARTEDNABRAGRHAHB

holding out my idea of wolfwalkers type shit but with dragons. im jsutbtrghgrhgbrjrghrgjngrughibkjfggfhbjgrfihdkjh SMASHING MY HANDS ON MY DESK. PLEASE.

just imagining big angry dragon miguel with gold accents trying his damn hardest not to snap as hes got a bunch of smaller dragons clambering on him and excitedly talking while waiting to be told what to do. being dragons and all they go around and make sure theres peace between kingdoms and stuff ....

sobbing into my hands. i need to see more dragon content im GGGGHR AAHHHHHH

YES OMG PMG I LOVE DRAGON AU’S (so sorry this is kinda late 🙏 school seriously beat me up this week. Also YOUR ART IS SO SO SO COOL!)

(Also also I’m so sorry but I’m not familiar with the wolf walkers series and never got the chance to watch it :(( but I absolutely love the animation style and premise from the ads I’ve seen)

THIS IS NOT NSFW AT ALL!!! KINK BLOGS AND NSFW BLOGS DNI

I can just imagine miguel grumpily walking around with all of the spider kids either nestled on his back or chattering somewhere in the cave, waiting to get assigned their missions. I am in LOVE with the idea of Miguel sending them out to keep the peace between humans since sometimes humans can be very… not wise. Idk actually, maybe the some of the spider kids are humans and that’s how they meet Miguel or peter and Jess (bc I’d love to see them as dragons theyre so cool)

imagine a human Hobie just confidently walking around a dragon’s cave/network society and just casually arguing with a giant dragon Miguel. I’m feel like he’d get in the dumbest arguments with him just for the giggles. I can see him also baby sitting a hatchling mayday, keeping her fully entertained while Peter goes off to finish missions too dangerous to bring her along. Their little interactions in atsv were adorable especially the little salute he gave her.

or the fight between miles and Miguel ☹️ even tho I love him (Miguel) and understand why he did that and his motives, I’ll always feel so bad for miles. I feel like it would even be worse because instead of having a 6’9 roughly judged 310 pounds of muscle man chasing after you and pinning you down, there’s a ten ton dragon hellbent on having your dad die for the sake of the canon, claws, wings, VENOM/FIREBREATHING. It’s pretty much game over at that point. Ofc miles is a resourceful amazing wonderful intelligent human so I think he’d be able to reason with him. Besides, even then I kinda doubt Miguel would want to kill a kid, even if they’re a human. Nurturing instincts don’t go away after ur daughter dies 😋! Actually Miguel might even nom miles in an effort to keep him from messing up the canon :( can you imagine being so so terrified of this huge creature and getting nommed and you don’t know you’re safe and you’re panicking and —

The hurt and comfort is strong here :o. And the guilt. So much guilt. Once they work out their issues (there are so so so many poor dudes) I’m sure they’ll be besties. But that’s for human miles au

dragon miles would definitely get the short end of the stick. Even if he’s a hatchling (kind of, he’s in that odd stage between adult and adolescent but on the younger side) he’s still a whole lot more durable than if he’s a human. Which means that Miguel won’t be nearly as cautious handling him physically. Ouch. Miguel genuinely wants to protect miles in the movie but does it in the worst way possible. That would probably transfer over to this universe too.

But still because I absolutely LIVE for found family, I want to imagine they work through their problems in a long and very very non linear path that has setbacks and leaps forward and minor changes and everything because I love all of these characters sm and without depth they don’t feel like people. Plus imagining sleepy spider kids/dragons stumbling into Miguel’s section of the cave system/lair and deciding to take a quick nap there because it feels safe and waking up with Miguel curled loosely around them, wing slightly shielding them from the chilly drafts and hsjskskdjskj they have my heart. (Miguel will deny it later.)

or peter b taking the human kids out flying to let them feel at least a little what it’s like to taste the sky while Miguel lurks in the background anxiously, crimson eyes tense just in case peter accidentally drops one of them. Not that he would, he may be goofy but he’s most definitely not stupid.

I can imagine Miguel trying his hardest to stop some of the kids from doing things that he thinks is wayyy too dangerous for them and just giving up and tucking them away in his brooding pouch. If they won’t listen to his very very valid concerns then he’ll just have to make sure they don’t go anywhere >:(. Plus it’s warm and safe and even though Miguel will never admit it, he feels calmer if they’re there, protected completely bc he’ll never let anything hurt them. At least not while they’re nestled in one of the literal safest places in the world. I can’t imagine anyone would have an easy time getting to them when there’s a very protective and vengeful dragon guarding his precious brood.

and I haven’t even really gotten into the other characters either :( especially exploring the relationship between Jess and Gwen or Hobie and miles/gwen and pav but I feel like I’m writing too much so I’ll end it here. If you or anyone else wants to continue this thread/au PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GIVE ME AN ASK! I LOVE THIS AU SM 😭😭

[confessmau]

this is less of a hot take more like a complaint but something I think isn’t nearly as talked abt is the magic system and how it works in MS/MCD. In McD it’s slightly more explored.

Jess just kinda threw a lot of… stuff at us and expected us to just digest it without further explaining what’s in the dish.

it’s the equivalent of a stranger walking up to you, handing you a plate of somewhat appealing food, and telling you to eat it. Like most people want to know what’s in the food.

there’s two different forms of it, kinda not really, magic and magik’s. With no real meaningful difference between the two.

we know there’s a high magic council, that’s off busy doing god knows what during MS’s climax.

We know that aside from magik’s and magic there’s multiple different classifications of magic. By extension we know most of magic is drawn from emotion (it’s still stated extremely vaguely tho), and healing magic is done through equivalent exchange.

we know there’s demons and other mythical humanoid/animal like creatures.

we know there’s a spirit world.

we know there’s like familiars, and some of those spells that come with it.

