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cosmo-wisp · 1 year ago

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The Defense of Samantha “Sam” Carpenter

Every series of movies or tv shows has a reboot, where new characters are introduced and they complete ignore what the original was all about. But, some reboot actually made the series better, but others suck ass. But do you know what reboot that hasn’t happened to let me down, Scream. I like Scream (2022) better than Scream 3. And I know y’all are gonna say “Scream 3 is better than Scream 3” or “Why do you like Scream (2022) better than Scream 3?” Why it’s just the bee knees for me guys. I think they did a good job with honoring Wes Craven for all of his work. I believe that if movies are gonna reboot, the crew should at least honor at least the person who started it all, I’m at you Lars Klevberg. To be honest, I kinda forgot that Child’s Play actually had a reboot, thank god Scream (2022) got more likes than that piece of shit. And the only thing I liked about the Child’s Play reboot was the soundtrack. But I don’t wanna waste my time talking about reboots and shit, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the new lead for the Scream movies, Samantha Carpenter, preferably known as Sam. This is Defense for Sam Carpenter.

Samantha Carpenter is the main protagonist of the Radio Silence’s Scream film series, serving as the main protagonist of Scream (2022) and Scream IV.

Having run from a troubled past, the former Woodsboro resident returns to her haunted small California hometown to aid her younger sister Tara against a new Ghostface entity. Later, she and the Core Four (consisting of herself, her younger sister and the Meeks-Martin twins) are confronted with a series of Ghostface entities in New York City.

At age 13, she discovered the secret of her birth origin — she is the biological daughter of original Ghostface serial killer, Billy Loomis who derives from the original Scream (1996). Correspondingly, this also makes her the paternal granddaughter of the first copycat Ghostface killer, Nancy Loomis, who appeared in Scream 2 (1997).

After her legal father's abandonment due to her birth origin revelation, she spiraled into a life of drugs and crime. This dismayed soon-Sheriff Judy Hicks, who Sam would babysit the son of (one of these duties was during the second Woodsboro Murders). At age 18 (likely almost 19) — with Woodsboro no longer serving her any good — she abandoned it in favor of another California town.

In her departure, Sam did not say goodbye to her mother or baby sister (then age 13). Over 5 years later, Sam is confronted with both her troubled teen past and birth origin. Now a 24-year-old bowling alley attending, she joins forces with original legacy franchise survivors, Dewey Riley, Gale Weathers and Sidney Prescott, to stop the new killer. She finds herself to be Ghostface's primary target.

In the end, Sam proves to embody the rules of a real-life horror movie legacy "requel" (reboot and sequel); she is both the descendant of a legacy character, and the new Ghostface entity is her own boyfriend, Richie whom she is able to kill (staying true to the original Sidney-Billy dynamic), as well as his accomplice who lives at 261 Turner Lane, Woodsboro (Macher residence), Amber Freeman.

One year later, Sam still deals with hallucinations of her father. She is in therapy, dates Danny Brackett, and also deals with public scrutiny following conspiracy theories accusing her of being the true killer of the Legacy Killings. She lives in New York City where the rest of the Core Four study at Blackmore University.

Alongside former schoolmate Kirby Reed, the Core Four confront a trio of family killers—NYPD detective Wayne Bailey, and his children, Quinn and Ethan, who seek revenge against Sam for killing Richie, Wayne's son and the siblings' older brother. She successfully kills two of the three killers, and inspires Tara to get the therapy she needs. Meanwhile Sam herself is alluded to have embraced the darker side of her father and grandmother.

Samantha is portrayed by Melissa Barrera.

Racist and Hateful Comments

Let’s talk about Samantha Carpenter and her actress Melissa Barrera. Sam is the new main star of the Scream movies. However, she is quickly hated by fans and it pissed some fans for the way they treated her. How do I feel about it, I feel extremely disappointed and sad when they put out mean comments. It’s like threatening to make a ship cannon or something. I don’t know my brain is damaged right now y’all.

Anyway, I think it’s disappointing that people hate on the actress. If you hate the character that’s fine but don’t blame the actor or actress, no matter what nationality they are, it’s unacceptable, and I hope you guys realize that. Once again, Melissa Barrera doesn’t deserve hate in any way whatsoever. Just be glad the writers fix her character and Melissa’s and you’ll realize Sam doesn’t need to be the New Sidney. Because no one can outrun Sidney Prescott.

Sam’s Sister and Actress

Tara is Sam’s younger sister and she is played by Jenna Ortega. She became the first target for the Third Woodsboro Murders and the first victim to survive a Scream movies because she part of the Scream new leads. But how can people not hate her, I’m just saying so don’t sue me! Some people say they hate Tara because of that one scene. And I’m one of those people, because you can’t handle what you’re saying while you’re drunk and I think that’s the point. Tara, I know how you feel but don’t use your anger on your sister but on Billy Loomis, even though he’s dead.

It’s not like I don’t think Tara doesn’t deserve to know the truth but I do blame Sam for leaving her and not saying goodbye to her own sister. But I understand why she left, to protect her from her, because she’s afraid she’ll turn out like Billy. Dammit, now I hate Billy for putting the Carpenters in so much pain and trauma, even his own daughter.

But Tara doesn’t need to be the New Sidney either because she survived in the opening. That’s all I’m saying. Tara and Sam rules in my opinion.

Richie and his family

Richie was the ex-boyfriend of Sam. He was cool up until his reveal as Ghostface, I mean, I kinda knew it was him when I first saw the trailer. In fact, I suspected everyone except Wes and Tara. Btw, let me know in the comments if you knew Richie was Ghostface

After his reveal, in my opinion, Richie is a piece of shit. I mean this 27 year old motherfucker groomed an 17 year old girl, does his family not notice that before they reveal themselves? I feel bad for both Sam and Amber and most of y’all might know why? Thank god, Sam killed him.

And after he died, his family wanted revenge on Sam and her sister. That’s Scream for y’all. Also why the fuck is Ethan is as tall one even though he’s the youngest? Maybe? I already have a tall sibling, it’s not just Quinn.

But I do think the twist being the daughter of a serial killer is good and using it for Scream X check it out on Wattpad, a new chapter is coming out soon. This time, Richie is getting the role and he had a daughter after the Second Murders where he raped someone but I’m not saying who cause spoilers, duh. And I’m not saying who’s his daughter, guess you’ll have to figure it out yourself Muahahaha!

Conclusion

In conclusion I don’t think Sam will be the new Ghostface at all, along with Tara, Chad and Mindy. And here’s why I think that:

When Sam said "My father was a murderer. No matter what you think, I'm better than that." It doesn’t mean she had to follow Billy’s footsteps, Richie!

Or when it turns out Sam still has Billy’s mask but she later drops it, I’m getting the feeling that she’s rejecting her father and his murderous actions and letting him go, like she let Tara go, I don’t know.

But I think I should wrap this up, but let me know what you guys want me to do next:

My thoughts of Amanda the Adventurer

Just about Deku

Whoever has the most comments wins.

Okay byeeee!

#sam carpenter #scream #melissa barrera #scream 6 #scream 2022 #radio silence #tara carpenter #jenna ortega #richie kirsch #wayne bailey #quinn bailey #ethan landry #dermot mulroney #jack champion #liana liberato

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msookyspooky · 2 years ago

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Wait omg... Are we gonna have mother daughter moment between Sam and YN? Like I am still confused if Sam exists, because if Billy still cheated on Sidney with Mrs. Carpenter when he had a secret crush on Yn... Then this guy is bad at life choices.. But still still, if Sam does exist.. It would be so cool if we get to see mother daughter moments between yn and Sam.. Also sadly because YN will never have a child of her own and stu and Billy are confirmed endgame... Sooo?

Uh, I added the flower gif because it was pretty and I want to download it when you answer the ask, thanks!

No, sadly no mother daughter moments between YN and Sam this round ☹️😞 (Unless there's a blurbs, short AU etc) and as for Billy AND Stu (bc u cannot convince me he was loyal to any gf he ever had) sleeping around while in relationships or looking at us is kind of the point. It just shows, just like in canon, how hypocritical and misogynistic they are that if a woman cheats or sleeps around she's a whore but if they do it they're just being men.

It's very 90s (and modern let's be so fr about the misogyny today I mean Andrew Tate was so popular it was scary) for guys at the time to sleep with women they probably don't even have a crush on while secretly wanting a different woman. That basically those women are just little reliefs for urges and score cards towards their male ego while pinning for another girl they can't have.

It's my hc that Billy didn't love Christina and was just telling her things every teen girl wants to hear just so he could hit AND whose to say not use her in some way? If he actually loved her; not only would he have included her in the plan but he might have even not done the plan at all or altered it bc he had more than just himself to worry about. We don't even hear about Christina till 5 movies in and her not being at that party might have only been Billy not wanting his side piece and his gf he wants to kill to meet and ruin everything for the night. If it wasn't for that; who's to say Sam would even exist bc he might have killed her at the party as well?

It's lowkey kind of sad and naive on her part she thought they were in love when he most likely didn't even invite her to his best friends huge party (And she most likely had no idea they were going to kill so to her until the news came out it looked like he was just shoving her away) and was only meeting up with her like a dirty secret. I can just imagine a hopeful girl being manipulated by him...But, considering she cheated on her boyfriend and was purposely seeing a guy she knew was taken she was probably garbage too so the sad ain't there too much for me personally 😕 plus how she treated Sam for HER mistake 😒

Now, I always questioned if he didn't love her then why not kill her to prevent Sidney from finding out? I got two theories. 1. Maybe he did like her enough to spare her as someone to have when he lived bc him and Stu were so arrogant they thought their plan was fool proof. 2. There was more than one girl he was doing it with which feels more incanon considering we see girls flocking around him at the video store so she was just one of the many 'loose ends' in his plan and he was a fucking idiot teenage boy bc he is definitely not the type of guy to think of girls as friends so he's basically flirting with two girls right where Randy works and Tatum or any could walk in what a fucking moron

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anagentinwriting · 4 years ago

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Lifeline - Part 10

Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader

Word Count: 3800+

Warnings: Angst, fluff, language

Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist

Thor walked up to the gate to your condo to find a couple of guys installing a camera and a gate lock mechanism. “Hello, gentlemen. Who are you, and what are you doing to my sister’s gate?” Thor asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Whoa, big guy.” The guy on the ladder held up his hands. “I’m Dave, and he’s Kurt. We’re from X-Con Security Consultants--” he pointed to his shirt with the name stitched on it “--and we’re installing a new security system update for Ms. Hill.”

“The lady asked for an installation, and we do it,” Kurt mentioned with a Russian accent.

“Huh, okay then, as you were, gentlemen.” He nodded, continuing through the gate and going to your front door.

You were making a batch of your mom’s cookies when you heard an unexpected knock at the door. Setting down your cookie scoop, you wiped your hands clean to answer it. “Hey, Thor. Whatcha doing here? Thought you had a shift today.”

“I do, an overnight shift,” He pointed over his shoulder. “Why are their strange men at your front gate?”

“You’re one to talk, ladies man,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes. You turned away from the door, allowing him to come in as you returned to the kitchen. “If memory serves me right, you had plenty of strange women over at strange hours of the day.”

“Come on, they were my friends,” Thor reasoned, following you to your kitchen. “I love women, but you know, not in a creepy way.”

“Fine, if you must know, I mentioned to Maria about updating the front gate’s security system with a code and buzzer mechanism, and she thought it was a good investment for the property. The other tenants thought it was a great idea, too, so we're all going to pitch in and help pay for the upgrades. Plus, it will help me sleep better at night.”

“Oh, so it’s an investment. It’s not because you almost hit Steve with the bat the other day.” You averted your eyes to the cookie dough bowl, chewing on your bottom lip. “This is what I didn’t want to happen, YN. I knew you would move out, and you wouldn’t feel safe and…”

“I know, Thor,” you interrupted him, your eyes connecting with his. “But, it’s going to take time for me to adjust and feel safe. This new gate code system will just help me sleep better at night because I will know who is here before I let them in.”

Thor nodded, keeping a watchful eye on you. “I understand, but why didn’t you tell me Billy contacted you?”

“I can’t rely on you every time,” You sighed, shrugging your shoulders. “I have to learn how to fight my own battles again, and you have to be able to trust me.”

“I DO!” He raised his voice, making you flinch, then he immediately dropped his voice. “It’s Billy I don’t trust, and if he thinks he can hurt you, again, he’s got another thing coming.”

“I know, I know.” You shake your head, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“I just want you to know you're not alone here. You have me, Nat, Carol, and everyone else at the station.” He reached out, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You have improved so much since you arrived, and I don't want to see you revert back to your old ways. You have no idea how proud of you I am, and I trust you with whatever you decide to do. I want you to know I’m here for you.” You nodded with a small smile. “On another note, I’m glad you finally talked to someone about Billy.”

“You mean Steve.” You eyed him over, not missing the side grin appearing on his face. “Why did he tell you about what happened?”

“He was worried about you and thought I should be aware of what occurred,” Thor replied, scratching his head. “When we work these long shifts together, we learn many things about each other; Stories are told, secrets are shared, and we learn to trust one another. Although he never did say why he stopped by that night?”

“He gave me a housewarming present.”

“Is that what they call it these days?” He winked with a carefree smile on his face.

“Oh my god, STOP.” You felt your cheeks grow warm, throwing a ball of cookie dough at him. He caught it, chuckling and popped it in his mouth.

“You should see your face right now. All flushed and agitated.” He motioned to his face as you covered yours in your hands. “Your hands aren’t stopping that blush color coming through on your face. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you got a sun-burn, but let’s get to the real reason, you have a crush on Steve.”

You removed your hands from your face, staring him down. “Okay, sure…maybe I do. He’s a great guy with a caring personality but…but I’m not ready for a serious relationship.”

“Neither is he, that’s why you two are perfect for one another,” he grinned, making you shake your head.

_____

Steve startled awake from something crashing to the floor in the communal kitchen. He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes, and let out a long yawn. The last twelve hours have been a blur from the restaurant fire to a car accident to an ax-throwing competition. It felt like call after call came in with little to no recovery time in between. Steve glanced at his watch as he sat up and pulled on his boots. He sighed, realizing he only got about four hours of sleep, but lack of sleep comes with the territory. He ran his hands through his hair, walking into the kitchen, taking a seat at one of the stools by the island.

“You’re up early,” Carol commented, sweeping up a broken dish.

“A crashing sound startled me awake,” he smirked, forcing her to roll her eyes.

Carol dumped the remnants of the ceramic dish in the garbage before grabbing two coffee mugs from the cabinet. She poured coffee into each of them and handed one to Steve. Steve nodded to her as a thank you and blew the steam off the top of the hot liquid. “Did you want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or oatmeal with some peanut butter to go with your coffee?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh please, don’t act all innocent. I know you’re the one who’s been eating Sam’s peanut butter, not Bucky.” Carol narrowed her eyes at him, and he raised his hands in surrender.

“Guilty,” he smirked. “It’s so good, though, especially in oatmeal. I’m still surprised they haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Those two share a deep tolerable dislike for each other that even I can’t explain how it works. They get along but don’t get along, but somehow work really well together. It shouldn’t work, but it works. I don’t know; it still baffles me. I’m sure if you confessed, Sam would think you were only covering for Bucky anyways.” She shook her head, and Steve nodded his head in agreement.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from those two,” Steve chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee.

“YN told you, didn’t she?”

“Told me what?”

“I might have overheard you and Thor talking about it, but she told you about Billy the douche?”

“Oh...um...yeah.” He shrugged. “I went to her house after she got a call from said douche, and she almost hit me with a bat.”

“Good,” Carol chirped as Steve snapped his head to her. “Well, not good she almost hit you, but good that he doesn’t have that control over her anymore.”

“I agree.” He stared down at the contents in his mug. “Billy sounds like a real piece of work.”

She hummed in agreement. “I know you’re a good guy, but I want you to know if you hurt her, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Oh, trust me, I would never hurt her like that, but I’m not ready for a relationship.”

Carol smirked at his response, remembering you saying this whenever she tried to find you a new man. “What? Don't you like her?”

“No, no, it’s not like that at all. She’s…she’s great. It’s just…” Steve fumbled over his words.

“Oh, he hesitated,” Sam added, taking the stool next to Steve. Steve glanced at him, seeing a huge, gap-tooth smile on his face. “He’s into her.”

“It’s not that I’m not, it’s just that I have been through some things, and I know she has been through some things, very recently. I don’t want to push her if she’s not ready.”

“Well, you’re getting pushed into the friend zone, Steve,” Bucky added, taking the other stool next to him.

“Come on, don't say that...it's just...it's…”

“Called the friend zone,” Sam finished for Steve.

“Okay, fine, then why am I planning on hanging out with her later.”

“Keyword is hangout as in not a date so…” Bucky dragged on.

“Friend zoned,” Sam and Bucky said in unison.

Steve shakes his head, letting out a big sigh. “You two are unbelievable, but at least you two finally agree on something.” Sam and Bucky both looked at each other with a slight shrug and nod.

“Who are we speaking about,” Thor asked, patting Steve on the back.

“YN,” Carol smiled, forcing Steve’s eyes to meet hers.

“It’s not what you think. We were…”

“Steve wants to ask her out on a date,” Sam added, getting off the stool and walking over to the cabinet where his peanut butter was.

“Is that right? You--” he gestured to Steve with a slight smirk on his lips “--you want to date my sister.” Thor shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle, grabbing a mug from the cabinet and filling it up. “I like you, Steve, I do, and out of all these morons, I find you are the most suitable to date her. I think Loki may even approve of you, too, but he may be skeptical of you. He might even mock you upon meeting you, but he means well.”

“Thanks, but I wasn’t asking for your permission to do anything.”

“OOOOH, Thor, are you going to let him talk to you like that,” Sam hollered, pulling his peanut butter from the cabinet and unscrewing the lid.

“I didn’t mean it to come out like that.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Thor joked with a carefree smile. “Sure you didn’t,” he stated more seriously this time, eyeing Steve over, taking a sip of his coffee.

“GODDAMMIT, BUCKY! Why do you always eat my peanut butter? It wasn’t this empty the last time I opened it,” Sam shouted, giving Bucky a stern look as Carol shot Steve an all-knowing smirk.

_____

You stepped into Jabari Tribe Training Center, hearing the whirls of the jump ropes hitting the mats and the punches hitting the heavy bags. Everything in this gym was nerve-racking to you at first, but now it excited you. This gym was a little more run-down than most and could be unpleasant to some, but you found the dedicated atmosphere inspiring.

You went to the locker room to get ready for your session, feeling your stomach tingling with nerves. Val had a last-minute schedule change at the station, so she wouldn’t be training you today; instead, she scheduled you with M’Baku, who in the ring was known as the Great Gorilla. You’ve watched him coach a few athletes, and he was intimidating. He stood tall and broad, and he’d always do his signature gorilla bark to get himself or his trainees fired up. He was a scary dude! Val knew your movements and boundaries, but this guy wouldn’t, and you weren’t sure how this session was going to go.

You grabbed your boxing gloves and walked out to find M’Baku by the ring talking to one of his athletes. “Hey, M’Baku, I’m YN. Val mentioned you would be helping me with my session today.”

He looked at you with a stern glare and nodded to his trainee that they were finished. He looked back at you with a snarl on his lip before a smile broke out across his face. “Yes, you were told right. She told me about where you are, and I will say it’s impressive since you only started a few weeks ago.”

“Oh...um, thanks,” you smiled, feeling a warmth rush to your cheeks.

“Ready?” You nodded. “Okay, we will do some warm-up exercises, hit the heavy bag, ring work, stretch it out, and call it a day. Does that work for you?”

“Sounds great.”

“And if there is something you are not comfortable doing, or you don’t know what something is just ask. I won’t bite...hard.” He let out a deep chuckle, making you crack a smile.

“I will.”

“Let’s get started.”

It was a quick warm-up with some basic stretches, squats, jump ropes, and rowing. There were a few stretches you didn’t know what they were, and M’Baku showed you what to do and explained what muscles it was stretching. He couldn’t stress enough how stretching and warming up helped reduce injury and how it would improve your recovery time. M’Baku was knowledgeable, and you could tell he loved what he did.

