#the person who had two was sales girl Abby

[large-penises-sporting-goods]

Me when there's 3 closing workers including me, and between us there's 4 cans of monster energy

[taruchinator]

🐸 General Audiences

🐸 2k Words

🐸 For the @bycmykae Stardew Valley Blind Date Zine!

Shane stood from the floor and scooped a bag of seeds from the cart next to him, this time placing those on the shelf above as he kept with the conversation. “You here for that frog sale, too?”

Erika had to physically do a double take at that sentence. “I'm sorry, did you say ‘Frog sale?’”

Or: Abigail asks for Erika to meet her at their favorite frog-catching spot—the bridge next to JojaMart! But when her girlfriend takes a while to show up, the least place the farmer expects to find her is inside the store holding… a frog plush?

Hey everybody, Alice here! ^^

More zine fics are brought your way with this piece I wrote for the Blind Date RNG one, in which I was randomly assigned Abigail, who I had little to no knowledge of prior to writing this (had to do some research and now she's my fav goth queen)

We had to give the Farmer a name, so I went with basic Erika cause I think it's a pretty name~ Hope you like it!

It was a cloudy day in Pelican Town.

Not that Erika minded a bit of gloominess once in a while, being used to rainy days back in her hometown whenever the weather thought things were getting a bit too chummy for the city folk.

As she sat on the wooden bridge with her legs dangling off to the side, the brunette smiled at the tiny fish and tadpoles that would swim beneath her. Abigail asked if they could meet here—a little spot that had become one of their favorite hunting grounds for the slimy creatures known as frogs.

Erika would've never thought that frog hunting would be as fun as it was until she met her.

The thought of her girlfriend only spread the grin on her face even wider, along with dusting her cheeks a slight pink. When she'd first arrived at Pelican Town, Erika was pleasantly surprised to see that most citizens were accepting of an outsider moving in. But there were no doubt people she'd grown particularly close to, and those encompassed the members of Pierre's family.

Being the closest store to the farm, it was no surprise that the brunette found herself getting her supplies and selling any raised goods over by Pierre's General Store. The man was charismatic and had good social skills, which got the girl to open up eventually.

His wife Caroline was a gentle soul who would treat her as if she were her own daughter, even more so ever since she and Abigail started dating.

The purple-haired girl was a mystery to Erika the first few times they crossed paths. She was rather quiet, kept to herself while cleaning the store, and even seemed to relish in solitude if the times she caught her hanging by the graveyard were any indication.

Still, Caroline had asked her to try and befriend her, claiming that “they just aren't that many girls her age around here. I'm sure you two would get along wonderfully!”

It wasn't like she had to tell her twice—the farmer was rather intrugued by Abigail to begin with, finding her tomboyish personality and overall mellow nature quite comforting. And based on the interactions they started having more and more often around town, it was safe to assume Abigail felt the same.

Erika wasn't sure when her feelings started shifting to something beyond friendship, but it definitely caught her off guard the moment the other girl confessed to her while they were in the depths of the caves. The brunette had gone looking for her since she'd gone in hours prior and hadn't returned yet, so the last thing she was expecting was something like that.

Still, it felt right in all ways. Her and Abby felt right.

Speaking of which…

“Where is she?” Erika turned from one side of the bridge to the other, trying to spot the familiar face. Nothing. The brunette hummed, feeling a small rumble begin to build in her stomach as the mist around her started to grow heavy. “Probably should've brought something to snack on…”

JojaMart stared right back at her, making her muse to herself quietly. “I mean, it's her fault for making me wait…”

It was decided. Erika stood from her spot and made her way over to the convenience store, hand rummaging through her pockets for any spare change she could find. Some chips didn't sound too bad—she might even get something for Abigail while she was at it.

The double doors opened as she walked past a few customers with smiling faces as they left with their purchases. Walking down the aisles, she took the time to look for the desired snack, along with a Joja Cola to chug it down. There were other options, but Erika was one to stick to the basics.

Before she could walk over to the checkout line however, she noticed a familiar face organizing a row of canned goods a few feet away. A smile spread across her lips as she waved in greeting. “Hey Shane!”

The man was wearing the signature JojaMart uniform as he turned to her, which consisted of a cap, top and bottoms in bright pastel colors. It was honestly quite a contrast to Shane's more mellow personality. He seemed to be ready to glare the person away until he realized who it was. “Oh. It's you.”

“Yeesh, talk about good customer service.” Erika quipped in light teasing. She was used to Shane by now, and she could only hope he was used to her too. “When do you clock out?”

“Not soon enough…” Shane stood from the floor and scooped a bag of seeds from the cart next to him, this time placing those on the shelf above as he kept with the conversation. “You here for that frog sale, too?”

Erika had to physically do a double take at that sentence. “I'm sorry, did you say ‘Frog sale?’”

Shane finally decided to look at her, confusion clear in his eyes as he scanned the single two items in her basket. “Isn't that why Abigail’s here? She practically ran her way to the back once the doors opened this morning. Figured you'd be looking for her if you're here…”

“Wait, Abby's here?!” Erika hadn't meant to raise her voice, but this just kept getting more puzzling by the minute. Is this why she hadn't shown up at the bridge? Why didn't she tell her anything? A million questions went through her mind as Shane pointed at an area in the back of the store—the one where Abigail had run off to a few hours ago.

Looking around, it was almost as if she was in a completely different place.

Green flyers and streamers decorated the walls, with shelves filled to the brim with what could only be described as a frog army; everything from plushies, to paintings, to clothes—frogs were plastered across everything, and it made Erika question her sanity for a moment. Could she have possibly woken on the wrong side of the bed today?

Luckily, it didn't take long to find the person she was looking for. Not many people were around to begin with, and it wasn't like her girlfriend didn't stand out, looking all excited as she stared between two different plush toys in her cart like a kid in a candy store. She was too cute for her own good. “Abby!”

Purple curls bounced as she turned upwards, scanning the area before her eyes landed on Erika, a huge grin spreading across her face. “Eri!”

Before she knew it, the brunette was engulfed in a hug that gave her the warmest of feelings. It was quite short-lived though, as Abigail pulled away to look at her properly, this time with a look of slight guilt spreading across her features. “I'm assuming I took too long…?”

“You assume correctly.” Erika smiled softly, but then proceeded to playfully shove her shoulder with a giggle. “You had me waiting alone. In the cold. And with no food, might I add!”

Abigail rolled her eyes with a smile of her own, clearly relaxing as she noticed Erika wasn't actually mad. Instead, she pushed one of the frog plushies she'd been inspecting earlier into the brunette's hands. “Well sorry to you and your stomach. When I found out about this sale I wanted to get us something, but I guess I lost track of time, hehe…”

“Yeah, about that…” Erika took the offered item. It was about the size of her palm and had a cute cartoony grin, complete with large eyes and rosy cheeks. Not something she'd immediately associate with Abby, but Erika wasn't one to complain. She then gestured at the rows around them. “What's all this about?”

Abigail's eyes began to sparkle in that way they did whenever she passed a hard level in her favorite video game. Dang it, she really was too cute. “It's Frog Day! I think JojaMart wanted to do something good for the environment or whatever cause you know how it is. I would've never found out if it wasn't for Shane. Coaxed it out of him last night at the bar.”

Leaving aside the fact that Abigail was in the bar for god knows what reason—she'd have to talk to her about that another time—Erika was surprised. A day dedicated to frogs? Now that was something she'd never heard of. Leave it to the countryside to be more aware of anything nature related.

Regardless, if there was anything her girlfriend loved more than games and playing the flute, it was definitely these slimy amphibians. No wonder she asked her to come along today of all days.

With a smile dancing on her lips, Erika wrapped her arms around the purple haired girl in a half hug, firmly planting a kiss on her left cheek while holding the plush between them. “That makes sense. I hope you realize though that since you didn't tell me about this beforehand, you owe me something nice. I think this little guy will do the trick.”

Abigail's face lit aflame at the sudden contact, with her eyes flickering from one side to the other as she tried to regain her composure. One of the things they struggled with when they first started dating was physical contact, not just because Abby wasn't used to it, but she was still coming to terms with her own sexuality and the fact that she also liked girls romantically.

Erika tried to be supportive and never pressured her into anything she didn't feel comfortable doing, but if Abigail was anything, she was stubborn. It wasn't like she hated this feeling—it was all just new to her.

So they came to the agreement that she'd speak up whenever something wasn't okay with her, which gave Erika peace of mind in situations like these, where the other was clearly embarrassed but wasn't bothered by it.

“I mean, I was debating between this one or a keychain anyways…” The other girl played with a stray strand of hair while holding the aforementioned accessory in the other.

“Absolutely not.” Erika gave her a stern look, and then lifted the small frog plush close to her face. “This is now our son.”

“Hahaha! What the heck are you talking about?” Abigail giggled with pink dusting her cheeks again as she tried pulling away from the hug, but the brunette wasn't having it.

“He's got my eyes and your smile! He's perfect!”

“God, why do I love you again?”

“Cause I'm adorable?”

“Could you two stop flirting and just buy something already?”

The monotone voice brought both girls back to reality as they instinctively jumped away from each other. Shane merely stared unimpressed with a broom in one hand.

Abigail's face instantly lit ablaze, though this time she was feeling anything but embarrassment. She turned to the older man and started bickering, with the other only rolling his eyes and giving a quick comeback once in a while, which only riled her up even more.

Erika could only stare with her heart swelling in pride.

Abby was a completely different person when she'd met her, but now, a mere months later, she'd blossomed into the strong, confident and amazing person she knew the other could be. And Erika was so proud of being able to be there to witness that journey.

Blame her for being a sap—she found someone she truly felt connected to.

“Whatever! Don't go asking for any discounts at the store any time soon!” Abby's voice cut once more through the farmer's train of thought as she turned away from Shane and took a hold of her hand, already walking to the closest register. “Let's go Eri, we're adopting this frog no matter what the haters say.”

With a chuckle and final wave of goodbye to the man behind them, Erika nodded and interlocked their fingers, already excited for whatever next adventure this bundle of energy had in store for them. “Your wish is my command, dear…”

✦𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬!✦

[xaracosmia]

ꕥ — WELCOME TO CATA COSMIA, MIKE SCHMIDT. 🌕

ꕥ — OOC INFORMATION;

name / alias: Peter age: 21 pronouns: he/him ooc contact: PetePepsi (Twitter and Tumblr) other characters in xc: Josh Futturman

ꕥ — IC INFORMATION;

name: Mike Schmidt age: 28 pronouns: he/him series: Five Nights At Freddy’s (Film) canon point: one week before film epilogue app triggers: Child murder, child abduction, mentions of death and suicide of a loved one, drug misuse/addiction

personality: Mike is vulnerable with a tough exterior, emphasis on the vulnerable. He’s deeply empathetic, haunted by his past and the more recent traumas he’s faced (nearly getting murdered by the same man who killed your brother will do that to ya), and slow to trust. He tries to keep his emotions in, and leads with a dry, uncaring facade, but he wears his emotions on his sleeve if you know where to look. He has a deep-rooted anger inside, at the world that took his family from him, and at himself for failing to save them from it.

something your muse struggles with: His explosive temper. Mike bottles things up, and can snap at a moment’s notice. He’s small but mighty, and will beat the shit out of someone with (seemingly) little prompting. It’s a result of his trauma, and something he’s working on, somewhat. Though, that mostly manifests in him either leaving the situation or shutting down completely when too upset, for fear of losing control.

your muse’s greatest strength: His determination, willingness to fight tooth and nail to find the truth and protect those he cares about. Though, sometimes this can come back to bite him, his stubbornness and obsessive search for the truth could have disastrous consequences. Double-edged sword.

history/background:

Michael “Mike” Schmidt was born in 1972 in Minnesota (yeah the FNAF movie takes place in Minnesota apparently, I guess). He had an uneventful childhood, two loving parents and one younger brother, named Garrett.

That is, until he was 12 years old. Mike and his family were out going camping. His parents stepped away for a moment, asking Mike to watch his brother, who was playing with a red toy plane. Mike lost sight of his brother for just a moment, helping someone at the campground retrieve their frisbee. Mike heard the sound of a car engine starting, and immediately ran towards the sound, only to see his brother being driven away in the back of a stranger’s car. Young Mike ran after the car, but his brother was unfortunately gone, abducted in broad daylight, right in front of him.

Garrett’s disappearance rocked the Schmidt family. Though, they would receive a new addition some years later, around when Michael was 18, a girl named Abby. But this new addition wouldn’t save the family. When Abby was 5, Mike’s mother would pass away, and his father would take his own life soon after due to grief. Though ill-equipped to raise a child, Mike gained custody of Abby, and put his life on hold to raise her.

Mike had trouble keeping down a job, often getting fired due to insubordination, or getting into verbal (and physical) altercations with fellow staff or customers. But he tried his best for the sake of his sister, putting her as a priority over himself, making sure she was as safe and comfortable as his meager salaries would allow. Meanwhile, his Aunt Jane fought with him to take custody — mainly so she could get the monthly checks from the government. The very same checks that were the only thing standing between Mike and homelessness. (Mike is almost certain she knew this, and was doing it out of spite.)

One day, Mike found a book titled “Dream Theory,” while looking through items at a garage sale. It discussed the concept of using dreams to recall lost memories. Mike was certain that his younger self had seen his brother’s kidnapper, and tried to use the techniques in this book to remember. Every night, for months, years, he would dream the same dream — the afternoon of his brother’s disappearance. He used the 2000s equivalent of ASMR subliminals (and sleeping pills, which he had been prescribed for his chronic insomnia) to help out, but never managed to see the face of the kidnapper. Only managed to retraumatize himself, over and over and over. Never letting himself move on, forgive himself, or forget a single detail of his mistake.

In April of 2000, Mike had an altercation at his mall security job. He had an episode and beat the living daylights out of a man he believed to be a kidnapper, right in front of his kid. He got fired for this, as you can imagine. He sought out the help of career counselor Steve Raglan to help him get a new job, and though Steve was a bit cagey, he did manage to offer him something: overnight security at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. Mike initially refused, refusing to work nights so he could take care of Abby and continue his nightly search for answers.

But, Jane issued him an ultimatum at the next appointment with Abby’s psychologist. Either Mike would sign over custody of Abby willingly, or she would sue him for it, and make sure he would never see his sister again. He had no choice, he couldn’t lose Abby and couldn’t let Jane take her. He just needed a steady job to look good for the judge, and this was as good a job as any right? He had his friend and longtime babysitter, Max, watch his sister, and went down to Freddy’s.

Mike’s first nights at Freddy’s were mostly uneventful — he continued trying to use his dreams to find Garrett, and met local police officer Vanessa. But, one night, five strangers showed up in his dream — and he would later learn these were the five missing children of Freddy’s. He tries to get their help, but they run away. And, strangely, he wakes up from one of these dreams with a gash on his arm… It’s nothing serious, he assures himself.

Unbeknownst to Mike, his friend Max was unwittingly working with Jane to gather incriminating info on Mike to help her win the custody case. Max and her brother, along with two other men, broke into Freddy’s right after Mike got off shift and trashed the place. His sleeping pills at his desk provide some serious incriminating evidence. Vanessa scolds him for this, and warns him to stop sleeping on the job, throwing his pills away. “When you’re at Freddy’s, you stay alert.”

That night, after Max doesn’t show up, Mike regrettably has to take Abby with him to work. The children again appear in his dreams, but he’s able to ask them for help this time. They seem to agree, but tell Mike that there will be a price to pay… but he wakes up before they can explain more. Mike finds Abby playing with the animatronics, which are moving around on their own! Abby calls them her “friends” and explain that they’re the ghosts of the kids who went missing at Freddy’s. Mike tries to use Abby to get more information from the kids, but it backfires. Abby accidentally touches a stray wire from the animatronics and is electrocuted, nearly dying if not for the intervention of Vanessa.

Mike goes home that night, devastated and guilty that he almost lost another sibling. He calls Jane, believing himself no longer worthy of taking care of her. But, at least according to Jane, if he gives up custody willingly she’ll still allow him to see her. Abby is heartbroken, shutting herself in her room. Mike resigns himself to this, and has Jane watch her as he makes one last desperate move.

Mike buys more pills, makes his way to Freddy’s, and falls asleep back at his desk. His dream is different, the idyllic picnic is peaceful, and his parents and Garrett can see him. The children offer for Mike to stay here, to live in a world where he saved his brother and his parents never left. The only catch? In return, the kids get Abby. Mike impulsively agrees, desperate to spend more time with his shattered family, but immediately tries to take it back. No dice. The spirits of the children attack him, nearly killing him before he manages to snap out of the dream. Only to wake up someplace worse, strapped to some kind of weird killer Freddy mask. He breaks out of the restraints, discovering the bodies of Max and her crew — the animatronics had killed them. He tries to run, almost caught by the animatronics before he’s rescued by Vanessa.

Vanessa tells him the animatronics/children’s spirits are being controlled, manipulated by a man in a rabbit suit — William Afton, her father (TWIST!). She helps Mike break into the building to find Abby, who Mike narrowly rescues from being stuffed inside a springlock suit. He is attacked by the animatronics, but subdues most of them (Mr. Cupcake beats the shit out of him), only to find himself face to face with The Yellow Rabbit himself… the very same man who murdered his brother. He gets his shit kicked in.

Vanessa rescues him and Abby, but is stabbed in the process, seriously wounded. Abby manages to help the kids’ spirits turn against William, and he is trapped inside the yellow rabbit suit, dragged away. The happy little family is reunited.

A few weeks pass, with Vanessa still recovering in the hospital. Abby is doing better than ever, socializing more with other kids. And as for Mike? He’s happy seeing her happy, dedicating himself to be better for her, never taking what he has for granted ever again.

Now let’s see how he fares having all that taken away again. Welcome to the Cosmias, Mikey boy!

powers/abilities: none inherent abilities: none

items/weapons:

Family photo — circa 1984

A red toy plane

A really creepy figure of Balloon Boy

“Visit Nebraska” poster and cassette tape of nature sounds

Copy of “Dream Theory” book

starting ability: N/A starting item: copy of “Dream theory” book

extra:

i’ve been waiting for this one :) collecting josh hutcherson muses like chaos emeralds

discord id: visitnebraska1972

passcode: gee how come your mom lets you have TWO josh hutchersons in your xara cosmia

[turnstileskyline]

It’s August 4th, 2021, the 129th anniversary of the day Abby and Andrew Borden were found dead of supposed hatchet wounds in their Fall River home. The most famous, and most investigated, suspect was Andrew’s daughter, Lizzie. In this post, I will attempt to go through the timeline of the day as unbiased as possible, and then I will discuss the two most popular theories.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Discussions of murder, abuse, and illness.

The day of August 4th, 1892, started normally in the Borden household, with two exceptions. Lizzie’s elder sister, Emma, was on vacation in Fairhaven, and Andrew’s brother-in-law, John V. Morse, was visiting to discuss business matters.

At 8:45 a.m, Morse leaves the house to visit his niece, and Andrew sits in the sitting room. Abby tells Bridget, the family maid, to wash the windows inside and out. Lizzie comes downstairs for breakfast.

Between 8:45 a.m and 9:00 a.m, Bridget reports feeling ill, and leaves the house briefly to vomit.

At 9:00 a.m, Andrew leaves the house. Bridget returns inside, and witnesses Abby dusting. She does not see Lizzie.

Between 9:10 a.m and 9:30 a.m, Abby goes upstairs to clean the guest room where Morse was staying.

At 9:30 a.m, Lizzie stands at the backdoor as Bridget exits to the barn.

Estimated between 9:30 a.m and 10:00 a.m, Abby is killed by blows to the head.

Between 9:35 a.m and 10:20 a.m, Bridget washes the outside windows, pausing to speak to a person referred to as “Kelly girl” at the southern-most fence.

Between 10:00 a.m and 10:20 a.m, neighbor Churchill sees Bridget washing the outside windows.