And we know there’s other gods besides the divine. (They’re technically not gods, but they’re still treated like it in dialogue so)

and we know that there’s magic laws, colleges, maybe even governments and places that are purely inhabited by magic users alla Harry Potter.

my point being, with all these jumping points you would thing at least would be expanded on, but nope, magic in this world is just, accepted as a factor and treated like a relatively unimpressive spectacle.

which is weird because despite there being lots ways to show off how society, both physically and psychologically would change. There’s so many cool world building you could do, but Jess just- opts to shove goofy ass spells in our face.

at least until season 4 where the really bad forbidden spell is made which, isn’t even investigated by this magic council that put the rule that you can’t make it in place. But if Jess did that then she’d have to do several things we know she wouldn’t want to do like; explain why forever potions are band and love potions aren’t, actually focus on characters and the world bigger than our cast of characters mainly aph and Aaron, come up with actual world building and discuss the conflicts that may arise out of having magic being used so freely in schools and just public areas in general.

like there’s so many deeper topics that you could present with it but no; cat potionsssss, love potion misunderstandings/conflicts that we’ve seen a million other times and done so much better in a handful of them, teleportation which does have a bit of a limit granted, more destructive chaotic potions that multiple characters have not accidentally/purposefully caused 100’s of 1,000 dollars with, but also put people in actual physical danger in both schools and public settings, potions that allow you to swap fantasy races for comedy.

The main problem is that Jess kinda just, pulled out random generic spells as she went along and only put debuffs on it later to nerf it. Again like the teleportation, or forever potion victims just needing to feel a “strong emotion”. It’s not thought out at all, which I’m not surprised by but god, it could’ve been so interesting.

oh i can explain the magic differences sorta ~~

magicks/magics plural is exclusive to mcd. people who use magicks have to be born with an innate connection to the magicks that flows through the world. and your abilities tend to fall into a specific category of spell (ex. kc specializes in animation magicks, zoey has barrier magicks etc.) some magicks users can perform witchcraft in spells related to their field, but witchcraft is for the most part a seperate skill. it is the best explained out of the three.

magic is a mystreet concept and allegedly anyone can use it with a "strong emotion". there are only a couple categories of spell, and specific emotions are required for each one (happy is creation, anger for destruction, sorrow for elemental, and love for healing). only the healing magic is ever used, and its mostly unrelated to witchcraft even through lucinda exposits about it. [imo adding a magic with such a loose requirement and never using it only serves to dampen any emotional scenes after its introduction since (ex. zane couldn't have been THAT sad about aph's death if he didn't become the avatar) but that's a little unrelated lol)

witchcraft is the jack of all trades of magic in both worlds and is characterized by using specific incantations and ingrediants for spells to work. anyone can do it with training or only some people can do it depending on the timeline. it is the most lawless of the three, mostly due to the fact that lucinda is the only important witch and her primary role is plot device. the majority of magic use is witchcraft, including the forever potions.

[yeehanfrf]

Week 7 Recs: Fever Dreams

Week 7's theme was "Fever Dreams," all about the crackfics and other wild and wacky rides. Some of these are sheer goofy fun, and others take a chance with some crack treated seriously. This includes not one but FOUR different animal transformation fics, by the way. Here are the recs gathered from the Yeehan community, organized by rating then alphabetically by title!

General Audiences

A Better Fate Than Roadkill by robocryptid [10,982 words] Reccer comment: "the summary says it all LOL"

When shelter worker Hanzo takes in a rescued armadillo, he doesn't expect it to be quite so much trouble. Or for it to take such a shine to him. Or for it to maybe, possibly, be more than an ordinary armadillo.

Teen and Up

See Through The Dragon's Eyes by thecatsred [20,131 words] Reccer comment: "i’m always a sucker for Hanzo getting turned into different creatures - though this one of him being turned into a noodle dragon is actually kinda cute"

There is little to be done once Hanzo's dragons have their minds set on solving his problems (with some nudging from certain interested parties).

Mature

Pink by mataglap [3,998 words] Reccer comment: "Because who can resist Cole in a fluffy pink tiara and Hanzo with a pretty pink hair bow 😂"

The fact that they are on the same side, on the same team and fighting for more or less the same cause doesn't change the fact that Hanzo Shimada and Cole Cassidy compete about everything.

Put It In (A Hallmark Card) by robocryptid [WIP; 4,412 words] Reccer comment: "Cupid has a personal issue with Hanzo and deals with it the way trickster deities usually do."

After pissing off Cupid, Hanzo is cursed to do the god's bidding by playing matchmaker. His latest assignment is the most challenging yet: finding the perfect match for one Cole Cassidy.

Trust and Love in a Broken Heart by Author_of_Kheios [22,191 words] Reccer comment: "not exactly a crack fic, but I'd like to recommend "Trust and Love in a Broken Heart" by my buddy Author_of_Kheios. Hanzo accidentally gets possessed by the god of Love, but this Cupid is far kinder, more thoughtful, and more profound, than he is usually given credit for, and Hanzo and the Cowboy both get swept along for an adventure. The ending is perfectly self-contained, but also leaves the door open for further adventures"

Hanzo didn't mean to become a vessel for a god of love, but it might just be the best thing that's ever happened to him.

Explicit

Anatomically Correct by Sougishiki [245 words] Reccer comment: "speaking of fever dreams, I thought I’d only imagined this fic, but no. it’s real & it’s delightfully cursed."

First of all, I am so sorry. Second of all, that thing dogs do when they tie where they go butt to butt to keep watch.

Don't think about it by urgaylol [129,830 words] Reccer comment: "Anything urgaylol has ever written, honestly. But the one in which Hanzo becomes a hardcore utilitarian dictator takes the cake."

Hanzo asks McCree for casual sex and misadventures ensue.

Pastel Darklord by Dracoduceus [60,085 words] Reccer comment: "let’s include a trifecta of YeeHan animal transformation fics with “Pastel Darklord” by dracoduceus"

Hanzo has been turned into a swan and he is not thrilled at all.

On the plus side, his handler is a very attractive man.

