#that i credit with jump-starting my obsession with this fandom

[griseldabanks]

15. Share an example of a description that you're proud of.

After a long, straight stretch, the hallway eventually branched off into corridors to either side. The guards' living quarters. Not much left behind—bare iron bed frames, a few chairs and tables—but no personal effects. No signs that the place had been inhabited anytime recently.

Next came the medical wing. Several small, cell-like rooms with a lock on the outside only. Narrow beds. Leather restraints. Some of the larger medical equipment. But no supplies, no paperwork. Just an occasional brownish stain on the floor.

They didn't linger there very long either.

More cold concrete hallways painted a dingy green. One final corner, and then...two huge steel doors. They were open. Was that ominous? It seemed ominous.

A huge, circular room. Only a few lights still worked. The rest of the room lurked in shadows, the backdrop of his worst nightmares.

And there it was. Middle of the room, as if in a place of honor. The Chair. The machine. Restraints tightening around his arms, locking around his legs. Metal plates against his temples. A moment of terror. Then they'd flip the switch and pour electricity right into his brain, filling him up with so much pain that he couldn't think, couldn't remember, not even his own name, until he was empty and ready to take their poison, and that was all he was, just the Words the pain the fear ready to comply readytocomplyreadyto—

“Buck.”

[dollwritesarchive]

sᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴀʟ.

fandom dc / lanterns masterlist / @dollsdc-library

featuring hal jordan x reader ( f! )

rating sfw, but my blog is not meant to be viewed by minors (anyone under the age of eighteen), and i will happily block any that interact with my posts or my blog.

content warning it’s a bit suggestive, but that’s it! mostly just soft hal and snuggles

word count n.a / headcanons & concepts

attention do not repost or translate, even with ‘credit’. just don’t do it. reblog instead of like. leave feedback if you enjoyed.

ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʀᴏᴜᴛɪɴᴇ.

when he’s home ( those very few, but very precious nights ), you can’t shower without him tagging along. he’s obsessed with squeezing in with you, running his fingers through your hair as he works the shampoo in, and kissing along your neck and shoulders when he rinses it. and he’s spoiled, too, because you do the same for him. you could spend hours massaging his scalp with your nails, because he wears a permanent, goofy grin, like a happy pup getting his nightly belly rubs.

once you’ve turned the water off, Hal jumps out of the shower and retrieves the towel, pulling you close to him so he can swaddle you in it. once it’s cinched at your chest, he’ll linger behind you, arms wrapped tight around your waist while you brush your teeth and wash your face, waiting patiently for his turn at the sink.

while he waits, he’ll busy himself by kissing your cheek, along your jaw, and over the shell of your ear, occasionally mumbling, “Have I told you that you’re beautiful today?” and, “I love you so much it’s crazy.”

when you’re ready to give up the mirror space, you grab a comb to run through your hair, and hop up on the space beside the sink while he starts his own routine of brushing and washing, but he can’t keep his eyes off you.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇᴀʀ.

finally, when bath time’s all done, Hal scoops you up into his arms and carries you into the bedroom.

you never opt for wearing the pajamas that you packed when you moved in with him, and prefer to raid his closet, instead.

old tee shirts always win, especially those that smell just like him, and your favorite boxers— a grey pair that are as soft as could be. he never wears them, anyways, so you’ve all but staked your claim.

Hal adores seeing you cozy in his clothes, believing that you’re the absolute sexiest in moments like these.

Hal simply sleeps in his underwear.

sʟᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴏɴs.

you’ve realized just how incredibly protective Hal is once you started sleeping in the same bed as him. where that protection is born of the fear of letting anything happen to you, or if he’s just naturally clingy, you suppose it doesn’t matter.

while you might occasionally spoon with Hal, he actually prefers to wrap both arms around you when you’re nuzzled close to his chest in a bear hug. you hook your legs behind his knees and your face rests against his chest so the steady rise and fall coupled with the rhythm of his heart can lull you to sleep. he buries his face in your hair or against your neck, arms locked tight, and most of the time, he doesn’t allow you to move an inch away from him for the entire night.

every now and then, though, you’ll straddle him, knees dug into his sides when he’s lying on his back, with your arms around his neck. he likes to lock his fingers together and rest both hands on the small of your back when you’re like this, keeping you secure atop him.

if you have both, somehow, managed to move around in your sleep, Hal might be lying on his stomach with his head smushed into a pillow, but even in his sleep, he remembers to reach for you. with one arm, he’ll have you pulled to him, safely tucked under his body heat.

ᴡᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ.

you’re always first to wake up, and most of the time it’s because you have to claw your way out from under his weight to be able to breathe again.

Hal only wakes up when you wake him up ( preferably with kisses and your adorable, sleepy voice ).

“Aw, you’re already up? I was gonna get you breakfast in bed.”

Hal absolutely will not let you get ready for work in peace, pulling you back down on the bed when you try to get up, and then insisting that you should “Just call in.” so he can spend more time with you.

“Oh yeah? What’s in it for me if I do?”

to which Hal scoffs, pulling you in for a fierce kiss and to murmur against your lips, “I know exactly how to make it worth your while, pretty girl.”

[angelasscribbles]

Bad Romance Disney Adventure Chapter 2: Disneyland

Miniseries: Bad Romance Disney Adventure

Main Series: Bad Romance

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings for series: Riley x Liam, Liam x Max, Riley x Max, Riley x Drake, Riley x Leo (past)

A/N: Here it is, finally, part 2 of the Bad Romance gang at Disney, per ask from @nestledonthaveone. Special thanks to @harleybeaumont and @dcbbw for  bouncing ideas around with me and prereading a few snippets. Also, both of the above writers plus @karahalloway for just going with it when I requested their “best description of vomit.” I’ve credited specific lines/words at the end of the fic so as not to give away anything here.

 Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Language, Graphic Vomiting

Word Count: 3,156 

My other stuff: Master List.

“Unky Leo! Unky Leo!” Jax bounced up and down, demanding attention.

“What is it, kid?” Leo asked as he peered down into the toddler’s face. His eyes ran over the boy’s face, taking in the copper colored eyes, the chestnut hair that fell straight and silky almost to his shoulders, the shape of his chin, his cheekbones, his nose.

“Rides! Rides!” He screeched as he pointed at various attractions all around them.

“Yeah, buddy, lots of rides!” Leo agreed, tousling the toddler’s hair. Glancing over at Liam, he remarked, “There’s no way this is your kid, you know that, right?”

Liam shook his head, “He’s mine in every way that matters Leo.”

“Yeah….I don’t think the royal council would see it that way.”

“And who the fuck is going to tell them, huh, Rys?” Drake demanded

Leo threw his arms up in the air, “Not me! I was just making an observation, that’s all! Sheesh, so fucking sensitive.”

“Leo, didn’t I tell you to stop provoking him?” Riley asked, placing her hand on his arm.

Leo positively lit up as his eyes dipped down to where she was touching him then back up to her face. He covered her hand with his own, “You did. But it’s so much goddamn fun! It’s too easy! It’s not my fault he has a fucking hair trigger.”

“Oh, look, our guide is here!” Max interrupted.

A young man with a Disneyland nametag smiled at them, “Hello, Smith family. My name is Jason and I’ll be your guide today for your VIP tour. I have a list of your ride preferences and suggested start times for each based on my conversation with Max earlier. Are you ready to get started?”

Riley shot a sidelong glance at Liam as she mouthed, “Smith? Really?”

Liam shrugged. They had to use assumed names, he couldn’t very well book it under King Liam Rys of Cordonia, now could he?

Riley read all of that in his expression. She shook her head to convey, yeah, but Smith, really? It seemed too obvious.

Liam pursed his lips as he read all of that in her expression. He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying not to sulk. He’d gotten them a VIP tour of Disneyland, hadn’t he? He knew Drake was freaking out about security, but there were at least two dozen guardsmen dressed as tourists milling around watching them covertly. It would be fine. The fake last name he’d booked it under seemed like a minor detail.

“I think we’re starting with space mountain!” Jason informed them in his best tour guide voice, “Who’s ready?”

“Me! Me! I am!” Ellie jumped up and down then spun in a circle, did a front roll then stood up and jumped again.

“Wow. She is really ready!” Leo observed.

The group started walking, following the tour guide. They were all mesmerized by the sights. There was so much to see and so much to do. Riley was too busy looking around to notice Xander had stopped walking until she tripped over him. “Oof!”

“Whoa there!” Drake called out as he caught her in his arms.

“Thanks, damn.” She blinked up at him, “Where did you come from?”

“While you were watching everything but your step, I was watching you. It’s what I do.”

Riley smiled at him, “You really are totally obsessed with me, aren’t you?”

“Obviously. Now, are you ok?”

“Yes, but….Xander, honey, what are you doing?” She turned to look at her son who was still rooted to the spot, eyes wide as saucers. Riley followed his gaze to find his eyes locked on Pluto. “Oh, no. Liam?”

“What is it, love?”

“I think your son is scared of Pluto.”

Liam squatted down in front of him, “Hey buddy, are you ok?”

Xander didn’t speak, didn’t move, just continued to stare at Pluto.

“What wrong with ‘ander?” Jax’s lip started to tremble.

“Oh, hey, kiddo, it’s ok!” Drake knelt next to Jax, but it was too late. The toddler’s eyes filled with tears as he let out an ear splitting shriek.

“Jesus!” Leo put his hands over his ears, “Fuck, can someone shut that kid up?”

“Leo.” Drake said through gritted teeth, his eyes still focused on his child, “Just shut up, will you? You’re as bad as the kids, fuck!”

“You said fuck.” Ellie pointed between them accusingly, “Mommy! Tata said fuck! So did uncle Leo! They’re not supposed to say that word, right?”

“Hey, it’s ok, Xander, watch!” Max went over and got a high five from Pluto, “See? Pluto is totally cool! Do you want to give him a high five?”

Xander shook his head slowly from side to side, eyes still wide. Jax threw himself of the pavement and started thrashing around. Drake bent over and hauled Jax off the ground as Max tried to convince Ellie to give Pluto a high five and Liam comforted Xander.

Ellie approached the giant dog and held her hand out with a tentative smile. Xander’s eyes grew even wider as he yelled out, “Ellie, no!”

Ellie hesitated, glanced back at her brother’s terrified face then turned and shoved Pluto as hard as she could, sending him stumbling back to crash into Max.

Drake thrust Jax into the closest adult’s arms as he ran to restrain Ellie who was now swinging on Pluto. That person happened to be Leo. “Oh…ok….”

Drake pulled Ellie back as Liam raced to help Max up from the ground where he had sprawled after stumbling backwards and tripping over a curb. Riley took his place next to Xander, wrapping her arms around him and murmuring words of comfort as he buried his face into her body and sobbed, “Ellie! Ellie!”

“What the hell?” Leo muttered as he felt something warm spreading across his stomach. Glancing down he saw a wet spot growing across the fabric of his light grey, soft linen Laguna button up shirt. “Fuck! Shit! Goddamn it!”

Drake held a still swinging Ellie tightly in his arms as he told Pluto, “It might be best if you just go, ok?”

Pluto nodded his head as he placed his large hands over his mouth. He waved as he ambled away.

“Max!” Leo bellowed, “Come take this kid please! He peed on me!”

Max pulled Jax out of Leo’s arms as Pluto left, and Drake, Liam and Riley calmed the other two children.

Leo stripped his shirt off and asked the guide, “Is there a clothing store around here somewhere?”

“Yes, sir.” Jason answered, “Come on, I’ll take you to the nearest gift shop.”

Riley eyed Leo’s bare chest and shoulders appreciatively, “Damn, Leo. Been keeping up with your gym routine?”

A self satisfied smirk broke out across his face as he flexed for her. He winked at her as he replied, “You know it babe!”

Drake’s eyes tracked back and forth from Riley to Leo as he inserted his body between them and draped an arm around her shoulder. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “If you just want to drool over pecs and abs, I’d be more than happy to remove my shirt for you.”

She grinned up at him with interest, “Really? Right here? In the middle of Disneyland?”

Drake nipped at the side of her neck as they walked, “If that’s what the lady wants……..”

Jax exited the gift shop skipping. He was delighted with his brand new Mickey Mouse shirt and short set. Leo was less excited about his new amusement park t-shirt emblazoned with the image of Goofy.

The rest of the morning flew by in a blur of rides, attractions and children’s giggles. They stopped at Award Wieners for lunch on Jason’s recommendation. “If the kids like chilidogs, you’re going to want to try this place.”

The third time Drake had to chase Jax across the room, a woman in a group of French tourists at a nearby table told her companions, “Les parents américains sont de tels jeux d'enfant. Regardez ces enfants. Petite merde. Mes parents n'auraient jamais permis un tel comportement!”

Riley turned to stare at the woman as she whispered to Liam, “Did she just call us pushovers and say our kids are little shits?”

Liam, ever the diplomate, tried to diffuse the situation, “Riley, sweetheart, let’s not cause a scene.”

Drake had no such qualms, “That’s exactly what she said.”

Before any of the adults could react, Ellie turned her gaze on the woman and responded, in perfect French, “Peut-être que vos parents auraient dû vous inculquer certaines manières. Imaginez une femme adulte adulte qui parle de la merde des enfants d'âge préscolaire.”

Riley’s face lit up in delight, she grabbed Max’s arm, “Did my daughter just tell that woman her parents should have taught her some manners?”

Max grinned at her, “She said, and I quote, perhaps your parents should have instilled some manners in you. Imagine being a grown adult woman talking shit about preschoolers.”

The woman stuttered and stumbled over an apology before hurriedly excusing herself from the table with a deep flush.

“Very good, Ellie, mama’s proud of you!” Riley high fived her daughter.

As Ellie drew her arm back from the high five, her elbow collided with her cup, sending the fruit punch flying.

“Fuck!” Leo’s chair shot away from the table as the coldness from the icy beverage shocked him, the red color soaking through quickly to the skin, ruining the white of the goofy t-shirt. “Are you kidding me? Again?”

“I’m so sorry uncle Leo!” Ellie’s bottom lip protruded as tears stared to gather in the corners of her eyes.

Leo’s pique evaporated immediately. “Oh, no. Don’t cry, baby girl, it’s ok, I’m not mad, see?” Leo stripped his shirt off for the second time that day. “I didn’t like this shirt anyway.”

Liam sighed in annoyance as he watched Riley’s eyes casually track down Leo’s torso while she sipped her iced tea. “I’m beginning to think he’s doing it on purpose.”

Drake grunted in agreement.

Max leaned in, “He’s not seriously flirting with her though, right? I mean, she’s eight and half months pregnant!”

All three men’s heads turned to watch as Leo used the Goofy t-shirt to wipe the sticky liquid from his chiseled abs, his movements slow and languid as he drew the fabric up and down his body, his eyes locked on Riley the entire time.

“Oh yeah, he’s flirting.” Liam confirmed.

“Fucker.” Drake muttered.

After a second detour to a gift shop, Leo pulled a light blue shirt with the Disneyland logo on it over his head as he conversed with the tour guide. They were waiting for Riley and Ellie outside the women’s restroom.

“So, how are you all related?” Jason asked curiously.

“Well, that one is my brother.” Leo pointed at Liam.

“Right. And she’s married to which one?”

“Same. Him, my brother.” Leo gestured again.

“Really?” Jason looked surprised, as he pointed to Drake, “I would have bet it was that guy.”

“Well, I mean, they’re kind of all with her.” Leo offered.

Jason blinked, “Wait. What?”

“Yeah, have you ever seen that show Sister Wives?”

“Yes…”

“It’s like that. Brother husbands!” Leo laughed at his own joke.

“All three of them?” Jason asked incredulously.

“Yeah.” Leo nodded.

“But not you?” The guide arched an eyebrow questioningly.

Leo shook his head sadly, “Nope, not me.”

“Didn’t make the cut huh?”

“What? No! I mean, yes, I mean- you know what?” Leo raised his voice trying to get Liam’s attention, “Can we get a different guide? I don’t like this one!”

Liam shook his head as he called back, “Jason has been nothing short of an amazing guide. I would never dream of replacing him or besmirching his professional reputation.”

“That’s…whatever.” Leo growled, “What are we doing next?”

“Spinning teacups!” Max answered him.

“Really? Teacups?” Leo asked skeptically.

“Feel free to go seek out some of the more adult friendly rides on your own.” Drake told him.

“Yes, Leo.” Liam chimed in, “I’m sure you could have a really good time on your own. Probably even pick up a woman. We all know how much you like casual, anonymous sex.”

“No, thanks.” Leo shook his head with a smug smile, “I do like that, but I’m having fun with you guys.”

When they arrived at the teacup ride, Leo quickly exclaimed, “I’m riding with Riley!”

Liam, Max and Drake looked at each other for a moment, a look passed between them, then Drake answered, “Fine. But you have to take Ellie and Xander with you.”

“Deal!” Leo crowed, pausing only a moment to wonder why Drake had acquiesced so quickly. It wasn’t like him.

Leo climbed into a car with Riley and the two older children while the other three men took their seats with Jax in between them.

“Now remember,” Liam warned, “No one spin that wheel, we don’t want a motion sick toddler.”

“Not to worry.” Max assured him, “I don’t like things that spin. That’s Ellie.”

“Yeah,” Drake agreed, as he shot a smile Leo’s direction, “and Xander is the one who gets motion sick.”

Leo’s head snapped up, “What?” But it was too late, the ride was starting.

Ellie gleefully reached for the steering wheel in the center of the ride and twisted.

“Hey, Ellie!” Leo tried for a cajoling tone, “How about we don’t spin this thing, ok?”

“Don’t be scared Uncle Leo!” Ellie giggled as she spun the wheel harder.

“Aiyeeeee!” Xander yelled as their cup spun faster.

“I’m not scared, sweetheart, I’m just worried about your brother!”

Riley glanced at Xander, who was yelling and laughing, “He’s fine!” She assured him.

Leo wasn’t so sure. He looked around until he found the rest of their group in the yellow teacup. Drake was watching him with a look of anticipatory amusement on his face. Shit. He had a feeling he was going to need another shirt.

Miraculously, they made it through the ride with no one throwing up. Leo heaved a sigh of relief as he helped Riley out of the cup. Ellie scrambled out and ran past him as he reached back and lifted Xander out.

As they walked toward the exit, Xander stumbled and weaved from side to side. Ellie giggled and pointed, “Look! Xander’s dizzy!”

Leo barely glanced at the child, turning his attention instead to his sister in law as they exited back onto the main walkway in front of the attraction, “Come on, Riley, you don’t need to be walking all over this huge ass park! Let those guys take the kids, we can find some shade and sit, and I will fetch you turkey legs!”

He felt a tug on the hem of his shirt, he looked down to find Xander staring up at him, “Uncle Leo?”

“Yeah buddy?” His brows drew together as he watched Xander mumble something that he couldn’t hear. He squatted down to get on eye level with his nephew, grasping him by both shoulders as he asked, “What did you say Xan?”

Xander opened his mouth as if he were going to speak, but instead a steamy, chunky stream what looked like a thick mixture of enchilada sauce and cottage cheese spewed from his mouth, hitting Leo square in the chest and splattering onto his face and arms.

“Shit!” Leo yelped as he fell backwards, trying to scrabble away from Xander who was still heaving chunks of his lunch.

Riley was unbothered. “Oh no. Maybe letting him have two chilidogs and funnel cake at lunch was a mistake, huh?”

“You think?” Leo stared at her in wide eyed horror as he pushed himself off the ground and stumbled toward Max, “A little help?”

“Oh….oh, no.” Max shook his head violently and took a step back as he retched a little, “I can’t…..”

“Oh, what’s wrong, Max?” Leo stepped closer as a mischievous grin spread across his face, “Can’t handle a little vomit?”

“I…no…” Max took another step backwards, and retched again, “I mean it, Leo, I’m a sympathetic puker!”

“Max, buddy.” Leo opened his arms wide like he was going to hug him.

“Leo, oh!” There was a dry heave then suddenly Max was spewing his lunch all over Leo.

“Fuck!” Leo turned and vomited into the bushes.

Liam turned to Drake with a shrug, “He kind of asked for that.”

Drake was shaking with laughter as tears of mirth streamed down his face, “I wish….I wish… I’d gotten that….gotten that… on video!” He bent double and grasped his stomach as he struggled to catch his breath.

