#there's one specific detail in here that i really enjoyed adding. and i'm curious to see if anyone will notice it

[mars-ipan]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE VERY SPECIAL HAJIME HINATA !!!!!! new year's kisses for the birthday boy :)

[seducemefanficsandheadcanons]

since you were begging for asks earlier, heres a curious one. let's say Seduce Me gets remade with updated art and updated writing, etc etc. if there was one thing you'd want changed and/or added, what would it be? and while we're at it, is there anything specific you'd want to stay as is?

Oooooh I like this one!!! I love the game, but there are definitely things I wish were done differently. (Other than the obvious like typos and glitches)

It's kind of long, but here you go:)

I personally really enjoyed the art, but I do wish the boys sprites had gold eyes when enthralling MC. I think it would have been a nice detail.

I would love to see the backstories fleshed out more. Michaela Laws said that things in Damiens backstory for example, that she didn't include (how much worse can it get😭) I think it would be really nice to get more details for the boys and the grandfather's background.

I'd like the story to be longer, like more individual scenes with each incubus before the big confession. I enjoy a fast burn but DAMN.

And more scenes with all of them. I love the brother's dynamics, and I wish we saw more of them together.

Maybe an ending where she let them stay without dating them. It doesn't necessarily have to be a poly ending (though I think many people including myself would enjoy) but they all become MC's found family.

Option for a male or gender-neutral MC.

More Malix in general. He is an incredible character who adds so much to the game, and his VA is uber talented. I saw on Michaela's Tumblr that she originally planned for Malix to attempt to burn down the mansion, and this would be so freaking cool! I wish we would have gotten this.

Less copy and paste, which I feel is a given.

I'd really like it to be NSFW if I'm being honest. Like, the sex scenes don't even have to be voiced (Though no one would complain if they wereeee) but like the writing aspect of it would be really nice.

I think MC's grief should be explored more. I discussed this with someone recently about Mika sleeping in her grandfather's room right after his passing, and I feel like maybe her grief was almost skipped over.

I think it would be nice to see MC being a college student rather than high school, but being as the second game is already made and has an established age, this probably wouldn't be possible.

More discussion of magic, and MC's ability to use magic.

Things I'd like to stay:))

First and foremost, VOICE ACTORS!!! I cannot stress enough how much I appreciate the VA talent in the game. I genuinely can't see another actor playing any of the incubi, Malix or Diana.

I really enjoy MC being a bit snarky and tough, but not so brave that it becomes unrealistic. Like she isn't Oh My GaWd ThErE aRe HoT gUyS but she also isn't like "I can do this easy and could fight this on my own!" because she knows it isn't easy and does recieve help from them.

Simon tabby. I don't feel I need to elaborate this.

The original scenes where MC gives her chosen incubus energy. Like, I'd like them to be more unique to the incubus BUT I don't think locations should change, and the art could still be similar to the last time.

I like how Diana comes across as a villain in the first game, and I don't think she should be changed. The second game was her redemption ark and changing her in a rewrite would make it less...redemptiony.

MC fighting Lissete. Favorite part of the game. (Though, I do think MC should have gotten like, suspended at the very least.)

I might think of more, but these were the ones I could think of right now. Thanks for the ask!

[buildthoughts]

Snifferish Builds #1

Taking a dip into modded minecraft with Sniff's latest video! Specifically Chisels and Bits, which will probably show up in the future as I enjoy rats smp.

The windows and the moss and the wisteria on Sniff's cottage really show of the artistic strengths of the chisels and bits mod. Using round windows in contrast with the dramatic sharp shape of the roof helps push the cozy vibe. The lattice designs on the circle windows is so neat and keeps the pattern from becoming too repetitive. Sniff added a tiny stained glass arch above the door which adds a ton of personality to the build. Having windows cracked open and the wood chopping log also add extra life to the cottage.

Just inside the door, there's boots, a hat, and a backpack. Sniff built this cottage for themself and these extra lived in details add to the feeling that Sniff actually lives here.

Cozy is the game with this interior and I wish I could live here. Plants in every corner and a big bed with a library on one side and a sunlit art setup on the other? Dream Home.

Sniff's attention to shape and weight when it comes to sculpting cloth, like those curtains, is admirable. I love the pattern on the carpet but I'm pretty sure that's a default from one of her mods since Sniff didn't mention designing it (and she noted when she was bringing in previous models they've made like the bed). Sniff mentioned they like high ceilings, which was why they didn't do an attic. For my own person tastes, I'm more torn. Sniff ended up doing a loft which I think looks stellar, but the a-line ceiling in this section of the house, I'm less a fan of. I don't think I've ever lived somewhere with an a-line ceiling, so maybe that's why it feel off/unfinished to me?

Kitchen is cute! Love the stove, fridge and shelving! I like that the sink faucet's gold color matches the detailing on the stove/fridge. But something about the sink isn't doing it for me. I think it might be because its the least textured spot in the room? But porcelain is smooth, so a texture wouldn't make sense. I'd be curious what adding a little lip around the edge of the sink would do? It'd probably be too bulky and throw off the scale.

I just noticed that the stove wall is a different texture than the one by the sink. That's an interesting choice. In this image it didn't feel right, but I watched back her video and it looks a lot more cohesive in motion and adds some nice warmth to the room.

I couldn't get a good screenshot of the loft, but I loved the inclusion of a book press and the art desk. Adding a railing for safety, also very good.

A lovely build. The colors are warm and earthy. Chisels and Bits builders go off.

[uroboros-if]

The demo is amazing!! I am in absolute awe of the art direction and the mechanic of look feels so cool and unique. And really gives this agency of truly looking more at something specific.

Your writing was very beautiful and the theme felt very poetic and intricate. I can't wait to see more!

All the ROs sound intriguing from both romantic and platonic points of view. I'm also really interested in the world itself and how it works.

I also adored the start of the game and how seamless the character creation felt, I particularly enjoyed how each color was described poetically in a sentence! Really made me realise this was a deity and not a normal human.

All the options felt well-thought out and I adore the titles the deity can have! And the little symbols next to them were unbelievably pretty! I think music could be a beautiful touch as well, but that is probably a lot of work and maybe you don't want music in it at all. Either way the game was really great!!