--

Jesse is not thrilled to be taking care of a swan, much less one as aggressive as the one he was sent to rescue from a local park for attacking someone, but he doesn't have it in him to turn down an animal in need.

He's also been dreaming a lot lately. Dreaming of a very attractive man that always seemed to be waiting for him at the shores of the lake...

The Rest is Gravy by robocryptid [1,430 words] Reccer comment: "I have to request this one bc I still laugh at how ridiculous it is-- Cass is way too horny for his own good--"

As an international organization, the new Overwatch tries to celebrate the holidays of every one of its members' cultures. This time, it's American Thanksgiving. Cole Cassidy cannot handle it.

Rooster in the House of the Rising Sun by coinin [18,300 words] Reccer 1 comment: "I mean, I'm never not gonna rec this absolute masterpiece of crack treated seriously"

Reccer 2 comment: "This is unironically one of my favorite fics 😭"

Reccer 3 comment: "Absolutely the best Yeehan crackfic of all time, hands down, no question."

Reccer 4 comment: "Still among my favorite Hanzo or Yeehan fics ever."

Hanzo makes a deal for his life, and spends some time as a rooster. It's better than dying, right?

That's all the Week 7 recs! Thank you so much to everyone who submitted a fic rec. Stay tuned for the Week 8 theme: "Middle of the Road," i.e. those fics that are long but not too long (10k to 25k words).

In the meantime, you can also check out the Week 6 recs here or check the list of past and future themes here!

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

DOES A BEAR SNORT IN THE WOODS?

Now playing in the multiplexes:

Cocaine Bear--This shocker has at least as much right to claim "true story" status for itself as Fargo or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There really was a Cocaine Bear: back in 1985, an American black bear was found dead in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia, just south of the Tennessee line. The poor creature had OD'd, having ingested more than 30 kilos of cocaine, valued at tens of millions of dollars.

The stuff had been dropped from an airplane by a smuggler who then died himself in a parachuting mishap. The unfortunate ursine, dubbed "Pablo Eskobear," was stuffed by a taxidermist and ended up on display in a shopping mall in Kentucky, where it reportedly still stands.

The movie, directed by Elizabeth Banks from a script by Jimmy Warden, is set in 1985 and uses some real place names and at least one real person's name (the smuggler's). But it's still a load of gleeful b.s., a highly entertaining sick joke. Unlike the real animal, the movie's bear--arguably the newest addition to the stable of Universal Monsters--turns into a drug-crazed spree killer, mauling and dismembering hikers and park personnel, as well as the drug traffickers that enter the forest in search of the lost product.

Cocaine Bear is as violent and gory as any big-studio movie you're likely to see. But it isn't scary, and isn't meant to be; the splatter is played entirely for gruesomely slapstick laughs. Indeed, the exuberance with which the blood and brains and guts fly is the central recurring and escalating gag.

Except for a single mom (Keri Russell), searching the woods for her daughter and the daughter's friend, most of the major characters are scoundrels or cretins or both, though not necessarily unlikable scoundrels and cretins. All of them are broadly played caricatures, so Banks invites us to leave our empathy at the door, take a cathartic break from compassion and hoot at the horrors which befall them. I indulged, and so did the audience with which I saw the film.

The title character, generated through some reasonably seamless combination of virtual and practical effects, has a guileless personality that contrasts with the bloody mayhem. Indeed, you're more likely to feel for the blameless beast than for most of the humans.

The cast is nonetheless excellent, even if most of them are not employing ten percent of their talent. I've long thought that Russell is one of the more underrated and underutilized lead actresses now in movies. I also don't understand why Alden Ehrenreich hasn't become a bigger deal; he's comically muddled yet sympathetic as an elaborately bereaved drug operative. So is O'Shea Jackson as his weary partner, Aaron Holliday as a dimwit would-be mugger they encounter, and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as a cranky detective.

The film was one of the last in which the late Ray Liotta appeared. He's in his usual strong form as Ehrenreich's father, the heartless local boss of the drug dealers. It's not a rich enough role to be a worthy swansong, but it's a good performance, and the film is dedicated to him. The great Margo Martindale nails every line and facial expression as a hard-up park ranger trying to get the attention of a naturalist (Jesse Tyler Ferguson). Maybe the best of all are Brooklyn Prince and Christian Convery as the two kids, who get across a genuine affection behind their mild, familiar ragging and posing and their dares of each other. They, along with Russell, offer us somebody to unambiguously root for.

Banks has a lot of fun evoking '80s-movie atmosphere, not only with the costumes and cars and posters and overheard pop songs but with her direction. From the full opening credit sequence to the leisurely camera movement to the driving synthesizer score by Mark Mothersbaugh, the film is as much a throwback to the decade in which it's set as last year's Top Gun: Maverick, and the response to both of those films suggests that maybe today's audiences wouldn't object to a return to that style.

[floaroanemoia]

“Either I’m embellishing a story for shocking effect, or I’m the only one telling the truth in a room full of liars.“ hi jess hows the weather

     A room full of liars.

     That is always what they have been—or, at least, those who played a hand in the young one’s banishment. Liars and thieves, who stumbled in upon the morning shore and in lieu of listening to the water and foam lapping at their feet, trying to usher them back into the sea, they tore themselves from it. When met with the vast land of Hisui, when their eyes fell upon the sight of fellow human beings who long knew the innerworkings of the region, they had claimed it theirs for the taking. A fresh canvas to build upon, even if it meant unknowingly using the foundations built by people millennia back. A dangerous, unviable place, that man had described it as, and the pokemon  even more so. The campsites among toppled and crumbling ruins vital, even if they could serve the same purpose away from what was once towns or temples to honour the stars, the unknowable, but was still home to the surviving few.

     From day one, the very premise that village had been built upon was a lie, perpetuated by the loyal, the persecuted and the lost.