Unfortunately, there was another sympathetic puker that had witnessed the whole display. The teenage boy inside the Dumbo costume hurled at about the same time Leo did. Though it was expressly against park rules to remove the head from the costume for any reason, he was beyond caring as the overwhelming stench from his own half digested lunch that now coated the inside of the already stifling suit made his stomach continue to roil. The risk of getting fired wasn’t even on his mind as he pulled the head off.

Ellie’s eyes opened wide as she watched Dumbo pull his own head off his body. She let out an earth shattering scream at the same time Jax noticed and began crying hysterically as he pointed, “Ella pant dead! Ella pant dead!”

Xander stopped throwing up and added his own screams to Ellie and Jax’s.

“Fuck!” Leo wiped his mouth as he rejoined the group, “This is why I’m never having kids!”

“Excuse you?” Liam blinked at him in astonishment, “You’ve had no less than twenty six paternity suits filed against you!” He would know, he always had to sign off on the royal lawyers representing Leo in court.

Leo scoffed, “Only seven of those turned out to be mine.”

Liam didn’t respond to that as he’d turned his attention to attempting to calm his hysterical children.

Riley passed out some baby wipes to Max, Leo and the kid in the Dumbo suit.

Turning to the tour guide, Leo asked, “Is there a place I can shower around here?”

“Uh….yes, there are showers in the restrooms near Calypso Pool. Shall I take you there?”

“Yes, please and I’m going to need pants in addition to a shirt this time.”

Riley eyed him critically up and down, “You look like you’re about Drake’s size. I can go pick out some clothes for you while you shower. We’ll meet you over there.”

“Thank you, beautiful, you’re an angel.” He grinned at her, already shirtless again.

Jason pointed out the nearest gift shop before turning to escort Leo to the pool. Riley placed a hand on her stomach as she felt a contraction ripple through her abdomen. It was nothing, she decided, just some Braxton hicks.

“Everything ok?” Drake asked her.