I think it's unfair some anons complain about what is the main premise of the story - the MC being seen as useless god. That is like going to a pizza place and complaining you don't like pizza. Just go elsewhere, anon, no one is keeping you

Thank you for sharing your work! I can't imagibe the amount of time it took to make the demo so beautiful both to look at and to read. I'm really curious about the plot going forward especially with the last two scenes of the demo!!

Waa 😭😭!! This is SO much praise. I feel so seen, since you went through the effort to appreciate every little thing, and that is so amazingly profound. Reading this has me emotional again 😭 Pretty much everything I hoped people would notice and appreciate is here! I have said these over the past few asks, but I'll rehash them again more briefly:

I'm glad you liked the looking mechanic, I wanted to make the act of reading more interactive (—well, more interactive, for an IF)! My writing is a bit over-the-top and purple prose, but I hope that sold the ethereal/divine vibes better! I'm also glad you appreciated how I incorporated the character customization, I wanted it to be more organic!

I have definitely contemplated adding at least some sound effects. BGM can be a little distracting for reading depending on the person, but maybe a slight ting whenever you picked a choice, or at least going into the codex may be unintrusive? :) I'll see what I can do!!

I will write more as far as people's complaints on MC being useless—not to defend myself, but to share some thoughts on it. Normally I wouldn't, but I think it's poetic irony. To put it briefly, though: a BIG point of the game is that the MC gets judged by people who don't know them and make assumptions about them. It is funny now that the IF and the MC get judged by people who make assumptions about them, too.

I welcome any criticism, especially since one of my fears is being in an echo chamber that I'm entirely deluded about my writing ability! (So if anyone has any, DM me or send an ask, let's have a discussion!!) However, it's not right to judge something or someone harshly without making the effort to understand.

vakarianxx, I am so so thankful for all your kind words, and for going into extraordinary detail about everything!! Your opinion on it is worth far more than anyone who didn't even read it, so I trust you on this!!

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 5 Meakashi pt. Final

Because I have the brainrot I read the "why hello there" in the Ewan McGregor Obi-Wan Kenobi voice. I know I've used the phrase to be silly before, but you know what the real tragedy here is? Since this is an alternate ending written years after the fact I doubt we'll ever learn who it is Keiichi saw that day.

Although I guess you could view this as the universe righting itself and making sure that Keiichi dies in July 1983 like he was supposed to. Of course then you have to ignore Mion surviving, but details. Also this isn't Final Destination so...

At risk of sounding controversial I like this bad ending better than the actual ending for the chapter. I know that it probably doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the series, but I like the new mystery of who killed Keiichi. It's kind of abrupt how it ends, but to be fair I didn't expect them to craft out a whole elaborate equally as dense ending for what's supposed to just be a bad ending. When the police raided the torture basement I figured that was about where the ending was going to stop if I'm honest. Maybe one or two additional screens about how Shion killed Keiichi and Mion, and then herself. I enjoyed the additional forty odd minutes of a new just as good ending.

Finishing the chapter you unlock a couple of post-game TIPS as well as the Staff Room.

Man, you and me both Kumagai. This TIP I feel was added to drive home the point about Shion and Mion just in case you didn't quite get the point. Which I admit maybe I didn't, or maybe I was just arguing against the twist because I didn't care for it.

This however was just a bonus little TIP I think. An introduction to a character who wasn't really in the chapter at all. There's really nothing to give me this feeling but I get a similar feeling looking at Akane Sonozaki here that I got looking at Kasumi Sumadera from Umineko. A character that I think might bear more significance to the overall plot than they actually do. Although now that I think about it Kasumi might be a sneaky little reference to the characterizations of Shion and Mion from Higurashi. Admittedly though this is just me reaching. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious what Oryou did to have to remove her own fingernails.

Lastly there's the Staff room.

Despite my complaints and what I fear may have come across as extreme negativity towards the chapter as a whole I quite liked Meakashi. The positives outweighed what are some hyper specific complaints I have about the narrative. Plus despite Satoko existing in this chapter to literally just be a punching bag I appreciated the new information we got to learn about all of the characters. Sure some of it might just be rehashing information we already knew (Satoko enduring extreme abuse/murder in an effort to try to bring back her brother, Rena seeming to know more about the spiritual/supernatural nature of the curse of Oyashiro). But I thought learning about the various intricate issues Shion has was worth it even as I found myself becoming less and less sympathetic towards her and her motives as the chapter went. Also despite not actually learning much new information about the curse killings I thought it was interesting to learn about how devoted the villagers are to the religion. In addition to how after Shion had killed or kidnapped the heads of the three families the curse killings seemed to have stopped entirely.

I know that the second half of the series is referred to as the Answers Arcs, but I think Meakashi did a decent enough job in seeding some more mysteries than it answered. Things like the motive behind Rika trying and failing to assassinate Shion. The fact that Oryou was also trying seemingly in vain to figure out who was behind the curse killings. Is the curse of Oyashiro real, and if so is it the phantom footsteps that followed and led to the demise of multiple prominent characters. What did set off the volcanic gas incident from Tatarigoroshi, was it truly divine in nature? A freak geological incident or something else? What actually happened to Satoshi? Multiple characters think he's dead but there really isn't any definitive proof one way or the other. Were the events of chapter four really just extra background exposition, or does it actually have larger relevance to the plot? Are the Sonozakis actually an evil iron-fisted criminal syndicate? That sort of thing.

At any rate, I'm very interested in the next chapter. I get more excited when I'm moving on to new stuff I know absolutely nothing about. Also if the question arcs are anything to go by this second chapter (chapter six) will probably be the best of the bunch.

[amoristt]

Specific reader anon again.

That's fair, it can be difficult to write something one might not relate to at those levels, since I means so much to people.

I was thinking more like Nathan's reaction/thoughts on a reader that tends to wear jfashion (I'm a huuuuge fan of a lot of styles so it's a pretty self-indulgent request (´,,•ω•,,) )

here you go! enjoy~

Nathan’s thoughts on JFashion!