Every time you worked on the heavy bag, it intimidated you because it was a constant mind game with yourself. You had to think about every punch you threw, making sure to hit it with your knuckles; otherwise, you could sprain your wrist, or worse, break it. You had to move around the bag with quick feet while throwing jabs, hooks, and uppercut punches. It wasn’t a natural feeling you had with the bag like many others did; this is why you preferred sparring in the ring.

You could feel his eyes watching you as you hit the bag with your straight and hook punches. The bag moved slightly as you switched positions and hit the bag from a different angle.

“Okay, stop,” M’Baku called out, and you dropped your hands to your side. “I am not getting anything from you. You’re too quiet, stiff. Loosen up, girl, let out a grunt, roar, or better yet, bark. Do the…do the gorilla bark.” He raises his eyebrows at you, and you shake your head.

“I’m not doing the gorilla bark,” you whizzed with your hands on your hips, taking deep breaths. He stared at you, narrowing his eyes before he started barking. “Still not doing it.” He stepped closer to you, barking louder as he walked circles around you. You rolled your eyes, taking a deep breath, and finally let out a bark.

His face broke into a smile, and he nodded. “Thata girl. Now get into it, have fun with it, don’t be so tense, loosen up, and jump around. I’ll demonstrate.”

He takes his position at the bag, tapping it with his glove before doing a set of punches. It was almost like watching a dance. As it swayed, he would be quick and move and then attack with a series of different shots. He looked so relaxed that it didn’t even seem like he had to think about it. It was like second nature to him.

“Alright, your turn,” He breathed, looking back at you.

You shake your head. “I got tired just watching you. You make it look so natural and easy.”

“It comes with practice, and it doesn’t help you're scared of the bag.” You nodded, giving him a half shrug. “Don’t be scared. Being scared only makes you feel weaker, so you won’t give it your all. Think of it like--” he paused, thinking “--taking a call at dispatch. If you’re afraid, you’ll overthink the situation and make a mistake. If you’re confident and think fast on your feet, it will lead to a better outcome. The more confident you are with yourself, the stronger you will become. Understand?”

“Yes,” you replied with a nod. “Thank you, I needed to hear that.”

Sparring in the ring was your favorite. It was the chance to learn how your opponent moved and how to throw a hard punch. With Val, you knew how she moved in the ring and could time when to throw a punch. With M’Baku, you didn’t know what to expect.

“We are not going to spare,” M’Baku stated as you both got into the ring. He had punching mitts on, and you had your boxing gloves on. “You’re not ready for this,” he chuckled, motioning to himself as you smirked in his direction. “We will do combo drills with your punching technique, watch your stance, and I'll give you a few pointers. I might even show you a few moves, so when you spare with Val again, she’ll wonder where you learned them.”

“I’m ready.”

You throw a few punches at his mitts. “You’re doing something wrong. Do you know what it is?”

“Am I lifting my feet?” You heaved, wiping the sweat off your forehead.

“So you do know,” he smirked, dropping his hands.

“Val is always on me about that.”

“Do you know why she wants you to keep your feet planted?”

“It keeps me more grounded and gives me better balance. It also helps me hit my opponent harder. If I don’t plant my feet, I will be off-balance making me more vulnerable to my opponent's punches.”

“Good, yes. I’m glad my coaches are teaching their trainees.” He let out a deep chuckle. “Also, remember to breathe as you throw your punches. The worst thing you can do is forget to breathe.” You nodded.

After a few more rounds of drills and a lot of great advice from M’Baku, he ended the session. You went to the side of the ring to get a drink of water.

“YN, is there a reason you wanted to learn to box or did you wake up one morning and go, ‘I want to fight.’” He asked with curiosity in his eyes.

You chuckled. “No, not really. I wanted to try something new for once instead of doing the same boring workouts. A friend of mine mentioned Val’s self-defense class, so I tried it out, and it was fun. Then, I asked her about boxing, I was sort of curious about it, and she offered to train me. Plus, it’s a good workout.”

“It is a great workout,” he chuckled. “Val is a wonderful coach and does a great job teaching that class. I’m glad you gave boxing a chance, and you like it so far.”

“It’s been fun,” you smiled with a nod. “And thanks for coaching me today.”

“Anytime,” he said, waving it off.

M’Baku's other client showed up, so he told you what stretches to do to cool down and to drink plenty of water. Good hydration leads to better recovery. It was really different working out with M’Baku, but it was a good different. He came off as intimidating and cold, but he was the complete opposite. He was knowledgeable and helpful, and you couldn’t wait for your next session with Val to show her the moves he taught you.

______

“Anyone have any exciting plans for the evening?” Thor asked, unloading the duffle bags from one of the hatches of the truck.

“Have a drink or two, and fall asleep on the couch,” Val stated, patting him on the back and walking over to restock the ambulance.

“Going to dinner with my girl,” Bucky winked with a smile on his face.

“When are we finally going to get to meet this woman? I would like to have a conversation with her about what she sees in you.” Sam joked from the ambulance, earning an eye roll from Bucky.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself.” Bucky pointed to the door, forcing Sam to get out of the back of the ambulance and see Nat at the door.

“Good one, Bucky, but I’m being serious. When do we get to meet her,” Sam questioned, looking back at him. Bucky shook his head as Nat went over to Bucky and kissed him on the lips.

“Does that clear everything up, boys and girls? Bucky and I are dating.”

Steve smiled at them and got back to work reorganizing the hatches while Thor nodded, giving them a thumbs up.

“How...wait...when did this happen?” Sam narrowed his eyes at them.

“We have been dating for a couple of months now,” Bucky smiled down at Nat beside him.

“Way to go, Buck. Didn’t know you had it in you to handle her,” Val saluted him from the back of the ambulance.

“Nat, what the heck? I thought we shared a common enemy.”

“Sorry, Sam.” She shrugged with a tight smile.

“And here I thought you two were going to keep it a secret,” Steve hinted.

“Wait, you knew?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of old news these two.”

“Congratulations, but can everyone get back to work, so we can head home,” Carol redirected everyone, earning mumbled replies.

______

You laid on the couch, turning a page in your book, when there was a buzzing sound at your front door, signaling someone was at the front gate for you. You got off the couch and looked at the new little monitor installed by the door to see Steve waving at the camera. You smiled, buzzing him in. You quickly glanced down at your worn-out t-shirt that had a few holes in it and decided to run up the stairs to find a sweater to cover it up. You were a hot mess, but you didn’t want to look like a hot mess. He knocked on the door as you came down the stairs to answer it.

“Hey, Steve! What's up?”

“I was in the neighborhood, and Thor told me about the security upgrade, so thought I'd check it out.”

“I didn't know you were into security systems,” you smirked, crossing your arms across your chest, leaning against the door frame.

“Oh yeah,” he huffed out, nodding his head. “I am very tech-savvy; whenever I don’t know something, I just Ask Jeeves.”

“Wait, Ask Jeeves?” You narrowed your eyes and burst out laughing. “That search engine with the Butler?” He nodded with a slight shrug, putting his hands in his front pockets. “That’s still around? Isn’t it ancient!”

“Is it?” He chuckled, his signature smirk tugging at his lips. “I’ve used it since high school, but I think the butler retired because it's called Ask now.”

You shook your head, laughing at his subtleness. You glanced over your shoulder at the blank tv screen and back at Steve, biting your lip. “I was actually gonna watch a movie if you wanted to join me.”

“Ahh--” he shifted back and forth on his heels “--yeah, sounds fun.” You nodded, opening the door and inviting him in.

____

Thanks for reading part 10! Looks like her and Steve are finally having a little date/hangout night?! Do you think Steve is getting friend zoned like Bucky and Sam suspect, or do you think he will finally make a move? Or will it be her? I thought it would be funny to throw in that old search engine, Ask Jeeves, some may remember it, some might not have any idea what it is. But I thought it would be a funny throwback and a joke about Steve's age! It's like using map quest and printing out directions instead of using the GPS these days! 😂😂 And what about Thor showing up and being the supportive brother after finding out what happened. He is definitely trying to be better, and he still has no problem teasing her a little bit! Haha! We also found out who the real peanut butter thief was, thanks to Carol for being the observant one! Haha! And isn’t M’Baku the best!! Anyways, comments, likes, and reblogs always welcome. Thanks again!

125 notes · View notes

glowcrizzle · 4 years ago

Audio

Today is the 1 year AO3 anniversary of Slow Show by @mia-ugly. I am beyond grateful that this experience (and it is an experience) has existed in my life for a year and felt it needed commemorating. 🎂

I’m not a creator but I made this playlist for me, so I could take the fic with me, have it with my eyes closed, while driving -- you get it. Today seems like an appropriate day to share it.

It’s a. It’s a lot. Excessive you might even say. Tumblr will only give you the first 100 songs in this, so, Spotify will fulfill you (or overwhelm you). If you hit my username on the playlist, there are separate playlists for each chapter.

This is also on Apple Music, if that’s your jam, just hit me up and I’ll send you the link.

🎉 Happy Slow Show Day!! 🎉

13 pages of track-lists and excerpts below the cut. Godspeed! 💙

Key:

Songs from Mia’s soundtrack

Songs from the Fic

--Title--

Slow Show – The National

--Prequel--

Loverman – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Devils – Say Hi

--Chapter 1--

Here I Go Again – Whitesnake

bad guy – Billie Eilish

-trash a set and shag your husband

Something About You (ODESZA Remix) – Hayden James

-what it would take for Avery Fell to let his guard down

A Little Wicked – Valerie Broussard

-The handkerchief in his hand is now stained purple

You Light Me Up In the Dark – The Hounds Below

-His hair catches the light like a halo, making him look more of an angel than ever.

Lazarus – David Bowie

-This could be a problem

--Chapter 2--

Unsteady – X Ambassadors

-much easier than talking about the way his heartbeat is still racing

Heart of a Dog – The Kills

-Call me darling again.

The Twilight Hour - Still Corners

-Looked across the set and thought, Ah fuck me. I’m in love with him.

God’s Mistake – Tears for Fears

-Avery: He’s closed his eyes again, mouth going flat and still.

Lounge Act – Nirvana

-Tell her all the terrible things I want to do to her husband

Transatlanticism – Death Cab for Cutie

-There’s a strange urgency tonight, though, and Crowley can guess why.

Do I Wanna Know? – Arctic Monkeys

-What could it hurt?

Clueless – The Marias

-“Better - yeah. ‘S late.”

Motel – Meg Myers

-The hotel room is another disaster

--Chapter 3--

Alone in a Room – Asking Alexandria

-“I’m having a moment here!”

Since You’ve Been Around – Rosie Thomas

-makes Crowley feel like he can breathe again

Home Again – The Disco Biscuits

-It’s starting to feel like home again

Every Other Freckle – alt-J

-Perfect. Ridiculous and impossible and perfect.

Something For the Longing – The Orchids

As Far As I Can See – Phantogram

-it’s been a really, really long time

Sinister Kid – The Black Keys

-“Mothering buggering shit-”

All These Things That I’ve Done – The Killers

-Crowley fists one of his hands against his forehead, shuts his eyes tightly.

--Chapter 4--

I Like Me Better – Lauv

-I liked the outline of your face under the stagelights

I Do This for You (ft. Marlene) – Giorgio Moroder

-“Let me see what I can do. About your precious Hamlet.”

The Longing – Imelda May

-Avery POV: “Look at him like - like - you can’t let him see the way you look at him.”

Just a Man – Los Lobos

-Avery POV: like he’s being led into battle and not onto a set to do the job he loves

World In My Eyes – Depeche Mode

-wants to make that bastard purr

Tired (ft. Gavin James) – Alan Walker

-Let me be a magpie for you

Blow My Mind – The Benjamin Gate

-Avery: “I know you now.”

Breathe You in My Dreams – Trixie Whitley

-Crowley’s seen that expression on Avery’s face in his dreams

Love Me Like That (ft. Carly Rae Jepsen) – The Knocks

-What have I done to - oh. Oh. Right.

Like Real People Do - Hozier

-“Sure, angel, what- whatever.”

Clearly – Grace VanderWaal

-Crowley waits for the rest of the night.

Gwendel – PeelsDeen

-Az sits in the back seat, away from Crowley. Alone.

Now I’m In It – HAIM

-Avery POV: It’s a look like an open grave, a look like desire tempered with grief…

Flesh for Fantasy – Billy Idol

-Crowley isn’t lonely for the rest of the night

--Chapter 5 (Avery POV)--

Smalltown Boy – Rosborough

-1978, Hartlepool

Bright Horses – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

-1986, Newcastle Upon Tyne

The Runner – Foals

-1991, Bristol

Shock To Your System – Tegan and Sara

-Tracy: “Why d’you let them?”

Cracking Codes – Andrew Bird

-“Forever, of course. I’ll never -”

Colour me In – Damien Rice

-Their fingers - just touch. Slightly.

I’m Not in Love – 10cc

-Less to regret by not ever speaking of it.

--Chapter 6--

Electric Current – Lower Dens

-“I’ll let you know when you find it.”

Guess I Miss(ed) You – The Daylights

-Keep talking, keep him here a little while longer.

Reflecting Light – Sam Phillips

-“don’t meet his eyes like that, it looks like it’s a lead-in to a kiss”

King of Pain – The Police

-a good reminder of the kind of life he’s got to live

I Wanna Get Better – The Bleachers

-and Avery’s gaze is so gentle it hurts a bit

Feather – X Ambassadors

-Avery: “Someone has to”

Darker Side - Jonny Lang

-Avery: “Oh - good Lord.”

Firestone (Acoustic) – Conrad Sewell

-“Will you show me?”

Velvet Gloves and Spit - Timber Timbre

-“Anthony - ”

Wrong – Depeche Mode

-Avery: “I have to go.”

F**k it I love you – Lana Del Rey

-“Not your fault, angel”

--Chapter 7--

Somebody to Love – Queen

Heavenly – Cigarettes After Sex

-“I fucking still.”

Will Do - TV on the Radio

-“You too. I’ll see you there.”

Monster – Colours

-No wonder Avery ran off like a thief after a heist

Swallow My Pride – Ramones

-“I feel fucking ill about it.”

I Was Wrong - The Oh Hellos

-Avery: “I’m the one who has to apologize, not you.”

The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret – Queens of the Stone Age

-Avery: “Please don’t tell anyone”

Wait for Me – Kings of Leon

-Avery: “Right now, I’m just - a bit in pieces.”

Don’t Stay – X Ambassadors

-“You can - stay or leave or - whatever you like.”

The Moth - Aimee Mann

-Avery’s eyes meet his, and then it’s like a car accident

Red Door – Julien Baker

-“I can - I can wait longer.”

Can’t Pretend - Tom Odell

-“I wasn’t apologizing for that. This morning. I won’t.”

Come Down to Me – Saving Jane

-Avery: “You were wonderful”

Secret Smile – Semisonic

-And if sometimes he catches Az watching him between takes

I Want More - KALEO

-Az laces both of their hands together, stares at them.

I’m Gonna Do My Thing – Royal Deluxe

-“So don’t tell me what will hurt me. I know what hurts.”

--Chapter 8--

Perfect Day – Lou Reed

Remember to Breathe – Sturgil Simpson

-“You can’t sit in the car all night you absolute nightmare”

Wild Love (Acoustic) – James Bay

-The two of them stare at each other and then both look away awkwardly.

Seasons – Future Islands

-finally, fucking finally, he’s exactly where he wants to be

Closer – Tegan and Sara

-Avery: “if you like”

I Want All of You – The Verve Pipe

-“If you think I can survive this without looking at you -”

Use Me – Miguel

-whatever he sees in Crowley’s face makes him come to some sort of decision

So Much Love – Depeche Mode

-Love, he said love

Don’t Be Scared, I Love You – Bill Ryder-Jones

-I know you, Crowley wants to say, but doesn’t.

Become My Dream – Silya & The Sailors

-“Even if - anything, angel.”

I Belong In Your Arms – Chairlift

-For nearly two weeks it goes like this.

Faster - Matt Nathanson

-“You’re going to fucking kill me, angel -”

Come Together (feat. Sivu) – LAUREL

-In case you think they don’t wake up together

The High – Kelela

-Az has pulled a stool over to the edge of the tub

Just in Time – Valerie June

-Then Az’s hand is on his shoulder, turning him around.

I Can’t Take It – Tegan and Sara

-Avery: “Don’t rush, just - like this.”

Like This – Jake Scott

-Avery murmurs and it takes Crowley back to their first kiss

Terrible Love – The National

-Flinches away from him.

Help You Out - Emarosa

-And he nods.

--Chapter 9--

I Remember You – Ramones

-The first person Crowley loved was a liar.

Brighter Skies - Race Banyon

-As if they were cut with a jigsaw, as if they were meant to fit.

Not Tonight – Tegan and Sara

-When they reach the edge of the city, his hand slides out of Crowley’s.

As Sure as I Am – Crowded House

-So Crowley kisses him.

A Promise – Miriam Makeba

-And for awhile, he believed her.

Mistaken for Strangers – The National

-They’re only two small words, but they still make Crowley’s teeth ache.

Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye – Leonard Cohen

-“Good-“ Swallow, speak, leave.

The Fear – Pulp

-Crowley should have been smarter this time. He really should have been.

Take Me – Leela James

-“I’d like you to close your blinds.”

Whenever You Want It – Clare Maguire

-“What do we do now?”

At My Weakest – James Arthur

-“It will be.”

Komm zurück - Fotos

-For years and years and years, nothing did.

Come on Get Higher – Matt Nathanson

-their feet sliding in the tub

Lay Down – Sarah Proctor

-I want to wake up with you.

Sort Of - Ingrid Michaelson

-Why is my heart breaking?

Fairytale of New York – The Pogues

-Just pump that shit straight into his veins.

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? – Ella Fitzgerald

-Avery: “What do you think?”

We’re Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together – The Velvet Underground

-“You want to grab dinner somewhere?”

Hiding – IAN SWEET

-Crowley stops walking. Looks at Az in the darkness.

Romance Dawn – Radkey

-A slice of light cuts through the darkness.

Crown of Love – Arcade Fire

-Crowley feels like the world has never been darker, and his heart will never stop beating

Devil’s Backbone – The Civil Wars

-He thought he was ready for this conversation, but at the sight of Az’s face, his throat has gotten too tight to speak.

Sinners – Lauren Aquilina

-“If this all goes down in flames, if it all falls apart - we can go off together.”

Please Forgive Me (Song of the Crow) – William Fitzsimmons

-Avery: “It’s over. I’m - I’m so sorry.”

Start a War – The National

-He twitches and trips and yet somehow manages to walk away without falling over.

Broken – Daley

-And this soft heartache was somehow the sharpest of them all.

--Chapter 10 (Avery POV)--

Daily Battles - Thom Yorke & Flea

-He tries to remember these things - but the background is still a chorus of beeping machines. There’s nowhere he can be but here.

Everybody Wants You - Red Hearse

-Go out and surround himself with people much more interesting and available than Avery. Better people, certainly.

A Thin Line – Blackchords

-But still - roads not taken, and other fun middle-aged spirals.

My Own Soul’s Warning - The Killers

-When was the last time someone asked Avery that? When was the last time he asked himself?

Who Am I - NEEDTOBREATHE

-I miss you. There. It didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would.

Wait for Me - Jack Curley

-What he wants to say is ‘don’t find someone else. Not yet. You and your black leather and your cut-glass profile: you’re gorgeous and God knows other people want you.’

Coming & Going – Amaal

-“Two ships passing in the night,” he says quietly. Then he takes a swallow of wine, lets it roll down his throat. “If you were here -”

Iron - Woodkid

-Crowley leaves him there, pressed against the wet brick wall. Crowley leaves him there. Crowley steps between Avery and a camera, and then leaves him.

The Greatest Bastard - Damien Rice

-He can’t be the person that kicks Crowley into the ashes again. He can’t hurt him like this, and Avery’s going to hurt him - he already has.

No Right to Love You – Rhys Lewis

-He deserves someone like - like Daniel. Deserves to be loved in the daylight.

If It’s Hurting You - Robbie Williams

-Time is a tricky business when you’re dying slowly; it skips like a flat stone on a quiet lake.

Happy For You – Gayle

-But surely - surely he’s allowed just this much. Just one message, just so Crowley knows that - that he’s happy for him. That Avery is so happy.

