#merry christmas 15 years later... :D) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

justonecitizenoftheearth · 4 years ago

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Destiel Secret Santa gift

Hej @notfunnydean ! This is your not-secret-anymore Santa from the @destielsecretsanta2020. I hope you like my story and merry Christmas!

Rating: T

Tags: case fic, fluff, even more fluff, a brief flicker of angst, Dean and Cas finally using their words, getting together for real, Sam is exasperated, Eileen is too

The Hunt before Christmas

Dean hummed a Christmas carol as he entered the kitchen. It was the 21st of December and the first year. The first year without a case, without an impending apocalypse, without grief weighing so heavy on his shoulders he thought he would suffocate. The first year to celebrate Christmas with his extended family. He smiled, gratefully and contentedly.

Sam sat at the table; a cup of coffee in one hand and the other on the keyboard of his laptop. Eileen stood behind him and had her arms wrapped around his neck. As Dean passed them by on his way to the coffee maker, he saw that they were browsing the same property agency´s site as the day before. Eileen pointed at a house and Sam clicked to read the details, both smiling softly and a little unbelieving.

Dean took a pan and started to make bacon and eggs, softly humming Metallica as he did so. When he turned around again, Cas stood beside Sam and signed a good morning to Eileen. A shiver ran through Dean as he saw the former angel so relaxed, in a T-Shirt and Sweatpants, a small smile on his face as he commented on the houses they were looking at. After he had pulled Castiel out of the empty, making him human in the process, he had told him that he loved him, too. He had pressed his lips to Cas´ in a desperate kiss and held him so tight he´d nearly crushed him. But after that, neither of them had known how to proceed. So, things had been awkward for a bit, neither knowing how to initiate another kiss or, god forbid, a conversation. They had continued mostly as before, maybe standing a bit closer to each other, hands brushing more often. Sometimes, when he felt brave, Dean pulled Castiel into a short hug when they were the last ones to go to bed after a movie night, or he´d ruffle his hair as he passed by in the morning. But Dean didn´t stay in range long enough for Cas to reciprocate, still too afraid of wanting too much, still too on edge about coming to terms with wanting Castiel to touch him. He stayed close, but not too close. With all the change happening, the pressure and purpose gone after god´s defeat, it was all he could handle.

Cas´ gaze met Dean´s across the room and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened as he smiled at him. Dean had to hold onto the counter as the realization that Castiel loved him back hit him again, overwhelming, and scary, and euphoric. He cleared his throat.

“Cas, can you tell Jack that breakfast is ready?”

“Of course, Dean.”

Dean´s eyes followed Castiel as he left the kitchen and avoided the half annoyed, half pitying look that Sam gave him. He turned around to get plates and glasses for orange juice.

***

The five of them were almost done with their breakfast as an alarm went off on Sam´s laptop. He frowned and scanned the page. His frown deepened and Dean set down his fork. He´d seen that expression a thousand times and a giddy, exited part of him made way for resignation. Some things would never change and getting rid of god would not rid the world of monsters. Maybe it was time to leave the actual hunting to someone else, but not quite yet.

“What´s up, Sammy?”

“Several cases of murders in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Apparently, four people have disappeared on their way home from different festivities. Two have been found later, with severe wounds, but it´s not clear what caused these.”

“Hearts missing?”

“Don´t know, it´s not in the report.”

Dean sighed. “I´m gonna check it out.”

Sam closed his laptop, nodding. “We´ll leave in 15?”

“No, I´m going alone. You lot stay here and prepare the bunker for Christmas. If I don´t have a sock and a Christmas tree and eggnog and cookies ready when I come home, I´ll be your personal spirit of Christmas Yet to come and kick your ass.”

Sam grinned, but opened his mouth to argue. Cas was faster.

“I´ll come with you.”

Dean shuddered at the familiar words. The last time he´d heard them was the day he´d lost Cas to the empty. What if something happened? It seemed like an easy hunt, but what if something went wrong? He couldn´t lose Cas again, and now he was human and could get hurt or sick or ki…

“I think that´s a good idea.” Eileen seemed serious, but her eyes sparkled. “You can handle the hunt together and Sam, Jack and I will handle the Christmas decorations.”

Dean stared at her, then at Cas. “No, it´s fine, I can handle it alone, no big deal.”

“Dean, that´s bullshit. You two go on that hunt and be back in a few days, and if you can´t make it for Christmas, you won´t be alone. It´s a good plan, don´t be a jerk.”

“Who are you calling a jerk, bitch?”

Both brothers grinned at the familiarity of the bickering, then Dean turned towards Cas.

“You really want to come with me?”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “Yes, of course I do, Dean. I think I was pretty clear about that by now.”

Dean swallowed and nodded, ignoring that this was the closest they had come to actually talking about their, well, not-quite relationship.

“Well then, we leave in 30. Pack warm clothes, it´ll be cold in Wisconsin.”

***

“Did you not want me to come with you?”

Castiel´s blue eyes were so clear they seemed translucent, and Dean nearly drove them into a ditch as he lost himself in their openness yet again.

“Jesus, Cas. Of course I want you to come with me. I always do.”

Dean bit his tongue as the words slipped free. Awesome. Two hours into being alone with Cas and he already lost control over his mouth. This was going to be a long hunt. But the happy smile on Cas´ face when Dean dared to look at him again was totally worth it.

***

They arrived at the motel late at night. Slight snowfall and bitter cold greeted them as they left the car and Dean slipped on the icy ground as he made his way to the reception. Cas caught his arm and pulled him up again and for a second, they were so close that Dean stopped breathing. But Cas just smiled, asked if he was okay and took a step back when he was sure that Dean was steady again. He then walked up to the motel, his trench coat flapping behind him, snowflakes getting caught in his hair, and Dean could just stare dumbly, until a gust of wind reminded him that he was standing outside in the snowfall as well.

Dean hurried to catch up and they booked a room with two queens, at the far end of the motel. Dean went to get the bags while Cas went to check the room. They salted the windowsills and the threshold and Dean checked the news while Cas went to get dinner. While he was waiting, Dean checked the address of the next police department, the morgue and the names and addresses of the victim´s families. It was such a well-known routine that it calmed him a bit after the long drive and the constant flutter in his stomach that being close to Cas always caused.

Castiel returned and they shared pizza and beer while Dean explained their plan for the next day:

“We´ll get into our fed suits and check out the police department and the morgue. Also, we´ll check online and in the local bars if there are any parties planned tomorrow, if so, we´ll stay close and try to catch the thing, whatever it is, when it´s trying to attack again. We´ll salt and burn it, or behead it, or stab it, or whatever, and be home for Christmas.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

For a moment, they were both silent, munching on their pizza. But it was a comfortable silence and Dean relaxed into it. He heard the wind howling around the corners of the house and in the light of a lantern outside, he watched the snow fall. He smiled faintly. It could be worse.

“Do you like Christmas?” asked Cas.

Dean had to think about it and Castiel didn´t press, he just waited and scrolled a bit further on their news page.

Finally, Dean answered: “You know, we didn´t celebrate Christmas very often. When I was a kid, my dad wasn´t always there on Christmas. But the few times that we actually did celebrate were quite nice. When I was twelve, Sam gave me the necklace as a present. You know, the one that I gave to you when you”, he stopped there, suddenly remembering the purpose of the necklace.

“The one that can find god, I remember.” Cas just smiled; no tension suggested that the memory bothered him.

“Yeah, exactly, that one. Actually, that Christmas was pretty shitty, dad never showed up, I had to tell Sam the first bit about monsters being real, he was disappointed and cried the whole night before that… I actually stole a few presents, just so I had something to give to him, but they turned out to be girl stuff. He wasn´t happy.” Dean laughed and scratched his neck. “But I kept the necklace anyways.”

“I´m sorry it was like that. It wasn´t right, you two deserved someone to be there with you. You didn´t deserve the burden to be a parent to your brother.”

“Yeah, well”, Dean wanted to shrug it off, but again, his mouth had other plans. “I remember a bit of what Christmas was before, you know. Before our mom died. Nothing specific, just bits and pieces. A feeling of warmth and lights everywhere and just the general happiness that related to Christmas. I tried to give that to Sam later, but I was a kid and motel rooms aren´t made to be cozy and festive.” Dean gestured around him with a grin and Cas chuckled. Dean wanted to leave it at that, but again, he couldn´t.

“We had that one nice Christmas, even in a motel room. That was 2007, before… well, before I went to hell. Sam and I had a case and I wanted to celebrate, I mean, I thought it´d be the last time, you know. He didn´t want to at first, but in the end, we had a pretty decent evening. Eggnog and decorations and gifts and a game on TV. It was nice. Not as nice as Christmas with Mrs. Butters though.” Now both of them were laughing when they remembered the wood nymph, and the laughter left a warm feeling in Dean´s belly, that felt a little bit like Christmas, too. He grinned at Cas and the former angel grinned back, eyes sparkling and teeth showing, and Dean wanted to kiss him so badly it nearly hurt. But he didn´t dare to. But he lifted his hand and squeezed Cas´ shoulder before he leaned back and stretched his arms over his head.

“Let´s get ready for bed. Who knows how much sleep we´ll be able to catch tomorrow.” Castiel nodded, but as Dean got up to go to the bathroom to change, he caught his hand and held on. “This Christmas will be a nice one. And the next one, too. No more motel rooms or hunts or heartbreak. You still deserve that, Dean.” The hunter could only nod, the lump in his throat too big to talk.

Later, when they were lying in bed, Dean expected his thoughts to race and to keep him up for an eternity. But the sound of the calm, even breaths from the bed next to his lulled him to sleep faster than whisky had ever managed.

***

The police were very eager to help detectives “Hammet” and “Burton” and handed them the files without a second glance at their IDs. They also gave them the address to the morgue, where another helpful pathologist showed them to the victims and then left them to it. The monster obviously didn´t have a type, one of the victims was a woman in her forties who had come back from a working dinner that had taken longer and included more cocktails than expected. Another one was a seventeen-year-old boy who had come home from a LAN party in the early morning hours (there were obviously still people who did that). The other two had been a businessman who had been passing through this town and had spent his evening in the local bar, and a woman in her late twenties who had been born here and had been on a party at a friend´s house. They apparently had nothing in common except for the fact that they all had been at some kind of party before they died.

Dean checked their bodies and there were no hearts missing and the blood seemed to fit the wounds. There were bite marks, but it didn´t look like the attacker had killed them to eat the victims, there were no chunks of flesh missing. The teeth marks looked human, same size and same tooth marks. That was indeed strange, and he stayed silent, lost in his thoughts, while Cas and he ate lunch in the car. They turned up the heating and the radio and Castiel watched the people on the street, buying Christmas presents and decorations, sharing sweets, laughing and talking. Couples, parents with their kids and some people who roamed the streets alone, stopping every few steps to admire the shop windows. It was normal, and peaceful, and he suddenly felt a longing for a life like this, without the threat of injury and death looming over every job they took, without having to be ready to fight at all times, just the everyday worries of ordinary people. It was so strong he forgot to breathe for a second.

“Cas? Cas, are you okay?”

Castiel turned around and met Dean´s confused and worried eyes. His tone implied that he had been trying to get the former angel´s attention for some time.

“Yeah, I´m fine. I just … I just thought that it´d be nice to have a life like that.” Cas waved his hand in the general direction of the people outside the car. Then he huffed out a humorless laugh. “But I wouldn´t even know how that works. I don´t know anything besides … how to be a soldier. How to be violent. I don´t – “, Dean took his hand and cut short the self-deprecating monologue. “Cas, neither do I. But we will figure it out, okay? We´ll find something. Let´s just finish this job and then we´ll think about it.” Castiel just nodded mutely, his attention completely bound by “We will figure it out”, and Dean´s warm fingers wrapped around his own. Dean smiled and started the car, but after he pulled out of his parking spot, his hand found Cas´ again. Their fingers entwined, slowly, carefully, and Cas thought he could feel Dean´s racing pulse through his skin. But neither of them pulled away, their hands settled on the leather between them and when he glanced sideways, Cas saw that Dean smiled softly at the road ahead. Castiel leaned back and thought that he´d never been happier than here and now, driving down the snowy road, his thumb circling over Dean´s skin, the low hum of the Impala mixing with the sweet words of an Elvis song on the radio.

***

Questioning the relatives and colleagues of the victims didn´t provide them with any more leads on what kind of creature they had to deal with, or what the victims had in common, so they returned to the motel room and called Sam. The zoom call got accepted and they had a view of the war room. Fairy lights were wrapped around the handrail at the stairs and the columns in the room. Sam was breathing heavily, and he had fir needles in his hair, but his eyes were sparkling. “Hey guys, how´s it going? What are you up against?”

“Better question, what are you up against? And more importantly, will that fight with the forest spirits you´re apparently in finally make you cut your damn hair?”

Dean grinned and Sam rolled his eyes fondly. “No, jerk, I just carried the Christmas tree inside. You know, because someone threatened me with becoming the spirit of Christmas yet to come.”

Cas tilted his head, his forehead creased in worry. “But would you becoming a spirit not require you to die?”

Dean snorted. “Dude, no. It´s, uh, it´s a book reference. ´A Christmas Carol´. I thought Metatron uploaded all culture in your head?”

“Yeah, but my human brain can´t hold all of that information.”

“Oh. Yeah, I get that.” Dean rubbed his neck awkwardly. “I mean, it´s a movie, too, maybe we could watch it together?”

“Yes, I´d like that, Dean.”

They smiled at each other, until Sam cleared his throat and shook his head in exasperation. Dean filled him in on their case and the lack of specific details on the kind of monster they were up against. Sam thought about it for a while and asked more questions, but he didn´t come up with a clear answer either.

“I guess your best chance is to find out where the next party and/or festivity takes place and go from there. Take a little bit of everything; salt, iron, silver, holy water, maybe even dead man´s blood, and see what happens. I think you should be able to handle it. I´m gonna do some research, maybe I´ll find something.” Sam looked at someone behind the screen and signed: “Dean and Cas. I´m gonna explain later.”

Dean smiled softly. “Do some research if you want, but I think we´ve got it. Have a good time and say hello to Eileen and Jack.”

Sam nodded, but his smile faded. “Be careful.”

“Yeah, we will.” Dean grinned. “It´s not like I´m gonna throw myself on a rusty nail and really become the spirit of Christmas. And all those sons of bitches should know better than pissing me off.”

Sam snorted. “Sure, whatever.”

A moment before Sam ended the call, Jack entered the frame with his hands full of Christmas tree decorations and fairy lights wrapped around his shoulders.

“Sam, where do these g-“

Dean and Castiel chuckled at the black screen. Then Dean stretched and smiled softly at the snow that had started to fall outside the window again. “How about we find out where we can attend a party tonight and then we´ll actually watch ´A Christmas Carol´, whaddaya say?”

Cas smiled widely. “That sounds good.”

It didn´t take long to find out that there was a “Yule Party” at the bar in town, to celebrate the Winter Solstice. They didn´t need a ticket and could just show up, which gave them not much to do for the next few hours. Dean went and got pizza and some weird stuff named “Glögg”, which turned out to be pretty sweet, but good nonetheless.

Dean and Castiel settled on one bed and put the laptop up on the lower end. They had pizza and Glögg on their nightstands and were sitting so close that their shoulders and thighs were touching, but it was comfortable and familiar. The movie was up and when they finished eating, their hands inched closer. Dean´s heart was racing, a part of him wanted to draw back, but it had been so freeing to hold Cas´ hand in the car that he couldn´t make himself. Instead, he held his breath and took a leap again, wrapping his fingers around Castiel´s, who immediately relaxed. Dean closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long sigh, his attention bound by the warmth of Cas´ body beside him and his strong, solid hand in his. The former angel moved a bit up again, tensed, and then, as if he´d made up his mind, he let his head sink lower and laid it on Dean´s shoulder. A soft smile spread over the hunter´s face and he rested his cheek on top of Castiel´s head. His soft hair smelled of the shampoo that they shared and tickled a bit at his ear, but he didn´t move away and neither did Cas.

The movie played with low sound. the light was dim as it grew dark outside and the wind picked up again and threw snowflakes at the window. Castiel´s thumb drew soft patterns on Dean´s skin. It was heaven on earth.

Both of them dozed for a while, content in their warm bubble of happiness, but it got late and they still had a party to attend. With a sigh, Dean opened his eyes and looked down at their intertwined hands. Before he could chicken out, he pressed a lingering kiss on Cas´ head. Castiel´s grip tightened, and Dean heard his shuddering inhale, but he didn´t move for another few seconds. Finally, he murmured in the other man´s hair:

“We have to get up. We still have to go to this party.”

Cas voice was quiet as he answered: “I know. But I´d rather stay here with you.”

Dean lifted his head and Cas looked up. Dean got lost in these blue, clear eyes he´d spent so many hours daydreaming about.

“Yeah, me too.”

They held each other´s gaze for long seconds. Dean saw Castiel´s eyes widen in wonder at his words and then flicker down at his lips for a brief moment before they met his again. And suddenly, he didn´t know anymore why they had continued to dance around each other even after everything was already in the open. He loved Cas. And Cas loved him. And they both knew it. There was no reason to hide anymore. So Dean lifted Cas´ head with a hand and closed the distance between them, heart beating out of his chest. Castiel held his breath as their lips brushed against each other, soft as flower petals. The brief contact sent a shiver through Dean´s whole body. This wasn´t born of desperation as their last kiss. This was just made of love. And finally, their mouths locked together.

All air left Cas´ body in a long sigh as he finally felt Dean´s lips against his own. Their mouths started to move against each other, cautiously, but not rushed, not hurried. The first time that Dean´s tongue flicked against his lips, Castiel thought that his newly gained soul was about to leave his body. He arched towards Dean´s body and pulled his head close with one hand and kissed him at if he was drowning and Dean was his saving breath. Which he was. Dean groaned and pushed his tongue inside of Cas´ mouth and groaned again when the former angel started sucking on it. Suddenly, Cas was laying on his back, pressed into the mattress by the weight of Dean on top of him and Dean held himself up on one elbow and started to push Castiel´s sweatshirt up with the other one and suddenly they froze. Both men were breathing heavily, faces only inches apart, flushed, wide eyed, and neither had ever felt more alive.

“Now I really don´t want to go.”

Cas shuddered as he heard Dean´s voice so rough and low, desire obvious in his shaded eyes. He nearly said: “Then we won´t”, his whole body going hot as he imagined what would follow, but then the torn bodies of the victims flashed before his eyes. They couldn´t risk it.

“Neither do I. But ... lives are on the line.”

Dean sighed deeply. “I know. Let´s go.”

They got up, changed, and sorted out the weapons they were going to hide in their clothes. All the while, they shared glances, blushing and giddy. Cas had his hand already on the door handle when Dean gripped his hand and held him back.

“Cas, I”, the hunter bit his lip, but in the end, it was easier than he thought.

“I don´t want to hide anymore. I don´t want to pretend this didn´t happen. I – I want you. I want to be with you, for real.”