Nathan’s initial thoughts and reactions would be entirely based on where he see’s you for the first time, so I’ll be going through both concepts :)

Let’s say that the first time he lays upon you is somewhere outside of school. You’re a total stranger, he has no reason to zero in on you, but he does. You’re just too much to not notice- all the colors, frills. At first he may be taken aback, thinking, what the hell am I looking at, but he can’t deny that you’re bold. Eye-catching for sure. 

He doesn’t spark a conversation, just sort of watches you distantly taking note of every fine detail your elaborate outfit includes. When he leaves, or you leave, the thinks about you often. He even tells Victoria about you, and subconsciously keeps an eye out to see if he could spot you again. 

Alternatively,

But, if he were to first lay eyes on you at school... Sorry. He bullies you initially. Maybe not the outright to your face, or tripping you as you walk by or filling your locker with shaving cream kind of bullying, but he makes snarky remarks and hushed whispers to Victoria and his other friends as you walk by. He can’t wrap his mind around it- why would you choose to appear so... Over the top?

As he begins to come around, he does give you props for your incredible bravery and even more important to him: your originality. Even though he’d never say it he respects that you wear what you want no matter what anyone thinks. Your brain works differently, and that impresses him. In his eyes, even though he thinks its crazy, your style beats the hell out of conforming to a basic, starved artist, hipster vibe that seems to sink it’s claws into every newbie at Blackwell. There would even be times where he defends your looks if one of his friends begins to rag on it. At least they’re not a walking carbon-copy of everyone else.

With time it may intrigue him enough to ask about it. If he’s around friends, he’ll mask his genuine curiosity with a sarcastic attitude. If he’s alone it may be a blunt, “what the fuck are you wearing”, but he really is curious- he just doesn’t really know how to go about asking about it. He’s a Prescott, after all. Normally it’s other’s coming to him. So for you to capture his focus, his curiosity, it’s a brand new style to him. Whether it be due to how different you look surrounded by the other attendee’s of Blackwell, or if it’s because you’ve piqued his interest, he spots you almost instantly if you’re near him. He can’t help it.

It may spark a conversation, even, if he’s feeling tame enough to act like a normal person. Although it may not start a bright and budding friendship, it puts you on his radar, and secures a position in his ‘undefined’ line up of people existing in his mind. He doesn’t dislike you, but not quite indifferent either- and with Nathan, that’s the best you could ask for. 

Bonus!

If you and him are in a relationship, at that point not only does Nathan accept your style, there are moments here and there that he begins to delve into it himself. He adamantly refuses to match your outfits, but there’s a couple accessories he doesn’t mind wearing if they align with his usually get-up. If you and Victoria are on friendship terms as well, she may do the same. She feels like it gives her an added boost of unique, bougie flare. 

[drimareuniverse]

Looking for a creative writer/storyteller

Hello! I'm Jay, I'm a non-binary artist and I'm looking for a creative writer that can help me write stories for my pet project Drimare Universe! Particularly my Webcomic and Visual Novel.

More details below, all help and sharing is appreciated!

The Drimare Universe is a world located within the dreams of humans, and the Drimare are its main inhabitants spread through various different regions.

It's composed of smaller stories focused on specific groups of characters (Like how Marvel has Spider-man stories, Iron-man stories, etc.) The general tone is a fun modern fantasy slice of life type.

I've been working on the project on my own for the past 10 years, and although I have a lot of lore and character info written down, when it comes to writing stories themselves, my skills are lacklustre. I finally accepted that I need someone that could help me with that, so here I am!

I keep most of the character info and lore archived on its wiki here if you're curious to learn more about it.

My current two projects that I'm looking for help on are a Webcomic and a Visual Novel, both of which are on hiatus because of my difficulty and general dissatisfaction with my own writing :(

I basically have loose plot points, certain scenarios, conversations and ideas, and I need someone that can tie those things together in a satisfying narrative way.

You don't have to work on the comic AND visual novel, but I am looking for help in at least one of those projects.

General requirements

Be over 18 years old. I'm 23 and not comfortable working with minors.

Be LGBTQ+ friendly! A LOT of the cast is LGBTQ in some way and certain characters focus a lot on topics of gender and sexuality so the more you know about the topic, the better :)

Have the patience to learn about my characters and world's quirks and lore lol! I'll try to explain things as best as I can! Bonus points if you have weird ideas yourself.

Basically, you write, I give my input, and then we use the finished script for the comic and/or visual novel.

You will be credited!

As for rates, my budget is small so let me know how much you charge! I'm somewhat of a writer myself and I don't feel comfortable having someone work for free, but I also have no idea what people usually charge for stuff like this. I can also offer my art in exchange if the person is interested/comfortable with that! Examples are on my DeviantArt as well as other links found on my profile.

I'm looking for someone I can work with for the long term so expect me to be a returning client if I enjoy your work! :) Ideally, I'd like to make a team eventually, but a writer is the priority atm.

I don't really have a set deadline so don't worry about having to finish things by specific dates.

It's my first time trying to commission someone for writing so I apologize if my etiquette is off, I'm only experienced in art commissions. I have no idea how I'm supposed to commission writing so I'll just describe what I'm looking to get below.

For the webcomic

Drimare Universe is the first official webcomic series based around the world of Drimare Universe, focusing on the origin story of the two siblings Zelly and Blade, as well as other characters they meet throughout their journey. It's set roughly around 10 years before the current timeline.

Available to read on Tapas here

It's an origin story for two siblings, followed by episodic stories of them meeting other characters from the cast and learning about the world around them. It's sort of built like a cartoon show, with more serious episodes, others more light-hearted, some important one, etc.

There are only 13 pages in the first episode so far, but I'm unhappy with the current script for the rest of the story and need help with it.

I'd like for someone who is actually good at writing and having better ideas to give it a look and either suggest things that could work better or straight-up rewrite it from scratch but better

The other episodes only have the general main plot points written down, with further episodes still being in a draft phase (I got so caught up with my writer's block with trying to figure the first two episodes, that I haven't been able to focus on the following ones)

***

For the visual novel

Drimare Universe Friendsim, is an ongoing Visual Novel project that will feature various characters from the Drimare Universe series, it is currently being developed on Ren'Py and free to download on the DU Friendsim itch.io page.

It is heavily inspired by games like Hiveswap Friendship Simulator as it follows a similar concept of a Human protagonist meeting various cast characters in order to form friendships with them.