“Just fine.” She smiled up at him, “Now let’s go get Leo some clothes.”

````````````````````````````````

Words/lines that were used with permission from brain storming sessions:

@dcbbw for “Riley was unbothered” and “Come on, Riley, you don’t need to be walking all over this huge ass park! Let us find some shade and sit and I will fetch you turkey legs!”

@harleybeaumont for “steamy” and @karahalloway for “chunky”, @dcbbw for “mixture of enchilada sauce and cottage cheese”

[selkiewife]

So I was wondering if you have any thoughts on Robb and Dany parallels?

Obviously there is a lot of stuff out there that considers Dany and Sansa and whether they are in opposition as characters or not. And people consider the parallels between Jon and Dany, or Arya and Dany, but in my mind the Stark who's arc she has most in common with is Robb, both thrust into positions of power and responsibility, both succeeding in conflicts which clearly leave devastation their wake and then having to learn how to rule (as a side note I would prefer if asoiaf young team were learning how to govern not rule but it's a feudal society so what can you do?)

Anyway have you ever thought about this (probably you have and have said something insightful and I've not noticed). Thanks.

Oh no. You know when you get an ask and you are suddenly like, oh shit, I have fooled people into thinking I know what I am talking about. I have really not explored their parallels in depth. Mostly because I have not been as obsessed about Robb’s ruling arc as much as I have about Daenerys’. And my obsession with her ruling arc was a direct result of Season 8 and me being like... if this was where it was all leading, where is the evidence in the books? And going back to reread and finding... well, no evidence lol. 

Thank you for this ask though @st-clements-steps! It is really interesting. Especially since you are right! It is strange that people don’t seem to focus a lot on Robb and Dany parallels compared to the other Starks, especially since they are both in ruling positions. I am going to post some of my thoughts but I’m also going to tag @rainhadaenerys who might have written or know of metas written about their parallels. I ramble a bit about the parallels I see in them under the cut, but it is not well researched or backed up with textual evidence. But hopefully this might start an interesting discussion at least. And please feel free to point out inaccuracies and such!

One of the cursory parallels between them off the top of my head is that they are both such young rulers. And yet, they are both incredibly introspective and strategic rulers that honestly don’t get enough credit for their intelligence or wisdom from the fandom. They are also both fantastic examples of how difficult ruling is. They are both often faced with horrible choices- where it is not a choice between a good thing and an evil think, but rather, two equally bad things. And they try to choose the thing that will do the least amount of damage. 

They both have a magical beasts (though I’ve never seen anyone say that Robb would be “nothing” without Greywind. lol sorry. My saltiness jumped out.) There also seems to be a parallel where they are both called upon to chain up their magical beasts (which again, leads to Robb’s death... but not Daenerys since she ends up being able to tame and ride Drogon.) I think there may be an inverse parallel there where Robb has wolf dreams, like all his siblings, but doesn’t completely understand what is happening, whereas Daenerys understands her dragon dreams and that is possibly what saves her from death. We see that with Jon again later- where he does not completely understand the dreams or their bond which leads him to ignoring Ghost’s warnings the night he is assassinated. 

Both Daenerys and Robb are idealistic and want to do the right thing to the detriment of their own rule at times. They also have parallels about duty vs desires. Though, I don’t really want to compare the inverse parallel of Daenerys putting aside her personal feelings to marry Hizdahr for peace vs. Robb marrying Jeyne Westerling instead of his Frey betrothed. Because in the books, Robb did not marry her for personal romantic feelings but because of his sense of duty towards her. Though interestingly, this action led to his death and Daenerys marrying Hizdahr almost led to her being poisoned by the honeyed locusts (though I know there are other theories that is was someone else who poisoned them).... hmm I mean, there might be something there but... I don’t know. Anyone else have any thoughts? 

I also think it is very interesting that Daenerys sees Robb at the Red Wedding in her visions in The House of the Undying: 

Farther on she came upon a feast of corpses. Savagely slaughtered, the feasters lay strewn across overturned chairs and hacked trestle tables, asprawl in pools of congealing blood. Some had lost limbs, even heads. Severed hands clutched bloody cups, wooden spoons, roast fowl, heels of bread. In a throne above them sat a dead man with the head of a wolf. He wore an iron crown and held a leg of lamb in one hand as a king might hold a scepter, and his eyes followed Dany with mute appeal.

The idea that his eyes are following her with mute appeal... that is so sad and  creepy- and what could it mean? Is it a silent cry of empathy towards her, echoing his, “Gods be good, why would any man ever want to be king?” Is it a warning that she could also be assassinated (but she definitely knows that- she has always been the victim of assassination attempts since birth.) Does it have something to do with Jon and the fight against the Others? I don’t know, but I think it’s interesting.

These are a few of the parallels that I thought of right away. But I am sure there are many more. I will definitely keep my eyes open as I reread and maybe at some point write an actual meta about it. But again, if anyone knows any metas or discussions about Daenerys and Robb’s parallels, please let us know!

[roundtableknight]

Suptober Prompt 10: Crossover

This prompt was so much fun to write. Basically, I wrote a love letter to my last fandom obsession *cough* Hannibal *cough* and inserted TFW into it. Enjoy! (Also disclaimer, the case being worked on is my own because I had no idea what Cas could have lent to a conversation besides what he knew about his own culture).

~

“I think I found something, Dean!” 

Dean jumped from the sound of Sam’s voice reverberating throughout the kitchen. “I’m right across from you, bitch.” He kicked Sam’s ankle as proof of his distance and also to annoy his younger brother.

“Ow! Why are you wearing boots already? It’s 8am, jerk,” Sam grumbled back, reaching down to rub at his now bruised ankle. Dean snorted, and they both took a sip of their respective coffees before Dean moved the conversation forward. 

“So, what do we have? Demon, ghost, oh! Did we finally catch a Bigfoot?” Dean laughed when Sam tried to repay the favor by kicking him; he yelped in pain, forgetting already that Dean was wearing boots and Sam only had socks on. 

“Not funny, Dean,” Sam commented as Dean had to set down his coffee not to spill it, shaking from laughter. 

“Oh, it’s friggin’ hilarious.” Dean slid off his seat to refill coffee. “But I’m listening now. What’s the case?” 

“Okay, so get this. There’s been this murderer running around for the past, well, at least 20 years. He started in Italy and moved to the continental United States. Officials can’t find him, but the FBI has a case open for him right now with a detective… oh, not a detective but a professor.” Sam looked up from his computer. “Says the name Will Graham.” 

“Sam, I know you’re not in your prime anymore, but even you should know this doesn’t sound like our kind of case.” 

Sam lifted his hands up in placation. “I know that Dean, but parts of the bodies are always missing. Liver, intestines… heart.” Dean perked up at that last one. 

“Werewolf possibly,” Dean muttered to himself. 

“Or killing for someone or someones. Different creatures tend to hunt or buy, based on their needs. I say we cheek it out. I just don’t know how we’re going to get in when one of the top departments of the FBI hasn't cracked this case yet. We can’t add anything to their team.”

Dean set his now empty coffee mug down in the sink, stretching before giving a pointed look at Sam. “Sammy—” 

“Don’t call me that—”

“You were a college graduate for law at Harvard, or, well, almost. I have a GED and enough credit card scams to swindle my way in even if it’s just straight into a jail cell, and we have our golden ticket.”

“I know, but I feel like if we bring him to this then he’ll see the worst in humanity for what this person has done.” 

“Sam, he watched you drink demon blood and me sing along to Taylor Swift on repeat, he’s seen worse. We’re bringing Cas.” 

~

“What is my job here again, Dean?” Cas questioned, walking behind Dean and Sam as all three were carded as they entered into the University of Maryland. He had gladly said yes to join the boys, but he didn’t know what he had to offer on a human murder investigation. 

“Here for the arm candy, Cas.” Dean waved to a passing staffer and then turned left into the hallway where Will Graham was supposedly stationed. “We just want to ask him a few questions and then be on our way, and, I don’t know, maybe you can feel any energy around the room.”

Cas nodded dutifully. “Okay.” 

He heard Sam say to Dean as they were walking: “Arm candy, really, by this point you should just tell hi—” and was cut off with a swift jab to the stomach via Dean’s elbow. 

They waited as the last class filed out for the day and then made their way in, all three having a varying reaction to the room. To Sam, Cas supposed, this was what his past dreams had been: being in a room full of other hungry, urgent learners. To Dean this was a place he never even thought of going to, caught up in the hunting life already. And to Cas this place smelled faintly of nervous students and one very capable young man. 

“Are you Will Graham?” Dean flashed his badge, smiling at the professor. The man looked to be in his late 30s, with a unique fashion sense and an urgency to his movement. 

“Yes. Who are you? I wasn’t expecting anyone from the Bureau to come by.” The man was shuffling his papers, and Cas could see a photo from the crime scene; he tilted his head at the imagery. 

“Oh, we were added onto the Chesapeake Ripper case and wanted to come by and exchange notes, nothing too long. We heard he had been taking people’s hearts.” 

Mr. Graham gave Dean a pointed look. “Yes, among other things. Look, I don’t really have time for this and my overseer Jack Crawford would be better to handle these types of conversations, so if you would excuse me—” 

“Spirit of the East, one of the four that liveth forever,” Cas recited, not knowing he had said it out loud until all three men looked at him. 

“Excuse me?” Mr. Graham said, and Cas moved around Dean to point at the photo of the mutilated women. 

“That. It’s enochian for ‘Spirit of the East.’ It’s a chant to summon the archangel Raphael, though it won’t work.” 

“I—” 

“And why’s that?” Cas turned, as did Dean and Sam, to see a slightly older gentleman walk in. Wearing a three piece suit, his eyes took them in, starting with Sam, then Dean, and ending on Cas. 

“Well, Raphael is d—” 

“That’s enough Cas,” Dean gave a stilted smile and nudged Cas, making him stop. The man who had just walked in watched this with an air of eternal patience, but Cas noticed the man took in every movement and breath from them. He reminded Cas not unlike his brother Lucifer. 

“Cas can certainly finish. I’m quite intrigued to hear his remarks on the wording. I’m afraid my own studies dug up nothing in relation to the aforementioned text.” He gave a slight grin, his eyes meeting Mr. Graham’s behind them, and Cas realized that his man was different. Human, demon, monster, angel different. 

Cas coughed. “Actually, I think we should be going.” He looked at Dean, conveying what he hoped was a sense of urgency. Dean got the memo.

“Yes, of course. I’m, um, so sorry to take up your guys’ time. I’ll be sure to talk to your supervisor, Mr. Graham, if I have any pressing questions. It was nice to meet you.” Mr. Graham watched as Dean started the way out, with Sam following behind. Cas started, but then looked between Mr. Graham and the other fellow. 

“You don’t need to worry about this person summoning Raphael, he’s dead.” He didn’t know what to expect as a response to his statement, but the man merely hummed. 

“And how do you know such privy and blasphemy knowledge?” 

Cas fiddled with the sleeve of his coat. “I killed him.” 

Mr. Graham gave a sigh, but the other man smiled at that. “Did you?”

Cas heard Dean calling his name now, and realized they were waiting for him. “You don’t have to believe me, most humans don’t, but I wouldn’t waste my time on this killer; the only other people who know enochian are angels. I’ll have a chat with them.” 

Cas swore he saw a glint in the man’s eyes when he said the last part. Swiftly, the man took out his business card. “If you would like to further discuss these matters, my number.” 

Cas took it in his hands, sliding it up his sleeve and disappearing into the folds of his grace. “Nice to meet you,” Cas finished, wanting to be polite. 

“You as well,” the man said, and Cas finally made his way out, wondering who the man was to not be perturbed in the slightest by Cas’ conversation. 

~

Fin

[bri-flores]

Bloody Wickedness

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland 

Format: Series 

Reader: Pregnant, female reader 

Warnings: Violence, blood 

Other Info : Credit to @tri3tri​ as this was inspired by Canon and Second Wife AU. Not a lot of Yandere! Malleus until the next chapter.

Summary: [Y/n] successfully escaped Malleus suffocating obsession, but with a heavy price. Now she is running for her and her unborn child's safety. Will [Y/n] survive the brutality of the angry villagers?

‘Run, [Y/n]! Just run!’

The lass kept repeating that to herself. She took a quick peek over her shoulder to see if she had lost the group of men that kept chasing her. After confirming that the men were nowhere near her, she decides to stop next to a dark pine tree that was close to a lake. [Y/n] took this time to catch her breath. Using up the little energy she had left [Y/n] went up to the lake’s water to check her reflection. The maiden was horrified by what she saw, her silky [h/c] hair now tangled up, lips tainted with dry blood, the once beautiful dress was now ripped to shreds, and with bruises as well as deep cuts adorning her fragile body. [Y/n] kneeled down to grab a bit of water and began to splash it on her bloody face. The noise of crunching leaves and sticks could now be heard getting closer. This made [Y/n] tensed up in fear. Struggling to get up in time to make a run for it, but it was too late. One of the men had grabbed her shoulders and scream in her ear,

“Useless human! Useless human!” Another man came in front of her with a long log in his hands. “Kill the human!”, the man chanted. The girl could hear the others chant as well. [Y/n] could feel the fear eating her alive. She closed her eyes in surrender, letting a few small tears escape in the process. Out of nowhere she felt a painful burning sensation on her back. [Y/n]’s mind screamed out as the pain drove through her back repeatedly. The burning pain stabbed her like a scorching knife. She wept at her own suffering. Now all she could hear was the boys around her laughing and singing. She rolled up in a ball of self agony and fear, wishing that the boys would just stop. Purple welts started to form across her back like a disease beginning to spread. It hurt to breathe and she wondered if the boys were ever going to stop.

The men evenly stopped after beating her for several minutes, but only because one of them wanted to see the damage they had caused. A tall man came up to her and pulled her dress down revealing dark purple and bloody bruises lining her back. The others thinking that it wasn’t enough punishment decided to start back up to beating her again. [Y/n] opened her eyes back up and the fear and agony that once was there now consumed by hatred and anger. Her body trembled with fury, she let out a loud scream of pain that sent birds flying away. Eyes that once held a fine [e/c] hue were suddenly becoming red. [Y/n] could no longer feel the logs hit her back, but could still sense a burning sting. Her mind went blank after that. Unlike the girl, -who could no longer feel anything- the others begin to feel a burning sensation all over their body. They scream and twitch in agony. The pain increased in waves and small lulls giving them false hope of an end. She could hear the men around her screaming and shouting. As time passed the screams began to get cut out, one by one. After all the screams died, the girl came back to her senses. [Y/n] got up from her curled up positing and saw the men scattered on the ground. They looked like broken dolls over the bloody grass, limbs at awkward angles and heads twisted in such a way that there was no way they could possibly be alive. Now the young men have become abandoned shells left to rot in the open.

After seeing the aftermath of the horrific act she had done, the girl could hear the rest of the villagers coming for her. The images of bright flames and sparks of magic were the only thing her eyes could see. With little time to spare, she jumped into the water. Darkness enveloped her. The cold water closed in around her, filling her with a deep fright. She tried to hold her breath for as long as she could. Dirty water splashed onto her little red eyes. The coldness had started to wrap around her like a blanket. Her heart was beating rapidly in panic with no sign of calming down. The urgency for air was more apparent than ever. Her head began to pound, screaming for oxygen and warmth. With incredible speed [Y/n] had gone up to the surface, gulping at air. Without barely making a sound she went under once again. Sinking down faster than before with her heart hammering harder against her ribs. Nobody had seen her since the villagers were circling around the brutal scene. When [Y/n] could no longer hear the talking of the villagers, she surfaced once more. She noticed that the men's bodies were gone along with the villagers making her eyes go back to [e/c]. 

As the girl began to walk back up to the pine she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Deep wounds sliced her back flesh. It was heavily oozing out blood and there were bluish-purple bruises forming around them. She lightly presses her hand against the center of the cuts and sucking in a sharp breath as the pain spirals all across her batter body. Her legs struggle to keep her up but eventually the burning feeling made her fall to her knees. Colorful sports started to dance around her eyes. She lay on her hands and knees creating blood pools onto the dirt, soaking her bare legs. Pressing her hand to her back sealing one of the wounds shut.

‘It hurt to walk but I need to go now. Malleus can catch me at any time! I have to give my child a better life,’ she thought. Standing up she began to run toward the border at superhuman speed. Most of the wounds heal in the process at an impressive pace. Leaving a trail of blood that a wolf with silver-like fur begins to follow.

A/n: I hope you enjoy this @tri3tri​. This series is a mix of both the Canon and Second Wife AU . The next chapter is coming soon. For my readers out there remember that requests are open. Have a nice day.

~With love Writer 

[thetaoofbetty]

the asks i got during the day lurk beneath the cut. enter at your own risk:

that they're down to have betty get pregnant because they think it'll make archie want to be with her is really telling and super gross. i feel like they're all teenagers who've spent too much time watching lifetime movies.

i hope all the guys they have crushes on who don't reciprocate are watching their backs.

this show never even gave the mains a pregnancy scare in high school and yet the fandom, or parts of it, remain obsessed. it's very weird to me. but yes, he said literal so that whole theory that the b/as jumped on is just indicative of their selective memory and hearing.

the weird thing is, veronica slept with chad and archie as well, if we're making bogus preggo theories, it could just as easily be her. but they're really just uncomfortably focused on the idea that betty getting knocked up will make archie be with her.

it doesn't seem to matter than betty doesn't want to be with him either. very normal, totally not weird af stuff going on in that fandom.

no, yeah, i agree with you on ras's post and i said as much (not on my blog) about it looking like the last row or so of emojis look like they're referencing s6. or they could be. we don't know yet.

and after a time jump, it's usually normal for them to start the whole marriage and baby thing after whatever brings them all back together is settled isn't it? so i also agree we could be getting into settling down territory. which, to be fair, they already are for a lot of them. toni is having a baby, veronica is/was married so she's obvs not commitment averse, archie came home and is probably going to shack up with veronica. kangs, bughead, and choni are the ones who need to handle their relationships which is probably what 5b is for before they get to the next steps.

dear god, my kingdom for s6 being the last one. let us free, roberto.

honestly, i don't think they give tabitha enough credit. if the guy who unlocked his tragic backstory after i kissed him to let me down gently started working with the ex he admitted he's not over i would simply read the room.

maybe 5b will make the friendship equal to me but right now it's mostly about what she does for him and not much about what he offers her. even evan's descriptions reinforce that for me tbh.

ugh, pics because i know someone will say i'm lying:

[justafairytailofinnocence]

Hi can I get a Star Wars (originals and/or prequel era)

My pronouns are she/her

I’d like to be shipped with a male

I’m like the biggest loner. i love spending time alone in my own world doing my own thing. I spend way too much time daydreaming. I literally can go from astrophysics to aliens or dark matter to magic in 20 seconds. Reality, we don’t know her.

I can be quite touchy feely and emotional but do everything to hide it. I struggle with my feelings a lot.

i either overthink or don’t think at all there is no in between. one minute I have a set out plan and the next I’m jumping into things randomly. It’s like I’m either super anxious or am pretending my problems dont exist.

my hobbies include creative coding, digital illustrating, weight lifting, watching movies/shows, playing video games, reading fanfic in the dead of night (you know the 4 am fics hit different).

im obsessed with Starbucks vanilla lattes (Ik so basic) and that’s probably the only reason I actually go outside

My style is pretty much the fandom sections at hot topic from 2012 (the chokers, plaid skirts, combat boots and fandom shirts. Bonus if u add knee socks or fishnets💀)

i absolutely hate the cold, small talk, crowds, and social gatherings. I’m super awkward not in the cute uwu way but In the 😐 way.

if it helps in anyways I’m a Slytherin, intp personality type, and true neutral alignment.

also could I get a moodboard or picrew thing

If u need appearance for this I have tanned golden brownish skin, full lips, round face, the darkest brown eyes, purple cat eye glasses, and medium length black wavy hair.

Thanks ❤️

Hello dear💖, for the star wars matchup I ship you with:

Hans solo💞

- the guys totally attracted to you, ever since you went with Luke and leia he started to grow feelings towards you.

- he defends you whenever there were storm troopers near by.

- your a girl that can handle herself meaning you can fight really well.

- moodboard

- picrew

(credit  NOSAYA TYPE CP MAKER by nasaya)

- you had your first kiss on his ship, Luke was confused and teased you about it.

- leia had some conflictions with you since she also liked Hans.

- he relates to your lone personality, he uses to be like that.

- you would marry and have a peaceful life. Your child would have your hair and his eyes.

Anyways that's all I have for now:

Ta Ta✨️

[sparkles-and-trash]

South Park Main 5, Headcanons Masterpost  ~

Stan Marsh 

Looks: 

hair is actually nice and somewhat floppy naturally, but because he wears a hat most of the time, it’s usually flat and a little greasy kshdhsd

hair is that blue-ish black color

eyes is piercing ice blue 

skin is light, kind porcelain like, but he also tans really fast?

soft sweaters are the only thing he’ll wear from early autumn to late spring

in summer he’ll literally only wear band shirts and flannels lol 

Personality and General Trivia:

totally cares more for animals than most people let’s be real 

sometimes he struggles with seeing things from others point of view and ha can come across as a little self centered 

he is aware of it tho and tries to be better at it 

his instagram is filled with Sparky haha 

let’s Sparky sleep in his bed every single night even tho Sharon tells him not to 

likes reading and writing, has a tiny obsession with dark themes and Lovecraftian stuff 

he and Kenny volunteers at the local pet shelter and homeless shelter together 

the pet shelter was Stan’s idea, and the homeless shelter was Kenny’s 

wants to be edgy but is really just very soft

“Kyle said...” 

believes everything Kyle tells him lol 

enjoys video games a lot, prefers single player, story based ones tho 

also still enjoys boardgames a lot, and when the big group isn’t up for hit, he, Tweek, Jimmy, Butters and Cartman groups together to nerd it out 

has clinical depression, but is managing it with help of a therapist, his mom and friends

sometimes things gets pretty dark, but he is getting better at reaching out and asking for help in those times 

Friendships:

like I mentioned above, he struggles a bit with seeing things for other’s point of view 

but he is aware of his flaws and is trying to be better

can get a little bit caught up in his own drama, but listens when his friends tells him he needs to get over himself 

will always stand up for his friends, especially if they’re not there to do it themselves 

when he starts getting closer with Butters in early high school he gets really upset when he realizes how much he gets shit-talked 

enjoys spending time with his friends individually, probably the most of the group, and takes initiative to do so a lot 

which is very important to Kenny, since he tends to feel a little overlooked sometimes, and it makes their friendship really strong 

same with Butters, except Butters doesn’t usually doesn’t mind mainly being in a group, but the first few times and Stan hangs out alone it’s obvious he really appreciates it 