“Oh Dean.” Castiel turned to cup Dean´s cheek. “I wanted you since I pulled you out of hell. And I won´t stop wanting you, even when the last fiber of my being turns into dust and vanishes from this earth.”

He laid his forehead against the hunter´s. “I love you, Dean Winchester. And I want to be with you in every sense of the word.”

And it wasn´t harder than taking the first breath of fresh air after a long time underground when Dean answered. “I love you, too.”

It was Castiel who closed the distance between them and kissed Dean this time. Then he smiled more vibrant than Dean had ever seen.

“Let´s finish this hunt and go home.”

When they walked up to the Impala, they were holding hands.

***

The bar was full and loud and cheerful, and Dean enjoyed it more than he´d have thought. He held hands with Cas and ignored all dark looks about it. He drank three different kinds of beers and stopped then, before he got drunk. He played a round of pool just for the fun of it. He sat so close to Cas that their bodies touched and reveled in the glowing eyes and the easy smile of his – well, boyfriend.

They were sitting on the far end of the bar, with the wall in their back and the exit in sight. Cas´ fingers played with Dean´s and sent pleasant shivers down his spine. It reminded him a bit of the day they thought they´d die and he had taken Cas to that night club to get him laid. This night, he´d take Cas home. Well, he´d taken him home that night too, but now was different. Maybe they´d even sleep in the same bed. Maybe they´d… Cas´ voice interrupted Dean´s train of thought.

“Are you happy?”

The sentence took a moment to sink in, but then a broad smile spread on the hunter´s face. “Yeah. I really am.”

Cas squeezed his hand briefly. “I am too.”

For a moment they just looked at each other. Happy. Together. Finally. A nagging feeling filled Dean and he frowned. When were they ever allowed to be happy? The last time…

Castiel felt the change in mood. “What is it, Dean?”

“I don´t know, I”, Dean lowered his eyes. “I don´t want to lose this”, he whispered.

A gentle hand lifted his chin again. “You won´t. Everything will be fine.”

They held each other’s gaze, a thousand words said without a sound. But the mood in the room changed, a lot of people got up and were ready to go. Dean sighed and leaned back, only now realizing how close they had been. “The sooner we wrap this up, the sooner we´re out of here.”

Dean threw a bundle of dollars on the bar and they left, too. Outside the pub, they were met with icy wind. The snow scrunched under their feet. Dean shuddered and buried his hands in his jacket.

“Okay, what now? Should we go together or split up?”

“I think all of the victims have been alone, so it will probably be more effective if we split up.”

Dean nodded, swallowing the bad feeling he had. Cas was experienced. He´d fought more battles than Dean could even imagine. He´d be fine.

“Right. I´ll go down that alley, you go up towards the motel, we meet up there in three hours if nothing happens.”

Cas nodded briefly, but before he went, he pulled Dean close and kissed him once again, sweet and slow.

“See you later.”

Dean swallowed and blinked rapidly. When he´d regained his balance, Cas was already on the way. The hunter turned around, the feeling of Castiel´s lips still tingling on his.

It didn´t go smooth. It didn´t take long, either. Barely twenty minutes had passed when Dean heard a silent scream of terror in the distance, from the direction in which Cas had gone. It hadn´t been Cas´ voice, but the former angel would get there much sooner that he could and suddenly, his heart was in his throat. Dean took off, skittering over the snowy streets, smashing into walls, but he didn´t slow down. He heard a gunshot and some shouting only two streets away, running even faster, lungs burning, and stumbled around the corner just in time to see Cas getting thrown into a wall and sliding down. Unmoving. Lifeless.

For a second, the whole world stopped. Dean stared at the crumpled figure and a part of him laughed humorlessly. “I knew it. I won´t ever get to keep what I have. I destroy every good thing in my life,” whispered a voice from the darkest place in his mind. “No!” It took Dean a moment to realize he´d screamed the last word. This wasn´t supposed to happen! They were supposed to be happy; they were supposed to be free, they … Then his gaze turned towards the dark figure that had thrown Cas through the air like a rag doll. And his vision turned red.

He emptied his magazine into the body of the creature. It wailed, but still moved, so Dean took his silver and iron knifes and jumped into close combat. He sliced and stabbed and hit and kicked and he would rip this thing apart with his bare hands if he needed to, but it would curse the day it had taken Castiel away from him again. Dean didn´t feel the claws of the monster on his skin and the smell of the blood dripping from his face and he didn´t realize that his attacks were in vain. He just wanted it to suffer like he did.

Something wrapped their arms around his chest from behind and pulled him back. Dean panicked and tried to cut himself free, but then a very familiar voice shouted in his ear: “Dean, stop! This doesn´t work, stop!” Dean went slack and let himself be pulled away; all fight left him in an instant. He lived! Castiel lived! The creature hissed at him, glowing eyes staring at them for a moment before it vanished into the darkness.

Cas let go and spun Dean around, eyes skimming over his face and body to check for injuries. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Dean opened his mouth to answer and started crying.

Castiel wrapped him in a tight embrace and whispered wonderful, gentle words into his hair. Dean clung to him as if his life depended on it, sobbing into his neck and it took a long time before he realized that he repeated the words “you´re alive, you´re alive” again and again, and even then, it took a long time for him to stop. Slowly, his tears subsided and he felt slightly embarrassed, but not enough to let go. Castiel seemed to be happy to hold him. However, Dean started to feel his body tremble and his arms and chest burned. He drew back and winced. Castiel looked down at his arms and his eyes widened. “You are hurt!”

“It´s nothing. But you, I thought you – you weren´t moving and I” Dean hid his face in his hands. “Dammit, one might think I´d be used to this after a lifetime of hunting. Son of a bitch!”

Cas squeezed his shoulder. “It´s okay. It´s different now, I know. Please let us go back so I can take care of you.”

“But what about you? Are you okay?”

Castiel simply shrugged. “I´m a bit sore and my head hurts, but it´s not bleeding and I´ll be fine. I was mostly disoriented, and then you came and before I knew it, you tried to rip that thing to shreds with your bare hands.”

Dean blushed and looked down, but Castiel took his hand and he let his angel lead him home.

***

When they turned on the lights in the motel room, Castiel blanched. He helped Dean take of his torn, bloody jacket and ushered him into the bathroom. He sat Dean down on a chair and ignored all protests when he took a towel and the first aid kit and got to work.

Castiel wiped the blood from Dean´s face with gentle strokes and cleaned his wounds with careful hands. There were several long, deep gashes along Dean´s arms and some on his chest, too. Blood seeped out of them and Dean started to sway as the adrenaline subsided and the blood loss made itself known. Castiel´s eyes were bright with worry and he went out for a moment to snatch some water and a granola bar. He helped Dean lift the glass to his lips and take a bite, again ignoring the weak protest entirely, one steadying hand always on Dean´s shoulder.

“Do you want to lay down while I´m stitching these?”

“We´re gonna ruin the bedsheet.”

“I don´t care.”

“I don´t want to get up.”

Castiel took out the needle and the dental floss. “I´m sorry, I won´t be very good at it.”

“It´s okay.”

Dean closed his eyes and only hissed a few times when Castiel´s clumsy stiches pulled at his skin. Castiel apologized every time. When he was finished, he covered the sutures and wrapped the hunter´s arms and chest in gauze. Then, he leaned his head against Dean´s knee and stayed there.

Dean got dizzy when he looked down, so he kept his eyes closed, but started to pet Cas´ head with the hand that hurt less.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Dean tensed up and his eyes flew open, dizzyness be damned.

“What do you-“

“I don´t want to be scared to lose you all the time. I don´t want your blood on my hands and live in the constant fear of something coming and taking you away from me.”

Dean met Castiel´s eyes. They were shining in an astonishing shade of blue, wet with tears.

“I don´t want to hunt anymore. I will come with you, but I do –“

“Neither do I.”

They both stayed silent for a few seconds, the weight of the moment sinking in.

“I don´t know how else to live. But I want to try, because I´ve had enough, too. The world is saved, we are free, we´re no longer under Chuck´s control. Someone else can take care of the monsters now, there are enough hunters out there. Don´t get me wrong, I want to be in touch, I want to help. But I don´t want to fight on the front anymore. I´ve earned that. We´ve earned that.”

Castiel got up and took Dean´s face in his hands. There were still tears on his face, and the crow´s feet around the corners of his eyes wrinkled as he smiled. Dean had never seen him more ethereal, more angelic. More beautiful.

“Yes, we did. We did.”

Castiel helped Dean up and tried to steady him on his way to the bed without touching his wounds. He got another glass of water and the pain killers, swallowed two himself, made Dean swallow two and got out of his clothes. Dean still got dizzy when he looked down, so Cas took of his shoes and helped him out of his jeans. Dean was tempted to crack a joke about Cas finally undressing him, but the seriousness of the moment asked for silence. They lay down, both in one bed, without question, without talking, Cas behind Dean. He pressed his chest against Dean´s back, one arm under his head, the other wrapped around his waist, careful to avoid the covered injuries. Dean had thought he´d have trouble sleeping the first night in the same bed, but Cas´ closeness was incredibly calming and pulled him under before his brain could come up with even one reason why this was anything but good.

***

It took some time for Castiel to wake up. The first thing that he realized was the source of warmth before him and he pressed closer, a contended sigh on his lips. Hair tickled his nose and he rubbed it against soft skin. He dozed off again for some time, before the events of the night before caught up with him and he tensed. Slowly, Castiel opened his eyes. Deans head rested on his arm, which had gone a bit numb, but he could still feel the warm breaths ghost over his skin. Dean´s body rose and fell gently and suddenly, Cas felt like crying. Out of gratitude that he was allowed to be here and hold Dean in his arms. Out of sadness over the wasted time, over all the tragedy in their lives. Out of happiness. Out of love. He buried his nose in Dean´s neck again. His voice was raw with emotion when he whispered: “I love you so much, Dean Winchester.”

Dean tensed, but before Cas could say anything else, he answered: “I love you, too.”

Castiel let go so Dean could turn around and reveled in the sight of his sleepy eyes and tousled hair.

Dean smiled tiredly and caressed his cheek. “Did you sleep well? Does your head hurt?”

Castiel leaned into Dean´s hand and nearly forgot that he was supposed to answer a question.

“No. Well, it´s throbbing a little bit, but nothing that´d worry me. How are your injuries?”

Dean wanted to dismiss it, but he decided otherwise. “They sting. But I´m not worried either, doesn´t feel hot or infected or something.”

Castiel smiled, grateful for Dean´s honesty. With an insecure gaze, Dean leaned forward and hesitated, before he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Cas´ in an open-mouthed kiss. Cas melted under his mouth, body pressing closer and lips opening to let his tongue flick out. He was very careful to not put pressure on Dean´s injured chest and arms, but his hands were all over his face and back and Dean felt like floating, time and space and purpose just disappearing, until his whole world had reduced to this room and the warmth and scent of Castiel all around him.

It was a long time later when they pulled back to catch their breath, faces still so close together that they shared the same air. Dean thought he might explode from the magnitude of his feelings swiveling around just under his skin. When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw were Cas´ damp, red, parted lips and his heart jumped. Cas´ fingers played in his hair and he was so comfortable that he thought he might just fall back asleep, but his grumbling stomach obviously had other plans. Cas chuckled.

“Time for breakfast?”

Dean huffed. “Yeah. And a call with Sammy.”

“And some more painkillers.”

Dean didn´t argue. They got up and Cas got out to get coffee and breakfast while Dean struggled with his clothes, his injured arms hurting and stinging. With a curse, the hunter swallowed more pills and started his laptop. He dug through some of the databases, but nothing quite fit the profile of the monster. The date at the bottom of the screen seamed to double in size every time he dismissed an idea. The 23d of December. Two days until Christmas. If they didn´t manage to wrap this up soon, he´d have to stay here over the holidays with Cas. It would still be one of, if not the best Christmas of his life, but he´d been looking forward to celebrating with Sam, Jack and Eileen. And maybe visit Jody and the girls. The lock clicked and Dean´s hand flew instinctively towards his gun when Cas entered the room.

“Find something?”

Dean silently shook his head.

Castiel set the coffee and breakfast on the table and kissed the top of Dean´s head.

“We´ll make it for Christmas. Have you called Sam yet? Maybe he knows something?”

“Breakfast first.”

After indulging in coffee, sandwiches, some muffins and comfortable silence, Dean called Sam. It was Eileen who picked up.

“Hey Dean.”

“Hey Eileen. Is Sam around?”

“No, I´m gonna get – are you hurt?”

Her gaze swept over Dean´s gauze-covered arms and the bandages that peeked out from under his T-Shirt.

“Nah, it´s just a scratch.”

Dean´s eyes wandered over to Castiel, who threw Dean an incredulous look.

“What?”

“It´s not just a scratch, Dean.”

“I mean, I´ve had worse. Much worse.”

“That doesn´t mean that you should take this lightly.”

Eileen just grinned and went to the kitchen to get Sam. When they came back, Dean nearly threw himself off his chair with laughter. Sam wore an apron and wiped his hands with a kitchen towel, flour in his hair and dough on his forearms.

“Shut up, jerk!”

“No, forget it, bitch. I´m never gonna let you live this down. Man, you look like Mary Poppins!”

“Mary Poppins was a very wise and gentle…”

“Cas, I know. That doesn´t mean that I won´t tease my brother with it.”

Castiel held his gaze with a pointed look, until Sam cleared his throat.

“Guys, if you just called to insult me and bicker with each other, again, I´m going back to my cookies.”

Dean blushed and opened and closed his mouth a few times. Cas took over.

“We´ve encountered the monster and we can´t figure out what it is.”

Sam got serious immediately. “What happened?” Eileen tapped his shoulder and signed something. Sam´s jaw clenched, and his worried eyes turned towards Dean.

“You are hurt?”

Dean grumbled and waved his hand dismissively, which brought his gauze-wrapped arm into Sam´s sight and made him wince.

“It´s no- it´s not bad. A few gashes, nothing wild. Stop fretting.” He turned towards Cas. “Both of you.”

“Okay.” Sam and Dean stayed silent for a moment, a lifetime of shared trauma and injuries between them. Then Sam cleared his throat. “Okay, what happened?”

After listening to their story, minus certain parts that Dean and Cas kept to themselves, Sam rubbed his jaw, deep in thought.

“So, that thing attacks people who come home from celebrations at night. Nothing connecting the victims, human-shaped, not vocal, claws.” He stayed silent for a moment. “I have a hunch. I´m gonna call you later.”

They ended the call.

Dean sighed deeply and Castiel wrapped his arm around him. “What are we gonna do now?” Dean shrugged. “Hulu or Netflix?”

They were into the third episode of the Witcher when Sam called again.

“So get this. There is a creature in Norse mythology that fits your description. It´s called a draugr. It´s a kind of undead and it´s said that it attacks people who are making noise in the time around midwinter.”

“That fits! How do you kill it?”

“Well, it´s immune to most injuries, as you said. You have to behead it, lay it´s head at its ass and set it on fire.”

“We have to – lay it´s head at its ass? What the hell, man?”

“Look, I didn´t come up with that. Just do it, burn it. Or salt and burn it, won´t do any harm.”

Dean nodded. “Well, if we can get it tonight, we might make it for Christmas.”

“Yeah, burn that son of a bitch and come home.”

“Dean smiled softly. “Yeah, we´ll do that. See ya, Sammy.”

“Bye Dean, bye Cas.”

Both of them leaned back in their chairs as the call ended. For a moment, they were silent, then Dean covered his face with his hand and chuckled.

“Son of a bitch. A draugr. After defeating god, we failed to kill a goddamn zombie.”

Castiel laughed lightly. “Well, it failed to kill us, too, so I call that a tie. We´ll go and get it tonight and then we can go home to Sam, Eileen, and Jack. And celebrate Christmas.”

“Sounds good.”

Dean raised his arms to stretch the sore muscles and winced in pain. “Okay, so, it´s barely half past two, so what are we gonna do with the rest of the day? And will there be a party tonight that we can attend?”

It didn´t take long to find out that there was a Christmas-themed ball in the town hall. The tickets were already sold and there was a guest list.

“I don´t think we actually have to sneak in, we can wait outside until it´s late and people are leaving. Then we´ll go and get this bastard.”

“I agree, but with one condition.”

Dean lifted one eyebrow.

“We´ll not gonna split up again.” Castiel´s eyes were hard. “I won´t leave you to hunt on your own when you´re that hurt. We´re gonna stick together and I will fight. If something happens, you can still intervene. But I won´t leave you, no matter how much you´re gonna argue that you´re-“

“I wasn´t going to.”

Surprised, Castiel tilted his head.

“I would have suggested it myself. I think we´re better together. And I want to finish our last hunt together.”

Cas´ lip trembled and he gripped Dean´s hand tight. “Okay. Yeah. Our last hunt.”

None of them could tell who leaned in first, but suddenly their lips touched and then there was nothing else for a long time.

***

As it turned out, there was a small Christmas market in town. They took the car to town and wandered around aimlessly. The sun stood low and glittered on the snow. Dean and Cas looked at the goods that were laid out in the booths, choosing matching cups with printed moose for Sam and Eileen and a wood carving set for Jack. Night fell early and they got some mulled wine to warm them while they wandered around. Dean tasted every sweet food that he could get his hands on, until he felt slightly nauseous with all the sugar, but it was such a minor inconvenience that it was drowned out by the bliss of spending time with Castiel. They talked about the places they had visited, their favorite films and actors, which books they had read, and which bands Dean had seen live. Normal things. Everyday things. Dean could picture them living a domestic, calm, quiet life, just like this. He couldn´t wait.

In the end, they sat on a dock, looking out over Lake Michigan. They nursed their warm cups in one hand and Dean leaned his head on Cas shoulder. The reflections of the city lights and the half-moon glittered on the water. Dean sighed deeply and Castiel wrapped his arm around his shoulder. His voice was quiet when he asked:

“Are you happy?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Very.”

No more words were said. No more words were needed.

***

The ball was supposed to start at eight o´clock, so they returned to the car and parked it in sight of the town hall´s main entry. They shared a thermos with coffee and a blanket, huddling together against the cold. The radio played quietly in the background. For the most part they stayed silent, brief comments on the people entering the hall or about their plan the only conversations. When it got late, they left the car and lurked around the corner of the hall to be ready to go to work when the mood in the room changed and people left.

The music and chatter were audible, and they blew into their hands and stepping from one foot to the other to keep warm. Dean started to get tired and a bit cranky. The music had changed from lively rock and pop songs to something slower and cheesier and he was ready to complain when Castiel stretched out his hand. Dean stared at it blankly.

“Would you care to dance?”

“What? I can´t … Where did you learn to dance?”

Castiel shrugged. “I haven´t. But I´ve seen people do it and it doesn´t seem to be too hard. I don´t plan to dance a classic waltz, so, would you humor me?”

And he honest to goodness bowed down and offered his hand. Dean blushed and rolled his eyes, but he took Cas´ hand. The former angel smiled and pulled the hunter close. He wrapped his other hand around Dean´s middle and Dean placed his hand on Cas´ shoulder. They swayed to the sound of a slow, sweet song and Dean found himself immersed in the music and Cas�� touch and he closed his eyes. Castiel hummed along and they circled around with small steps. At some point, Dean leaned his head on Cas´ forehead and they stayed like that, dancing slowly and sharing the same breath, visible between their mouths.