At 10:20 a.m, Bridget re-enters the house and began to wash the indoor windows.

At 10:40 a.m, Andrew returns home and is let inside by Bridget after he fumbles with the key. Bridget hears Lizzie laugh from the direction of the staircase.

At 10:45 a.m, Andrew lays down on the sitting room sofa to take a nap. A neighbor witnesses a stranger stealing pears from the backyard. Lizzie sets up an ironing board. Lizzie tells Bridget that there is a sale at a clothing shop, and informs her that a note was left saying that Abby had gone out.

At 10:50 a.m, a neighbor notes that an open buggy was parked in front of the Borden home. Bridget begins to feel ill again and retreats to the attic to lay down.

At 10:55 a.m, Lizzie goes out to the barn.

At 11:00 a.m, Lizzie reportedly hears a noise like “scraping.” 

Between 10:55 a.m and 11:05 a.m, Andrew is killed from blows to the head.

At 11:10 a.m, Lizzie re-enters the house and calls for Bridget, yelling that “someone has killed father.” As Bridget comes down, Lizzie begs her to fetch a nearby doctor, Dr. Bowen. However, Bowen was not at home. Bridget fetches Lizzie’s close friend, Alice.

At 11:12 a.m, Churchill sees Bridget rush to get Alice and notices a distressed Lizzie. She questions what’s wrong, and leaves to get a doctor.

At 11:15 a.m, a neighbor notices the disturbance and phones the local police.

At 11:20 a.m, Bowen returns and enters the Borden household. Officer Allen arrives and sees a distressed Lizzie sitting at the kitchen table.

At 11:21 a.m, Allen and Bowen begin examining the body of Andrew. Alice and Churchill arrive with Bridget. Morse departs his niece’s house, not yet knowing of the situation at the Borden home.

At 11:23 a.m, Bowen returns to his home to send a telegram to Emma, informing her of the murders.

Between 11:25 a.m and 11:30 a.m, Lizzie asks if Abby has returned. Bridget and Churchill go upstairs to check and discover her body. Bridget fetches Bowen and his wife.

Between 11:35 a.m and 11:40 a.m, Officers Doherty and Wixon, along with reporter Manning, arrive at the Borden household. They are let in by Bowen. Andrew’s watch is removed by Wixon.

Between 11:35 a.m and 11:40 a.m, Morse returns to the Borden household, standing in the backyard.

Around 11:37, Officers Mullaly and Medley arrive.

At 11:40, Bowen returns and is informed that Abby’s body has been discovered upstairs.

At 11:45, Dr. Dolan arrives to examine the bodies. Morse speaks to an officer outside and claims he heard of the murders from Bridget. He then goes inside to examine Andrew’s body, before going upstairs to see Abby’s.

Between 11:50 a.m and 12:00 p.m, Bridget, Medley, Doherty, and another officer go to the cellar to examine the hatchets.

At 12:20 p.m, Officer Harrington arrives.

At 12:25 p.m, Harrington interviews Lizzie.

At 12:45 p.m, Doherty and other officers drive to Andrew’s farm to interview anyone working/living there.

Between 12:45 p.m and 3:30 p.m, I was unable to find adequate information.

At 3:30 p.m, photos were taken of the bodies and skulls.

At 5:00 p.m, Emma arrives home from Fairhaven. 

Between 5:00 p.m and 5:30 p.m, state detective Seaver arrives.

At 5:30 p.m, Dolan delivers the bodies of Andrew and Abby to an undertaker.

At 6:00 p.m, Alice leaves to return to her home. 

At 8:45 p.m, Officer Hyde reports seeing Alice and Lizzie enter the cellar, though no one else had seen Alice return to the Borden house.

And that’s that. That’s the recorded timeline that I’ve put together of the day. Now, I’ll be getting into the two most popular theories. 

Lizzie.

Lizzie Borden is the most popular suspect, and one of the most notorious women in American history. It’s easy to understand why she was the main suspect. Her close relationship with her father, her reportedly odd behavior, and her strained relationship with her stepmother, Abby. 

Lizzie and Abby had never had a familial relationship. Lizzie would refer to Abby as “Mrs. Borden,” and neither she nor Emma would call her “mother.” They were, though, mostly civil to each other. However, tensions rose when Andrew placed Abby before Emma and Lizzie in his will, as well as buying houses for Abby’s relatives. 

The placing of Abby as the first beneficiary in the will would have angered Lizzie and Emma, who were both unmarried and were thus financially dependent upon Andrew. Were he to die, Lizzie and Emma would then have to rely on Abby. Though Abby was not reported as showing any anger towards Lizzie and Emma, the relationship was strained on both sides. 

I can’t talk about Lizzie without mentioning the relationship between the sisters and Andrew. Lizzie was the youngest daughter of Andrew, and when she was a teen, she gifted her father a ring, which he would often wear or carry with him. This was odd due to the fact that those who knew him would often say that Andrew was not sentimental. Emma, on the other hand, still held a cold relationship with Andrew. Emma and Lizzie’s biological mother died when Emma was 13, and Emma very quickly had to take on the role of mother to Lizzie. Andrew was reported as having refused help from outside family members, preferring to keep a quiet, closed doors family with Lizzie and Emma.

By all accounts, the family relationship was cold, even from the time that Lizzie was a child. It was Emma and Lizzie together, against Andrew and Abby. Except, of course, for the relationship between Lizzie and Andrew.

If this relationship was as inappropriate as it seems, then Lizzie truly was, at the time of the murders, trapped. Lizzie never knew a mother, as she never formed a relationship with Abby. Andrew was her only parental connection, and even if there truly was no inappropriate relationship occurring, he was still a cold man who was more of a household leader than a father.

For those who believe that Lizzie committed the murders, there are various motives given. The two I have mentioned, financial dependence and abuse, and more. One popular theory is that Lizzie was having a secret affair with Bridget or Alice, and this affair was found out, so Lizzie committed the murders out of fear of punishment or exposure. 

Usually paired with the abuse theory, it’s also commonly thought that Lizzie had cared for pigeons in the barn, which were then killed by Andrew as punishment.

Once more, it’s very easy to see why Lizzie was a suspect for all the reasons I’ve mentioned. As well, her testaments following the murders were contradictory. Officers reported that she seemed aloof (although, it is important here to note that neighbors noted that she was distressed and that she simply presented her emotions in a different way.) There was a bucket of bloody clothing in the cellar. It seemed as if Lizzie would have been the only one able to commit the murders.

John Morse

John Morse has gained popularity as a suspect in recent years, as people have begun to poke holes in his alibi. 

Morse was the brother of Andrew’s first wife and the biological uncle of Lizzie and Emma. But he seemed to have a closer, though businesslike, relationship with Andrew.

The day prior to the murders, Morse came to the Borden household for a surprise visit, discussing finances and business with Andrew. It’s commonly reported that this discussion grew into an argument, ending with Morse losing. 

Despite this, and his profession as a butcher, Morse was dropped as a suspect very quickly, due to him having an alibi that seemed rock solid. Almost too rock solid. He provided numbers of streetcars and buggies that he passed, made sure to strike up public conversations, and took notes of exact times. Morse left his niece’s house a minute after the officers first arrived at Lizzie’s, despite the fact that he had not yet learned of the murders. 

When he returned home, he told an officer that he had heard of the murders from Bridget. However, he had not had access to a phone nor a telegram in the time between him leaving his niece’s house and his arrival at the Borden house. Prior to him leaving his niece’s house, he would have had an eight-minute to receive a telegram or phone call, although his niece did not report that. In those eight minutes, however, Bridget was with Churchill and Alice, and would not have had the time to send a message to Morse. Though it would be easy to say that Bridget may have met him outside and informed him, according to all reports, Bridget remained inside with the rest of the household.

Interestingly, Morse also knew where Abby’s body was despite not being told.

As much as neither of these theories can be proven, they cannot be disproven either. Unless we one day uncover new evidence that alters the case, any theory could be true, even ones that I didn’t mention here. Perhaps it was a snubbed employee of Andrew’s, perhaps it was the man stealing pears, perhaps it was whoever owned the buggy parked by the Borden house, or perhaps it was Bridget. None of these, we can definitively say, happened or didn’t happen.

All we know is that, 129 years ago today, Andrew and Abby Borden were killed in their Fall River home, but the legacy of their mysterious end lives on.

[mirismuffins-ovo]

Plant palace pt 7🌿

[background: the plant based girls John has age twice as fast as a human,John ran off to go raise them at an abnormal camp his mother leads. He’s been gone two years and working as part of the abnormal rebellion and rights activist.] [this is also where I’ve decided I’d rewrite some stuff in the future,but I’ll let you guys read the first part of this before I work through it again] [first part is kinda narrative]

John's heart hurt to leave the man he loved,he wanted to raise these small little babies with Eddie but things went sideways. John and Henry stopped by the house grabbing supplies and raising the babies there for a while,until they were tracked down by the government. Escaping to a hideaway,a camp where abnormals were safe and rebelled trying to fix the outrageous laws of America. As time went on the rights of Abnormals had gotten better,after riots and protests. John raises his little girls alongside his mom. She’d become an important person in his life more than ever,helping with the babies. The little ones blooming with gorgeous pink petals and hair,John letting his own flower like features grow too. John had freed and protected abnormals with his mother, learning more control over his abilities and discovering new things he never knew he could do. Abnormals had finally gained some rights in some more progressive states,no longer needing to hide in some states. The girls were (2) 4 years old now,he’d kept up with Eddie's online following and career, proud of him for taking off. John would listen to Eddie's album Greenhouse,he recognized the song Eddie sang when they first found out about the babies,it was the most popular one. John would always tell his little girls about their dad,showing them photos of him performing. He missed him and to the point it hurt. John's family could recognize that,and John discussed that he should finally go back. It was time for John to come back home.

Now Eddie.

2 years. It has been 2 years since John has left. In the beginning, he was questioned by the government but he gave half truth answers. Yes he was with John. No he didn’t know he was an Abnormal, thinking his boyfriend was able to have kids. No the kids weren’t his, John was already pregnant when they really got official. But because they weren’t giving him the answer, he was held for 6 months for harboring an Abnormal before being let go.

After that, he explained everything to his band and how this album was going to be it. He didn’t want to make music after. They supported his decision but helped him finish the album. He had songs named after the girls, after his time at Plant Palace, the short months he was with John. Be saved the best for last. The last song on the album, which he named “Greenhouse” was called “Eden.” It was an Ode to John, thinking that no one would even get to the end of the album.

But instead people found out and it reached #1 on the charts for a solid year. He was able to go to concerts which sparked his love for music again, but he couldn’t listen to the album himself. He refused to. He would play other music in his earbuds when he was in public in case Eden came on.

He ended up moving further into the city now that he made good money off his record sales and a couple of EPs. Bitty came along with him, the cat too sweet to part with and he had a feeling John would want him to watch her. The anger he first felt after discovering John ran had faded away and he accepted it. The younger man did talk about trying to find his people to help raise the girls, but Eddie wanted to do that. He wanted to be the cool dad.

Life moved on. Eddie moved on, but still held a special spot for John, if he ever got to see him again. He even picked up a new kitty who he named Leafy. Bitty was happy to get a cute little brother and it kept her occupied. Eddie was happy.

*****

Eddie yawned as he started to make his way home from another band practice. He and his band got the idea to write themselves each a song that they could relate to in the future. They might not make sense now, but they should when they’re older and split apart. It was late and all he wanted to do was hop in the shower, order some take out and pass out with the kitties on his lap.

While on his way home, he felt a tingle down his spine. Although it was night time, and he was walking alone, it was odd that someone might jump him, or it was local paparazzi following him to see if he had a special someone since his female fans were dying to know. So he stopped and waited for the heavy footsteps to stop.

“I’ll give you 5 seconds to turn around before I face you and deck you. I’m not in the mood for interviews or dealing with your shit.” He grumbled. He wasn’t the happy-go-lucky young band member anymore, he was a man with heartache.

There wasn’t a sound behind him, signaling the person to walk off or speak up. Eddie turned around, preparing for a recorder shoved into his face when his entire world stopped.

John stood there,he hadn’t heard Eddie's voice in a long time,at least when he wasn’t singing. His voice sounded tired and moody but it didn’t change how he felt when Eddie turned around. John had his hood up but he took it off when Eddie turned to face him. A shy half smile on the smaller man's face as he stood a few feet back from the singer. “Hey Eds…” John's hair was a little longer than before,not by much but it was longer;John looked pale,tired like an overworked parent but the energy about him was slightly different.He slowly approached Eddie hesitantly taking a step forward,he didn’t know what he should say. There was so much to apologize for,him running off with the babies not even a thing as a text and gone for two years. “It’s been a while...but since when did you cuss?” John tried to clear the air with teasing as he combed his fingers through his hair. His gaze flicking between staring at Eddie and at the ground attempting to hide the tears that glazed his eyes. Johns soft voice trembled the entire time.

Eddie felt like he died when he saw John.The anger he thought that went away was back. He clenched his fist and just looked at the younger man in front of him. He wanted to shout, scream, and yell, but instead he just turned around, continuing to walk to his house. He could hear the footsteps follow him as he got closer to his house only for him to stop again.

“I promised I’d be there…” He spoke, his voice getting ready to break. “But you went and broke that promise for me.” He turned to face John, tears falling, and screaming, letting his emotions loose. “You took my fucking kids! You ran from me instead of facing this together!”

John had expected something like this but it still made his insides shake. John couldn’t help but erupt with tears and watched the man in front of him go off.

“You think I wanted to leave you?...WATCH YOU FROM A DISTANCE?!?” His voice had turned into a yell,John never raised his voice.

“What do you think would’ve happened if I stayed there waiting, Eddie? The hospital called the government on me,they would’ve taken our girls! Would you rather me and the girls in a facility being experimented on?! Getting tortured?” He sighed frustrated still crying “I’ve counted the days..you don’t think I talk about you to them,do you think I haven’t listened to your album about our kids every day??”

He wiped his face shaking and turned to look away. “I get it..okay...I’m so sorry I left,but I warned you Eddie. I told you that it was dangerous and when I tried to contact you I found out you were detained for ‘harboring an abnormal’.” John took out a photo,it was a Polaroid. It showed the babies who’d begun to bloom their flowers.John was holding them in his lap,they were toddlers now and all dressed up,his mother was standing next to him holding one of the toddlers. He held it to Eddie “here..”

“I told you I would fight tooth and nail for them! I was so ready to take your place in a facility for your freedom.” Eddie was crying too.

Eddie wanted to argue more, but John silenced him by handing over the picture. It was a photo of John holding all three of the girls, and a larger woman behind them. He laughed quietly, so happy to see them and how big they had gotten.

“Why now? Why did you come back. When I saw that you left, I figured you’d be gone forever.”

John sighed staring at the cement “the governor passed a law here that abnormals living in human city’s are no longer illegal. That and...I missed you.” He glimpsed at Eddie,John's eyes looked tired. “They’d caught up to me last year and I was held in a facility for two months,my mom and Henry took care of the little ones... I broke out with the help of some other abnormals.” He crossed his arms and wiped away some more tears. John felt bad he’d not been there for Eddie. “I would’ve come back sooner if I could Eds,and I know you're mad but you have to know I didn’t leave willingly.The girls ask all the time when they can see they can see their-…you” John sighed fearing Eddie wouldn’t want to rekindle their relationship. He dreaded he wouldn’t want to see their daughters.

Eddie was surprised at all the new information, but also wasn’t. He heard about Abnormals allowed to live among humans, but there was still no law about living with them or loving them. He kind of rolled his eyes at that.

“So you’re a fugitive?”

John stayed silent.

Eddie sighed. “Look, as much as I would love to see our daughters, I can’t just easily accept you into my life again. You broke my heart and how will I know if you won’t do it again? Maybe the world was right that we, Abbies and Humans, aren’t meant to cohabitate with each other.” Eddie sniffled, taking his jacket and rubbing his eyes.

John looked like he was about to say something but Eddie held up a hand.

“Not tonight… I need time…” He turned to continue walking to his apartment.

Once inside, Bitty and Leafy greeted him with happy meows, but Bitty knew. She knew that her cat dad was near Eddie. He closed the door, set his guitar aside and leaned against the door, sliding down to the floor. He held his head in his hands and let the tears fall.

[cecilspeaks]

176 - The Autumn Specter

Lips are the toes of the face. Welcome to Night Vale.

[spooky theme song]

It’s Halloween again, Night Vale, my favorite day of the year. As a kid, my mother used to dress my sister Abby and I in homemade costumes and take us door to door, vaguely threatening our neighbors until they gave us candy. When I was a teenager, I got a little old for trick-or-treating, so I started going to haunted houses with my friends. A lot of those haunted houses were kind of predictable with all their chain saw killers and Victorian ghost children singing nursery rhymes, who would follow you home and sing by your bed for months afterwards, but they always got to me. I loved the emotional rush of being scared. I still do. Of course, I don’t go out much to haunted houses, but I still love good old fashioned scary stories. I thought today would be a great day to share some of my favorites with you. I had my new intern, James, put together a few spooky tales that are perfect for putting you into Halloween mood.

But first, let’s have a look at the Community Calendar. This Saturday night at the New Old Night Vale Opera House, is the annual costume gala. This event is the Opera House’s largest fundraiser and one of the most prestigious costume contests in the region. A panel of judges will be on hand to determine the best costume at the ball. Last year’s winners were Joel Eisenberg and his partner Danny Jimenez, who dressed in a tandem outfit of a stegosaurus. I was there, listeners, and it was impressive! The creature was so realistic-looking. The craftsmanship of the costume was top notch, but listen, I have to confess I’m always more into high concept creativity rather than realistic details when it comes to costumes. Like I remember the 2015 gala, when Amal Shamun came dressed up as the concept of ennui. She made herself 12 feet tall, dressed in a taupe long coat, and created a constant drizzling rain inside the ball room. Anyone who looked at her got super sad and wanted a hug. But Joel and Danny’s stegosaurus was fine.

Sunday afternoon is the fall craft sale in Old Town Night Vale. An inscrutable maze of stalls showcasing the finest products from our town’s artisans. There will be cultural events for children, like finger painting classes, puppet shows, and a visit from the Autumn Specter. The Autumn Specter returns. It comes to collect its crops, with its great and sharp sickle. [creepily] It will harvest every ripe soul in Night Vale, the Autumn Specter is hungryyyy! It is Octoberr and it is timme to feeeeeee-duh.

Hey James, this Community Calendar doesn’t seem right, it’s just a bunch of stuff about the Autumn Specter. Also this font size, what-what is this 32 point? That’s just much too large. And it’s printed in red ink and that is a waste of our color toner, James. Eww, eww! This red ink is still really damp. OK, plus there’s nothing about start and end times of the craft fair, or anything about the food trucks, like if the Autumn Specter is hungry, surely it wants some falafel or Korean barbeque or tacos. James, could you just redo this story? James? James? [clears throat] Well, listeners, I don’t know where James went. Um, I can hear him breathing, but I don’t see him anywhere. Yeah, it’s fine, let’s just get onto our first spooky story.

[static, old-fashioned music] One quiet moonless night, not long ago and not so far away, a teenage girl sat in a house that was not her own. It was the home of Tony and Sheila McDowell. The girl was their babysitter, and she had just put the two young McDowell children down to sleep. The girl watched TV alone in the dark living room, only the bluish flicker of a scary movie illuminating her face. The phone rang abrupt and loud, startling her. She raised the receiver to her ear. “Hello?” she said with a slight quiver. “Have you checked on the children?” came a raspy voice. The babysitter ran quickly upstairs, opening the door of the kids’ bedroom. She flicked on the light, and there they were, fast asleep. She went back to her movie, but the phone rang again. “Haave youuu checked on the childrennn?” came the same voice, only more sinister. The babysitter again hurried upstairs, opened the door, turned on the light, and saw the children still asleep. The caller called again and again and again. “Have you checked on the children?” The babysitter, so scared, barely able to move, hung up the phone before the voice could finish its repeated query. When the phone rang once again, she answered and shouted: “Stop calling me!” But this time, it was a different voice. The person on this occasion said: “Ma’am, this is the police. We’ve traced the call. The call is coming from inside the house. Get out, get out!” The babysitter panicked and started to run, but then she remembered: she never called the police! How would they know to even trace the call? So she crept fearfully upstairs to the children’s room, and the phone was ringing again, the clamoring bell igniting her fright. And she cracked open the door and she saw- She saw the young McDowell boy and his little brother hunched over a phone and giggling! They were pranking her, and she felt relieved but embarrassed. And she told them to stop fooling around and go to sleep. And they all shared a good laugh.