Family:

daddy issues 

sorry I don’t make the rules lol 

has a decent relationship with Sharon tho

she’s a good mom 

and he wants to be a good son 

Shelly is still kinda angry and scary

she keeps the “only I can beat you up bro” attitude and there is secretly mutual respect there

but we don’t talk about that!!! 

Ships and relationships:

okay so my main ships for him are stutters (Butters), stenny (Kenny) and Style (Kyle) 

my fav is stutters tho 

I usually head canon him as bi or pan, but as with everyone in SP, I’m open to different interpretations if different Au’s and stories! 

I just really like the idea of them learning to balance facing their issues AND celebrate the good things in life together 

I def think he can be a bit insecure in relationships, struggling with feeling like he’s not enough, and would need a partner that naturally will be affirming and positive 

that’s not to say he’s super needy or clingy, he’s just a bit insecure 

but I really think he would truly be a good partner 

he’s caring, kind and very appreciative 

which is again why I really like him with Butters offh 

Kenny McCormick 

Looks:

sandy blonde hair that’s always messy and floppy/softly curled 

teeth is kind of crooked due to lack of funds for braces 

his front teeth are kinda big and has a significant gap 

lots and lots of freckles man 

all over his face, shoulders, back, hands and arms 

tans fast 

I actually really like him with brown eyes? like, soulful deep brown eyes 

but also very, very clear blue ones, like almost unnatural (yes that’s a mysterious thing) 

medium tall 

wears his hoodies, usually with the hood up, no matter if it’s freezing or a heatwave

not conventionally attractive, but charming looking lol 

likes to wear some eyeliner every now and then

and nail polish, but it’s like super clumsily put on and always chipped

Personality and General Trivia:

falls asleep in class a lot, but always seems to know the answer if the teacher asks him something

also has decent grades

I think he’s way smarter than he gives himself credit for, both socially and school wise 

the therapist of the groups 

actually, the therapist of the whole school 

knows a lot of secrets due to this, but he always, ALWAYS keeps them 

I see him as very friendly and approachable, but terribly hard to get close with

lots and lots of walls, man

very much an observer type? 

quietly stays in the background if that’s an option

but if he is talked too, or feels like he has something to really contribute to in a conversation he’ll jump in and be comfortable talking and taking up space if he is with friends or people he knows 

if not, he’ll just stay in the background with that.... look on his face that just makes you know he knows more than he says 

works at Tweek’s parents coffee shop, is kinda close with Tweek because of this 

zones out a lot 

“…what?” 

can fall asleep anywhere

Friendships:

is pretty close friends with Butters! 

Butters used to have a little crush on him, but Kenny didn’t find out until years later lol 

he also has a lot of patience with Cartman compared to the others

which is why Cartman actually cares when Kenny sets him in his place 

likes learning new things, and does that with Kyle a lot! 

both school and homework stuff, and things like cooking and other homey stuff, the two of them really bond with this 

him and Stan volunteer together, and I already mentioned, and that time means a lot to Kenny 

since he works with Tweek, the two of them are pretty close and good friends 

is the one of the main boys who gets along the best with Craig and those guys

actually hangs out with them from time to time, so does Butters

it low-key drives the others crazy

Family:

I often like to think his parents would keep having these bursts where they try to get their shit together? 

and it’s slow, and one step back and two backwards, but the fact that they’re trying at all means a lot to the kids after years of them... not 

I can also see Kevin stepping up and taking more charge, Kevin get’s way too little love in this fandom! 

Kenny usually never fights with his sibs

but when he does it’s with Karen, usually because he’s worried about her and it’s nor pretty

none of them can stay mad at each other for long tho

Kevin trying to be all “big brother” and kinda failing because he is chaotic, but he really wants to do right and Karen and Kenny knows that and appreciates it 

Ships and relationships:

ohhh kay here we go, unpopular opinions ahead! 

first, my main Kenny ships are Tokenny (Token x Kenny) and Stenny 

rn Tokenny is my main, I love the potential dynamics, both with their personalties and backgrounds and families 

I tend to head canon him as pan or bisexual, and demiromatic 

I know the demiromantic part is... controversial, at best 

but hear me out! 

I see him being very comfortable with discussing sexual stuff, and being attracted to someone physically is never something he feels awkward or bad about 

but when it comes to more emotional connections, he is way more awkward and fumbling 

for those who doesn’t know, a demiromatic person (like myself! surprise!) won’t have crushes or romantic feelings for someone they don’t already have some form of emotional bond with! We can still feel sexual attraction tho, and some of us are comfortable with casual sexual encounters (like me!) and others are not, and both are very valid! 

I usually have two ways of writing him 

either him being comfortable having casual sexual interactions, but struggling with the romantic aspect and having to figure out how this works for him 

OR 

him having some trauma related to debating sexually very early, thinking he was all ready and it was just sex, but getting his emotions caught up in it and being very heartbroken and confused, and therefore having issues with being intimate with people for a while 

I mix them up depending on the story, but the first one is usually my go-to! 

Kyle Broflovski 

Looks:

he still covers his hair a lot, either with hats or hoods? 

because I really see him being insecure about it 

it’s a medium sort of red, and like, really curly and fluffy 

not frizzy, big like... big 

I usually give him green eyes, but I also could see him with a light brown or hazel! 

some light freckles on his face that only really shows up if he’s spent time in the sun 

pretty tall, kind of lanky 

d i m p l e s 

Personality and General Trivia:

big nerd energy

in every way, board games, video games, loves school, like genuinely, enjoys studying for tests, loves fantasy books, the longer and more complicated the better 

co-captain of the debate team with Wendy 

is good with arguments unless he gets too passionate on the subject, or if someone knows his weak points and uses them to tick him off

it’s usually Cartman  

his mom wants him to go to an Ivy League but honestly he just wants to go to the same one in Denver as Stan, Butters and Cartman are planning on, and now that Kenny is also considering it he seriously think he’ll die if all his friends go to the same college without him

he struggles with FOMO, which is kind of an issue since he’s a busy guy, and some of his friends are not lol 

if any one of these kids become a jock, it’s def Kyle with his basketball change my mind- 

but not like, a letterman wearing fuckboy type of jock, but like, is obsessed with his sport and his team and works really hard to do well type of jock

Friendships:

very loyal 

he and Stan walks Sparky together at least twice a week, just to be sure they’re always caught up with each other even when they’re busy with school, sports and dating

yeah they’re still super best friends 

when they started high school he got closer to Wendy as she’s also on the debate team, in all of his AP classes and they share a lot of the same interests  

they’re still good friends, but nothing more

the first time Cartman got really drunk was at a party freshman year, and at the time everyone was pretty fed up with him, and he ended up crying and Kyle found him, and Cartman thinks Kyle doesn’t remember, but he does 

that was the first night Kyle really kinda understood why Cartman was the way he was, and even though he still thinks he’s a dick at times, he tries to remember everyone have a story, and to give people time 

but he often gets too riled up to remember that lol 

good pals with Jimmy, they share a lot of interests in fantasy stuff and have the same humor 

he also start to go along well with Craig when they are around middle school age, but they’re both kinda too stubborn to admit they’re friends until a year later lol  

Family:

even tho Sheila is pretty overbearing and can be too much, he is a mommy’s boy deep down 

tense relationship with his dad 

enjoys cooking, so that’s where he spends a lot of time with his mom! 

tries his best to keep up with Ike and his life

sometimes he is a tad cringy when doing so, but Ike appreciates the gesture 

Ike is pretty confident and strong in himself so he doesn’t care if Kyle is a bit awkward lol 

the type of brothers who genuinely enjoys spending time together 

Ships and relationships:

I like Style, Kyman, K2 and Kyvid! 

I think he’d be a late bloomer when it comes to love and dating

struggles with opening up and letting himself feel these things 

I often think of him as biromantic asexual, but I’m not always set on it! 

he’d enjoy traditional dinner and a movie type of dates a lot, such a nerd 

Eric Cartman 

Looks:

keeps his hair cut pretty short and styled

has heterochromia iridium (different colored eyes), one blue and one brown

also he has a real nice smile when it’s a genuine one

which is rare but like 

it happens 

is kinda insecure about his weight and tries to compensate with always having the newest stuff and pretending not to care

sometimes tries to diet in secret

he isn’t huge anymore, but is still sort of broad, and isn’t skinny, but like..

kinda bulky, if he wears the right type of clothes it’s hard to see if he’s chubby or buff

but he is def chubby 

Personality and General Trivia:

spends way to much time on reddit arguing with randoms

angry gamer, will call you a slur on voice chat 

after almost getting dropped by his friends in middle school he tries a little harder to be a more decent person

still an asshole at heart, but like, an asshole who sometimes cares about some people 

always tells people that’s he’s seen that meme before, even when he hasn’t 

nothing is ever his fault and the only ones who can get him to admit he’s wrong are Kenny and, very, very rarely, Kyle

he wears supreme hoodies for a full year of High School and stands in line all night for the new ones and never shuts up about how he is the first in South Park to have the new stuff 

Kenny finds it hilarious to buy the fake supreme stickers and put then on his own worn out hoodies

Kyle makes it his main goal in life to put things (everything from used gym socks to old food he finds in his locker) in Cartmans hoods and see how long it takes for him to notice 

can’t handle alcohol, is constantly being teased for it

sloppy drunk lol 

one of the main reasons the other bothers with Cartman trough middle school, when he is at his worst, is because of his big basement, the old Coon Lair, who got a big renovation around 7th grade and is an awesome, private hangout spot with a big TV and wifi and gaming systems

Friendships:

constantly says he hates his friends but would die if everyone left him 

is secretly terribly jealous of Kyle, both his closeness to Stan, his basketball skills, his grades and his family

but they had that thing in Freshman year when Kyle found him drunk, alone and sad, and Cartman himself barely remembers it, and doesn’t think Kyle does because he never mentioned it 

but he does

so much tension there, but also co-dependency 

sees Kenny and Butters as his best friends, and knows deep down neither of them feel that way about him and it secretly kills him 

is in the same board game group with Stan 

is low-key terrified of Tweek lol 

Family:

big mommy issues 

but also very protective of her

I really enjoy the AU/headcanon that Liane marries Clyde’s dad 

it’s not like, the only version I like, but I put it in as many au’s and works of mine as I can 

I def think both boys would be mortified right away 

but Clyde comes around first, because he really wants a brother, even if that brother have to be Cartman 

Cartman would never admit it, but after some time he really starts to see Clyde as a brother and genuinely cares for him 

Ships and relationships:

I mainly see Cartman as gay 

sometimes I start of AU’s and stories with him not being out to himself or anyone else tho, I think that whole journey for him will be very interesting and help him grow as a person 

I def think he’d have a few girlfriends before he comes out tho? 

he can be very charming when he wants too yanno 

my only Cartman ship is kyman atm, but I’m def open to explore more of

Leopold Butters Stotch 

Looks:

I really really really like T A L L Butters??? 

like tall and gangly and adorable 

I know it’s very popular to head canon that he bleaches his hair, but I like to think he has very light blond air naturally! 

keeps it short on the sides and longer on top, with cute ass curls 

soft sky blue eyes 

also dyes his bangs light blue in high school!! 

Pete the goth helps him because he is a pro of dying bangs 

I like to think he’d be into pastel grunge, and keep his love for Hello Kitty and Sanrio etc, but still be a bit more... edgy? 

Personality and General Trivia:

one of those people who’s friendly with almost everyone

but that doesn’t mean he’s friends with them, yanno? 

gets drunk from one wine cooler 

loves the theater and is in the drama club, but likes to be behind the stage, not on it 

wants to be a director one day 

watches Netflix on his phone every single time he has any time to spare, because he’s always binging a show

is usually pretty positive and kind, gives people the benefit of the doubt 

but can be very stubborn, and if he has decided he dislikes or doesn’t trust someone, it’s almost impossible to change his mind 

Friendships:

Butters put up with Cartman for so long because he genuinely thinks he can be fun when he’s not horrible, and he really tries his best to believe in people

he was also the first one to forgive him after the others cut him off 

a very loyal and fun friend

takes a lot of initiative to do stuff, and loves hosting movie nights 

thinks of these boys as his closest friends, but is also real close to Wendy, Bebe, Jimmy and Tweek

Family:

I just hate Stephen so much you guys

so tbh I usually like to just... have Linda leave him, or straight up kill him off oops 

I know Linda is terrible too, I do, but I think she could possibly have a moment of realization if something happens like Butters potentially being taken away? 

idk I’m not gonna go too deep into this, I know it’s such a heavy topic and I don’t wanna seem like I just ignore it, but I personally don’t usually include Stephen directly in my stories, and this is why, I hope y’all understand and respect that! 

Ships and relationships:

my main Butters ship is Stutters (Stan x Butters) 

I mentioned a lot why in Stan’s headcanons? 

but idk, I just really think they’d balance each other well, and could have a very interesting and cute relationship! 

I usually headcanons him as pan or gay, and genderqueer, but I’m open for other interpretations too! 

he does date a little bit, but have never been in a real relationship and isn’t stressing about it! 

he did have a pretty huge crush on (a very unaware) Kenny during middle school, but then they started hanging out a lot more and became really close and Butters didn’t really bring it much thought?

that’s until Cartman gets jealous and throws out a “what are you guys dating and fucking and being gay huh???” and Butters mind immediately goes to “omg ew no he’s like my brother!” 

aaand that’s how Butters realized he was over his crush 

they two of them stay close friends tho, Kenny makes Butters laugh and helps him be more sure of himself and Butters helps Kenny remember that they’re still just kids and should have fun and be good

[thatesqcrush]

Fall From Grace, Pt. 8

Bryan Kneef x Reader. Fandom: The Good Fight. Reference: S4, E.4, “The Gang is Satirized and Doesn’t Like It.” CW: Angst, language.

AN: Our lovely REE was on The Good Fight for all of 3 minutes so I am taking lots of liberties. I am obsessed with the anti-Barba. He was just delicious.

AN2: I may have been inspired slightly by that horrible Barba episode that I pretend doesn’t exist - you may recognize what Barba said to Liv. So credit to SVU, S.19, E. 13, The Undiscovered Country. 

AN3: Bryan’s outfit was inspired by Chef Harry. So if you don’t know what that looks like, may I present you...

--

Reading your text caused Bryan’s heart to lurch.

He slammed his glass of whiskey back, swallowing it hole. He was tempted to respond but instead he did not. Not right away at least. He mulled over what Marissa had said: “All this fussing to say you care? Sounds like love to me.”

Love.

He wasn’t one for love. Life was like an old black and white movie; he was absolutely sure who were the good guys and the bad guys – nine times out of ten, he was the good guy in court, but the bad guy in relationships. And then you had weaseled your way into his world and black and white became different shades of gray. And then it became blues and greens. 

He then recalled Marissa’s other advice: Be honest about what you want. All it takes is some communication.

But it seemed you didn’t want to have any opportunity to talk to him.

Never one to back down from a challenge, he decided he was going to make his own opportunity. Bryan knew he fucked up and he vowed to himself to make it up to you – if only you’d let him.

And he hoped you would.

--

You walked up the sidewalk to your apartment, hands full of empty boxes. You had made sure to get to the market early so you could get the good boxes – otherwise you were stuck with the boxes that smelled like melon.

You made your way back into your apartment. It wasn’t that hot yet, so you opened the window to let the morning breeze come in. You asked Alexa to play your favorite playlist and then tied your hair into a pony-tail.

Packing sucked. But you had movers coming in three days and you needed to get your affairs in order.

Hours later, you still had a ways to go but you had a good section done. You needed more boxes so you made plans to pick up some more, resigning that some of your stuff would smell like melon after all.

Exhausted, you collapsed on your couch with a cool compress on your forehead. “Mmmm, just need a nap.” You mumbled to yourself.

Your eyes felt heavy and you knew it wouldn’t be long until you were out. You sighed contentedly, ready for the sleep to settle in when the loud roar of a motorcycle startled you awake. Annoyed, you walked over to the window to close it when you noticed who was getting off the motorcycle.

It was Bryan.

He looked up towards the apartment windows and you immediately ducked your head, hitting it on the head of the window frame.

“Son of bitch!” You moaned, rubbing your head. You could hear your phone buzzing in the distance and you knew it was Bryan calling. You didn’t pick up, instead choosing to head downstairs to meet him outside.

With every step down, you felt the knots in your stomach grow.  With a deep breath, you opened the main entrance door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Bryan looked up from his cellphone and gave you what you were certain was a genuine smile.

You didn’t let it sway you.

You looked both ways before crossing the street. You felt woefully under-dressed – more of a hot mess if you will. You were in grey sweat shorts and a dark blue fitted t-shirt. And you would be damned if you didn’t admit how good he looked. Especially in the leather jacket. He wore faded black jeans and a dark grey Henley. A gold chain glinted under the few buttons of the Henley that were undone.

“What are you doing here?” You hissed at Bryan.

“We need to talk.” Bryan replied, removing his helmet. “Can I come up and talk to you for a few minutes?”

“About what?” You asked, with a sneer. You crossed your arms under your chest. “I don't think that's a good idea.

“Because of what might happen?”

“Because it's not a good time.”

“You’re quitting. You’re leaving.” Bryan tossed his helmet from hand to hand. “You’re not leaving me with much of an option.”

“I told you – there is no reason for me to stay.”

Bryan sighed and placed his helmet on the seat of his bike. “That’s not entirely true. Can we please go upstairs and talk?”

Your eyes narrowed. “Fine, but don’t get any funny ideas. I hope you know that I hate you from the bottom of my vagina.”

Bryan cocked his head, covering his mouth that was threatening to twitch into a smile. “Y/N.”

You rolled your eyes and the two of you made way back into the apartment. Bryan felt his heart sink further as he took in the sight of your half-packed apartment. You really were leaving. And it was his fault.

You looked over your shoulder. “Do you want anything to drink? I have vodka in the freezer, soda and water.”

“Water is just fine.”

You stood behind your breakfast bar – the idea that somehow it served as a barrier between you and Bryan was almost laughable. There was a part of you that wanted to fling yourself over and kiss him. But you held your ground.

Bryan took the water and drank it before sitting on your couch. You eyed him warily; you could feel your heart thumping in your chest and your stomach was in knots. Bryan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through to your text, and murmured the majority before speaking at full volume: I picked NYC because the man who doesn’t love me isn’t there.”

“I know what I said Bryan.” 

“The implication is that I don’t love you. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

“Don’t you dare say it, Bryan!”

“I love you.”

You felt all the air get sucked out of your lungs. 

“Goddammit Bryan! You broke my heart!” You turned your back to him and roughly opened the fridge to grab something for yourself to drink. You used the tip of your nail to open the can of soda. “You think you can waltz in here on your bike, looking good…because damn, you do look so good… say these things and have me pretend like what happened never happened? You were an asshole!” You shout as you pivoted back to face him. And instead you came face to face with him. Your mind flashed back to your initial run-in with him – the start of everything. Your eyes welled with tears.

“I was.”

A tear escaped your eye. Bryan used the pad of his thumb to wipe it away and you bowed your head slightly, in near defeat.

“I think you love me too.” Bryan replied softly, cupping your chin to face him. “I feel fairly certain that there is still something between us. I know that you're angry. You have every right to be. I fucked up.”

You didn’t respond. 

“I miss you. I've missed you. You should know that. I lie in bed at night and I think about us, I think about all of our time together. I should have told you how I felt. How I feel.” Brian continued. 

You jutted your chin out of his grasp. “Don’t. You don’t get to do this to me.” You scanned your apartment. “I have to finish packing.”

You turned to move past Bryan, but he grabbed your wrist and pulled you flush against him.  You had a sense of déjà vu . The last time you were this physically close to Bryan, he kissed you hard and you smacked him in response. The kiss this time was deliberately soft. Bryan’s cologne overwhelmed your senses. You pressed yourself, leaning up to return the kiss. Bryan groaned as your tongue swirled around his and he wrapped his arms around your waist. It was so easy to get caught up into the kiss and to lose yourself in the passion.

You forced yourself to break the kiss. You looked up at Bryan, searching his green eyes. Tears streaked your cheeks. “I’m sorry Bryan. I can’t. I… just don’t know if I can trust you anymore. You treated me like shit for no reason.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Please.” Bryan near begged. “We can work this out. Please don’t leave. Give me a chance.” His voice cracked.

You shook your head. “No. I’ve got to move on. Please leave.”

Bryan’s face, once somber, turned stoic. He cleared his throat. “Fine. Good luck with the move.” His voice was clipped and inwardly you winced.

You walked Bryan out and shut the door behind him with a click. For good measure, you made sure to bolt the door. You watched him get on his motorcycle from your window and as he kicked it into gear, you burst into tears.

Because Bryan was right. You were in love with him.

--

Days later, the last of the movers had packed your boxes in their truck. You reached into your pocket and left your copy of the key on the breakfast bar. You checked your phone to make sure your boarding pass was loaded. It was and you used the opportunity to check into your flight.

There was a knock on the door. “Ms. Y/L/N?”

You jumped, startled. Turning around, you eyed the delivery man. “That is me. Can I help you?”

The delivery man smiled in relief. “Oh good. I managed to catch you before you left. I have a delivery from a Mr. Kneef.”

You frowned. “Okay. Let me get my wallet to tip you.”

“No need, already taken care of.” The delivery man replied. He set the bag on the breakfast bar, by your key. You wished him well and then turned to the small delivery bag.

In it, was a box of English toffee from Cora Lee. It was your favorite candy that only came around during firm victories. You wondered how he knew - but at the same time, it didn’t surprise you that he knew. In addition, there was a long red box from Cartier, which contained a delicate diamond tennis bracelet.

There was also a note. 

NYC is so lucky to have you.

Yours – always.

BK

--

Tags: @madpanda75​ @tropes-and-tales​ @delia26​ @mgarner1227​ @beardedmccoy​ @youreverycolor​ @neely1177​ @the-baby-bookworm​ @mrsrafaelbarba​ @skittle479​ @ottosuricato​ @delia26​ @sass-and-suspenders​ @mommakat32​ @dreila03​ @beccabarba​ @garturbo​ @lovebennycolon​ @imjustreallynosy​ @sweetsummertime99​ @whyissvuruiningmylovelife​ @annabelleb49​ @scarletsoldierrr​ @cesarofangirl78​ @redlipstickandplaid​ @redlipstickandblacktea​ @zoeykaytesmom​ @differentshadesofgray​ @misssirenlove​ @esparza-army​ @bananas-pajamas​ @mishaissocoolike @thefanficfaerie​ @theenchantedgalleryofstories​ @catnip987 @choppedgalaxynerd @pieceofshittytitty​ @ktiz90 @evee87​ @itsjustmyfantasyroom @blk0912 @detective-giggles​ @rampantmuses​ @jazzyjoi​ @caked-crusader​- anyone else, just ask!

[saveourskinship]

Thanks for the tag @thusatlas I’ve never done one of these. So

How many works do you have on AO3?

16 works, but if you count my collection of drabbles it is 42 (soon to be 61 once I finish updating my Ficlet Snack Pack.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