“I love you.”

Dean felt Cas´ hand tighten around his. “I love you, too.”

They kept on dancing a while longer until the music genre changed again, indicating that people would either leave or stay until the early hours of the morning. Slowly, Dean pulled his hand from Cas´, kissing him chastely before he took a step back. He took a deep breath.

“I think it´s time.”

Castiel nodded. He pulled his machete and they set out to circle the streets around the town house.

In the end, it was fairly easy. They checked the dark streets, and kept an eye on several attendants of the party until they were home. It took no longer than an hour until they took a turn into a dark alley and were met with the sight of a tall figure with glowing eyes that growled at them, lifting clawed hands, and launching itself at them. Dean took a step back and Castiel charged with the elegance of a lifetime of practice. He dodged the draugr´s swing and beheaded it with a forceful swing of his machete. Afterwards, they stayed still for a moment. Dean´s heartbeat hadn´t even picked up that much.

“So, that´s that I guess.”

Cas looked at him with his head tilted, his bloodied weapon still in hand. “Our last hunt.”

Suddenly, Dean was scared. Hunting was familiar. Hunting was what he´d done for his whole life. Everything else had always felt like a farce, a charade, playing domestic because it was what he´d been supposed to do. He didn´t even realize how Cas came closer, to wrapped up in his epiphany.

“Hey, Dean, look at me. We´ll figure it out. And as you said, we can keep track and help other hunters. Not everything has to change.”

Dean nodded. “I know. We make it up as we go, huh?”

“Exactly.”

A deep breath forced its way out of Dean´s no longer constricted chest. “Okay. I´m gonna get the car. We burn that son of a bitch and tomorrow, we´ll head home.”

Dark smoke rose over the sizzling, burning body of the draugr. Dean held Castiel´s hand. They waited until only ashes remained. Then, they made their way to the impala, without haste. They had time.

***

Dean and Cas checked out of the motel at ten o´clock in the morning. They took turns driving, only pausing for gas and snacks. Castiel insisted on listening to a channel with Christmas carols when he drove, reminding Dean of the ancient rule he´d established himself:

“Driver picks the music, Dean.”

The hunter grumbled until “Driving home for Christmas” played on the radio. By the end of the day, even Castiel knew the lyrics by heart.

They held hands while driving and slept with their heads leaned against each other’s shoulders. When evening came, Dean cracked a joke about riding off into the sunset and they recalled their case in Dodge City. Castiel admitted how much he´d wanted to kiss Dean when he came back from the empty the first time. Dean admitted how long he´d been in love with Castiel.

When they parked the car in the garage, the clock jumped to midnight.

They smiled at each other and squeezed their hands once again before they left the car. Duffle bags over their shoulders, they entered the bunker and stopped in their tracks when they saw the library. There was a Christmas tree in the corner. Fairy lights everywhere. A sock for everyone hanging over the fireplace. A plate with cookies on the table, with a handwritten note from Sam: “Welcome home.”

Dean and Castiel took in the scenery. Then they turned towards each other. The lights around them glittered in their eyes.

“Merry Christmas, Cas.”

“Merry Christmas, Dean.”

#destiel secret santa #destiel #deancas #merry christmas

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merinelsa · 3 years ago

Note

Have you ever done a ranking list of your favourite episodes?

not really , the thing with me is that i never rewatch tv shows . i binge through them once and then just watch few scenes in yt , but never rewatch any of it even if it was one of my favourite show. Glee is the only exception , though i really only watch very few eps from the earlier seasons and rewatched s5-s6 twice , though i’d skipped 100, new directions and the wedding during both my rewatches. there are eps like new new york and wonderful that i watch time to time as comfort eps playing in the background . from s3, first time and big brother are the only eps i have rewatched

i’d only watched glee for the first time last year , so like it’s not been that long to warrant a rewatch , but since i’d binged most of it in one stretch ( had taken a one month break b/w s3ep7 and ep8 because of how much i was getting tired of the shitty storylines of s3 , hence it being my least fave ) i forgot a lot of the non klaine stuff.

but i’ll try to rank the eps , just know that i’m very biased to klaine/kurt/blaine storylines . and the seasons too are ranked in the order i like them

6 . season 3

22. i kissed a girl

21. pot o gold

20. prom-asaurus

19. yes/no

18. i am unicorn

17. mash off

16. the spanish teacher

15. asian f

14. on my way

13. props

12. choke

11. hold on to sixteen

10. saturday night gleever

9. michael

8. goodbye

7. big brother

6. nationals

5. heart

4. extraordinary merry christmas

3. dance with somebody

2. purple piano project

1. first time

5. season 1

22. the rhodes not taken

21. funk

20. showmance

19. vitamin d

18. hairography

17. ballad

16. mashup

15. throwdown

14. the power of madonna

13. mattress

12. acafellas

11. dream on

10. home

9. pilot

8. hell-o

7. sectionals

6. preggers

5. bad reputation

4. wheels

3. journey to regionals

2. theatricality

1. laryngitis

4. season 4

22. britney 2.0

21. sweet dreams

20. lights out

19. shooting star

18. all or nothing

17. feud

16. thanksgiving

15. the role you were born to play

14. glease

13. swan song

12. sadie hawkins

11. naked

10. makeover

9. girls and boys on film

8. diva

7. glee,actually

6. i do

5. dynamic duets

4. the new rachel

3. break up

2. guilty pleasure

1. wonderful

3. season 2

22. britney/brittany

21. the substitute

20. comeback

19. special education

18. a very glee christmas

17. the sue sylvester shuffle

16. night of neglect

15. new york

14. funeral

13. never been kissed ( except for the klaine part, the whole ep is a mess)

12. rocky horror glee show

11. rumours

10. audition

9. sexy

8. grilled cheesus

7. blame it on the alcohol

6. prom queen

5. born this way

4. silly love songs

3. duets

2. furt

1. original song

2. season 6

13. the rise and fall of sue sylvester

12. hurt locker part 1

11. child star

10. homecoming

9. we built this glee club

8. what the world needs now

7. hurt locker part 2

6. a wedding

5. dreams come true

4. 2009

3. jagged little tapestry

2. transitioning

1. loser like me

1. season 5 ( i’m not going to rank the quaterback )

19. opening night

18. 100

17. tina in the sky with diamonds

16. city of angels

15. bash

14. a katy or gaga

13. new direction

12. end of twerk

11. previously unaired christmas

10. trio

9. movin out

8. the back up plan

7. puppet master

6. love love love

5. old dogs new trick

4. untitled rachel berry project

3. frenemies

2. tested

1. new new york

now top five glee episodes over all

5. original song : don’t ask me what happened besides klaine in this because i truly don’t remember . but the klaine parts are pure heavenly. s2 klaine is something i missed a lot and didn’t appreciate enough during my first watch but rewatching some klaine centric eps has made me appreciate their friendship a lot more. even the stuff leading upto the kiss is fantastic , it’s also an ep that shows how rachel and blaine can get similar but how they react to criticisms and how blaine tries to include everyone when pointed out unlike making a fit out of it with rachel is where they diverge and makes these incredibly different personalities .and the kiss was just to good and sparks were flying everywhere and it is something that glee could never recreate with any other couple. and “ reminds you of your mom’s funeral doesn’t it “” the casket was bigger but yes “ just proves that they are equally dumbasses that fit each other so well

4. wonder-ful : this is just pure comfort ep. it’s so bright and upbeat in the middle of the previous dark eps. so much kurt and klaine . a bit more focus on kurt’s mental health issues, which will later be forgotten but it’s good over here. supportive blaine as always just highlighting how much they understand each other. a lot of burt which is always a plus . a very good mercedes plotline which should’ve been given more time but still is one of the better ones she gets.just seeing how light and loving kurt turns once burt is finally in the safe zone. and ‘you get kinda cute when you get nervous’ and ‘with you in it a wondeful life’ and whatever homoerotic stuff that is going on b/w rachel and cassie

3. Loser like me : the pure angst . i love storylines where they hit the rock bottom from such a happy place and have to find their way to the top by leaning in on each other and supporting each other. great klaine scenes, s5b we where pushed to believe that kurt had it all together, but we finally got to see kurt being an absolute mess and realizing how he contributed to their relationship not working out instead of pitting it all on s4 cheating . confident got help all by himself in a better position blaine , rachel finally getting a storyline that’s interesting and makes her one to root for . This ep always gives me the chills and makes me excited for the rest of the season

2. Tested : It’s genuinely one of the funniest eps ever. amazing rachcedes moment . the guys presenting one of my fave family dynamics in the show. great samcedes and klaine plotline . and i love the way liab is shot , such a well choreographed performance and it really looks like chris and darren had so much fun doing it.

1. New new york : this ep is the perfect mixture of fluff , comedy and angst. And on top of that we get never tried before combination of dynamics like rachel and artie as well as our favourite dynamics like klaine, blam, kelliot . also , out of all the klaine plotlines, this feels to me the most realistic one and really shows how much they want to work out their highschool relationship into an adult setting but they’re still young clueless inexperienced couple who doesn’t really know what they’re doing but still trying to work it out the way they think is the best one to protect their relationship , showing how much they care for each other as we enter into the crazy hard parts of their relationship. also , to see these whole set of highschool friends trying to navigate their way into this busy adult life is so fun to watch .

#mer answers #1908jmd #thanks a lot for the ask #i'm really sorry for responding late #this has been in the works for the past two days working out each seasons one by one lol #also i've not been the best mentally and physically #i've got this terrible cold that i'm trying to contain before i have to travel #and i'm just emotionally drained for absolutely no reason #but yeah this was fun to do and think about #but i'm pretty sure all of this ranking will change once i get to rewatching the show maybe several years later

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hgfstreamchats · 4 years ago

Text

Elf

thenightetc 09:12 PM Hello!

thenightetc 09:13 PM I see we're getting in that holiday spirit this evening. :)

highglossfinish 09:13 PM Naturally!

highglossfinish 09:13 PM We've got to celebrate the rapid death of this horrible, horrible year.

thenightetc 09:13 PM Yes.

highglossfinish 09:16 PM How's the audio?

thenightetc 09:16 PM Hmmm, not hearing anything

thenightetc 09:16 PM there we go!

Starscreamillar joined the party.

highglossfinish 09:16 PM Evening!

Starscreamillar 09:17 PM Greetings.

thenightetc 09:17 PM Hello!

highglossfinish 09:17 PM Tersday.

thenightetc 09:19 PM Forty minutes in the microwave.

Starscreamillar 09:22 PM It just keeps happening.

highglossfinish 09:22 PM And we just keep letting it happen.

Starscreamillar 09:22 PM Truly, we are the monsters here. Message deleted

highglossfinish 09:26 PM Here we go.

Starscreamillar 09:26 PM Those are upsetting tights.

highglossfinish 09:26 PM They really did open with those tights.

thenightetc 09:26 PM The burning eyeholes.

Starscreamillar 09:29 PM Child cage.

highglossfinish 09:29 PM For the most dangerous, unstable infants.

thenightetc 09:30 PM I sense a kidnapping about to happen.

Starscreamillar 09:31 PM Is it a kidnapping, if the child takes themselves?

thenightetc 09:31 PM Fair.

Starscreamillar 09:33 PM How small is the Santa creature, if nothing is to human scale?

highglossfinish 09:34 PM It's a lawless place devoid of physics.

thenightetc 09:34 PM Well, they did say no human had set foot there until etc., so presumably Santa is also an elf or something

thenightetc 09:36 PM "can't think of any but I'm sure they're there"

highglossfinish 09:36 PM "You're talented at clogging all the elf waste units."

Starscreamillar 09:36 PM Ha!

thenightetc 09:38 PM It's almost like they should have just returned him to the orphanage!

Starscreamillar 09:39 PM Instead of keeping him like a strange pet.

thenightetc 09:39 PM Yes.

highglossfinish 09:39 PM That's now incapable of surviving in the wild.

Starscreamillar 09:40 PM He'll have to be humanely euthanized.

thenightetc 09:40 PM And we're defining "the wild" REALLY broadly here.

highglossfinish 09:40 PM As is the sad fate of all domesticated problem humans.

thenightetc 09:41 PM '...right'

thenightetc 09:43 PM So he's, uh. Not going to take any food or water or warmer clothing.

highglossfinish 09:43 PM 12 minutes later, he's dead.

thenightetc 09:43 PM "hope you find your dad" Oh, I mean, how many people can there possibly be in New York, anyway

Starscreamillar 09:44 PM Whatever they feed elves must have given him some protections against dying of hypothermia.

highglossfinish 09:44 PM Or rabies.

thenightetc 09:44 PM Several days later, he dies of rabies.

highglossfinish 09:44 PM He'll die of so many things before the credits roll.

Starscreamillar 09:45 PM It's a shame that he died out there on the ice, and this is his dying hallucination.

highglossfinish 09:45 PM Truly tragic.

thenightetc 09:45 PM oh my god

thenightetc 09:46 PM D:

Starscreamillar 09:46 PM Eugh.

thenightetc 09:47 PM Did they even tell him who his father is or what he looks like?

highglossfinish 09:48 PM They never expected him to survive an hour on the water.

thenightetc 09:48 PM Hmmm, I guess they did

thenightetc 09:49 PM "so are you a stripper, or"

thenightetc 09:49 PM (Sorry)

thenightetc 09:49 PM all crowding around

Starscreamillar 09:50 PM This pains me.

thenightetc 09:50 PM oh wow

Starscreamillar 09:51 PM See, there is no way he is alive right now.

thenightetc 09:51 PM Oh wow

highglossfinish 09:52 PM He's adrift on that ice floe, the gulls amassing.

Starscreamillar 09:52 PM Merry Christmas, well fed birds.

thenightetc 09:52 PM Dear god

thenightetc 09:52 PM buddy NO

thenightetc 09:53 PM You'd think he'd notice he's not in the uniform

Starscreamillar 09:54 PM All elves look the same to humans?

thenightetc 09:54 PM Oh no

thenightetc 09:54 PM Is there... a... romantic sideplot...

thenightetc 09:54 PM :(

thenightetc 09:54 PM "do you even fucking work here"

highglossfinish 09:55 PM Because that's what we need, Buddy as a sexual being.

Starscreamillar 09:55 PM She should stab him. This is New York, is it not?

thenightetc 09:55 PM make your escape, lady

thenightetc 09:56 PM oh my god

thenightetc 09:58 PM Oh no

thenightetc 09:58 PM buddy that is CREEPY

highglossfinish 09:58 PM Incredibly!

highglossfinish 09:58 PM And this was a creepy song to begin with.

thenightetc 09:58 PM is this okay in elf culture??

thenightetc 10:00 PM oh god is that the lingerie in the box

Starscreamillar 10:00 PM I hope so.

highglossfinish 10:01 PM "I'm going to indulge your antics, unwashed manchild with his bulge on display."

thenightetc 10:01 PM pfffff

thenightetc 10:02 PM oh my god

highglossfinish 10:03 PM That's a massive four year old.

thenightetc 10:03 PM IMPOSTER

thenightetc 10:03 PM Yeet him off the ship!

thenightetc 10:04 PM where did he get that photo

highglossfinish 10:04 PM I was wondering the same thing.

highglossfinish 10:05 PM Oh.

thenightetc 10:05 PM Ah.

thenightetc 10:05 PM ...Where did papa elf get it, though

Starscreamillar 10:06 PM Magic?

Starscreamillar 10:07 PM I really wish that the other humans would insist that he wear real pants.

highglossfinish 10:07 PM If only.

thenightetc 10:08 PM What is the deal with him eating the cotton, though

Starscreamillar 10:08 PM He's a madman.

highglossfinish 10:08 PM She's taking this well.

thenightetc 10:08 PM Amazingly so

highglossfinish 10:09 PM *Exceedingly* well.

thenightetc 10:10 PM No wonder he's so fucked up.

Starscreamillar 10:10 PM Dying fever dream. It is the only explanation.

highglossfinish 10:10 PM Nobody should be tolerating any of this.

thenightetc 10:12 PM "Okay"

highglossfinish 10:12 PM That was the correct response.

thenightetc 10:12 PM "wow what an uh unusual taste"

thenightetc 10:12 PM oh my god

Starscreamillar 10:13 PM They are treating him like an enthusiastic thirteen year old. Instead of the grown human creature he should be.

thenightetc 10:13 PM Phew.

thenightetc 10:14 PM ...

highglossfinish 10:14 PM This just keeps getting worse.

Starscreamillar 10:15 PM Knockout, why have you subjected us to this?

highglossfinish 10:15 PM Because.

Starscreamillar 10:17 PM You're truly an evil mech. I almost would rather you stole organs instead.

highglossfinish 10:18 PM Why in the world would I steal organs when I can subject you to this human's bright yellow genital outline?

Starscreamillar 10:19 PM Why indeed....

thenightetc 10:20 PM "This movie sponsored by Nike"

thenightetc 10:20 PM "you know you're fired, right"

highglossfinish 10:21 PM STOP.

thenightetc 10:21 PM :( :( :(

Starscreamillar 10:21 PM Please stop.

highglossfinish 10:22 PM This is not something to be okay with.

thenightetc 10:23 PM lol I wonder if mr. christmas can help with his children's books

highglossfinish 10:23 PM Does she not grasp the meaning of "Nothing can go wrong at my job?"

Starscreamillar 10:24 PM That will be the horrible solution to this horrible movie.

thenightetc 10:24 PM yeah that is TOTALLY the kind of compliment women love getting from random strangers sitting in a corner

highglossfinish 10:24 PM Hah!

thenightetc 10:25 PM gj buddy

highglossfinish 10:26 PM Buddy makes everyone's jobs and lives harder and worse.

thenightetc 10:26 PM this is gonna go WELL

thenightetc 10:27 PM "so are you resigning, or what"

thenightetc 10:28 PM OH BOY

thenightetc 10:28 PM Did he not notice that the taste was--you know what, never mind

highglossfinish 10:29 PM "26 years old."

highglossfinish 10:29 PM Of course you are.

Starscreamillar 10:29 PM Suuuure.

thenightetc 10:30 PM f

thenightetc 10:31 PM "wow, you're wearing pants!"

thenightetc 10:31 PM wow

Starscreamillar 10:31 PM She is trusting him an awful lot, considering what he is.

highglossfinish 10:32 PM "You're the kind of person I'm willing to allow inside me."

thenightetc 10:32 PM ...

Starscreamillar 10:32 PM Eeeugh.

thenightetc 10:33 PM well, that just happened!

highglossfinish 10:33 PM Nothing more attractive than someone with the mind of an infant.

thenightetc 10:34 PM wut

thenightetc 10:34 PM oh boy

thenightetc 10:35 PM oh my god

thenightetc 10:37 PM Guys. No.

thenightetc 10:37 PM He's going to find out.