Let’s have a look now at traffic. [papers rustling] Um.. OK, well I don’t seem to have a traffic report from intern James. Also James isn’t here right now, because I sent him out to go pick up lunch a few m- Oh, hey James, James, James, James – wait, why are you standing in the control booth? You were supposed to go get lunch and also I’ve asked you a couple of times not to wear that burlap bag over your head. I mean yes it looks great, with the Jack o’ Lantern face drawn onto it, I mean the mouth is a bit lopsided and the eyes are a tad uneven,  you know kinda flat and emotionless, but all in all it’s a cool look, but it’s decidedly not allowed in Station Management’s dress code. Oh, you’re holing a knife, too! So did you get- did you already get that lunch then? Well if that- if that’s the case, you don’t need to cut my sandwich in half, I’ll-I’ll take it whole. And also I need that traffic report, thanks. James? What are you waiting for, the Autumn Specter to do it for you? [chuckles] Hop to it! James?

[clears throat] Well, while James is working on that, let’s get back to my favorite spooky Halloween stories. This one isn’t a story so much as a fun Halloween game. The legend of Bloody Mary.

According to the lore, if you turn off all the lights, and stare into a mirror, repeating “Bloody Mary” three times in a row, she will appear and tear your face off! I’ve never tried this because I don’t own any mirrors, but my husband Carlos conducted this very experiment in his science lab. He said he darkened the room and repeated the name and nothing happened for a long time. But then a figure of a woman appeared, silvery gray and shimmering, and she approached Carlos slowly, her hollow white eyes never blinking. She brought her face only inches from Carlos and said: “Are you for real?” And Carlos said yes, he was indeed – real. And Bloody Mary said: “OK because this time of year, I just get a bunch of giggling, screaming teenagers, and I’m really tired of ripping off their faces for no pay whatsoever!” And Carlos gave her some resources for starting a union and she thanked him and she offered to tear his face off in exchange for the consulting, but Carlos said no, he liked his face, and wisher her luck. Night Vale, pay your malevolent spirits! They’re overworked especially around Halloween. And a 20 per cent gratuity for poltergeists, phantasms, revenants, and ghosts is standard.

And now for t- what the, oh you- [papers rustling] Wait, OK. You know, I thought intern James had handed the traffic report to me, but this is just a piece of parchment with a 9-pointed star seemingly drawn by a finger dripped in blood. And then there are a series of ancient runes scrawled around the outer edges. Now I took runic in college. I mean, most of my friends took Spanish as their language, but I thought living here in the American Southwest, it would be more useful to study ancient Scandinavian and Germanic alphabets. And from what I can make out, these are a message about the return of the Autumn Specter. Ugh, alright. OK. I love that intern James loooves Halloween and whatever this the Autumn Specter is. In fact, James is still in the break room right now construction a sacred totem out of ash tree branches and twine. He’s been muttering to himself all day in a language that I don’t recognize, and the only words I can understand are “Autumn Specter”. But I still have neither my traffic report nor my lunch! Wait, do you think James is… Naah, put it out or you mind, Cecil.

Let’s tell another spooky Halloween story. There once was a beautiful young woman who wore a green ribbon around her neck. She won the affection of a handsome young man. They fell in love and one day the boy asked the girl why she always wore a green ribbon around her neck. She would not tell him. One day the man and the woman were to become husband and wife. In her white bridal dress, the woman still wore her green ribbon. The man asked her on their wedding night if he could untie the green ribbon, but even on the  most intimate of evenings, she said no, and he respected her answer. But he longed to know what she was hiding behind the ribbon. Through the years, the man asked the wife again about the ribbon, but she never removed it, nor answered his questions about it. She only warned him that he would not like what he saw if she were to remove it. He asked less and less, but his curiosity grew and grew. And they became old, very old, and they knew their time left was short. The man asked one more time: “My dearest wife, love of my life, tell me that I may remove the green ribbon from around your neck.” And the old woman said: “My adoring groom, here in our room after all these many years, yes you may. But I caution you, as I have many times before, that you shall not like what your eyes behold.” The man hesitated, but finally reached his weakened, wrinkled fingers to the green bow along her nape. And he tentatively pulled the ribbon, and suddenly it unfurled, falling from her neck, and the man gasped. Upon her neck was a series of ornate letters spelling out “GOTH LIFE”. The woman said: “I got this tattoo in high school but kind of outgrew it and it’s super embarrassing.” And the man replied: “It is for sure weird, but also pretty cool. I like it.” And she never wore the green ribbon again.

You know, listeners, I’d love to bring you that traffic report, but right now, um, I’m facing something much more urgent and more dire. My studio door has opened on its own, and as I turned around, I could see down the long faintly lit corridor of our offices. And at the end of the hallway stands a figure, and he wears a Jack o’ Lantern mask, his head crooked to one side like a dog asking a question or like a hanged man, or both. And it is intern James, and he holds a long knife and he walks, he walks slowly toward me. And he is speaking at first in a mutter, but now louder, a strange shout in an obscure tongue like a magician casting a wicked spell, and he is moving much faster toward me, like a limping run, and his blade is raised high, and James is not an intern, Night Vale, bu the Autumn Specter itself come to reap my soul!

But before he does that, Let me take you to the weather.

[“Welterweight” by Nels Andrews. https://nelsandrews.bandcamp.com/]

So. During the weather, I went to human resources and requested a file on intern James. Oh I’m fine, by the way, and James is not the Autumn Specter, but I’ll get to that. So I found a copy of James’ résumé and cover letter for the position of radio station intern. His application was originally submitted in 1845. “That’s almost two centuries ago!” I exclaimed, but according to HR, they’re pretty backlogged on the intern apps. “What are you gonna do, we get to them when we get to them,” they said from the bottom of their abandoned well. Paperclipped to James’ application was a wrinkled and yellowed news clipping from the Night Vale °Daily Journal, and the article says that James died on Halloween night in 1849 when he was hit by a train. I then went to the hall of public records and found that our radio station was built in 1950, atop the very train tracks where James met hi send. James’ soul has been wandering the halls and offices of our radio station ever since. For all James ever wanted was to be a radio intern. To serve the listening community, to lift high the voice of journalistic truth. And it was his death that led to the shutdown of those train tracks and the eventual construction of a new station home, and the building we still use now. So I was wrong about James. He was an intern, after all, and not a malevolent Halloween spirit.

But I was right that the Autumn Specter had come for me. For when I turned to see James running down the hill, I did not notice the Autumn Specter behind me, with its bony hands and scarecrow mouth, and I did not notice its soul reaping sickle, which it had raised high above its oversized head and stick thin body. And James had given his life for the building of our radio station, and in death, gave his soul for the very same cause. And James threw himself upon the Autumn Specter, and he tried to stab the Specter’s neck and chest, but it-it- it did nothing. And the Spectre pushed James aside and then turned its black coal eyes upon me. And it raised its curved blade once again and swung! I tried to duck, but was too slow. And just as the sickle’s edge reached my face, James dove in front of it and vanished in a burst of white flame, as he was struck. And the room was empty and the Autumn Specter was gone too.

To the family and friends of intern James, he was… an OK intern. Not always on  top of his writing deadlines, but he literally sacrificed his soul for our radio station. I can’t bring you a traffic report today, but I will live to bring you one tomorrow.  If we find a new intern. And HR tells me that we have hundreds of candidates, although  most of them are not yet aware that they are candidates.

Stay tuned next for our new cooking competition show, “Flay Bobby Flay”.

And as always, Good night, Night Vale, Good night.

Today’s proverb: The road to hell is paved with cobblestone. It’s super bumpy, not at all comfortable, and really bad for your car’s suspension.

[oddcoupler222]

Do you have any book recs like yours and w. epic love scenes like yours?

I appreciate anything I’ve written being called epic in any way :) 

I don’t really know if I could accurately compare any books I’ve read to my own but I do have some book recs that I adore! I’ll give you my top ten lesfics for some variety

- Behind the Green Curtain by Riley LaShea (my ultimate fave romance)

When Caton’s sleazy boss offers her a position as his wife’s personal assistant, she accepts the job with reservations, certain Jack Halston has ulterior motives. After meeting Jack’s wife Amelia, though, it’s Caton’s motivations that begin to unravel. As vicious as she is beautiful, Amelia threatens Caton’s position and her sense of decorum. As the attraction between the two women spirals into a torrid affair, Caton is drawn deeper into Jack and Amelia’s world of privilege and prestige, where everything is at stake and nothing is what it seems. 

- All That Matters by Susan X  Meagher

Life is going damned well for Blair Spencer. She's a very successful real estate agent, happily married to a man who encourages her to live the independent life she loves; and they're actively working to have a baby. The wrench in the works is that Blair favors adoption, while her husband David desperately wants to have a biological child. The fates are against them, and they finally seek the help of a group of reproductive specialists. One of the doctors, a surgeon named Kylie Mackenzie, eventually becomes a good friend to Blair. And she needs all of the friends she can get when things start to go horribly wrong at home. As her marriage teeters on the brink of collapse, she relies more and more on Kylie's friendship. Kylie's happily gay; Blair's happily straight. But the way they structure their relationship leads friends and family to privately question whether the pair is setting themselves up for heartache. They eventually come to a crossroads, which could either destroy their friendship or turn it into what each of them has been seeking. The question is whether each woman can change her view of herself and her needs. The answer is all that matters.

- Alone by EJ Noyes 

Half a million dollars will be Celeste Thorne’s reward for spending four years of her life in total isolation. No faces. No voices. No way to leave.

Since Celeste has never really worried about being alone, the generous paycheck she’ll receive for her participation in the solitary psychological experiment seems like easy money.

When she finds an injured hiker in the woods bordering her living compound, her strictly governed world is thrown into disarray. But even as she struggles with the morality of breaking the rules of the experiment, Celeste can’t deny her growing attraction to the kind and enigmatic Olivia Soldano. Still, how much can you really trust a stranger? And how much can you trust yourself when you know all the faces you’ve seen and voices you’ve heard for the past three years have only been your imagination?

But what’s real? Celeste’s reality may lie somewhere between the absolute truth and a carefully constructed deception. (the concept of this is just INcredible. and the execution as well - perfect)

- The Goodmans by Clare Ashton

The lovely doctor Abby Hart lives in her dream cottage in the quintessential English border town of Ludbury, home to the Goodmans. Maggie Goodman, all fire and passion, is like another mother to her, amiable Richard a rock and 60s-child Celia is the grandmother she never had. But Abby has a secret. Best friend Jude Goodman is the love of her life, and very, very straight. Even if Jude had ever given a woman a second glance, there’d also be the small problem of Maggie – she would definitely not approve. But secrets have a habit of sneaking out, and Abby’s not the only one with something to hide. Life is just about to get very interesting for the Goodmans. Things are not what they used to be, but could they be even better? (there are not one but TWO perfectly written romances intertwined in this *chef kiss*)

- Pretending in Paradise by M Ullrich

When travelwisdom.com assigns PR specialist Caroline Beckett and travel blogger Emma Morgan to cover a hot new couples retreat, they're forced to fake a relationship to secure a reservation. Ten days in paradise would be a dream assignment, if only they'd stop arguing long enough to enjoy it. Reputations are Caroline's business. Too bad she was forced out of her previous job when an ex smeared hers all over the office grapevine. She's never getting involved with a coworker again, especially not one as careless and unprofessional as Emma. Emma knows that life is too short to play by the rules. But when she goes too far and a defamation lawsuit puts her job in jeopardy, she has to make nice with Caroline, the image police, and deliver the best story of her career.

Only pretending to be in love sure feels a whole lot like falling in love. When their story goes public, ambition and privacy collide, and their chance at making a fake relationship real might just be collateral damage. (there’s just SOMETHING about this that is super freaking cute)

- The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter

Australian crime reporter Maddie Grey is out of her depth in New York, miserable, and secretly drawn to her powerful, twice-married, media mogul boss, Elena Bartell, who eats failing newspapers for breakfast. As work takes them to Australia, Maddie is goaded into a brief, seemingly harmless bet with her enigmatic boss—where they have to tell the complete truth to each other. It backfires catastrophically.

A lesbian romance about the lies we tell ourselves.

- The Red Files by Lee Winter (kudos to her for being the only author that makes it to this list with two separate books)

Ambitious Daily Sentinel journalist Lauren King is chafing on LA’s vapid social circuit, reporting on glamorous A-list parties while sparring with her rival—the formidable, icy Catherine Ayers. Ayers is an ex-Washington political correspondent who suffered a humiliating fall from grace, and her acerbic, vicious tongue keeps everyone at bay. Everyone, that is, except knockabout Iowa girl King, who is undaunted, unimpressed and gives as good as she gets. One night a curious story unfolds before their eyes: One business launch, 34 prostitutes and a pallet of missing pink champagne. Can the warring pair work together to unravel an incredible story? This is a lesbian fiction with more than a few mysterious twists. (as someone who is usually pretty bored by any plot other than the romance, I actually enjoyed this mystery)

- Tricky Wisdom/Tricky Chances by Camryn Eyde

(for tricky wisdom)  Darcy Wright is a closeted lesbian who has been infatuated with her best friend, Taylor, since junior high. Leaving her small northeast Minnesota town for Harvard in a quest to become a doctor, she moves in with med-student Olivia Boyd, a neurotic, anal, gigantic pain in the backside. The first year of juggling medical school is grueling, but it’s nothing compared to living with Olivia.

Coming out to her friends and family with an anti-climactic flop, Darcy uses her newly publicized sexuality to try and win Taylor’s affections through an ill-hatched scheme that crosses uncomfortable lines. The result is as unexpected to Darcy as Darcy’s affinity for medicine is to Olivia.

The first year of medical school is a nerve-wracking encounter in medicine, learning lessons the hard way, and finding what her heart desires.

Tricky Chances is the sequel to Wisdom, but it’s the only lesfic sequel that i truly felt added to the first one and was just as gripping! Plus, the first book is only 48k words so the followup is perfect to come right after

- Who’d Have Thought by G Benson

Top neurosurgeon Samantha Thomson needs to get married fast and is tightlipped as to why. And with over $200,000 on offer to tie the knot, no questions asked, cash-strapped ER nurse Hayden Pérez isn’t about to demand answers.

The deal is only for a year of marriage, but Hayden’s going into it knowing it will be a nightmare. Sam is complicated, rude, kind of cold, and someone Hayden barely tolerates at work, let alone wants to marry. The hardest part is that Hayden has to convince everyone around them that they’re madly in love and that racing down the aisle together is all they’ve ever wanted. What could possibly go wrong? (this book comes in 9th because i don’t love it QUITE as much as i do all the others, but it was the one that got me into lesfic so! it’s good stuff)

And in a guest pick from the only other voracious lesfic reader i know, @debbie-eagan - 

Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden - 

Philadelphia real estate broker Devyn Winters is at the peak of her career, closing multimillion-dollar deals and relishing it. She’s pretty much blocked out her formative years in Dreamer’s Bay, where the most exciting thing to happen was the twice a year bake sale. Unfortunately, a distress call hauls her back home and away from the life she’s constructed. Now the question is just how long until she can leave again? And when did boring Elizabeth Draper get so beautiful?

Elizabeth Draper loves people, free time, and a good cup of coffee in the warm sunlight. In the quaint town of Dreamer’s Bay, she’s the only employee of On the Spot, an odd jobs company. She remembers Devyn Winters as shallow in high school, but now everything about Devyn makes her lose focus. Though her brain knows Devyn is only home temporarily, her heart didn’t seem to get the memo (I’m personally not a huge Brayden fan but a lot of other lesfic readers are so I reached out for a second opinion on this matter)

I hope you enjoy!

[deans-baby-momma]

Mommy’s (Not So) Good Girl-18

By New Year's Eve Mom was over her disappointment at the lack of a ring and a proposal and had thrown her all into hosting the block's best New Years party ever.

As I was growing up, Mom and I would attend the others' celebrations but usually ended up back home before the ball dropped and would watch it together, cuddled up on the sofa at home.

That happened more regularly once Ben arrived; being closer to the bed for when the kid went to sleep. 

This year though Mom had apparently volunteered to hold the annual party and from the time we woke up on December 31st, we were put to work getting things set up.

Ben and I are left at home, working on cleaning up the house while Dean and Mom run to the store for some last minute items and more booze.

As I'm putting the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher,  I think back to just seven days ago when on Christmas Eve, Dean had given me the item he had visited the jewelry store for.

FLASHBACK

"It was your bracelet that had me going back to that store," he explained. "The incompetent sales guy couldn't get the protection sigil correct. I kept having to return it."

"Why? Does it really matt-"

"Yes-" he whisper-yelled at me. "Yes it matters.  It has to be flawless. One small imperfection and it doesn't work. "

The way he demanded that the bauble be correct made me wonder if he actually believed in the power of something supernatural. Then again, he must because he has the same symbol tattooed on his chest. It made me see Dean Winchester in a whole new light. He was superstitious.

END FLASHBACK

And I’m not going to lie, it made me feel…...loved. That he cared enough for me to get something that he believed would protect and shield me. Wait, did Dean love me?! No, we were just two people fucking around, right? No feelings or emotions involved. 

As soon as I start up the dishwasher I rush back to my room and go straight to my jewelry box. The hinges creak lowly as I open the lid and pull out the bangle. I stare at it and smile, realizing the significance of the gift. Dean loves me. Dean wants to keep me safe. Tears pop into my eyes as I look at each charm. Each one holds a special meaning, an understanding between the two of us; only the two of us.

The heart with the words ‘Baby Girl’ engraved on it is special because that it what Dean calls me when we are intimate; the disc shaped with the word ‘Daddy’ on it because that’s what I call him in those times; the diamond encrusted dollar sign because he actually listens and pays attention about my hopes and dreams of becoming a finance advisor someday. And then of course the protection symbol; he wants to protect me and keep me safe. 

I can feel the love and adoration just by simply looking at the bracelet. Which, come to think of it, Dean probably realized that and bought it so I could feel his yearning while away at campus. I close my hand around the chain and bring my fist to my heart. “I love you too,” I whisper into the air before I place it back into the box and shut the lid.

When Mom and Dean return, I can’t help but steal looks and glances at the man I am falling in love with. He is so generous, so big-hearted, honest and trust-worthy. I am glad that the person I have finally fallen for is a man who should be admired. A man who should be cherished. I vow right then and there to make sure he doesn’t go a day without knowing how much I appreciate and value him.

When the house is full and the party is thriving, I take a chance at getting a drink. Yes, I am 21 years old now and this would not be my first adult beverage but I have never attempted this in the presence of my mother. How is she going to react to see me enjoying an alcoholic drink. 

Then, I remember she has been witness to it. The fucking video of me at Halloween, grinding on Taylor and talking about sex. With Dean; with the man she has been living with for the last 8 months!

I carry the red solo cup through the house, smiling and greeting people as I pass until I get to the back patio where some of the more inebriated couples have seemed to congregate. I guess the illusion of the darkness of night has lured them outside. ‘Hopefully the ones out there are with the ones they arrived with or this could really turn into a mess,’ I think as I open the door and step out into the night air. 

It’s chilly and there are traces of snow on the ground from the storm we got last week but the temperatures have been mild and on the warmer side so here it is New Year’s Eve, a few hours before midnight and people are mingling outside.  