429863

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Harry Potter mostly, but when I was twelve I wrote Greek God fanfiction but it’s hard to tell what fanfic in that space. I mean, the masterpiece that is Lore Olympus isn’t exactly fanfic, right?

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) Transit of Venus

2) Curse of Fascinus

3) Her Curious Valentine’s

4) Are There Still Beautiful Things

5) Always Being Let Go

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do! Even if it’s just to thank someone and wish them a lovely day. I think the only comments I haven’t responded to are ones like ‘huh?’ or ‘eh?’. I can’t do much with those.

In a very gross way, comments are like laxatives. If you want more shit out of me, shove comments down my throat. My motivation will jump from toodle-doo to PHWOAR if anyone knows or understands what that means.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

The Alternate Ending (Tragic) to Transit of Venus.

Transit of Venus was already pretty angsty, but the people wanted to see the most harrowing of the five endings I wrote. So I put on my patent-pending Sob Through Anything glasses (eucalyptus on the nose grip, moisture wicking on the glass) and edited a Romeo + Juliet- style ending.

Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No, but I do write Easter Eggs. Though I do have a plunny to crossover Derry Girls with Harry Potter where the character of James is Harry being sent to Derry for his protection.

It is the only crossover I’ve ever dabbled in and the the couple pages I’ve written are utter madness so I don’t hold out hope I’ll ever publish it..

Oh, but do songfics count? Because then I have LOADS. Mostly Taylor Swift because folklore stole my soul.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes, my favourite was telling me the entire premise of Transit of Venus was stupid and I should have taken a leaf out of their country’s way of doing things to up population and given tracts of land to couples . Soo... colonialism with implications of people displacement and other more heinous consequences they found preferable to a soul spell.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do write smut. My favourite type of smut to write is romantic, sensual smut. I’m also very much looking forward to writing the smut for my crackfic.

I think my most favourite smut scene I’ve written though is in Her Curious Valentine’s where Theo reads really bad, gratuitous Dramione smut out loud in the company of both Draco and Hermione while they try and ignore him.

I laughed a lot writing that.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I honestly have no idea how I’d even check that. But probably not. I doubt anyone would want to take credit for anything I write.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but as an exercise to practice my Te Reo, I occasionally translate passages of my own.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Dramione. I ‘White Flag by Dido’ Dramione. I stan, simp, ship, fangirl and tresh Dramione. I refuse to feel guilt, only pleasure. Please don’t come for me Ronmione fans, I like Ron, okay? I’m just shit at writing him and just make him say, “Bloody hell!” all the time.

But also Theo with anyone, particularly Harry. Theo is my favourite character because he is almost 100% fanon. He epitomises the Harry Potter fanfic community for me so I have to love him forever and ever.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I’m writing a WIP called ‘The Madnesses of Men’ that details seven women’s relationships with the men in their life: The three Black sisters, Pansy, Luna, Ginny and Hermione. Each has a Seven Deadly Sin as the title of their chapter and each has a completely different writing style. Luna’s chapter is entirely poetry. Bellatrix is an exercise of insanity and a stream of consciousness. Narcissa’s is all letters to Andromeda that she never sent.

I would love to finish it because it is something very different for me but I’m struggling to find Pansy and Andromeda’s voices. Le sigh, maybe one day. (But let’s be honest, it’ll never happen.)

What are your writing strengths?

Humour - I have a knack for gargling up ridiculous scenarios when I’m brushing my teeth, giggling maniacally like a calcium-deficient vampire while frothing at the mouth with reckless abandon. I put these scenarios in my writing and it goes over well.

Angst - People tell them I make them cry and have been known to punch the heart’s out of people’s bodies so I thank them and wish them a nice day. I once exacerbated someone’s chronic pain condition (which I still feel soul-crushingly guilty about) and was asked to reiterate the ‘Heartbreak’ tag on a fic. I guess that means I’m good at it. Sorry again to that reader!

Trope Twists - My favourite thing to write are twists on tropes. I enjoy finding new ways to tell old stories. Stay tuned for my take on the ‘Unexpected Pregnancy’ theme coming soon.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Run-on sentences - I have a tendency to, more often than not, plug in far too many words which I think stems from some sort of childhood instinct that if I kept talking and talking then my sister won’t find out I drank all her juice and accidentally threw it back up on her favourite Skydancer.

Sticking to my plotting/theme - This has happened a lot. Incandescent was supposed to be a cottagecore, cute, fluffy romance Theomione. Now it is a sprawling space opera where Hermione has fought a god, has learned another version of herself will either save/destroy the entire world (not to mention Atlantis) and rescued a star after it was eaten by a black hole. Oh, and it takes place over one weekend.

The Absolute and Total Defeat of One Draco Malfoy had been fully plotted out for twenty-two chapters. It only took three for me to completely deviate. But it’s a crack fic, so it felt inevitable

The montage/transition pieces - I hate writing the banal parts between plot points. And I hate it because I’m really bad at it. I either skip over it too much or get bogged down in too many details.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I personally like reading dialogue in other languages. If used in a way that makes sense. Especially if the fic is set somewhere that doesn’t speak English, I like to learn a little of the setting’s language to immerse myself.

I tend to use use other languages sparingly in my own writing. Mostly because I don’t want to get it wrong and when I try, I end up in four hour long research holes of the best way to say ‘Hello’.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Ancient Greek mythology, I think. If it can be counted. Would that make ‘The Iliad’ or ‘The Odyssey’ fanfic? Oh gods, I’m going to obsess over this for days now.

What’s your favourite fic that you’ve written?

Transit of Venus because it taught me a lot, though I feel like I best nailed the setting I was going for in Are There Still Beautiful Things. The Absolute and Total Defeat of One Draco Malfoy always cheers me up.

But if I complete it and start posting (which I am DETERMINED to do, I WILL finish it before I start posting), I think my favourite will be my new WIP: What’s Owed When.

Tagging: @ohlenalena​ @megamegaturlte

[missorgana]

how fast the night changes

pairing: alex/willie, background julie/luke

fandom: julie and the phantoms

rating: general

word count: 2244

warning: swearing, referenced homophobia (very brief)

summary: "I think it's brilliant." Reggie tells him. "Brilliant?" Alex deadpans, "You think asking Domino's to send your cutest delivery guy is brilliant?" (an ‘everyone is alive’ AU, seen on this post)

(i am once again late to an event, but here’s my fic for @jatp-week! i really kinda mixed the prompts of day 2 and 3, but nevertheless, i found a cute and hilarious au and had to write it 💖 hope yall enjoy!!)

read on ao3

“I can’t write that, Luke!”

“Yes, you can, dude! Trust me.”

Alex hates his friends. So much.

Okay, no, they’re wonderful and crazy and planned him a birthday party, so maybe he can’t really hate them.

But they’re real close to the limit right now.

Because after much not so civil discussion of pizza toppings, they’re about to order, and suddenly Luke makes a turn back to the topic of Alex’s love life.

Sounds weird, he knows.

But Luke and Reggie, who he’s almost known since birth (well, in spirit, at least), have a minor obsession with setting him up with someone.

He’s always been admittedly socially awkward, so Alex knows the boys are doing it out of love, and they wouldn’t ever make him uncomfortable.

Well, intentionally, anyway. Their insistent wingmen roles suit them, while being perpetually annoying.

And Flynn loves to join in a bit too much for Alex’s liking.

Julie’s more indifferent to this topic of discussion, because she’s an angel. Credit for settling ninety percent of their squabbles goes directly to her, but since her and Luke finally started dating, they’ve been dragging her to their side.

Goddammit.

Alex is currently staring at his best friend in disbelief, and while their advice makes sense most of the time, this is just outrageous.

“I think it’s brilliant,” Reggie tells him from the bean bag, in possession of the tv remote, which he’s been zapping through movies with for an insane amount of time, “and can we order, already? I’m starving.”

Julie’s been an angel, once more, by hosting the surprise party for Alex. And he totally didn’t cry when they revealed themselves. Nope.

The boys hugged him, to the point of them all cuddling on the floor before the girls claimed their own Alex-time, and really, emotions everywhere.

This is also less than a month since Alex came out to them, and to be honest, it was the scariest thing he’s ever done.

That’s why he loves them so much. They’re the first people he’s ever told, not even his parents, and he’s not sure when he’ll do that.

Religion’s always been strict at home, and he’s pretty sure having an openly gay son might give his dad a heart attack.

Alex can’t bear the thought of rejection from his own family. He’s got a family here, though. And this is safety.

“Brilliant?” he deadpans, Reggie clearly not understanding the absolute embarrassment this could only result in, “You think asking Domino’s to send your cutest delivery guy is brilliant?”

His friend only replies with a wild gesture of arms.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree.” Flynn speaks up, and Julie shook her head with a smile.

“I wouldn’t call it brilliant,” she adds, just about saving Alex’s heart, until, “but I kinda wanna see who they send.”

“Julie!”

“What?!”

“Forget it, drummer boy! She’s on our side!”

The boys laugh, and my God, they’re the worst. He can’t be mad at these idiots, which is why he simply rubs his temples. No additional notes, then.

“Okay, so, if we forget that and everyone’s happy with that many toppings, then-” and really, Alex is mere seconds from the pay button, till his phone is grabbed from his hands too quickly for him to react.

Luke is the absolute worst.

“Hey! Give it back!” he really tries, really, jumping towards his best friend, who laughs, with Flynn eagerly holding him back, “Don’t you dare, Luke!”

“Dare what?” he replies innocently, and suddenly, his phone is back, and a white screen tells him Thanks for your order.

So not only did his stupid romantic of a friend write exactly the note he protested against, but as if it weren’t enough, he added a winky smiley, too.

Alex is done with wingmen, done with love. Nope, never doing that. Ever.

Except it’s done now, and they all got a smug expression on their faces, except Julie, of course, with her apologetic eyes, and man, he just wants to hide forever.

He’s giving Luke his best stink eye, which he has too much puppy eyes to do, Flynn told him, and his friend rubs his shoulders assuringly, “Alex, what’s the worst that could happen? Either you get the cute guy’s number, or if he’s not cool, you’ll play it off as a prank, or something.”

Alex just shakes his head.

And Reggie’s stopped zapping, landing on The Empire Strikes Back, like he hasn’t seen it about 300 times before.

“I hate you.” he tells them simply.

Reggie grins like an asshole from the beanbag, “You could never.”

It’s especially annoying because he’s sort of right. And really, it’s not like Alex can turn back time now, so even though he’ll definitely get them back for this, somehow, there’s not much else to do than wait.

Fifteen minutes pass by where Luke and Julie hog the couch to themselves, Yoda’s hitting R2D2 with a stick, and Flynn obsesses over just how many different snacks they need.

Reggie decides to abandon the bean bag, too, and rest his head on Alex’s shoulder instead, so maybe it makes it all okay.

And so when twenty minutes have gone by along with throwing popcorn at the television, and Alex intensely quizzing Julie on what kind of birthday cake they got him, the doorbell rings, and the living room bursts into a tantrum.

His friends jump all around him, because of course, they want him to answer the door, which he’s refusing, but they seem too excited to listen when this ridiculous plan of theirs is reaching its peak.

Luke’s holding his shoulders again, “Answer it!”

“I mean, this is technically Julie’s house-” Reggie manages, surprisingly, but Flynn looks at him with disapproval, “Don’t switch sides now, man!”

But Alex is already at the door, suddenly, somehow, in the midst of the discussion.

He doesn’t really see the point in protesting now, anyway, and Julie pinches Luke’s side, redeeming her in his heart. Also, he can’t help touching his hair, cause that’s what happens when he’s nervous.

“I promise, Alex, you’ll be fine!” she looks excited too, but like, secretly.

They all nod in unison, too, dorks.

And so he mentally prepares himself for possibly the most awkward experience in his life. Dramatic, he knows, but seriously, will this exchange be anything other than painful? He doubts it.

Is it too much to hope for, that the delivery guy doesn’t see the notes? Maybe it’s just the boss who handles the orders, yeah, that’s not impossible. Right?

But as much as Alex is prepared for the embarrassing conversation ahead, he’s certainly, in no way prepared, as it turns out, for seeing who’s standing on the other side of the door.

The delivery guy. Well, obviously, stupid brain, but listen.

Alex is met with the cutest guy he’s ever seen. And he’s met a lot of cute guys, albeit they’re all in the same small town, but come on.

In short, let’s say Domino’s delivered more than they asked for.

And uh, yes, Alex realises the irony. Reggie would love that joke, he thinks to himself, hysterically, actually.

So, said delivery guy standing in front of him is a bit shorter, and, of course, he’s wearing uniform, cap and winter jacket, in this god forbidden weather, but he notices the strands of dark hair framing his face immediately.

And the red, dangling earring on his right ear. And his cheekbones, oh my god.

There’s no way he’ll tell his friends any of that once this is over.

Said friends are snickering in the background, by the way, or well, Reggie is, anyway. He prays they’ve moved slightly behind the door, or turned back to the couch, or anywhere out of sight.

“Hey, man!” the shorter boy says, while Alex is suffering an internal breakdown, “It’s, uh, 10 pizzas for ya, right?”

And so he nods tight lipped as an answer, because honestly, he’s not sure he’s capable of forming words right now. As if he wasn’t already embarrassed enough. Super mega cute delivery guy lifts an eyebrow, just enough that it’s noticeable, but he doesn’t voice whatever thoughts passed his mind.

Bless him.

That is, until Alex gets all the cash out (with a tip, hopefully making his shift a bit more bearable, when he has to deal with something like this), and he suddenly asks, “So, am I alright?”

Alex thinks his brain might have an immediate shut down. “What?” he sputters, and his voice totally doesn't squeak, shut up.

Cute delivery guy giggles. That’s just not fair, is it?

“Am I cute enough, I mean.”

That- oh my god. First of all, said boy doesn’t look tired, or annoying, or weirded out, judging by his expression.

Second of all, he looks to the ground for a second, but really, his posture is all confidence. Except he bites his lip, which gives Alex a headache.

“I, uh…” he starts, like he actually knows to finish the sentence, “Sorry, uhm. My friends. They’re ridiculous.”

“Oh.”

Alex expects more, but he doesn’t continue.

Is his mind playing games with him, or does cute delivery guy actually look… disappointed?

No, that can’t be right. He can’t be flattered by a customer note, which, by the way, did the boss decide who to send? Did the Domino’s delivery, or whatever, have a collective vote?

Alex truly doesn’t understand the chaos his friends get him into, sometimes.

He has to admit, it’s not half bad, given that he’s getting food and looking at a cute guy. And actually talking to him. That’s a first.

So, not having much time to weigh his options, he gives the shorter boy the money and tries his hand with damage control, “I mean, uhm, it’s my birthday. Sorry, my friends are obsessed with setting me up with someone, so here we are. I-I’m so sorry, I… and they! Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Super mega cute delivery guy nods along with Alex’s anxious spiel.

And then he smiles, but somehow it looks less like a customer service smile, and more like… a real one? Warmer. He doesn’t really know.

Alex is an absolute wreck, so he’s scared to get his hopes up. Cute guy still thinks he’s a weirdo, probably. More so now.

“Seriously, don’t worry man.” he answers, in what Alex feels is an eternity later, “And happy birthday! Damn, you should’ve put that in the order. We got specials.”

And fuck, he’s so cute. Almost looks genuinely excited, and so he can’t help but giggle. Nervously. It’s the Alex way, as Flynn says.

“Thanks.” he tells him, and he hopes to God he isn’t blushing right now.

The guys will never let him forget this day, he’s sure.

Transaction’s pretty much straightforward then, and his dork friends actually show themselves and help get the pizzas (and three soda sixpacks, seriously, Luke?) into the living room.

Reggie elbows him with a smirk, too, the idiot.

Thing is, that’s out of the way too, and there’s pretty much zero reason for super mega cute delivery guy to be here anymore. His scooter certainly doesn’t look empty of goods just yet.

Yet, he lingers. 

Only for a few seconds, before he catches Alex completely off guard with another question, “So, you don’t want a cute delivery guy?”

There’s no way in hell he isn’t blushing right now, holy shit.

It just makes Alex feel even more like a puddle of goo, because the shorter boy bites his lip again.

And because his mouth is even more stupid than his nerves, “I, uh, I-I mean… Yes. Well, I got one.” blurts out before he can stop it.

This leads to super mega cute delivery guy raising his brows, putting his hands in his pockets, and putting a stupid grin on his face.

Alex is so lost so quick, oh my god.

“You think I’m cute?” he asks, almost sounding surprised, which is possibly the most ridiculous thing tonight, because look at him!

He can’t help looking at his feet, because surely, he must be blushing beyond belief. And the shorter boy tilts his head just a bit, not losing eye contact completely.

Seriously, can he stop being this cute? Alex might just combust soon.

“I mean… obviously.” he tries, shrugging and fixing his hair, “I, well, Domino’s certainly delivered. Oh my god, uh, that’s just terrible. I’m so sorry.”

When Alex finally straightens up again, super mega cute delivery guy smiles at him, exposing his dimples, and that just makes him feel even more things. If that was even possible right now.

“You’re adorable.”

Okay, now, what is actually going on.

He blinks rapidly, like this is a figment of his imagination that’ll disappear in front of him, except the shorter boy grabs the receipt and scribbles something.

And he sticks his tongue out a little bit when writing, like there wasn’t enough cute things about him already, fucking hell.

Next thing Alex knows, he’s handed the slip of paper again, with something at the top that looks quite a lot like a phone number.

Cutest delivery guy, he had signed it off.

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.

“Name’s Willie, by the way,” super mega cute delivery tells him, ultimately turning back to the long awaiting red scooter, butnot without a wink that totally didn’t make Alex’s knees wobble.

“See ya, birthday boy!”

[drunklander]

Drunj!Der Yells About Outlander

Thoughts on Ep. 501

We’re back again for another season of men never having to demonstrate any personal growth on screen because the writers don’t feel like that’s important to show and instead force the audience to just forget everything that previously happened because look! The characters, who aren’t real and are just what we write them to be, are all cool now so why aren’t you? #BadFans

As a standalone episode/series premiere of a new show, this episode was really good! I enjoyed it a lot, with some obvious exceptions. As the season five premiere of a show with a long history? What the actual fuck, why do you keep doing this, writers?

In season one, Jamie beats Claire, never actually apologizes for it, and we’re expected to be like oh lol it’s cool now. No worries.

In season two, Jamie takes his pants off with some prostitutes while his pregnant wife is at home, blames it on his “mission,” and we’re expected to be like oh lol it’s cool now. No worries.

In season three, Jamie is an asshole and a half to Claire when she gives up literally everything (including their daughter) to come find him and knowingly marries the woman who tried to have Claire killed because of one dance with random children at a holiday party, and we’re expected to be like oh lol it’s cool now. No worries.

In season four, Roger is a rancid garbage heap to Bree all season and is only begrudgingly down to stay with her as if *he’s* the one who’s been wronged by her, and Jamie literally sends a guy into what he thinks is like certain death/slavery without getting any real information, and we’re expected to be like oh lol it’s cool now. No worries.

So watching this premiere, I was not at all shocked that there was a convenient time jump where everything was so handily worked out off screen and we’re all super cool now, and Jamie thinking Roger isn’t good enough for Bree is played for a joke instead of being THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. #BreeDeservesBetter

Anywho, onward under the cut because I’m back on my drunken bullshit.

Ooo, a rape warning before the episode, starting off very on brand for you I see, show.

Fuck them very much, again, for including that very unnecessary story line in the first place.

I miss Scotland, y’all. Also, young Murtz can get ittt.

So can old Murtz.

#TeamMurtz

This bit though with wee Jamie made me feel feelings. Jamie and Murtagh’s relationship is literally one of my favorite parts of this whole damn show and saving Murtagh was the best adaptive choice these fuckwads made.

Unpopular opinion alert, but I actually really like the new credits music. I will always like season one’s the best, but this one is up there.

Also, am I a giant weirdo for being happy that even though they change stuff in the credits all the time, they keep in the shot of Claire’s legs running from the pilot? Idk why, but I’m like sentimentally attached to that shot.

Also, that is a fucking microscope I see in the credits, are we gettING SCIENCE!JIZZ?!??!?!?!

SCIENCE!JIZZ! SCIENCE!JIZZ! SCIENCE!JIZZ!

“Careful, or ye’ll lose yer head.” And we’d all be definitely super sad if that happened. Yep, can’t have that. #TeamCutthroatRazor

Jamie threateningly shaving and insulting Roger is the fandom minus the stans who for some inconceivable reason still like that fucker.

Seriously, fuck Roger. Jamie is apparently the only one who hasn’t gotten amnesia about how terrible he is. I guess it’s because Jamie has been really fucking terrible many times and like recognizes like.

I fucking love that Murtz made Bree’s ring. Makes it more meaningful than the random trinket Roger picks up at the Gathering Without End in the book. Like Claire’s Lallybroch key ring was more meaningful than the book!ring. Fuck the show for ditching the Lallybroch key ring because tHe BoOk RiNg Is WhAt FaNs LiKe. No. Stop. Bad choice.

The aerial shot going over the big house makes me hopeful that this season won’t be as fucking claustrophobic as last year. Because seriously, we can all tell you’re still in Scotland. Doing a whole season in basically closeups doesn’t make it seem any more North Carolina-y.

CLAIRE MAKING BREE’S DRESS AND GETTING TO BE THERE FOR HER DAUGHTER’S WEDDING WHEN SHE DIDN’T THINK SHE’D BE ABLE TO GIVES ME ALL THE FEELINGS! CLAIRE DESERVES ALL THE GOOD THINGS! I JUST LOVE CLAIRE A LOT OK! SORRY NOT AT ALL EVER FUCKING SORRY! #BeauchampBrigade5Eva

Bree’s dress is fucking gorgeous. I lowkey like it better than Claire’s.

Da!Jamie on his something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue quest is fucking adorable. He also never thought he’d get to see this one of his kids’ wedding so yay for him too.

“And we’re giving her away to a man who loves her.” “Oh.” “What? You doubt his love?” “Um, I’m sorry, did you SEE all last season?! Did everyone else get amnesia?!”

Also, bullshit about Roger being terrible aside, this right here, with Jamie and Claire actually talking to each other in an adorable and snuggly way. Like being all close and cuddly and shit. THIS IS MY SHIT. When we all bitch about wanting more Jamie and Claire couple stuff and the writers are all like “but the sex doesn’t advance the story” it’s like no you fuckwits, we don’t always mean sex! Sometimes we mean sex, because sex is important in their relationship (and sex does not necessarily equal nudity), but most of the time we mean SHOW US THAT THESE PEOPLE LOVE EACH OTHER WITH THE SMALL CUTE STUFF LIKE THIS! I’m *rull* curious to see how much more of stuff like this we get this season now that Balfe and Heughan are producers. Balfe especially, considering how dirty they did Claire last season...

DA!JAMIE AND ANOTHER OF HIS KIDDOS! Da!Jamie being sappy and sentimental at his kids’ weddings is 100% my jam.

HIS FACE WHEN BREE SAYS JE SUIS PREST MAKES ME FEEL ALL THE FEELINGSSS.

MOM AND DAD ARE AT THEIR LIL GIRL’S WEDDING AND MY SKIN IS CLEAR AND MY CROPS ARE THRIVING. Except that one weed over there in the groom’s place that just won’t go away.

I am so fucking glad they did away with the Gathering Without End. I swear to fuck 17% of a book that’s just like camping and periods and breast milk is aggressively not my jam.

Unfortunately the groom being a douchenozzle is not a legal reason to object to a wedding. But it really should be.