      Sarana’s brow furrows, lips drawing into a line for what feels to be the umpteenth time within the span of a few minutes. Heart strings are tugged and pulled, scraping along the depths of her chest. This has gone too far now. The Nobles falling victim to frenzy, the sky taking upon itself both patterns and colours described only in tales told to the medium when she was a little girl. And now, the hero—the child—who sought to stop it all has been cast out. Banished by that same, lost liar. Left to die over nothing more than ill-placed suspicion.

     And in the name of their people, no less. The Celestica.

    Perhaps it would be easier, to simply accuse Volo of lying. Point the fingers at him to give her mind one more chance to refuse the reality placed before her—of that brave, young soul being left to fend on their own, and maybe already no longer of this world. He is a man with the tendency to embellish, that is true. A theatrical heart when it comes to tales that must be made taller for a certain response, or to heighten the value of an item no rarer than the dirt beneath their feet. But that is simply it—for stories. For sales. And she knows the tones, the inflections, the dramatic gestures and expressions which accompany them.

     He wears neither. From a glance up, stare as piercing as it had been before—sharpened, and yet terribly guarded; like a cornered creature ready to strike out at the slightest provocation—, the woman can tell that much. And what reason would have Volo to lie about this? No, in fact, the hushed voice, the shifting nature of his gaze, it resembles more of those rarer times. When his own smile had faded with the sunlight, and solemn words followed suit. Even if the version he has told her sounds far direr, and infinitely more unfair on the child, Sarana cannot see him lying about this. Far more likely would it be that those of the village have downplayed the situation, either to preserve their own morality, to give Kamado the benefit of the doubt, or to reassure themselves that the one who fell from the sky would be just fine on their own.

    Out there. In the cold climate of Hisui. With a couple of days to learn what she had been taught for over a decade, just to have the faintest chance of surviving more than a week.

          “…Very well, I believe you,”

     Fingers unlace themselves from beneath the medium’s chin, and with a swift movement, she falls back into the chair, a huff of air escaping from her form. Her head turns, and eyes shift to that accursed building’s side, inwardly cursing how it dares to take its colours from the sunrise. She must find them—before something else does. Something dangerous, or someone willing to prey on vulnerabilities. With the sun setting, and hours slipping by, there would be no time to assemble the others for a search party. They are too far; too spread out around the land. Sophora should be fast enough—her Ninetales and Zoroark proficient enough to track their scent. But perhaps, with this much knowledge on their situation, he might have heard the faintest hint of a last known location.

          “Volo. Where were they left? Do you know anything about where they might be?”

[imawholeassmood]

part 2

Lena ducks around the corner and crouches in the tall grass. Her eyes dart around as she huffs and puffs, gulping for air. Once she’s certain that mangy dog is no longer chasing her, she lets out a sigh and scopes out the area. Nothing looks familiar.

Great.

She’s about to leave the safety of the overgrown landscaping when she hears a noise. Her cat instincts take over. She crouches low, backside poised for attack. When the creature draws near, Lena takes one final breath before she leaps forward with all her might.

Her skippity baps are ready to go, claws sharp, and teeth primed to tear into whatever canine flesh is necessary. Except when she emerges from the weeds, it’s not a feral mutt before her. Lena screeches to a stop and her eyes flash from head to toe of the woman crouched low and looking right at her, all golden hair and bright, beaming eyes.

Before Lena’s finished processing this unexpected turn of events, she’s scooped up and rubbing nose to whiskers with her. The shock and confusion must show on her face because she’s promptly being held at arm’s length with the promise of a bath.

**

“No, this is bad,” Lena thinks, “I have to get out of here.” She claws and scratches at Blonde Snow White to escape this bubbly nightmare. Little Miss Sunshine is humming and muttering random names, but Lena’s preoccupied with figuring out her escape plan. She nearly chips a tooth as she bites down hard on Princess Buttercup’s hand.

Lena fights less during her towel-dry since it is the fastest way to be done with this sensory horror show, but when Elle Woods tries to swaddle her, she again resists. Her arm gets stuck in the neck hole, and she huffs out an irritated breath. Her frustration dissipates when she hears chuckling and sees a crinkle form in Briar Rose’s brow. The softness of Tinkerbell’s lips and gentleness of the kiss she places on Lena’s paw makes her forget she’s supposed to be finding a way out of here. No one’s ever handled her with such care before. She watches bespectacled blue eyes furrow in thought and Lena finds herself thinking that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to –

“Beans,” Blondie says.

“Absolutely not,” Lena rebuts with a scowl.

“Well, if you have a name you prefer, feel free to share it.”

Lena answers, but all that comes out of her mouth is a meow, and the laugh it draws is one Lena wants to hear again. Her heart swells. It’s an odd feeling. Even odder is the feeling of Cinderella’s lips on her forehead. The feeling of affection. Towards her.

**

Since bathtime, Lena needed some alone time to work on her escape plan. She hides under the bed and grooms herself. Fortunately, Harley Quinn gets the message and leaves her alone for a while. It’s been hours since she disappeared from her private lab at L Corp and, while she knows Jess is more than capable of covering for her, there are still limits.

This latest attempt at a transmatter portal didn’t exactly produce the desired result. If Lena was going to proposition herself as an ally to National City’s Supergirl, she was going to do it with technology the local hero couldn’t resist. Wanting to distance herself from her brother’s evil legacy, Lena considered all possibilities that weren’t weapons of destruction, mass or otherwise. She hoped to have the portal ready before her first official press conference in her new home.

Lena searches the bedroom for a way out, jumping onto windowsills and pressing against the glass. Her frustration grows with each dead end. Eventually, she makes her way into the bathroom, hoping against hope to find an open window or vent. To her surprise, she finds a freshly filled litterbox. She wonders when Rapunzel got that set up. Unless, the uneasy thought comes to her, this was from a previous kidnapped cat. She swallows hard.

“Dinner’s ready,” She-Ra calls out from the other room. Lena’s stomach grumbles on cue and she curses herself for skipping lunch. Again.