Starscreamillar 10:37 PM I hear stealing ideas works out well.

thenightetc 10:37 PM Don't y'all have ethics training

Starscreamillar 10:39 PM Because surely the money he is making does not keep them in their nice home, with good food.

thenightetc 10:39 PM Welp

thenightetc 10:40 PM Also couldn't one of those writer guys have done the pitch

Starscreamillar 10:40 PM And that Christmas, they lost the home, and had to eat scraps from the garbage.

highglossfinish 10:40 PM Thanks for that, Buddy.

thenightetc 10:42 PM Wow, how lucky that he coincidentally ran out of fuel right next to Buddy!

Starscreamillar 10:42 PM How convenient.

thenightetc 10:42 PM "also you are literally the only option right now"

Starscreamillar 10:44 PM There is absolutely no reason he should not want him to leave.

highglossfinish 10:44 PM He's done nothing to justify his being there.

Starscreamillar 10:45 PM All he has done is eat their food and destroy their property.

thenightetc 10:45 PM Why, uh... why exactly are they calling in horse cops

Starscreamillar 10:45 PM It is impolite to drive motor vehicles in the park?

thenightetc 10:47 PM Logic!

thenightetc 10:48 PM He's going to get shot

thenightetc 10:48 PM And then trampled by horses.

Starscreamillar 10:50 PM How did she get down there so quickly?

thenightetc 10:51 PM oh no, poor her

highglossfinish 10:52 PM It would be hilarious if nobody joined in.

Starscreamillar 10:52 PM It really would have been.

thenightetc 10:54 PM Right, this one guy is going to make the difference

Starscreamillar 10:54 PM Awful movie logic.

highglossfinish 10:54 PM Terrible.

thenightetc 10:54 PM So are uh those cops going to uh 'disperse' the crowd now

Starscreamillar 10:55 PM With rubber bullets and festive tear gas?

highglossfinish 10:55 PM Oh, someone's absolutely losing an eye to a rubber bullet.

highglossfinish 10:55 PM Merry Christmas.

highglossfinish 10:55 PM Because those always pay the bills.

thenightetc 10:56 PM yyyyyeah

thenightetc 10:56 PM 'and this story is CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, hint hint'

thenightetc 10:56 PM Is there a... reason she's in costume now

highglossfinish 10:57 PM She let him flop around on top of her, they made offspring, now her purpose is complete and she wears pink.

thenightetc 10:58 PM Pizza!

Starscreamillar 10:58 PM 'Very sane and normal way'

thenightetc 10:59 PM On the... floor?

thenightetc 11:01 PM Looks, uh, great. Very edible!

highglossfinish 11:01 PM Exactly like food!

thenightetc 11:02 PM Hmmmm!!!

thenightetc 11:04 PM Yes, *I'd* certainly be pleased to receive that... object.

Starscreamillar 11:04 PM You are forced to consume it at gunpoint.

thenightetc 11:05 PM Nothing about this is arousing.

highglossfinish 11:05 PM Or is it?

thenightetc 11:06 PM Dear lord

Starscreamillar 11:07 PM Perfect.

thenightetc 11:08 PM Ironically I do kind of want some pizza, now.

thenightetc 11:09 PM Love that physics engine!

highglossfinish 11:10 PM Dear Unicron.

Starscreamillar 11:10 PM An all American pizza.

thenightetc 11:11 PM Hm. Hmmm!

thenightetc 11:13 PM "Healthy"

thenightetc 11:14 PM Not his fault at all.

highglossfinish 11:15 PM Everyone's fault but his.

Starscreamillar 11:15 PM It cannot be allowed.

highglossfinish 11:16 PM There they go.

thenightetc 11:16 PM Amazing.

Starscreamillar 11:16 PM Still less of a nightmare than the horrible elf man.

highglossfinish 11:16 PM Much less.

thenightetc 11:16 PM Much less.

highglossfinish 11:17 PM I'm open to suggestions if anyone's got them.

thenightetc 11:17 PM Hmmmm... Continuing a theme... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLHRjaUBb3o

thenightetc 11:18 PM So is she trying to poison her family--

highglossfinish 11:19 PM Amazing.

Starscreamillar 11:19 PM A good food item should shatter when it hits the floor.

highglossfinish 11:19 PM And then come to what may or may not be life.

thenightetc 11:20 PM It's almost life!

Starscreamillar 11:20 PM But they did not have to wait an hour and a half for it to cook. So win-win.

thenightetc 11:20 PM True, true.

highglossfinish 11:20 PM Can't imagine why anyone would have a problem with it.

thenightetc 11:21 PM Dynamite.

Starscreamillar 11:22 PM Ah, humans. Always picking the least good idea available.

thenightetc 11:23 PM Blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds.

Starscreamillar 11:25 PM Perfect.

thenightetc 11:25 PM Pro tip: dynamite doesn't actually make things disappear.

Starscreamillar 11:25 PM In fact in most cases, applying explosives only makes a problem worse.

thenightetc 11:25 PM oh, that special christmas tradition!

thenightetc 11:26 PM Wait, what was that one about the loophole

highglossfinish 11:26 PM Got to stick to tradition!

thenightetc 11:26 PM I'm terrified of what this is going to be

thenightetc 11:26 PM Oh my god

thenightetc 11:27 PM Well

Starscreamillar 11:27 PM . . .

Starscreamillar 11:27 PM It just keeps going.

highglossfinish 11:27 PM And going, and going.

thenightetc 11:28 PM I promise I had not heard that ahead of time.

highglossfinish 11:28 PM I believe you.

highglossfinish 11:30 PM And that's all I've got!

thenightetc 11:30 PM And what an all it was!

Starscreamillar 11:30 PM Well, thank you streaming this nonsense, Knockout. It's been a... time.

thenightetc 11:31 PM Yes, thank you for hosting!

highglossfinish 11:31 PM It has. It certainly has been some sort of a time.

Starscreamillar 11:31 PM I appreciate your hosting, even if the content makes me feel less sane.

Starscreamillar 11:31 PM Until the next one!

thenightetc 11:31 PM It's what christmas is all about.

highglossfinish 11:31 PM Buddy the elf's protruding organic spike is a load that needs to be shared.

Starscreamillar 11:32 PM No, no I could have lived the rest of my life having never seen that.

highglossfinish 11:32 PM And yet, here we are.

thenightetc 11:33 PM Indeed.

thenightetc 11:33 PM Well--goodnight!

highglossfinish 11:33 PM Good night!

highglossfinish 11:33 PM Thank you for coming!

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rowanwould · 5 years ago

Note

12, 13, 15! (Merry Christmas!)

And a Merry Christmas to you! :D

12. how long have you been playing dnd for?

A bit over 2 years now I think? Some time in 2017 at least. Slow start, went along to some introductory sessions, then some one-shots, before eventually finding 2 campaigns to join around the same time, and been with both groups since. Actually DM’ing for one of them for a while now!

13. what’s something you’re working on as a player? (e.g., getting better at roleplay, thinking more tactically during combat, writing more notes, etc)

Writing notes is definitely something I should be working on, both as a player and especially as a DM. Don’t think I’ve made that much progress though! xD Hopefully I can get a bit of work in over the holiday break we’re currently on.

15. the most creative solution to a problem / encounter / puzzle that you’ve thought of?

Oh man, I’ll have to have a think on that one. There’s another player’s that immediately jumps to mind. I’ll reply later, either with that story or when I come up with my own that’s not just “showed the party how to cross a broken bridge”.

Link to Questions

#thanks bud!#.#..#...#....#d&d #xzeihoranth

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cinaed · 5 years ago

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Tagged by @a-taller-tale and @aryashi so I guess I should do this meme. :D

1. Birthday: August 7th

2. Zodiac: Leo. Not sure it fits, but hey.

3. Height: 4′10. The kids at my library are all mostly taller than me by the time they’re 10, haha.

4. Last Song I Listened To: All I’ve Ever Known from Hadestown

I was alone so long I didn't even know that I was lonely Out in the cold so long I didn't even know that I was cold Turned my collar to the wind This is how it's always been All I've ever known is how to hold my own All I've ever known is how to hold my own But now I wanna hold you, too

5. Hobbies: Writing fic, reading. I used to sing but I kind of fell out of the habit outside of my regular story times.

6. Favorite Color: Judging by my wardrobe, purple, with a close runner-up of blue. I feel like I’m betraying the Red Team, but yeah, haha.

7. Last Movie I Watched: Merry Christmas, Mr. Laurence, an 1983 war film starring David Bowie set in a POW camp during WWII. I...don’t know why I had this on my hold list but I have a vague memory of being recced it? It was an intense, interesting film, but as you might have guessed by the setting of WWII, not a happy film.

8. Favorite Book: I can’t choose! I did recently do a top 5 books list for someone, so I’m gonna cheat and just list those:

-The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner -Les Miserables by Victor Hugo -Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie -Holes by Louis Sachar -The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss

9. Dream Job: Honestly, if I would fix what’s shitty about working as a librarian, this would be my dream job. Unfortunately I have a shitty manager and we don’t get support from security and end up dealing with awful patrons and pretty much babysitting the neighborhood. But I love doing programs, especially story time, and helping people find the book they want. Dream job would probably essentially be one where I am a bestselling author who works part-time for the library and just comes in for the fun stuff aka doing programs.

10. Meaning behind my URL: I got this username when I was 14/15 when I needed a username for Livejournal (yes, I’m old), and I was googling names and found Cinaed as a Gaelic name for ‘Born of Fire’ which teen me thought was awesome. Didn’t find out until much later than it also means homosexual in Latin, but you know, it worked out in the long run. :D And it’s been my brand for 18 years of fandom so I’m probably not ever gonna ditch it!

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beans-and-rice101 · 6 years ago

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Merry Christmas

Prompt: Imagine being the Christmas Gift Master for the Avengers or the Justice League. - @darkshadow3942

DISCLAIMER!!! I DO NOT PRETEND TO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE WITH SOCIAL ANXIETY/BEING INTROVERTED!! I DO NOT PRETEND TO KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LIVE WITH A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT!! MY KNOWLEDGE ON BOTH SUBJECTS IS INFORMATION I HAVE GATHERED FROM UNRELIABLE SOURCES! however i am lazy and can't be bothered to do research rn SO IF WHAT I'VE WRITTEN IS INCORRECT OR MAKES YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE OR UPSET PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A RESPECTFUL COMMENT!!