The series will be released in various volumes, each one focusing on a specific character, with the events changing depending on the player's choices.

Available to download for free on Itch.io

It's about a human dreamer character who wakes up in the dream world and meets respective Drimare characters.

If you've played Hiveswap Friendsim or Pesterquest, it's the exact same concept. YCH protag meets characters in a very Isekai inspired scenario. It's like a dating sim, but friendship focused instead.

Unlike the webcomic, which takes place in the past, this visual novel takes place in the current timeline. Also unlike the comic, the visual novel is not canon.

Each volume is focused on MC (Who is referred to as "Dreamer") meeting a specific character, with other secondary characters making appearances as well.

There are two volumes available so far, each composed of one short story.

The tone is playful and comedic, I guess "quirky" could be a word to describe it. But still capable of having its serious moments,

Each volume has three endings. A short bad ending, a neutral ending, and a good/true ending. (The length and amount of endings can be flexible)

You don't have to know how to program visual novels or anything like that, I just need help with the stories. I'll be in charge of adding the writing to the game, animating the sprites accordingly, etc etc.

Apologies for the long text, I just want to be sure people understand exactly what I'm looking for! Ideally, I'd love to find someone that could share my passion for creating content for this project, but for now, I'll just settle for just finding someone at all lol

You can contact me through PMs here, though I also accept messages through Twitter DMs or Discord!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NE0Nbandit

Discord - Jay 🌸🌊#9625

Thank you for taking the time to read this! <3

[malmuses]

Hello Mal, how are you doing? I hope things have gotten better for you on the real life side of things. I'm going through some rough times too, so at least the company is good! I wanted to start by saying that your fics have single handedly gotten me through the most turbulent transition period of my life. I'm almost completely finished with your works on AO3 and your storytelling... *many many many chef kisses*. You are easily one of my favorite writers. I love your writing style, ...1/2

...2/2 your characterization, and how well thought out each story is. Each fic is like a decadent treat for my brain. I was curious, as a fellow writer, what your writing process is like. I've tried a few different methods but was wondering what works best for you! I hope the rest of your 2020 is full of peace and love. Also, I apologize in advance for the spam of comments you are about to receive on AO3. I finally have enough spoons for it!

I’m pasting these into one so I can put the answer in one place! (Tumblr is so awkward sometimes.) Sorry to hear you’ve been going through rough times too! There’s a lot of it going around this year, so I think we have plenty of company. In fact, I think the whole world just needs to lower its expectations and standards this year. Woke up? There’s the first gold star of the day. It's only up from here. I’m so glad that you’ve been enjoying my stories and so flattered that you say they’ve helped you so much...*insert feelings gif* I always tell myself when I write something: It’s okay if not everyone likes it. It’s okay if some people hate it. Nothing is for everyone. I just want one person to *love it*. Then I’m totally at peace. Now, if that person is just me? If I’m the only one that loves it? That’s also cool. Each story comes from a different place. My long-winded point, though, was that you basically just validated the existence of my entire catalog of fics so far, so thank you xD Your question about my writing process though - I’m happy to answer. But of course, first, I have to insert the usual disclaimer that as with most creative endeavors, there is no ‘right’ way to do it. I’m sure you know that, but sometimes I think people underestimate the depth of that truth. Each person has their own unique way of doing things. The struggle is sometimes finding the particular way, or combination of ways, that work for you. There’s definitely no harm in sharing what works for me though, in case anyone else can take anything from it. I’m someone who writes multiple things at once. Some people can’t do this or don’t want to, which I totally understand. For me, this is how I (mostly) avoid any kind of writers' block. If I’m stuck somewhere, I switch projects for a day or two. I do usually still have one main project I’m working on, but I usually have at least three others, often at various stages of the writing process. This keeps me in more of a flow state so I keep going with things, and allows me to write every day. It’s a habit. Now, I’m not saying breaks are bad, and everyone should write every day. I just find that for me, breaks should be deliberate. They should be true, chosen breaks, not because I just...drifted into one.

As you can probably tell from all that, I’m very much a planner and outliner. I outline...a lot. I’d be happy to talk more about my particular outlining process on Tumblr someday if anyone wanted. But, basically, I start with a general idea, then break it down into different story beats, so I can see if there’s something missing or too much of one thing. Then I fill in the gaps, then start breaking each overall ‘part’ of the plot into scenes, etc. Chapters come last. In terms of numbers (I get asked this one a lot), it does not matter how long your chapters are. What matters is that the chapter length feels right for the pacing of the fic, in my opinion, and I really think that is something that just comes with practice and knowing your own writing. Shitty advice maybe, but just the truth as I see it. A lot of it comes down to practice and finding what works for you.

Once I have an outline, I generally write linearly. Some people can jump around a lot. That’s a bit of a last resort for me if I’m stuck on something, or alternately if a scene steams into my head fully formed I will write it...with the understanding that I will probably have to change chunks of it when I reach it. It’s just the way it goes.

Now, when I say I outline in detail (there are literal spreadsheets)  that doesn’t mean that I magically only write exactly what’s in the outline and I stick to it. An outline can be a guide, not a rule. Sometimes stories take you places, and generally, I find it's better to listen to what the story wants. If my story starts going somewhere else or introduces something I don’t expect, I often revisit my outline and think, “Okay, how can I work in this new thing so that it follows the plotlines and arcs I already have? Am I adding to what I have or just distracting from it?” Most often those answers are obvious to me, but sometimes it’s good to ask someone else. A friend, a trusted beta. (I could talk a whole lot about betas and how that works for me, too, in addition to outlining).

I pretty much zero draft my fics. By that, I mean that I will start writing, and I won’t go back and do very much editing until the end. I will, each writing session, go back and read what I wrote the day before. Get into the zone. And sure, I’ll fix something if it jumps out at me - but that isn’t the purpose at that point, and most things won’t jump out, because it's too fresh. My brain knows what I meant, so it autocorrects for me. 