Fersali being all snuggly and cute during the vows is fucking precious. I love Fersali. Protect Fersali at all costs.

I’m ok with playing Jamie and Claire’s music over Bree and Roger’s wedding because like, this is the culmination of all the shit that Jamie and Claire went through together and I’m all for making stuff just about them, haha. But otherwise, weird choice to not give Bree and Roger their own theme?

Also, I get that it’s a better choice to have a character we already know and have established stakes with be here to do the red coat stuff, but loool at the thought of the fucking governor coming to this random backcountry wedding. Tryon, buddy, I get that Murtz is your white whale, but you look obsessed in a bad way, bruh.

GERMAIN!!! I FUCKING LOVE GERMAIN! I FUCKING LOVE THAT JAMIE TALKS SHIT ABOUT PRESBYTERIANS TO GERMAIN! GIVE ME ALL THE SASSY SMOLS!

“Some of us like to think before we act.” Oh fuck all the way off, Roger. ALL THE WAY OFF.

“There was me thinking that you were just trying to shut me up for a minute.” I mean, that was an added bonus, Rog.

Sophie has really gotten so much better at acting. She’s always such a goddamn delight on press tours and I’m like *rull* glad to see her growing into the role.

Lizzo/Flute Lady from the Wedding Band 2020

I 100% wanna chill with JQM and Fersali. This squad of cool kids seems aggressively more fun than the dancers.

Oh Isiah Morton. If only you could keep it in your pants.

I LOVE FERGUS WITH MY WHOLE HEART.

I LOVE MARSALI POSSIBLY EVEN MORE.

GODDAMN IT I JUST LOVE FERSALI SO FUCKING HARD.

Seriously, the sass and theatricality and sarcasm of Marsali Fraser. I stan. I fucking stan.

Also I 100% kept reciting “To sit in solemn silence...” through that whole scene. Once a theater kid, always a theater kid.

Don’t be a buzzkill, LJG. I love that posh nerd. Except when he’s being a fucking creeper about Jamie to Claire.

“Mistress, can I dance with the guy I thought raped you because he was such a twatwaffle?” “Sure, Lizzie, go for it! Because we’re all friends now.”

We’re just leaning in on the dad stuff this episode. The hot dads of Riverdale should form a gang with the hot dads of the Ridge just for kicks.

Obligatory fuck the writers for including Bree’s rape. Since they did though, good on them for showing her PTSD. Although fuck them for including such a graphic flashback. Much like the choices they made in the season one finale, it centers the rapist and the act more than the survivor.

Can this please be the only Fred reference this season? Also love to lightly joke about an emotionally abusive asshole who treated Claire like shit and used Bree as a weapon against her. Claire, being the bigger person she’s always been, will obvs not speak ill of Fred to Bree (unlike how Freddy boy undermined Claire in front of Bree), but Bree is now aware of just how shitty Fred was. Even if he wasn’t overtly shitty to her, her still being all lovey about him, knowing what he did to her mother, is lowkey super fucked up. “Well I know he was shitty to other people, but he never did anything to me” is never a good look.

Bree hugging Jemmy, oh man, I just wanna give her a hug and tell her everything’s gonna be ok.

Jocasta is still trash (there’s no such thing as a benevolent slave owner) but this Murcasta scene is a goddamn delight.

OK BUT NOW I NEED FAN ART OF MURTZ AS A FAIRY KING!

Roger singing to Bree is cute and all, but then using the music for the whole montage is cheesy af and I don’t think I like it.

Is that Arch and Murdina I spy there in the crowd?

Marsali is literally the most fertile woman in the Colonies.

Grannie and Granda trying to get it on veryyy quietly so they don’t wake Jemmy is fucking adorable as shit and I lowkey love it.

Awww, poor LJG. I ship Lord John with someone who actually loves him.

Ok I get Murcasta having to break up because of his regulator stuff, randomly introducing Duncan Innes is a fucking weird choice.

Maria Doyle Kennedy really was the fucking perfect casting choice.

Oh hey, Josiah Beardsley. I was hoping they’d cut out the whole thing with the Beardsleys and Lizzie, but honestly, I’ll take that silliness over Emo!Roger any day.

Good on Jocasta for being a clever MacKenzie, but fuck Roger for only doing the right thing when he’s insulted into it. TL;DR: Fuck Roger.

Is Gerald Forbes going to randomly turn into Neil Forbes at some point like he does in the book?

DOCTOR CLAIRE FOR THE WIN GIVE ME ALL THE DOCTOR CLAIRE.

Srsly, I am here for Jamie shitting on Roger at literally every opportunity. Preach, Jamie. Preach.

“I’ll leave you to yer patients. And to wage war with your wee invisible beasties.” Seriously though, this is my jam. This playful banter. For so much of the series, it’s been like do these two even like each other? Because the writers kept trying to make the show into something it wasn’t. Politics, war, characterization flipflops and assholery FoR tHe DrAmA. It was so hard to see why Claire would ever pick this guy. I’m very cautiously optimistic that more shit like this will be peppered in this year because dammit, this is why we’re all fucking here.

“Then ye must find yerself a lieutenant.” Can it be Marsali? Please? Can Marsali be Claire’s lieutenant?! Because cutting the whole Malva bullshit would be ideal. And Fersali gets so sidelined in the later books that I’d fucking LOVE the writers to make changes so they can be more centered with the rest of the fam. And I am fucking obsessed with Claire and Marsali’s relationship. Marsali is the most Claire Jr. character in this whole damn show and I WANT THEM TOGETHER IN FRONT OF MY EYEBALLS.

Roger pricks his index finger but smudges the blood on Jemmy’s head with his thumb. Not the takeaway of this scene at all. But since I don’t like Roger, that’s my bullet for it.

Also I love that they switched the whole raise a militia thing to a hunt for Murtz & Squad rather than needing to do it because some randos are somewhere doing a thing and then lol jk they left so you can all go home like it is in the book.

Totally called it that they were going to combine the two bonfires and that this was when the kilt was gonna make its triumphant return.

Also I fucking love that it’s the music from Je Suis Prest during the scene when Jamie puts his kilt back on.

And thank fuck they didn’t put any dialogue/voiceover in this scene when Claire sees Jamie. It’s so much more powerful without it.

Aaand we’re burning a cross. At least they were smart enough not to burn a Roman cross, but they’re still burning a cross instead of just doing a bonfire. The scene could be just as powerful had it been adapted to not have a burning cross. Fuck them, tbh.

Remember that time that fuckwit Roberts tried to be like oh we’re not *really* burning a cross so we’re not racist but we’re not gonna address it directly because lol out fanbase is fucking wicked conservative and also a fucking cult who will yell at us for changing anything.

Because seriously that twatwaffle really tried to pretend like a celtic cross isn’t a religious symbol so they’re not having a KKK rally in this white supremacist hellscape. FUCK THAT GUY FOR BOTH HIS SHITTY DECISIONS AND ALSO FOR ACTING LIKE WE’RE ALL FUCKING IDIOTS.

BuT hIsToRy AnD tHe BoOk! Fuck that. Do. Not. Burn. Crosses. But they showed a lynching last year for the sole purpose of showing the shocked white people, so of course they fucking burned a cross.

Jamie being both himself and Colum from the Gathering in season one at the same time is a fucking sight to see.

The look on Knox’s face is *chef’s kiss*. Bruh you don’t even *know* who you’re dealing with.

Aaand in a move that is not at all shocking, Roger hesitates *again*, when Jamie extends his hand to him. Fuck, and I cannot stress this enough, that guy. I get that he’s untrained and scared or whatever, but buddy you deal with that shit tomorrow. You don’t fucking leave Jamie hanging when he’s doing this big theatrical thing in an effort to fucking save his land and tenants. Ugh.

FERGUS, SON OF HIS NAME AND HIS HEART! Jamie and Claire’s first kid getting the props he fucking deserves. ILY SO MUCH FERGS!

Marsali’s face when Fergus goes to give his oath. Just the pride and love there. I JUST LOVE THEM SO FUCKING MUCH OK.

I appreciate the commitment to the shitty green screen of that titular Ridge, haha.

That is a *rull* phallic rock in your circle, Murtz.

BUT...ALWAYS TAKE A MURTAGH! *cries*

This is a real gut punch of a scene, tbh. It’s 100% the right thing to do, but damn, right in the fucking feels.

This episode, with my selective amnesia activated per the above lol, has me more hopeful for how a season might be than I’ve been in a while. But this feeling has consistently been crushed in the past. Here’s to hoping the show finally stops doing us dirty!

[horizonwitch]

The Archangel Theory - A Possible Explanation to MCR's new symbolism

Hello! This is a very long post, but I hope it’s worth the reading. Sorry.

I am Nana, and today I bring you a fan-theory on the meaning behind MyChem's symbols presented to us in the occasion of the band's return announcement and later on, at the actual reunion concert day.

First Considerations:

1. being it, as the title implies, a fan-theory, I do not claim any of the exposed to be factual when associated to MCR. I bring this thread to you guys in hopes that we can discuss, expand, teach and learn with each other, and maybe come to some sort of conclusion. Riddles are fun to play, especially together. I love riddles in fandom experience. :)

2. I highly apologize for my limited vocabulary and weird phrasing. I am not a native english speaker, but I'll try my best to make this understandable to everyone;

3. Despite my personal beliefs and stupid jokes, I mean no disrespect to any religion or symbol mentioned in here. (just as much as I believe MyChem also doesn't, on the wild possibility of this thread being on point with what they planned, lol).

That being said, before we start, I have some thanks to give:

this theory was only put together thanks to my lovely mychem group chat, composed by Raffs, Clara, Caroline and Hana. thanks for all the time and effort we shared, and for holding my brain with your bare hands when it was about to melt, friends.

Also thanks to Frank Iero himself, for laughing at me on twitter for me not being able to understand the reunion clues, despite "wearing a California 2019 shirt for 6 years". I humbly accept the possibility of this theory having nothing to do with the truth, but I sure hope I can laugh back at you in the end, rat. I love you.

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

Now, let's finally head to The Archangel Theory, or, as I like to call it, The “If We're Not Careful We'll Turn Into Catholics” Theory, and how it all started.

It was Halloween. Everyone here was minding their own damn business (I was being a clown on twitter, Hana was putting on her badass revenge-themed makeup. You know, the usual). And we all know what happened: MCR raised gracefully from the dead, dropping brand new symbolism and a stunning angel image to our poor panicked hearts. A few days later, when Hana’s crying ruined makeup was long gone and everyone calmed the F down a little bit, people started to ask themselves: okay, cool, but what does it mean?

Like many of you, the first thought that crossed my mind was tarot. Because, well, how f-ing cool would it be, right? I draw tarot everyday. I just loved the idea. Mychem posting a latin countdown with some eerie photo was just… yea, I was very excited with this.

Many of us also associated the symbols with past albums and even with the members themselves. All of these theories are very valid to me, and I loved reading them. I agree with many points raised.

Well, everything was fine (as fine as it could be, because I am so damn curious). The Return concert happened at the faithful date of December 20, California. We all freaked out and enjoyed the noble services’ of days_fate and diet_shampoo’s streaming. All that jazz.

But then: well… another angel. I started to think to myself: is this a pattern? The show ends, we get very emotional, everything is okay (i hate this pun) with the world. Frank Iero makes a post-concert post on instagram, talking about how everything was pure Magick. With a K.

For those unfamiliar, this is an occultist term related to Aleister Crowley’s Thelema, to differentiate the religious concept from the “stage magic” that we are used to. A very carefully picked name that I highly doubt someone would drop around without knowing what it implies.... Don’t even start me with the K and C keys being so damn far away from each other on a keyboard.

At this point me and my groupchat were starting to be very done with Frank’s clownery (we indeed love him very much for that), and so we started to hurt our minds every single day since then. that’s the result:

THE ARCHANGEL THEORY

Let’s Return™ to the basics: angels and, probably, tarot.

Funny enough, there are actually angels in tarot cards. There are many types of decks, but for this we are using the most famous one, which most people believe holds ancient symbolism, The Rider-Waite Tarot.

There are many angels and archangels mentioned in the Bible (only a few by name, tho), but only four of them made it into being represented in tarot cards: Uriel, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Let’s get the gang together and meet the holy crew (please, forgive me for the puns).

Uriel:

whose name means “the light of god”, “the flame of god”. It’s the Wise Angel, often pictured as the one who holds books and scrolls and bears holy knowledge and understanding. or Clarity, if you will. They’re sort of the goth one™, associated with the Tartarus and being pictured as pitiless as any demon would; even holding the key to Hell during the end of times, Uriel is described as the angel who watches “over thunder and terror”. Uriel is sometimes even mistaken for a demon (apparently, the eastern catholicism accepts Uriel identity as an archangel, while the western catholicism gives more credit to its dark side, and does not encourage worshiping); this duality comes from the notion that very often, enlightenment may be the end result of dark times. Every archangel has many, I said MANY symbols attached to them, so other elements associated with this angel can be found on the image attached to this post.

About Uriel’s Tarot Card: if you were raised in a catholic family and slept through as much catechism as I did as a kid, maybe you’ll be surprised to know that Lucifer, Satan and Uriel are all different beings. Let it be a lesson: no matter how edgy of a teen you are, please accept knowledge from any possible source. Putting this thread together would’ve been so easier to me now if I did, haha... That being said, our angel Uriel is actually the Devil in the Devil Tarot card, which meaning touches on addiction, obsession, feeling imprisoned or restrained, but it being only an illusion of powerlessness. This card is an invitation to free yourself, fight distractions and temptation, and finally fulfill your destiny. Please, consider that tarot readings are very deep and variable; there’s extensive books only on tarot meaning, so I won’t explore much on each card. that’s just a very general notion.

Some sources also consider Uriel to be the responsible for the change represented in the Death card, despite not being directly pictured in such card. As stated before, Uriel is associated with the concept Death brings, being a turning point, and ending route.

The symbolism presented in the Devil card (as for the Rider-Waiter deck):

“At the foot of the Devil stand a man and a woman, both naked and chained to the podium on which the Devil sits. They appear to be held here against their will – but look closer, and you will notice that the chains around their necks are loose and could be easily removed. Each has small horns on their head, like the devil’s, a sign that they are becoming increasingly like him the longer they stay here. Both have tails, a further symbol of their animalistic tendencies and raw instincts, and the grapes and the fire on their respective tails signify pleasure and lust.”

Poor people. If only they knew better. A lil bit of Clarity, huh?

That’s it for MCR’s clarity symbol, conveniently shaped as a candle.

Michael:

whose name means “who is like god” (being it a rhetorical question, to mean that no one equals to God). It’s the Protector Angel. They’re the leader of angels in the battle against demons, Defender of God’s realm against Satan in the Book of Revelation. Michael is a warrior, and is often seem with the sword in hand, to allure to the idea of bravery. They’re described as the angel of strength, protection and Courage.

About Michael’s Tarot Card: Michael appears on the major arcana Temperance. In fact, even the name “Temperance” comes from the process of refining and strengthening materials in metallurgy. this one likes swords a lot, huh. That’s a card which meaning touches on patience and prudence. It means already having a clear vision and knowing what you want to achieve. Now It’s all about thinking before action, and accepting the balance of things, blending the opposites to achieve an ideal solution. Apparently a very suited card for a warrior of faith. Prepare yourself: in my research, I’ve found a source that associates this card with the color blue (the very same of the archangel) and the musical note G. Yes, the universe has a strange sense of humor.

The symbolism presented in the Temperance card: “The vessels in the angel’s hands represent the vessel that contains eternal life. The flowers are Irises symbolising the goddess Iris who links God to humanity. Iris travels from one end of the world to another, into the depth of the sea and the underworld. The angel’s feet, one on land and one in water, symbolise the unification of the external and internal, conscious and subconscious. It also represents testing the waters before jumping into the unknown. The red wings on the angel represent blood which symbolizes life. The sun conceals a crown which represents a connection to higher power. The triangle on the angel’s dress is an equilateral triangle and symbolise spirit, divinity, fire, life, prosperity, and harmony. It can also symbolise God and the holy trinity. The square outside the triangle represents protection and stability.”

The MCR symbol for Courage is a drop. is it a drop of blood? for an warrior angel and their endless battles on God’s behalf? Of water, the waters of unknown? The water of balance of life? I don’t know.

When Michael / was a young genderless being,/ their father…

Gabriel:

whose name means “strength of god”. It’s the Messenger Angel; Gabriel is often portrayed playing the trumpet, to make announcements of God’s will. (many angels play the trumpets on Revelations book,, but Gabriel seems to be the most intimately attached to this concept). In the hierarchy of angels, Gabriel seems to occupy a very high position, being knows as the “Left Hand of God” (our Michael aforementioned being the Right-hand angel).

Their famous appearances on the Bible includes appearing to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary, foretelling the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. Islam also has Gabriel appearing for many prophets, telling them the divine plans. In a way, all those messages are basically callings to a higher purpose, a proof of faith, a personal Sacrifice. This idea is reiterated by the symbolism of Gabriel’s tarot card.

Gabriel is also one of the Angels of Death (depending on the religious we are speaking about, there are over 14 different angels with this role). Not in a dark way, their role is to comfort and bring peace to the deceased, guiding them into the light. Gabriel is therefore an angel of mercy, redemption achieved through a proof of faith (often a self-sacrifice, of any nature), after a fair judgement. speaking of which…

About Gabriel’s tarot card: Gabriel appears on the major arcana Judgement, which meaning touches on taking responsibility for your actions, speaking the truth. It’s a beginning/ending type of card, but a different kind of change than the one represented on one of Uriel’s card, Death. While Death brings something unstoppable, more powerful than anyone’s options, Judgement usually portraits something you can actually choose to take part in. But it also your responsibility any consequences of not taking this step. A fair judgement, indeed.

The Symbolism presented in the Judgement card: “The angel with the Trumpet could be a reference to the angels and the seven trumpets in Revelation, bringing apocalypse and resurrection. The white banner with the red cross can be St. George Flag, and a reference to Saint George gives Judgement the symbolism of sacrifice done in the name of our faith. Both the flag and the trumpet are military symbols of authority. A man, a woman and a child are being called from the tomb of ego consciousness. The three people are reflected on the other side of the river, another symbol of the soul’s victory over death. The three people are also a symbol of the three pillars of the tree of life. The man and the woman has changed side from the familiar feminine on the left and masculine on the right. In Judgement it is the other way around. Perhaps it is to unify us and to tell us to look at a situation from a different perspective, from within. You are seeing the pillars from the Angel’s perspective. This symbolises to raise your thinking and ask for Divine Perspective. The mountains represent the structure that surrounds us all.”

Calling all units! Time for the ultimate vibe check.

I guess that’s it for our third MCR symbol, Sacrifice, shaped as hand. Is it a left hand, just like one of Gabriel’s titles? that would be interesting.

But not so fast.

Now we come to an interesting point. Gabriel is the first of our angels to have a sculpture used by My Chem. :) It’s actually endearing how, if this assumption is correct, they chose the messenger archangel to bring the good news: mcr is alive!

About Gabriel’s sculpture: our Return angel, as some of us already know by this point, is actually a piece called “Angelo e Alma”, by italian artist Pasquale Rizzoli. It is located on Cella Magnani, a memorial chapel of the Magnani family, inside Certosa di Bologna, which is a very antique monastery, later transformed on a monumental cemetery for many italian families. You can take a look here, it’s stunningly beautiful.

Finished in 1906, this piece was a commission by the widow of a war veteran called Natale Magnani, who apparently died young. As far as I understand written italian, since I speak portuguese (latin languages perks, yey!), it’s still difficult to me to do further research on this family. Being it an old, traditional italian family, there’s tons of Magnanis, but there’s little to no info on Natale or his wife’s lives on the internet, it seems. If you’re italian and have any info about this, please comment. It can actually be relevant to this thread.

This sculpture portraits an angel ascending to heavens, guiding a soul (represented as a woman in a long dress). There’s rose branches and lilies at the feet of both the angel and the soul, as they fly together. These flowers pay homage to Magnani’s family blazon, as stated by the Storia i Memoria di Bologna Project website, that also offers on their site a brief explanation on the meaning behind the many other plants on this piece. they all basically allure to death, sleep, and resurrection. you can check it out here.

The presented symbolism, being an angel appearing to a soul in their travel to the spiritual realm, and even the flowers used, lead me to conclude that this sculpture very likely pictures our Archangel Gabriel, in their judgement roles again.

Now, our holy rpg party already has a mage, a paladin and a bard. It’s time to introduce the most underappreciated (and my personal favorite) class:

Raphael:

whose name means “God heals”. Raphael is the angel for healing, thus making ‘whole’ everything that has been broken. They’re also a patron for lovers, role that he plays by using his healing powers in a non-literal way. Pay attention to the “fixing the broken and making it a whole again” part, that’s the connotation.

Both of these titles come from the roles Raphael played, depicted on the scriptures: the most famous ones being when Raphael was sent by the Lord to heal Tobit of his blindness and to deliver Sarah, his future daughter-in-law, from the demon Asmodeus, who killed every man she married on their wedding night before the marriage could be consummated.

Another famous role commonly related to Raphael is about the Pool of Bethesda. Despite not being mentioned by name, manuscripts of John 5:1–4 describe an angel that blessed this pool, healing the illness of those who touched its waters:

"an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under". It’s usually given credit to Raphael for this action, since they’re seem using healing power to fulfill God’s will in many occasions through the Bible.

About Raphael’s Tarot card: Raphael appears on the major arcana The Lovers, as the angel blessing the couple depicted. This is a card about romantic, even sexual, attraction, but not purely that. It’s about finding peace within yourself, and in someone else, about the journey to pick “the one” for you. Making a whole out of two halves is a common concept associated with this card.

Symbolism presented on The Lovers card: “the man and the woman in the image are being protected and blessed by an angel above. The couple seems secure and happy in their home, which appears to be the Garden of Eden. The fruit tree with the snake behind the woman is a reference to that story, which tells of humanity's fall into temptation and into the realm of flesh and sensuality. The angel depicted here is Raphael, the angel of air - who is of the same element of the zodiac sign that governs this card: Gemini. Air is associated with mental activity, and communication in particular, which is the foundation for healthy relationships. His blessing seems to give this card a sense of balance and harmony, the symbolization of union in a grand and cosmic sense between two opposing forces.”

Another source adds: “The couple stands in a beautiful, fertile landscape, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. Behind the woman stands a tall apple tree, with a snake winding its way up the trunk. The serpent and apple tree represent the temptation of sensual pleasures that may take one’s focus away from the Divine. Behind the man is a tree of flames, which represent passion, the primary concern of the man. The twelve flames suggest the twelve zodiac signs, the symbol of time and eternity. The man looks to the woman, who watches the angel, showing the path of the conscious to the subconscious to the super-conscious, or from physical desire to emotional needs to spiritual concerns. The volcanic mountain in the background is rather phallic and represents the eruption of passion that happens when man and woman meet in full frontal nudity.”