So this is actually completely wrong when compared to the prompt but I took creative license so fuck you. Also it's way late for Kringle but WHO CARES. I worked pretty hard on this so be gentle?

~~~

"T-Tinsel? Check. Tree? Check-k. Obnoxious self-sus-sustaining Christm-m-mas lights? Check. Met-t-ticulously crafted gingerb-bread houses that n-no one w-w-will eat because I w-work for a t-t-t-team of ungrateful sh-shits? Ch-Check." You placed the clipboard down after ticking the last box. You had volunteered as Christmas organizer this year as Pepper was busy trying to convince Mr Stark to leave her pregnant ass alone for five minutes. Worst. Decision. EVER.

You had decided(in your naive eagerness) to invite not-really-Avengers as well because you pitied Quill when he tried to explain the concept of Christmas to the Guardians. Plus you wanted to meet the Spider-Man that Mr Stark had been fussing over. God that man needed to chill. You had only hoped he would relax enough this past week for you to get everything done. Hardly. But no use dwelling on the horrors of unpaid apprenticeship! You still had a lot of work to do. Let's see... Hang up the tinsel and assorted decorations, figure out how to attach the lights to the top of the compound, hide the food from Clint and Thor, pick up the order of mince pies from Bow's and Holly's Bakery, be at the airport at 10:00am sharp to recieve Mr Stark and Mrs Potts, arrange the assigned rooms for the Wakandan and spacefaring guests... God... What were you forgetting!?

You pulled out your phone and look back through your notes for the day. Ah, yes. Pick up Peter. Peter? Oh, right, Peter Parker. Spider-Man. Happy was away with family - who were invited to join, but declined - in California. This left you with the additional task of either driving Mr Stark to meetings and seminars or organizing for chauffeurs. You honestly preferred the latter, but To-Mr Stark always insisted on paying you for the ride. Plus, he wasn't that bad as travelling partners went. In fact, for the co-CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, Mr Stark is pretty cool. He isn't without his snark and a certain level of entitlement; and occasionally forgets that people like you live under different circumstances, but all in all, not the worst boss. Certainly better than the one that pays you.

Lost in thought, you very nearly ran into someone. Looking up at the person steadying you, you swallowed loudly at the sight of Steve Rogers. You smiled weakly and mumbled an apology as you looked down at your watch. "Oh sh-shit!"

"Uhh..?" Your gaze snaps back to Steve, who looks more than a little worried by your outburst. "Everything alri-?"

"I'M SORRY I HAVE TO GO THANKS FOR THE CHAT BYE!!" You sprinted past him; later you were informed that this was when you dropped your phone, but at the time your thoughts lay with the fact that it was 9:45am and you had to get your ass in gear.

You barely got to the airport as Mr Stark's plane was set to land. He and Mrs Potts had insisted on flying to San Francisco themselves to pick up Eddie Brock - Mr Stark's newest "find", whom he was as of yet, unsure of. Mr Brock had agreed on the condition that he stayed in a hotel of his choosing as opposed to the compound. Whether that was a lack of trust in you, Tony or himself, you weren't certain. Whatever the case, you didn't mind, as it was one less room for you to organize. As you contemplated Mr Brock, you turned up the radio, listening to the Christmassy songs.

Despite your responsibilities this year, you still found that you enjoyed Christmas. There was something about the cheesiness of it all. How over the top people would get, going to such great lengths to prove their Christmas Spirit. You were content with spending most Christmases by yourself, but lately you had been wondering what Christmas would be like when spent with someone. Don't be mistaken, you had plenty of memories with your family, and they stayed in touch, but it had been years since you had been home for Christmas. Your thoughts moved to the Avengers. Superheroes, secret agents, goody-goodies the whole lot of 'em. Most days, you found it hard to understand how so many different people could share a space... Maybe you envied them... You weren't much older than Peter Parker, but you would never consider to include you in the superhero equation.. You tried to convince yourself that you wouldn't belong, anyway. You had nothing to contribute; aside from coffee, bad jokes and a stutter that even your family couldn't decipher.

The car door opening jolted you out of your thoughts, and you looked over to see Mrs Potts sliding into the seat next to you. "How's planning going?"

"...How d-do you d-d-do it?" Mrs Potts laughed. After Mr Stark and Mr Brock were seated, you began the drive back to the compound. Along the way, you stayed mostly silent - unless it was to correct dates and names Mr Stark got wrong that Mrs Potts missed - and listened to the conversation. It was clear, at least to you, that there was both an air of caution from Mr Brock towards Mrs Potts, and a faint tint of distrust in Mr Stark's words to Mr Brock. You had never thought to ask why Mr Brock was of such interest to the billionaire, and from the air between the two men, you didn't intend to pry. You, personally, thought Mr Brock was quite polite, if a little blunt. He thought to include you in conversation, despite barely knowing you for a minute. When you started driving him to the hotel, preceding dropping off Mrs Potts and Mr Stark(who seemed hesitant to leave the two of you alone...), Mr Brock seemed to grow more closed off. You supposed he didn't want to distract you; or perhaps he didn't care.

With the lack of conversation, aside from occasional directions from Mr Brock, you started zoning out again. There was no point in returning to the compound straight after dropping him off. You would only have 20 minutes, then, to spare before it was time to go pick up Peter. Mr Parker? Should you address him formally as well? He was maybe two months older than you. You supposed it was better to be safe than sorry, but something about it felt wrong...

"Thank you for the lift." You nodded, smiling at Mr Brock as he got out of the car. "It was n-n-no problem, M-M-M-M-..." You sighed, giving up. You just nodded again. Mr Brock pulled his suitcase out of the trunk himself, waving off the doorman. You leaned out the side window, taking a moment to figure out your words before speaking. "I'll be b-b-back-ack at 6:15. Is that-at okay?" Mr Brock copied your earlier action before stepping back from the curb. You waved at him as you pulled away, contemplating what to do. You supposed you should at least pick up those pies from the bakery. In fact, it wasn't too far from Mr Parker's address... Nope. Didn't like it.

The bakery smelled fresh and the air was warm, compared to the snow outside. You rubbed your hands together, regretting not wearing thicker clothes. "Order for Mr T-T-T-Tony St-t-Stark?" The barista looked through the boxes and picked up a large cream one with clear plastic on the top so you could see the treats inside. You smiled thanks and regretted not returning the "Merry Christmas!" that followed you out into the cold. You sighed, taking a moment to look around. The street you were on wasn't too busy, and the shops were cheerful enough, but it seemed you were destined to be in a mournful mood this afternoon. You checked the time. 12:42pm. Not too bad on time. You decided to keep the pies in the back so that you weren't tempted to eat them. You had cookies at home that you could snack on.

Pulling up at the Parkers' house, you braced yourself for conversation. "Hi. I'm here for P-P-Peter Park-k-ker." Ehh. It was understandable. That was what you told yourself as you rung the doorbell. You heard the sound of footsteps(sprinting??) approaching the door, and it swung open to reveal a boy with a cheery smile and messy brown hair. He yelled goodbye to someone inside, before hauling his backpack to the car. He was already in when you got there. Oh boy...

"So... You work with Mr Stark, too?"

"For. I work-k for Mr St-tark."

"Oh. Right. So... You've met the other Avengers? Like... Personally?" The dreaded question. You shifted slightly, preparing the words on your tongue. "N-no. Not p-p-personally. I only work-k for Mist-ter Stark."

"Oh." Peter looked out the window. Oh God... You knew what he was thinking about. Here it comes- "So... Is your stutter, like, a speech impediment?" You sighed quietly. "Yes, it's a sp-peech imp-p-p-pe-pe-RRAA!" You slammed the breaks in frustration, skidding a little. You took a deep breath, and turned to Peter, who looked more than a little shocked. "I understa-tand that you have qu-questions, and this is p-p-probably your first-t t-t-t-t-... Your first ex-per-i-ence-" You said the word slowly. "-with someone lik-ke me. But I have answered these que-questions too man-n-n-n-ny times before. P-p-please do not ask-k anymore." Peter had the conscience to look apologetic and he nodded in understanding. "Okay. I promise not to ask anymore questions like that."

"Thank you."

You arrived back at the compound at about 3:08pm, and watched Peter run over to greet Mr Stark. As soon as you had started driving again, you felt guilty for snapping. You were grateful to Peter for being the civil one and apologizing, and you knew he crossed a line... Forget it. He apologized and you forgave him. He even offered to take the pies in, so you guessed there were no hard feelings. Anyway, back to doing your job which, funnily enough, didn't include yelling at superheroes.

You had 2 hours before you had to go pick up Mr Brock, so you decided to run back to your apartment and amuse yourself until then. You had all but given up on completing your other tasks. The Avengers would simply have to put up the tree themselves. You would apologize tomorrow. You hoped Tony would understand...

Your apartment was kinda chaotic, but you were pretty decent at keeping things in the area they belonged, so it wasn't too hard to navigate. It also meant you were less likely to lose something valuable if you were broken into. You pondered this as you prepared a simple sandwich for yourself. The ideal Christmas dinner. At least munching on it gave your mouth something to do. You checked the time. 5:41pm. You supposed you could leave now and pick Mr Brock up early. Or wait outside for him.

You decided on the former, as you realized the latter made it seem like you were here for suspicious reasons. You found out from the front desk where he was staying and took the stairs to avoid people. Mr Brock's room wasn't difficult to find. You knocked. Inside, there came a sound like a wounded animal. You grew worried, as Mr Brock's voice sounded deeper when he answered. "Yes?"

"Uh, hi. It's m-me, ag-gain. I hope I'm n-n-not intrud-ding, bu-but I had t-t-time to spare s-so..." You trailed off as the room behind the door grew quiet. "M-Mr Brock..?" Getting no response still, you knock again. The door swings open to reveal... Mr Brock. He looks a tad more shabby and a bit nervous, but he smiles anyway. You recover your professionalism and return the smile. "I've pu-parked the c-car out the fron-nt. I hope you d-d-don't mind, b-but I'd like t-t-t-... The evening to m-myself." Mr Brock looks confused. "You're not going to the party?"

"I'm n-not an Avenger."

"Neither am I." You huff. "I d-don't work WITH Mist-ter Stark-k. I'm his assis-sis-sis-..."

"Assistant."

"...Yeah..." You give him a tight-lipped smile and gesture back to the stairwell. "I'm g-gonna wait in the c-c-car..." Mr Brock nods, turning back to his room. "I won't be long."

Indeed he wasn't. You were only sitting in the car for 10 minutes before Mr Brock slid in behind you, looking only slightly less disheveled. But he was in a suit, and you'd seen Mr Stark look worse, so you started driving. The car ride is much like before, only you occasionally catch Mr Brock muttering intensely to himself. Odd. Now that you think about it, Mr Brock seems to be absent of many common traits among the people Mr Stark tends to recruit. Perhaps that was the reason for the underlying hostility between the two. Mr Brock certainly makes you slightly anxious. But you boil that down to second hand stress on his behalf. Checking the time again - 6:12 pm - you force yourself to calm down. If Mr Stark trusted this man enough to allow him around his pregnant wife, surely he's safe enough to share a car with.

You pull up to the compound and smile encouragingly at Mr Brock. He returns it and nods in gratitude before getting out. You watch him stumble up the stairs, a distant part of you wishing you could join in. Inside looks so happy and bright. Such a distant, alien world to you. So far out of your reach. Held within your sight by one man who, while friendly enough, barely acknowledges your existence. These people are far removed from you. The good they do surpasses your life. This is what you force yourself to remember, and you wipe the tears from your eyes.

The drive home is difficult, to say the least. What with the tears in your eyes, and the pull you feel back towards the party, you're surprised the car moves at all.

Your apartment is cold when you arrive. Not only due to the obvious symbolism of how lonely you are, but also because you forgot to leave the heater on. You don't care much, though. After everything, you just want to crawl into bed. At least there, you can dream. You can return to the party, to be greeted by smiling faces, all of them delighted at your arrival. There, you can exist in the world you crave. Part of a family that stretches through space.

There, you might just have a Merry Christmas.

#prompt writing #darkshadow i'm sorry #avengers #christmas #venom #guardians of the galaxy #doctor strange #this is fucking sad you're welcome #ugh #i have issues with christmas

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deadcactuswalking · 2 years ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 03/12/2022 (Christmas Garbage, Stormzy)

I think this’ll be a short one. Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” reigns for a sixth week and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start with our notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, that list includes “Major Distribution” by Drake and 21 Savage, “TV” by Billie Eilish, “One Up” by Central Cee, “She’s Not Anyone” by D-Block Europe featuring Burna Boy, the original “Miss You” by southstar sadly being eclipsed by the Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz version, “STAR WALKIN’” (League of Legends Worlds Anthem) by Lil Nas X, “Super Freaky Girl” by Nicki Minaj, “2 be Loved (Am I Ready)” by Lizzo and some really big 2022 hits saying farewell: “Big City Life” by Luude and Mattafix, “Last Last” by Burna Boy, and “Running up that Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush. Oh, and “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran is gone but it’ll be back. To be fair, most of this will be after Christmas.

One thing I appreciate about ACR is that in a year wherein festive celebrations came earlier than seemingly ever, there aren’t four Christmas songs in the top 10 like in the US, and we had more of a trickling in effect than Stateside. That doesn’t mean that our notable gains and returns aren’t largely dominated by holiday music, however. In terms of where our three highest-performing festive tracks are, “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John is at #15, “Last Christmas” by Wham! is at #9 and, to prove ACR’s impact, “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey is at #8. Without ACR, it’d top this week’s chart. We also see 14 returning entries from the Christmas canon, so bear with me as we welcome back “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber at #71, “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano at #70, “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band and the Harlem Community Choir at #68, “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes at #66, “Snowman” by Sia at #65, “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade at #63, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” by Dean Martin at #61, “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #60, “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis at #57, “I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday” by Wizzard at #53, “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney at #51, “Step into Christmas” by Elton John at #45, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams at #44 and “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea at #42. I wouldn’t usually do this since I name these songs every year but it’s a short episode so I suppose it’s worth listing off my opinions on these songs, in the exact order I mentioned them. So just briefly: better than you remember, mind-numbing, infuriating, a classic, I hope the snowman isn’t autistic, sounds like a drunk dads’ karaoke (in a good way), fine enough, Satan’s spawn, modern classic, disagreeable but good, genuinely bizarre and incomprehensible, jolly good fun, sounds like a warm fireplace and finally, seriously underrated. As of now, there are five Christmas songs in the top 20.

In terms of gains outside of the Christmas songs, there really aren’t many to speak of as most songs found themselves falling or stagnating. Regardless, “Lionheart (Fearless)” by Joel Corry and Tom Grennan is at #22 and Stormzy sees gains for “Firebabe” at #11 and “Hide & Seek” at #7 off of the #1 album (more on that later). Also in the top 10 is a massive gain off of the debut for RAYE’s “Escapism.” featuring 070 Shake at #6. It’s the first top 10 hit for 070 Shake, and whilst I do doubt its longevity considering how opposed it is to sounding festive, I do hope it sticks around. It’s a great song.

This week’s top five on the UK Singles Chart consists of “PSYCHO” by Anne-Marie and Aitch at #5, “Miss You” by Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz at #4, “messy in heaven” by venbee, goddard. and ArrDee at #3, “Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor at #2 and of course, “Anti-Hero” at the top. Now we can go through our list of new entries on the chart, as is the point of this series yet I’ve still not found a good segue. It’s been damn near five years.

NEW ARRIVALS

#52 – “Someday at Christmas” – Lizzo

Produced by the shills over at Amazon

Every Christmas, we get Amazon pushing songs, typically covers, by big artists that are exclusive to their Amazon Music service so that Alexa will play it when someone asks for holiday music and whoever recorded it gets a cheap, Astroturf hit. To me, it kind of ruins the point of a Christmas song to make it exclusive to a service (especially considering the universal and optimistic, hopeful world view of the original song), and it largely makes no impact as the song leaks onto YouTube or... totally legal torrenting sites anyway. “Someday at Christmas” is a classic by Stevie Wonder and is available on all streaming services so it’s really not worth digging a cover up. As a part of my opposition to these sketchy Amazon original covers, I opened this spot up to people on a music Discord server largely centred around the charts to give me suggestions of songs to check out, so in kind of a lightning round, here are 10 songs that the server wanted me to listen to instead of “Someday at Christmas”.

Jade suggested “The Thrill is Gone.” by RAYE, which acts as the B-side to “Escapism.” and in my opinion is worth a single release on its own. RAYE has that typical mix of cold swagger and quivering whisper that works for the uncertain content, desperate for validation from this guy when the thrill in the relationship has just withered away. I do think the chorus is a bit weak but the jazzy groove is top-notch and really organic, especially in the breakdown, with the tempo shifts adding some real sense of dynamics across the arrangement. This new direction from RAYE reminds me of Amy Winehouse and whilst she may not have the punch yet in these singles, she’s got me compelled with these singles and I’m excited for that album.

Piran suggested “player 2” by piri & tommy, a UK garage duo who have learned from the winning formula that is PinkPantheress, mixing the classic groove with bedroom pop sensibilities. This is far from my favourite from their album froge.mp3, especially considering “beachin”, “on & on” and “say it” exist, but it still has that vintage-sounding wave of subtle keys and a thumping beat that is decent. If Tommy Villiers were a vocal presence worth caring about, I’d probably not mind the bog-standard content but in comparison to the more energetic tracks, that chorus feels kind of tedious and piri is obviously the standout in this duo when it comes to the vocalist. Regardless, it’s still got a groove to it, the build-up is well-implemented and its mix is impeccable for its genre – the bass really hits and the vocals are cloudy and all over the mix like they should be in more casual UK garage, but it’s also mostly a demo of a song that feels like it should have been re-recorded somewhere across the line.

Jade also suggested “Zukunft Pink” by Peter Fox featuring Inéz, which is Fox’s first solo release in 14 years and went #1 in Germany. I liked the intro with all the strings coalescing into each other amidst the hand claps, and they definitely carry a grandiosity when the bassy digital dancehall groove comes in. I’m not entirely convinced by Inéz on the hook but Fox’s vocals deliver a bassy rumble that is pretty fitting for this kind of subtly uplifting but also incessantly-flexing track... and compared to your average rap song, it definitely has more of a bounce to it so I’ll take it. Sure, it’s a tad unmoving but when he starts the second verse by dissing Elon Musk and the little chiptune synths arrive in the bridge, I can’t say this isn’t good fun.

Piran also suggested “The Loneliest Time” by Carly Rae Jepsen featuring Rufus Wainwright. Whilst not successful commercially since “I Really Like You”, Jepsen has won with the critics and usually, not me as much. This new single went viral on TikTok and is completely competent with its vaguely disco sound as the strings wrap around an unnecessarily driving beat that, alongside the chipmunk post-chorus, just sounds a bit too awkward. Rufus Wainwright sounds like a Jonas Brother in this but at least with a modern duet, there’s actual interplay and they both have a lot of vocal charisma, getting back together after a breakup because they’re both so irresistible. It’s cute, but the production is too distracting for me to really endorse it fully. I wish I could like Carly Rae Jepsen more than I do but more often than not, whoever’s behind the boards is doing too much. I don’t like bog-standard synthpop but I also don’t understand the need for such maximalism as that bridge with all the sound effects when the songwriting reflects such a simple, instinctual emotion. Something more minimal and striking could have worked here.

Luca suggested “Get with You Tonight” by DJ Mark Night and Lukas Setto, a throwback deep-house tune with a sweet bass hook that pretty much won me over before anything else. That specific tone of synth bass in a funky house context will never not work, and Setto has that kind of liquid voice that just meshes with the production in such an effortless way. Sure, the content isn’t compelling but in a dancefloor smash like this, it doesn’t need to, and the way each falsetto note just perfectly hits on the stabs of the synth strings in harmony makes the chorus seem so cathartic, especially when the verses tend to be slippery with subtle ad-libs. The swell of the production is really grand yet never really oversells itself because the groove is so solid that every other inflection is just a DVD bonus feature. I have no idea why this isn’t a hit, it’s incredible.

Piran also suggested “Weapons” by Ava Max, who sadly started making good music as soon as she stopped charting. Whilst this second album seems set up to be a slump in the eyes of the public, at least I’m enjoying the singles, and this is one of them. Her brand of 80s pastiche has a certain synthwave drive to it, with a delivery so coded in vocal manipulation that any emotion comes off as an act, in a perfectly camp way. If anything, I kind of wish the song was more camp, since the main chorus melody sounds like it should be in a musical and the lead synth is not far from a Phantom of the Opera organ. Regardless, the drums are punchy as Hell and it’s incessantly catchy. It’s not my favourite Ava song – “Maybe You’re the Problem” still has that on lock – but this won’t make a bad album track. If anything, that may be the problem. I’m sure there are songs more single-worthy than this one.