I See You (ICU) - Phoebe Bridgers

-When Avery sees Crowley on the red carpet, it feels like the sudden remembrance of a lovely dream.

Once In My Life - The Decemberists

-Crowley: “I know there’ve been some - hard times. That’s - that is what it is. But for me - it’s been a privilege. A dream. So.” He nods and nods and nods again. “Thank you.”

Coming Down - Dum Dum Girls

-Tracy: “But I wasn’t. I was hurting you. This whole time, Az.” She shakes her head, wiping frantically at tears that won’t stop falling. “He loves you.”

I Don’t Know Anything – Little Voice Cast

-He’s afraid of finding out that all this time - he was doing the wrong thing anyway. He’s afraid that Anthony Crowley will never talk to him again.

Sweet Sour - Band of Skulls

-"And you're fired"

Heart Attack - Devarrow

-The sun is still rising when Avery gets out of the car, closes the door behind him. Though some of the roads have changed, his feet still know the way down to the docks of his youth. He was never a sailor, but the shoreline is familiar as a childhood sweetheart, as a long lost love.

Landslide - Robyn Sherwell

-He’s alone, and he’s nearly fifty years old. He could get on a ship, he could throw himself into the sea. There’s no one holding him back anymore.

All I Can - Sharon van Etten

-And he knows. He knows.

--Chapter 11--

Salvation - The Strumbellas

- there’s a moment where he swears he sees a young idiot in black standing in the crowd. Red hair gelled up into spikes, black t-shirt full of holes and safety pins. A young man who has no idea how much he’s about to lose.

Soldier - Fleurie

-And he’s still fucking here.

Easier – Mansionair

-Then he gets the fuck above ground and he calls Beez (oh great, they’re his emotional-support-asshole now. That’s healthy).

Deep End – Holly Humberstone

-“I brought you cheese,” Beez says, and Crowley starts crying.

Falling Short – Lapsley

-For the next few days, he lets his stupid body do what it needs to do to keep himself upright.

Chariot (Stripped Version) - Gavin DeGraw

-Shit, this was a bad bad idea.

Quiet Light - The National

-There’s a text from Az later that night, and his name on Crowley’s phone makes him feel like jumping off a cliff.

All That We Had is Lost - Postiljonen

-He’s not allowed to be in love with that man anymore. Wasn’t ever, really.

Heal - Tom Odell

-It makes a rather hysterical laugh well out of his throat. Anthony fucking Crowley. You are still alive.

Let Me Go - HAIM

-Crowley tries to ignore the soft, injured expression on the other man’s face as he turns away.

A Beginning Song - The Decemberists

-“What’s more frightening than having a choice?”

The Spark - William Prince

-And he likes to think he would have just burned the world to ashes with the power of his love, would have said fuck everyone, I choose you – but who knows.

Sharp Scratch - The Slow Show

-So stupid, I know, and I’m - sorry, I still love you and I’m tryin’ to stop and I will I just - needed to tell you that. I’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. Just miss you.

Beautiful & Brutal – Plested

-Crowley moves without thinking. Falls like a stagelight, glass everywhere. He walks forward and is kissing Az before the door has even been pulled shut.

Bad Chemistry - Fake Shark

-“I’ve been - thinking about this -” Az says between darts of his tongue against Crowley’s overheated skin.

All We Do – Oh Wonder

-“But I - I love you. And I can’t - hide. It hurts too much.”

Broken Strings - James Morrison (ft Nelly Furtado)

-“I wouldn’t survive it. That way it was. I wouldn’t.”

Stole the Show – Parson James

-But even on their distant shores, Crowley and Az don’t stop looking at each other. It feels like an ending. Maybe it is one. Not a happy ending, but not a bad one either.

Level Up - Vienna Teng

-excerpt from Anthony Crowley: Out of the shadows, under the spotlight

The Wire (Alternate Version) – Patrick Droney

-Avery: “I’m rather in - in love with you.”

Sweet Thing - Van Morrison

-“You can stay at my place. If you like.”

Falling in Love - Cigarettes After Sex

-“I love you. I’ve missed you, and I love you, and I want you -”

Stay - Cat Power

-He watches the slow flicker of awareness in Avery’s blue eyes. The curve of his mouth into a shade of smile that Crowley’s never seen before.

Freedom - George Michael

-“To the world.”

--Chapter 12--

Banks - NEEDTOBREATHE

-What he wasn’t used to was bringing someone else down with him, and jail would be a bloody blessing compared to seeing Az grey-faced and staring out windows, or that one time Crowley’s pretty sure the man was crying in the bathroom, trying to swallow down the sound so that Crowley didn’t notice (he clenches his hands into fists just thinking about it).

Black Mambo - Glass Animals

-“It’ll have to be.” Crowley drops to his knees. “There’s a lot of ground to cover.”

Florets - Grace VanderWaal

-Crowley can let his fingers curl against Az’s palm, can watch him open as a flame, not caring who notices.

Sight of the Sun - fun.

-That this longing won’t destroy him, and won’t destroy Az either. It’s not a shovel for burying Crowley alive - it’s a spade for planting things.

Pale Blue Eyes - The Velvet Underground

-Az drops his hand onto Crowley’s knee (“What is this song? I rather like it.”).

Only Everything (Acoustic) – Quinn Lewis

-“It’s nice to have someone make it for you, right? Sometimes,” Crowley says softly, too much love in his throat and in his hands. It’s hard to breathe around it, especially when Avery is looking at him.

The Book of Love - The Magnetic Fields

-“You bought a cottage for us.” Crowley is an animal being taught to speak through scraps of meat and electric shocks. “This cottage.”

Say You’ll Be Mine – Christopher Cross

-Avery: “But if you wanted -” Fuck, there are tears in Avery’s eyes. “If you want. I’d like to call you my husband. I’d like to say ‘let me ask my husband,’ or ‘I brought my husband with me’ or ‘my husband won a BAFTA’.”

Anthem - Leonard Cohen

-Their broken edges match. And somehow, the light still shines through.

Precious Love – James Morrison

-When the light catches them both, they shine. And so do you. So do we.

Good Man (acoustic) - Josh Ritter

If you made it this far...wow, hi hello. So, this is ours and my musical exposure is limited, if you’ve got a better song for an excerpt, feel free to shoot it over, more than happy for this to be a living changeable thing. 🤡

#slow show #slow show playlist #tumblr html code after read more is some bullshit #it's fic for your ears

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s-horne · 5 years ago

Note

What about stony quarantined with a rambunctious toddler? Or teenage Peter?

(I went for toddler!Peter and essentially just wrote about my own lockdown life... including at-home workouts and far far far too many snacks)

(also, no mention of the bad thing causing this lockdown)

***

“What in…” Tony trailed off as he surveyed the living room. It looked like every flat surface was covered with some sort of artwork. If random scribbles and brightly-coloured sponge patterns could be called artwork. “Having fun?”

“Loads of fun, Daddy! Look at this!” Peter held up a piece of printer paper covered with splotches that vaguely resembled hearts. “D’ya like it?”

All Tony could really see was the mess in his living room. There was paint on his table and a pink splodge on the floor, steadily growing larger as a stream of blue dripped down the table leg to meet it. He swallowed down his sigh to smile at his son. “I love it, baby. Going up on the fridge, for sure.”

Peter beamed and eagerly grabbed another painting. “And this one! Look at this one!”

“That one, too? Wow.” Tony smiled at Peter, heart sinking when he noticed yet another patch of paint that had somehow reached the skirting board. It was a bright yellow that seemed to glow in the sunlight. “My little artist.”

“Papa did this one,” Peter said, setting his painting down on the table. Steve swept in and picked it up when Peter put it on top of another painting, carefully moving it away from his flailing arms. “Like it?”

Tony laughed. “I love them all, baby. You and Pops are pretty talented, huh?”

“The best,” Peter agreed, nodding his head as he handed Steve his painting. When his hands were free, he grimaced down at the mess on them, holding them up to show his parents.

Steve took the painting with a smile and shook his head at the mess Peter had gotten into. As he met Tony’s gaze over Peter’s head, Steve reached for a damp towel. “Work done?”

“For now. Need to go back to it in an hour or so to finish off the last few bits. But I think it’s snacky-snack time, yeah?”

Peter’s face lit up and he yanked his hands away from the towel that Steve was rubbing over his arms. When he’d scrambled off his chair, Peter bounced over to Tony. “Snack! You want cookies?”

Tony poked Peter on the nose. “Thank you, kid. We can share a packet of cookies. Once we help Pops to clean up this room.”

Eyes wide, Peter turned to look around him. He grimaced again and leant his head against Tony’s knee. “Whoops. Lotsa mess.”

“Oh, yeah,” Tony said, lifting his eyebrows at Steve. “Lots of mess.”

“What’s going on here?”

Steve had walked in on some strange scenes over the years, but seeing his husband and son bunny-hopping around the room was one of the cutest.

“Bunny!” Peter cried, toppling over when he jumped a bit too enthusiastically.

Tony sighed as he stopped bouncing, breaths a little laboured as he shot Steve a tired look. “Yeah, Pops. We’re bunnies. Obviously.”

Snorting, Steve crossed the living room to deposit his bags of shopping on the kitchen table. He stepped back into the lounge to watch them, arms folded across his chest as he leant on the doorframe. “I can see that. I think. Why are you being bunnies?”

“It’s a good workout, isn’t it, Pete? I found it online.”

Peter grinned over at them for a moment, hands held up at either side of his forehead to make rabbit ears, before he turned his attention back to the television and concentrated on the next move. It looked to be some kind of jumping set to replicate frogs and it took every ounce of Steve’s self-control to not laugh at the unimpressed stare on Tony’s face.

“Come give me a hand with the groceries?”

Tony sighed in relief at the offer and ran a hand through Peter’s hair before he headed into the kitchen. As soon as he was through the door he fell into a chair. “Oh my – have you done that? It’s extreme. Never mind a workout; it’s a torture method.”

Steve chuckled, grabbing a glass to fill with water. “Here, drink this. Looks like being a bunny really took it out of you.”

Drinking the water eagerly, Tony glared at Steve over the rim of his glass. “You don’t get to mock until you’ve done that. You try doing Pikachu jumps followed by a plank and reverse lunges. And then go straight into Fireman Sam climbers.”

The longer Tony talked, the wider Steve’s smile grew. “Those are not real.”

Tony’s glare worsened. “Oh, believe me. They are.”

“Well, I think they sound like a lot of fun. Can I join?”

Tony threw a hand over his face and sank further into his chair. “You can take over. Forever.”

Tony rather thought he might live on the couch forever. It was comfortable. And the cushion over his head worked wonders for blocking out sounds. Tony could play innocent with his head buried in the proverbial sand.

“What happened?”

Someone poked at his shoulder and Tony groaned loudly.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Steve said, but there was a sharp undertone to his voice. “What happened?”

“What?” Tony rolled over enough to peer up at Steve.

“I’m sorry, have you gone deaf? Am I the only one who can hear the gates of hell opening?”

“He’s in time out,” Tony said, wincing when a particularly loud cry reached them from Peter’s bedroom.

“How long has he been–,” he cut off with a grimace when Peter cried again. “What the hell did you say to him?”

“He’s a kid,” Tony snapped. Pushing himself to sit up, he rubbed at his forehead. He hated being the bad parent, the one to dish out the punishment. “They cry. He was naughty and now he’s being punished. This hasn’t had to happen in a while – he’s forgotten how much he hates it, is all.”

Steve was silent for a moment, frown lines deep in his forehead. There was a bang and a thud and Steve shook his head. “Oh, go and get him.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed. “Absolutely not. He needs to learn.”

His answer was a lifted eyebrow and Tony groaned when Peter wailed again. “Fine. Fine, fine, fine. But when he does the exact same thing tomorrow, I absolutely reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’.”

Steve rubbed his hand up and down Tony’s arm soothingly, as though it were Tony who was in tears. Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss to Tony’s temple. “Times are hard enough at the moment. Go and get him.”

With a long sigh, Tony pushed himself up. He stood still for a moment to collect himself before he headed to Peter’s room. Sometimes, he really hated being the adult.

“Hey, kid.” Tony perched on the end of Peter’s bed, eyes on the boy-shaped lump beneath the blankets. Though Peter’s sobs increased in volume with his presence, Tony knew the difference between actual cries with real tears and ones made for attention. Peter’s had definitely turned into the latter. “Come on, Petey, don’t cry.”

There was a beat of silence before a tiny voice was heard. “Mean.”

“I’m not mean,” Tony said with a sigh, resting his hand on his son’s back. It showed how Peter was feeling that he didn’t throw Tony’s touch off. An apology would be easy enough to work from him and Tony would be able to orchestrate a somewhat-sensible conversation.

“Are.” Peter sniffed. “Big meany.”

“Come here, silly boy.” Tony peeled away the blankets to reveal his son and brushed his thumb over the boy’s wet cheek to dry his leftover tears. “Don’t cry, kiddo. I’m not a big meany. You know you aren’t supposed to hit people.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Peter said, heavy breaths punctuating his words. “Didn’t do it on purpose.”

“I think you did,” Tony said as he hooked his hands under Peter’s armpits and heaved him onto his lap, “but now you know what happens when you’re naughty. What do you say after you do it?”

“Said sorry,” Peter mumbled, words a little slurred with his exhaustion. He burrowed closer into Tony’s arms and Tony graciously pretended not to notice where he wiped his nose. “I did.”

“I know.” Tony pressed a kiss to Peter’s hair and rubbed circles into his back. “Take a deep breath for me. You know you aren’t supposed to hit people. It’s not okay to do that, even if you’re really, really angry. It’s a difficult time at the moment, babe, so you need to be a bit more patient with us, okay? We can’t go outside so we have to be extra, extra nice to each other.”

“I’m nice. Miss. Danvers says I’m a good boy. I love you.”

“You are a good boy,” Tony chuckled, holding Peter closer and tickling his stomach softly. “Most of the time. And I love you, too.”

There was a long moment of quiet before Peter pulled his face away from Tony’s neck. “Snacky-snack?”

Tony gasped. “A snack? How can something as tiny as you possibly eat so much? You’re so small!” Tony stood up with Peter in his arms and lifted him high in the air. “Have you got hollow legs? Is that your secret?”

Steve laughed from across the doorway and stepped into Peter’s room. “I think he must have hollow legs. A little hollow boy.”

“No!” Peter squealed, right in Tony’s ear. “I’m not hollow!”

“You do eat a lot,” Tony said thoughtfully, dropping Peter down onto his hip. “You’ll eat us out of house and home, eventually.”

“Papa!” Peter reached out for Steve when Tony started to tickle him, desperately grabbing at the air as giggles fell from his lips, cheeks flushed with laughter instead of tears. “Tell him ‘m not hollow!”

“Yeah, Daddy,” Steve said, taking Peter with a laugh. “He’s not hollow. Now, what was this I heard about a snacky-snack?”

“No.”

Steve took a deep breath. “You can’t say no, babe. You have to do this.”

“Can’t.”

“You can.” Steve pushed the pencil back across the table to Peter. “And you can say more words than that, you silly billy. Don’t go shy on me now.”

“No.”

Peter’s glare was impressive. It was clear whose son he was, Steve mused. It caught him off guard quite often, but most of the time he loved when he noticed it. Not all times, though.

“Come on, kid. One more worksheet and we can get a snacky-snack with Daddy.”

“It’s hard.”

Sighing, Steve cursed his son’s stubborn streak. “It’s good that it’s hard, sweetheart. That’s what I’m here for – I can help you with it. And then when you go back to school, you can show your teachers how clever you are. Miss. Danvers will be so impressed that you’ve worked so hard over the little break.”

“‘m clever,” Peter said, rubbing at his eye. “Like Daddy.”

“I know you are, kid,” Steve said, reaching out to pull Peter’s hand away from his face. “You’re my clever boys. So let’s do these horrible math sheets and then we can go and show Daddy how smart you are!”

Peter sniffed. Loudly. “You gon’ help me?”

“Of course I am,” Steve said, voice soft. “That’s what Papas are for, aren’t they? Now, look at this first one.”

“Is it bedtime yet?”

Steve snorted, which Tony thought was rather rude. “It’s only eight. Pete’s only been down ten minutes.”

“He’s also been up since five. It’s been a long day.”

From where he was burrowed against Steve’s chest, Tony felt more than heard Steve’s chuckle.

“That’s cause he’s your son, sweetheart. Bed is for the weak, according to you pair.”

Tony huffed. “It is. Most of the time. These are extenuating circumstances and I just want to sleep until it’s over.”

“Well,” Steve said, hand running through Tony’s hair, “I was going to open a bar from my secret chocolate box and finish off that bottle of wine we opened last night, but if you’d rather go to bed then…”

Groaning, Tony stretched his legs out on the couch and rolled until he could see Steve’s face, peeking through one eye at him. “What sort of candy have you got?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Ooh,” Tony moaned, grinning up at his husband sleepily, “the magic words. Talk dirty to me, baby.”

With a loud laugh, Steve bent down and brushed a kiss to Tony’s temple. “Red wine and Hershey’s. The Special Dark kind.”

Tony groaned theatrically and lifted his arms to twist them around Steve’s neck, holding him close. “That’s it, baby,” he murmured against Steve’s lips, “you know how I like it.”

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something-tofightfor · 4 years ago

Note

People ask about pet peeves/characterization flaws a lot, but... for each character you’ve written for of Ben’s, what are some essential character traits you go for?

Oh, this is a good one Dani. Under a cut because they got very long.

Logan:

All of my Logans feature the essential characteristics that we see in the show - he loves decadence, doesn’t shy away from the fact that he has money, or that he’s in the public eye. To an extent, people play with his honesty - but I think that that’s actually something that a lot of writers ignore, so I definitely don’t.

But three of the core Logan characteristics that have nothing to do with those things are:

1. Logan’s never going to make someone feel like shit for being “beneath” him in status, because I truly don’t think that bothers him. There’s no way that all of the people he hooked up with were of the same social class or status as him, and I think it’s really demeaning when people make him out to be a super materialistic asshole. So he won’t shy away from bringing up the finances or living situations of other people, but he won’t ever demean them for it.

2. We see Logan as someone that’s always over the top, but all of my Logans are very reserved when they don’t have to be “on”. I don’t mean boring, but I mean that there’s a very different Logan present when he doesn’t have people’s eyes on him/have to lead the way.

3. As a part of his honesty, my Logans always admit their faults. It’s not easy for them to do so, but he knows that there’s only so much you can hide - and when he cares about someone (Reader, Juliet, Em, Mark) he doesn’t want to have to put on a show - so he doesn’t. He doesn’t offer this information freely in many cases, but if you ask, he’ll talk about it.

4. Bonus - I think that Logan is always going to find a way to keep himself entertained, and sometimes it has nothing to do with the physical presence of anyone else. I think that he’s very careful and purposeful with what he says - at all times, and will speak to people in certain ways to make every conversation worth his time, even if it’s a meaningless interaction..

Ryan

People are quick to judge Ryan based on his appearance and his lifestyle, but when I write Ryan, I write him as going into every situation knowing that this is going to happen. He’s prepared for it, so it doesn’t shock him. What does shock him is when people don’t do this - like you, in Vegas.

Ryan cares about authenticity in everything he does, but I think that comes down to the way he treats and asses people, too. He’ll fib and stretch the truth, but he’s not afraid to be honest with people, even when he knows it’s going to hurt them.

For me, Ryan’s not as cut and dry as he seems to be. I think people misjudge him a lot, and I try to write him with that duality just below the surface, because he’s so much more than people assume.

Benjamin

We see Benjamin’s anxiety, and we see it often, but for me, that anxiety was WORSENED by Julia - and so the more time he spends away from her, the better he’ll get and the less it will impact him. He knows how to control it - and would have HAD to in order to survive, so he just needs that confidence back to really be himself.

My Benjamin has a lot more confidence than he lets on - and when he decides something, he sticks to it (like the attraction he felt to Reader in TP wasn’t something he was going to ignore or deny after he realized it, but he was content to let it simmer, because he didn’t want to make waves). He trusts himself, especially now. Benjamin might be British, but he’s not a proper British snob by any means. He doesn’t mind being in situations where things are a little extravagant, but he prefers simple and laid back. He doesn’t speak formally, doesn’t dress formally, even though he’s a little more put together than a lot of other men his age. He’s smart, but he never tries to shove it in people’s faces purposely; it might come out in tiny little pieces - him talking a LOT about a topic he likes, having some obscure piece of knowledge - but he doesn’t do it on purpose.