She wonders if she has target tracking on her when Lena slinks along the wall only to find Linda Lee frozen in place and staring at her from the table. Lena refuses to look away first. She channels her inner businesswoman and hardens her gaze at Princess Peach. Thank goodness, she thinks, when her intimidation works because Lena feels her icy heart thaw when she notices cat toys strewn around the floor and a plate full of varying food options. She can’t be seen softening, even, or maybe especially, in this form.

“Who is this woman?” she thinks while she stares at the food spread, completely forgetting to question how and when all of these cat supplies got into the apartment. Her nose twitches as it catches a whiff of a particularly fishy dry food blend.

After finishing all but two of her options, she’s asked a question about allergies.

“A little late for that,” she thinks and cocks her head at Gabrielle. Lena misses her eyebrows.

**

Lena cannot understand why Bubbles will not just go to sleep. Despite not finding a way out of the apartment earlier, she is sure with enough time she can unlatch the…three deadbolts on the door. Genuinely concerned for her safety at this point, Lena grows more desperate in her search for a way out. She pushes against any and everything that might get her out of there. She feels eyes on her all night long, and every time she dared to look at her captor, Lady Thor was looking right back at her.

“I thought my security was tight,” Lena thinks when she catches Furiosa once again staring her down. This time, Lena plops on her backside and looks right back at her. Lena examines her closely, takes in every inch of her. She sees the way she’s curled into the corner of her small sofa with a light throw across her lap. The way her loose strands of hair fall softly from her low pony and land near plump, pink lips. The way she hugs a pillow to her chest. The way sadness sits in the corner of her eyes. Lena knows that look. It’s a look that says I’m dealing with so much more than I would dare let anyone else know. A look that begs for someone to notice.

Lena almost goes to her. But then she remembers L Corp and thinks of the conspiracies the news must be reporting, except she has no idea what’s happening because Gwen Stacy over here hasn’t put anything on the television except movies all night. She needs to get out of here.

An idea comes to her, but it will require patience and stealth. Lena finds a place to hunker down and wait.

**

Lena bolts for the opening in the door, knocking into Buffy’s legs on her way to freedom. She runs down the hallway, throwing herself into every door, looking for the one that leads to a staircase. None give way. At the end of the long hallway, as her adrenaline wanes, she spots the silvery gray doors of an elevator. Open, she commands.

When the doors don’t comply, she turns and faces Phoebe, who’s approaching her slowly and with the gentlest look on her face.

“It’s ok, Izzy. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Lena looks around to see if she missed any other means of escape. Realizing she’s trapped, she sighs into the exhaustion of her fight.

“I know you’re scared,” Cher speaks again, “this is a new place and we're still getting to know each other. But, if you'll give me a chance, I promise you will never again know a day without love.”

At that, Lena softens. The word “love” sticks to her whiskers.

One day, she thinks. She’ll allow herself one day with this woman.

***

Lena was not expecting to be tethered to a chest for the rest of her one day. She was not expecting to be taken to a secret underground alien-policing facility. And she absolutely, no way in hell, was expecting the blonde woman who called her Toothless to be National City’s own Supergirl.

As the week went on with Lena trying to escape and Kara, sweet, smart, and endlessly caring Kara Danvers, toting her around, Lena’s desperation to get back to L Corp grew. The more she learned about Kara, the reporter fighting for alien amnesty who was also the superhero defending the innocent, the more Lena wanted to meet her as her human self.

The night Kara told her she loved her, Lena knew it was all she ever wanted to hear again. Kara Danvers telling her, Lena Luthor, she loved her.

***

Lena managed to slip away from Kara and find her way back to L Corp, avoiding all of the dogs in the city. Fortunately, Lena knows how to pick the best people because Jess spotted her in the lobby and immediately took Lena to the lab where they sent her back through the portal and returned her to her human form. She wastes no time.

Dawning her best black dress suit and pale pink heels, Lena makes her way to the DEO. Guns be damned, nothing is stopping her from Kara Danvers.

What's in a Name

"Oh rao, I can't believe it." Kara works to contain her excitement as she nears the tiny shadowy figure stalking her in the unkempt grass outside her apartment. "This is really happening," she squeaks, "the cat distribution system has finally picked me."

The little void peers up at her with mischievous green eyes, it's backside wriggling with anticipation. Kara crouches and waits for the impending attack.

It comes with a burst of energy that burns hot and fast, then fizzles just as quickly as the black cat halts it's attack and stares at Kara with all the regret and panic of a teenage girl who just told her best friend she's in love with her. Not wanting to scare the cat, Kara hesitates, but the thought of this little cutie spending another minute on the streets compels her to scoop it into her arms and promptly rub her nose into its face.

"Right," she says and holds the cat at arms length, a quizzical gaze on its face. "Bath first."

***

Kara takes care to get the water temperature just right. Scratchy does not appreciate the effort. Claws scrape against her skin as Shadow fights against her, desperate to escape the soapy water. Kara hadn't actually found any fleas on Toothless during her physical exam to evaluate the cat's condition, and for that, she was grateful. She couldn't stand the idea of this baby being in any worse condition. A little prick digs into her finger and she mumbles, "ok, not Toothless."

She rinses the last of the suds and begins to wipe Bones with a towel. While the fight may have ended, Kara can't help but think it's a temporary reprieve, if the look on Merlin's face tells her anything. Those green eyes bite through her, clearly plotting revenge. Kara thinks it might be a good night for an all night movie marathon.

She wraps a dry towel around the still scowling cat and a tiny paw pokes out of the opening near its head, trapped like it got stuck mid escape. A disappointed huff let's out from the wet nose and Kara giggles at the adorableness.

"Here," she says," let me help you with that." She works to tuck the paw in the towel but not before dropping a kiss on the pink toe beans. "Beans," she tests the name. The cat throws a scowl at her. "Well if you have a name you prefer, feel free to share it."