Despite the latter being a bit too horny for my tastes, lol, both descriptions reiterate Raphael’s influence on the role of patronizing health and union, a journey of Devotion.

Oh, about the MCR symbol, shaped as a half-sun. at first I couldn’t find a correlation to Raphael and this sun shape, as for the first three angels it was very clear to me since just as I started reading about them. Then I realized the huge sun portrayed on The Lovers card, behind Raphael.

Despite holding its individual meanings, Tarot cards are not meant to me taken isolatedly. (that’s one of the reasons many people are not found of the single card yes-or-no type of drawing). That being said, it is not a surprised to find traces of one card on another, and many shared symbolism. As for the sun, it appears multiple times on the Rider-Waite deck, but only one card holds the same exact half shaped, upside down, centered sun as the MCR symbol. and that’s The Lovers. :)

Now, our romantic archangel lead us to a very lovely part:

About Raphael’s Sculpture: as we waited for MCR to dramatically drop the curtain at the reunion show, we were being watched over by a piece nicknamed “Angel of the Waters,” from the Bethesda Fountain (have you heard this name before?), located in the Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, in NYC. sculpted by Emma Stebbins in 1864, this piece’s history, together with Central Park’s history can be fully read in this awesome article that my friend Clara found: here.

But since we’re already here, let’s try to make a shorter version, focusing on what’s relevant to this thread.

Upon release, the angel, which stands and above and blesses a water fountain, was directly associated with the Bethesda Pool mentioned in the Bible, and the healing acts of Raphael. On the dedication pamphlet it was quoted the very same passage from the Gospel of John, chapter 5, verses 2-4 I’ve mentioned before. It’s a shame I couldn’t find any pictures of this pamphlet on the internet. Old documents, huh. NY people, if you have access to this, I’d love to see it.

If we stopped there, it would be enough evidence to assume the connection to Raphael, but there’s more! There’s some particularities about this statue.

Its conception was a huge deal: Emma was the first woman to receive a major sculptural commission in New York City. Also, she had a female lover, the world-famous American actress Charlotte Cushman, who, for Cedar Miller, historian that wrote about Central Park and Emma’s statue, holds a huge impact on the Angel of Waters actually making into existence. In 1869, Cushman was diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition to having two mastectomies, Cushman tried water cures in England. (Water cures were a big craze from the 1830s through the 1860s). The historian who wrote about them finds it another connection to the statue itself. Unfortunately, Cushman's treatments were ultimately unsuccessful, she passed away in 1875. Emma followed her not long after, in 1882. To this day, the statue remains, and to NY is a gathering place to find tranquility, peace of mind, even in the darkest times through the its 141 years of existence. It’s a place to heal yourself.

It’s not your average Raphael statue.

We have the archangel connection, a devoted couple's backstory, and lesbian/sapphics rights. I don’t know about you, but I can even picture Gerard Way carefully picking this himself, haha.

Oh, a spicy fact I’ve learned while writing this: This angel sculpture is actually even older in MCR’s history, tracing back to revenge era merch. (I didn’t have much access to mcr merch back in the day so I didn’t know about this, I apologize!)

I guess someone got nostalgic for some catholic aesthetics, huh. Bless!

Angels in tarot, bonus addition:

It is valid to mention that not only all of the 4 mentioned archangels have their individual cards, they also appear together in a single card, The Wheel of Fortune. In this card, each angel can be seen in a corner: Raphael (Aquarius) is upper left, Gabriel (Scorpio) is the eagle, Michael (Leo) is the lion, and Uriel (Taurus) is the bull, appearing in disguise, a common thing for angels though the scriptures, it seems.

If you draw tarot, you understand how big of a deal it is. If you’re not familiar, here’s the basic notion: “The wheel of fortune is a card about cyclical change. The wheel keeps on rolling, churning events in a ceaseless progression of ups and downs, either way freeing us from the past. No one can escape its cyclical action, which can feel somewhat terrifying -- no matter whether we are rising or falling. When one is balanced on top of the wheel, there is a moment of crystal clarity. However, the only part of the wheel that's actually not going up and down is the hub, which represents your eternal self. Every one of us will occupy all the points on the wheel at one point or another. The cycle of the wheel is its lesson -- and we can learn to take comfort in it. If you don't like the look of things right now, just wait -- things will change. Of course, if you do like the look of things right now, enjoy it while it lasts, because that will change too!”

It is quite a powerful card that holds all of the aforementioned symbolism. Woa.

More symbolism seem on this card includes:

“The Wheel of Fortune card shows a giant wheel, with three figures on the outer edges. Four Hebrew letters – YHVH (Yod Heh Vau Heh), the unpronounceable name of God – are inscribed on the wheel’s face. There are also the letters TORA, thought to be a version of the word Torah, meaning ‘law’, or TAROT, or even ROTA (Latin for ‘wheel’). The middle wheel has the alchemical symbols for mercury, sulphur, water and salt – the building blocks of life and the four elements – and represents formative power. On the outer circle is a snake, the Egyptian god Typhon (the god of evil), descending on the left side. The snake also represents the life force plunging into the material world. On the right side rises the Anubis, the Egyptian God of the dead who welcomes souls to the underworld. And on top of the wheel sits the Sphinx, representing knowledge and strength.”

THE SECOND SET OF SYMBOLS - STILL A MYSTERY

So, after all this, if any of this is correct at all, we just learned the meaning behind the first four MCR symbols, released on halloween: Clarity, Courage, Sacrifice and Devotion.

Now, what about the ones released at the reunion show, on the merch truck? Well, my friends, we still have a lot to think about.

I am a doctor, and in my profession there’s a saying which instruct us to always think of what seems like a complicated situation, with many possibilities, as a single disease causing many effects. That was my train of thought as I tried to associate these new symbols with the Archangels that we already have. It may have nothing to do with that at all, but it’s worth trying.

Differently from the first set, the second set didn’t get an official release, and does not hold text captions to guide us on it’s meaning. the symbol shapes, however, are easier to associate with tarot cards than the first ones, in my opinion. I’ve seen people online trying to guess it too.

Having the angels and their aforementioned traits as a guiding line, I used some symbolism associated to each one to connect them to a new symbol, as you can see on the picture attached to this post.

I have some major problems with this, tho, the biggest one being the order of the symbols not matching the first set sequence. We had Uriel (Clarity) / Michael (Courage) / Gabriel (Sacrifice) and Raphael (Devotion). The second set order was Sword / Moon / Tower / Wand, so the sequence goes like Michael / Gabriel / Uriel / Raphael. It doesn’t match. Please, help me.

THINGS THAT KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT: ABOUT WITCHCRAFT AND… SOLDIERS?

During the past weeks of my life I’ve been researching all types of things to break this down, so I came across some very unsettling things that may be just wild coincidences or... something else? Just in case, I am putting them here in case anyone finds some connection that I couldn’t.

Sigils and Pagan influences, maybe?

As some people on twitter and reddit noticed, Gerard was using a sigil on his arm that reads “My Chemical Romance”. Every Archangel mentioned here also holds its own sigil, which is shown on the picture attached to this post. While I was excited about the dates for new concerts, I started to think, is there anything special about these dates? I tried to not overthink it because we probably have major influences of disponibilities and,,, Label issues...I don’t know? some very practical stuff going on. But still, I came across an interesting match.

There’s 8 sabbaths, composing the Wheel of the Year, “an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them.”

eight sabbaths, eight symbols, huh. Initially, I tried to connect each symbol to a sabbath, but it was very… not satisfying enough to me, so I’m leaving that out; nonetheless, I still believe they hold some meaning similarities.

And it doesn’t stop there.

That our lovely wheel of the year: here. We’re using a northern hemisphere version, since MCR is based in the USA.

The band returned on Halloween, which is the Samhain that occurs between Oct 31 / Nov 1. There’s some minor variation on dates because the Celtic day begins and ends at sunset.

Return Show took place in California, Dec 20: which marks the start of Yule. (Yule dates range from Dec 19 to Dec 22, for the Celtic calendar reasons)

The next sabbath is Imbolt, that takes place on Feb 1 / Feb 2. MCR has nothing announced for this date until now.

2020 concerts will happen during the week of March 20, 21, 25, 28 and 29, In Australia, New Zealand and Japan, as for now. That marks the start of the Ostara sabbath, which start range is March 20/21.

so… can we expect something (anything?) being announced at Feb 1 or 2, or near that? What about all the remaining sabbaths? Is that a reach? is it related at all? oof.

Who said Danger Days isn’t goth enough?

Another VERY interesting thing my group chat found on the internet during our MCR tarot obsession. If this theory is correct, this is not the first time they would be alluring to it. Please look at this pic of Grace Jeanette, The Girl in DD universe, posing with the mailbox on the set of the “Art Is The Weapon”/“Na Na Na” video shoot (2010). (Exact source and photographer unknown; likely taken by Jeanette’s mother). (big thanks to tumblr user killjoyhistory).

Bellow the big “OH HELL” we have four tarot cards, on the very same deck we used for this thread, the Rider-Waite deck. The cards are The Tower, The Devil, Death and Three of Wands.

Please note that it may have no correlation to future works, since DD itself had religious symbolism with the Phoenix Witch and this mailbox (go read the comics if you didn’t already. DD rights!), it may be a DD-only thing. Also, please note that 3 out 4 of theses cards were already mentioned in this thread, all possibly related to archangel Uriel.

To wage this war against your faith in me, MCRMY.

So. This one will sound weird and maybe a reach too, but, hey, mychem is alive and breathing, I guess there’s nothing really impossible, haha….?

Are we all familiar with Gerard liking a lot that green coat? After all those years, I guess so.

Indeed, our lovely frontman used yet another green jacket as his return outfit. This time, it was a military one. As a foreigner, and being very ignorant on how the US Army works, I got curious about the badge on his jacket. Maybe that’s common sense to you guys and I’m just embarrassing myself, but hey! be kind to someone who’s sort of dying inside after all this thinking process, would you?

The badge on Gerard’s jacket happens to be from the 1st Armored Division, a.k.a the Old Ironsides, named after an old ship (and the world's oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat).

Actually, the nickname “Old Ironsides” trace back to England in 17th century, during their Civil War, but I didn’t find many relevant content / possible connections, besides them being mostly Protestant, in terms of religion… referring to them after all this catholic-conception angel talk is some sort of metaphorical war going on, MCR? Who knows. History-loving english folks, I’m counting on you too now to confirm this, lmao!

The American side of the “Old Ironsides” term, after being passed down from England during their Independence Wars (please be kind with me, my knowledge about american independence is almost 100% from Hamilton the musical lmao, help me) apparently resides, mostly on the US Army/Navy.

Interesting coincidences (?) about this: the Old Ironside ship, aka USS Constitution, has a familiar date on its history: November 1. I’m quoting its construction period info: “Her keel was laid down on 1 November 1794 at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Captain Samuel Nicholson and master shipwright Colonel George Claghorn.”

I didn’t read much about it since I’m already at edge with everything I’ve been researching but, it seems it was a very adored ship. In fact, one of the reasons it’s still in active service it’s because a poet even made it a famous poem about this ship, that you can read here. It’s symbolic and adored, it seems.

About the homonymous 1st Armored Division of the US Army, which badge Gerard used during the return show: being the first armored division of the U.S. Army to see battle in World War II, it also holds a huge historical meaning.

Again, I don’t have much info to share about this and I think some of you will find possible connections on this better than I would.

But wtf does it have to do with all the angels, Nana?

Well, as mentioned before, angels fight battles in the name of God. They’re heaven’s military. Michael, especially, is a warrior angel and leads God’s troupes against the demons.

Something interesting I’ve found relating Gabriel (which statue, let’s not forget, was commissioned by a war widow) to the war concept was the hebrew poem "Elifelet" (אליפלט) written by Nathan Alterman in 1958, often turned into music and played on the israeli radio. it tells of a heroic, self-sacrificing (hm…) israeli soldier being killed in battle. Upon the protagonist's death, the angel Gabriel descends to Earth, in order to comfort the spirit of the fallen hero and take him up to Heaven. It’s very touching, and you can read it here.

I’m not saying any particular work like this poem is relevant to MCR’s possible new concept. (let’s not be political here, but also be honest: Israel wars are a delicate matter to bring up). We’re solely working with symbolism and history. Please keep that in mind.

MCR has touched on war thematics before in many occasions (I will not mention all of them, as I believe that as a fandom, we’re aware of that, and we can help new fans to understand it if needed. This text is already TOO LONG). Maybe it’s time for them to talk about some conflicts again, literal or metaphorical? Let’s wait and see.

Oh, one last thing. There’s actually a whole another navy air test and evaluation squadron, the Antarctic Development Squadron Six (VXE-6 or ANTARCTIC DEVRON SIX, commonly referred to by its nickname, The Puckered Penguins). They’re based on California (lmao) and their motto is… Well, “Courage, Sacrifice, Devotion”. Uriel kinda left behind again, huh. I’m sorry sweetie.

Again, I apologize if this last section (or even the whole thing..haha…) looks far-fetched, but I just… had to take it out of my chest, sorta? Sorry.

That concludes our Archangel Theory. Thank you if you took your time to read through it all.

List of things to maybe expect in the future:

Something on Feb 1 / Feb 2

Two more angel statues, being them related to Uriel and Michael in some sort of way. I’ve tried to find any suitable matches but… there’s just too many, and as we’ve seen it may even not be officially claimed which angel is portrayed. So let’s wait and see.

More pagan symbolism?

Something about War??

Cryptid posts related to UK and paganism, January 17th and January 24th.

## EDIT (01/12): about new mcr cryptid posts...

If you’re following MCR new updates, as for now you’re aware of the United Kingdom Stuff going on... Interesting coincidences (or is it?) about those:

Both posts were made on the same day the lunar cicle changes. This month, the moon shows up a different form every friday, so maybe prepare you heart for January 17th and 24th. Also, I believe they’re using London time for the updates. in fact, the most recent post (the video with theban alphabet) was posted only 30 minutes after midnight in London. So I’m adding that to our list of things to expect in the future.

Also, someone at warner might be in trouble right now. the ig account for Warner Music Artistic Services (@wmas) posted a variation of the video posted by MCR, only a day later, featuring another order for the theban caracters, a slightly different UK flag (it was somehow merged with a picture? it’s difficult to tell), and a new frame that consists of a forest, similar to the one Gerard posted on his own instagram, and the one featured as background for the skeleton holding a witchcraft-related dagger photo from 2 weeks ago. Differently from the previous mcr video, which was silent, this one featured a sound, if my ears are not mistaken, a very dramatic C# note played on piano or organ (church instruments, huh. funny. but it could be worse, at least is not a G note...)

The video was labeled as LFG, that could mean a million of things. the most relevant ones, I believe, could be “Looking For A Group”, a classic D&D/RPG term (If I close my eyes long enough I can hear distant circus music playing in my head, for I have compared the four archangels to a holy RPG party weeks ago...)or “London Forest Gate”, a neighbourhood in London. please tell me if you have any ideas about what else it could mean, haha....

This video was deleted, but you can still find it around on twitter.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll keep updating this post as more content is released. Keep running!

[drshojo]

The World, My Childhood And My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

Hello friends!  

Its Dr. Shojo coming at you with a post that will be divided into three parts!

Part One: The world as we know it! 

The world has changed a lot since we last connected. For starters, TOILET BOUND HANAKO KUN HAS NOT ONLY A PHYSICAL RELEASE BUT A GORGEOUS ANIME! And not only that, but MY NEXT LIFE AS A VILLAINESS: ALL ROUTES LEAD TO DOOM! IS GETTING AN ANIME AS WELL! The last time I wrote about Katerina there wasn’t even an official English translation of that long-ass light-novel-title. And now?

A WHOLE ANIME. A BISEXUAL HAREM AWAITS! I am JAZZED!

Do you think it’s my fault? No matter, I’ll take all the credit. All the manga I talk about are getting anime adaptations. I’LL DO MY DUTY AND TALK ABOUT SOME MORE!

But first. Let us address the Covid-19 shaped elephant in the room

I deeply regret that it took a whole-ass pandemic to get me back to writing. In my defense, I bought an iPad and started drawing like 900 kokichi oumas. I was really busy with that. And then I started reading fanfiction. Then that got me thinking about how fanfiction such an interesting look into how people interpret fandom, use it for wish fulfillment and escapism, and good god is everyone OK cause that bulimia fan fic was super detailed....and I am officially on a tangent. Off track. Ahem.

We are all staying inside a whole lot more which means y’all probably need some reading material and Dr. Shojo has your back! Go read “Horimiya”! It’s amazing! Ahhhh, my work here is done! I'm serious, if you’re here for a Shojo rec, that’s it! There's also like 8 million more Otome Isekais to check out now. It’s like they’re multiplying like rabbits..............

As a Doctor, I must advise you to stay inside and read some manga and practice social distancing. Embrace your inner hikikomori. 

Allright? All good? Okay now one final disclaimer:

This post is going to be talking about something a little different than usual and I want to start by giving you some context about who Dr. Shojo is in real life. 

Part Two: Dr. Shojo Exposed 

You see, when I was little I was obsessed with Japanese media. This doesn't surprise you at all I can tell. Probably because I walk around calling myself Dr. Shojo and shout about manga that you should read.

Anyways, the reason why I was obsessed wasn’t because of the big eyes or the spikey hair or the interesting new culture. It was because it tended to have more character development and overarching plotlines than the media I was used to in Canada. Dexter’s Lab, Magic School Bus, pretty much everything I saw on TV was episodic in nature, so imagine how much my mind was blown when I saw Naruto and Card Captor Sakura, heck, even Pokémon had the Indigo Plateau! Here were kids that were learning more and more each day and got to see enemies become friends and vice versa. They lived and grew older just like me. Except they were cooler than me. And had more interesting lives than me. I gotta tell you, I was so sad when I was 12 and Kero didn’t tell me I had latent magical powers. But there was magic in my life and it was the magic of a complex narrative story. And not only that, it had a sense of movement and had cool costumes. I was hooked immediately.

Also, fun fact, at that age I happened to be a complete and utter tomboy! I loved pretending to fight my friends in the playground and was really worried that puberty would ruin my life because being a girl sounded so CUMBERSOME.

Which leads me up to my confession. Before I became Dr. Shojo, I was in fact......Dr. Shonen.

Bleach? Naruto? One Piece? I've read every single chapter there is.  

Hundreds of hours of watching fight sequences. Another fun fact, I only got into shojo because my aunt bought me volume 7 and 8 of Fruits Basket thinking “all mangas like the same right? Kids love comics?” It’s a tribute to how episodic western media was back then that she thought buying volume SEVEN and EIGHT was a REASONABLE PLACE TO START READING.

Now you might also say, Hey! Dr Shojo! Cardcaptors was a shojo! And you are right! but back then the anime was marketed to boys over here in the west and they actualy like, edited out episodes that they thought wouldn't interest boys?! Second fun fact, Once when I was in Grade 3 I was told I was not allowed to join a club under the stairs cause I was a girl and it was BOYS ONLY. The point of the club? To talk about how great Cardcaptors was! I Kid you not!

So anyways, your pall Dr. Shojo loves Shonen manga to this day!

The only reason I made this Dr. Shojo blog specifically about shojo is because, being a tomboy with no female friends, reading shojo manga was the first time I really thought about what it meant to be a girl and fall in love. And y i k e s. Shojo manga, like most media, fails miserably most of the time in displaying real world relationships. Or at least, it  doesn't prepare you for how disappointing everything can be. When I had my first kiss, I was thinking about how it didn’t feel at all like how I felt reading Zen and Shirayukis kiss in Akagame No Shirayuki Hime. Those were formative years, and shojo was one of the only places I saw romance being talked about for younger audiences. I liked reading romances where no one had any sexual experiences and were figuring out what love meant to them. But let’s shelve this topic for now.

The point is that gender roles are dumb and if you have an open mind there's a world of stories out there for you. Take this time inside to read something you wouldn’t normally. Critically think about the ways that the worlds you see in stories and how you experience the world differ. What are the messages a story is trying to tell you? And why do you like the stories you do? Reflect on how the stories you tell yourself color your view of the world. Even mindless entertainment leaves an impression on us. Anyways.

Whilst you're doing that, I'm going to absolutely lose my hecking mind over the Shonen Jump series MY HERO ACADEMIA: Vigilantes!

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Part Three: I downloaded the one month free trial of the Shonen Jump app and made you read all that, so I can tell you that today Dr. Shojo is going to rant about a spin-off of a shonen manga

THAT’S RIGHT, OF COURSE I READ HERO ACA AND YES I DID PICK UP THE SPIN OFF SERIES. SHONEN JUMP LETS YOU READ ALL THE NEW CHAPTERS FOR FREE ON THEIR APP. KIDS, IF YOU LIKE SHONEN AND YOU’RE PIRATING ON A SCANLATION SITE STILL GET OUT BECAUSE YOU DON’T NEED TO SEE THOSE WEIRD PLASTIC SURGERY AND DENTISTRY ADDS ANY MORE.

SHONEN IS HERE AND ITS LEGAL AND ITS FREE FOR YOU. GET OFF MANGA FOX OR MANGA ROCK OR WHATEVER THE KIDS ARE USING THESE DAYS.

OK, so by this point in the article you have learned two very important things about me: 1) I love Shonen manga and 2) I read a lot of fanfiction.

Specifically, I read an absolutely biblical amount of My Hero Academia fan fiction and let me tell you, A solid chunk of it is vigilante/ Deadpool / criminal with a heart of gold themed.

So when I saw Hero Aca had a spin off, and it was about vigilantes, I was NOT SURPRISED IN THE SLIGHTEST. Ao3 sure is powerful.

Now, if you will permit me a tangent in a post full of tangents—HOLY CRAP, THERE ARE TOO MANY VIGILANTE AUS. I CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF EM. IT’S THE ISEKAI PROBLEM ALL OVER AGAIN. I GET AN EMAIL A FIC HAS UPDATED AND I’M LIKE IS THIS THE FIC WHERE DEKU HAS AN ABUSIVE MOM OR THE ONE WHERE HE HAS SPLIT PERSONALITY DISORDER OR THE ONE WHERE HE’S VIGILANTES WITH HITOSHI. OH WAIT, nvm, it’s the one where deku has a healing quirk.

OH WAIT WHICH OF THE 6 DEKU WITH HEALING QUIRK VIGILATE AU FICS IS THIS ONE?! ARGH WHY DIDN’T I WRITE A DESCRIPTION IN THE BOOKMARK FOR THIS!

My gripes aside, there's a reason why there's such an abundance of vigilante story telling—

Deadpool made like an absolute buttload of money and people love sass and memes.

People have a desire for a story in which they see themselves. Or, how they think of themselves.They like a story about someone who maybe came from nothing. Someone who has less money, maybe someone who is unlucky and had some bad breaks. Someone who never learned they had magic, never got their Hogwarts letter, never saw Kero, someone who never got that God-level quirk from All Might. And if your on Ao3 They want someone who also has seen a lot of memes and kind of wants taco bell and is also questioning their sexuality a bit?

Enter our new hero VIGILANTE DEKU.  

But the cannon can't do this, cause hey, Deku is the chosen one. Albeit, chosen by All Might, He’s got his own thing to do. But how can we still cash in on a vigilante story?