“Abby!” Brad calls when he spots me and I roll my eyes. He is standing in the corner with Debby, another girl from our high school class. From the look on her face and the glare she sends my way, I definitely interrupted something between them. 

“Hey Brad,” I say as I approach them, keeping a decent distance. 

“I see Mommy’s good girl isn’t such a good girl anymore,” he smirks and looks down at the cup in my grasp. “Or is that just soda?”

“No Brad,” I sneer. “It’s not just soda. Ya know, I turned 21 this year. I am legal. Are you or her?” I ask, nodding toward Debby.

“Oh that’s right,” Brad says as he steps away from Debby and approaches me. “You got a lot for your 21st birthday didn’t you? Got yourself a ‘Daddy’.”

I look at Brad wide-eyed and he chuckles. “Yea I saw the video. I think the whole world has seen the horny bunny talking about her Daddy. Just exactly who is this Daddy character that’s been messing around with my girl?” 

Brad places his arm on my shoulders and I quickly shrug it off. “I’m not your girl, Brad. Never have been, never will be.” I turn and walk back into the house. 

Brad continues to provoke me as he yells out, “Does he even exist Abby?’ and laughs as he makes his way back to his date.

Back inside, the music was louder and conversations were harder to hear; only snippets of dialogue. The Parks from across the street were in the dining room discussing something with the Jackson’s, and Brad’s parents,  from down the way; Mom and Dean were in the kitchen talking with Stan and his wife, Monica from next door. Others were throughout the house debating this and that. 

I walked toward my room, where I could be alone. Even Ben had a “date” as he was in his room with Noah playing video games. I was the odd man out. I had no date and no one to talk to so why even bother to mingle?

At a quarter to midnight, Mom knocks on my door to inform me that everyone's gathering around the television to watch the new year come in. I follow her down the hall to the front room where all the couples, excluding Ben and Noah,  are hugged up and looking excited to watch 2010 become 2011. 

I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. I didn’t have anyone to celebrate it with.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1!

Everyone in the house yells out “Happy New Year” and then I am surrounded by eight couples kissing while the ages old song, Auld Lang Syne is played through the tv speakers. I quietly tap my foot waiting for them all to break apart so I can bid them all a goodnight and retreat back to my room.

What I didn’t expect was for Dean to pull away from Mom and head toward me, a sheepish grin on his face. Was he going to kiss me? In front of Mom and all the others? What the hell is going on? Am I dreaming? 

I must be. I am probably still hiding out in my bedroom, asleep on my bed, dreaming of getting to kiss the one man I want to on this night because there is no way in hell that is about to happen!

@lostinaseaoffictionalbliss​ @spnbaby-67​ @tftumblin​ @sea040561​ @delightfullykrispypeach​ @larajadeschmidt13​ @vicariouslythruspn​ @squirrelnotsam​ @death-unbecomes-you​ @sandlee44​ @blacktithe7​ @deanwanddamons​ @hoboal87​ @marvelfanbrenda​ @vicmc624​ @smoothdogsgirl​ @elliloumom @stoneyggirl​  @kricketc29​

[spn-safeandsound]

01. The Beginning

Safe and Sound

Dean Winchester x Original Character

Episode: 1x01; Pilot

Word Count: 10,001

Warning(s): Mature language, canon violence and gore, dirty thoughts

Author’s Note: Here is the first chapter of my Supernatural rewrite! I hope you like Julia! Just know that more of her personality is shown the further we go along. Let me know what you think. Don’t forget to reblog and like!

Masterlist in Profile Description!

Throwing the damp motel towel on the dresser, Dean wandered over to the bed he didn't plan on using to zip open his duffel of clothes. He quickly pulled on one of the last clean pairs of jeans he had and a black t-shirt that he sniffed to make sure didn't stink. He had only managed to slip the necklace Sam gave him years ago over his head when there was a knock at the door.

Dean paused, narrowing his eyes over at the door covered in chipped red paint. He had just paid for the room and didn't plan on staying more than a couple of hours. He didn't think that gave anyone much time to know that he was in town. Besides, the only two people he knew in Palo Alto didn't even know he was there.

He grabbed his gun and held it cautiously behind his back, peeking through the peephole. He didn't see much, just the top of a girl's head. And then the girl stepped onto her tip toes and waved at him, knowing that he was watching her.

"Trick or treat!"

Dean pressed his lips together and set his gun back down on the table. He opened the door and set his unimpressed expression on the younger woman, who smiled sweetly at him.

"What are you doing here, Julia?"

Julia Petersen didn't drop her smile as she slipped past him into the motel room. Dean rolled his eyes, already exasperated with her, and shut the door. He looked her up and down as she paced around the room, studying the furniture with a curious gaze.

She was dressed in a black t-shirt with a ridiculous cartoon ghost on it and khaki shorts that made her legs seem longer than they actually looked. When she turned toward the bathroom, he got a look at her ass and almost groaned before controlling himself.

This is Julia, he reminded himself, cute little Julia who is six fucking years younger than you.

"Julia."

"Right," Julia shook her head to focus and turned back to Dean. "I was looking for some candy but I guess someone's not in the mood for Halloween."

"Halloween's stupid."

"Yeah, I know," Julia rolled her eyes and wandered over to his duffle bag. "All you Winchesters are the same."

"Woah, hey," Dean rushed toward her and pulled her hands away from his clothes. "Keep your hands to yourself, Junior."

"Sorry, I forgot about the weird boundaries you have," Julia gave him an innocent smile and sat on the bed.

"They're not weird. Everyone has them."

"Not me."

"That's cause you're crazy," Dean playfully snapped at her

"That's true," she conceded. "Uh, what was your question again?"

Dean sighed impatiently. It had been almost a year since he had seen Julia and he was already getting annoyed with her. He wouldn't say that she was annoying all the time but she was a kid. A kid who never stopped talking, was always distracted, and the human embodiment of sunshine.

"What are you doing here," he repeated. "and how the hell did you find me?"

"Oh, I tracked your phone," Julia informed him. "and I'm here because Dad left me a message to find you."

"Luke told you to find me?" Dean asked thoughtfully.

If Luke had asked his youngest daughter to find Dean, he probably knew about his dad being missing. Why else would he want Julia to find him? She was already with Sam so it wasn't like she needed protection.

"Yup."

"Well, what'd he say?"

"He said that John was missing and that you needed my help to find him," Julia informed him, scratching her cheek nervously. He caught her tell, having experience from over the years.

"You're lying," he pointed out; she pouted. "Seriously, Julia. Come on."

"I'm not lying about that," Julia stated honestly. "but...I did kind of have a bad feeling."

"What kind of bad feeling? Like you ate something bad for lunch or you forgot to do your taxes?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

Julia's smile slipped from her face. "The kind of feeling where I knew I needed to find you. My dad's message just confirmed it."

Dean appraised her, pressing his lips together. When she was growing up, Julia had bad feelings all the time. There was one time that she knew that her older sister, Beth, had broken her arm and when he used to indulge Sam and Julia and play hide and seek with them, she would find him every time without fail. It was common knowledge that she had some kind of sixth sense but no one really talked about it.

"Okay," he accepted her answer. "Is that it?"

"That's it," Julia nodded, a smile back on her face. "What time were you going to talk to Sam? I wouldn't wait long because we're going out tonight. Well, maybe it would be best if you waited to talk to him until after he was drunk. He might be more likely to hear you out. It's gonna be hard to convince him to go with us but—"

"Hold your horses, Junior," Dean cut her off. "I already had a plan."

"And that is?"

"Private."

Julia fixed him with an unimpressed stare. "If you break into my apartment I'm gonna kill you."

"I won't break into your apartment," Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm not a heathen."

Julia hummed, giving him a doubtful look.

"Okay, anything else you needed?" Dean sighed.

"Nope," Julia jumped up from the bed walked toward the door. "I'll be packed and ready by the time you come to get us."

"Sure thing," Dean nodded sarcastically. "Now leave."

"Oh, one more thing—"

"Nope. Bye," Dean gently pushed her out of the room and shut the door before she could finish what she was going to say.

"Dean!"

-

-

Julia heard the crash out in the living room and sighed, shaking her head as she finished shoving a pair of boots into one of her duffle bags. She had warned Dean not to break into the apartment and he had said he wouldn't but he lied to her face. She had to start getting better at detecting lies, especially if she was gonna be trained to be a hunter.

She was actually excited to go on the road with Dean. She had wanted to be a hunter for a long time. It had been years and her father still hadn't trained her like he trained her older sister, Abby. He had told her to get an education, which she did, and then they'd see. Well, it was now that time and she was itching to learn everything.

Her family had always been in the business of hunting supernatural creatures. Her father's side, the Alexanders, was a well-known family in the world of the supernatural as they had a special talent for getting rid of demons. Her mother's side of the family—the Petersens—were famous, too, though not for the same reason.

Her mother's family owned Petersen Sports Co., a sports store that catered to regular citizens who needed soccer balls and football pads but also to hunters who needed salt rounds, holy water, and all the guns and knives they could buy. The secret hunter part of the store also provided ways to get ahold of other hunters and provided lawyers in case something went south during a hunt. It was a family business, with her older brother Levi as head of sales, Beth and her husband—Taylor—as lawyers for the company, and her Aunt Maggie as CEO.

Either way, she was a bit of a legacy. And, since Abby was the only child out of the four who had gone into the hunting business so far, Julia had to step up.

Julia finished packing by setting her backpack on top of her other bags and left the room. As soon as she entered the hallway, she ran into Jess, Sam's girlfriend and one of her closest friends.

"Jules, I think Sam's fighting off a robber," Jess said hurriedly, cheeks flushed. "Should we call the police?"

"No, no, it's fine," Julia hurried to assure her. "Sam and I were expecting someone."

"At one in the morning?"

"...Yes," Julia laughed awkwardly. "Come on, I'll show you."

Jess nodded and by the time they entered the living room, the fighting between Sam and Dean had stopped. Julia flipped on the lights in the living room, illuminating the Winchester brothers so she and Jess could see them clearly.

"Sam?" Jess called her boyfriend's name, looking wearily between him and his older brother.

"Jess, hey," Sam sighed and introduced her to Dean. "Dean, this is my girlfriend, Jessica."

"Wait," Jess paused, giving Julia a curious look; Julia nodded. "your brother, Dean?"

Dean grinned sleazily at her, his eyes flitting up and down Jess' model figure. She wasn't dressed the most modestly but it was nighttime and Julia's usual pajamas showed just as much skin.

"I love the Smurfs," Dean complimented her, gesturing to the low-cut top Jess was wearing. "You know, I gotta tell you, you are completely out of my brother's league."

Julia rolled her eyes while Jess gave him an unimpressed smile. "Just let me put something on."

"No, no, I wouldn't dream of it," Dean shook his head coyly. "Seriously."

"Dean, stop being a creep," Julia sighed, smirking at the annoyed look he sent her.

"Mind your own, Junior," he snarked at her and then addressed Jess again. "Anyway, I've gotta borrow my brother and this dwarf here—" Julia scoffed in offense. "—to talk about some private family business. Nice meeting you."

"No," Sam objected, walking over to Jess' other side, wrapping an arm around her. "No, whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her."

Dean looked over to Julia and she shrugged, giving him the choice of whether or not he would divulge what was going on. He must have decided that he would just tell Sam anyway because he gave in.

"Okay," he nodded. "Um, Dad hasn't been home in a few days."

"So, he's working overtime on a Miller-Time shift," Sam shrugged, not worried about his estranged father. "He'll stumble back in sooner or later."

Dean pressed his lips together and looked at his feet for a brief second before looking back at Sam. "Dad's on a hunting trip," he elaborated. "and he hasn't been home in a few days."

Sam's face went blank like it usually did when Julia brought up their families and what they did for a living.

"Jess, excuse us."

-

"What did Dean mean by his dad being on a hunting trip?" Jess asked as Julia tied her hair up in a messy bun and packed her toiletries that she had almost forgotten. "Sam seemed pretty upset about it."

"Well, John Winchester had always been a fan of hunting," Julia sighed, scratching her cheek. "Big game, as far as I know. Usually he gets drunk and passes out for a few days before heading back home."

Jess made an indignant noise. "Charming."

"Yeah, no kidding," Julia agreed, giving her an amused smile. "That's John, all right."

"Poor Sam," Jess sighed as they moved back to Julia's room; Julia made a noise of agreement. "So, why do you have to go with them again?"

"My dad called earlier and asked me to," Julia informed her. "I found Dean earlier today and it seems like he's really concerned."

"Well, how long are you gonna be gone?" Jess' eyes scoured over Julia's two duffle bags and backpack. "You're packed for a long time."

"I'll be back by Christmas," she assured the blonde. "and Sam will be home in time to make his interview. I'll make sure of it."

Jessica sighed heavily but nodded, knowing that Sam would probably give in and go with his brother and Julia for the weekend.

"Just be safe, okay?" she requested. "For me?"

"Course I will," Julia gave her a quick hug and grabbed one of her duffle bags, along with her backpack. "I'll send Sam up, okay?"

"Okay," Jess nodded. "Bye, Jules."

"See you later, Jess."

Julia left the apartment and made her way down the stairs, through the gate, and to the parking lot where she assumed Dean parked. She spotted the two giants across the lot and quickly approached them just as Dean was convincing Sam to listen about the case John was hunting.

Dean nodded at her in greeting and grabbed her bag, dropping it onto the concrete before unlocking his trunk. He pulled up the flap that hid the weapons underneath and began rummaging through the various guns, spell ingredients, knives, and other things necessary for hunting.

"Where the fuck did I put that thing?" Dean mumbled, looking for something.

Julia and Sam exchanged a pointed look, knowing that Dean was a slob for the most part, and waited patiently for Dean to grab whatever he was looking for.

"So, when your dad left, why didn't you go with him?" Julia asked him curiously.

"I was working my own gig," Dean answered. "Some voodoo thing down in New Orleans."

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?"

Dean gave him a pointed look. "I'm twenty-six, dude," he located a manila folder and pulled it out of the trunk, grabbing some papers that he had printed off. "All right, here we go. So, Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California."

"About a month ago, this guy went missing," he continued, handing some of the articles to Sam and the rest to Julia. "They found his car but he vanished, completely M.I.A.."

Sam scanned the article on top of his pile. "So maybe he was kidnapped."

"This article is from April," Julia spoke up, showing Sam the articles she had been going through. "And this one is from December of '04."

"There's one for '03, '98, '92," Dean added. "ten of them over the past twenty years. All men, all same five mile stretch of road. It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough, but," he pulled a recording device out of the trunk. "then I get this voicemail yesterday."

He pressed play and John Winchester's voice came out of the small speaker. "Dean...something big is starting to happen.  I think it's serious. I need to try and figure out what's going on. It may...Be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger."

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam looked to Dean.

Dean smiled, pleased. "Not bad, Sammy. Kinda like riding a bike, isn't it?"

Sam shook his head while Julia chuckled.

"All right, I slowed the message down, ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got..." he pressed play again.

It was a woman's voice this time. "I can never go home."

Julia shivered at the creepy voice while Dean looked at Sam expectantly.

"Never go home," Sam repeated thoughtfully.

Dean nodded and set the recording device back into the trunk, along with the articles he had collected. He threw Julia's bag in, shut the trunk, and leaned on it, giving Sam his version of a guilt trip and puppy-dog eyes.

"You know, in almost two years, I've never bothered you or asked you for a thing."

Sam sighed, quickly giving in. "All right, I'll go. I'll help you find him."

Dean smiled happily.

"But I have to get back first thing Monday," Sam informed him, turning away to walk back to his apartment. "Just wait here."

"What's first thing Monday?" Dean called after him

"I have an interview," Sam told him.

"What, a job interview?" Dean shrugged. "Skip it."

"It's a law school interview," Sam said proudly. "and it's my whole future on a plate."

"Law school?" Julia saw that Dean looked a little impressed.

Sam nodded. "So, we got a deal or not?"

Dean didn't say anything but Sam got the gist that he agreed with him. Julia told him to bring down her last bag as he ran off to the apartment stairs, getting a wave of confirmation in return.

"How many damn bags do you need, anyway?" Dean asked Julia as she turned toward him with a happy smile.

"Three," she told him simply. "Clothes, shoes, toiletries, books, schoolwork, computer."

"Jesus Christ," Dean sighed as he stood from his position against the Impala's trunk and started walking to the driver's seat. "You're in the back, shortcake."

Julia grumbled, already annoyed with the short jokes, and slipped into the backseat. She pulled her pillow into her chest and snuggled into it, getting ready for the long drive to Jericho.

-

The breeze was cool and welcoming as they stopped at a gas station, just outside of Jericho, California. It was still early in the morning, around seven, but all three of them were already up. Dean was inside, getting some things to eat and drink while Sam went through Dean's cassette collection and Julia read through her emails.

"Did you see these, J?" Sam asked her, sorting through the cardboard box the cassettes were kept in. "He's got cassettes. I don't think he's heard of a CD before."

"Uh, Dean doesn't like change, remember?" Julia shrugged. "It's not really surprising he has every old white man's collection of music."

Sam laughed and continued his search. Eventually, Dean came out of the gas station, carrying a plastic bag of goodies he had scored.

"Want breakfast?" he asked them as he started pumping gas.

"No, thanks," Sam mumbled.

"Oh, did you get the—?"

"Cherry cheese Danish and apple juice," Dean cut Julia off, slipping them through her open window.

"Thanks!" Julia immediately tore open the Danish, taking a large bite out of it.

"So, how'd you pay for that stuff?" Sam asked cautiously. "You and Dad still running credit card scams."

"Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro-ball career," Dean excused himself, finishing with the gas. "Besides, all we do is apply. It's not our fault they send us the cards."

"Yeah and what names did you write on the application this time?"

"Uh," Dean slipped into his seat. "Burt Aframian and his son, Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal."

Sam scoffed. "Sounds about right," he shook his head. "I swear, man, you've gotta update your cassette tape collection."

"Why?"

"Because they're cassette tapes," Julia spoke up, finished her breakfast with a sip of apple juice. "And then there's the music itself."

"Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Metallica," Sam listed the tapes he had been through. "It's the greatest hits of mullet rock."

"Ooh, good one," Julia giggled.

Dean gave them annoyed looks, not liking the fact that they were gaining up on him, and grabbed the Metallica tape from the box. "Well, house rules, Sammy," he put the tape in the stereo. "Driver picks the music, shotgun—and backseat—shut their cakeholes."

Julia rolled her eyes while Sam gave Dean an exasperated look.

"You know, Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old," he reminded Dean as the tape started, not fond of his childhood nickname. "It's Sam, okay?"

"Sorry, I can't hear you!" Dean said loudly, a cheeky smile on his face. "The music's too loud!"

Julia laughed and leaned forward so her chin rested on the seat between the brothers. "Don't worry, Sam, you weren't chubby when you were twelve."

Sam gave her a flat look. "Thanks, J."

Julia winked at him and leaned back in her seat. While Dean drove closer to Jericho, Sam took the time to call the hospital and the morgue in town to see if there was anyone matching John's description. It was only when they were five miles out of town that he got off the phone.

"All right," he sighed. "so, there's no one matching Dad at the hospital or the morgue. So, that's something, I guess."

Dean raised his eyebrows and nodded. Julia shut her Bible, as she had started to reread Romans for her New Testament class, when they came upon the bridge that went into Jericho. There was what looked to be an abandoned car, a cop car ahead with its lights on, and a couple of police officers milling about.

"Check it out," Dean pointed the scene out to Sam and Julia.

He pulled to a stop at the side of the road and leaned over to the passenger side of the car, opening the glovebox and pulling out a box. The box contained numerous fake FBI badges with Dean and John's names on them; Dean picked a federal marshal badge out of the box and smirked at Sam and Julia.

"Let's go."