The cat meows at her, and it draws a laugh from Kara whose whole body relaxes and swells with love. She drops a kiss on the furry forehead.

"I'll work on my pronunciation."

***

With Noodle cleaned and dried and now hiding under Kara's bed, licking herself to perfection, Kara works on preparing what amounts to a small buffet for each of them. She sets the takeout boxes on the table for herself and a plate of various wet and dry cat foods on the floor for Zephyr.

"Dinner's ready," she calls out, then wonders if she should take the plate to the bedroom instead. Building trust with cats sent by the universe can take time, and Kara's mind spirals with thoughts of what horrors Anubis might have endured while living on the streets. She's halfway to planning Calypso's catio to ease the transition from rugged outdoor cat to spoiled house cat when she spots the dark figure lurking along the wall. Kara freezes.

She debates her best course of action - does she offer her hand with a pspsps or do nothing? They stare at each other. After a moment where nothing happens, Kara averts her eyes, sending her gaze to the ceiling where she spots a spider in the corner. Great she thinks, let's hope Raven doesn't have an appetite for arachnids.

Kara's pulled from her thoughts by crunching near her feet. She sneaks a peak and sees Shuri ferociously air chomping a mouthful of dry food. A face-splitting grin splashes across her face.

After watching Potsticker test each of the offerings, finishing all but two samples, Kara once again attempts to build rapport.

"You don't have any allergies do you?"

Xena cocks her head and looks at her. Kara swears if this cat were human, there'd be a quirked brow to go along with that look.

"You're very expressive," she muses. "I wonder what you're thinking."

Unice meows at her, and Kara wishes she spoke cat.

***

She's struggling to stay focused on the movie with Ripley hiding away somewhere in her apartment. Kara hasn't seen the cat for hours and worries the progress she thought she made at dinner might have just been her hopeful imagination.

By the time breakfast rolls around, Kara's convinced Peony is plotting to kill her. Neither of them slept. Kara kept an eye out with her x-ray vision and noticed Nala spent the entire night exploring, poking and prodding with her pink-toed mitts at every window, door, latch, hatch, or moving part that might lead to a way out of the apartment. Every few hours, Jynx would check on Kara, looking almost annoyed to find her awake and looking back.

Kahlua's nowhere to be found when Kara's ready to head out to CatCo. She unlocks the door and calls out, "I'll be back soon, Calliope."

A flash of black streaks across the room and knocks into Kara's legs as soon as the door cracks open. Kara catches herself and stumbles into the hallway. Mittens is running around the hall, knocking into door after door. At the end of the hall, she stops in front of the elevator, looks it up and down, then turns back to Kara.

Little Yoda's ribs vibrate with heavy puffs and her eyes are wide. Kara approaches her slowly.

"It's ok, Izzy," she purrs. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Green eyes dart around. As if realizing there's nowhere to go, the fight leaves her.

"I know you're scared," Kara says, "this is a new place and we're still getting to know each other. But, if you'll give me a chance," she swallows, "I promise you will never again know a day without love."

The look on Dotty's face softens and it melts Kara's heart. The cat looks back at the elevator one more time before walking towards Kara. Grace, with all her regal elegance, brushes against Kara's ankle. It's the greatest moment of Kara's life.

***

"What is that?" Alex asks when Kara arrives at the DEO.

"This," Kara says, straightening herself and hooking her thumbs behind the shoulder straps at her chest, "is Griffin." The name is met with an immediate meow of objection. Kara looks down at the cat strapped to her chest then looks back up to Alex. "We're still deciding on a name."

***

It goes like that for a week with Kara toting the cat around with her. Bumblebee tries to run away at least once a day and continues to deny Kara's ideas for names. The day Dino curls up with Kara while an episode of Golden Girls plays on television is the day Kara thinks her heart might explode out of her chest.

With Athena's head buried in the crook of her neck, Kara strokes gently along her side.

"I love you, Tess," she breathes into black fur. A soft thrum purrs against her.

***

Kara enters the DEO panicked and sick with fear.

"She's gone, Alex," she manages to say through garbled, teary heaves. "I have to find her."

"Who?" Alex says and squeezes Kara's arms both to steady her and calm her.

"Ma'am's," Vasquez interrupts, "you might want to see this." She holds out a remote and turns on a television.

A news report shows an aerial view of a glass skyscraper with a large "L" emblazoned on the face. The ticker reads "Missing CEO found safe."

Before Alex or Kara can ask, a commotion stirs near the door. Agents scurry and someone yells, "you can't go in there."

Alex straightens herself to face the approaching party and sets a hand on her hip holster.

Kara wipes tears from her soaked cheeks.

A woman with alabaster skin, jet black hair, and deep red lips marches straight towards her. The tailored black suit commands the attention of every pair of eyes. Pale pink heels clack against the linoleum. Kara swallows the lump in her throat.

The woman stops inches before Kara, uncaring of the weapons pointed at her. Green eyes bore into Kara.

At long last, red lips curl into a smirk and a strong eyebrow quirks. She moves her head next to Kara's, so close Kara can feel the warmth of her breath against her ear when she purrs the words, "my name is Lena."

[duskys-dreams]

The cat-people were born with a small hawk at their side. The hawks couldn’t speak, but they could innately understand their other half. The cat can see through the hawk’s eyes whenever they want.

They’re born in a large office building, and nobody is ever allowed to leave. It’s known that every cat that steps outside disappears forever.

Jesse, their leader, has to make a decision every year, between one and two. One option will result in everyone’s death, and the other leads to unspeakable horrors (but not death).

This year, for the first time, Jesse picked wrong.

They had to break the news of the failure to everyone, which, understandably, caused a lot of panic. Everyone hid under desks and behind cabinets and generally freaked out.

The protagonist, a trans male, is born like all the others, appearing in a shallow pit along with everyone else. Mrs. Rhodenizer scoops him up and explains what’s going on, but someone else interrupts to ask Rhodenizer a question. She answers it curtly and carries the kit and his hawk to a corner of the room, telling him that he is in danger.