And thus enter our New-New hero KOICHI HAIMAWARI—code name Nice Guy and then later The Crawler. True to his relatable roots. He’s just a dude in an hoodie who can go about as fast as a bike.

First off, I love Koichi. He wants to be a hero and fight crime, but most of the time he has to run away because at the end of the day he's just a dude.

He’s cute but not wildly good-looking, A bit of a nerd but not like an extreme okaku. He’s got a part time job and hates violence.

And this is where Koichi really shines—in every day stuff. He helps out wherever he can. Often, that just means listening to people complain and maybe helping his friends out with whatever they’re going through. He’s the kind of guy who smiles, not because he's especially brave, but because he just takes things one at a time and doesn't sweat the past. I think it’s really telling that he missed getting into hero high-school because he skipped the entrance exam to help someone. He’s the kind of person who lets us experience the superpower of human decency and empathy. And you know what? That’s something the world need desperately.  

This theme of human decency is really the driving force of Vigilantes—it’s a manga about how the laws are there for a reason but sometimes they unfairly impact the poor and vulnerable. It's about how a lot of criminals are just people who fell into bad social circles or on bad times. People have the capacity for cruelty and violence but that’s never all they are.  

Now, speaking of crime, the entirety of Hero Aca falls into some murky water when it comes to its evil doers. Much of the fandom has a huuuuuge problem with how much the franchise is willing to sweep under the rug in the name of redeeming their baddies. RE: people getting mad about forgiving Endeavor’s child abuse, or Bakugo’s suicide baiting. Or Mineta’s blatant sexual harassment.

But this theme is in Vigilantes even more than it ever was in the main series. To start off with, there’s this guy who tries to rape Pop Step early on, and the later he later winds up befriending everybody. It becomes a running gag that each new villain winds up befriending the other villain guys and then they all open a cat café together.

Using jobs as a way to lift people out of lives of crime is great and all but in the story there is no nuance or consequences for past wrong and well.....it feels very weird.  It's like Vigilantes plays at having an opinion about moral ambiguity and the complexity of human existence and then just.......lets everyone get along because who has time to get into all that. Make of that what you will but it sits weird for me personally.

Anyway, let's move on and talk about POP STEP our main girl!

I love pop stars and I love vigilantes and a guerrilla performer is defiantly a character I could get behind. And I think they do a good job with Pop. She is actually kind of shy, but has this secret edgy persona she puts on when she performs. She is every girl on tumbler in the early 2000s. I also looooove that they make her not that great a singer. SHE’S GOT PASSION AND CHARISMA and maybe not born talent but like why should that stop you! Talent can be earned through practice and this is a great lesson to show people.

Unfortunately, Pop is also a great example of everything wrong with romance in Shonen.

It’s established early on that Pop loves Koichi because she is the girl he rescued all those years ago and yada yada yikes we’ve heard this one before. Many times before.

Sure, it's fine that they’ve met before, but gosh am I sick of damsels in distress. It's like she can't love him just because she respects what a great guy he is in her life and in the community at large, no no, she just needs to be rescued on top of that. And LOLOLOL isn't it funny he never noticed she was a girl because she was a child with short hair?! Once he realizes she has boobs now they will for sure fall in love! That’s how love works!

She's just with him all the time—nothing romantic ever happens she just gets a little tsundere.

I am never ever going to believe Koichi likes Pop because he spends like sooooo much time with her and they never have like, a moment. The first time he considers her is when Makoto is like, ‘hey I would love to get together with you, but have you thought about if you are crushing on Pop’. (Also this entire plot point is suspect—she's arbitrarily falling for Koichi cause he.......is the protagonist?)  

Say what you will about shojo, they give you the emotional conversations, the moments where you think.....ahhh I can see why she is falling for him. They give you context! Shonen likes to just say HERE’S A GIRL YOUR AGE. YOU CAN DATE LATER WHEN THE ADVENTURE IS DONE.

Just when they might get together, Pop suddenly turns evilllllll. The evilllll beeeees made her eeeevilllll (and more sexy).

*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

Because why on earth would they get together if Koichi didn’t get to rescue Pop one more time?

I’m tired. These troupes are tired. I’m sure you are too. HOWEVER! If your still with me, Let’s move into why I'm really writing this post. Let’s get to the part that got me screaming to my friends, who by the way, don’t even care bout Hero Aca….but listened anyways. May you all find nakama like these my friends.

Anyways,

HOLY FUCK ERASERHEAD’S ENTIRE BACK STORY IS IN THIS AROUND CHAPTER 60 AND IT IS WONDERFUL AND ABSOLUTLY HEARTBREAKING AND IS ONE OF THE BEST CHARACTER BACKSTORIES I HAVE EVER SEEN AND IS THE REASON WHY THIS SERIES IS A MUST-READ FOR MAIN SERIES FANS.

AND BY ALMIGHT.  

WHY. IS. IT HERE.  

I present to you my late night text messages to my friends

ALSO, AIZAWAS TEACHER IS PRINCE?!?!?!

AHEM, so as you can see, I kinda lost my shit.

And now, I would like to formally defend my claim that DESPITE HOW AMAZING IT WAS, ERASERHEAD’S BACKSTORY HAD NO BUISSNESS BEING IN THE VIGILANTES SPIN-OFF MANGA.

Eraserhead, aka Aizawa Shouta, is a side character who is working with the police on some crime stuff. He is not a main cast member in this spin off. He’s a guest character that fans of the main series will be like OH COOL. GRUMPY CAT MAN LIKES CATS ON HIS OFF HOURS TOO. LOVE THAT FOR HIM.

So, my imagine my absolute surprise when Aizawa runs into Koichi and the following happens:

It starts to rain, so, like in any good manga, this means some great FORCED BONDING TIME

Except no. It doesn't because rather than start talking, Aizawa JUST STARTS REMEMBERING—ABSOLUTLY SILENTLY TO HIS OWN PRIVETE SELF—HIS ENTIRE TRAGIC BACKSTORY.

AND THIS GOES ON FOR CHAPTERS.

THIS GOES ON LONGER THEN ARC ONE IT FEELS LIKE.

I LOVE IT, BUT KOICHI IS ABOUT TO JOIN ATSUSHI NAKAJIMA IN THE DUBIOUS CATEGORY OF “PROTAGONISTS THE SERIES FORGOT ABOUT IN LIEU OF COOLER SIDE CHARACTERS”.

AND LO IT HAS NO BEARING ON THE REST OF THE PLOT, CHARACTERS, OR STORY

What the ever-loving-just WHY?

WHY?

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

SURE, IT’S A COOL TIE-IN.

YES, OF COURSE I LOVED IT. I SHIP ERASER MIC, I DREW THIS FOR HECK’S SAKE:

AND YET I AM ANGRY.

I AM ANGRY BECAUSE MY FRIDAY WAS RUINED BECAUSE VIGILATES SUCKER PUNCHED ME WITH AN AMAZING STORY THAT REALLY WASN’T PLOT RELEVANT AND PROBABLY SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THERE.  

IS THIS WHY THEY TOOK LIKE NEXT-TO-NO CARE WITH POPS ARC?!?

I mean its ongoing, so it’s too early to say but—

In conclusion—

Excuse me one more,

AIZAWA WAS TAUGHT BY PRINCE!?!??!?!?!?!? PURPLE RAIN PRINCE!?!??!?!?!? WHAT!??!?!?!

It’s so ABSURD that I HAD TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I HAD TO WRITE PARAGRAPHS TO JUSTIFY YELLING ABOUT THIS ONE THING. WHAT THE ABSOLUTE—

Ahem,

Anyways, I hope you liked this weird rant/personal-story/random-diatribe in three parts.

If you’re reading this, thank you, stay safe, and I’ll be back with more shojo manga next time.  

Ciao!

Dr. Shojo

(aka Dr. Shonen)

[katehuntington]

Title: Changes - part eleven Word count:  ±3000 words Summary “Changes”: Huntress Zoë Sullivan (OFC) crosses paths and swords with the Winchesters, when the brothers stumble on a case she’s already working. When complications arise, they are forced to work together. Summary part eleven: The case is closed and the hunters go their separate ways, but not before having to deal with a few loose ends. Episode warnings: Dark! NSFW, 18+ only! Angst, gore, violence, character death. Description of blood, injury and medical procedures. Demon possession, supernatural creatures/entities. Smut, swearing, alcohol use/addiction. Kidnapping, mentions of torture and murder, illegal/criminal practices. Mentions of nightmares and flashbacks.  Music: Purple Haze - Jimmi Hendrix, Highway To Hell - AC/DC. Author’s note: I’m super excited to share Supernatural: The Sullivan Series. There are quite a few people I want to thank: @coffee-obsessed-writer​, @soupornatural​ & @mrswhozeewhatsis​, who edited the early drafts, and my girls @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish​ and @winchest09​ who are deciphering the recent version. Everyone who encouraged me to go for it, you are awesome!

Supernatural: The Sullivan Series Masterlist 01x01 “Changes” Masterlist

     Flashing lights shimmer bright blue and red on the surroundings of the three hunters. They’re out in the open again, the moon and stars above them, the night air chilly. Dean leans against his Impala, while Zoë has made herself comfortable on the saddle of her bike, overlooking the scene. Police officers are clearing the area, some take notes of what the victims have to say. Before the authorities arrived, the hunters talked to the victims about what to tell the police. Their best advice was to keep quiet. People who start their statement with the word ‘shapeshifter’ usually end up in a psych ward. If they ever need to talk about what happened, they can call the brothers. 

     All the people have been pulled out of the septic tank by the fire department. An ambulance with Cole in the back is the first to leave the driveway, sirens blaring, while others are treated and prepared for their ride to hospital. Sam walks up to the other hunters and halts, watching the ambulance take off.      “Cole is in critical condition, but the paramedic was hopeful. She said if we hadn’t found him, he wouldn’t have survived the night. The others are okay, besides from minor injuries and malnutrition,” he informs.       “Good,” Dean says, satisfied.      “And Terry Cliffer?” Zoë wonders.      “Yeah, about Terry...” Sam shakes his head. “They found him, too.”      “Dead?” she assumes.      Sam nods and leans against the hood. The paramedics took care of the wound on his head, the injury is barely visible, covered by his long brown hair.      “They found his body in the back of the tank.”      Zoë sighs. “Damnit.”       She glances over to the ambulance where Michelle Cliffer is sitting on a gurney, wrapped in a thermal blanket. She has her daughter and son by her side, comforting her children. Zoë wonders if she knows. The boys catch her gaze at the broken family.       “You can’t save them all.”

     It's Dean who reminds her of that, to Zoë’s surprise. She expected words of consolation from the younger Winchester, who’s shown her a lot more sympathy than his arrogant brother, until now, that is. She nods at the hunter, hearing his message, but unable to accept tonight’s outcome. Every time an innocent is killed by something she hunts, she feels like she failed. Even though they saved the others, not to mention the many victims that would have followed if they hadn't ended the shifter, Zoë cannot shake that feeling. 

     When she looks up at Michelle again, she sees that the woman is on her way over. It’s not hard to miss the widow’s grief.      “Michelle...” Sam stammers, not sure what to say.      She forces a polite smile and gives him a nod, but it's obvious she's torn up. Through the tears, she looks them in the eye one by one.      “What you did… you have no idea what this means to me,” she says, her voice breaking.      “Just doing our job, ma’am,” Dean responds, as if it’s no big deal.

     “It’s so strange...” The poor woman shakes her head, still unable to grasp what happened. “I noticed that Terry was behaving differently about a month ago. I had no idea that--"       “- it wasn’t your husband?” Sam fills in.      She looks up at him, sniffles and nods.      “He looked just like him. A few days ago, I started asking questions and… well, you know the rest.”      She looks down, as if she’s trying to find her strength in the soil underneath her feet. Her bottom lip begins to quiver.      “They just informed me about Terry.”      “We're very sorry,” Sam returns, compassionately.

     Michelle looks up, her piercing blue eyes seeking Dean, the man who rescued her and her children.      “Thank you,” she says, soft but genuine.      “Don’t thank me. Thank her,” he nods at Zoë. “She did most of the work.”      Zoë looks up, stunned, not expecting the sudden attention. Her gaze shifts to the mother, who turns towards her, her eyes showing more gratitude than a thousand words could describe.      “Thank you for rescuing our children.” she voices, gratefully, and turns to the boys as well. “You saved my family.”

     With nothing left to say, she heads back for the ambulance, her little boy walking with her by the hand, but Lizzy lingers, still looking up at the female hunter. After pondering a little longer, the six year old runs towards the huntress and folds her little arms around Zoë’s leg, giving her a hug before heading back to her mother. A small smile pulls at the corner of her mouth as Zoë watches the little girl go. Lizzy waves at her until the doors of the ambulance close, answered by a final salute from the company of three. A breath floats from her lips, the weight on her shoulders made lighter by the young girl, who made it all worthwhile.

     “Dude, you smell like a toilet,” Dean comments out of nowhere.      He sniffs while making a face, eying his brother, who is still standing next to him.      “You wanna tell me you smell like roses?” Sam returns.      Dean stares back, puzzled. “What are you--“       Sam grabs Dean’s leather coat and pulls it up, showing the dirt and feces stuck to it.      “Ah, shit,” Dean curses.      Zoë grins. “Indeed.”       Sam can’t help but smirk when Dean pulls himself loose, annoyed. Then he glares at Zoë.      “You totally fucked up my favorite jacket,” he gripes, pissed off.      “Gonna cry about it?” she pouts at him.      He gives her a dirty look and narrows his eyes, but Zoë doesn’t let him off the hook just yet.      “You’re lucky you didn’t fuck up my Dave,” she warns. “Next time you have the nerve to get on my bike, I’ll kill you.”      “You have such a warm and loving personality, know that?” Dean snarls, sarcastically.

     “Talking about warm and loving, you said something about ‘me being all over you’?” she brings up, curious.      “You jumped me, and not in a violent kind of way,” he reveals, scratching the back of his head, a little embarrassed.      “How did you find out it wasn’t me?” Zoë wonders.      “Simple; there was no trace of that bullet wound,” he explains, nodding at her abdomen.      “Ah, so clothes were off; you did play ball.” She grins, crossing her arms and leaning back a little. “How far did you make it, exactly? First base? Second base?”

     Sam snorts, watching the interaction between the two hunters. He didn’t expect a blush to turn the tips of Dean’s ears pink, however.      “Oh, whoa!” she realizes. “You got to third base.”      “Dude, you had sex with a shapeshifter?” Sam smirks.      “Dude, no! C’mon!” Dean defends.      Zoë grins, amused. His denial was a little too fast and too loud. For a ‘professional’ con artist, he’s a pretty bad liar.       “Did shifter-me give you a hand or was it the other way around?”      “I - that’s not…” Dean stutters, only digging himself deeper. “You know what? I don’t have to answer to you.”      She huffs. “Well, since you thought you were having sex with me, I think you kinda do.”      “I didn’t have sex with you, or fake-you,” he makes clear, correcting himself while looking confused. “Look, I know what I was doing. I shot the fucker and saved your ass, so I think I deserve some credit.” 

     But Zoë doesn’t plan to stop.      “You’re into me,” she provokes.      “You’re so full of shit,” Dean scoffs. “You might come in a pretty package, sweetheart, but you are as sour as they come.”      She laughs at the insult and slides her helmet over her head, securing the chinstrap.       “I have zero intention to become your friend, Dean, and that was your first clue. When that shifter came on so strong, you should’ve known you were either having a wet dream, or the ‘pretty package’ wasn’t actually this sour bitch.”

     The huntress starts the engine of her Harley before the guy she’s been butting heads with can counter. She doesn’t take off however; she’s not done yet.      “Oh, by the way, did you know that shapeshifters aren’t sexless?”      “Of course I knew that,” Dean utters. “So?”      “Well, Sammy there saw the shifter shed and he was pretty sure it wasn’t female. So whatever you did, you didn’t do it with the opposite sex.”      Zoë leaves the rest for the older Winchester brother to figure out, and to her amusement, it doesn’t take long before it settles in what she’s implying. When she sees the horror and bewilderment in his eyes, she has to pull every string to not break character.       “Bye, boys!”

     She turns the throttle and steers her bike towards the road. Sam has the feeling he’s experiencing déjà vu. Last night, they were standing in the exact same spot, Zoë driving off on her Harley Davidson, Dean staring at her in awe. The younger Winchester tries his best not to burst into laughter, but has difficulty keeping a straight face. He decides to play along with Zoë’s little mind game.      “Is she actually saying that I...?” Dean stammers, eyeing his brother, unsettled.      Sam nods.      “Did you really see…?”      Sam nods.      Nauseated Dean looks away, realizing what this means.      “I’m gonna throw up.”

     Disoriented, he circles the car and slips into his seat a moment later. In shock he stares at the emblem in the center of the steering wheel; his whole life has been a lie. Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix starts playing when the driver turns the key in the ignition. As if he didn’t feel dirty enough, the thought of the shapeshifter driving his beloved Impala only adds to his discomfort. Oh well, at least the bastard didn’t screw with his mixtape.

     Beams of yellow glide through the car rhythmically, fading in and out every time they pass a street light. The V8 under the hood roars steady, already radiating warmth into the cabin as they are about to drive into the city of Rochester. Dean has turned the heat on, aware that Sam had been stuck underground for hours; he figured his little brother might be cold. The gash on his head didn’t look too bad, looks like he got away with nothing but a scratch.       “So, what’s our plan for the rest of the night?” Dean asks him, actually checking if Sam wants to hit the road or call it a night.      Sam chuckles, assuming he has other intentions with that question.      “Considering you have a date with Vicodin girl?”           For the second time this evening, Dean experiences a sudden and overwhelming pressure on his chest as he hits the brakes, almost causing the car behind him to crash into his bumper. The driver honks madly and swerves around when the Chevrolet pulls over.      “Dude!” Sam exclaims, startled.      He doesn’t answer. When they have come to a full stop, Dean glances at his watch instead; it’s 9:15. Frustrated he slams the steering wheel.      “Fuck!”      “What’s your problem?” Sam returns, stunned.      “That’s my problem.” He nods at his rear view mirror.

     It’s just now that Sam notices the sirens behind them. He quickly looks over his shoulder and curses, but is surprised to see the police cars pass them.      “It’s not even for us, Dean. Would you relax?” Sam doesn’t understand all the fuss.      “Oh, it’s for us, alright,” Dean mutters, nodding at the first responders, who make a sharp right to 6th St Southwest, joined by another vehicle from the other direction.      “That’s - that’s where our hotel is,” the younger of the two realizes.          The driver rubs his face. “I didn’t bolt the door.”       With eyes wide open, Sam stares at his brother. “What?!”       “I was in a bit of a hurry,” Dean excuses. “I think Vicodin girl walked in on a dead shapeshifter.”      “Please tell me you covered our tracks,” his brother pleads.      “I didn’t have time for that, Sam! For all I knew I could have been working on a fucking time schedule here! I didn’t know where you were, if you were alive!” he explains, frantically.      “Okay, just chill out. You did take our stuff with you, right?” Sam supposes.      “Let me think. Who had the car again!?” Dean returns.      “You left my laptop in the room?!” Sam exclaims, freaking out. “All our documents, our records, everything is on that computer!”      “I wasn’t thinking straight, okay?! I thought you were dead!” Dean shouts back.      “At least tell me you brought Dad’s journal,” Sam asserts.      He doesn’t need an answer; when he watches Dean’s expression go blank, he knows enough.      “Dean, you didn’t,” Sam sighs and runs his hands through his hair frustrated.      “We need to get back in there,” Dean states, determined.      “Are you nuts? There are cops all over that place!” Sam reminds him.      “Everything we know, everything Dad knows, is in that journal. Names, addresses, phone numbers, you have any idea how many people are gonna get in trouble if that book falls into the wrong hands?!” Sam sums up, his voice raised.

     Before Sam can continue the argument, Dean’s Rock N’ Roll ringtone cuts through the tension. Irritated, he rummages around in his pocket and takes out his phone. He checks the display before he picks up; he doesn’t know the number.      “Hello?”      “Hey, Birdbrain.”      He recognizes that voice, even though the sounds in the background are so loud that he has difficulty understanding her. He rolls his eyes skyward.      “Zo, not now. I have a little bit of a situation here.”      “You mean that you left everything you own except for that damn car of yours in the Deep Purple Inn, which just got stormed by the cops?”

     Dean stares at the road ahead, flabbergasted.      “How the fuck do you know that?”      “Because I was just there.”      “You were there?” he repeats stunned.      Frowning, Sam looks over at his brother, trying to make out what Zoë is saying.      “That lizard took my Macbook and my phone up to your room, I had to get it back. Nice job tidying up the place, by the way.”      “I was a little busy saving everyone’s ass!” Dean returns.      “I went through a hell of a lot of trouble to get your things, but I’ll be happy to dump them alongside the road somewhere if you don’t drop that attitude. Do you want your shit back or not?”

     Silence. Dean curses under his breath, turning the speaker away from his mouth so that the huntress doesn’t pick up on it. He absolutely despises it when he’s forced to take a knee.      “Yes,” he growls, grinding his teeth while pronouncing the simple three letter word.      “I’m gonna make sure I’m out of the state before I pull over, considering shapeshifter-me shot up an entire bar and I just entered the crime scene of my own murder. I advise you to do the same thing.”      “Copy that,” Dean agrees. “And our stuff?”      “You’ve got my number. Give me a call in a few days.”      “Can’t we just meet up somewhere in Iowa?” he proposes.      “No can do, I’m heading to Arkansas for a haunting. Not sure how long that’s gonna take. Leave the state, lay low and call me in a few days, got that?”      Dean sighs, rolling his eyes. Seems like he doesn’t have a choice.      “Got it.”      “Oh, and for the sake of public health, when you cross the state border, take a shower at the first truck stop.”      With those words, she disconnects. Dean looks down at the phone and scoffs. Un-fucking-believable.       “She has our stuff?”       Sam has been staring at him all this time, it’s just now that Dean looks him in the eye.      “Unfortunately,” Dean confirms and looks in the rear view mirror, before he turns back on the road and hits the gas.

     They pass 6th Street Southwest, which is swarming with police. Sam straightens his back, glad that they don’t have to deal with it. He just hopes this isn’t going to come back and bite Dean in the ass later.      “That’s murder number two on your police record,” Sam comments.      “You sound like Dad,” the older brother mutters.      “No, I don’t,” Sam argues.      The corner of Dean’s mouth pulls up.      “You’d be surprised how much you’re like the old man,” he remarks.      Sam changes the subject. “So, what’s our plan?”        Dean shrugs, his right hand on the wheel, his left hand in his lap, unburdening his hurting shoulder. He doesn’t take his eyes from the road as he drives south, down highway 63.      “According to Sullivan, we should lay low for a few days.”      “Sounds fine to me,” Sam agrees. “Where are we going next?”      “Arkansas,” Dean announces.      The younger Winchester glances aside at his brother. “Why Arkansas?”       Dean returns a smug grin. Sam knows that look, he has seen it way too many times.      “You’re gonna follow her, aren’t you?” he presumes.      “You actually think I’m gonna wait until she has some spare time in her agenda?” Dean chuckles.

     It’s not often, but Sam actually agrees with him. They have better things to do, like finding Dad and hunting down the bastard that killed Mom and his girlfriend; he’s going to need the journal and his laptop for that.       “Arkansas it is then.”       Dean turns up the volume when the first tunes from Cliff Williams’ guitar comes through the speakers. Putting the pedal to the metal, he joins in with the drums and he can’t help but nod his head slightly on the beat. Bon Scott’s peculiar scratchy voice belts out the first verse and the driver gladly joins him. He doesn’t care that his brother shakes his head disapprovingly. There’s just no way he can let AC/DC’s Highway To Hell go by without singing along.

     No stop signs, speed limit      Nobody's gonna slow me down      Like a wheel, gonna spin it      Nobody's gonna mess me 'round

     Hey Satan, payin' my dues      Playin' in a rockin' band      Hey momma, look at me      I'm on my way to the Promised Land

     I'm on the highway to hell      Highway to hell      I'm on the highway to hell       Highway to hell

Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to like or reblog my work, shoot me a message or buy me coffee (Link to Kofi in bio at the top of the page).

Start on episode two here

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