Leading into editing, it’s a two-step process for me. Once my zero draft is finished, I go back to the beginning and go through. This is where most of my developmental editing happens. (Another thing that probably needs more detail...different types of editing.) Once I’ve done that (usually during that pass, I’ve added words) I then put the fic aside. For as long as possible. At least a month, if I can swing that. (Bang deadlines sometimes cause issues if it's a fic for a bang, but I try). 

Once that time has passed, I can come back to it with fresh eyes. I’ll see the mistakes much more easily, then. This is where more intensive line edits happen, where SPAG happens, where I insert anything I made note of during my first pass if I needed to foreshadow anything more, that kind of thing. 

For a WIP, I do these edits chapter by chapter as it posts. For a Bang fic, obvious I have to do it all in one go. Due to the way I write, if you see me start posting a fic -- that fic is already finished, or in rarer instances (for work that was more time-sensitive) partway through the second draft or so. Oneshots are a little different (and I’ve had some oneshots that turned into chaptered fics of their own accord) in that they are just shorter and less intensive and often only have one main plot thread, so they’re a lot easier to do. I can get one drafted, edited and posted within a few days usually, depending on length.

How much do I write? Depends on the day. I have a high-stress finance job, two kids, and write a mixture of original fiction and fanfic stuff. So sometimes it's more than others. Bad day? Maybe 1,000 words. Good, average day? 3-6k. High pressure? Well, last year's DCBB I wrote in just under three days. It was 25k at that point. I have no tips for speed beyond learning to type fast, LOL!

Okay. I’ve probably bored you, and anyone else who had to scroll past all this, to tears. This is way too long. But even so, more specific questions, I’m happy to answer.

Good luck! Best advice? Just write. Write. Write. "Write a million words, then throw them away” is a changeable quote attributed to several authors but all it comes down to is...practice. Find your own vice and way of doing it. In a million words time, you will be a different writer than you are now, guaranteed.

Mal <3

[gayliensav]

Oh, Baby, I am a Wreck When I'm Without You

I need you here to stay.

Post-canon, Adam and Michael get the ending they deserved.

Read on AO3

Staring down at the key in his hand in disbelief, almost with a little bitterness too, Adam Milligan let out a laugh.

“It’s not a joke, Adam!”

Adam looked up at his brother, Sam -his only living brother at this point, apparently- blue eyes swimming with tears, “You think this is funny ?” he snapped, “You think giving me this is going to fix anything?”

Sam took a shaky breath, “I’m not trying to fix anything with you, I know that’s not possible. But I...I can’t stay there, not without Dean, or Cas, o-or Jack. I can’t do this anymore. And...you’re John’s son too, you have just as much of a right to the bunker as we do. You might as well use it.”

Adam stared down at the key again.

“Do you really have anywhere else to go?” Sam asked bluntly.

Adam glared at him, “I would if you idiots didn’t let Michael get killed.”

“Michael let himself get killed by going back to Chuck!” Sam yelled at him, “Get it through your head! The minute you were gone, he went back.”

Adam gripped the key tightly then, shoving it in his pocket, “Thanks,” he snapped, “For the place. But I’m not talking about this with you,” he said, starting to stalk away.

“Adam,” Sam called after him.

Adam stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“For what it’s worth...I’m sorry for your loss,” Sam called to him, “And...for everything else. I know it’s not worth anything, but I am.”

Adam pulled his coat tighter around himself, “Yeah...you too,” he mumbled, hurrying away.

.............

Adam turned the light on in the bunker, listening to the place start up again. A part of him wondered how long it had been off before Sam finally tracked him down, but the other part of him didn’t really care what his brother was doing anymore.

He couldn’t bring myself to care about much anymore.

“What’s happening, Michael?”

“I...I think my father is destroying humanity. Adam, I-“

“It’s getting dark.”

“Adam, I’m so sorry, I love you.”

“Mike-“

“Adam!”

.............

Adam stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. He didn’t look like himself, not anymore. He’d spent the few months before Sam tracked him down just drifting from place to place without any real destination in mind. He didn’t have anything now, at least before he’d always had Michael.

He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was grown out slightly and it was a mess. Adam swore that his hair lost a little of its brightness without Michael.

A lot of things lost brightness without Michael, actually.

Adam felt his eyes sting with tears again and he gripped the sides of the sink, taking a few shaky breaths to try to stop himself from crying. It was useless though, he found himself crying at least once a day.

He felt so empty, so lost. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do without the archangel who had been with him for what felt like over a thousand years.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to have a life together, out in the woods in a small house away from anyone that could find them. They were supposed to have each other.

Adam felt a sob rip from his chest and he slammed his fist into the mirror.

................

Adam was lying in a bed -alone, per usual- he’d claimed in an empty room in the bunker. He was staring down at his now-stitched and bandaged hand, cursing his sudden humanity that gave him injuries.

That really stung.

So did humanity, really.

Adam closed his eyes, despite knowing that he wouldn’t get more than an hour of sleep.

..............

Adam was unsure of the actual timeline of his relationship with the archangel Michael. They’d talked, on occasion, while they were in the cage. He knew it was probably around the hundred year mark before they actually got more in-depth with their talks, until Michael was more curious about him than Adam was about the archangel.

The two hundred year mark, Michael was falling. He was calling him “love” and “dear” when he spoke to him and they held hands all the time. Holding hands with an archangel’s smaller version of a true form would seem weird to most people, but not to Adam. He clung to the light of the archangel like a lifeline and Michael did the same.

The three hundred year mark, Adam was quite enjoying himself, for it being Hell. At least he got an archangel boyfriend out of his shitty deal with Heaven. He spent most days with his soul wrapped in the warmth of Michael’s Grace, listening to stories about the beginning of everything.

“Your soul is so beautiful, love.”

“When we get out of here, we will be together, dear. It is only a matter of time.”

“I will keep you safe, my love.”

“My Adam.”

“I love you.”

............

Adam’s eyes snapped open and he stared up at the ceiling. He glanced over at the clock and sighed.

Yeah, he was right about that hour of sleep  

...........

He ended up in the bunker’s library, surprised about the sheer amount of books in it. He looked at the titles in various different languages, his hand stopping on what he recognized as Enochian.

Being bonded with an archangel for a thousand years at least had some benefits, he had time to learn the language.

Adam pulled the book from the shelf slowly, going over to one of the chairs and cracking it open. The spine cracked as it opened, making Adam think it probably hadn’t been opened in years.