Billy

For me, it really pains me when people say that Billy has no capacity for love - and doesn’t feel it. We see Billy’s emotions throughout, so when I write him, I angle it as for the majority of his life, there were times when he felt love and acceptance and all of those emotions - but didn’t know how to process them or adequately return them. He still isn’t the best at reciprocating emotion, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel it - and understand the implications of it.

Billy might not have had a formal education beyond high school, but that doesn’t make him an idiot. I think his real world experience was a lot more important to him than going to college would have been. He’s street smart and really perceptive, even if not academic. I think he was an overly bright student, and someone that really absorbed knowledge. I always write Billy as very perceptive.

I will NEVER write Billy as someone that’s going to go out of his way to spoil people that he barely knows, or even the ones he’s actually with. Yes, he’s got money and he’s going to flaunt it - but he didn’t earn it for other people, he earned it for himself. He’s not going to shy away from buying people presents, but it’s not going to be super expensive all the time - Billy sacrificed for that money, he’s not going to give it away. Anyone that’s WITH Billy that knows his history, too, would accept that. He’ll never skimp out on the things that are important to him (a place to live, bedding, his Rolls, etc) but I’m sorry, for me, Billy isn’t going to buy you a ton of expensive jewelry or flowers once a week or shower you with gifts. That’s fundamentally not who Billy russo is.

Caspian

Caspian wants to learn and experience things 24/7/365. He likes downtime because it gives him a chance to breathe, but he’s still learning and growing. Caspian learned firsthand how important it is to always be willing and open to suggestions and help and advice from others - and that hasn’t changed since he became King of Narnia.

Caspian is very trusting - almost to a fault. He still tries to see the good in people even after they don’t deserve it, but when it gets to the point where that trust is gone? You can’t earn it back.

Sam Adams

Sam’s always going to be a little bit of a rebel with a wild streak in him. No amount of pressed clothes or fancy parties or responsibilities are going to dim that spirit. He’s fought through too much, lost too much, cared too much to turn his back completely on the personality and drive that allowed him to get to where he is. He understands responsibility and that he needs to set an example, but you’re only gonna (at most) get like 90% seriousness from him, and that’s on a good day. This goes with the other one, but Sam is insanely stubborn, and it’s one of his best qualities. He believes in what he does and says, and it takes a lot to get him to change his mind. In some cases, that’s a good thing, because it strengthens his resolve, but in other situations, it makes your life very difficult.

Sam has no problem lying and being sneaky to get what he wants or needs - but he won’t ever outright lie to his wife about important things. Tricks, yes. Sneaky secrets and surprises, of course. But about important or dangerous things? Never.

#ask something-tofightfor #character traits #character headcanons #ryan brenner #billy russo #benjamin greene #logan delos #king caspian #samuel adams imagine #thank you for asking!!#suchatinyinfinity

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wendibird · 4 years ago

Text

SPN 15X16 Observations

Alrighty folks! This week, both my TV AND internet were working! (Helped that this past week a repairperson came out and checked things out and turned out our cable box needed to be replaced because the one they’d given us was defective or something.) So, good part of that was that I was able to watch it on my actual TV! Bad news is, that meant I was left trying to take notes on my phone, which isn’t as easy for me as it is on my computer which my keyboard. But ah well. Here are my episode notes and post-watching break-down of what I thought about it.

- getting "IT" vibes

- "IT" vibes still there

- Nyooooooom

- DEAN! YOU DIDN'T TELL HIM YOU BASTARD!!!

(FLASHBACK) - Dang Dean.... "this is our life" Even then he was trying to make Sam accept it. - Poor Sammy - That's a big gun for a little kid...

- Poor (other) kid!

(Commercial thoughts) So this is the second time this season that Cas had a conversation with Dean and then left and Dean lied to Sam about it. So Sam's in the dark still.

First time I think Dean just didn't want to admit his part in Cas leaving. This time, I have a feeling he doesn't want Sam to know what Cas (probably) said about Jack. Maybe thinks Sam will try to stop the plan. And Dean wants it to happen? Because at least this time it's not them making the sacrifice? *salty*

- Dean's pretty quick to call it. (That it's not their kind of thing.)

- Ring??

- He brought the ring back

- That woke her up

- NOW he (Dean) believes her...

(Commercial) Dean is closing down connections between him and the people he usually connects with. Like, it's harder to hold onto those. Like, he's willing to let Jack go (I think) And he was ready to write off Caitlin's brother.

Also tied up with his slef image. He thought he'd taken care of it back then. She prayed on his sense of duty and shame of failure.

Interesting that the knife wasn't really there.

Could it have killed him anyway?

- "We used to keep a lot of secrets from each other."

- I still hate how Dean gets lumped up as "Sam and Dean" as if his POV is the only one important. (Reference to what Billy told Jack to get him to agree. It was pitched as if his sacrifice to take out Chuck is the only way to earn both their forgiveness. But that's only true for Dean. Not Sam.)

- Dean knows Sam isn't going to like it. That's why he hasn't told him yet.

- BABA YAGA!!! (Wonder if there'll be any references to her hut on chicken legs.)

- *LOL* Poor bong girl.

- So, hallucinating or teleportation? (Apparently hallucination)

- Sammy to the rescue?

- Well, he got to help....

(Commercial) (Still disappointed that there was no mention of her hut on chicken legs or the fact that she rode around on a mortar and pestle. She felt more like an SPN interpretation of IT.)

- "You tell the truth more because you know that lies don't make anything better." (Is that an anvil I hear falling in the distance?)

- Okay. That (Dean fessing-up to Sam) predictably went horribly, but I'm glad it did. I'm glad Sam had a freaking voice. And an opinion. And wouldn't let Dean talk him around. Because he's right. It was shitty to hide it from him. And the plan is shitty. He knows what it's like to be the guy who has to die to save the world. And he's right to have ethical questions.

- "You wouldn't have handled it." (Or however it was phrased is Dean's internal justification for why he's right and Sam isn't. And why it was okay to hide it from him.)

(Post-episode thoughts)

(And again, apologies if these aren't exactly coherent.)

I liked the Weechester parts. Gotta admit, it took me a bit to warm up to the new actors, but I think that's mostly because we had Colin Ford for a good long run, and Dylan Everett for a decent amount of time too. I kind of got used to them. But these two did a good job.

I felt the writing for their parts might have had a few continuity issues. This was supposed to be in 1993 right? (Have only watched through it once so far.) So Sam would have been 10-ish (depending on the time of year) and Dean would have been 14. (Probably safe to assume this wasn't intended to be early January.) And it took place sometime after the flashbacks from "Just My Imagination" but before "After School Special" or "Bad Boys" So I found it a bit odd that Sam already is being shown as not wanting to hunt. (When in "Just My Imagination" he wanted to join his Dad and Dean on the hunt. And in After School Special he was definitely not about hunting but he hadn't seemed to considered that he even had the option to try for anything else. So I found it odd that they had a 10-year-old already looking at books about going to college. I feel like maybe if this had taken place a few years later maybe that would have made more sense? Ah well, I still enjoyed it overall.

Now, about the MOTW, I was all giddy when they revealed it was the Baba Yaga. (When I was in band in college, we played a musical piece from "Pictures at an Exhibition" titled "The Hut of the Baba Yaga". And I hadn't heard of it before that so I did some research on it and found out it was basically the Russian folklore version of the Boogy Man. She lived in a hut that walked around on fowls' leggs, and she rode around on a mortar and pestle, and she was greatly feared. So, they got the "greatly feared" part right. But.... (just did some double-checking on the episode) OKAY! So, I take it back. They didn't make a HUGE deal of it, but the motel where it all happened was called the "Rooster's Sunrise". So yey! They did have a nod to the Hut on Fowl's Legs thing! And it's not anything close to a hut, but it does have wooden siding on the upper part of it. (Like, not painted wood, but wooden-wood. *LOL*) Still though, overall I was getting more of an "IT" vibe from it. (At least the old IT, with Tim Curry. I haven't seen the new one.)

I did think they did an overall good job with the creepiness factor. But in the end, it didn't feel like she had much of a personality. She was just kind of there to move the plot where it needed to go.

To me, I felt like most of the emotional weight of the episode was on the secret Dean was keeping from Sam. And you could tell that it was eating at him. But at the same time, he didn't want to go there. Because he knew Sam would react badly.

Before I get to that though, I want to touch on something I mentioned up in my notes, after the conversation Billy and Dean had. She said that she'd gotten Jack to agree to the plan by saying that the only way to earn their forgiveness was by dying to end Chuck's threat. (I know, in this episode she specifically said Dean. But in the last episode, when Jack was telling Cas about it, he'd said Sam and Dean. So either he's merged them together in his head, or Billy did when pitching it, or she just left an open implication and he took it.) Either way, there's still that idea floating around out there that Sam and Dean are a matched-set, and that what one wants, the other wants too. Despite the fact that that's not how it plays out. And despite the fact that Sam has pretty openly shown Jack that he's forgiven him, and cares about him, and that Jack doesn't need to "earn" his affection. So why is Dean the only one who matters here?

Maybe it's the writers lumping them both together when convenient? But the fight between Sam and Dean at the end of this episode shows that they're not on the same page as far as Jack is concerned, so the writers DO know. Does Billy see them as a single unit? Or is it the opposite? Has she been coming to Dean with her plans and talks because it's easier for her to manipulate him? Because Sam's the one who stops to ask things like "Does Amara deserve to die? Does Jack deserve to die? Is there another way to do this? (Should I maybe NOT lock myself into a coffin and then yeet myself into the ocean?)" She was pretty firm to Dean about "getting his house in order" because she wants the plan to go smoothly. Is that because she knows Sam could/would find a way to stop it if he's not on-board? I mean, old Death was very aware of how persistent Sam could be if he put his mind to something.

Anyway, forgive my ramblings. Most of my questions don't have answers yet, but sometimes it helps to get them actually written out.

As for the fight between the brothers at the end, I'm actually glad it happened. I get where Dean is coming from. He's focused on the goal (getting out from under Chuck's control) and especially since he and Sam aren't the sacrificial lambs this time around, he's willing to let Jack do what he needs to do in order to get the job done. Especially since Jack seems to be willing.

(Though I do have issues with the fact that Jack is willing because he thinks it's the ONLY way he can earn forgiveness. But, that is yet another parallel to Sam from S5, who not only knew and accepted that he was the only one who could stop Lucifer, but that it was all apparently his fault and he needed to atone. When in fact, he was just one of MANY who'd had a hand in the Apocalypse happening. And I'd say most of the blame for it fell on the angels and demons. Both Winchesters broke seals without knowing it. Sam thought he was outright preventing a seal from being broken. But regardless... I wonder if Sam sees this too, at least from the perspective of "I know what this feels like, and it sucks, and Jack doesn't deserve this, and there HAS to be some other way!" I guess my point is, emotional manipulation can be considered a form of coersion. Letting Jack believe that this is the only way to be forgiven, holding that forgiveness over his head... how much "free will" is actually going on here if that's why he's willing to go through with it?)

Sorry, tangents. I tend to live in them. *LOL* So yeah, while I don't agree with Dean's mindset, I do get why he feels the way he does. And I'm just glad that Sam wasn't written as "a little upset but willing to let it go." Down to his bones he knows this is wrong. And he let Dean know. And I'm also glad that he's asking the questions he's been asking. It's not a weakness as Dean kind of implied. (With the whole "you can't get the job done.") Sam isn't being wishy-washy. He just cares about what's right. Chuck or no Chuck, it still matters to him. And getting what you want "by any means"... well, he's been down that road himself. He knows how that can end. And plus, he cares about Jack. Like, genuinely cares about him, as a person. Not just what he can do for them. Not because he's powerful. But for who he is.

Also, I don't know if it was intentional, or just the way it came off to me, but I feel like... well, for a lot of this season to be honest, Dean's view of what and who is "vitally important" has severely shrunk down. To like, himself and Sam. I'm not saying he'll tell everyone to go hang. But I feel like maybe as a reaction to finding out how much of their lives were "set-up" he kind of withdrew emotionally. He's more willing to let go of other people they care about. The connections he forms don't feel as strong as they used to even a season or two ago. Like, in "The Gamblers", he felt a little sorry for the other people trapped there, but he was willing to get what they needed and get out of there. Sam was the one who insisted on trying to free them too.

And speaking of Sam, at the end of last season I felt like one of the reasons why he went along with Dean's plan (to lock Jack up) despite how he CLEARLY didn't like it, and everything about it felt wrong, was that at that point in time he severely doubted his own judgement. Because by that point, so many of his decisions which had been made with good intentions and with the best information he'd had at the time wound up blowing-up in his face. (i.e. Training the AU refugees into Hunters to help them with Dean/Michael and then after with just Hunting in general only to have most of them slaughtered by Michael. And him trying to give Nick a chance because he knew what it was like to be branded as evil for things that had been done to you. And he knew what it was like to be a vessel for Lucifer. And then when Nick went off the rails and they caught him that first time, they handed him over to Donna, because he was a human so they thought they'd let human justice deal with him. And then he escaped and hurt Donatello and was trying to free Lucifer, and Sam almost beat him to death but then stopped, because he didn't want to kill him in what he felt was cold blood. (Though I'd argue self-defense would've been valid.) After which Nick hit him repeatedly in the head with a rock and almost DID free Lucifer, which Jack stopped, but that lead to Mary's death and, and, and, the list goes on. So by the time they figured out (somewhat, I don't think they ever got the full story) what happened to Mary, I think Sam was feeling like he couldn't trust his own judgement, and so he let Dean lead. And that... didn't go well.

So I'm glad that he is starting to question again. He'd started to with Mrs. Butters but then everything seemed fine, but as they found out, he should have heeded his instincts and researched her more. And now this. At the end of last season when the idea of Jack dying/being killed came up he said he wasn't okay with it, and he did run to try to stop Dean, but I feel like there's more assertiveness behind it now. He's not saying "Please don't do this!" he's saying "This is NOT okay! I'm NOT going to accept this! No!"

So, in conclusion: Overall I liked the episode, though for me anyway, most of the emotional weight came from the secret Dean was keeping and then what happened when he finally told Sam. I did however like some of the little moments, like young!Dean's line about "We made a pretty good team." and it's callback to the Pilot episode.

I'm sorry this got a bit rambly. Again.

#spn 15x16 spoilers #spn season 15 spoilers #episode review #my thoughts #tangents: i tend to live in them #sam winchester #dean winchester #young!sam winchester #young!dean winchester #weechesters #teenchesters #keeping secrets #the baba yaga

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captain-sodapop · 4 years ago

Text

Alright. Let’s finally talk about how Dean’s death was no surprise.

(Goddammit, I was so close. I knew I should have put down “Dean gets impaled by rebar” instead of “Dean keels over from a massive heart attack” in my final season predictions.)

So, 14x10 “Nihilism” aired almost two years ago now, and the night that episode aired, I wrote a story speculating what it would look like if Dean’s book read that he was going to die an inherently normal death. The story itself isn’t important here, but what is important is that was probably the night I got comfortable with the idea that Dean Winchester probably wasn’t going to make it all the way to the end of the show. I essentially began that process of grieving his character two years in advance. The clues that Dean wasn’t going to make it are many, but I realize that it’s a surprise for a lot of people, and a hurtful one at that. And I won’t lie, it does hurt - it would have been nice if he made it to the end, but it was a longshot. There was a sort of inevitability to it, and we can argue about whether it was the best choice or not somewhere else; what’s important here is that in the context of the show, it makes sense.

A lot of the reason it makes sense was because if we’re being honest, starting roughly at 14x10, Dean begins to slowly but surely alienate himself from his family and completely alienates himself from them by 14x20. Yes, Chuck is definitely a puppet master here, but we know because we’ve seen it that it’s possible to break away from Chuck and make your own choices - Sam and Dean do it all the time.

A lot of this alienation revolves around Cas and Jack. We’ve gone over and over the fact that yes, Jack was in a really fucking weird spot after he killed AU!Michael (was he soulless? How much of his soul was left? Was he good, evil?), and was struggling, and it ultimately culminated in him accidentally (ACCIDENTALLY. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS. HE’S LIKE A TODDLER WHO ACCIDENTALLY SET OFF A GUN AND KILLED SOMEBODY. Read The Secret Life of Bees, Jesus H.) killing Mary. So now Chuck’s got all his little pieces in place: Dean’s despair and grief has blinded him to the point where he can shift back into black-and-white mode and treat Jack as an evil being and can willfully ignore Cas’s desire to protect and help his own son, roping in Sam to be an accomplice in his manipulative plan. We know the story. Dean was going to kill Jack in that graveyard until he finally broke out of Chuck’s storyline once again, but at this point, the damage is done. Cas was willing to fight Dean to protect Jack, Sam was racing to stop him, and he still almost did it. In 15x01, even though he can now see Jack didn’t deserve to die, he still ultimately blames Cas for what happened to his mother, tries to make him work with the demon using Jack’s body as a vessel, and drives Cas away in 15x03 after telling him he basically believes Cas is the only one who fucks things up. (And you call this true love? Fuck all the way off. God or no God, this shit ain’t good.) This man told a grieving father to fuck off.

So that’s Cas gone. And frankly, I’m amazed Cas could ever forgive Dean for something like that. (That’s part of what makes 15x18 so bad shhhhhhh.)

Now, we know Sam has his own shit and he wasn’t gonna go anywhere, was somewhat - or not even somewhat, totally, even if he didn’t like it - complicit in deceiving Jack, and I’m not sure he ever quite knew why Cas left, which is another deceptive move by Dean similar to the one later in the season where he struggles to tell Sam that Billie’s plan is going to kill Jack. So Dean also lies to his brother, but what’s new. (What’s interesting about Sam’s story this season is that from the time Eileen returned, it was pretty obvious they were setting him up to survive the story, but he didn’t seem to ever think he deserved it, which he totally does. They both do, they ALL do, but anyways...) 15x16 and 17 find Sam and Dean as at odds with each other as they’ve ever been: lies, hiding information, Dean claiming the boy Sam and Cas claim as a son isn’t family (which is so out of character for Dean, but...ugh, ANYWAY), and ultimately culminating in Dean pulling a gun on Sam and Sam having to pull him back from the edge.

All of this is to say that from about 14x19 to 15x17, Dean was behaving like a complete asshole to just about everybody he claims to care about. He was even sitting by himself in 15x11:

(Look! We’ve got three people who respect and forgive each other on one side, and Angry McShoutsALot on the other. Guess who dies?)

For a guy who’s all about family, Dean sure does a good job of rejecting the family unit in the last season. And even though Sam unfortunately doesn’t get to know this until decades later and he himself is in Heaven, and even though we don’t get to see them in the finale, Cas and Jack ultimately survived the story and rebuilt Heaven and are presumably together. Now, I know I’m giving this show a lot of credit it probably doesn’t deserve, but it’s almost as if Sam, Cas, and Jack working to protect and save the family unit ultimately saved themselves in the end. They show constant concern for each other, no strings attached, work to find other ways if it means they can ALL survive, not just some of them, so they can stay together as a family. Meanwhile, Dean is so wrapped up in his own existential crisis and grief that he forgets the family he has and instead plays right into Chuck’s hands. Chuck is defeated in the end, but Dean is ultimately the one who has to pay the ultimate price for his behavior, and he gets impaled on some rebar. Ouch!

Now. Would it have been nice if Dean had made it to the end, lived to meet his nephew and got a job that made him happy and full-body hugged Miracle every morning? Uh, YES. It would have made this Dean girl very happy. But in the six years I’ve watched this show live and through several rewatches, it was obvious to me that Sam especially was the one with staying power. There’s just something about Dean as a character...you get the feeling he was not meant long for this world. He takes up so much space, was just so much - too much, sometimes. It really doesn’t matter what got him in the end - rebar, heart attack, car crash, monster - what matters is that something was always going to get him in the end. I mean, something gets everybody in the end. But Dean’s one of those stars that burns real bright for a short time. Jared speculated that there could be quite a bit of time between the last two episodes, so maybe Dean got some real nice peaceful years with Miracle and Sam. We don’t know for sure, and that’s maybe one that could be left to the audience to decide, just like who Sam’s wife is (it’s Eileen, by the way.) But Dean was never going to be like Sam, growing real old and lying in hospice. Well, maybe he would have been lying in hospice, but he wouldn’t have been real old. It would have been the alcoholism, the diet, an injury, his heart, something.