Before she can continue, a massive, bloblike creature bursts through the locked doors and starts attacking everyone. The kit is terrified and tries to hide, but his hawk has a better idea. He tells him to get ready to run, and flies out to distract the creature by swiping at its huge face. The kit slips behind it and runs outside, with the hawk in tow.

They made it out of the building. The one that their people had stayed inside for generations out of fear, and there was no turning back. Maybe if they found the source of these monsters and why Jesse had to make those decisions, they could save everyone.

[laurenscharhagwrites]

The inaugural issue of Death Nail Magazine is out! It includes my short horror story, “Those We Serve,” along with two flash fiction pieces, “Gastromancy” and “The Wishing Hole.” So excited to read this magazine! Thank you so much to editor and fellow horror geek John Patrick Robbins for this!

“Those We Serve” is the story of a Midwestern family whose seemingly idyllic farm is on the edge of a forest where strange creatures dwell, and the creatures demand offerings.

Here’s an excerpt:

I’d brought the last offering a week ago. They always seemed hungrier this time of year and, indeed, the dishes I’d left were empty save for some bones and an apple core. I cleared them away and set out clean plates, arranged everything neatly, including the flowers. I poured the beer into mugs.

I’d only entered the clearing itself maybe a handful of times. Now, I paused to watch the first glimmers of pale sun coming through the trees. The clearing was maybe five acres, its western border defined by a quick-running stream.

We never take the cattle to graze in there. Not that we could get them to set one hoof in that field. Horses and dogs won’t go there, either. The clearing is lined with mounds of earth, all of them neat and round, more or less uniform in size...

[lucygraysboy]

“must  be  one  of  your  many  talents,  lucy  gray,”  the  blue-eyed  cowboy  laughs  softly,  still  very  much  unsure  how  he’ll  ever  manage  to  pay  her  back  for  everything  she’s  done  for  him.  maybe  she’ll  allow  him  to  help  around  the  farm  and  animals.  he  could  cook  or  clean  the  house.  he  doesn’t  have  much  experience  working  in  the  field,  but  he’s  not  afraid  of  hard  labor,  and  so  he’d  be  willing  to  do  that  as  well.  either  way,  he’ll  find  a  way  to  make  himself  useful  somehow.  “when  i  tell  my  friend,  jesse,  about  this,  he  won’t  believe  me.”  but  billy  won’t  blame  him,  not  when  he  himself  keeps  discreetly  pinching  his  arm  to  make  sure  he’s  not  imagining  all  this.  “oh,  yeah,  good  thing  i’d  lost  a  few  pounds  along  the  way,”  he  chuckles,  gently  patting  his  flat  stomach.  he’s  tall  and  muscular  from  all  the  hard  work,  but  he’s  not  a  burly  man  and  for  once  that’s  worked  in  his  favor.  “my  ma  sometimes  called  me  a  beanpole  when  i  was  younger,  said  i  reminded  her  of  one.  guess  not  much’s  changed.  i’m  still  a  beanpole.”  the  memory  puts  a  smile  on  his  lips  now,  but  back  then,  it  kind  of  annoyed  him.  

“yeah,  she’s  not  as  big  as  a  horse,  but  i  bet  she  can  bite  you  in  the  shin  just  fine,”  he  playfully  counters,  not  buying  the  whole  sweet  as  a  pie  thing.  “well,  maybe  she  just  didn’t  want  to  share  her  hay  with  me.  i’ll  charm  my  way  into  her  heart.”  he’ll  try,  just  because  this  goat  clearly  means  a  lot  to  lucy  gray.  “i  don’t  really  blame  her  for  tryin’  to  look  menacing.  i  would  probably  do  the  same  if  my  ma  dragged  a  dying  man  into  my  bedroom.”  it’s  only  a  goat,  he  tells  himself,  thinking  what  he  needs  to  do  next  is  give  her  a  few  treats  and  she’ll  love  him  forever.  “lucy  gray,  if  you’re  the  one  tending  to  them,  you  have  nothin’  to  worry  about.  they  surely  love  you  already,”  he  muses  with  a  smile,  his  eyes  twinkling  with  sheer  wonderment  as  he  takes  her  in.  “we’ll  find  one  that’s  big  and  strong,  but  also  gentle,  and  if  we  don’t  kick  him  in  the  flanks,  we’ll  be  just  fine.  we’ll  ride  double  at  first  and  i  won’t  let  you  get  thrown,  alright?”  he’ll  let  her  sit  in  the  front  and  hopefully  having  his  arms  on  either  side  of  her  will  make  her  feel  more  secure.  “they  all  have  beautiful  names.  thank  you  for  reminding  me  about  theo  and  blaze.  i’ll  remember  now,”  he  assures,  determined  to  do  just  that  even  if  there’s  so  many  of  them.  “which  one  would  you  say  is  the  calmest?”  after  all,  she’s  the  expert  on  these  horses,  even  if  she  doesn’t  realize  it.  she  feeds  them,  takes  care  of  them,  leads  them  into  pastures.  she  probably  knows  their  personalities  like  the  back  of  her  hand,  he  assumes.