His eyes drifted over the text, absorbing the Men of Letters findings about angels, most importantly the archangels.

It seems archangels require someone descended from Cain and Abel to actually have a vessel able to withstand them. All other reported vessels have deteriorated over the years.

Adam’s breath caught in his throat as he got lower onto the page.

Angels are not sent to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory after their deaths. It is reported they are sent somewhere else, somewhere Empty. Below is a spell that has worked on many occasions for a vessel to awaken an archangel, specifically. Do not attempt this without knowing what you’ll possibly unleash by doing this and do not attempt this without a proper vessel available.

You’ll need the following: Salt, blood of a nephilim biologically related to the angel you are contacting, your own blood, a cloth, and something to start a fire.

Adam stared down at the page, his hand shaking a little.

“I have a nephew, apparently. His name is Jack.”

“How do you know?”

“I can sense him, that Lucifer had reproduced.”

Jack. Jack had to still be alive, right?

Adam flipped through the pages rapidly, hoping he could find something on summoning a nephilim, but it didn’t give him much other than some details on nephilim.

“Okay,” Adam took a shaky breath, “Okay, fine,” he said before closing his eyes and praying.

“Jack, I...I hope you can hear me. My name is Adam, I was Michael’s vessel. I need your help,” he peeked an eye open, “C’mon, man, Heaven owes me at least that much.”

There was the sound of a rush of wings and Adam opened his eyes to see a teenager standing in front of him.

“That was easier than I thought,” Adam mumbled.

“I...usually keep a line of communication open to Sam, in case he needs anything. I must have accidentally left that line open to any relatives following Dean’s death,” Jack said quietly, “How can I help you, Adam?”

Adam grabbed the book quickly, stumbling a little as he did. He walked over to the table, putting the book down and opening to the page, “I’m going to bring Michael back.”

“I...do not know if that’s a good idea,” Jack said softly.

“He had trauma, Jack, he was abused by his Father for eternity. Please,” Adam choked out, “He made a mistake, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a chance at life.”

Jack stared at him, tilting his head, “You love him.”

“So much,” Adam whispered, “I genuinely...don’t know what to do without him,” he smiled weakly, “We were going to have a life together, you know. A normal one, with a house just to ourselves,” he felt his eyes fill with tears again, “He’d probably loved to have been able to actually be an uncle to you.”

Jack suddenly waved his hand and conjured up a knife as well as a bowl, “Here,” he said softly. He cut his hand and Adam watched in shock as he dropped the blood into the bowl. The wound closed up after a few moments right before his eyes.

Jack smiled, “Everyone deserves a second chance, Adam Milligan...my uncle included.”

“Thank you,” Adam choked out, “Jack, thank you so much.”

Jack nodded and smiled, “If you ever need anything else, you know how to contact me. Good luck, Adam.”

Then he was gone.

Adam stared down at the bowl for a moment before quickly snatching it along with the book like it would disappear if he left it for too long.

.......

So that’s how he ended up here, making a circle of salt on the floor of his new bedroom on the floor. He was moving carefully, checking back at the book every few moments to make sure he was doing everything perfectly.

Adam set the bowl down then, along with everything else that had been on the list. He kneeled down, glancing over at the book that was sitting beside the circle as he did.

Adam grabbed the knife, wincing as he cut his own palm, watching his own blood drip down into the bowl. He quickly wrapped it in a bandage after to stop the blooding.

He dipped the cloth in the bowl Jack had used before putting the now bloodied cloth into the metal bowl and sitting it down, looking down at it.

“Well,” Adam whispered, lighting the match, “Here goes nothing,” he said before dropping it onto the cloth, watching the bowl light up almost immediately.

He closed his eyes then, starting the spell. It was long, he had to look down at the spell in the book a few times for help and was almost sure his poor pronunciation would ruin the spell.

He took a shaky breath as he finished up the spell, “...qui dormiunt, ad dominum formosum. Nexus noster, restitutus est. Surgas ex abysso, in lumine existas!”

The fire went a little brighter and then a rift opened on the wall, to Adam’s shock, making him fall back a little. The black void opened and light started to glow.

“Michael...Michael, it’s me, it’s Adam,” he said quickly, recognizing the archangel’s true form anywhere.

A misshapen hand, one glowing blue, reached out to him. He almost stumbled to get to him, linking his hand with his form almost immediately.

Nothing happened.

Adam took a shaky breath, “You actually need an official yes again, halo? It’ll always be a yes for you.”

Then Michael’s form slammed into his body and the portal closed. The human stumbled back, falling onto the bed as he felt a familiar warmth go over his entire body. He got dizzy and he knew it was because Michael was so excited.

“Adam...my Adam.”

“I’m here,” Adam breathed out. His vision was sharper again, like he could see the dust particles in the air, and he could hear the lights buzzing, but didn’t mind it. He was used to it, he was used to being a little not human while being Michael’s vessel.

“You’re here,” Michael repeated in his head, his true voice just a little too loud in Adam’s head out of his excitement, reminding Adam of an oversized, overpowered golden retriever.

“I am,” Adam laughed, wetness stinging his eyes again.

“My Adam,” Michael said, curling his Grace tightly around Adam’s soul, trying to get impossibly closer than he already was, protectiveness radiating off of him, “You’re here. You’re alive. ”

Adam pushed back a little with his soul, like he was trying to wrap around Michael’s Grace as well and Adam felt more happiness radiating from the archangel.

“My love,” Michael whispered, “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Never do that again, okay?” Adam asked, “We’re never separating again. Ever.”

“Not for the rest of eternity,” Michael agreed, “And maybe a little after that.”

[nekomapi]

chp 1 🎶 a light in your eyes that keeps shining

Shouto stared at the keys in front of him; the black and white rectangles blurred together as he spaced out. He had been running this piece all afternoon and he couldn't be more bored with it if he tried. Each time sounded just as good as the last, but he kept on practicing- leaving no room for the possibility of error. Less errors meant less scolding from his father.

His instructor didn't have any clients this afternoon and told him he could use the piano for as long as he wanted. He took lessons here twice a week when his father had other obligations and couldn't supervise, which also meant he never had much time for himself. Luckily, these two days were such a breath of fresh air from the usual routine that he always looked forward to them.