In this ending, it was a piece of rebar that gouged him and tore him apart.

But it was coming. I knew it, and I know of a few other people who figured it would happen, too. But Dean’s behavior in these last episodes from the end of season 14 to near the end of season 15 are of a man that is pushing away his family, and in the end, it seemed to cost him.

#dean winchester #supernatural #supernatural meta #dean winchester meta #spn #dean bean #abby speaks #just some thoughts #let me know what you think though!

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emptybucketoffucks · 4 years ago

Text

Hey, guys!

After a long, long, long, looooong time, I present to you this little fix-it self-indulgent tidbit of fiction. Hope you enjoy.

The ending is just the beginning repeating

Trapped. They were trapped once again, and Dean's hope was starting to fade.

All the fight. All those deaths. And it would probably come to this. Billie was right; stupid Winchesters

"I just led us into another trap." He felt as if his heart was lodged in his throat, like a rock blocking a stream. His feelings were pooling in his chest, and he couldn't let them out. "All because I… I couldn't hurt Chuck. Because I was angry, and because I just needed something to kill, and because that's how I know how to do."

Because all I do is hurt people. Hurt the ones I love most.

"Dean..." Cas stepped forward, but Dean couldn't let him get near, not now, not when he was trapped, cornered, wounded; not when he knew he would probably lash out in anger and fear and hopelessness, and hurt him once again.

"It was Chuck… all along." Chuck manipulated them, played them. Made them dance on strings like puppets. How much of what he felt, of what he was , was really him, and how much was just a plot of Chuck's tale? "We should've never left Sam and Jack. We should be with them now."

His brother. Cas' kid. They just… left them. Left them and went on a fool's errand, on an idiotic quest, believing, as always that they could win, that they would win. Stupid Dean Winchester and his stupid pride and his stupid hope . "Everybody is gonna die, Cas. Everybody. I can't stop it." He couldn't look Cas in the eyes, not now. Not when he just signed the world's death sentence.

Billie pounded on the door more forcefully. He approached Cas, who looked every bit as downtrodden as he felt.

"She's gonna get through that door."

"I know."

"And she's gonna kill you. And then she's gonna kill me." 'Cause she'll want me to suffer. She'll want to take one more thing from me before taking my life. "I'm sorry."

"Wait, there is..." Cas' voice sounded… almost hopeful. Dean looked up. "There is one thing she's afraid of, there's one thing… strong enough to stop her."

Dean's heart was pounding. Was that… was that hope? Would they be so fortunate?

Cas' voice sounded stronger, surer, now.

"When Jack was dying… I… I made a deal, to save him."

"You what?"

"The price was my life." Dean blood turned into ice water. Oh, no, no, no , he knew that script, he knew that plotline, and he didn't like it one bit.

"When I experienced a moment of true happiness, the Empty would be summoned and it would take me forever." True… happiness. Did any of them even know what that looked like? He supposed he came close, when Mary was around, and they had all their little, disjointed family in the bunker… but something was missing. Something was always missing. Dean was broken, an incomplete puzzle.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Why are you sounding like you found the secret, Cas? Why are you sounding like you found the missing piece of your own puzzle?

"I always wondered, ever since I took that burden, that curse, I wondered what it could be, what my true happiness would even look like." Cas looked… relieved.

"I did never found an answer. Because the one thing I want… is something I know I can't have" No, no, Cas, no, stop talking, this is too much, stop talking before something bad happens, something bad always happens when I get even a glimpse of something truly good, please, stop talking…

But Dean couldn't say the word aloud, couldn't interrupt Cas, not when his eyes were glowing like that, when a small smile was beginning to appear.

"But I think I know… I think I know, now. Happiness isn't in the having. It's in just being. It's in just saying."

"What are you talking about, man?" Because you couldn't be saying what I think you're saying, not now, not when it all went pear-shaped, not when we are in the brink of death, not when we have a vengeful God to slay and a whole world to avenge. You couldn't be offering me this when we lost everything else.

Cas was smiling, and getting closer, and Dean couldn't move, he couldn't fucking move . he was rooted to that spot, like it was a devil trap, only it was Cas' soft smile and bright eyes keeping him pinned in place.

"I know… I know how you see yourself, Dean. You see yourself the same way our enemies see you."

Because it's the only way to see me. Because my greatest enemy lives inside my head , he wanted to scream. But his tongue couldn't form the words, and Castiel's gaze kept him frozen.

"You're destructive, and you're angry, and you're broken… You're daddy's blunt instrument. You think that hate and anger, that's… that's what drives you, that's who you are."

Because that's who I am , Dean's mind cried, but his voice stayed silent.

"It's not. And everyone who knows you, sees it."

And everyone is dead because of me .

"Everything that you have ever done, the good and the bad… you have done for love. You raised your little brother for love, you fought for this whole world for love. That is who you are."

I'm not, I'm not, I'm not … Dean's mind was in overdrive, Cas' words battling his self-loathing, his self-hate, and having a hard time winning. His inner monsters were old, and strong.

"You are the most caring man on Earth. You are the most selfless, loving human being I will ever know." Cas' smile had an edge of pain that was stabbing him, like an angel blade right through his chest.

"You know, ever since we met, ever since I pulled you out of Hell… knowing you has changed me."

Why now, Cas, why right fucking now… Cas was crying, his smile larger, even brighter. He looked almost hopeful, and Dean couldn't understand, they were trapped, the world was empty, they were going to die and leave Sam and Jack behind… what was going through Castiel's head?

"Because you cared, I cared. I cared about you… I cared about Sam, I cared about Jack… I cared about the whole world because of you." Dean could feel the tears on his eyes, and they burned, just like he could feel his heart burning, because he knew this plotline, he could feel where this was going, and he hated it, he hated it , and he was powerless to stop it.

"You changed me, Dean"

"Why does this sound like a goodbye?" Stupid question, Dean, your voice decides to work and that's what you say, knowing full well what is happening?

"Because it is." Dean shook his head. Don't say it, Cas, please, not now. Say it later, say it after we escape Billie, say it after we finish Chuck and save the world one more fucking time, say it when we're finally safe, say it when I can finally find my courage to say it back.

"I love you". Cas's smile was small, but his eyes were full of joy, but also despair.

"Don't do this, Cas." Because if you're saying this right here, right now, is because you gave up any hope, is because you feel like you will never be able to say it again. Is because we are truly done.

Dean heard the rippling sound from the Empty arriving, and Cas came closer, his eyes burning with so much love it was painful to watch. Stupid, stupid, how did you never saw it, how did you never recongnized it for what it truly was?

Billie finally broke the seal and busted the door.

"Cas?" One more smile, crooked, pained. One hand in his arm, burning, why it was burning ?

"Goodbye, Dean". Cas shoved Dean on the ground as Billie approached. The angel turned and gave him one last look, one last smile, before facing the Empty, his face peaceful.

The Empty swallowed Cas and Billie. Dean was alone. Again.

His left sleeve was bloodied, Cas' handprint bright against the dark green. He could feel a phantom pain in his biceps, and he wondered if it was back. He hoped it was. Because it would be all he had left from Castiel.

His phone vibrated. Sam . He couldn't bear to face his brother right now… he couldn't bear to face Jack.

The tears finally came, and he wept silently.

==============================

The ending is just the beginning repeating

Everything goes away

But comes back some day

Dean knew his end would be bloody, and hunting, but never like this, never a stupid accident like this. But he felt at peace.

Sam would be fine, he knew it. He could finally be free to follow his own path, without having to live in Dean's sad, cold shadow.

"I need you to tell me that it's okay. Tell me. Tell me that it's okay." He needed to know that Sam knew it too. That Sam knew that he would be fine without Dean. That Sam understood. That he could finally rest.

"Dean… it's okay. You can go now." Dean felt the tears running freely, Sam's hand between his was warm, so warm, and he was feeling so cold, so much cold…

"Bye, Sam." Cold, so cold… he heard the whispered Goodbye as winter enveloped him from the inside out, and he closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he felt warm. Sunshine all around him, birds singing, the fresh smell of spring. Everything was so green and so bright.

"Well, at least I made it to Heaven."

"Yep." He knew that voice. He could live a thousand lives and he would still know that voice. The first person to ever treat him like a human being, and not like a weapon or a pawn. The voice his mind conjured when he thought the word "father".

Figures Bobby would be in his Heaven.

"What memory is this?" Bobby laughed, and Dean felt something warm in his chest.

"It ain't, you idjit."

"Yeah, it is. 'Cause last I remember, you… you were in Heaven's lock-up."

"Was. Now I'm not. That kid of you, before he went… wherever, he made some changes, here. Busted my ass out. and then, he… well, he… set somethings right. Pull down all walls up here. Heaven ain't just reliving your golden moments, anymore. It's what it should have always been. Everyone happy, everyone together."

Everyone was here. Everyone he ever loved was here. Or, at least…

"It ain't just Heaven, Dean. It's the Heaven you deserve ."

Do I deserve it, though? Really, truly deserve it? He was selfish and cruel with some of the people who loved him most, no matter what Cas said. He was selfish and cruel to Cas, mostly.

The beer tasted exactly like the first one he had with John. And it made sense that here, in Heaven, his first beer with Bobby - who was much more of a father than John Winchester could ever hope to be - would taste the same.

"So, Jack did all that?" After the way I treated him, after the way I scorned him, after all the harsh words… He still loves me like family. Like I should have loved him.

"Well..."Bobby paused just a fraction of a second, but it was enough, Dean knew exactly what his next words were going to be. He felt his heart racing - did he still have a heartbeat in Heaven? Never mind, his phantom heartbeat was out of control. "Cas helped."

Of course, of course, of course. This Heaven, his Heaven, was clearly a labour of love.

"It's a big new world out there. You will see." Dean drained his beer.

"Think I'm gonna see a little bit right now." He raised his eyes and saw the Impala parked a few feet ahead. Not now, Baby. Later . "Gonna take a hike. Do you… have any direction you'd recommend? Any sights I need to see?"

He could practically read the idjit in Bobby's eyes.

"Why don't you go north? There's some nice clearings in those woods. You can come back later, and we go to your folks' together. I'll tell Ellen to bake a pie."

Dean smiled, and took off, heart soaring. North .

=====================

The sun - or whatever that was supposed to be - filtered through the leaves, bathing everything in a golden, soothing light. He could hear birds overhead, rustling in the bushes; it was bursting with life. He heard a murmur of running water and took off in that direction.

The ground was uneven, but the trees offered support when he had a hard time finding his footing. He reached the stream, and could see from the distance fishes splashing, birds diving, the way the light broke in little rainbows all over the surface. It was beyond beautiful.

He started the slight descent, thinking about taking off his shoes and splashing around for a bit, when a loose pebble got caught in the battered threads of his boots, and he lost his balance, starting to fall.

Until he felt a burning sensation in his left biceps, that spread throughout his entire body, and felt like fire and electricity all at once.

"Caught you." said a gruffy voice, brimming with affection and longing.

Dean froze, knowing what he was gonna see when he looked up, but too afraid to look and be wrong.

Man up, you idjit , Bobby's voice sounded in his ear.

He looked up.

Blue eyes, the color of the summer sky. A crooked smile. The same rumpled trenchcoat.

"Cas", he breathed.

The angel still held into his arm, but raised his other hand, caressing Dean's jaw softly.

"Welcome home, Dean."

Dean took him in a bone-shattering hug, his chest heaving with a thousand unshed tears, a million unsaid words. He felt a featherlight kiss to his temple; he took a deep breath and finally looked at Cas, properly looked at Cas.

"I know." Cas said. Dean laughed, leaning his forehead against the angel's, their breaths mingling.

"I'm home", he said, closing his eyes and kissing Cas softly. "I'm finally home."

==========

You can find It on AO3 right here.

#fanfic #destiel

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joealwyndaily · 5 years ago

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Joe Alwyn — Red Magazine (Jan 2020) interview

You’d think that a back-to-back Hollywood movie career and a megastar girlfriend might have changed Joe Alwyn, but he’s quick to assure Nathalie Whittle that his feet remain firmly on the ground.

“So you didn’t see the part where the aliens attack?” asks Joe Alwyn, a playful smirk on his face. He’s referring to his latest film, Harriet, which I had a sneak preview of the previous day, although the fire evacuation (false alarm) meant I missed the ending. The biographical drama tells the story of Harriet Tubman (played by Cynthia Erivo), the historic abolitionist who escaped slavery and led hundreds of others to freedom. Alwyn plays her insufferably cruel and capricious slave master Gideon Brodess. He is, of course, joking about the aliens. At least, I hope he is. Today, we’re tucked away in the corner of a dimly lit bar at London’s Covent Garden Hotel. It’s the sort of drizzly afternoon that might dampen the moods of most, but not Alwyn. He appears cheery and at ease, sporting country casuals: a grey mohair jumper, blue jeans, and brown boots along with an unkempt beard; perhaps an attempt to disguise the boyish good looks he’s become known for. He stops to interrupt me only once with a look of alarm: he’s forgotten to offer me something to eat or drink. I can have anything I want, he assures me.

At 28, Alwyn has had the sort of career trajectory that most aspiring actors wistfully dream about for years, even decades. His education included a degree in English literature and drama at the University of Bristol, followed by a BA in acting at London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. But within two weeks of his graduate showcase, Alwyn received a life-changing phone call. He refers to it as the thing “I owe everything to.”

“I’d just signed with an agent and I was kind of pinching myself, you know, how surreal is that?” he says. “She sent me a portion of the script for a film, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, that Ang Lee was directing. I’d grown up watching his films — Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi — so I couldn’t believe I was even going to do a tape for someone like that. I got my dad to film me in a scene in my bedroom and some mates to film me during a lunch break. The next thing I know, Ang wants to meet me in New York.” Cue a series of auditions and screen tests that led to Alwyn bagging the title role in his first big-budget Hollywood film. He was just 24. “It was so much so fast that I didn’t really compute what was going on,” he concedes. “Before that I was just a poor student who barely understood how people got auditions, let alone landed jobs.” Did he have any jobs before that? I ask. “I did have this one job in London,” he says wryly. “Do you know that frozen yogurt place, Snog?” I’m struggling to picture Alwyn serving up frozen delights. He’s laughing now. Was it a good gig? “Exceptional!” More laughter follows. “I mean, I was paid some money! Then I worked in a menswear shop. I did what I could to make some extra cash.”

A far cry from a frozen-yogurt counter, doors started opening to bigger and better opportunities as soon as Billy Lynn hit cinemas. The next script Alwyn read was Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite (released in 2019), in which he secured a small but riotous role as young baron Samuel Masham alongside acting greats Olivia Colman and Emma Stone. “Putting on giant wigs and running around in make-up and chasing Emma Stone through the forest — what more could you want?” he laughs. The film earned widespread critical acclaim, receiving seven BAFTAs and a record 10 British Independent Film awards.

Having further honed his craft in subsequent films Mary Queen of Scots and gay-conversion therapy drama Boy Erased, Alwyn is about to enter into unknown territory. This Christmas, he’ll play Bob Cratchit in his first-ever TV drama, BBC One’s A Christmas Carol; a “darker, twisted, less glossy” version of the Charles Dickens classic. He’s “feeling good about it,” but I’m curious as to how he’s approached this change of scenery. Was he not nervous? “Oh, very. I tried to watch other people. It’s the second time I’ve worked with Guy Pearce [who plays Scrooge] and I asked him a lot of stuff, which probably annoyed him. I watched the way he works and the questions he asked on set when he was approaching a scene.”

Two people who will definitely be watching Alwyn’s TV debut are his mother, a psychotherapist, and his father, a documentary-maker. “They’d better be watching!” he laughs. Born in London’s Tufnell Park, Alwyn recalls being given stacks of videos every birthday and “watching them to death, until the tapes burned up.” One of his favourites was The Mask of Zorro. In fact, he was so obsessed with it that he and his best friend took up fencing lessons at a local community centre in Crouch End, where, by chance, he was spotted by a local casting agent for the hit British romcom Love Actually. She asked him to audition for the role of Sam; he breaks into a wide smile when I ask what he remembers of it. “I didn’t know much about what the film was; I was most excited about the fact I got the day off school! But I remember being in a room with Richard Curtis and Hugh Grant reading scenes, many of which didn’t make it into the film. And I left the audition thinking, ‘I really recognize that guy from somewhere’.”

Alwyn didn’t get the part. Instead, he forgot about acting for a while, with the exception of summer holidays, where his parents would send him and his older brother off to “some drama camp as a way of preoccupying us.” He explains that when he later realized he wanted to act on a serious level, he kept it a secret. Was it because he was worried how his parents would react to a somewhat precarious career choice? “Well, it meant putting myself out there in a performative way, and that wasn’t necessarily something I did or was used to doing. It felt like it should be quite a ‘look at me’ job, and that wasn’t really how I felt growing up. I wasn’t a painfully introverted kid, but I wasn’t a particularly extroverted one, either. So maybe I was self-conscious about the idea of saying to people, ‘Look, I can do this’.”

He credits drama school with giving him “permission” to go for it. “Plus my parents were great about it. They’re both freelance themselves, so while they recognize the perils, they also couldn’t say to me, ‘We can follow what we want, but you can’t’. There wasn’t a boundary, which helped a lot.”

I wonder if it’s been difficult acclimatizing to the level of fame that’s come as result of his roles. “There have definitely been changes that have taken some getting used to, whether it’s sitting down and doing an interview or someone recognizing you,” he says. “There are things that have changed in my life, but I still very much feel like the same person. It probably helps that I’ve been hanging out with the same friends literally every day since I was 12 years old. Maybe it’s when those things change that people change, I don’t know.”

It’s fair to say that the level of interest in Alwyn has, in part, been heightened by the fact that, in his spare time he plays the role of Mr. Taylor Swift. The pair reportedly met in late 2016 and became in item shortly afterwards. I’ve been warned ahead of our meeting that Alwyn “doesn’t talk about that”, and he’s keen to justify his stance in person. “I feel like my private life is private and everyone is entitled to that.” he says. “I’ve read stories recently about people like Ben Stokes and Gareth Thomas, which are a gross invasion of their privacy and of their lives. It’s disgusting. That’s not journalism, that’s just invasive.”

It must be tough, I suggest, being in a relationship that is surrounded by so much scrutiny. “I just don’t read the headlines,” he says. “I really don’t, because I can guarantee 99% of them are made up. So I ignore it.” Recent rumours suggest the pair are engaged, and are owed in part to one of Swift’s latest songs, Lover (’My hearts been borrowed and yours has been blue. All’s well that ends well to end up with you’), as well as a piece of string tied around Swift’s finger in a Vogue cover shoot. According to die-hard fans, this means something. But to Alwyn, it’s clear it means nothing at all. Is he never tempted to respond to the mistruths, to shut them down? “No, because it’s just pointless,” he sighs. “It won’t change anything. I just don’t pay any attention. I have my life and it’s kind of separate to all that stuff.”

I’m curious as to how much time he gets to simply enjoy the success he’s experiencing. “There’s lots of time not working, I wish there was less in a way!” he laughs. “I go to the pub, play football, go to gigs, watch TV (he’s just finished season three of True Detective), pretty normal things. There’s no ‘secret life’. But ultimately, I worry about finding the next job; that’s the truth. In the midst of everything, there’s always that feeling of ‘I’m never going to work again’. It’s a cliche, but you can’t just sit there waiting for the phone to ring. You have to try and take control. You’re at the mercy of the things you seek out — the directors and the connections — so I try to be on top of that as I can and read what I’m sent and be discerning. I try to pick wisely and follow up on people and leads that I’m interested in.”

Is there an end point he wants to get to, where he’ll feel like he’s made it? “Things have certainly shifted in my twenties,” he says. “Success to me now is doing things that make me happy and that make me feel fulfilled, doing what I want to do and being on the right track. Not in terms of being on a results-based track, but just doing something I love.” He pauses and smiles. “That sounds a bit sentimental, doesn’t it?”