Julia didn't think that plaid and jeans—and in her case, a t-shirt and shorts—were the best clothing they could be wearing while they pretended that they were agents of the law. She didn't even have a badge, nor did Sam, and they were all kind of young to be federal marshals. Nevertheless, she got out of the car and followed Sam and Dean over to the police officers on the bridge.

"All right, first lesson," Dean quickly looked back at Julia. "Stay quiet and observe."

Julia fought the urge to roll her eyes and smiled brightly at him, acting like she was zipping her lips. Dean sighed heavily and continued on, giving Sam a pointed look that Julia caught but didn't react to.

As they got closer to the bridge, they saw that the officers had search and rescue down in the river, looking for the missing man.

"No sign of struggle, no footprints, no fingerprints," one of the officers told his partner. "Spotless. It's almost too clean."

The other officer nodded. "So, this kid, Troy, he's dating your daughter, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"How's Amy doing?"

"She's putting up missing posters downtown," the first officer informed him, shaking his head.

"You fellas had another one like this just last month, didn't you?" Dean announced their presence, raising his voice so the officers could hear him.

The second officer looked toward them, straightening up so he stood taller. "And who are you?"

Dean held up his badge and quickly closed it before the officer had a good look. "Federal marshals," he gestured between himself and Sam before pointing back at Julia. "Intern."

"You two are a little young for marshals, aren't you?" the officer asked suspiciously.

Ha! Julia thought. I knew it.

Dean chuckled. "Thanks, that's awfully kind of you," he walked over to the victim's car. "You did have another one just like this, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right," the officer confirmed. "about a mile up the road. There have been others before that."

"So, this victim, you knew him?" Sam asked him.

The officer nodded. "A town like this, everybody knows everybody."

Julia noticed Dean gesturing for her; she left Sam's side and walked around the car where he was standing. He pointed into the car, mumbling for her to take a look to see if she found anything.

She did as she was told, searching the front seats and dashboard of the car as best as she could while not touching anything. She didn't see anything particular; no blood, scratches in the leather, or dirt on the floorboards. Like the officer said, it was spotless.

"Any connection between the victims, besides that they're all men?" Dean spoke up.

"No, not as far as we can tell."

"So, what's the theory?" Sam wondered.

"Honestly, we don't know," the officer shrugged. "Serial murder, kidnapping ring..."

"Well, that is exactly the kind of crack police work I'd expect out of you guys," Dean commented with a scoff. Julia looked over at him in shock while he winced, Sam having stomped painfully on his foot.

"Thank you for your time," Sam told the police officer with a gracious nod.

Julia hurried to his side as the three of them started walking hurrying off the bridge. Once they were a few feet away from the Impala, Dean took the opportunity to slap the back of Sam's head.

"Ow!" Sam hissed. "What was that for?"

"Why'd you have to step on my foot?" Dean retorted.

"Why do you have to talk to the police like that?"

Dean narrowed his eyes at Sam and stepped forward, cutting him and Julia off so they couldn't walk any further. "Come on, they don't really know what's going on," he stated. "We're all alone on this. I mean, if we're going to find Dad, we've got to get to the bottom of this thing ourselves."

Julia's eyes swept past the brothers, wincing when she saw three older men walking toward them. She cleared her throat loudly, getting Dean and Sam's attention; Dean whipped around to face the men himself.

"Can I help you three?" the man who looked to be the sheriff asked them sternly.

"No, sir, we were just leaving," Julia shot them a dazzling smile. The sheriff almost melted in her presence while the FBI agents walked past Sam and Dean to go question the police themselves.

"Agent Mulder, Agent Scully," Dean nodded at the agents as he grabbed Julia's arm and pulled her past the sheriff; Sam followed them. "Nice work, shortcake."

"I have one of those smiles, I guess," Julia shrugged sheepishly as she slid into her seat.

Dean scoffed. "I guess you do."

-

-

Dean, Sam, and Julia walked through the town square, searching for the girl they overheard the police officers talk about. Amy was her name and she was the victim's girlfriend who was hanging missing posters up over town.

It wasn't hard to find the girl, especially in a town this small. The police officer had been telling the truth when he said that they knew everyone around here.

"I bet that's her," Dean pointed to a young brunette hanging up posters outside of a post office. They approached her carefully, trying not to scare her off. "You must be Amy."

Amy had to be only a couple years younger than Julia and around the same height. She was dressed in dark clothing and had dark make-up on like she was taking grieving to a whole other level.

"Yeah," the girl confirmed.

"Troy told us about you," Dean went with the easiest story he could come up with and introduced himself, Sam, and Julia. "We're his uncles—I'm Dean, this is Sammy—and our little sister, Julia."

Amy gave him a skeptical look and started walking away. "He never mentioned you."

Dean quickly followed her. "Yeah, that's Troy, I guess. We're not around much, we're up in Modesto."

"So, we're looking for him, too," Sam took over; Amy stopped walking to look up at him. "and we're kinda asking around."

"Hey," a girl Amy's age walked up to her. "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Amy assured her.

"Do you mind if we ask you a couple questions?" Sam asked her politely.

It wasn't hard to say yes to Sam's puppy-dog eyes so Amy agreed to answer some questions for them. They settled at a nearby diner and on the walk over, Dean quietly answered some of the questions Julia had for him. He informed her about what kind of questions to ask people—like whether they noticed any cold spots or anything strange that occurred around them.

He had to admit, despite her ADHD, Julia was a quick learner. She soaked the information in like a sponge and it impressed him a little bit.

"I was on the phone with Troy," Amy informed them once she and her friend were settled at a table with Dean, Sam, and Julia. "He was driving home. He said he could call me right back and..." she hesitated sadly. "He never did."

"He didn't say anything strange or out of the ordinary?" Sam took over the questioning, seeming to have a better response than Dean did.

"No," Amy shook her head. "Nothing that I can remember."

"I like your necklace," Julia suddenly spoke up, pointing to the pentagram around Amy's neck.

Amy sadly smiled down at the charm. "Troy gave it to me," she sniffled and laughed a little. "Mostly to scare my parents with all that devil stuff."

Julia grinned at her. "Actually, it means the opposite," she corrected her, recalling some of the information she had learned in one of her classes. "A pentagram is protection against evil. It's really powerful if you believe in that kind of thing."

Dean pursed his lips at her, unimpressed with her change of discussion. "Okay, thanks, Unsolved Mysteries," he snapped at her, earning a frown in return, before addressing the girls, "Here's the deal, ladies, the way Troy disappeared, something's not right. So, if you heard anything..."

Amy and her friend exchanged hesitant looks that Dean caught.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's just—" Amy's friend, Rachel, started. "I mean, with all these guys going missing, people talk."

"What do they talk about?" Sam and Dean asked at the same time.

"It's kind of this local legend," Rachel sighed. "This one girl, she got murdered out on Centennial, like, decades ago. Well, supposedly, she's still out there. She hitchhikes and whoever picks her up—well, they disappear forever."

Dean and Sam exchanged knowing looks. Not all myths were based on fact, but most of them were. If there was a local legend around town, there had to be some truth to it—even if some of the details were blurred.

-

-

It was nighttime by the time Julia, Dean, and Sam headed back to the bridge on Centennial Highway. After getting some information at the library about the so-called hitchhiker the girl was talking about at the diner, they headed there to take a look around. The bridge was much spookier at night, especially once they found out about this mysterious hitchhiker.

The article they had found was about Constance Welch, who committed suicide at the bridge in the eighties. She took a dive into the river and drowned only an hour or so after both of her kids died in the bathtub. Her husband had said that she just couldn't handle her grief.

After Dean parked the impala on one side of the bridge, the three of them walked the length of it. Julia bit her lip nervously as she looked around, hoping that this spirit wouldn't just appear out of nowhere. Then again, she wanted the training, so some of her nerves were from anticipation.

"So," Dean walked over to the ledge of the bridge, looking down at the black river below. "this is where Constance took the swan dive."

Sam nodded and leaned against the railing beside him. "So, you think Dad would have been here?"

"Well, he's chasing the same story and we're chasing him."

Julia wasn't assured by Dean's statement. "What now?"

"Now we keep digging until we find him," Dean informed her, his eyes darting toward Sam. "It might take a while."

"Dean, I told you, I've gotta get back by—" Sam started to remind him but Dean cut him off with a nod.

"Monday," he recalled somewhat sourly. "Right, the interview."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I forgot," Dean lied. "You're really serious about this, aren't you? You think you're just gonna become some lawyer and marry your girl?"

"Maybe," Sam shrugged. "Why not?"

"Does Jessica know the truth about you?" Dean started to goad him, irritated and a little jealous that Sam could leave hunting so easily. "I mean, does she know about the things you've done?"

"No, and she's not ever going to know."

"Well, that's healthy," Dean's tone was dripping with sarcasm. "You can pretend all you want, Sammy, but sooner or later you're going to have to face up to who you really are."

Dean turned and started walking away, knowing that he pushed his little brother's buttons. He was right; Sam started following him at an angry pace while Julia hovered nervously at the same spot by the railing. The conversation was none of her business and even though she was definitely going to eavesdrop, that didn't mean she was going to interrupt.

"And who's that?" Sam stomped after Dean.

"You're one of us."

"No," Sam's voice was sharp as he caught up with his brother, staring down at him with a glare. "I'm not like you. This is not going to be my life."

Dean paused to confront him. "You have a responsibility to—"

"To Dad and his crusade?" Sam scoffed. "If it weren't for pictures, I wouldn't even know what Mom looks like and what difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her, Mom's gone and she isn't coming back."

Dean lunged at Sam, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him against the railing on the other side of the bridge. Julia gasped softly and started to rush over, practically feeling the rage in Dean's veins.

"Dean!"

There was a long pause as Julia gently touched his elbow. Dean calmed down a little bit and quietly warned Sam, "Don't talk about her like that."

He roughly let go of Sam's collar and brushed off Julia's hand, turning to walk back to the Impala. He stopped in his tracks, seeing a woman dressed in a white dress standing on top of the railing of the bridge, her skirt blowing in the wind.

"Sam, Jules..."

Julia gawked at the woman as she looked over, made direct eye contact with both of the Winchesters, and jumped down into the river. Dean, Sam, and Julia took off running to where the woman jumped, hearing no splash and seeing no one down in the river.

"Where is she?" Julia asked loudly, her nerves wracked.

"I don't know," Sam shook his head, his eyes still searching the water below them.

The sound of an engine roaring caught their attention. Julia looked over, her eyes widening in horror when she saw that the Impala had started up with no help. She looked over at Dean in confusion, sincerely hoping that it was just a carjacker and not the spirit messing with them.

"What the fuck?"

'Who's driving your car?" Sam asked Dean.

Dean simply reached into his jeans and pulled out his car keys.

"Oh, no," Julia whimpered.

Whoever—or whatever—was in the Impala pressed on the gas. The car sped forward, going way too quickly, and started driving toward them. Sam grabbed Julia's arm and urged her to run as he and Dean took off running.

Julia ran sometimes when she had the time but that was nothing like running for your life. She had adrenaline pumping through her veins as she sped up to keep up with the brothers, almost overtaking Dean. The car was too fast, however, and they had to jump.

Dean vaulted over the railing and dove into the river. As Sam jumped, too, Julia ran behind him and, before she could even process what she was doing, grabbed his arm to keep him from falling.

Sam looked up at her in surprise as she grunted, half of her body practically hanging off the railing so she could keep him from dropping into the water below.

"Oh, my God, you're so heavy!"

Sam scrambled to reach up, grabbing the bottom of the railing so some of his weight was relieved from her. He easily climbed up with Julia's help; once he was back on his feet and Julia was wincing at the strain in her muscles, they looked into the river to see if Dean was okay.

"Dean?"

"Dean, are you alive?"

"Dean!"

"Are you okay?"

"Dean?" Sam and Julia chorused together.

They heard an annoyed groan before, "What?"

"Hey, are you all right?" Sam called down to him, relieved that his brother hadn't drowned in the nasty-looking river.

Dean crawled onto the muddy bank and made an 'okay' gesture. "I'm fucking super."

Julia broke into a relieved snicker and Sam chuckled, growing amused and joining in

They didn't stay at the bridge long after Dean pulled himself off the bank and walked back up to the highway. He didn't waste time waving the other two into the car so they could drive back to town and get a motel room for the night.

Once at the closest motel, Dean took a few minutes to check out the Impala for any damage.

"Everything okay with Baby?" Julia asked him tentatively, wrinkling at the horrible smell wafting off his muddy hair and clothes.

"Yeah, whatever she did to it seems fine now," Dean sighed and shut the hood. "That Constance chick, what a bitch!"

Sam smiled at him, amused. "Well, I guess she doesn't want us digging around," he commented; Dean scoffed in agreement. "So, where's the job gonna take us now?"

Dean huffed and threw his arms into the air, frustrated. At the same time, Julia gagged, the smell coming from the mud covering Dean making her feel nauseous.

The brothers looked at her expectantly and she shrugged, covering her nose. "You should take a shower," she advised Dean. "You really stink."

Dean glared at her. "Thanks for that, Junior."

Julia gave him a sweet smile as he rolled his eyes and Sam chuckled. Dean pulled out his wallet and started toward the motel office, Sam and Julia dutifully following after him. Once at the front desk, he threw his credit card on the counter.

"One room, please."

The old man working the desk gave Dean a reluctant look-over and then grabbed the card, reading the name on the front. "You guys having a reunion or something?"

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I had another guy, Burt Aframian," the man informed them. "He came and bought out a room for the whole month."

Julia looked at Sam and Dean, surprised, while Dean made an expression that told her that he was thinking he should have known his dad would rent out a room. Sam quickly made an excuse that they were coming to check on their father while Dean paid for another room.

Once they had their room key, the three of them went straight to the room that John rented out, picking the lock. Sam yanked Dean into the room after him and Julia and firmly shut the door.

Julia looked around the room, her eyes wide. The room was an absolute mess that made her skin itch; there were clothes all over the place, numerous papers taped to the walls, and old food sitting around. Dean turned on the lamp closest to him so they'd have more light to look around, picking up a half-eaten burger on the table below it.

He sniffed it curiously and silently gagged at the rank smell while Sam and Julia stepped over the salt ring on the floor to get a better look at the walls. "I don't think he's been here for a couple of days."

"Salt, cat's-eye shells," Sam listed as he looked at the salt on the floor. "He was worried. Trying to keep something from coming in."

In the back of her mind, Julia remembered that salt was like a barrier for all sorts of supernatural creatures, but at the moment her focus was on the papers taped to the wall. There were a bunch of articles about the disappearances over the last decade, as well as some local lore that he dug up.

"What have you got here?" Sam walked over to her.

Julia wrinkled her nose as Dean came over to take a closer look as well, and said, "Centennial Highway victims."

"I don't get it," Dean mumbled. "I mean, different men, different jobs, ages, ethnicities...There's always a connection, right?"

Julia gave him a questioning look. "So, what do these guys have in common?"

Dean shrugged at her and Julia frowned, looking back at the profiles John had made for the victims.

"Dad figured it out," Sam spoke up, having moved across the room where more papers were taped on the wall.

"What do you mean?"

"He found the same article we did," Sam gestured to the wall where the article about Constance Welch was taped. "Constance Welch, she's a woman in white."

Dean smirked as he looked back at the victims. "You sly dogs."

"What's a woman in white?" Julia wondered, her eyes darting between Sam and Dean.

"It's a sort of phenomenon," Sam explained to her. "They're spirits that have been sighted for hundreds of years in dozens of places. They're women who had husbands who were unfaithful so they suffered from temporary insanity and murdered their children. They take their own lives afterwards and become cursed, killing any unfaithful man they find."

Julia winced but mentally stored the information in her head until she could write it down in the journal she brought with her. She'd been cheated on before but she was never angry enough that she would take a life—let alone a child, if she had one.

"Wow," she breathed; Sam nodded in agreement.

"All right, so if we're dealing with a woman in white, Dad would have found the corpse and destroyed it," Dean spoke up.

"She might have another weakness," Sam suggested.

"Well, Dad would want to make sure," Dean insisted, crossing the room to stand next to Sam. "He'd dig her up. Does it say where she's buried?"

"No, not that I can tell," Sam's eyes brushed over the article on the wall. "If I were Dad, though, I'd go ask her husband if he's still alive."

"All right," Dean nodded in approval. "Why don't you, uh, you guys go to the room and see if can find the address. I'm gonna get cleaned up in here."

Dean started toward the bathroom but Sam soon stopped him. "Hey, Dean?"

Dean looked at him expectantly.

"What I said earlier, about Mom and Dad," Sam said sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

Dean held his hand in the air, stopping Sam from speaking further. "No chick-flick moments."

Sam laughed and nodded. "All right, jerk."

"Bitch," Dean mumbled in reply before heading into the bathroom.

Julia furrowed her eyebrows and walked over to Sam. "Your brother has some serious issues dealing with emotions."

Sam scoffed. "No kidding. Come on, let's go."

He turned to leave but paused when he saw a picture stuck in the full-length mirror. He pulled it out of the frame and smiled softly when he saw that it was him, Dean, and his dad more than a decade ago, sitting on the hood of the Impala.

Julia took a peek at it. "Were you born in plaid?" she joked, sensing that he needed a little cheering up; it worked and he smiled slightly. "You look happy."

"We were," Sam sighed as he pocked the picture.

-

It was noon the next day when Dean finally woke up and started moving, having caught more than his usual four hours of sleep. He went straight into the bathroom, ignoring the happy greeting Julia sent him, and got ready for the day.

Julia rolled her eyes at the grumpy man and went back to her laptop, reading the website that Sam had showed her. There was a lot of information about women in white that Sam hadn't touched on earlier and she made sure to record it in her journal so she could look back on it later if she needed to.

It was while Sam was listening to a message from Jess he had missed earlier that Dean came out of the bathroom.

"Hey, I'm starving," he informed them as he slipped on his hand-me-down leather jacket that was a little bit too big for him. "I'm gonna grab a little something to eat in that diner down the street. You guys want anything?"

"Nah," Sam declined, continuing to listen to the message.

"Aframian's buying," Dean tried to tempt him but Sam shook his head. Dean sighed and turned to Julia with raised eyebrows. "What about you, shortcake?"

Julia bit her lip, thinking about what she wanted to eat. Dean subtly checked her out while she decided, enjoying the pajama shorts and cotton tank-top that she was lounging around in.

"A turkey club?" she smiled up at him.

Dean winked at her. "Coming right up."

Julia's heart raced and her smile fell as he left the room. That man was just too gorgeous for his own good. Dean was attractive, everyone knew that, but Julia had a crush on him when she was five years old and he was an awkward-looking preteen going through puberty. Luckily the crush went away by the time she was in high-school and Dean was a very legal adult. If she wasn't careful, though, she'd be sucked in again.

Her phone rang only seconds later. It was Dean.

"Yeah?"

"Five-oh," Dean warned her quietly; she stiffened nervously. "You and Sammy take off."

"What about you?" she asked worriedly.

"They kinda spotted me. Go find my dad, all right?"

He hung up and Julia stood up, quickly grabbing a pair of joggers to pull up over her shorts. "Sam, the police are here," she informed him hurriedly, grabbing her laptop and sliding into her backpack. "Let's go."

"All right," Sam nodded and stood up. "Come on, there's a window in the bathroom."

Out in the parking lot, Dean smiled charmingly at the police officers approaching him. "Problem, officers?"

"Where are your partners?" one of the officers—the one they spoke to the day before—asked.

"Partners?" he played it cool. "What partners?"

The officer nodded over at his partner and gestured to John's room and their room. The partner made his way over to John's room first, which relieved Dean. It'd give Julia and Sam more time to get away without being noticed.

"So," the first officer looked back at him. "Fake US Marshal, fake credit cards...You got anything that's real?"

"My boobs," Dean stated matter-of-factly, flashing the officer a cheeky grin.