He let out a heavy sigh as he stretched his fingers and his arms. It was so peaceful; the warm sunlight pouring through the windows, golden hues illuminating the shiny surface of the grand piano. The whole room bathed in incredible warmth, something his house felt completely devoid of.

He couldn't remember how long he had been sitting there, but it felt like hours. He yawned as he glanced at the clock, his eyes slowly trailing over to the mahogany drum set that stared at him from the corner of the room. He had looked at it longingly for about 6 months, ever since he started his lessons here. There were so many different components and they seemed so complex, like a different world he was unaware of.

His curiosity itched to no end and he finally gathered the courage to walk over to it, grazing the drumhead with his fingers as he sat on the stool. His teacher had gone on an errand and he knew she wouldn't be back for a little while. Picking up the black wooden drumsticks, he started tapping gently on each piece to test the different noises they each made. After a few minutes of self-containment, he couldn’t help but let loose. He banged the different sized drums, smashed the symbols and kicked the bass pedal intermittently, with no direction and no sheet music to follow along with. It was the most exhilarated he had felt in a long time. He played with such enthusiasm that sweat started to accumulate on his brow as he lashed about without a care in the world. He didn't notice this rarity himself, but throughout his messy performance, his face was plastered with a playful grin. His focus shifted upwards as his eye caught a glimpse of a figure and he jumped up, almost tripping over the bass drum. A young girl was leaning in the doorway, her arms crossed and a smirk playing at her features. She couldn't help but find his clumsiness amusing.

Locking on her gaze, he instantly recognized her from the family photos on his teacher's desk. It was her daughter and he didn't know much about her, besides the few details she had mentioned to him in the past. Apparently she was exceptionally talented in multiple instruments and attended a very esteemed music academy in the city. The way she always beamed when she spoke of her, made it obvious how proud she was, and that shamefully always stung him. The only pride ever displayed from his father never felt out of love and his mother, well she was a different story.

"I... I'm sorry I uh...shouldn't have-"

She interrupted mid-sentence, holding up her hand and walking towards him, "Don't apologize! I'm the one who should apologize for startling you during your performance." She smiled and jokingly added," I'm going to guess that was your first time playing? If not, well then my mother might have lost her touch."

"That was the first time." He stood up straighter, trying to play off his embarrassment by transitioning into his usual stoic gaze. "I was just... curious is all."

"Ah. Well I have to say, you look good back there."

"Thanks," he mumbled, his cheeks feeling hot as he put down the drumsticks and started to back away from the drum set.

"Whoa, not so fast." She was at his side quickly and pushed him back towards the seat. He looked at her, confusion written on his face as he sat back down. She picked up the drumsticks, effortlessly twirling one around in her fingers. "Consider this your first lesson." Something about her made him feel at ease and he couldn't think of an excuse to refuse. He nodded in agreement and she grinned.

She didn't waste any time before naming each component and explaining the proper technique and form, including fixing the way he held the drumsticks. He admired how she spoke with such emotion, using her hands when trying to emphasize her opinion and the way her eyes lit up when she rambled on about what aspects she thought were the most important in order to be a good musician. It wasn't just her bright green eyes or that faint smell of gardenia that reminded him of her mother, but it was that burning passion towards music which was so evident in their words and motions. He longed to have that kind of burning emotion towards it as well. He soaked in every word, not wanting to forget a single thing she said--- or how her hair glistened against her smooth, freckled skin.

After going over the basics for about twenty minutes, she demonstrated a few basic drum beats. Once she ran through them a few times, she handed him back the drumsticks, gesturing for him to try. He followed her instruction, recreating the beat under her guidance. It wasn't hard for him to catch on. She stood back and watched as he seemed to effortlessly repeated the sample over and over, even adding in little changes while increasing the tempo each time. It was wildly impressive and after a few minutes, she spoke again. "Can I ask you something?'

"Go ahead," he responded, still focused on keeping a beat.

"Do you actually enjoy playing piano?"

He stopped and turned to face her. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well, I heard you playing Einaudi earlier, many times through I might add. And don’t get me wrong... you play wonderfully! Probably with some of the best form I've ever heard from someone our age. It's just... it sounded a bit— robotic, or like it wasn’t coming from the heart." She pushed herself off the wall and walked to the other side of the drum set. "Listening to you play just now, and before when I came in and interrupted you, something just feels different. It's like I could finally hear you in it."

"But you've only just met me..." he stated bluntly. "How could you know something like that?" There was no doubt that he was experiencing a bit of freedom in himself today, but her analysis suddenly had him feeling a little exposed and embarrassed. These unexpected emotions were new to him.

"I'm sorry... it was just a feeling I had. I didn't mean to pry." She fell silent for a moment, having felt slightly bad for how he reacted. She chuckled in hopes to lighten the mood. "I guess with that rad hair you just totally have that whole badass drummer vibe going on." She leaned back, framing his face with her fingers and staring at him through the opening. "I mean, who wouldn't want to be the next John Bonham."

"John Bonham?"

She gestured towards a framed record on the wall behind him, feeling thankful to change the subject. "Only one of the best drummers to ever grace the face of the earth." She walked over to her backpack and pulled out her phone, unraveling the headphones wrapped around it. She tapped on the screen a few times and then handed it over to him.

His tone was quizzical as he read off the name, "Fool in the Rain by ...Led Zeppelin?"

"Have you really never heard of them?"

Shouto shook his head and her mouth dropped.

"Alright well... take it all in buddy," she motioned towards the ear buds.

He put them in his ears, pressed play and stared down at the phone as the song started. It didn’t take long for him to be hooked, zoning in on the drums and how they effortlessly worked with the other instruments to form the melody. His head started to move with the beat, following along with its rhythm. He could identify the specific sounds of each component he had learned. It's like something clicked and he understood when she had said that a good drummer can make all the difference to how the song comes together. It was the first time he had actually "heard" a piece of music. Don't get him wrong, he knew the piano could be an incredibly moving instrument, but nothing had ever spoken to him personally like this. The song was about halfway through when it suddenly paused.

"Uh, someone named ... Boomer is calling." He handed her the phone.