Jade also suggested “Baby Girl” by Disco Lines, which may take a while to explain. Firstly, Adele released the fine enough song “Melt My Heart into Stone” in 2008, and in 2010, Donald Glover took an incredible piano and vocal sample loop from that song that had real flip potential with an actually good rapper on it, but since this is early Childish Gambino, it’s embarrassing and largely cringeworthy, as well as being like two minutes too long with a bad mix. A drumless flip of this loop with Griselda on it, or even a full hip house flip, would work, but alas, it didn’t happen. In 2014, HOME released the vaporwave classic “Resonance” that in the eyes of the Internet came to define the entire movement, with its wavy synths, many of its melodies becoming pretty iconic. Nowadays, I find it pretty rote to be honest, but it’s a solid instrumental that is definitely chill to relax to and the synthwork ends up keeping you on your toes more than you’d think. Colorado DJ Disco Lines took the hook from “Do Ya Like” and the synths from “Resonance”, sped both of them up for TikTok views and made a pretty annoying loop out of it. I appreciate the mashup as I’m a fan of Bastardised pop, especially putting vaporwave with Childish Gambino because well, that’s what he should have always rapped over... but when he’s taking a mediocre hook and splashing it over synths that become less recognisable once you’ve added these bog-standard house drums over it, it just becomes much of a muchness, not really existing in a form that is separable from virality, especially when he starts sampling MLG meme lines. Like come on, at least pretend it’s a real song.

Luca also suggested “CORALINE” by Maneskin, proving my thesis that this band is better in their native tongue. The acoustic backing reminds me of a Latin-inflected Red Hot Chili Peppers with how it makes a surprisingly flickery and upbeat strum sound drained and mellow, and whilst the language barrier does prevent me from fully taking the lyrics in and I can’t comment on their tone because of what may be lost in translation, it’s a pretty compelling and tragic story about a girl called Coraline who seems emblematic of those longing for a release or escape from a constant background of mental trauma. Frontman Damiano David plays it safer with his nasal tone which makes it even more gripping when that first electric guitar riff comes in and he breathily whispers over the tumbling drums, his delivery evolving into a raspy screech as the song intensifies and... yeah, this is exactly my thing. These suggestions have been good, but this one in particular scratches an itch that is so cathartic to me and I don’t get to talk about hard rock nearly enough on this show. David strains himself in his slippery delivery which sounds as messy and difficult to solve as the mental problems he’s describing, especially when his rolling rasp gets more venomous and desperate over the a killer drum fill – I had to search who Maneskin’s drummer was and whilst Thomas Raggi deserves credit for his guitar work, especially on that solo, the drums from Ethan Torchio are just crushing and absorb all space in the mix. It is seriously intense and honestly perfect for this content, especially if restraint wins over sonically as Damiano sounds defeated moaning over the same acoustic riff we started with. It’s a passionate, heartbreaking song that is pretty much up my specific alley in many ways: I live for dramatic alt-rock melancholy, and this is up there. Maybe I shouldn’t write these guys off as much as I do sometimes.

Piran also suggested “Blue” by Sigrid, which is in comparison to the previous song, kind of underwhelming. There isn’t really room for comparison here though as these are pretty much randomly selected tracks. I’m not a fan of Sigrid anyway, but what I’ve heard from her recently doesn’t even have the same punch as her debut, and as a ballad, “Blue” just feels like it exists. It almost has a country twang in its acoustics but watered down so that a Norwegian actually makes sense singing on it. There isn’t enough detail to the content to make it all that distinguishable, and it probably needed some extra drafts so that the writing weren’t so repetitive, especially if as a song it’s going to be this cloudy and unmoving. Sigrid is a great singer for sure, and she delivers vocally here, but she’s selling very little over a song that doesn’t even have a typical power ballad swell. This is just... completely fine, and that’s pretty much it.

Finally, Jade also suggested... “Vagina” by cupcakKe. You know, the blaring instrumental of this song sounds really dated for 2015, especially considering that a lot of other trap from that era has not aged one bit, and the rattling lo-fi percussion is pretty distracting, especially with the twinkling bells that are loud enough in the mix to annoy me. It’s just a bit of an instrumental headache and it really is unfortunate that there is not a comically obnoxious female rapper talking explicitly about sex over this beat. I get we can’t have everything we want.

Of course, we can’t exactly have a Best or Worst of the Week for this week, so I may as well replicate it for this section: my favourite was by far “CORALINE” by Maneskin but “Get with You Tonight” by Mark Night and Lukas Setto gets pretty close – turns out Luca suggested both. I’m not really a fan of all of them, but it’s mostly a good batch and the only track I’d say I dislike is “Baby Girl” by Disco Lines, but even that is only less than two minutes and has some decent ideas going for it. A big thank you is due to everyone who suggested, of course. Oh, and if you’re forgetting what this show is about:

#32 – “This is What I Mean” – Stormzy

Produced by P2J, Knox Brown, PRGRSHN and Joel Peters

Stormzy feels confused. This arguably maturer, slower effort This is What I Mean still gave him a #1 album but sonically, he seems too ambitious for his own will. He’s still a great rapper, yet he spends a great deal of his time singing. He has an ear for great production, but doesn’t develop upon the foundation enough. The beats are all immaculately mixed for the most part and definitely intricately sequenced but in the Jacob Collier fashion wherein very little soul is brought to the table and we’re relying on Stormzy for the emotional impact... which is just not going to come through since whilst he has a resonant voice in rap, he’s not going to tug at your heartstrings in R&B mode. Also, Jacob Collier helped produce the album – go figure. It’s a conflicted album that is less than the sum of its parts but ultimately delivers a pretty apt path for Stormzy to go from here, even if this album is far from perfect. My favourite track was the sweet, retrospective “I Got My Smile Back” which is way too wholesome for me not to dig, but the title track does get close, mostly because it’s a grime posse cut and those rarely fail. Stormzy handles most of the track, which mixes a fluttering romanticist piano with pulsating, warping bass and a genuine swell in the strings for the intro, before flattening into staccato harmonies and shrieks for Stormzy to start going off... and he does. There’s not much wordplay, but his sheer cold confidence and playfulness with his flow is more than enough to make up for it, especially when all of the vocal loops create an incomprehensible, bassy mess that he somehow still stands out against, before the grimey, filthy bass beat comes in and he can slide over it as he usually does, with effortless swagger and a wonderful blend of ad-libs and sound effects that are all so intricately placed to fit with Stormzy’s flow that it sounds like it took weeks. For the third verse and the bridge, Ms Banks comes in to trade bars with Stormzy, appearing on a distorted phone call verse that has a striking yell to it, right before Ghanaian singer Amaarae comes in and kills it with her convicted swells, venomous chants and violent, eerie harmonies perfectly aligned with the strings. I think it’s pretty hilarious that the week after Stormzy called himself Kanye, he said that he vibed with Hitler, but when you sit on an album for this long, some of it can age... not quite so well. The track ends with an infectious chant and hypeman outro from Black Sherif that goes pretty hard, and whilst I wish it ended up with a more solid bang and really, it fails to set the stage for how the album actually sounds, it’s great on its own and definitely has single material.

Conclusion

Well, I suppose Stormzy, Ms Banks, Amaarae and Black Sherif get Best of the Work for “This is What I Mean” but there’s not exactly competition, especially since Lizzo’s cover is only a negative on principle and is honestly a pretty fine, faithful rendition. As for next week, I imagine it’ll mostly be more Christmas garbage, but for now, thanks for reading, rest in peace to Irene Cara and Christine McVie, and I’ll see you next week!

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crazyfreckledginger · 7 years ago

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It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

A/N: Late Christmas fic. I know it’s the new year, but I wanted to post my fics in order! And I will not be doing a new year’s fic, I don’t really have any inspiration.

This fic includes Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Jason Todd (Red Hood), Roy Harper (Arsenal), Tim Drake (Red Robin), Damian Wayne (Robin), Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Alfred (the Badass Butler).

------------------------------------------------------------

3rd Person PoV

"Guys!!!!! (Y/N) isn't answering her phone!" Dick whined.

"I'm sure Miss (Y/N) is fine!" Alfred reassured, taking a tray of empty teacups to the kitchen.

"But it's been 2 days!!!!!"

"Will you shut up if we took you to her apartment?" Jason snapped.

"Yes, I will!!!" Dick answered enthusiastically.

"I'm coming!" Damian said, hopping off the kitchen stool.

"So am I!" Tim added.

---------Time Skip--------

Jason's PoV

After suffering through 15 minutes of Dick's constant worrying, we finally arrived at (Y/N)'s apartment. Tim knocked on the door. There was no answer.

"(L/N)!" Damian called out. Still no answer.

"Get away from the door!" I said. I knelt down and started picking the lock.

"Why don't we just break the door down?" Dick asked, nervous.

"Do you really want to deal with an angry (L/N) when she finds out?" Damian asked raising an eyebrow.

"I see your point!" Dick agreed.

I managed to unlock the door and Tim eagerly made it fly open. We walked around her apartment but didn't manage to find (Y/N).

"What if she's gotten kidnapped!" Dick said frantically.

"Of course she isn't! We taught her how to defend herself, didn't we? She might have gone to the Manor whilst we were coming here!" I reasoned. Damian got his phone out and dialled Alfred.

"Wayne Manor!"

"Hello Pennyworth, it's Damian, we just wanted to know if (L/N) arrived at the Manor!"

"No (Y/N) in sight Master Damian!" Alfred informed.

"Ok thanks, Alfred!" Tim said quickly, before hanging the phone up for Damian.

"She might be with Roy!!!" I exclaimed after a few seconds of thinking.

"Of course she would be with Roy!" Tim facepalmed. We all sighed, reassured.

"We should call him though!" I said, interrupting the short silence that followed Tim's statement.

My brothers hummed in agreement whilst I took my phone out and dialled Roy. No answer.

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO US!?!?" Dick cried out, looking up at the ceiling as if this was an act of God.

"Pull yourself together Grayson!" Damian snapped, hitting the back of his head.

"I'll go see at our apartment!" I informed.

----------Time Skip-------

I arrived at mine's and Roy's apartment.

"Wait here!" I told the guys as I stepped out of the car. I marched up the stairs and swiftly unlocked the front door.

"Yo ginger-fuck? You in here?" I yelled through the apartment. No answer, I paced around the apartment.

After unsuccessfully finding anything that could lead me to (Y/N), I went back to the car.

"Did you find anything?" Dick and Tim asked as I sat in the driver's seat.

"Nope!" I sighed "Not even Roy"

Original art

"What now?" Tim asked after a few moments of silence. No one answered until I heard shuffling in the back seat. Dick and I turned around and saw Damian looking for something.

"What are you doing Demon?" I asked. He ignored me.

"Baby D!!" Dick exclaimed, trying to get his attention. He still didn't respond, but finally found what he was looking for, his phone, then dialled a number.

"Who are you calling?" Dick whispered. Damian just stared at his eldest brother until someone picked up on the other end.

"Yes father it's me, do you happen to know where (L/N) is? .... yes.... no, we've looked everywhere for her .... but- .... fine" He hung up but said nothing.

"SO?!?!" All three of us said in unison.

"He doesn't know where she is, but said it's better if we just go back to the Manor, it's getting late." The youngest explained.

"But we've been out for hours and we still haven't found her! Something MUST have happened to her!" Tim rationalised.

"We'll have a look in the cave!" I proposed.

-------------Time Skip-------------

Arriving at the front gate, we all looked at the Manor, dumbfounded.

"When did this happen?" Tim asked.

"It's so beautiful!" Dick gasped.

The manor was illuminated with beautiful lights and the trees were decorated with the most beautiful Christmas decorations I have ever seen. After parking in front of the main entrance, we slowly made our way up the stairs towards Alfred, who was waiting for us to open the door.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Alfred smiled.

"Yeah! Who... How.... When did this happen?" Tim gaped.

"You will see!" He smiled opening the door to reveal (Y/N) and Roy.

All our eyes widened.

"SURPRISE!!!!!" They cheered.

"(Y/N)!!!!" Dick yelled, embracing her in a hug.

"Yeah! Where were you? We were worried sick! Why didn't you answer your phone! We've been looking everywhere for you! And why didn't you answer the phone ginger?!" I blurted out, finally turning my attention to Roy.

"Do you know what a surprise is?" (Y/N) defended, placing her hands on her hips.

"We spend two days organising this for you guys so get your ungrateful asses in here!" She shrieked. Roy smirked at us.

They both pulled us inside and threw us on the couch. A tall well lit Christmas tree was standing in the corner of the living room, surrounded by beautifully wrapped Christmas presents.

"Wooow!!" Dick squealed.

"Yeah, we know!" Roy grinned.

"We're watching The Polar Express!" (Y/N) informed excitedly.

"Yay!!" Tim and Dick danced. I simply fell into (Y/N)'s shoulder and groaned. She playfully smacked my chest.

"Get over it. Roy! You're watching it too!"

"Nah fuck it, let's just get drunk!" He said I hummed in (Y/N) sweater, I felt him get off the couch. (Y/N) then stood up, making me bury my face into the couch, and pulled Roy back onto the couch, sitting on both of us, making sure to not make us escape.

"We're watching it! Since both of you don't want to, you'll have this!" She said reaching for something in the box. A few moments later, a reindeer headband was placed onto our head.

"AH HELL NAH!" Roy exclaimed.

"OH HELL YES!!" (Y/N) retorted.

"If you don't stop acting like a baby I'll force you to put on ugly sweaters as well!" She added.

Original art

To that statement, we both froze. She smirked as she threw Santa hats to Dick, Tim and Damian.

"Why can't we wear Santa hats instead?!" Roy grumbled, to which I agreed, pouting. She then pressed the play button and sat comfortably on my chest and on Roy's lap.

"Merry Christmas bitches!" She yelled.

---------------------------------------

Merry Christmas y'all!!!

Want to be tagged?

Tagging: @lumifuer

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khrow-shinku · 4 years ago

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The Great War Christmas Special

D&D 5e Campaign

The Great War

Christmas One Off

Wade pops in and pulls everyone including Maw through a portal and lays them still asleep onto a ship. Wade himself falls asleep and is then grabbed up by The Red Queen. Upon waking up the party tries to look outside at their surroundings and the port holes are all frosted over. Angra opens the door, feels the frigid cold rush in and decides nope and closes it back. Ara heats up her hand to gently defrost one and look out of it. JJJ not used to his new breath weapon accidentally melts the window he tries to defrost and Tinkerman quickly repairs it. Tinkerman uses his monocle to look for anything magical nearby and is blinded by a bright light coming from a town off in the distance. Tinkerman quickly distributes some warmer clothing to help fight against the frigid climate outside and the party sets out towards the town.

As they begin walking the snow under JJJ’s feet melts and Thefa’s aura provides a 15 foot radius bubble of protection from the harsh cold environment. Once in the town, the party is greeted by mysterious forgotten puppets, many of which appeared broken or old, others looked just plain creepy. A couple of the party members gathered the courage to ask the toys a few questions to which the response was always the same, go see the red queen followed by a pointing in a direction. Finally the party gets to the building that the red queen is said to be in. The party was escorted to a dinner table where a big feast awaited them. There was room for all of them and at the head of the table, there was a chair facing away. Then the chair suddenly turned. The party had been expecting the red queen, instead they got Wade in a dress. The party is shocked to see him say, Wade? As Tinkerman takes a shot in Wade’s general direction with his finger gun.

“Yes yes, I know I know, I should have gone with the black dress, no one wears white these days.” The amazingly funny Wade jokes as the entire party facepalm except for Rooklus who chuckles and responds, “Nonsense the white really brings out your eyes.” Wade retorts, and that is why you are my favorite big guy. Anywho lets get on with why apparently you are all here. The real red queen who for security reasons is now feeding me lines in an earpiece, has a quest for you guys. It would seem a threatening menace has taken residence up at the peek of this mountain behind us. It is he who shall not be named.” Wade then pauses and whispers “Krampus” and all the toys start screaming. “Anyway he has disrupted things here and we no longer have a way for these toys to find new homes. So I need you guys to go and fix it. Save Santa so things can return to normal around here. For a reward I will give you guys 2 trillion plat and free choice of the toys here to have sex with. Just a warning: the pinocchio one over in the corner is already slightly used by yours truly.” Wade motions over at pinocchio to call him and winks then looks back at the party as he pulls out a sack from behind him that is glowing inside and he starts pulling out stuff, first a stuffed bear, then an inflatable blow up doll, then a dildo, then finally he pulls out a bag of climbing gear for the party, the gear consists of metal claws to put in their hands and feet. “There. This should help you guys get up that mountain, now off with you. I have queen things to get done.” Wade says as snaps his fingers like a drag queen diva and shoos the party off.

The party makes their way up the mountain when half way up they come across what looks to be some type of toy shop. The group enters to investigate and find a very strange race of elves. Unlike the tall pretty ones they are used to seeing they see a bunch of short ones that look like the love child of a dwarf and an elf. All of them keep singing “... Christmas is coming, gotta build toys, Christmas is coming, gotta make them for the girls and boys…” The party sees them making motions with their hands as if they were making toys however they had nothing in front of them. There were broken and dismantled toys all over the workshop. The party then sees the head elf walk into the room and he asks who they are and why they are there. The party explains everything to him and proceeds to ask what's wrong with these little guys. He explains that they’ve gone a bit bonkers. Their sole purpose in life is to make toys and ever sense Santa disappeared and Krampus showed up... the elves interrupt screaming “KRAMPUS!!”... yeah, as you can see they aren’t right in the head anymore. Wade picks up a broken toy and sits it in front of one of the elves and they start fixing it as you see a small tear drop fall from its eye. Rin then walks up to the group of them and kneels down to their level. “Don’t worry guys I have a job for all of you. A very important one, I need you guys to get these toys made. You see we are here to kick you know who in the face and save Santa. We also just happen to know some children in some orphanages who could really use these toys because they don’t have anything else. So cheer up because there is work to be done, Christmas is coming.” Suddenly all the elves start smiling as tears of joy run down their face and they run around grabbing toy parts and putting toys together again. Thefa and Ara go outside with JJJ and start melting away a path while the rest of the party continues to look around the toyshop.

The rest of the party manages to find Santa’s sleigh however it needs some repairing done. Tinkerman sees that he can fix it and starts working on it. He then uses the messenger rings to tell the ones outside they can stop and come in, they found a faster better way up the mountain. Ara replies she will be in shortly, she is having fun. JJJ goes back inside with the others. Thefa stands watch over Ara while Ara calls on her inner artist to doodle in the snow using her fire as a pen. Once the sleigh is ready to go Tinkerman tells Ara to come on its ready. Ara and Thefa come instead and hop into the sleigh as the roof above them opens up. As the party hovers out of the building to fly up the mountain Ara tells everyone to look down. Below them are two drawings, one of a penis and balls, the other of a pair of boobs complete with nipples.

Once at the top of the mountain they land to the side and follow a path. On said path a bunch of snowmen warriors appear. They use a spell that makes us all see the person we want to hurt the least. For Wade this is Lady Death. Upon taking the form of Lady Death it burst into flames and Wade heard her say, “No one shall take on my appearance my love.” Angra saw Bontu although he knew right away that Bontu would not appear here as he never leaves the country he is deity over. Ara quickly puts an end to things using her fire and the party moves on to Krampus’s lair. The party quickly took out all of the snowman warriors with fireballs leaving only the giant snowman warrior. After a few more attacks the party quickly knocks Krampus down Krampus. Now the semi-melted snowman ate Krampus and burst into flames becoming transparent and jello like on the inside revealing Santa inside and slowly boiling to death. Tinkerman with some quick thinking shot the hat off the giant snowman warrior causing it to collapse into a puddle saving Santa and a stone fell down next to Santa. Wade picks up the stone and he slowly starts turning into Krampus starting with his arm. Wade quickly chops off his arm to stop the transformation. Tinkerman asked what happened, Santa says the Red Queen had told him she was going to send him a gift and he looks at the stone and says “It is the Krampus stone.” He then realizes what happened and says “That bitch!” Tinkerman then picked up the stone with pliers, put it into a container and put it away.

Rin and Tinkerman quickly heal Santa. Santa now healed is still a bit croggy; he had been inside that snowman for a long time. Ara knew exactly what to do to make him feel better thanks to something Wade had taught her. Ara began to give Santa a lap dance as he sat on his sleigh while singing Santa Baby. Santa escorts Ara to the back of his sleigh and a small cabin appeared and sounds of moaning could be heard outside with lots of “ho ho hooo yeah.” Wade sticks his hand in and says what about me? Ara says later and keeps earning her christmas present. Rooklus pats Wade on the shoulder and says, “Let her enjoy the ‘yule log’ plus it sounds like Santa is enjoying it.” Santa sticks his head out once they are almost back to the Red Queen's castle tells them to make a couple more laps around the mountain and goes back to enjoying his christmas present.

Once they finally land Santa staggers out smiling. Santa shrinks the sleigh that Krampus had been using down to the size of the toy and tossed it to Tinkerman. Merry Christmas son, you’ve been a very good boy this year. He then sees Angra, “I see you like that hat that was on top of Frosty the Murder Hobo, keep it it’s yours. Merry Christmas!” They go inside to see Wade “The Red Queen.” Once there he grabs his magical bag and tosses everyone in the party a special present. Wade then drops 3 chests filled with plat. Then the real red queen shows up and rips the dress off Wade. Wade questioned what's wrong, she told him to give them a reward. She informs him no, she said to offer them a reward. She never said anything about giving it to them. She then threw wade into a chest and shoved him through a portal and the rest of the party was sucked in behind him. As they were being sucked out they heard Santa call her a bitch and start telling her to get the hell out of his castle. The party lands in a park and the chest smashes to pieces and everyone stands up confused seeing all the tall sky touching buildings. Wade looks around and says “Omg, finally after a year and a half of portal jumping I’m home! I’m in Central Park!”