The officer didn't like that very much. He called over his partner and grabbed Dean, hauling him over to their cruiser. He was slammed down on the hood and cuffed behind his back but he didn't care. Sam and Julia got away and he hadn't committed any crimes—yet—so they didn't have anything on him.

He was processed quickly when they got to the station and sat in an interrogation room while the officers gathered evidence from John's room. It was an hour later that the sheriff came in, holding a box of things they had taken.

"So," the man grumped, sitting the box on the table in front of Dean. "you want to give us your real name?"

"I told you. It's Nugent," Dean insisted cockily. "Ted Nugent."

The sheriff gave him a flat look. "I'm not sure you realize just how much trouble you're in here."

"Are you talking like, misdemeanor kind of trouble or squeal-like-a-pig trouble?" Dean asked smartly.

"You got the faces of ten missing persons taped to your wall along with a whole lot of Satanic mumbo-jumbo," the sheriff informed him needlessly. "Boy, you are officially a suspect."

Dean scoffed; this guy was an idiot. There was no way that Dean was gonna go down for these murders since all they had were a bunch of printed out pictures of the victims. That's not actually enough evidence to do anything.

"That makes sense," he snarked at the man. "cause when the first one went missing in '82, I was three."

"I know you got partners," the sheriff was deterred. "One of them is an older guy. Maybe he started the whole thing. So, tell me, Dean—"

Dean paused when the sheriff said his name, a cocky look on his face. The older man grabbed a book out of the box and threw it on the table in front of him. It was his dad's journal.

"—is this his?"

Dean's heart sank in his chest at the sight of the familiar, leather bound journal. His dad never went anywhere without it. Everything they knew about the supernatural creatures they've come across was recorded in those pages, along with a lot of personal information that Dean didn't like to be shared. Information about his mom's death and the way he grew up wasn't something he wanted random strangers to know about.

The sheriff recognized the look on Dean's face. "I thought that might be your name," he acknowledged, walking around the table so he could open the journal. "See, I leafed through this. What little I could make out—I mean, it's nine kinds of crazy."

Dean stared passively down at the pages he flipped through, the pictures of his ancestors, his mom, him, Sam, and their hunter friends filling some of the plastic sleeves inside.

Finally, the sheriff stopped on a page toward the back. "I found this, too," he pointed at a page with Dean's name and coordinates. "Now, you're staying right here till you tell me exactly what the hell that means."

"It's my locker combination," Dean lied easily.

"Bullshit."

"I'm not lying," he insisted. "It's from years ago, when I was in high school."

The sheriff, rightfully, didn't believe him but Dean wasn't budging. He didn't know where the coordinates led to, but it had to be something important. Something that police officers or anyone who didn't know about John or the things that go bump in the night needed to see.

He questioned Dean for an hour, asking about many things. After a while, he veered the interrogation away from the coordinates and asked about his dad. He asked about Sam and Julia, too, but Dean insisted adamantly that he was alone. The sheriff didn't believe him but he didn't give a flying fuck—he wasn't a snitch. He enjoyed riling the old man up, too, seeing his face turn red with frustration and anger.

"I don't know how many times I gotta tell you," Dean sighed when the sheriff asked him about the coordinates again. "It's my high school locker combo."

"We gonna do this all night long?" the sheriff asked him grumpily.

A deputy poked his head into the room. "We just got a 9-1-1," he informed his superior. "Shots fired over at Whiteford Road."

The sheriff looked over at Dean. "Do you have to go to the bathroom?"

Dean gave him a weird look. "No."

"Good," the sheriff pulled handcuffs out of his belt and locked Dean to the table before leaving the room, the door shut firmly behind him.

Dean rolled his eyes and pulled the paperclip he had been eyeing from his dad's journal. He quickly set himself free and grabbed the journal, slipping it into his jacket. He waited until all the police officers left and then escaped, having the time to whistle a little tune.

"Finally," he heard a sigh as he walked out of the building. "I'm been waiting for ever."

Dean gave Julia an impressed look as she walked over to him, her arms folding across her ample chest. "You did that?" he pointed back at the station with his thumb; she nodded with a grin. "A fake 9-1-1 call. Impressive and very illegal."

"You're welcome," Julia beamed at him, pleased with his praise. "Come on, Sam went to question Joseph Welch."

"Ah," Dean nodded and walked by her side as she lead them to a car parked on the curb a block down. "Did you steal the car, too?"

"Sam taught me."

"He taught you?" he gave her a skeptical look. Even he had a couple lessons before he was successfully jacking cars. Julia was good but she wasn't that good.

"Okay, he stole it for me before taking off," Julia admitted. "but I paid attention."

Dean hummed and slid into the driver's seat, starting up the car. He asked Julia to call Sam as he started driving toward Joseph Welch's house and she did it without protesting.

"Hey," Sam answered quickly.

"You taught Jules the fake 9-1-1 call?" Dean greeted him. "I'm proud, Sammy."

Sam laughed. "Well, you're welcome."

"Listen, we gotta talk."

"Tell me about it," Sam sighed. "So, the husband was unfaithful. We are definitely dealing with a woman in white and she's buried behind her old house. That should have been Dad's next stop."

Dean sighed in frustration. "Sammy, could you shut up for a second?"

"I just can't figure out why Dad hasn't destroyed the corpse yet."

"Well, that's what I'm trying to tell you," Dean stated. "He's gone. Dad left Jericho."

"What?" Sam's voice stiffened while Julia looked at Dean in shock. "How do you know?"

"I got his journal."

"He doesn't go anywhere without that thing."

"Yeah, well, he did this time."

"What's it say?"

"Ah, same old ex-Marine shit," Dean grumbled. "when he wants to let us know where he's going."

"Coordinates. Where to?"

"I'm not sure yet," Dean admitted.

"I don't understand," Sam said, frustrated. "I mean, what could be so important that Dad would just skip out in the middle of a job? Dean, what the hell is going on?"

Dean stiffened when they heard the tires screech on the other line. It sounded like Sam had stopped very quickly.

"Sam? Sam?" Dean asked frantically.

Sam didn't answer, though, and the call quickly died out. Dean tossed Julia her phone and stepped on the gas, speeding up toward the address listed on the article about Constance Welch's suicide.

"Do you think he's okay?" Julia asked him nervously.

She was worried to death about her best friend and from Dean's reaction, he could be in seriously danger. She knew Sam was faithful to Jess but maybe the spirit didn't care. Apparently some of them didn't follow rules.

"I don't know," Dean said tightly. "We just got to get there fast."

"Okay."

"You know how to shoot a gun?"

"Of course."

"Good."

They pulled up to the old Welch residence, spotting the Impala parked right out in front. Dean and Julia jumped out of the car they stole and ran toward it; Dean handed her one of the spare guns he kept in his jacket—thankful that the police didn't do a body search—and used his own to shoot out the driver's window where the woman in white was straddling Sam.

The woman in white disappeared but promptly became visible again. Julia shot without thinking, her bullet disturbing the spirit. Sam took the opportunity to start the car and speed into the house, going through the front wall.

"Oh, my God!"

"Jesus Christ, I hope he didn't hurt my car," Dean mumbled furiously as he and Julia ran into the destroyed house.

"Sam?"

"Here!"

Julia ran over to the driver's door. "You okay?" she asked, ripping the door open; Sam nodded. "Can you move?"

"Yeah," Sam breathed as Dean rushed over to them. "Can you help me?"

Dean reached in and practically pulled Sam out of the Impala, getting him to his feet. Julia wrapped one of Sam's arms around her shoulders and allowed him to settle his very heavy weight on her as Dean stepped in front of them in case Constance came back.

Constance sure didn't look very happy with them. She threw down the portrait that she was looking at and waved her hand. A heavy dresser flew toward them, painfully pinning them to the wall.

Julia squeaked in pain as she was pressed against the wall. She was officially unable to move and unable to get away from the pain that the furniture inflicted on her stomach. Dean and Sam tried pushing the dresser away from them but it wouldn't budge.

Then the lights in the house started flickering and water started pouring down the staircase. Two creepy-looking child-ghosts appeared, getting Constance's attention. She stared at them in horror and a deep sadness.

"You've come home to us, Mommy," they whispered in unison.

Julia shivered, creeped out.

The children appeared behind Constance and promptly hugged her, causing her to scream. Her body flickered for a few seconds before all three of them burst into a weird fire that had Julia turning away and disappeared.

With Constance's spirit gone, Dean and Sam were able to move the dresser away from the three of them. Julia sighed in relief now that the pressure was gone and wrapped an arm around her torso. She was pretty sure she had bruised a couple of ribs.

My first hunting injury, she thought proudly.

"So, this is where she drowned her kids," Dean assumed, looking at the spot where the three spirits appeared.

Sam nodded. "That's why she could never go home. She was too scared to face them."

"But I fought we had to burn her corpse to kill her?" Julia spoke up, kind of confused.

There was only so much she knew about hunting but she thought you got rid of ghosts by salting and burning their corpse. That didn't happen here.

"Sometimes you can find a spirit's weakness and that can take care of them," Sam informed her.

"In this case it just happened to be her kids," Dean added, clapping Sam on the shoulder. "Nice work, Sammy."

Sam laughed loudly and grinned at his brother. "Yeah, I wish I could say the same for you," he mocked him. "Where were you thinking, shooting Casper in the face, you freak?"

Dean gave him an offended look.

"By the way, J, nice aim," Sam added, just to tease Dean further.

"Thanks, S," Julia grinned at him before sticking her tongue out at Dean.

"Children," Dean scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm working with children. And another thing," he warned Sam. "If you fucked up my car, I'll kill you."

-

It was almost midnight by the time they arrived back at Stanford. Sam had successfully found where the coordinates that John left them led, a place in Colorado, and had turned Dean down when he offered to drive there now, wanting to go to his interview. Dean was visibly upset but he didn't argue.

Dean pulled up the apartment and parked in the lot. Sam slid out of the car and grabbed his bag from the back before leaning down to talk to Julia and Dean through the window.

"Be careful, J," Sam poked her in the forehead. "Listen to Dean, all right?"

"I will."

"And call me."

"Yes, Dad," Julia playfully rolled her eyes at him. "Say hello to Jess, would you? Love ya."

Sam winked at her and then turned to Dean, his face falling when he saw the sullen look on his brother's face. "Call me if you find him?"

Dean nodded.

"And maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?"

"Yeah, all right," Dean agreed easily. "You know, we made a hell of a team back there."

Sam smiled, his dimples popping out. "Yeah. Be careful."

Dean nodded and pulled out of the spot he had parked in. He quickly drove away from the apartment building and Julia assumed it was because he didn't want to dally and be sad about Sam's departure.

"You all right?" she asked Dean.

"I'm fine," Dean answered gruffly and changed the subject. "So, you survived your first hunt. How do you feel?"

"Good," Julia grinned. "Yeah, it was—"

She paused, scrunching up her nose as she got a bad feeling. She couldn't explain it and it felt different from the one she had about Dean but she knew something was wrong.

Dean gave her a worried look when she stopped talking. "You okay?"

"No," she shook her head. "I have a bad feeling."

As if the universe was agreeing to her statement, the radio glitched out. Dean looked at the dash, noticing that the clock had stopped working. He quickly turned the vehicle, his heart starting to race, and started driving back to Sam.

By the time they got there, the apartment was in flames and Jess was dead.

(Gif is not mine)

[jackie-talks-about-starkid]

Starship (Rewatch #4, 9/30/2020)

YouTube publish date: April 30, 2011

Number of views on date of rewatch: 4,171, 828

Original Performance Run: February 11-23, 2011 at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Chicago

Ticket price: $25

Director: Matt Lang

Music and Lyrics: Darren Criss

Book: Brian Holden, Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Joe Walker

Cast album price and availability: $8.91 on Amazon and iTunes

     Release date: April 29, 2011

Parody or original: original content, inspired by Starship Troopers, The Little Mermaid, and Alien

Main cast and characters:

Bug - Joey Richter

February - Denise Donovan

Commander Up - Joe Walker

Taz/Buggette - Lauren Lopez

Tootsie Noodles/Pincer - Dylan Saunders

Mega-Girl - Meredith Stepien

Junior - Brian Holden

Roach - Brant Cox

Specs - Julia Albain

Krayonder - Joe Moses

Musical numbers

Act I

“I Wanna Be” Characters: Bug, Roach, and Ensemble (playing inhabitants of the Bug World)

“Get Back Up” Characters: Taz, Up, and Starship Rangers

“Life” Characters: Bug

“Hideous Creatures” Characters: Starship Rangers and Bugs

“Kick It Up A Notch” Characters: Pincer, The Mosquitoes, and Bug

“Status Quo” Characters: Bug

Act II

“The Way I Do” Characters: Tootsie Noodles, Mega-Girl, February, and Bug

“Beauty” Characters: Roach and Bugs

“Kick It Up A Notch (Reprise)” Characters: Junior

“Beauty” Characters: Company

Notable Notes:

This production won the 2011 “Best New Work” award from BroadwayWorld’s Chicago theatre awards

Starship is Starkid’s first show that they produced independently from the University of Michigan! The show opened in Chicago, where the following few shows were produced before a majority of the most active members moved to Los Angeles prior to The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, which opened in 2018

StarKid had their own short segment on MTV that highlighted certain aspects of the production such as Criss’ music and the puppetry (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlnIXIGrjVg). At that point in time, Darren Criss was already a television favorite due to his role as Blaine Anderson on Glee, who joined the cast during its second season

The show’s cast album debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top Cast Albums within three days of its release and at the 134th spot during that week’s Billboard’s Top 200 chart (x)

The opening sequence features cameos from other StarKid members such as Chris Allen, Tyler Brunsman, Richard Campbell, Britney Coleman, Arielle Goldman, Devin Lytle, Lily Marks, Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia, and Brian Rosenthal.The same sequence was narrated by actor Bob Joles (AKA Man Ray in Spongebob Squarepants)

***Fun Facts provided by Abby:

Nick and Dylan think the worst StarKid song is ‘Hideous Creatures’

During a rehearsal, Joey told Nick that he thought the choreography for ‘Beauty’ was boring. Then Nick asked him, “Do you want to choreograph the number?" and then walked out of the room.

There was a theoretical sequel to Starship in which Taz and Up arrest Spaceclaw but get injured by an explosion. Up ends up in the hospital because of his injuries, and while Taz waits for him to heal, she has flashbacks of when they first met and the missions they went on together (Taz’s quinceañera, etc.)

Lauren: I'd like to imagine that Taz has that same hairstyle just in a big quinceañera dress

Once during rehearsal, they were all in a bad mood during ‘Beauty’. Darren wanted to surprise the cast with a visit, so he burst into the theatre singing the song and was just met by silence

At LeakyCon 2014 on Orlando, StarKid were invited as guests and performed a staged reading of a one-act sequel to Starship called Starship: Requiem.

Official synopsis: The story follows the adventures of Mega-Girl the robot and her half-witted Starship Ranger husband. The newlyweds are sucked into a black hole of trouble when they go to visit Mega-Girl’s human-hating family, including her overbearing mother-unit, her jealous sister-unit and the return of her hunky ex-boyfriend-unit. (x)

Cultural Context: 2011

The production’s MTV segment aired a little over a week after Glee’s “Original Song” episode, which featured Kurt and Blaine’s long-awaited first kiss [rip Pavarotti]

Prince William and Kate Middleton get married

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 premieres on July 15th

Beyoncé announces her pregnancy during her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards

“Friday” by Rebecca Black gets released in March

In early May, President Obama announces that Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces

New York becomes the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage on June 24th

The 9/11 Memorial Museum opens to the public on the tenth anniversary of the attacks

Content Analysis:

During my time on social media, I have found that Starship is one of the StarKid shows that gets discussed the least. Up until the show’s debut in StarKid’s history, the only shows they’ve done were AVPM and AVPS, both major viral hits, and MAMD, which reached popularity partly because it was released after StarKid became known for AVPM. Coming off of their great and unexpected successes with these productions, one would think that there would be a bigger fandom for Starship. It’s their second show that is based on original content rather than being a parody, and the production quality is the strongest in their repertoire, considering the funds they gained from their album sales for MAMD and their growing merchandise sales for their Potter musical series.

Personally, it’s one of my favorite StarKid shows because of the production quality and because the performances are so strong. Joey Richter makes a perfect leading man, and seeing how his general abilities as a performer have grown since MAMD has been delightful. His vocal range got stronger and more pronounced and he has a very confident stage presence, especially since Starship was StarKid’s first production independent of the University of Michigan’s monetary assistance and performance space. Lauren Lopez and Dylan Saunders do such an incredible job at playing two completely different characters themselves within the same show. Saunders plays Tootsie Noodles, a lovable idiot with a heart of gold who falls in love with a robot of all things, while also playing Pincer, the villainous instigator of the plot. Lopez has a similar about-face in character portrayal. She plays Buggette, a bug who’s in a helpless one-sided romantic relationship with Bug, and then two seconds later Lopez transforms into Taz, a kickass Latina Starship Ranger with excellent comedic presence and the undisputed leader of the group before Up regains his confidence as commander.

Starship is very unique in that about half of the characters in the show are portrayed by puppets, which themselves are incredibly designed, but unlike other productions that use puppets, they do not detract from the actor’s performance of the character. StarKid did a very good job in ensuring that the puppets are not a gimmick, but rather a compliment, to their individual actor’s portrayal of the character. All actors who play puppet roles do such a great job of vocalizing their character that, despite the design of the puppet not having the ability to change facial features, make the puppets feel so alive that it’s almost like watching a live-action animated movie (the good kind we’ve yet to experience, not the Disney kind). If there is any one thing that Starship represents for the company as a whole, it’s that character creation and embodiment make up the heartblood of the performances. Aside from the vocal performances, the facial expressions and physicality of the performances add so much to the puppetry performances, even when the focus on the character isn’t their physical representation but their dialogue and place in the plot. Regardless of whether or not the recording is emphasizing the puppet itself during a scene, the actor controlling the puppet is using perfect facial expressions and has matching body language with the puppet, which not only helps the actor stay in character, but gives more life to the puppet itself.

While I am eternally grateful that StarKid to this day ensures that their musical productions are put on YouTube for free, there are two very clear downsides that make themselves especially present in the recording. One is that, unlike in live theatre where any audience member can choose who and what to look at onstage at any given time, the camera is the one dictating what each audience member can focus on. Generally speaking, that isn’t too much of a detriment as most of the shots StarKid uses tend to showcase the most important characters during each scene, which any audience member would do if they were to attend a production live, but because StarKid members are so adept at character performance, it really makes me wish that I can look more at the ensemble’s performances during group scenes, or secondary character’s reactions during smaller scenes in which their character may not be the main focus.

Another thing was the general editing style. Though it did not necessarily take away anything from the performance itself or make watching the recording any less enjoyable, there were some editing choices that I felt were too distracting for what the scene called for in the show. For example, when Crayonder mentions to Taz that he thinks that Commander Up has “gone soft” since the injury he sustained in the Robot War, twice does the camera pause on his face and a record scratch and ‘booooo’ track is heard overlaid onto the scene. I understand the comedic nature of that bit in retrospect, but for a viewer, regardless of whether or not they are watching the show for the first time, it’s very distracting and forcibly shifts the audience’s focus on the story and the characters to a one-off joke. For a first-time viewer, that editing choice especially does not have as much impact as it does for a recurring viewer, as at that point in the story, the audience is only just being introduced to the characters and has no personal connection to Up and his backstory, making the effect of the joke less successful. As well, throughout the recording, and during the first act in particular, the show has a lot of quick and experimental cuts in the frame that I feel don’t allow the audience to sit enough with the action and the performance happening onstage, instead making the audience pay more attention to quick facial gestures rather than allowing the audience to take in the performance of an individual actor or an entire scene as a whole. Overall, the editing just reminds me that I am watching this beautifully done live-performance through a screen rather than being there for the performance in person, and lessens the potential impact of the recording as a whole.