#joe alwyn #interview #red magazine #there's one paragraph i could do without but otherwise this is great

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foreverwayward · 5 years ago

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“Someone Like You” Ch. 7

Dean x Reader

Warnings: language, angst, super fluff

Word Count: 1579

SOMEONE LIKE YOU MASTERLIST

Summary: this is the story of Dean, Sam and Y/N. As they grew, a friendship as children would bloom into something that would last a lifetime. But, its Dean who realized things can get confusing when you’re in love with your best friend.

April 2, 2002

It had been nearly two weeks since Sam had left for Stanford. John was still in the wind, leaving every call unanswered, even from Max. He had completely disappeared for the time being.

The days seemed to bleed together and time no longer felt as if it mattered. Some days, Dean would be too hurt or broken to do much of anything, but the others were filled with laughter and moments he would remember the rest of his life.

Y/N had decided to stay with Dean until things began to make more sense. She knew he was never meant to be on his own and that he needed someone to get him through.

Max had already come and gone to take back his truck, needing to get back on the job. So, the two were left stranded at the Flamingo Lodge. The four walls of their room, the local diner, a movie rental shop, and the liquor store down the street had become their routine. Y/N and Dean did everything they could to kill the time and to forget that the world existed outside their door.

It was also the first time the two had ever spent so much time alone. Whatever bond they had before those two weeks paled in comparison to the one they were finding in their days at the lodge.

The ‘73 Western ‘Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid’ played on the tv in the background as Y/N and Dean sat on the bed. Empty beer bottles and containers that once held whiskey were scattered randomly through the room. It was as if they were able to finally behave their own age, young and careless for the first time.

Dean chuckled proudly as he laid his hand of cards out on the unmade sheets. “Read ‘em and weep, Y/N/N--four of a kind.”

“Oh no,” she feigned with a faked pout. “I guess that means you win…”

Laughing victoriously, Dean then locked his fingers behind his head as he relaxed backward. “I told ya, shouldn’t have bet against the king.”

“The king?” Y/N asked. She then placed her cards out in front of him. “Well, tell the king to take a fuckin’ seat because the queen just served a royal flush.” When Dean looked down in shock, Y/N got up from the bed to begin a ridiculous victory dance. “You...owe...me...dinner…” she sang. “Uh-huh!”

The grin that took over Dean’s face was immense and he threw up his hands. “Alright, alright. You win. I surrender.”

She stopped and pointed at him playfully. “Smart choice, Winchester.”

Dean groaned with a stretch as he got up. “I’m gonna go take a shower because I am fuckin’ ripe, and then...I’ll take you out for dinner.”

“And dessert.”

“And dessert,” he laughed as he headed for the bathroom.

Dean went to turn on the shower but turned at the sound of singing. As the water rained down on the other side of the shower curtain, Dean peered out from the cracked door.

Y/N was singing along to the movie’s song ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ as she cleaned up their messes around the room, swaying to the music.

He scoffed with a laugh under his breath and just watched her. If Dean had ever been unsure of his feelings about her before, there was no room for doubt anymore. She was the only woman he had ever truly loved.

Dean smiled so deeply that he felt his chest grow warm. Without her, he knew he wouldn’t have made it through everything that had happened with his family.

And with that thought, he disappeared into the bathroom to finally take his shower.

Not long later, Y/N sat on the bed as she put on her shoes. “Dean! I’m starving!”

“Don’t rush me, woman!” he yelled in a teasing tone.

She snickered as she got up to throw on her jacket. “I got your coat,” she said loudly while picking it up and folding it over her arm.

As she did, Dean’s wallet fell from his pocket. Y/N dipped down to pick it up and noticed a small, frayed strand coming from inside the tired leather. She opened the wallet and her heart stopped. There, tucked away for safekeeping, was an old and faded piece of string that had once been knotted.

Y/N gently took the string into her hands with her mouth somewhat agape in shock.

Dean came out from the bathroom as he was buttoning up his plaid shirt. “Alright, so are we eating at the diner or doing take out? ‘Cause you owe me another round of poker.” He froze in his tracks seeing what she had found and swallowed hard.

Turning to him, she asked, “this isn’t…”

“Uh--” Dean cleared his throat. “It’s, uh--”

She shook her head in disbelief with an overwhelming smile. “Is this...is this the bracelet I gave you when we were kids?”

Feeling himself growing nauseous, his hands shaking with nerves, Dean didn’t know what to say. He was beyond embarrassed. “Yeah,” he answered cooly.

Y/N scoffed. “I can’t believe you still have this.”

“Yeah, well, it’s--it’s no big deal. When it finally snapped after wearing it for so long,” Dean admitted with a nervous smile, “I guess I just never really wanted to get rid of it. I know--I know it’s really stupid.” Trying to laugh it off, Dean reached out a hand as if asking her to give it back. She did just that and he looked down at the old string with affection. “I dunno. Guess it just meant a lot to me.”

Again, Dean cleared his throat before tucking his treasure back into his wallet and returning it to its place in his coat.

“Dean…” Y/N said softly. When he turned to her, she smirked. “Hold on.” She went to her bag and pulled out a leather bound journal. It was visibly cracked at the binding showing its constant use. The book was Y/N’s journal and she flipped to the center before pulling out a piece of string from among her drawings, scribbles, and deepest secrets. When she put the journal down, she looked over to Dean and shrugged innocently.

He smiled, practically glowing. “Is that the one I gave you on my 18th birthday?”

“Mm-hmm…’dunno. Guess it just meant a lot to me’.”

The room went quiet as Y/N lovingly placed the old bracelet back into its safe place. When she looked back at Dean, he was slowly walking towards her, closing the space between them.

Dean almost audibly gulped as he stood close enough to smell her perfume. He peered down at her and hesitated before reaching to take her hands in his, his fingers playing with Y/N’s. It took all of his courage to meet her gaze.

“I, uh--” Dean laughed to himself. “God, I have no idea what I’m doing...”

As she waited for what he was struggling to say, Y/N felt her heart begin to pound.

“You...you mean more to me than I could ever tell you, Y/N/N. And, honestly? You’ve been one of the best parts of my life.”

With tears in her eyes, Y/N smiled as she sniffled. “Mine too.”

Dean leaned forward and their foreheads pressed together as they closed their eyes and inhaled deeply. He bit his lip. “I don’t wanna ruin this. I--I can’t ruin this.”

Y/N pulled away to look up at him and put a gentle hand on his cheek. Remembering what Max had said, she uttered, “we couldn’t if we tried.”

Mustering every ounce of strength he had, Dean’s face fell as he finally unburdened himself of his deepest secret. “I love you, Y/N. And I don’t mean in a ‘kid-best friend-love’ kinda way. I mean a ‘heart-stopping...can’t-live-without-you’ kinda way.” Dean shrugged with a small smirk. “Pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since I was nine-years-old.” Tucking her hair behind her ear and away from her face, he looked into Y/N’s eyes. “Now, I have no idea how you feel about me, but, I’m done pretending that I don’t think of you every single day, or that I don’t miss you so much when we’re apart that it’s like--like I can’t breathe again until I’m with you.”

A tear fell down Y/N’s smiling face and Dean wiped it away with a loving thumb.

“But, if you don’t feel the same, I understand, and I--I don’t know how I could live without you in my life. So, I’ll do whatever I have to to make sure I don’t lose the best thing I’ve ever had.”

Still quiet, her stomach twisting with anticipation, Y/N exhaled a nervous breath.

“Okay, but you gotta say something 'cause I’m losin’ my fuckin’ mind over here,” Dean chuckled anxiously.

Y/N stared into Dean’s eager and desperate eyes until the pull between them was enough to suck the air from her chest. She took the sides of his face and tilted up onto her toes to bring her lips to his. A release of love like neither had ever known poured through a kiss that had quietly waited for thirteen years. The two had imagined that moment countless times, but the real thing made them feel more alive than anything they’d ever survived as hunters--it was like a raging fire that consumed them both.

As their kiss intensified, Dean’s face scrunched with emotion and passion as he held her, his fingers burying themselves into her hair.

Panting and trembling, they pulled away from each other, still desperate for more.

Y/N sighed. “I love you too.”

As Dean held onto to her waist, never looked away from her eyes, he took a nervous breath. “...really?”

Y/N’s fingers played with the hair on the back of his neck as she silently giggled. She bit her lip as she stared back at him, realizing that Max was right and that there was no denying the loved they shared. Y/N knew that in that moment, that she held her whole world in her arms--she had finally found home.

“It was always you, Dean.”

------

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 2: Marvel and MCU Easter Eggs Guide

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This article contains The Falcon and the Winter Soldier spoilers.

Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 2 is much less of a slow burn than the first episode. Not only do we actually get Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes sharing screen time together, and a better understanding of what new Captain America John Walker is all about, but we get a host of new Marvel Comics characters introduced to the MCU!

There’s a lot going on in this episode, so let’s start digging in to all the Marvel goodness to be found…

The Star-Spangled Man

The title of the episode is of course a reference to Steve Rogers’ tenure as a piece of propaganda in Captain America: The First Avenger, when he was sent out to convince people to buy war bonds. That excellent MCU film featured an era-appropriate song called “The Star-Spangled Man” with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Zippel. When the new Captain America runs onto the football field for his Good Morning America appearance, we have an updated version of the very song being played by the high school marching band.

Similarly, that quick montage of John signing Captain America merchandise is somewhat reminiscent of the “Star-Spangled Man” sequence in The First Avenger, which showed Steve shaking hands, signing autographs, as well as all the 1940s Cap merch that was being produced at the time.

John Walker

John’s origin is so much better here than in the comics, where he was a reactionary almost supervillain called Super Patriot before taking on the Captain America job. Still, despite his early comics history, Walker took the Cap job as seriously and sincerely as the one we see here on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and MCU John seems even more sympathetic than Marvel Comics John.

Walker using his shield to cushion Battlestar’s fall from the truck is a pretty classic comic book style Captain America maneuver.

Custer’s Grove, Georgia is a fictional town in Marvel Comics, and that’s indeed where the John Walker of the comics came from. To talk more about this here might get into potential spoilers for future episodes (no, we haven’t seen them either), so for now, let’s just say this is a nice nod to John’s comics history.

John’s wife, Olivia Walker (played by Gabrielle Byndloss) is a new creation for the MCU, and as far as we can tell, she doesn’t have a Marvel Comics counterpart.

John Walker mentions that he’s “been a captain before,” and that probably refers to both his military service

Isaiah Bradley

Co-created by Axel Alonso, Robert Morales, and Kyle Baker, Isaiah Bradley was introduced in 2003’s Truth: Red, White, & Black. In the miniseries, Steve Rogers discovered that after his own creation, other scientists tried to replicate the super soldier serum and experimented on Black soldiers. The lone survivor of this was Bradley, who donned a Captain America outfit and fought Nazis against orders. Like his MCU counterpart, he was punished and thrown in prison for years. Eventually, he was pardoned and spent his days living in obscurity, only known as a legend by the Black community.

On the show, Bradley is depicted as being the secret Captain America of the 1950s. This is likely to be the closest reference we’ll get to William Burnside, yet another replacement Captain America. Back in the ‘50s, Captain America comics continued to exist, but were a little too knee-deep in being anti-communist propoganda. When Marvel reintroduced Captain America in the 1960s as a member of the Avengers and introduced the plot point that Steve had been frozen during World War II, it essentially negated his 1950s adventures.

Down the line, they explained that those comics were in continuity, but the Cap and Bucky in them were impersonators who had undergone plastic surgery and underwent incomplete versions of the super soldier experiment. This drove them to insanity and the comics were explained as them being paranoid and seeing communists everywhere. The two were put on ice for a while, but were eventually thawed out to fight the real Captain America and Falcon. While Burnside later became the villainous Grand Director, the fake Bucky went on to become a hero named Nomad.

Eli Bradley

The teenager with Isaiah is Elijah Bradley. Introduced in 2005’s Young Avengers, Eli is Isaiah’s grandson. When the Avengers ceased to exist, Eli became the leader of the Young Avengers under the name Patriot. He insisted that he had super soldier serum in his blood, but was secretly just using Mutant Growth Hormone to get by. Eventually, his grandfather gave him a blood transfusion, making his super soldier claims legit.

Eli is just one of the many Young Avengers characters popping up in the MCU recently (including Billy and Tommy on WandaVision, and Kate Bishop’s upcoming introduction on Hawkeye), suggesting a possible incarnation of the tea is coming to the MCU down the line.

Battlestar

Introduced in Captain America #323, Lemar Hoskins is yet another character pulled out of Mark Gruenwald’s legendary run. Hoskins was originally a professional wrestler who was granted super strength from the Power Broker (more on him in a minute). When John Walker took over as Captain America, Hoskins first became the new Bucky before ditching the name in favor of Battlestar. After the storyline of Walker as Cap ran its course, Battlestar has remained a minor patriotic vigilante in the Marvel universe, showing up here and there through the years.

“Black Falcon”

The kid in Baltimore who greets Sam Wilson as “Black Falcon” seems like a fun nod to the fact that when Black superheroes were first becoming a thing in comics, they were often identified as such with their names (Black Panther, Black Lightning, Black Vulcan, etc). Sam was never known as “Black Falcon” but given the era he was created in, things probably could have gone that way. See also, Sam joking with Bucky about being “White Panther.” (Of course, Bucky’s “White Wolf” moniker was first heard in the post-credits scene of Black Panther).

The Power Broker

Robert Moses was the racist bastard who built most of New York City between the Depression and the 1960s…hang on…different Power Broker.

Curtiss Jackson was originally a Machine Man villain, created by Roger Stern and Sal Buscema in the late 1970s before he was picked up for the legendary Gruenwald run of Captain America. There, he ran a corporation that used super science from Dr. Karl Malus to give superstrength to people for a price. That price: indentured servitude in Jackson’s pro wrestling promotion.

Among the people given super strength through the Power Broker’s program: Dennis Dunphy, the legendary D-Man; Sharon Ventura, the second Ms. Marvel (and eventually the second Thing); as well as both John Walker and Lemar Hoskins themselves. Jackson was eventually attacked by the Scourge of the Underworld, a Punisher-like vigilante, and forced to give himself his own super strength treatment, which caused him to become a deformed giant.

The Power Broker of the MCU is definitely tracking in some kind of bootleg super soldier technology, and that seems to be where the Flag-Smashers have gotten their augmented abilities.

The Hobbit

The Hobbit was indeed originally published in 1937, but wasn’t published in the U.S. until 1938. So either Bucky was a really voracious reader who ordered stuff from abroad, or his memory is a little faulty…unless James Buchanan Barnes was already running secret missions in Europe long before the United States entered World War II?

Miscellaneous Notes

We get Bucky’s therapist’s first name here, she’s Dr. Christina Raynor. Still not finding any Marvel Comics parallels here, but we’re keeping our eyes open.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The shot of the two pairs in the truck staring each other out seems like a homage to every tv episode where a duo meet alternate dimension versions of themselves, and aren’t impressed.

Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 2: Marvel and MCU Easter Eggs Guide appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3cqentM

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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umaficwriter · 4 years ago

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Hey guys! I updated my Kalijah playlist and below there’s a explanation for why this songs were chosen. Enjoy! Xx

Enchanted (Taylor Swift) - they feeling Katerina had when she first met Elijah

Dancing With Our Hands Tied (Taylor Swift) - the sensation creeping in that they wanted to be together, although there was something in the way, still their stolen moments made them not give up

Give Me Love (Ed Sheehan) - Elijah tries to keep Katerina interested in him instead of his brother, even though he knows the reason she’s there and that they can’t be fully together, still he wants her to fancy him, not Niklaus.

Mercy (Shawn Mendes) - Elijah já overwhelmed by her presence, he tries to deny it and escape her presence with no success.

hostage (Billie Eilish) - Katerina is bestowed to Klaus, although all she wanted was for Elijah to take her away

Run Away (Cary Brothers) - Elijah discovers Katerina flew. He can’t blame her. He fears for her safety and is broken that another attempt in love of his went wrong.

Decode (Paramore) - now Katerina understands why Klaus always had blood on him without ever being hurt, why Elijah had such an odd behavior. They’re vampires.

Find You (Nick Jonas) - Elijah starts looking at Katerina around the world. He knows he has to take her to his brother, although he also knows that once he does find her, he won’t.

Fool’s Gold (Niall Hiram) - with every day that passes, Elijah is closer to the conclusion he won’t find her unless she wants too. Still, he doesn’t let any stone interned. He’s a fool for her.

In My Veins (Andrew Belle) - they can’t escape each other. Elijah was always close to her, no matter where she went. It was like running from your shadow.

How You Remibd Me (Nickelback) - he sees her once. She’s so close, he could smell her, almost feel her skin, she’s nothing but pure sin now. Katherine Pierce was her name now. He was in love with the devil, after all.

Take Me To Church (Hozier) - she lets him approach her. He asks the Gods he believes in to save his soul when his brother finds out. She was his downfall.

Bend the Rules (Niall Hiram) - she does not stay for long. For she knows Klaus is gonna find out about them. She doesn’t want Elijah to suffer his wrath, so she flees.

Just In Love (Joe Jonas) - Elijah ia willing to sacrifice his family for her. He does not though.

Gravity (Sara Bareilles) - they gravitate to one another again, for a short time though.

Only Forever (Demi Lovato) - he’s gonna wait for her, only forever.

Tomorrow Never Came (Lana Del Rey) - she wants to run with him again. She’s doesn’t.

Cruel Summer (Taylor Swift) - they have their last summer together before the end.

august (Taylor Swift) - Katerina arrives in Mystic Falls, without knowing that Elijah kept tabs on her. Turns out, she falls in love with the Salvatore brothers, alluding them to believe she’s good for them. Maybe they weren’t meant to be.

The Last Time (Taylor Swift) - its the last time he tries and reaches for her. She does not choose him.

Stuck (Imagine Dragons) - he goes and tries to find a replacement for her. He cannot.

Meet Me In The Hallway (Harry Styles) - both try not to compare their parters to one another. They caught themselves thinking about their relationship multiple times.

exile (Taylor Swift) - Elijah receives word of her playing with the Salvatore. He feels sad for them, although jealous, because he wasn’t the one holding her attention.

Arms or a Stranger (Niall Horan) - he sees her with the brothers. He feels stupid for still Cary such feelings for this façade.

Cherry (Harry Styles) - Elijah knows is foolish this sentiment of possession he has for her, still he selfishly cultivates it.

Jealous (Nick Jonas) - why would Katerina want this humans? These projects or men, when she could have him?

Dancing With a Stranger (Sam Smith) - they blame each other for their current relationship situation.

From the Dinning Table (Harry Styles) - Elijah nurses the possibility of her coming back into his arms.

Everywhere (Niall Hiram) - he receives word of her death and shuts off every emotion towards her that was still left. Although, everywhere he goes, he sees her.

Chainsaw (Nick Jonas) - he wants to forget everything they had. He hates the places they’ve been together.

Almost (DNCE) - he contemplates what he could’ve done differently. They were an immense amount of “what if’s”

Let Me Go (3 Doors Down) - he finds out she’s alive after all. She faked her own death. Elijah is livid. He wants vengeance.

What A Time (Julia Michaels) - he comes to conclusion all they have lived was a beautiful lie. One only he believed in.

I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (ZAYN) - they almost stumble on each other. Life seems to make no sense if they’re not close.

False God (Taylor Swift) - he tried to rescue her from herself. Elena tells him his brother has Katerina. His plotting something to free her. He still loves her. Stupid.

All I Want (Kodaline) - Katherine thinks Elijah is still daggared. And when he wakes up, he thinks she’s dead.

Set Fire to The Third Bar (Snow Patrol) - they start to look for each other again, in spite the terrible odds for them to stay together this time again.

My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion) - they still have issues they need to attend to before being together.

Treacherous (Taylor Swift) - the familiarity is still there, but they need to be careful regarding their hearts.

Don’t Forget (Demi Lovato) - there’s a cure and they almost spilt up again regarding it.

Call It What You Want (Taylor Swift) - everyone knows they’re together now. Call if whatever. Katherine and Elijah are a thing!

You And Me (Niall Horan) - they take a time away to contemplate their relationship.

Delicate (Taylor Swift) - Elena informs him that Katherine killed Jeremy. Her reputation have never been worse, still he stands with her, in spite of his brain telling him not to.