billy  listens  intently  to  everything  lucy  gray  says,  loving  how  patient  she  is  while  explaining  all  this  to  him.  he’s  finally  beginning  to  understand  what  the  covey  is,  what  they  stand  for,  what  they  do.  “sounds  like  it’s  a  wonderful  community  you’ve  got  there,  so  helpful  and  welcoming.”  he’d  love  to  hear  this  little  band  of  hers  one  day,  but  isn’t  bold  enough  to  suggest  she  takes  him  with  her  next  time.  “what  day  of  the  week  do  we  have  now?”  he  inquires  sheepishly,  embarrassed  to  admit  he’s  lost  track  of  time  out  there  in  the  woods.  “never  heard  of  gnomes?  they’re  small,  ugly  creatures,  kind  of  like  leprechauns  but  evil  in  a  way  that’s  truly  evil,  not  just  fun  and  mischievous,”  he  explains,  smiling  just  because  he’s  happy  to  have  someone  to  talk  to  again.  someone  to  share  these  folklore  legends  with.  “uglier  than  sin  on  a  sunday?”  he  repeats  with  a  laugh,  dark  brows  lifting  in  surprise  because  he’s  hearing  this  phrase  for  the  very  first  time.  he  loves  learning  these  things,  making  sure  to  memorize  each  one.  “is  sin  on  monday  less  ugly?”  but  the  more  he  dwells  on  it,  the  more  it  makes  sense.  “my  pa’s  friends  used  this  word  dryshite  to  describe  anyone  they  didn’t  get  along  with  very  well.  let’s  just  say  she’s  a  dryshite  gnome  who’s  uglier  than  sin  on  a  sunday.”  there’s  something  about  this  girl  that  makes  billy  want  to  smile  every  time  he  looks  at  her.  he  doesn’t  remember  the  last  time  he  joked  around  like  this  with  another  person.  “you’re  a  much  better  person  than  me,  lucy  gray.”  she  reminds  him  of  his  mother  in  moments  like  this,  when  she  reminds  him  to  be  kind  to  all  people.

“that’s  a  fair  rule  to  live  by.  i  think  you  should  always  try  to  resolve  conflicts  with  words  first,  but  snakes  work  more  effectively.  how  do  you  even  pick  them  up?  with  bare  hands?”  and  she’s  afraid  of  horses,  but  not  afraid  of  snakes.  this  girl’s  a  mystery…  “that  must  have  been  a  sight  to  behold.  i  hope  you  stuck  around  to  watch  or  at  least  listen.  and  what?  he  didn’t  have  no  accident?  well,  that’s  kind  of  disappointing,  isn’t  it?  please,  don’t  take  it  as  me  encouraging  you  to  repeat  that  harmless  prank,  but…  you  know,  just  sayin’,  wet  pants  would  only  serve  to  humble  him.  sounds  like  a  good  life  lesson.”  her  laugh’s  such  a  beautiful,  beautiful  sound  that  he  would  say  just  about  anything  to  amuse  her.  “really?  how  come?  oh,  i  should  probably  ask  who  her  parents  are,  right?  that  would  explain  the  reaction  of  those  people  who  said  you  were  in  the  wrong.”  if  mayfair’s  father  is  a  powerful  man,  that  would  explain  everything.  billy’s  seen  his  fair  share  of  corruption,  experienced  it  even,  and  so  this  wouldn’t  be  shocking  to  him.  “oh,  god,”  he  can’t  refrain  from  snorting,  hearing  lucy  gray  point  out  the  obvious  —  mayfair  lipp  sounds  terrible  enough,  no  need  to  come  up  with  silly  names.  “alright,  here  we  go.  all  done.  it  turned  out  pretty  nicely,  what’d  you  think?”  he  cuts  the  ends  with  the  scissors,  carefully  not  to  nip  her  skin,  and  then  brings  his  own  wrist  close  so  they’ll  be  able  to  marvel  at  the  bracelets  together.

"my magical brute force that comes out when i'm determined, i guess." but she hopes she won't be need taken care of, there's too much to get done and do around the house to just be resting on the job with a sore back and arms. then again, that's probably why she does have strength. from all the labor she puts in around this house day in, day out. "plus, you're long but you ain't all that heavy." she plays it off like he's feather light or something. "well that goat only comes up to my knees, darlin'. the horses are a lot bigger and mightier lookin' to me. and she ain't no mean goat, she's a sweetheart. sweet as pie. –well, to her mama and little cousin she is."

in case shamus was being rude to him while she had been gone. "she's just used to girls." she's smart and probably just knows he's a boy. "i love the horses, i admire what they stand for. freedom and strength. i do know they're very smart, too. but i can't help it... i guess i know they're smart and they might sense me bein' scared and throw me off or somethin'. but if you know what you're doin' then i won't mind to attempt to conquer this fear." which just further proved what he was saying was true, about being courageous. "without meanin' to, i guess that part just came naturally so." she softly laughed, meaning the part about naming them so traditionally southern sounding. "mhm, all that's correct." amusement reached her deep honey eyes at his extra nicknames for them... gang of chickens, three musketeers. "and don't forget theo and blaze." the last two horses. lucy gray heard him apologize again and she only felt more guilt for getting an attitude with him, softly smiling to let him know it was okay. maybe he was just curious, even if her mind was conflicted.

"on the weekends we like to sing in our little band we got. and then through out the week, sometimes barb azure and maude ivory come over and help me with the garden and the animals." brunette answers, very grateful for her two cousins too since their kindness helps out tremendously. "a gnome you say?" brows lifted, she hadn't heard much about any gnomes. she knew what they were but never heard any tales people being called one, which made another soft laugh emit from her. "well, over on yonder they'd call her personality uglier than sin on a sunday." but a gnome could work too. "no, now we wouldn't." she agreed, giving him a pointed look that he's right for not going further and agreeing with her that they wouldn't be cruel like that. "makin' comments about her won't make us any better. if anything, just lower." lucy gray lectured, pointing her finger as he nudged her.

"i do, they just come out at last second. i don't wanna use them if i don't have to." her first option is always snakes, but if there's no snakes around then claws are the next best thing. "yes, a real snake." she confirmed. "and he was, he was cursin' and yellin' all over the place." own laughter of hers started forming that she stifled, resorting to grinning until her cheeks hurt at his own muffled laughter her story caused. "right?" she deserved it. "but then, people had the thought to think i was the one in the wrong. ..why peefair? her real name is already horrible soundin' enough, it does it plenty justice alone just by bein' mayfair lipp." lucy gray sassed, smiling a little deviously that time as her fingers weaved the string in between them and formed a nice knot. "welcome, now just snip the ends with the scissors."