#d&d #d&d 5e #campaign #homebrew #the great war #christmas one off #christmas special #santa #krampus

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kisseumeoppathings-blog · 7 years ago

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Kwon Ji Yong, Boss Christmas Special!!!!

Hello my beautiful lovelies! I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but I just got so excited. Here is a Christmas Special in my Boss Series. I hope you enjoy it, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Xoxo~

4 years later

Sitting on the couch with your hand on your growing belly, you smiled as Y/S who was now 8 showed your second child, a daughter who was now 4 how to properly hang ornaments on the tree. In the background, quiet Christmas music played as Ji Yong videoed your fourth Christmas Eve ornament hanging. Y/D giggled as Y/S did a little dance, when your 2-year-old started chanting, “Me too! Me too!” pointing up at the tree. Your life had just gotten sweeter, when you were surprised with a fourth child, who was now due in 6 months. Ji Yong had gotten his wish, a large family filling the house, and the woman of his dreams.

As he set the camera down, facing the tree to record your children still decorating, he kissed your neck gently and rubbed your stomach. “Hello little one. It’s almost Christmas time, and even though you won’t be here this year, next year will be the first of many. I’m so excited to meet you. Tomorrow all of mommy and daddy’s friends are coming to help us reveal what you are.” Y/S turned, looking at your two daughters next to him. “Daddy, it’s okay if it’s another girl. But it would be nice to have brother to help me protect them.” A chuckle escaped your lips, as you softly tapped your fingers on your swollen stomach.

“He’s such a good boy.” Ji Yong glanced at your smiling glowing face. “I told you sweetheart, that you never once messed up or became a bad mother. This boy turned out this great, all because of your love.” Playfully pushing his arm, you rolled your eyes. “Okay, okay. But it was also because of you and the boys. Without you guys, I don’t know what would have happened.”

“Aren’t you glad you said yes to me?”

“Yes, I am.”

Ji Yong kissed your forehead, before picking up Y/4/D. “Appa! Look!” She waved a drawing in his face as he lifted her up onto his lap. “Ooh, is it a cat?” She gave him a look, “Noooope. It’s you!” A snort from you brought Y/S to his knees laughing. “Appa looks like a cat now?” You teased her, winking at Y/S. As more giggles were brought on, Ji Yong stood, holding her above him in an airplane position. “Okay, my little babies. Bedtime!” A collective groan came from their lips, but Y/S got up and you picked your toddler up off the floor. “Tomorrow is Christmas though! The faster you sleep, the faster it comes! And you get to find out what the baby is.” At this, the little feet scurried upstairs with your husband carrying Y/4/D and you close behind Y/2/D cuddling up to you.

“Goodnight!” Y/S hollered as he kissed you both goodnight, and raced to his room. Tucking in your two youngest daughters, Ji Yong stopped you in the doorway and pulled you close to his body, humming contently. “Look at our perfection.” Pulling you into a kiss, he sighed. “You have given me everything I ever wanted. I love you so much!” That night you cuddled, talking about all the good things in your lives.

Christmas Morning

At exactly 9:13 am, the jumping commenced. Your bed started jiggling at first, with just one child, but they all were on it by 9:15, and by 9:20 Ji Yong had joined them all in a group effort to get you out of bed. “Arrassoooo!” You grumbled more rolling out of bed then anything. Pulling on fuzzy pajamas and a warm hoodie you groaned as you were dragged to the kitchen Gasping in shock as you were greeted with the friendly warm faces of TOP, Seungri, Taeyang, Daesung and their wives. Y/S and TOPs oldest, now 6, greeted each other and then sat at the table waiting for the infamous waffles and chocolate chips. The house was bustling already, and the day had barely begun.

After breakfast the gifts were exchanged, and stockings opened. Ji Yong had gotten an official adoption paper for Y/S to become his son legally. “It was his idea.” Was al you could slip out as happy tears rolled down your cheeks. It wasn’t until almost 2 in the afternoon that the rest of your guests began showing up and the real fun began. Everyone gathered in the backyard, everyone holding a white ball filled with the color with the gender of the baby. All the balls were filled with the same color, and as you anxiously waited for the horn to signal everyone to throw them onto the ground, Ji Yong winked at you. “Don’t worry.”

At the sound of the horn, everyone tossed their ball into the air, all hitting the ground as blue powder filled the air. Cheers and laughter filled the air, and above the chatter, you could hear Y/S screaming, “YAY! It’s a boy! I knew it! Now let’s go back inside its cold!” As everyone began to go home, giving their best wishes and congratulations, Ji Yong hugged you from behind. “I miss the house being empty only because I could make you feel so good.” A shiver of pleasure slipped through your body, as he kissed and nipped at your soft spot right below your ear. “Mm, stop it, little eyes.” You giggled as your 2-year-old wandered into the room. “Hey, kids! Let’s watch a Christmas movie!” Ji Yong hollered, drawing the other 2 kids into the living room.

Cuddled up on the couch, Ji Yong holding your toddler in one arm and the other around you, holding your hand, Y/S and Y/4/D leaning against you, this was exactly what you had always wanted. The family that you never thought you could have.

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nikatyler · 7 years ago

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Remind me again why I’m not doing replies regularly. I always end up with a post longer than my future.

Ooh, yeah, a new banner for replies! I didn’t like the old one because the size was wrong and tumblr turned it a little blurry. It should’ve been 540 px but the banner was 500px or something. And I was getting sick of it, too.

Anyway, yesterday was great. I drank a little too much (was that noticeable from my tweets? I think it was), but I’m okay now. I wasn’t even that sick in the morning. Basically yesterday evening was mum saying things like “Ronnie no you’ll be sick” and me replying “Ronnie yes you’re a responsible adult now”. Yeah. I’m not a responsible adult, by the way. But I didn’t get sick, bonus points for me! :D

As for my saves, I’m 100% sure where I’ll switch the queue to sims 4 again. I need to get to a very bittersweet (who am I kidding, it’s just very bitter and sad) point with Roses and then we’re ready to go. Actually, no, I’m not ready. I will never be ready. Why am I playing a legacy. Why do I have to let them go.

The queue today will be just 8 posts long because that’s all that’s left of the Christmas thing. Tomorrow we’re back to regular 9 posts a day. I don’t think I could keep 15 posts a day with school going on.

Replies now.

thepixelatedhigh replied to your post “Tagged!”

Oo i seriously had no ides you were Czech �� when I saw your nickname I was like "Verča that's Czech lmao" �� hahah its nice to see a fellow czech haha ��

Fellow czech fellow czech fellow czech *happy dance*

I don’t think I’ve seen many Czech people around here, so this makes me very happy! I should say something in our language but I literally have no idea what :D

davidmont replied to your photo “it got worse”

Teach me plz

I imagine this requires special talent not every person possesses

melien replied to your photoset “Caleb: “Hey buddy, what are you doing?” Dylan: “Mommy help?” Caleb:...”

God this never gets old

Almost a year later, I still find it funny. Glad I’m not the only one because that would be awkward.

daybreaksims replied to your photoset “Fred: “I have nowhere to sleep.” James: “You act like there aren’t any...”

I have a place for you to sleep, moustache trash: the junkyard!

I mean, there was a junkyard really close to their house, he could’ve gone there...

melien replied to your photoset “Hayley: “I’m gonna show you your room and the bathroom. I expect you...”

Just want to let you know these posts are the best thing I've seen in a while

THANK YOU

memesplayssims replied to your photo “She certainly didn’t expect this person to stand at the door.”

delete it

melien replied to your photoset “Fred: “Oh. Good morning.” James: “Good - you actually did it.” Fred:...”

He suddenly looks 10 years younger

I knooooow

teltoadstool replied to your photoset “can’t believe i’m late to my own birthday”

Happy Birthday!

simvim replied to your photoset “can’t believe i’m late to my own birthday”

happy birthday anyway! xD

memesplayssims replied to your photoset “can’t believe i’m late to my own birthday”

Hope your day was good ��

Thank you guys. As far as I remember, morning was good, afternoon not so much. I spent it by setting up a new save that is broken anyway so...:D Nah, I had fun. Thanks!

daybreaksims replied to your photoset “Aurora: look at me I’m kissing my boyfriend too”

I swear she's literally my spirit animal

Mine too tbh

create-a-sim replied to your photoset “Yikes your feet must be freezing.”

Now that's hardcore

Tyler deserves better, I make him seem like the dumb one of the family but he’s actually pretty badass.

simlishanddreams replied to your photo “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! ♥”

Where is James?

With her wife and children and the guy who shall not be named! I only took a picture of the main household, it would be too much if I tried to fit in like 4 more sims.

sparkiemonkey replied to your photoset “Lynn: “THIS IS TOO MUCH I TAKE IT BACK” Tyler: “mUM YOU’RE NOT DYING...”

whoa.. can a spirit be possessed by another spirit? what's really happening there? lol.

idk i’d blame it on the aliens as per usual

daybreaksims replied to your photo She sees everything.”

I'm more and more convinced that she truly is me

She’s your eyes in this universe

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “So, umm, alright, everyone, these are my parents, Benjamin and -”...”

OMG!!!!!

I see an interesting story coming!

I hope I didn’t disappoint you, then! I must admit, in the original plans (March/April 2017) it was supposed to be much more dramatic and stuff, but in the end I didn’t feel like doing it. Instead, I decided to go for a much calmer “what if Angel knew all along?” route. Also I didn’t want to turn Angel into a complete bitch so there’s that.

melien replied to your photoset “So, umm, alright, everyone, these are my parents, Benjamin and -”...”

Awwwwkkkksssss

Awkward improbable coincidences are kinda my thing

melien replied to your photoset

Miracle looks so much like mommy

She does lol

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photo “Do you think so? That’s great. It reminds me…there’s still...”

Yay!

cafesimming replied to your photo “Do you think so? That’s great. It reminds me…there’s still...”

YESSS

FINALLY

melien replied to your photo “Do you think so? That’s great. It reminds me…there’s still...”

Yesss! (and by the way, if you didn't know, there's this handy time/weather shift mod that you can use for changing the sky and time of day, it's a great thing)

http://modthesims.info/d/481816

WHERE HAS THIS BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE

THANK YOU

dandylion240 replied to your photo “Caleb: Does that mean…we’re not frozen in time? We’re going to grow...”

No I'm not ready!

None of us is but the show must go on

Sadly

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Fred: “Thank you for everything. I didn’t believe you would actually...”

Well actually I'm glad that he wants to become better and I hope he really will

and he looks sooo much better without freaking mustache

Honestly? The only reason why I brought him back for a couple of posts was getting rid of his mustache. And while I was there I thought, hmm, I might as well show he’s a human too and there are worse monsters. *cough* Esme *cough**

daybreaksims replied to your photo “Mio: “That’s too bad, I wanted to get to know you better.” Fred: “Did...”

In which Mio looks like an actual demon

Theory: Children sims in sims 3 are actual demons

They always do this for some reason and it’s creepy.

Speaking of creepy, look how much she looks like her grandfather:

sugarinesssims replied to your photo “Alecabeth the first ship this simblr saw but then roses came along and...”

they were the first couple I saw on your simblr, I missed them!

I miss them too! They deserved better. They got pushed aside because I found other things.

daybreaksims replied to your photo “Miracle: “Back to uni soon…it’ll feel like a different universe for...”

It's almost as if she knows that another save XD

She’s been in quite a lot of saves now! The original Twinbrook one, photoshoot save, Uni save, broken Sunset Valley save and working Sunset Valley save. Technically she’s been in more “universes” than Zoey :o

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset

Precious<33

The cutest ;-;

#tiny-tany-thaanos #daybreaksims #sugarinesssims #dandylion240 #melien #cafesimming #sparkiemonkey #simlishanddreams #create-a-sim #teltoadstool #simvim #memesplayssims #davidmont #thepixelatedhigh #replies

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jammie3132 · 7 years ago

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Seblaine: I’m Still Not Talking To You

Fandom: Glee Pairing: Blaine & Sebastian Rating: PG Words: 1698 Seblaine Snowball 2017 Prompts Referenced: Skating, Sweaters

Summary: The Holidays are a time to forgive others. What about forgiving yourself?

Dec. 22, 10:30 AM

To Sebastian: Please explain to me why I thought it was a good idea to start talking to you again?

To Blaine: We don’t talk. We text and only text, unlike “guy who thought being an Alpha Gay was a bad thing” did with that other guy (and may I say…ew!). I’ve turned over a new leaf remember? You’re making sure I remain a goody-goody.

To Sebastian: I wouldn’t go that far. To Blaine: Hey, who made sure the door at the end of the Warbler hallway was unlocked so you and the Blonde Adonis could come rescue that trophy? And then had Trent talk to you and Captain America(?) about Dr. Evil? To Sebastian: Thank you again and its Blonde Chameleon…and Sam’s not gay. To Blaine: Whatever, I just don’t believe he’s as straight as you say he is. To Sebastian: Why’s that? To Blaine: Genetics would not have given him those lips and not have them used for…purposes. Don’t you have to get ready for your flirty duet with “fashionably challenged that somehow got a job with Vogue.com which took up so much of his time that he couldn’t bother to text his boyfriend once in a while”? I mean it must take forever to put that crap in your hair. To Sebastian: I’m ignoring that but yes, I need to go get ready for my ice skating date with Kurt. And singing a duet together is our holiday tradition. To Blaine: Something happening twice is a coincidence not a tradition. To Sebastian: Still ignoring you and Sam is definitely not as gay. He married Brittany. Bye (*if you let me use emojis I’d put a devil here*) To Blaine: WTF?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To Blaine: Damn you! You made me use all caps and multiple exclamation points. To Blaine: No emojis! To Blaine: Wait, wasn’t she Satan’s girlfriend? To Blaine: It’s a pity Sam had to die so young. He was pretty to look at.

1PM

To Sebastian: Hi, I’m home.

To Blaine: You’re home? That was a quickie. Was it that bad? And I’m not talking about the “date”.

To Sebastian: My sex life with Kurt wasn’t that bad. And things never got that far. I can’t believe I’m telling you that.

To Blaine: Killer, if you have to describe your sex life as “not that bad”…it’s that bad.

To Sebastian: You haven’t called me Killer in a long time.

To Blaine: Way to change the subject. Don’t want to talk about it?

To Sebastian: No

To Sebastian: All he wanted to do was talk about NYADA. It was just like last year.

To Sebastian: Talk. Talk. Talk. NYADA. NYADA. Oh, Vogue.com. NYADA.

To Sebastian: And he insisted on singing my least favorite Christmas Carol.

To Blaine: You have a least favorite Christmas Carol? Of course, you do. Which one?

To Sebastian: White Christmas

To Blaine: I can see Mariah “but can’t hit the high F” Carey wanting to sing that one. Out of curiosity…what is your favorite Christmas Carol?

To Sebastian: You’ll laugh

To Blaine: Come on...tell me. Please

To Sebastian: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

To Blaine: Ok, I’m laughing. And judging you. Why?

To Sebastian: Because he was different from everyone else but still wound up being the star. It would make sense if you met my brother.

To Blaine: Sorry, but I don’t know if it is for your horrible “date”, your horrible brother or both. Are you going to be ok?

To Sebastian: Eventually. I’m going to take a shower. To make this day even worse, I have a party at Rachel’s later. Bad memories. Have fun in Paris and Merry Christmas.

To Blaine: My flight doesn’t leave until 8PM. I’ll have my phone on if you need me. If you don’t…Merry Christmas, Killer.

1:30 PM

To Blaine: YOU MADE OUT WITH RACHEL BERRY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For once I’m letting etiquette slide because YOU MADE OUT WITH RACHEL BERRY?!!!!!!! WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS?!!!!!!!!! HEADS WILL ROLL!!!!!! And I know the Bram wedding wasn’t real, even though they thought it was.

To Sebastian: Because it’s something I didn’t want you to know…Ever. How did you find out?

To Blaine: My new BFF Santana told me

To Sebastian: WTF?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To Sebastian: You’re right, that does feel wrong…but WTF?

To Blaine: I got her number (don’t ask) while you were on your “date” with “threw a jealous shit fit when his better looking and more talented boyfriend got the lead in the school play”. I wanted to tease her about Trouty marrying her ex, but we talked and decided our problems were all Gayface’s fault. Now we’re besties. Although, I’m sure at some point a beverage will be thrown in my face. Or my balls will be cut off.

To Sebastian: OMG, you called Sam Trouty. You really did talk to Santana. And calling her about Sam and Britt wasn’t nice. And neither are the names you’ve been calling Kurt.

To Blaine: I’ll give you calling Santana about Sam and Brittany. As for “told you Cooper was the most attractive guy in North America”, not sacrificing honesty to be nice.

To Sebastian: Again, how do you know these things?

To Blaine: I have my ways. Explain to me what an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party is.

To Sebastian: If you’re talking about Rachel’s party, it’s an Ugly Holiday Sweater Party…she’s Jewish. And how do you not know what Ugly Christmas Sweaters are? They’re pretty self explanatory.

To Blaine: Because I spend the holidays in Paris where it is illegal to purposely put on something ugly. What I want to know is can it be an entire outfit? Like if you wore the candy cane pants they gave you on that show you did last year?

To Sebastian: They were capris and how do you know that? You were in Paris.

To Blaine: I’ll give you this one. A link to that show was up on the Warbler website like 5 minutes after it aired (Jeff & Nick to answer your question). I also received texts from every Warbler, plus some that graduated before I got to Dalton, telling me to check it out. YOU (all caps again. I’m dying) were great. What I didn’t understand was Gigantor and the Mohawk.

To Sebastian: It was an homage to a Star Wars Christmas special. Do not say anything derogatory about Star Wars. It is a cinematic masterpiece. Sam and I read the fanfiction sometimes.

To Blaine: I don’t know if I could have a boyfriend who is that big a nerd.

To Sebastian: I thought you couldn’t have a boyfriend for over 20 minutes.

To Blaine: I have hopes for the new year. Got to finish packing.

To Sebastian: Goodbye Sebastian

20 Minutes Later

To Blaine: I lied. I had to read some Star Wars fanfiction. I’m not the expert you are, but I’m pretty sure it is physically impossible for a Wookie and an Ewok to have sex.

To Sebastian: NOT THAT KIND OF FANFICTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 PM

To Blaine: Open your front door.

To Sebastian: Shouldn’t you be at the airport? 3 hours for an international flight. Remember?

To Blaine: Open…your…front…door. It’s cold.

“What the hell?” Blaine looked out his bedroom window and sure enough, Sebastian was at his front door. He slapped his hand over his mouth to stop himself from smiling. Sebastian being there shouldn’t make him so happy. Right?

When he got downstairs and opened the door, he started to laugh. Sebastian was holding cue cards like the guy in Love Actually.

Card #1: I’m still not talking to you. Card #2: Now let me in. It’s f**king cold out here.

Blaine did as requested…or told. It depended on the tone of Sebastian’s voice he heard in his head. When he shut the door and turned back around, Sebastian had more to “say”.

Card #3: I’m still not talking to you Card #4: But I had to say before I go Card #5: Forgive yourself

“Sebastian…”

Card #6: I say those things about Card #7: (eye roll…yes, I wrote out eye roll) Him Card #8: To show how he never appreciated you Card #9: How he was never good enough for you Card #10: Forgive yourself

“I can’t.” Blaine didn’t know why this paralyzed him emotionally, but it did. All of the things Sebastian said were true, he knew that. However, it was impossible for him to differentiate in his head (or his heart) between the Kurt that Sebastian wanted him to see and the broken boy who came to spy on the Warblers.

Card #11: What you did was bad Card #12: Not unforgivable Card #13: Trust someone Card #14: Who actually did Card #15: Something unforgivable Card #16: Trust me

“Oh, Sebastian. I forgave you a long time ago.”

Card #17: But I Card #18: Haven’t forgiven Card #19: Myself

The pained look on Sebastian’s face was so heartbreaking that Blaine had to momentarily divert his eyes. It was in that one instant that he noticed them…cue cards lying all over the floor of his entryway. He picked them up in order and as he read them again, he realized that Sebastian had written them before he arrived. He had anticipated everything Blaine said. Everything he felt. They weren’t talking, but Sebastian was listening. With the exception of Sam, and some feeble attempts from his mother, no one had done that in a long time.

Blaine put the cards on a side table, walked over and reached for Sebastian’s hands “I have an idea. When you get back from Paris, you and I, together, will start working on ways to forgive ourselves. It will take time, but I think we can do it. Maybe we can reevaluate how we’re doing around Valentine’s Day? Then, if we’re both in a good place, we can begin to work on your goal of finding a relationship that lasts longer than 20 minutes.”

The smile that crossed Sebastian’s face was probably one of the most beautiful Blaine had ever seen “I’d really like that, Killer.”

“Sebastian?”

“Yes?”

“You’re talking to me.”

Notes: Happy Holidays everyone

#seblainesnowball #seblaineaffairs #Canon Divergent Season 4 #Kurt back to Lima (not Blaine to NYC)

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beakmanfans-blog · 6 years ago

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Happy Birthday to Julie Christensen!!!

Happy Birthday to Julie Christensen!!! Today January 21, 2019, is Julie Christensen's birthday. She has released 2 album's in the last few years, has appeared on several other people's albums, has reunited with members of the "Divine Horsemen" and even sang backup for one of the Flesh Eater's newest songs. Here is a look at some of the happy moments captured in her life.

Today January 21, 2019. Is Julie Christensen's birthday. She appeared in Beakman's World Season 1, episode 2, as well as on various other television shows, music videos, and even films. Recently she has reunited with the former members of the band, Divine Horsemen, and also sand backup vocals for its lead, Chris D. on the newest Flesh Eaters song "Black Temptation", however she is not seen in the video. Here is a clip and paste image showing her at various moments in her life, created for her birthday, 2019.

#HappyBirthday #January21 #JulieChristensen #DivineHorsemen #ChrisD #FleshEaters #BeakmansWorld #RitaValente #PaulZaloom #MarkRitts #AlannaUbach #RockNRollMusicAssociationHallOfFame #IowaRockNRollMusicAssociation #RockNRollHallOfFame #WomenWhoRock #Inductee #2018