Hands to Myself (Selena Gomez) - Katherine plans to show Elijah why he’s the luckiest man to have her all to himself.

Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift) - they have a getaway. She can’t believe she’s with him again.

I Know Places (Taylor Swift) - they have to hide in order to be together.

Getaway Car (Taylor Swift) - they have to part ways again. Or at least, pretend.

I Think He Knows (Taylor Swift) - Katherine assumes Elijah knows everything that runs in that pretty little head or hers. And when he doesn’t, he’ll discover in the most delicious way possible.

I Love You (Little Mix) - she tells him.

Afterglow (Taylor Swift) - she can’t handle him going back to his brother again. But she can’t see him down either.

This Love (Taylor Swift) - once again they decide it’s better ifcthwy part ways. He kisses her forehead and she watches him leave.

Holding Us Back (Katie Herzig) - maybe they weren’t meant to be after all. There was always something holding them back. Maybe she just liked the song of “I love you” when said to him.

Battlefield (Lea Michele) - they keep hurting each other even though they love each other. It’s like q war they’ll never win.

this is me trying (Taylor Swift) - Katherine is human. And even though she knows going to NOLA is walking into the Lion’s den, she has to look Elijah in the eye and ask him for them to try again.

Why (Shawn Mendes) - she’s his disease.

Love Me Or Leave Me (Little Mix) - he tells her it’s complicated and that he can’t, not right now.

Stay (Gabrielle Aplin) - so she’s going away.

Who Knew (P!nk) - she was such a full for believing he would help her now she was human. Living him was her greatest mistake.

I Have Questiona (Camila Cabello) - although, she would not leave without a conversation. He would listen to what she had to say.

All too Well (Taylor Swift) - she felt like a crumpled piece of paper. Seemed like she wasn’t important enough. Stupid human emotions.

Between the Lines (Sara Bareilles) - Katherine saw the way Hayley looked at him. We’re they an item? Oh foolish Katerina, it appears like ‘Lijah is over you, came Klaus grin as he inserted the needle in her vein.

Don’t Make me Choose (Nick Jonas) - he just wanted Katerina to understand that although she was priority in his life, family was always and forever.

Dress (Taylor Swift) - they have no idea about them. Nor Klaus, nor Marcel or Hayley, not even the witches. She would die to keep them in secret. He would too.

Slow Dancing in a Burnibg Room (John Mayer) - and when they do find out, they take bets on how long’s gonna last.

Don’t Blame Me (Taylor Swift) - even though human, she kills for him, for his family. She’s one of them now.

Cross Your Mind (Niall Horan) - she wants him to turn her. He won’t budge his strong opinion against it.

See no More (Joe Jonas) - Elijah should’ve known Katherine Pierce would strike again.

Rare (Selena Gomez) - she thought she meant more for him than that.

Oceans (Seafret) - they’re distant.

Too Good At Goodbyes (Sam Smith) - “we say goodbye so many times around, Katerina, that it doesn’t surprise me anymore, nor hurt me that much.I’m numb.” The look on her face is uterly hurt.

the 1 (Taylor Swift) - she leaves him.

Say Somwthing (A Great Big World) - otavthwir ultimatum.

Samson (Regina Spektor) - she was his weakness. She explored her knowledge of him in all the ways she knew of. She’d hurt him. He has her as well.

hoax (Taylor Swift) - their love was their hoax. No other sadness in the world would do.

Poison & Wine (The Civil Wars) - “I don’t love you, but I always will”

Young and Beautiful (Lana Del Rey) - she confronts him on why he doesn’t want to turn her. “Will you still love me, when I’m not young and beautiful anymore, Elijah?”

Goodbye (Avril Lavigne) - she dies in his arms. Without knowing if she’ll come back as a vampire.

Make It Without You (Andrew Belle) - Elijah does not think she’ll come back anymore. So he asks for the witches help.

The Night We Met (Lord Huron) - things were so much esier back when they first met. Because now he had none of her.

Never Let me Go (Florence & The Machine) - Katerina wakes up as a vampire again after days. Elijah promises he will never let her go.

Be my Queen (Seafret) - Klaus can be king all he wants. The Queen of Elijah’s kingdom was Katerina Petrova.

Forever And a Night (Little Big Town) - they wanted to be together forever and always. Armors down.

Daylight (Taylor Swift) - “And I can still see it all in my mind, all of you, all of me intertwined”

Fine Line (Harry Styles) - they were going to be alright.

For Katherine and Elijah

With love: umaficwriter

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winchesterbrotherstan · 4 years ago

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SPN- Croatoan (2.09)

🥺🥺🥺

Pairing: Olive Winchester (sister OC)

Summary: After Sam sees something in a vision, the siblings set out. The case tests their bond, and Dean reveals a startling secret

(tbh i think you can tell how much tv i watch based off how i write descriptions LMAO)

Warnings: cursing, blood, uhh it’s a virus so maybe don’t read if current events are freaking you out, death, some shooting, guns, uhh, so much blood, olive growls a lot i felt like a furry writing this, uhh, idk, the usual

Word Count: 6719

I snorted at Dean’s joke as I pushed the motel door open, tossing the keys onto the table by the window. Dean shut it behind me, and Jinx came running, howling and whining. I looked up to see that the room was empty.

“Sam?”

He popped up between the beds, panting. I shoved the bag of beef jerky into Dean’s hands and ran to Sam, kneeling beside him.

“Sammy?”

“Sam?” Dean joined me, eyebrows creased in concern.

“No…”

***

“Continue on OR 224 West.”

“There are only two towns in the US named Rivergrove.”

“How come you’re so sure it’s the one in Oregon?” I asked, running my hand through Sam’s hair.

He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. “Uh, there was a picture. Crater Lake.”

“Alright, what else?” I coaxed.

“I saw a dark room, some people. A guy tied to a chair.”

“And I ventilated him?” Dean asked, glancing over and then back at the road.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “You thought there was something inside of him.”

“What, a demon? Was he possessed?”

“I don’t know.” Sam whispered.

“It’s okay.” I cooed, hand still in his hair.

My arm was hooked around the back of the bench and I was propped up on my own feet, but playing with each other’s hair was something the three of us always did to calm each other. Jinx was standing on her hind legs and pawing at my hands.

“Well,” Dean sighed. “Your weird-ass visions are always tied to Yellow-Eyes somehow… was there any black smoke? Did we try to exorcise it?”

“No.” Sam shook his head. “Nothing, you just plugged him. That’s it.”

“Well, I’m sure there was a logical explanation.” I shot Dean an anxious look.

“I sure hope so.” Sam mumbled.

“What does that mean?”

Sam said nothing, and I looked at Dean again, chewing at my bottom lip.

“I mean, I’m not gonna waste an innocent man.”

Sam’s eyebrows shot up, and I glared at him.

“I wouldn’t!” Dean protested.

“I never said you would!” Sam hissed.

“Fine!”

“Boys!” I took my hand away from Sam’s hair and sat back down with an angry huff.

Jinx let out a loud whine, curling up in the backseat.

I sighed. “Cut it out. Look, we don’t know what it is. But whatever it is, that guy in the chair is a part of it. So let’s find him, and let’s see what’s what.”

“Fine.” Dean frowned.

Sam scowled. “Fine.”

***

I shivered as we walked across the patchy lawn, toward an older man, who was cleaning his rifle. Jinx pulled on the leash, and Sam cleared his throat as he pulled back. I could barely manage her at this point.

“Morning.” Dean greeted.

“Good morning.” The man set the rifle down. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah.” Dean flashed his badge. “Uh, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, Dani Mitchell. U.S. Marshals.”

The man eyed me and then Jinx, and Sam cleared his throat. “She’s a trainee, she’s at the top of her class. This is Jinx.” He motioned to the dog. “She’s also in training.”

“What’s this about?”

“We’re looking for someone.” I spoke, looking up at Sam.

“A young man, early twenties.” He blinked, hard. “Uh, he’d have a, uh, a thin scar right below his hairline.”

“What’d he do?”

“Well, nothing. We’re actually looking for someone else, but we think this young man could help us.”

“He’s not in any sort of trouble or anything.” I eyed the man. “At least not yet.”

Dean’s head tilted ever so slightly, and a small grin flashed over his face. My own lips twitched into a smirk. He had just found us a way in.

“I think maybe you know who he is… Master Sergeant.” He smiled. “My dad was in the Corps. He was a Corporal.”

The man’s face softened. “What company?”

“Echo-2-1.”

Sam and I looked at each other, then back to the man. “So can you help us?”

He hesitated, then sighed. “Duane Tanner’s got a scar like that. But I know him. Good kid, keeps his nose clean.”

“Oh, I’m sure he does.” Dean smiled. “You know where he lives?”

“With his family. Up Aspen Way.” The man pointed.

“Thank you.” Dean nodded his head.

We turned on our heels and started back toward the car. I couldn’t shake the bad feeling in my stomach. I looked over my shoulder, only to see the man staring at us with a nasty glare. I stumbled over a crack in the road, and Dean snatched me back onto my feet.

“You okay, Ol?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Just got a bad feeling.”

Sam was already across the street, staring at something on a telephone pole.

“Sams?”

He waved us over and pointed.

CROATOAN

“What’s that?” Dean frowned.

I huffed. “Roanoke.”

Dean stared blankly.

“Dude. Lost colony? Ring a bell?”

Dean shook his head, and Sam rolled his eyes.

“Did you even pay attention in history class?” I squinted.

“Yeah!” Dean scoffed defensively. “Shots heard round the world, how bills become laws…”

I giggled. “That’s not school, De.”

“That’s Schoolhouse Rock.” Sam scoffed.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Roanoke was one of the first English colonies in America. What was it, late 1500s?” I looked up at Sam.

“Oh, yeah.” Dean frowned. “Yeah, I do remember that. The only thing they left behind was a single word carved in a tree.”

“Croatoan.”

“Yeah. And I mean, there were all these theories. Indian raid, disease.”

“Nobody knows what happened. They were just gone. Wiped out, overnight.”

“You guys don’t really think that’s what’s going on here… do you?”

I sighed and looked up at the boys. “Sams? What do you think?”

“Whatever I saw, it wasn’t good. But what do you think could do that?”

“I mean, like Dean said, all of your weird-ass visions always have something to do with Yellow Eyes.”

“We should get help.”

“Bobby? Ellen, maybe?”

I shrugged. “I can call Ellen, you call Bobby.”

Dean nodded, fishing his phone out. I dialed Ellen’s number, but the call wouldn’t go through.

I frowned and showed it to the boys. “No signal.”

Sam and Dean shook their heads. They didn’t have any either.

Dean looked around and whacked us each on the arms. “Payphone.”

Dean picked it up and held it out. I stood on my toes to hear. It beeped, the usual out of service beep that came with old phones. The boys looked at each other, and Dean clicked the receiver multiple times.

“Line’s dead.” I sighed.

Dean hung up the phone. “I’ll say one thing, if I were gonna massacre a town, that would be my first step.”

***

I shuffled into step behind Sam and Dean as we made our way toward the cabin. I looked around as Dean huffed. We had left Jinx in the car. This looked like the place to get murdered, and we didn’t want her there if that happened.

“I’ve got a bad feeling.” I mumbled.

Sam sighed and knocked on the door. We stared at the tacky sign that read born to fish, forced to work, hung by the door.

“Yeah?” A boy my age opened the door, staring with dead eyes.

I shifted closer to Dean, feeling like I was about to be sick.

Dean flashed his badge. “We’re looking for Duane Tanner. He lives here, right?”

“Yeah, he’s my brother.”

The boys and I shared a look before we turned back to the boy.

“Can we talk to him?”

“Oh, he’s not here right now.”

Dean sighed. “Do you know where he is?”

“Yeah, he went on a fishing trip up by Roslyn Lake.”

“Are your parents home?” Sam squinted.

“Yeah, they’re inside.”

“Jake? Who is it?” Mr. Tanner shuffled out into the doorway, standing by his son.

“Hi, U.S. Marshals, sir. We’re looking for our son, Duane.”

“Wh-why?” Mr. Tanner’s eyes got wide, but he too, looked like there was nothing inside.

I cleared my throat and inched further away, bumping into Dean’s side. His hand landed on my shoulder as Mr. Tanner spoke again.

“He’s not in trouble, is he?”

“No, no, no.” Dean shook his head. “We just need to ask him a couple of routine questions, that’s all.”

“When’s he due back from his trip?” Sam forced a polite smile.

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, maybe your wife knows?” I piped up.

“No, I don’t know.” Mr. Tanner began to stumble over his words. “She’s not here right now.”

“Your son said she was.” My eyes narrowed.

“Did I?”

I couldn’t stop the confused scowl that danced over my face as I looked back at Jake.

“She’s getting groceries. So, when Duane gets back, there’s a number where he can get a hold of you?”

“Oh, no.” Dean shook his head and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back. “We’ll just check in with you later.”

We turned and walked down the steps. The door slammed shut before we made it back onto the dirt path. Dean turned with a furled lip, and Sam looked uneasy.

“That was creepy.”

“Yeah. A little too Stepford?” Dean offered.

“Big time.” Sam agreed.

We looked around, noticing that these people had no neighbors within at least a mile. Dean and Sam shared a look, and I caught Dean’s eye, nodding.

“Stay behind me.” He ordered as he pulled his gun out.

Sam and I followed suit, leaving me, as usual, sandwiched between the two. Dean led the way, sneaking around to the back of the house. Dean cleared his throat before setting himself up. I flinched as he kicked the back door down. We rushed in, guns raised.

Tanner came at us with a knife, but Dean reacted faster, shooting him at least three times, shredding his chest to pieces. The boy jumped through the window, leaving glass shards as he darted off into the woods. I lined up my shot, but before I could pull the trigger, Sam knocked my gun from my hands. I jumped with a squeak, and Dean was immediately at our sides. He pulled me into his chest and stared at Sam, panting.

***

Sam helped Beverly out of the backseat as Dean and I popped the trunk, eyes darting around every few seconds. The wind howled, and I jumped, growling back. Jinx was standing by my side, a similar growl leaving her mouth.

Dean sighed as he grabbed my arm. “You’re okay. Come on.”

I slammed the trunk shut as Dean grunted, shuffling under the weight of Tanner’s dead body. I walked two steps ahead of him, pushing the door of the clinic open and holding it for him. We walked down the hall, apprehensive as we turned the corner and rounded into a room. Jinx ran straight into Sam, who squatted and patted her head.

“Is that…”

“Mr. Tanner.” Dean cut the woman in the white coat off.

“Was he attacked too?”

“Uh… no, actually.” I sighed. “He did the attacking and got himself shot.”

“Shot?” She repeated.

“Yeah.”

“Who are you?”

“U.S. Marshals.” I flashed my badge.

“Oh. Bring him back here.” The doctor beckoned for us to follow.

***

I watched, leg bouncing up and down as Dr. Lee helped Beverly with her wound.

“Wait, you said Jake helped him? Your son Jake?”

Beverly nodded. “They beat me. Tied me up.”

“I…” The secretary, Pam, sighed. “I don’t believe it.”

“Pam.” Dr. Lee warned. “Beverly… do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?”

“No, of course not!” Beverly shook her head. “I don’t know why! One minute they were my husband and son.” She sniffled. “And the next, they had the devil in them.”

My eyes widened and I looked up at Dean. He shot the same look back before nodding at Sam, then jerking his head to the side over his shoulder.

“Those guys were absolutely fucked.” Dean whispered.

“What do you think? Multiple demons? Mass possession?”

“If it is a possession, there could be more. I mean, fuck knows how many. Could be like a fucking Shriner convention.”

“Great.” I sighed.

“Of course, that’s one way to wipe out a town. Take it from the inside.”

“I don’t know, man. We didn’t see any demon smoke, or any of our other usual cues.”

“Well, whatever.” Dean scowled.

“Something turned him into a monster, Sams.”

“And you know, if you would’ve let Olive take care of the other one, there’d be one less to worry about.”

“I’m sorry, alright! Dean, it was a kid!”

“No, it was an it. Not the best time for a bleeding heart, Sammy.” Dean scoffed.

Dr. Lee came out of the room, heels clicking loudly. The three of us whipped around, clearing out throats.

“How’s the patient?”

“Terrible!” Dr. Lee sighed. “What the hell happened out there?”

“We don’t know.” Dean told the truth.

“Yeah? Well, you just killed my next door neighbor.”

“We didn’t have a choice.”

“Maybe so… but we need the county Sheriff. I need the coroner.”

“Phones are down.” I shook my head.

“I know, I tried. Tell me you have a police radio in the car?”

“We do. But it’s fried, just like everything else.”

Dr. Lee sighed. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“How far is it the next town?” Dean looked up, thinking.

“It’s about forty miles down to Sidewinder.”

Dean nodded. “Alright. We’ll go down there, see if we can find some help.” He looked down at me, then clapped Sam’s shoulder. “Sam here’ll stick around, keep you guys safe.”

“Safe from what?” Dr. Lee squinted.

“We’ll get back to you on that.”

***

“What the fuck?” I mumbled as Dean stopped the car.

The Oregon plates on the totalled car read WTF 4C7. We shared a look, and I huffed. He tucked his gun into his waistband, and I did the same. We got out of the car and gave each other another look.

Watch each other’s backs.

He took the lead as we stalked toward the SUV. The windows were smashed. I flinched as we circled the car. The seats were covered in blood, and the baby seat in the back was drenched. I shuddered and looked over to the other side of the car. Dean was nowhere to be seen.

My gun immediately went back up and I bared my fangs, letting the stream of blood fall down my chin. I slowly made my way around the front of the car, hands shaking.

“Shit.”

I huffed as I recognized Dean’s voice. I swung around to face the driver’s door. Dean eyed me from his spot on the ground, a bloody bowie knife in his hand. I let my gun go slack as I sighed, and he stood, dropping the gun.

“Did you see all that blood?” I asked, shivering.

“Yeah. Something’s wrong. Let’s go.”

***

“Oh, son of a bitch.” Dean groaned as he pumped the brakes.

I sighed as he stopped the car. The bridge out of town was blocked by trucks and SUVs, and there were six or seven guys with rifles circling around. Dean looked over at me, and there was a thump on the roof of the car. Dean jumped, and I snarled. Dean’s hand slapped over my mouth as a man leaned in through Dean’s window.

“Oh, hey, hi.” Dean stuttered.

“Sorry. Road’s closed.”

“Yeah, we can see that.” I spat, shoving Dean’s hand away.

He shot me a glare and turned back with a smile. “What’s up?”

“Quarantine.” The man eyed me.

“Quarantine? What is it?”

“Don’t know. Something’s going around out there.” The man kept his eyes on me.

“Uh huh.” Dean shifted, blocking me from his view. “Who told you that?”

“County Sheriff.”

“Is he here?” Dean asked.

“No. He called.” The man looked around Dean, eyes locking back on me.

I grabbed a fistful of Dean’s jacket. The sheriff couldn’t have called. The phones were still down.

“Say, why don’t you get out of the car and we’ll talk a little?”

Dean chuckled, nervous. “Well, you are a handsome devil, but I’m on the clock here.”

“I’d sure appreciate it if you got out of the car. Just for a quick minute.”

“Yeah.” Dean’s arms tightened on the wheel, and I reached for the gear knob. “I’ll bet you would.”

I pulled it into reverse and Dean swung the car around. The man reached in and grabbed Dean by the collar before we could take off. The men at the roadblock began to shoot, and Dean gunned it, swerving the car and shaking the man off. I panted as we drove off.

***

“What the fuck is going on?” I hissed.

“I don’t know, pumpkin.” Dean sighed. “Can you control yourself right now?”

I sighed. “Barely. If I get spooked one more time I might snap.”

“I’m right here. Okay?”

I nodded as he gave me a soft smile. I glanced back at the road and yelped.

“Dean, stop!”

Dean slammed the brakes as Mark stepped into the middle of the road, rifle aimed at us.

“Hands where I can see them!”

“Son of a-”

“Get out of the car!” Mark screamed. “Out!”

I kept my mouth shut, but I couldn’t help the low growl that was beginning to rumble in my throat. Dean eyed me as he pushed his door open.

“Okay. It’s okay. We’re okay. Easy there, big guy.”

Mark’s eyes flickered to me, and that was all Dean needed to whip out his gun. “Alright, put it down!”