Regardless of the editing, Starship still has some of the best character performances and musical numbers in StarKid’s production history. One that really stood out for me during this rewatch was Denise Donovan’s portrayal of February. Her character gets introduced as a classic ditzy character who initially doesn’t have a lot of agency in the story, but through good writing and likable performance, grows into the most sympathetic and dynamic character in the show. Donovan’s performance makes February more human than the trope she represents, and plays off her character so well that her jokes make her more endearing than a throw-away character that’s used just for laughs and a love-interest. Starkid tends to do this with a lot of the trope-y roles that they write for their productions . The writing and the direction have a very unique way of taking seemingly predictable, one-dimensional characters and fleshing them out into entire human beings with backstories and arcs, making their comedic impact all the more enjoyable because the audience genuinely likes them.

[nerexchan666]

Why Tlou2 isn’t a good game

First I want to start with rants and opinions of gameplay channels (I had to type all these down while listening. They’re not in any way manipulated,if u want, u can watch the videos urself)

pewdiepie:

''everything was a mess''

''the game had a lot of potential to be good''

''would i play it again? no i wouldn’t.''

''they tried something different and i don’t think it really worked.''

''it didn’t fit the last of us''

''half the game was abby...its fucking crazy''

''give it a rating? uhhh...probably like a 6 out of 10. I’m not really passionate about this shit''

tyler1:

''joel's not stupid''

''okay i understand Ellie not killing Abby cuz she was in such a shitty spot,but why would the devs even do that?''

''no body gets a moment except for Abby''

''this entire game was such a waste of fucking time, don’t even make the third one.''

''this shit was so sad to play''

''there was no progress made anywhere,you’re just running back and forth''

''why did we play as abby for so long''

''why was i forced to beat the shit out of Ellie as Abby''

''this whole game is a fucking message''

''sex scenes were out of place,you just added it to add it''

''you should be ashamed of yourselves,devs''

''i don’t like how stupid the characters were, you develop characters and in the end they do something the opposite''

''(the part in aquarium when they forgot the map) you’re telling me TOMMY,okay i understand ellie might forget cuz it was her first time killing a pregnant woman, she MIGHT forget,lets give it a benefit of the doubt,Tommy is not a dumbass, never in the million years would he forget it (the map) and it was right by her feet''

''they’re not stupid''

''joel is almost 60 years old,he survived for 40+ or 30+ years,and he's that dumb? oh get the fuck out of here''

''same way when earlier in the game,when joel and tommy,again they were apparently biggest fucking idiots in the game, followed two random people into a trap, and joel dies. bullshit''

''you’re gonna throw all that away and have joel be a fucking r*t*rd?''

''and then tommy,who is his equal? absolutely not.''

''a second game in the series, from how good the first one was,to this game right here,this might be actually the worst game i ever played.''

''1 out of 10, simply because it ran''

''they literally shit all over ellie for no reason''

''(while playing as abby) literally fucked up my mood''

sodapoppin:

''the beginning of the game was god tier,because we had joel and ellie and other characters''

''and then we play as the fridge. Nothing in those 12 hours had anything to do with ellie or joel''

''it was just a bunch of i don’t give a fuck about whos and side quests''

''i really don’t give a fuck i’m sorry''

''they started with a 10 out of 10 game and converted to 2 out of 10''

''ellie and fridge have a fight,hype as fuck,NO ONE DIES,tommy who is a badass,,,THEY SHOT HIM IN THE HEAD''

''playing as fridge i cared so little,i literally tried to speedrun it''

''the ending was good,but i would’ve changed it a lot. Made it more about ellie''

theradbrad:

''i didn’t like when she was holding dina down,ellie told her she was pregnant and she said good,if lev wasn’t there..

i feel like,,,i don’t want a good ending for abby at all''

''i still feel no attachment to abby like i do with ellie''

''I feel like they were trying to make you feel bad for her (like manipulation)''

''we didn’t know Joel was going to die hours into the game in such a way that’s so unlike him''

''i felt like they wanted to make abby's portions of the game more memorable, by making them better. Doesn't mean the character's better''

''they put a lot of the most exciting parts of the game,the haven being burned down,the horse ride out of there,that alone was more exciting

than anything in ellie's portion''

''i personally didn’t like abby's character,i like some stuff she did besides killing joel''

''and i didn’t like any of her friends. I didn't care when owen died,i hated when pregnant girl had to die''

''i cared for jesse,he was probably the most underrated character in the entire game''

''i don’t like what happened to any character. One character i didn't feel bad for was abby's dad,like joel killing her dad.. good. And ellie should've at least appreciated that and i think she slowly realized towards the end of the game: Joel did this for me''

''but after everything is over,she let her (abby) live. We all wanted her to die,but i had a feeling something like that wasn't going to be the case''

''but i think she beat her down good''

''did i like it? i did like some events of the game,i didn’t like some characters,i didn't like abby, i liked her story,i didn't like the fact that she killed joel,like i didn't like her from the jump,but over time i like that she helped lev''

''how joel died was so uncharacteristic. He didn't trust anyone in the first game,he wouldn't even give out his name,he was driving over people with a truck''

''the game wanted me to feel bad for abby but i don't care about her. I cared more about what happened to lev''

''the game wasn't bad''

now, here are some videos that are worth watching:

also,AngryJoe has a good video about the last of us 2, check that out as well. My point is, people blatantly defending this game are in denial. ‘’You are manipulated to like joel!!!!’’ no. What they gave showed us about Joel in the first game served as a backstory as to why is Joel the way he is. He doesn’t trust anyone, isn’t attached to anyone simply because if they die and he cared about them,it would once again destroy him. The only person he trusted the most was Tess (and tommy),yet we see Tess sacrifice herself and we clearly see how upset Joel is over her death. It’s basic storytelling.The giraffe part of the game served as a small break from the dark stuff that keeps happening. It was a small moment of joy and peace for both Ellie and Joel (The giraffe symbolizes grace, peace, individuality, protection, communication). I’d say they’re manipulating us to like Abby,a very disliked character because of her actions. They’re showing her in a better light than Ellie (example below):

‘‘But that’s just some gaming channels, only the minority dislike the game!!!’‘ Nope.

these are just some comments out of thousands and thousands of other that voice their displeasure (last one was about the vaccine and how killing Ellie is pointless).

The sales have dropped by 80%, many MANY people are selling their copies on various sites,because they realized the leaks were true and the story is a complete mess. (It’s mostly japanese players that are selling their copies, so u could say they’re least satisfied).

Is the game bad? yes, in some ways. Is it complete trash? no. The graphics are out of this world, voice acting is absolutely amazing. 

This is not an attack to people who enjoyed this game, this serves as an example and explanation as to why people dislike this game.

It���s definitely not a 10/10 game. It has a lot of flaws. It’s more like 5/10 or weak 6/10. I personally didn’t enjoy 90% of the game. I was p stoked when it got announced. After i found out about the leaks (which was just joel’s death, nothing else) i still gave this game and the devs a benefit of the doubt. 

p.s. review bombing this game with positive scores doesn’t make u any better than those who review bombed it with negative scores. And don’t attack actors because of this game, especially Laura Bailey (Abby’s actor).

(if i made any mistakes, my bad, i’m not a native english speaker)

[aceofwhump]

Can you explain Paige and Mike's relationship?

Can I explain Paige and Mike’s relationship? Well nonny I can certainly try.

You can also read this post which details their relationship perfectly and you should absolutely read it. Also this post, this post, and honestly all the posts in this tag that leepacey has going on cause they know what’s up and have written extensively on the matter of Paige and Mike.

Warning: this will not be kind to Paige AT ALL and will contain discussions of drug addiction, death, drugs, rape, sex trafficking, and abusive relationships

So basically, Paige and Mike are two government agents living in this interdepartmental safehouse in L.A. called Graceland where they, along with Charlie (FBI), Briggs (FBI), Johnny (FBI), and Jakes (U.S. Customs), all specialize in undercover operations. 

Mike is a young, idealistic, fresh out of the academy FBI agent who believes in justice and right and wrong and tries his damned best to make everyone happy. He feels so much and often feels guilty for people getting hurt and things going badly whether he had anything to do with it or not. He’s also a canonically neurodivergent victim of child abuse.

Paige is an experienced undercover DEA agent who views things as very black and white, will do anything to solve a case, take down the bad guy, and save who she wants to save. Screw everyone and anything that gets in her way. She believes she is always right and refuses to take blame for anything and instead blames Mike for everything. 

In short, Paige and Mike’s relationship can be summed up as cycle of manipulation and abuse with Paige as the abuser and Mike as the victim. Paige guilt trips Mike, threatens him, manipulates him, gaslights him, belittles him, SENDS AN ASSASSIN TO MURDER HIM (and succeeds. Mike is murdered and is legally dead for six minutes until the hospital staff revive him), and sends him on a long road of drug addiction. Paige has a history of pushing and manipulating Mike into doing things he doesn’t want to do (including have sex with someone). She has a history of violence against Mike as well. From slapping, punching, shoving, etc. 

I’m putting the rest under a read more because it got looooooong as I go through their interactions throughout all three seasons. (I hope the read more works on mobile. if not, I am so sorry mobile users. So sorry.)

In the beginning of the show, Mike and Paige are friends and colleagues who occasionally flirt with one another. They hang out together, chill with the team, tease one another, help each other with cases. Ya know, friend things.

But then there’s a scene in season 1 that always bothered me and I think is an early indication of the type of manipulation and abuse she does. Paige, Mike, and the rest of the team are hanging out at the bar and Paige is like “hey there’s a cute girl checking you out go talk to her” but Mike says he just wants to have a quiet night with the team and doesn’t want to go talk to her. She then completely ignores that, goes over to talk to her, and essentially forces Mike to interact with this girl (Abby is her name). When Mike starts to get serious with her, Paige, the one who forced Mike to talk to her in the first place, tells Mike that he has to end things with her because they can’t have a serious long term relationship with someone not in the bureau because of their undercover work. Things end very badly with Abby and it hurts Mike a lot.

Paige at one point sees that something is bothering Mike throughout the season and continually tries to get him to talk to her about it. Then, while undercover, Mike is stabbed and nearly dies. Paige sits by his bedside and is there when he wakes up. In pain and vulnerable, Mike admits that he was sent to Graceland to investigate Paul Briggs. He talks about how he hates that he can’t tell anyone why he was sent to Graceland or how he can’t get close to the other Graceland residents or even truly be himself in the house because he has do keep the investigation a secret as per orders. When Mike admits this to Paige, who has been pushing him to admit what’s bothering him, she gets angry with him, calls him a “rat”, and immediately storms out while Mike desperately calls out to her to let him explain.

In the next episode, Mike has checked himself out of the hospital AMA and he’s visibly concerned about coming back to the house because of how Paige reacted and he thinks that Paige has told the whole house about the investigation. Paige sees Mike when he enters the house and her whole demeanor changes from cheery to cold and hostile. She continues to be cold towards him for a while until he, while still recovering from his stab wound, manages to convince her that there is a valid reason why Paul is under investigation. She then she sort of reluctantly helps him out with his assignment but never really supports him or believes him.

At the end of the season Paige and Mike kiss but that’s it and Mike then leaves for position in Washington D.C.

Season 2 is where a lot of the big shit is and it’s a lot so prepare. 

So Mike returns from D.C. and is placed in charge of the team in order to take down the Caza cartel and the drug trafficking ring they’ve got going on. Mike is riding high on pride and authority and he’s feeling good and Paige is pretty and hey they kissed before he left so early in the season, he and Paige start a sexual relationship and hide it from the rest of Graceland.

Enter Lina and the “Tinkerbells”. While working Mike’s case they discover that girls are being brought into america carrying drugs inside of them and then they are being sold in a big sex trafficking thing. Paige becomes obsessed with this case and starts using Mike to get what she wants in order to save the girls. Mike has been placed in charge of the cases and has the authority to give orders to the residents of Graceland including Paige. At several points, Paige goes around Mike, directly ignores his orders, or manipulates him into doing things for her in order to solve her own case and save Lina and the other girls.

Mike wants to help Paige and these girls but not at the risk of compromising the case against the Caza Cartel and drug ring they’re trying to take down. The two are connected but he doesn’t have enough proof of it and if he puts an end to the sex trafficking people now then the whole case will fall apart. So Mike helps where and when he can and generally cares about the girls but he’s trying to take down something bigger and more dangerous and has do what he’s told. Paige doesn’t care. She’s completely focused on the girls and doesn’t give a shit about anything else.

Paige then does something impulsive and stupid with no approval or backup (well Jakes was there but he was arrested because he also did something dumb) and ends up in the facility that’s keeping the girls. She’s undercover as one of the girls up for sale and does this by swallowing the drugs that one of the girls had swallowed but died because of it. Mike has to go in undercover as a buyer to save Paige but she is furious at Mike for pulling her out without saving the rest of the girls. Mike tells her he has to keep the sex trafficking operation running for the moment in order to catch both the cartel and the guys running the drug/sex trafficking ring. If he shuts it down now the whole thing falls apart and a LOT of bad guys would get away. She gets FURIOUS at him and blames him for not saving Lena.

From here on out Paige goes off the deep end and works to emotionally manipulate Mike into doing what she wants. She hates him now and nothing he does will change that. At one point, Paige tells Mike to “do what he has to do” to convince Jessica, their superior and Mike’s current girlfriend/fuck buddy, to approve a team so that Paige can raid the facility and heavily implies that he should sleep with Jessica to get it. Mike initially goes to do so but can’t go through with it and leaves thus ending any personal relationship he had with Jessica. She also plans on buying all the girls and tells Mike she’ll hurt him if he doesn’t approve the cash request.

To placate Paige, and because he generally wants to help these girls, Mike ends up living undercover at the facility where the girls are kept for several days. Let me repeat that. HE’S LIVING IN THIS SHIT HOLE FACILITY OF SEX TRAFFICKERS UNDERCOVER AS A BUYER WHILE ALSO TRYING TO WORK HIS CAZA CASE!! Mike went in and bought all of the girls but the Caza is spooked now so the girls are not allowed to leave until the heat dies down. Mike chooses to stay on site to protect the girls until they can pull them out. 

Mike is doing everything he can to keep the girls safe until they can pull them out but Sulla, the guy in charge, if fucking insane and when he tries to rape Lina, Mike intervenes to try and protect. They two of them try to leave but Sulla stabs Lina and attacks Mike. Lina dies and in an effort to save the case and protect Paige he covers up Lina’s death by convincing Paige that Lina ran and escaped and then cremating her body in secret.

Paige doesn’t give up finding Lina and continues to investigate, suspecting that Mike is lying about her being safe (which honestly yeah he is). At one point, while Mike is still staying at the facility undercover, Paige convinces Paul to help her raid the building the girls are being kept at because she doesn’t want to wait anymore. She doesn’t want Mike to know nor does she want him there so she manipulates him into go back to Graceland, saying that she’s concerned about how tired he looks and how he should go get some rest because he looks like crap. Faking concern to manipulate him. 

Mike learns from Johnny that the raid is going on and gets to the facility in time but is nearly killed by Sid Markham (a corrupt cop who is working for the cartel Mike is investigating). Paige arrives before he shoots Mike and the girls are all saved but now the cartel have tipped off.

Jump ahead to season 2 finale: Mike ends up tracking Sid to Mexico and find Sid’s whole team killed and Sid shot. Mike gets shot and Sid frames him for the murder of his team. Mike is hurt bad and needs to go to the hospital but he needs a cover so Paul sends Paige with the id and name. Suffering from a lot of blood loss and in a lot of pain, Mike lets it slip that Lina is dead and Paige leaves, stunned and furious. She goes straight to Sid and tells him “Mike Warren is hospitalized under the name Mike Richards. I sent you to Sulla’s to wipe out that trash, but I didn’t let you finish.” Sid then goes to the hospital and suffocates Mike who is suffering from the gunshot wound, a collapsed lung, and is on a ventilator. Mike dies for six minutes before the hospital staff are able to revive him.

Season 3 opens with Mike recovering in the hospital. Paul visits him at the hospital and says he should report Paige but Mike says no, that he can’t tell anyone because they’ve “all made mistakes”. Then when Paige is in trouble Mike checks out AMA and saves her. Paige then shoves him violently to the ground and yells at him. Mike apologizes to her and says he forgives her. 

At another point in the season Mike tells Paige he feels guilty about Lina and sees her in his dreams and Paige tells him he’s lucky because when he wakes up she’s gone but Paige sees her all the time and can’t look at Mike without seeing Lina indicating that she still blames Mike for everything. Mike then comforts her when she starts crying. 

Mike also becomes addicted to painkillers and becomes obsessed with this vision he had while he was dead. 47 red birds, a clock that reads 10:10 and a symbol. He is obsessed with finding out what it means and why he’s alive. He’s convinced he’s alive for a reason and spends all his free time researching it. His drug addiction continues to build and at one point he steals oxy from Charlie’s evidence and goes to dealers on the streets. But I digress. Concerning his obsession with his near death experience, Paige continually berates and belittles him for it saying things like “again with the bullshit birds”. When the team sets up an intervention for Mike’s drug addiction Paige says something about him going to a rehab place and he shouts at her saying “You don’t get to talk to me! Unless you want to talk about why I started using in the first place.”

Mike gets clean with the help of the whole team and after that the only thing of real significance between the two of them is at the end when Mike says he going to tell the truth about everything the Graceland team have done over the past year and Paige agrees with him saying that they’ve been acting just like the bad guys.

So that got LONG but that’s their relationship in a nutshell. Paige wants something. Paige manipulates Mike. Mike does it or doesn’t do it. Paige gets angry either way. Paige hurts Mike. Mike forgives Paige. Repeat cycle.

[pastthevaulteddoors]

Yugioh/Stardew Valley euroshipping drabble. I don’t think I’ll actually finish/edit this but wanted to at least share the idea.

Everyone was always excited to meet the new neighbors in Pelican Town. Elliott was still getting curious glances and he’d been living in his shack on the beach for over a year now. Ryou could still remember when he first arrived; Abigail had taken a keen interest in his work in the mines, and Penny instantly offered up her spot in the library for his studies.

It was like a small town welcome wagon and all the singles in town needed to have a peek at the new guy. Although, that was over five years ago and Ryou remained rooted in the single territory. He was far more interested in the dig sites in the mountainside than spending time gossiping with Pam and Gus at the tavern every Friday.

Professor Ryou Bakura liked his isolation at the dig site and only came to town once a month to resupply his cabin and maybe collect his latest intern. The old human burial grounds kept most of the villagers at bay, and gave Ryou a lot to do all on his own.

Heading to Pierre’s Store was a bit of a chore, and Ryou was always polite if distant to the locals. The interns never lasted long, so lugging all his supplies for the month wasn’t the most pleasant thing to look forward to. The town was so small all the roads were beaten down dirt paths that hardly no one owned a car and relied on the bus to swing through every few days.

“Welcome to Pierre’s!” said Pierre as Ryou came into the shop. Ryou smiled and waved politely before turning right to start loading up with essentials; canned vegetables and spam. Eh, who ever said the life of a archaeologist was glamorous?

“Did you hear about the new farmer in town?” Caroline asked casually as she stocked a shelf nearby. “He came in last month just after your last supply run.”

“I haven’t heard,” Ryou said, again with his sweet politeness that hadn’t waned over the years in the dirt and isolation. “I hope they make good use of the fertile soil.”

“Oh, the new guy?” Leah’s voice came from the isle over and she peaked her head around the corner. Her basket was full of fresh veggies and a goat cheese. “Ha! You should have seen him and Elliott go at it last time we went to visit,” the red head grinned wickedly. “It was an epic pissing match; I couldn’t tell if they were going to kiss each other or punch each other.”

Ryou smiled to himself. It took him awhile to get past the arrogant flare of Elliott’s vocabulary, unlike Leah, who was far easier to chat with if she weren’t zoned in on her latest art piece.