This clip and paste image captures the moment of Julie Christensen's induction by the "Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association", into the "Rock 'n' Roll Music Association Hall of Fame, Women Who Rock". Beside her she has brought the Beakman's World cast at the time she appeared on the show. Paul Zaloom, as Beakman preforming as Isaac Newton, Mark Ritts as Lester D. Rat. And Alanna Ubach as Josie. All the other images are of Julie at various moments in her life.

Julie Chistensen/Stone Cupid solo albums;

* Love is Driving. 11 tracks. Released November 10, 1996. {SC001} * Soul Driver. 12 tracks. Released August 15, 2000. {SC002} * Something Familiar. 11 tracks. Released, October 10, 2006. * Where The Fireworks Are. 13 songs. Released March 18, 2008. * Weeds Like Us. 13 Tracks, plus 14th track on a bonus CD which came with the 'Deluxe Edition' that had a single called "Another One". Released November 20, 2012. * The Cardinal, 12 tracks, plus bouns 13th hidden track. Released August 05, 2015 {Pledge Music}/January 22, 2016 {official release date}. {SC003} * A Sad Clown, 13 tracks. Released March 16, 2018. {SC004}

Julie Christensen with "Divine Horsemen", and Chris D.

* Chris D./Divine Horseman: Time Stands Still. 1984. * Devil's River. 1986. * Middle of the Night. 1987. * Snake Handler. 1987. * Handful of Sand. 1988.

After she got divorced from Chris D., and "The Divine Horsemen" broke up, she later appeared with him on "The Flesh Eaters", album 'Ashes of Time', for which she sang backing/duet vocals on 6 of the album's tracks. She also appeared on their next album "Miss Muerte", as backing vocals, and in duets.

Julie was backing vocals, for Leoard Cohen, with Perla Batalla, on "The Future" album, along with "Leoard Cohen: Cohen Live" and, "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" (Motion Picture Soundtrack).

Julie Christensen, non-album songs.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". From the various artists compilation album, "The Austin Christmas Collection: First Edition", Track 5. Also appears on the album, "The Texas Christmas Collection", track 4. Original version released in 1981, re-release of song on the the second compilation album 1991.

* Afterglow, Music Party. "Running to You" track 2 {this song originaly appeared in the television show "Angie" in 1979-1980}, and "Aftrerglow" track 8. 1985.

* Almost Persuaded, by Julie Christensen, from the various artists compilation album "Don't Shoot" from Zippo Records. 1986.

* "Inertia", a song on the television series Beakman's World, Season 1, Episode 02. 1992. A duet between her, and Rita Valente, listed in the credits as {Rita Balente}.

* Weird Kid's Blues. From the various artists compilation album "The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project: Axels Sockets". 2014.

* Nineteenth Christmas {A Christmas song, digital single}. November 25, 2013.

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chickadee333 · 8 years ago

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Chapter 5: A Heartbreaking Discovery

Joker & Harley: Impossible Love (A Novella)

Author’s Note:

Please click HERE to read a little bit about my inspiration and motivation around writing this story. (Link is to my Masterlist)

Warning: This entire novella contains adult content (sex, violence, strong language).

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo,

*****

Harleen arrived at her parents’ house in Brooklyn with a bag full of gifts early the next day as happy to see them as they were to see her.

“Why don’t you visit us more often?” her stepdad interrogated her. “You’re barely an hour away!”

“Hey, Bob! You know it is... work, life, work...” she hugged him. “It’s so nice to see you. Where is everyone?”

“They’re all waiting around the tree ready to open presents! Get yourself in here!” he said with a happy smile on his face. Harleen was so glad to spend one day away from Arkham and really just focus on her family. She liked her job, she had a set schedule, and she didn’t have to work weekends, but—even when trying to focus on personal stuff at home like painting, exercising, listening to music, watching TV, going on dates—she found herself invariably drawn back to her work. She tried hard to keep it separated, but thoughts about her patients constantly infiltrated her mind.

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” Harleen announced to her family as she walked into the room. She was so happy to see her mom, her stepdad, and her brother and his family.

She spent the rest of the day playing with her two nieces, talking with her brother about his job in the big city, and listening to her parents talk about retiring early and traveling the country. Her stepdad worked as a financial advisor and her mom was an interior designer, having started her own business over a decade ago.

After dinner, they got out the old photo albums and Harleen looked through them with her mom. Sitting on the couch, they reminisced over memories of her dad before his mental health took a dive. They didn’t talk about it very often as Harleen was only 15 when her dad committed suicide, but she could hear the pain in her mom’s voice when they spoke about him.

“Ha! Back when I had long hair like yours,” her mom said, referring to a photo from almost 20 years ago. “Gosh, I was about 40 then. Those were good times. I miss being a teacher,” she lamented. Her mom was a long-time art teacher at the local elementary school before she was forced to take an early retirement due to funding cuts.

“At least you’re still getting to do something you like, right?” Harleen asked, referring to her interior design work.

“You bet. I do like what I do,” her mom said, turning the page. “I’m lucky that I met Bob. You know how much he supported me in getting my business off the ground.”

Harleen smiled. Her mom always had such a good eye for art and design and she liked to think that she inherited the art gene from her.

“I would have loved to have been able to do some more adjunct work at the university, too. You know, if you ever get the chance, Har, you should look into that. That could be pretty lucrative,” her mom said, looking up at her. “I know you’re so busy at Arkham, though. I just don’t want you to be drawn too far into that world,” she said, thinking of her late husband.

“Oh, I’m not,” Harleen reassured her, which she knew was a lie. Her mind flashed to Joker’s almost lifeless body in the infirmary. She felt bad that he didn’t have any family to spend Christmas with and she felt that she should be there with him—in a therapeutic capacity, of course. Harleen paused for a moment, thinking about her mother’s work at Moraine University on Long Island. “Mom, refresh my memory, what did you teach at the university?”

“Hm, well, I did a bunch of stuff,” her mom pondered. “I taught the entry-level art courses, you know, ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing… They also had me teach a class about writing for the arts, even though I didn’t have a ton of experience in writing. I learned a lot from that course myself.”

“I’d love to do something like that,” Harleen admitted. “I mean, I would love to incorporate arts into my field. Maybe something like arts for mental health. I could teach that!”

“I love the idea,” her mom smiled. “I know you’re upstate now, but there are plenty of universities and colleges near you that might be looking for someone just like you!” She gave her daughter a tight squeeze around her shoulders. “I’m so proud of you, you know that?” she told Harleen.

They spent the rest of the evening playing games and talking. It was past midnight when she finally left, almost opting to spend the night. But she was potentially on-call, she told her parents, and she wanted to be close to Arkham just in case. They exchanged their goodbyes and lots of hugs, and Harleen got in her car and headed back north.

*****

Patient remains stable, I’ll text u tomorrow with an update, one of the nurses had texted Harleen while she was at her parents’ house. She felt guilty that they had to work Christmas Day, but she was thankful for the update and for their dedication.

Harleen ended up sleeping in several hours past her normal wake time and it was mid-morning by the time she finally rolled out of bed. She decided go for a run and and return to eat a light brunch. She took a long, hot shower and thought about how she was actually happy where she lived. She didn’t want to live on Long Island where her parents and brother had their homes. She had a really beautiful apartment in a gorgeous area with views of the river and a jogging trail nearby. She could walk to the center of town if she wanted to. She was close to several parks and green spaces where she could just get out an enjoy nature—something that she didn’t see much of in Brooklyn.

She had made plans with her girlfriend Vanessa to meet for lunch at a café in her small town. She told Vanessa everything when it came to guys and Vanessa always countered, telling her that she was so picky—that her standards were unbelievably high.

“He should be well-educated is all I’m saying,” she defended herself to Vanessa with a smile on her face.

“Hahaha, right,” Vanessa chortled, “And have a hot bod, a big package, a refined palate, a respect for the arts, and money out the wazoo!”

“Exactly!” Harleen exclaimed with both girls filling the café with their laughter. They were quite a fashionable pair with Harleen wearing dark blue jeans, high-heeled boots, a pretty light gray knit sweater—a gift from her mother—and a green scarf. Not having enough time to straighten it, she left her long hair down, which formed beautiful waves in its natural state. There was no doubt that Harleen was a beautiful woman and could have her choice of virtually any man.

“So, is there anyone new?” Vanessa queried. She couldn’t believe that her best friend wasn’t taken by now. She had it all—brains and body.

“No, not yet. I’m still taking a big break since Dex,” she replied, referring to her last boyfriend. “That was... a disaster. I just need time to figure out things for myself.”

“Okay, hun, but that was, what, almost two years ago,” Vanessa reminded her. “Don’t wait too long or you’ll lose out on a lot of fun!”

“I know, I know! I’ll get to it!” Harleen promised. She didn’t dare speak a word about her growing affection for Joker. She would become an immediate pariah and she was sure her friends and family would insist that she be placed in an asylum. “I’ve actually been thinking about applying for some teaching jobs at a college or university. I think it would be a good break from the lunacy I experience every day at Arkham.”

“I like that idea. Maybe you’ll have some hot guys in your classes. You can wear your short skirts and flip your hair. You would be Miss Sexy Professor!” Vanessa erupted into giggles.

“Hey, I like that idea! I’m going to make it happen!” Harleen responded, thinking about the actual possibility of teaching. She might sit on a desk in front of the room with her long legs crossed and her blonde hair down… just like following in her mom’s footsteps.

Harleen stopped, her coffee cup poised at her lips, her mind frozen in thought. Oh, my God, she thought. Oh, my God!!! She was making connections in her head. Joker lived on Long Island at one point. He went to a university. He took an English class. Her mom taught English. He thought she was his professor. What if my mom was his professor?? What if I can figure out who he is?? The sudden realization sent tingles throughout her entire body.

“Hey Van, I gotta head back. My patient is about to be released from the infirmary today and I need to make sure everything is good with him,” she told her, trying to contain the excitement in her voice. “We’ll definitely have to do this again. I miss you!”

“Hey, no problem!” Vanessa smiled. “Duty calls! But don’t work too hard. I think I’ll hang around and do some post-holiday shopping, so text me if you’re still around later.” The friends hugged and parted ways with Harleen nearly sprinting to her car after she left the door.

*****

Harleen shuddered as the cold wind cut through her on her way up the library steps. She decided to head to the library instead of back home because she knew that she might have an easier time researching old news articles or looking through the stacks for information, even though most things were digitized by now. The library also held subscriptions to so many services that she couldn’t access at home, and she was hopeful that she could find something. Energized by her realization, she barely remembered driving and parking, being so lost in her own thoughts. She knew this was a long shot, but she couldn’t contain her excitement.

Arriving at the reference section, she took a seat a computer and logged in. Where do I start? She stared at the screen and began researching Moraine University’s Chemistry program. She knew Joker’s rap sheet didn’t begin until 10 years ago—2006—and her mom taught at the school from 1998 to 2008. Assuming that he was not an enrolled student while also committing crimes, she figured that she would look at 1998 to 2006 as her year range. This is doable, she thought.

She searched for anything relating to chemistry lab explosion at the university, but had no luck. She searched for all Chemistry PhDs granted during those years, but there were so many—hundreds—that she couldn’t really pare it down easily. And, even then, the university hadn’t always published names of graduates online. She realized that this was the early 2000s and, though they certainly used the internet, the university didn’t keep all of its data online as they do now. She just wished she could have seen a roster of names from her mom’s class. I wonder if she kept that? She sighed. Probably not. Her mom was a clean freak and she only kept what was relevant. Plus, she would ask why Harleen wanted such a specific thing. Oh, I’m just doing research into the real identity of a patient, she would tell her mom. Oh yeah? What patient? She would ask, not realizing that her daughter couldn’t reveal her patient’s identity anyway. The Joker, mom. Harleen imagined telling her. And, by the way, I think I’m falling in love with him.

“Ugh,” Harleen grumbled out loud, rubbing her temples.

Her phone vibrated on the desk and the time flashed 3:15 p.m. It was a text from the nurse again. It’s Henry, patient awake, stabilized. No add’l problems. Sending him back to cell. Harleen sent a quick thank you text back to him. She really did appreciate them keeping her in the loop.

She was so anxious to find answers but kept hitting brick walls. She was about to start cross-referencing the list of Chemistry graduates on social media websites in order to rule them out when a thought struck her. He said he caused a lab explosion. Maybe… maybe they wrote about the lab explosion in the student paper. Her heartbeat quickened. She asked the reference librarian where she might be able to find old college papers.

“Some are just posted online on the college’s website, but the older ones are digitized. They started to post content online around 2001 or so,” the librarian told her with a British lilt to her words as she looked up from her computer. “I’ll show you the service we subscribe to so you can search any college paper. We also have a service for regular newspapers, too, if you need it,” she said, walking from behind the counter and following Harleen to her computer. She pulled up the search form and explained that she can search by date and keyword, but that the early digitized papers might only be searchable by date and maybe some by keywords that were tagged, but not by content.

“That’s no problem, at least it gets me in the right direction,” Harleen told her and thanked her for her help. She searched the Moraine Student Mirror for variations on chemistry laboratory explosion with no luck. Maybe he was lying or maybe he was confused, Harleen wondered. No, it was such a rare moment of conversation and disclosure. It was too raw to be fake, she concluded. Maybe it wasn’t even at Moraine University... maybe I’m on a wild goose chase...

She thought about searching the city papers, but thought that would be a daunting task and that the story would be lost in pages and pages of text. She decided to stick with her investigation of the student paper, looking at each weekly digitized newspaper starting in 1998. There were several missing chronologically, which worried her. She spent hours looking at the content headings for every paper... 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001… Apparently, Moraine U wasn’t on the ball with posting their student news online, she thought, as she realized that papers had been digitized up until 2005.

Clicking on the link for 2002, she began to continue her monotonous search when her heart nearly stopped. The headline from the paper dated Friday, February 22, 2002, burned its text into her eyes: Kennedy Hall Rocked by Chemical Explosion. “Oh, my god,” she said aloud, garnering the attention of the librarian. Her hands shaking, she scrolled down the page to read the article.

On Thursday, February 21, campus police with the assistance of local police and fire departments were called to the scene at Kennedy Hall where a chemistry experiment had gone wrong. Dr. Clarence Hodge, chair of the Chemistry Department, stated that no students or staff were injured during the explosion. The damages were extensive, ranging from rooms 214 to 218, causing structural instability to the east wing of the building. Currently, students are barred from the east wing and all classes will be rescheduled to different rooms. Dr. Hodge reports that, “[T]he explosion was the result of a chemistry experiment gone awry… One of our best students, Jack Napier, was conducting experiments for his PhD research. This was not intentional; just an unfortunate accident. In fact, he might even be able to incorporate it into his research.” Dr. Hodge and the campus police report that the university will not press charges against Napier. No students were in the rooms when the explosion occurred. For any concerns or questions about the building and the rescheduling of rooms, please email the student news desk.

Harleen could not believe her eyes. Jack Napier. The name sent chills through her whole body. Jack Napier. Is that his name? The Joker’s name? She couldn’t believe that she could be the only person to know the Joker’s real name. She wasn’t even sure if he knew his own name.

Her hands were trembling and she realized that she was starving. It was already past 6:00. But she decided that she couldn’t leave. She had to continue digging and finding more information on Jack Napier. She searched his name and found that he indeed received a PhD in Chemistry in 2003. Synthesis of Pyrrolizidine-Phosphinooxazoline Reactions Through Organometallic Processes was the title of his dissertation. Holy shit, this guy must be fucking brilliant, Harleen thought. Wow. She did some further research into his topic and found that he had focused on organic chemistry and what seemed to be potentially creating new compounds from plants and metals that could be used as very promising pharmaceuticals.

She continued her search and found that he had established a business with a partner, Nick Heusinger, in the city’s west side—ACE Chemicals, the business was named. She pressed on further and further with her search finally being led to a newspaper from April 2005 that contained Napier’s name. She scrolled through and found it buried in one of the final sections of the paper.

She found his name in the obituaries.

“Oh, my God,” Harleen swallowed hard. She closed her eyes to hold back her tears, but the pressure built up, stinging her nose and making it difficult to breathe. Jack W. Napier, the obituary title read… It was accompanied by a photo of a very handsome man. He had the same piercing eyes as the Joker and she knew without a doubt that it was him. He was gorgeous. He looked like a movie star. It was a black and white photo, but she could tell that his hair was dark brown and his eyes were bright blue. His hair was short but messy and he had a very slight beard. He was wearing a shirt and tie and looked so incredibly handsome, like he was a young college professor. His eyes were soft and kind, not sullen and gray like she had been so used to seeing. He was smiling a huge, lovely smile, as if he were on top of the world. It must have been a photo for the Chemistry Department or maybe a photo for his business. After staring at the photo for ages, memorizing every single detail, she finally read the obituary.

Jack W. Napier, age 28, of Gotham, formerly of Long Island, passed on April 15, 2005. Napier was an alumnus of Moraine University where he received his MS and PhD degrees in Chemistry. He worked with his business partner to establish ACE Chemicals where he focused on creating innovative drugs for pharmaceutical companies. Napier was preceded in death by his parents and three siblings as well as his maternal and paternal grandparents. He was also preceded in death by his fiancée Jessica and their unborn child. He is survived by many friends including business partner Nick Heusinger. Services will not be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Long Island Humane Society.

Unborn child… Harleen could not hold back her tears as a flood of emotion moved through her body. He lost everything he ever had in his life. His parents, his siblings, his fiancée, their unborn child… Tears streamed down her face. It makes so much sense now, she realized. He has nothing to lose. It’s no wonder why he was driven insane.

She searched more information about ACE Chemicals and found a blurb about how Nick Heusinger had been indicted for asset misappropriation and tax fraud, resulting in his ultimate conviction and imprisonment in 2009. She found an article from a newspaper in April 2005 about ACE Chemicals titled Man dies after industrial accident at ACE Chemicals.

A man has died following a late-night accident at ACE Chemicals, according to police. The man was reported to have fallen from a catwalk into an open basin of acidic chemicals, used to create pharmaceutical drugs. Police and other rescue personnel were not able to obtain the body of the individual as it is believed to have been dissolved. ACE declined to release more details at this time. OSHA officials say they were told the man lost his balance and fell into the basin. The victim’s name is being withheld at this time. The investigation is continuing.

Tears continued to roll down Harleen’s face as she was now openly weeping in the quiet library. He survived the chemical bath somehow. That’s why he’s so fucked up! I can’t believe… Her thoughts trailed off as she imagined his pale skin, his green hair, his teeth, his lack of facial hair. It must have changed him in some way on the genetic level, she speculated, resting her forehead in her hand and staring at her keyboard.

It was all making sense to her now. He died and no service was held. No one knew he survived. He reappeared on the scene in 2006. He probably had something to do with his partner’s death, she surmised. Maybe that’s how he started his empire, from appropriating liquid assets from his old company and setting up his partner for the fall… Maybe it was revenge of some sort…

She tried to search for information about his fiancée, but just couldn’t find anything about her. Her heart cried out to him, knowing all of the pain he had gone through but never revealed to her in their sessions. His heart must be broken, she thought, feeling her own heart break for him.

She stood up, still sobbing and wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. I have to go see him right away, she thought to herself, looking at her watch. Almost 8:00. She gathered her things when the librarian approached her.

“Are you okay, dear?” she asked with a look of concern on her face, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

“I… uh… I’m okay,” Harleen stuttered, wiping tears from her eyes. “Thank you so much for your help.��

“You’re very welcome,” she responded. “I hope you were able to find what you were looking for.”

“I did, I really did...” Harleen said tearfully. She thanked her again and then quickly left the library with one destination in her mind, her feet not being able to carry her fast enough. All she wanted was to see the Joker—Jack—in his cell and… and… She couldn’t think of what she would even say or how to say it. She cried as she drove as fast as she could across the long bridge to Arkham just 20 minutes away, most certainly breaking a few traffic laws on the way.

*****

Click here for Chapter 6: A Manipulated Promise

If you liked this story, please show me your love! The likes, comments, reblogs, and messages make this all worthwhile and let me know that you are out there enjoying it, too! xoxo

#suicide squad #harley quinn #harleen quinzel #joker #joker x harley #fanfic #fanfiction #dceu #impossible love #fanart #myart #jarley

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