“Lower it now!” Mark shouted back.

“Put it down!”

“Are you one of them?” Mark stalked closer.

“No! Are you?” Dean inched closer to me.

“No!”

“He could be lying, Dean.”

“So could you!”

“Alright!” Dean huffed. “Alright. We could do this all day, alright? Let’s just… let’s take it easy before we try to kill each other.”

Mark sighed and lowered his gun. Dean did the same, and I shuffled into his side, swallowing the blood in my mouth.

“What’s going on with everybody?”

Dean shook his head. “We don’t know.”

“My neighbor… Mr. Rogers, he-”

I snorted, and Dean blinked. “You’ve got a neighbor named Mr. Rogers?”

“Not anymore.”

Dean and I shared a look, and I held back a laugh.

“He came at me with a hatchet. I put him down. He’s not the only one. It’s happening to everyone.”

Dean nodded. “Look, we’re heading out to the doc’s place. There’s still some people left.”

“No. No way. I’m getting the hell out.”

“There’s no way out.” I snorted. “They’ve got the bridge covered.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Dean shrugged. “Fine. Stay here. Be our guest.”

Mark eyed us and sighed. He put his rifle down and pulled a handgun out, warily pointing it at Dean. I took Dean’s from his hand and pointed it at Mark as we shuffled toward the car.

“Get in the back.” I motioned with the gun.

He slid into the back, the gun still pointed at Dean. I sat sideways in the passenger seat and kept Dean’s gun trained on his head.

“Well…” Dean huffed as he shut the door and started the car. This oughta be a relaxing drive.”

***

I was stuck to Dean’s side, gun still on Mark. He kept his on Dean, and I was growing increasingly angrier.

“Sammy!” Dean pounded on the door. “Open up!”

The door swung open, and I heard Sam stumble for words. “Did you guys, uh… get to a phone?”

“Road’s blocked.” I didn’t turn to him.

“We’re gonna have a word. Doc’s inside.” Dean spoke to Mark, pulling me along with him as we shuffled into the building.

Mark put his gun down and continued down the hall, and the boys and I stayed by the door. Dean tugged his gun from my grip, and Sam nudged me.

“What’s going on out there?”

“We don’t know. I mean, I feel like Chuck Heston in the Omega Man. Sarge is the only sane person we could find, and Olive keeps bugging out.”

“I can’t stop it. Something’s putting me on edge and I can’t control it.”

“Sammy, what are we even dealing with?” I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Doc thinks it’s a virus.” Sam tugged his jacket off and draped it over my shoulders.

“Okay, great. What do you think?”

“I think she’s right.” Sam sighed.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “And I think the people infected are trying to infect others.”

“How?”

“Blood-to-blood contact. And get this. The virus? It leaves traces of sulfur in the blood.”

“A fucking demonic virus?”

“Yep. It’s like demonic germ warfare. At least it explains why I’ve been having visions. Probably why Ollie’s on edge, too.”

“It’s like a Biblical fucking plague.” Dean grumbled.

“You have no clue how right you are. I’ve been poring through Dad’s journal, found something about the Roanoke colony.”

“What?” I looked up.

“Dad thought Croatoan was a demon’s name. Sometimes known as Deva or Resheph.”

I sighed. “Resheph was the Egyptian personification of the fucking plague.”

“Well, that’s fucking terrific.” Dean grumbled again. “Why here? Why now?”

“I have no idea. But guys, who knows how far this thing can spread? We’ve gotta get the hell out of here. We’ve gotta warn people.”

Dean sighed, a weary look on his face. I huffed.

“He’s right, Dean. We have to let Bobby know. E-Ellen, Jo. Any other hunter. This is big. We can’t stop it alone.”

“They’ve got one! In here!”

The three of us jumped before scrambling into the next room. Mark was pointing at Beverly through the window. Dean squinted.

“What are you talking about?”

“The wife. She’s infected.”

“We’ve gotta take care of this.” Mark sighed. “We can’t just leave her in there. My neighbors, they were strong. The longer we wait, the stronger she’ll get.”

Dean only paused for a second before pulling his gun and stalking into the lab. Sam and I scrambled to follow with eyes bulging out of our heads.

“What do you mean you’re gonna kill Beverly Tanner?”

“Wait, hold on.” I blurted as we walked in. “Could there be any kind of treatment, Doc? Maybe some kind of cure for this?”

“Can you cure it?” Dean repeated.

“I don’t even know what it is.”

“I told you, it’s just a matter of time before she breaks through.”

“Just leave her in there. You can’t shoot her like an animal!” Pam cried.

“Sam. Olive.” Dean called for us as we walked over to the door of the utility room.

Dean and I pulled our guns out, and Mark shakily did the same. Sam carefully opened the door, only to reveal Beverly on the floor, knees drawn to her chest. She jumped at the sight of us and began to sob.

“Mark, what are you doing? Mark, it-it’s them! They locked me in here! They tried to kill me! They’re infected, not me! Please, Mark! You’ve known me all your life! Please!”

“Are you sure she’s one of them?” I whispered.

Sam nodded, baby face twisted in pure distress. Mark let his arm go slack as he took a step back. Dean sighed, and I shook my head. I clenched my jaw and fired twice.

***

Mark peered through the shades. I finished sharpening Sam’s knife before handing it back to him. Dean was loading his gun. Jinx was curled at our feet, whining. A vial shattered, and there was a scream.

“Oh god! Is there any on me? Am I okay?”

“You’re clean, you’re okay.” Dr. Lee reassured her.

“Why are we staying here?” Pam squealed. “Please, let’s just go!”

“We can’t, because those things are everywhere.”

Pam slumped down to the floor with a whine, and Dr. Lee knelt beside her.

“She’s right about one thing.” Sam whispered. “We can’t stay here. We’ve gotta get out of here. Roadhouse, maybe?” He shook his head. “Somewhere. We have to let people know what’s coming.”

“Yeah, good point.” Dean sighed. “Night of the Living Dead didn’t exactly end pretty.”

“Well, I’m not sure we’ve got a choice.” Mark huffed. “Lots of folks up here are good with rifles. Even with all your hardware, we’re easy targets. So unless you’ve got some explosives…”

Sam sighed, and his eyes widened as he realized something. I looked up at him and followed his line of sight. Dean looked at us, confused.

“We could make some.”

“Yeah.” Sam started for the high shelf and went for the bottles of Potassium Chloride.

Someone started to pound on the door, and the three of us scrambled back just as Mark swung the door open.

“It’s Duane Tanner!”

Duane limped in, backpack swung over his shoulder. “Thank God.”

“Duane, are you okay?”

Dean and I turned to Sam.

“Is that… the guy that… Dean…” I slowly slashed a hand across my throat as Dean let out a whistle.

“Yeah.”

“Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy, there, chief.” Dean grabbed Duane’s arm. “Hey, Doc! Come give Duane a good once-over, would you?”

“Pam?” Dr. Lee called as she led us into the examination room.

“Who are you?” Duane fussed against Dean’s arm.

“Never mind who I am.” He shoved him into the room. “Doc?”

“Yeah, okay.” She eased.

“Duane. Where’ve you been?” Mark questioned.

“I was on a fishing trip up by Roslyn. I came back this afternoon. I… I saw Roger McGill being dragged out of his house. By people we know! They started cutting him with knives! I ran! I’ve been hiding in the woods ever since… has anybody seen my mom or dad?”

Dean swallowed and turned to us. “Awkward…”

Duane sat on a stool, and Dr. Lee groaned.

“You’re bleeding.”

Dean took a step forward. “Where’d you get that?”

“I was running, I must’ve tripped.”

Dean didn’t miss a beat. “Tie him up, there’s rope in there.”

“Wait!” Duane got to his feet.

Dean, without hesitation, pulled his gun. “Sit down!”

“I’m sorry, Duane.” Mark untangled the ropes. “He’s right. We’ve gotta be careful.”

“Careful? About what?”

“Did they bleed on you?” I squinted, feeling uneasy.

“No! What the hell? No!”

“Doc, is there any way to know for sure? Any test?”

Dr. Lee sighed. “I’ve studied Beverly’s blood-work backwards and forwards.”

“My mom!” Duane sat up.

“It took three hours for the virus to incubate. The sulfur didn’t appear in the blood until then, so… no. No, there’d be no way of knowing. Not until after Duane turns.”

“Guys, I’ve gotta talk to you. Now.” Sam pulled on our sleeves.

Dean and Mark shared a look before Sam dragged us out.

“What’s going on, Sams?”

“This is my vision. It’s happening.”

“Yeah.” Dean huffed. “I figured.”

“Okay, well, what do we do so that it doesn’t turn out the way it did?”

“We can’t kill him. We don’t know if he’s infected or not.”

“Well, I think we’re pretty damn sure, Sam. Guy shows up out of nowhere, he’s got a cut on his leg, his whole family’s infected?”

Sam sighed. “Alright, then we should keep him tied up, we should wait and see.”

“For what? For him to Hulk out and infect somebody else? No thanks, can't take that chance.” Dean started to push past Sam, but Sam slammed a hand onto his chest and stopped him.

“Hey, look, man. I’m not happy about this, okay? But it’s a tough job and you know that.”

“It’s supposed to be tough, Dean. we’re supposed to struggle with this. That’s the whole point.”

“And what does that buy us, Sam?”

“A clear conscience, for one!”

“Well, it’s too late for that.”

Sam and I shared a look, both sighing. Sam stopped Dean again. “What the hell happened to you?”

“What?” Dean spat back.

“You might kill an innocent man, and you don't even care! You don't act like yourself anymore, Dean. Hell, you know what? You're acting like one of those things out there.”

“Dean, I thought we were past this.” I whispered.

Dean only nodded. He moved again, and Sam reached out to stop him a third time. Dean pushed him into the wall, hard. I snarled and ran after Dean, but he shoved me back into the room and locked the door.

“Dean!”

“Hey!” Sam was now at my side, pushing at the door. “Open the door, Dean! Don’t do it! Dean!”

“Dean, don’t!”

There was a long silence, and Sam and I stared at each other, horrified. Dean wasn’t himself. He seemed more like Dad every day, and the influence of Gordon was still lingering.

The door unlocked, and Sam and I both jumped to push it open. We stumbled out into the hallway. Dean caught me as I tripped. I looked up to see his face clean of blood.

“Did you-”

“No.”

***

Jinx yawned, and I did the same. Sam shoved another rag into a bottle, and Dean handed me the one he had just finished. I tucked it aside with the others and sighed. The door opened, and Dr. Lee strode in, hands in her pockets.

“It’s been over four hours. Duane’s blood is still clean. I don’t think he’s infected. I’d like to untie him, if that’s alright.”

Dean glanced up at us, then looked back down, lowering his head. Sam and I sighed, and Sam nodded.

“Sure.”

She nodded and shut the door behind her. Sam shifted in his seat, looking over at Dean.

“You know I’m gonna ask you why.”

“Yeah. I know.” Dean huffed.

“So why? Why didn’t you do it?”

There was a long beat, and Dean tossed a rag aside. “We need more alcohol.”

Sam huffed and got up, leaving. Jinx whined, but she stayed in her spot. I yawned again, and Dean crossed his arms over his chest. I sat in Sam’s empty seat and leaned forward.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

Dean looked away.

“De.”

“I don’t wanna be Dad.”

A wave of relief washed over me and I sighed. There was a crash from the next room over. Dean and I both shot up, sharing a look.

“Sam.”

We each pulled out our guns and ran to the door, met by Mark, who also had a gun in his hand. I tried the handle, but it was locked. I nodded at Dean, who reared back before kicking it open. Pam was straddling Sam, hand to his chest. Dean fired three times, and Pam fell to the floor, dead.

“Sams, oh my god.” I tucked my gun into my waistband.

“No!” Mark grabbed me by the upper arm and yanked me back.

A snarl ripped past my lips and I bared my fangs at him. Mark jumped away, and I knelt next to Sam, reaching for his hand.

“She bled on him. He’s got the virus.”

Sam pulled his hand away from me, eyes wide. My eyes began to fill with tears as I looked down at his bloodied chest. I looked over my shoulder at Dean.

“What do we do?”

***

Sam was sitting on the exam table, a bandage taped to his chest. His head was down, and he was near tears. The others were crowded in the room, and Dean was pacing. I sniffled, arms crossed over my chest.

“Doc, check his wound again, would you?”

There was a long pause, and Dean’s head snapped up, fire in his eyes.

“Doctor!”

Mark scowled. “What’s she need to examine him for? You saw what happened.”

Dr. Lee sighed. “Did her blood actually enter your wound?”

“Come on, of course it did!” Mark spat.

“We don’t know that for sure.” Dean tried to reason.

“We can’t take a chance.”

“Doc, just… check again. Please.” I begged.

“You know what we have to do.” Mark crossed his arms over his chest.

“Nobody is shooting our brother.” Dean snarled.

“He isn’t gonna be your brother much longer. You said it yourself.” Duane snapped.

“Nobody is shooting anyone!”

“You were gonna shoot me!”

“You don’t shut your damn mouth, I might!” I snarled.

“Guys…” Sam spoke up. “They’re right. I’m infected… just give me the gun and I’ll do it myself.”

“Forget it.” Dean scoffed.

“Dean, I’m not gonna become one of those things.”

“Sams, we still have time.” I whined.

“Time for what? Look, I understand he’s your brother, and I’m sorry, I am. But we gotta take care of this.” Mark pulled out his handgun.

I bared my fangs, growling. Mark stuck his gun against my forehead.

“What the hell are you?”

“Something that can kill you, no doubt.” I hissed.

Dean eased a hand onto my shoulder and tugged me away. Mark’s gun went down, and Dean got in his face.

“I’m gonna say this one time.” Dean spoke slowly. “You make a move on either of them, you’ll be dead before you hit the ground.”

Mark said nothing.

“You understand me?”

Still, nothing.

“Do I make myself clear!”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

There was a long pause, and Dean and I shared a look. I nodded, and Dean fished his keys from his pocket. He tossed them to Mark.

“Get the hell out of here, that’s what. Take my car. You’ve got the explosives. There’s an arsenal in the back. You’ve got enough firepower to handle anything now.” Dean eyed me. “Take the rest of them.

“What?” I gasped as Dean pushed me toward Mark.

“Well, what about you?” Mark eyed Dean.

There was a beat, and Sam shook his head. “Dean, no. No! Go with them. This is your only chance!”

Dean shook his head right back. “You’re not gonna get rid of me that easy.”

“No, he’s right.” Mark tried to reason with Dean. “Come with us.”

Dean shook his head. Mark held a hand out for me, and I flinched. I looked at the boys, who both nodded at me. I handed Mark Jinx’s leash with tears in my eyes.

“Take her. Please.”

Mark squinted, and the boys began to protest.

“Go.” I pointed at the door.

Mark shrugged. “Fine. Your funeral.” He led Duane and Dr. Lee toward the door.

“I’m sorry.” Dr. Lee whispered. “Thanks for everything, Marshals.”

Dean snorted. “Oh, uh… actually, we’re not… really Marshals.”

“Oh…” She hesitated before leaving with Mark and Duane.

I hoisted myself onto the exam table as Dean shut the door. Sam began to cry, looking from me to Dean. I leaned my head against his arm, grabbing his hand in mine.

Dean smiled softly. “Wish we had a deck of cards. Or a foosball table or something.”

“Guys.” Sam whimpered. “Don’t do this. Just get the hell out of here.”

Dean shook his head. “No way.”

“Give me my gun, and leave.”

“For the last time, Sams, no.” I hissed.

Sam shrugged me off and stood up, slamming his hands on the table. I jumped, and Dean’s face hardened. Sam sighed, realizing that he scared us both.

“This is the dumbest thing you two have ever done.”

Dean shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know about that. Remember that waitress in Tampa?” He shuddered.

“Ew.” My nose scrunched up.

Sam sighed. “Dean… Olive… I’m sick. It’s over for me. It doesn’t have to be for you.”

“No?”

“No. You guys can keep going. You have before.”

“I don’t want to.” Dean whispered.

I shook my head. “Not without you, bubs.”

“What?”

Dean pulled his gun from his waistband and settled onto the file cabinet, across the room from us. Sam sat back down on the exam table.

“I’m tired, Sam. I’m tired of this job, this life… this… this weight on my shoulders, man. I’m tired of it.”

“So what? You’re just gonna give up? You two? Just lay down and die? Look guys, I know this stuff with Dad has-”

“You’re wrong.” Dean cut him off. “It’s not about Dad. I mean… part of it is, sure. But…”

“Then what is it about?” Sam whispered.

There was a bustle outside the door, and the boys and I looked up. I bared my fangs with a low growl. Dean and I both held our guns up, and Dean quickly opened the door.

“You’d better come see this.” Dr. Lee stood in the hall.

***

I huddled into Dean’s side, a low feeling in the pit of my stomach as we looked around. There was nothing. Nobody, no noise.

“They’ve all just… vanished.”

***

Sam shifted on the exam table.

Dr. Lee looked up from the microscope. “Well, it’s been five hours and your blood’s still clean.”

Dean and I sighed in relief.

“I don’t understand it, but I think you dodged a bullet.”

“But I was exposed. How could I not be infected?”

“I don’t know.” Dr. Lee shook her head. “But you’re just not.”

I ran at Sam, pulling him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around me with a sigh. Dr. Lee grumbled under her breath before letting out a curse.

“What happened?” Dean perked up.

“Their blood.” Dr. Lee looked confused. “The Tanner samples. There’s no trace of the virus. No sulfur. Nothing.”

The boys and I shared a look.

***

Dr. Lee spoke to Duane and Mark, who were loading up a truck. She shook her head before coming over to us. Mark waved, and the three of us held a hand up.

“What about him?” Dean asked Dr. Lee as she sighed.

“He’s going to be fine. No signs of infection.”

I hummed, and Dean nodded. Sam chewed at his lip, eyebrows furrowed. Mark and Duane got into the truck and pulled away. Dean looked up at Sam, who put his hands up.

“Hey, don’t look at me. I got no clue.”

“I swear, I’m gonna lose sleep over this one. I mean… why here? Why now? And there the fuck did they all go? It’s like they just melted.”

“And why was I immune?”

Dean blew a raspberry. “Yeah, you know what? That’s a good question.”

I shrugged. “I’m already starting to feel like this is the one that got away.”

***

“So…” Sam takes a swig of his beer and looks down at the river. “Last night. Wanna tell me what the hell you were talking about?”

“What do you mean?” Dean squints.

Olive looks between the boys. Sam gives her a soft smile. She leans into his side and closes her eyes.

“You said you were tired of the job, Dean. And that it wasn’t just because of Dad.”

Dean huffs. “Forget it.”

“No. No, I can’t.” Sam shakes his head. “No way.”

“Come on, man.” Dean scowls. “I thought we were all gonna die. You can’t hold that over me.”

“No, no, no, no. You can't pull that crap with me, man. You're talking.” Sam crosses his arms over his chest.

“And what if I don't?”

“Then I guess I'll just have to keep asking until you do.” Sam challenges.

Dean sighs again, looking out over the water. “I don't know, man. I just think maybe we ought to… go to the Grand Canyon.”

“What?”

“You know, all this driving back and forth across the country, we’ve never been to the Grand Canyon. Or maybe we could go to T.J. Or Hollywood. See if we can bang Lindsey Lohan.”

Olive’s nose scrunches up, and she looks up at Sam, who is equally confused.

“Dean…”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I just think we should take a break from all this. Why do we gotta get stuck with all the responsibility, you know? Why can't we live life a little bit?”

“Why are you saying all this?” A concerned look drapes itself over Sam’s face.

Dean shakes his head and looks the other way.

“No, no, no. Dean.” Sam tries.

“Dean, we’re a family.” Olive places a hand on his shoulder. “We carry each other’s burdens, remember?”

“I can’t. I promised.” Dean whispers.

“Promised who, Dean?” Sam inches closer to his siblings.

“Dad.” Dean’s voice is weak.

“Dean, what are you talking about?” Olive squints.

Dean looks down, then up, tears in his eyes. “Right before Dad died, he told me something.” He takes a deep breath and looks up at Sam. “He told me something about you.”

Sam’s eyes grow wide. “What?”

Olive feels the tension, as does Jinx, who whines from her spot on the ground.

“Dean, what did Dad tell you?”

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