“Leah! That’s not a very polite thing to say,” Caroline chide the artist. Leah in turn shrugged and walked with Ryou to the check out counter.

“Going to stay down in the valley tonight and meet him?” Leah asked, setting her basket of leafy greens next to Ryou’s pathetic display of canned and preserved foodstuffs. “He likes to huff at the tavern on the weekends.”

“I really should get back to my work...” Ryou tried to decline politely.

“You can always stay in our spare room if you want to hang out at the bar tonight,” Pierre got into the conversation as he rang him up. “Instead of heading up the mountainside in the dead of night. I know Abby would happy to catch up and see what you’ve excavated recently.”

Ryou waved his hands, trying to decline yet again. It felt like high school all over again, except instead of fawning girls it was parents and friends trying to hook him up with someone. “I’d really rather get back to my-”

Just then the door opened, filling the otherwise dull shop with a cheerful jingle of a bell. Ryou turned quickly, hoping that whomever entered could be his escape to get them to lay off when he suddenly felt like he was punched in the stomach and all the air whooshed out of his lungs.

It had been over ten years since they saw each other in person, and otherwise Ryou had only caught clippings of articles about Duel Monsters and KC’s expanding empire. And yet...

And yet the Seto Kaiba he knew then was nothing that he saw now. Standing in the dusty doorway, yellow light holding up a halo of unkempt brown hair. His eyes weren’t easy to forget; hard and blue and guarded, but his pristine aura of steely white suits and perfection built from hard work and tragedy was gone. Kaiba was, well, absolutely filthy!

The holes in his jeans weren’t designer made, and his tshirt had pit stains. Kaiba had certainly remained as strong as before, as Ryou eyed his bare arms and the deep curves of his muscles and veins, and yet he had filled out. He wasn’t as thin as when he was at seventeen, screaming at Yugi across an arena.

As Seto approached, looking off to the side at a line of seeds for sale, Ryou noticed the mud stuck under his fingernails, the smudge of dirt across the bridge of his nose, and the pink of a too much late spring sun on his cheeks. Ryou felt suddenly very self-conscious of his own appearance, which was a very odd thing to feel. He reached up and grabbed at the split ends of his hair--it was growing past his ears again and he couldn’t remember the last time he had it cut--and wondered if the trek down the mountainside left him smelling of BO.

Because, despite how absolutely filthy Kaiba appeared, he was ten times more handsome that Ryou remembered. The rugged farmer look cloaked him in a masculinity that sent a pleasant shiver down Ryou’s spine.

“Perfect timing!” Caroline’s voice sounded far away.

“We were just talking about you,” Leah chimed in, smiling wide at Ryou for some reason. “We’re trying to convince the Professor here to stick around tonight for a drink to meet the new farmer boy.”

Kaiba finally turned his attention to the townsfolk with a look of vague familiarity, until those stunning blue eyes landed on Ryou. He froze, and Ryou was sure that was a flash of panic before he schooled his expression. Then, he grunt in greeting.

“Don’t be a grump,” Pierre leaned on the counter, beaming happily at Seto like he were an old friend. It was bizarre seeing the Great Seto Kaiba, Prodigy and CEO of the one of biggest companies in the world being addressed so casually. Even Yugi couldn’t coax a casual conversation out of him. “Seto, meet Professor Ryou Bakura, he’s the one living up by the mines working at the excavation site I told you about.”

“Professor?” Kaiba said, his guard still up with a muttered question.

“Mmhm, and Professor, this is Seto Isono, the new farmer,” Leah chimed in, something excited buzzing in her voice.

Isono?

Kaiba said nothing but stared openly at Ryou. It was almost a pleading look behind all the hard exterior, until Ryou realized it was actually a warning. There was no negotiations here about playing along with the false name.

“Right,” Ryou finally said, slowly with a little nod. “Seto Isono.”

Silence fell that could only be called awkward. Ryou wasn’t sure how to move forward, he hadn’t a clue what Kaiba... Isono was playing at and remained quiet to let the other take the lead. If anything, at least Ryou understood the need for privacy.

“You two, ah, know each other?” Caroline piped up, breaking the silence that lingered. She looked between the two with a curious gaze.

Still Seto remained quiet, his glare set in stone, so Ryou began speaking slowly... carefully. “We, ah, went to high school together,” he said. “Isono and I were in the same class.”

Seto seemed to appreciate that answer and grunt in agreement.

“What a small world we live in,” Pierre said.

“That’s perfect then!” Leah piped up, slapping a hand on Ryou’s shoulder, jostling him out of the staring contest. “Then you have to stay the night to catch up.” A grin turned to Seto then. “I’ll tell Elliott to come by the tavern. I’m sure he’ll want to hear all your high school hi-jink!”

A withering look was turned her way, the first non-Kaiba expression Ryou had seen him make.

“I’ll have Abby make up the spare room,” Caroline said as she trot away to find her daughter.

Ryou felt himself deflate. Great, he had no idea what Seto ISONO’s deal was, and what they could possibly ‘catch up’ on? Aside a few death-defying duels and that one time he was trapped from the Plana, he wasn’t sure that Seto even knew who he was.

[stevenbasic]

“Hey so...Amelia, right?” I asked, coming across the tall blonde in the back hallway, leaned against the wall just outside the breakroom and engrossed with her phone, “Sorry but I-”

“Yeah I know, lots of new faces today,” she stopped me, barely looking up from the screen, “good job.”

“Th-...thanks?” I replied, brows furrowing Huh? ‘Good job..? 

All bright blue eyes, poofy blonde hair and drop-dead curves, Amelia was one standout among standouts in the crowd of unbelievably attractive new hires Melissa had brought into the office today. All were friends, previous co-workers, or had also worked at this start-up pharmaceutical company along with her sales-rep friend Abby…who I’d yet to meet but was starting to cast a big shadow here.

“So, hey, yeah, I wanted to ask - can I get your number?” Amelia asked, plainly stepping into the pause in conversation, “in case of, like, an emergency or something?”

“My, uh- you m-mean my personal….?” I stammered, perplexed. The day - which thankfully would soon be over - had me off-base. And this conversation was already doing nothing to help.

“Ah y’know I’ll just ask Missy for it…” she said, back to her phone to shoot out a quick text, apparently to my office manager who god help me better know better.

“So, uh, h-how was your first day?” I asked, shocked already at her audacity - did she think she was going over my head?? -  but, like a befuddled teenager boggled by a pretty girl, helpless to do anything about it.

“It was fine,” she blithely answered as she, apparently finished with her phone, slipped it down into her white sleeveless blouse, between what looked like two well-sized, well-enhanced breasts. “I got to meet everybody.” She chewed at her gum - that’s in the office manual, she can’t do that. “You certainly have quite the little harem going for yourself, don’t you?”

“Wh-wh-what..??” I stammered, caught off-guard again. Oh my god!!

“It really is all girls that work here, huh?” she continued as she casually checked her nails, long and painted white to match her top, “So much estrogen, I don’t know how you stand it.”

“Ha yeah but, um, it’s-”

“Hey no worries I get it,” the statuesque blonde stated, fluffing out her long, soft mane, “You got yourself an upgrade. Lots of cute girls for you to look at now. Lucky boy.”

“Wait, no. Uh-” What was she saying?!

“Amelia.”

“A-Amelia,” I floundered, knowing full well I had to stop this here, “I didn’t...Melissa was the one who-”

”Missy really has taken charge huh?” she cut in, stifling me mid-sentence, “Already she sorta steamrolls you, huh?”

“I-“

“In conversation?”

“N-n-“

“Sorta like I’m doing now haha?”

>:(

This woman’s nerve! But jesus her eyes are so blue, so piercing. Flummoxed, I was struck speechless.

“I love it,” Amelia half-laughed, “I mean it must be humiliating for you but it’s funny.” 

“Amelia I don’t-“

“Omigod she’s right, you’re adorable,” she struck, suddenly upending me with a huge, megawatt smile. “And Missy likes showing you off huh?” she suggested, “Did you notice how she held your arm, as she brought you around to meet everyone?”

I do, uh, have to admit I realized Melissa was being quite...physical when she was leading me around earlier, introducing me to the new staff. Putting her hand on my shoulder, holding my arm to her as she guided me from desk to desk, from girl to girl. I had found it odd but also oddly thrilling, and I did nothing to stop it...I can still feel the warm press of her huge breast on my arm. Instead, I’m abashed to admit, I just smiled went along with it. She had even - jesus - hip-bumped me across the accounting office...and I had just laughed.

“Don’t worry,” Amelia offered, “She's just marking her territory.”

“She’s wuh-what..??” I sputtered, “W-wait-”

“Relax, we’ll stay away,” Amelia countered, throwing her hair over her left shoulder, “We’re not all like Randi."

“Wh-what do you...” Oh Christ. My world, already flushed red, was starting to fade around me, “Wait- she is NOT...Miss-...I mean, Melissa, doesn’t…”

“And don’t think I didn't see those unconscious little ticks and glances you throw her, too," she offered, with a covert little smile.

”No, I-” My pulse pounded in my face, behind my eyes.

”Looks to me like she may even know it yet,” Amelia teased, “but she's obviously got you wrapped around her finger."

I’m speechless. I’m dumbfounded. What am I going to say?!?

“It’s okay, your secret’s safe with me…” she laughed, still leaned up against the wall.

 I have to put this woman in her place! ”Amelia, no, l-look I don’t know where y -” I started.

“Oh, shush, It’s okay,” she stopped me, “Seems to me like our Missy has a little crush on you too.”

 Urk. That stopped me in my tracks. ”Haha don’t be ridiculous,” I managed, forgetting what I was about to do.

”Okay, well, whatever you say boss,” Amelia finished, once again checking her nails, giving me a moment, maybe to say something. Seeing as I had nothing to offer, mind still reeling from this bombshell, she spoke up again. “So, hey, they say I have to go out and get scrubs,” she asked, “Is that for real?”

“Uh, well…” I tried, bringing myself back to the moment, “Y-you are a medical assistant, and that is the uni-”

“Y’know what?” she stated, reaching down her top to once more pull out her phone, “I’ll just ask Missy.”

That hit me like a ton of bricks. That, and the sight of Amelia standing up from the wall - jesus she’s tall too - turning from me and, without another word, walking her womanly hips away down the hallways...bump bump bump.

...

Three minutes later, recovering in my office, I got her text…

[javajunkieao3]

Steggy AU:  You Again Chapter Two

Summary:  Peggy never expected to see her one night stand again.  That is, until she learns he is the son of one of the residents at the retirement home where she works.

Read Chapter One HERE.

-----

           During her first few weeks at the retirement home, Peggy became acquainted with the various residents.  Of course, she already knew Marvin, who after their first introduction quickly learned to take any technological problems to other staff members. Peggy learned that the large-sweater-wearing-woman was named Agnes and she served in World War II as a nurse. Agnes also snuck out extra food from the cafeteria secured by the elastic waistband of her pants, which made Peggy respect her even more.  Peggy learned that Steve’s mother, Vivien, was essentially the queen bee of the retirement home and for reasons unknown to Peggy, she did not like its new programming manager. (Although Peggy had confirmation that it had nothing to do with Saint Abby, which honestly, was a relief.)

           Peggy also learned that Steve visited his mother every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  During the week, he came in the evening and ate dinner with her.  But on Saturdays, he came in the afternoon and visited with other residents, as well.  He had an ongoing chess game with one of the long-time residents, Chester. Steve lost every game, and she thought that he must be a terrible chess player until she played him herself one evening and he practically wiped her face with the board.

           “You’ve been letting Chester win all this time?” she asked.

           “It makes him happy,” Steve returned with a shrug.

           “You cannot honestly be this good of a person,” she said, leaning forward.  “There has to be something.  Like, you purposely rearrange people’s medicine cabinets when you visit.”

           “Who purposely rearranges people’s medicine cabinets?”

           “I had a friend from uni who did,” Peggy said.  “Her name was Angie.  She had a real art to it, though.  I used to have her over whenever I needed to reorganize.”

           Over the weeks, Peggy settled into her role and even began to add some activities that were not part of the original schedule.  She added weekly dance lessons, delighting in watching a trio of former dancers teach the steps to the others to the tune of big band classics.  She increased the ice cream socials from once a week to three times, and quickly learned the residents who were lactose intolerant.

           “Chester, don’t even think about it!”  Peggy bellowed one afternoon as the older gentleman tried to sneak a sundae.  Not soon after, they started offering dairy-free options.  

           “Fresh strawberries today,” Steve said appraisingly one afternoon, standing in front of the ice cream cart.  “You’re going all out today.”

           “Nothing but the best for my residents,” Peggy said.  “And they were also on sale.”

           “Delicious and fiscally responsible.  Just how I like my afternoon treats.”

           Peggy grinned, glancing over his shoulder at Vivien, who was watching them with an icy expression from her seat.  

           “I think you should bring your mother her ice cream before she throws something at us.”

           Steve looked back at Vivien and noted her pinched expression. “Yeah, she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

           One of the older residents, Harold, was eating his ice cream from a cone and melted ice cream dripped down the side of the cone and along his hand.  It was only moments away from getting on his pants, and Peggy grabbed a napkin and darted over.

           “Impeccable timing,” Harold said with a jovial grin, grasping the napkin and wrapping it around the cone.

           “I do what I can.”

           “And where is your ice cream?”

           “I’m on the clock, Harry.  I’ll have my ice cream later.”

           Peggy walked around, checking in on everyone and making sure that no one with nut allergies accidentally crossed paths with the butter pecan.  She tried to avoid Steve and his mother, but like most times Steve was there, she found herself pulled toward him.  He looked up at her with an easy grin and she asked, “How is everyone enjoying their ice cream?”

           “It’s really good today,” Steve said, looking over at his mother. “Right?”

           Vivien looked up at Peggy appraisingly, and after a moment said, “Has anyone told you that lipstick is too bright your face, dear?”

           “Ma!” Steve said immediately, his face going red.  

           “No, I can’t say they have.”

           “Hmm,”  Vivien said. “But yes, marvelous ice cream.”

           Peggy gave her a tight smile and walked away, thinking of many less than professional things she wanted to do with that marvelous ice cream. Behind her, she heard Steve say, “Why did you have to be rude like that?”

           “I wasn’t being rude.  I was giving the girl advice.  She could have gone through her entire life not knowing she was wearing the wrong lipstick shade.”

           Peggy got herself a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream and stuck a heaping spoonful in her mouth.  Steve walked over and said, “I’m really sorry about what my mom said.”

           “It’s alright.  That was actually quite tame for Vivien.  I heard her tell someone else here that her lipstick made her look like a vicious trollop.”

           Steve smiled slightly and shook his head.  “Anyway, I’m sorry again.  And, for what it’s worth, I think your lipstick looks great.”

           Peggy couldn’t stop the upward turn of her mouth, and she said, “You know, I think I was actually wearing this when we met.”

           “You were,” he said, voice calm and sure.  “It matched your sweater.  The one with the white polka dots.”

           Peggy felt her face grow hot, and she said, “You have a good memory.  I barely remember what I wore yesterday.”

           He gave her a half-smile and said, “Some things just stick in your mind, I guess.”

           There was a pause between them and he said, “Anyway, I should get back to my mom before she offends anyone else.”

           “Wise choice.”

           “I’ll see you later, Peggy.”

           Peggy watched him walk away and murmured, “Goodbye, Steve.”

[corinthbayrpg]

NAME. Maven Lockwood AGE & BIRTH DATE. 28 & December 14th, 1991 GENDER & PRONOUNS. Female & She/Her SPECIES. Fire Genasi OCCUPATION. Florist at Acanthus Mollis FACE CLAIM. Zoë Kravitz

BIOGRAPHY

( tw: death, car accident ) Brienna Lockwood once belonged to a powerful coven of witches on the Californian coast. As the third child of the coven’s leader, she found herself perpetually stuck in the shadow of her older siblings. Perhaps that was why when an attractive young tourist showed up in their town, showering her with affection and sweet promises, she was so willing to let everything go. Packing up and moving across to the other side of the country in the name of love, she left behind the only family she had ever known for the promise of a new one.

Less than half a year into their whirlwind romance, she found herself with child, and one shotgun wedding later they began to settle into their new lives with each other, a bouncing baby girl to follow five months after who they named Maven. Though the first few years were happy enough, Brienna couldn’t ignore the cracks that seemed to be forming in their family. Her husband began spending more and more time away from home, and took little interest in their daughter. It all came to a head when she found out that he’d gotten another woman pregnant. Her illusion of a happy family shattered, Brienna kicked out her husband and filed for divorce, but refused to flee back to her coven like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs. Instead she chose to stick it out in New York, and that her daughter was the only person she needed in her family.

If asked, Maven will say she doesn’t remember much about her father. He was in and out of her life frequently, showing up without warning and being gone just as quick. But she remembers how sad he made her mother, how much weight he put on her shoulders when he broke their family, the months they spent barely scraping by because their bills were too expensive and her father was skipping out on child support payments. She remembers all the hardship that shaped most of her childhood, and when her mother started shifting the crushing load partly onto her daughter as soon as she was old enough to understand. That eating meant working for it, nothing in life is freely given without strings attached, and sometimes the only person you have to rely on is yourself. It was a tough lesson for a child, but Maven learned well. A part of her rebelled at having to give up so much of her freedom for the sake of just staying afloat, working two jobs after school instead of playing sports and getting to have hobbies, but in the end survival was what mattered most; and a hungry belly was worse than losing a few mortal pleasures.

She was seventeen years old when things finally began to really turn around for the pair. After diligent work and putting back anything they could into savings, Maven’s mother managed to buy the flower shop she worked in from her elderly employer on the verge of retirement. Maven took to it naturally, her affinity for plant life helping exponentially, and found herself at her happiest when inside their shop, for it was also the place where she really came into her abilities. Though Brienna had always encouraged Maven’s magical education, without a coven to help out and her own time so swamped with working to make ends meet, there was no true focus on harnessing Maven’s gift in her early life. But once they turned the little shop into a thriving business, that all changed.

And that was how her life went for ten years, until one night it all came crashing down. While working late in the nursery, tending to her plants, Maven received a phone call; her mother had been the victim of a hit and run, and was currently in the hospital. Though Maven rushed every step of the way there, by the time she had arrived her mother was already gone, all goodbyes left unsaid. The time that followed afterwards was not an easy one for the witch. In Brienna’s will she had been left the flower shop they both loved so much, but stepping inside alone felt too much like being dragged down to the ocean floor by an anchor of steel, so she sold it to a competitor and tried to move on with her life.

It was during such an attempt, rifling through the other things her mother had left to her after months upon months of putting it off, that Maven made a discovery. Brienna, it seemed, had kept track of the woman her husband had a child with, and then the child itself. Just two names, an address, and a small note that simply read “looks like Landon”, but that was all it took to hook into Maven’s curiosity. One google search later and she found herself staring at the information of who she figured out to be her half sister, one she had previously never known to exist.

Maybe it was grief, or her need to not be alone, or the fact that without her mother she didn’t feel like she belonged in that city anymore, but the desire to find this new connection to family almost overwhelmed her. According to social media, her half sister had recently moved abroad to Greece, and within a few weeks time Maven found herself booked on a flight to the very same place, the few possessions she held most dear all tucked inside two luggage bags. Using the money from the sale of the flower shop, she found a reasonable-if-small apartment to call her own, and slowly began to set her roots down. But it wasn’t too long after her arrival when all the bravado that carried her from New York to Corinth Bay has suddenly fled, and she wondered if she made the right decision. That maybe this was too crazy, to drop everything in chase of a familial tie to a woman who likely never knew about her either. Going back didn’t seem like much of an option though, and really, what would she be returning to anyways? So Maven has decided to stick it out in this strangely magical city, and bide her time while she figures out her next move.

PERSONALITY

+ industrious, adaptable, tenacious - impulsive, distrustful, temperamental

PLAYED BY ABBY. CDT. She/Her.