"Oh!" she said, glancing up at the clock as she scrambled to answer.

‘What kind of name is Boomer?’ he thought.

"Hey! Sorry if you've been waiting, I lost track of time. I'll head over n--- ....I SAID I WAS SORRY....... It's none of your business ya punk! Just chill out, I'll be there soon!" She groaned in annoyance and ended the call, "I gotta go."

She walked to where a few guitars hung on the wall and took down a black and white Gibson, placing it in the case that was on the floor beneath it.

"You play guitar too?" Shouto asked. He wasn't really surprised as his teacher had already told him in the past that she played multiple instruments. He didn't know why but for some reason he wanted to continue being in her company for just a little longer.

"Among other things, yeah. I get bored if I stick to one thing for too long."

"Dividing your efforts into multiple instruments has to make mastering one pretty difficult," he stated matter of factly.

"I think you and I may look at music a little differently. I don't play an instrument with the need to master it. I play because of how it makes me feel. I let the instrument guide me where it needs to go, not the other way around. I guess, I just don't see the point in doing something if it doesn't set my soul on fire, ya know?" She zipped up the guitar bag and walked back towards him, holding out her hand. "I'm Ronnie by the way."

He walked around the drum set and shook it. "Todoroki, Shouto." She was staring at him intensely, making him shift uncomfortably. "What is it?" he asked a bit harshly, feeling conscious about his scar.

"Oh! Sorry- ha! I was just admiring that rockstar hair of yours again." She flashed him a rock and roll sign, though he didn't understand the gesture. It wasn't just the hair that had her mesmerized, but the smooth, burned skin around his eye. She felt sad that she found it so beautiful, without knowing what kind of pain was behind it.

"Thanks? I guess." He looked away, putting his hands in his pockets.

She smiled. "It kind of reminds me of Christmas morning." He looked back at her, his cheeks feeling warm again.

"Well, I guess I'll see ya around, Shouto."

His mouth went a bit dry at the familiarity and he nodded. "Yeah. See ya."

She turned and walked out of the room. He listened as the front door opened, feeling an odd knot in his stomach as it closed. He grasped at the sensation over his shirt and went over to sit back down at the piano. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly this feeling was, but it had made him feel SOMETHING, so he relished in it. Grabbing his phone from out of his pocket, he opened up Apple Music and typed in a song. He closed his eyes, his lips twitching up slightly as "Fool in the Rain" started to play through the speakers.

_________________________

♫ music selection ♫

Ludovico Einaudi - Nuvole Bianche

Led Zeppelin - Fool in the Rain

this was the first chapter of my abandoned BNHA music AU (+ a few HQ!! crossovers)... but i think it works as a cute standalone piece. recently been debating on resurrecting this fic or just using the existing material for hcs or scenarios... hmmm 🤔

xo n.pi

[judaluffy]

uhm hi im kinda new to the fandom so I'm not really sure with almost everything that's happening but all i know is i love love love the series so far. To make this short in order to save time, I just wanted to ask in what order should i read/watch bsd? I'm on chapter 45 in the manga and I'm not sure what to do exactly after finishing it someday. Can you give/suggest me an order or list? Thank you very much!

Hello Anon-san! First of all, welcome to bsd hell!

The manga is a very nice start. In bsd there’s many things apart from the anime and manga so I am gonna explain shortly what each is together with my recommended order of reading/watching. So...

BSD Universe Guide

1) Manga (79 chapters so far, updating at the start of every month)

2) Anime ( Season 1, Season 2, OVA(Hitori Ayumu), Movie (Dead Apple), Season 3)

3) Novels (Only the first 2 novels are released in english. Some of the others might be translated online or there might be reviews. I’m gonna list them here together with alternative ways to learn the gist of their stories)

a) Dazai’s Entrance Exam (This one has been added in the first season of the anime, just with another timeline. It’s the Blue King/Messenger story. In the novel, the events happen 2 years before the anime timeline so Atsushi isn’t there and Dazai is a newbie fufu if you can get your hands on it though, then do so, it’s funny)

b) Dark Era (This one is depicted in the first 4 episodes of season 2. Some details have been changed and obviously the novel is better but you can understand the story just from the anime.)

c) Planning of Atsushi’s Entrance Exam + Founding of the Agency (This has not been shown anywhere. There should be translations/reviews online though. You can ask me for help finding them ^^)

d) 55 minutes (A completely new story in the current timeline. It’s fun and all but you don’t miss on the story so much even if you don’t read it. Again, if you can find it either online or when/if it’s released in english, do read it! It’s nice!

e)Dead Apple (Now this is just the scenario of the movie in novel form. You don’t have to read it to understand the story or anything.)

f) BEAST (This is an alternative story where Atsushi is in the Mafia and Aku is in the ADA, it doesn’t have anything to do with the original plot. But if you are curious, here’s a summary of it I had written while reading it.)

g) Fifteen (Dazai and Chuuya’s meeting story. It has been animated in the first 3 episodes of season 3 but there’s many parts that were cut and/or changed. You can read my summary/review of it here.)

4)BSD wan! (manga) Idk if anyone’s still translating it currently but there are many translated chapters and it’s hella funny and if you enjoy some comedy then you should totally read it!

5) Dead Apple Manga (It’s updating online in japanese currently. Idk if anyone’s translating it but it follows the events of the movie mostly so there’s no urgency to read it. But there are some extra scenes that are based off of an originals story for the game)

6) Bungou Tales of the lost (Mobile game, there’s also an english version. It has most of the stories and some few original scenarios like the one I mentioned above.)

7) BSD Gaiden (A completely side story featuring completely other characters but in the same universe. Ango appears in it. Tsujimura, who appears in the movie, first appeared here. And actually also meets Chuuya in it.) Now this has both a novel and a manga. If you are interested, you can find part of the manga translated online.

Okay I think that’s all. Just the manga and novels are enough to enter the BSD world but if you wanna get in deeper there’s many things you can do. If reading is to your liking then take the time to read some of the books the original authors had written. No Longer Human is awesome for example XD

I hope this was enough answer to your question ;; Feel free to ask me if you need help with something more specific too ^^ I’m happy to help bsd buddies!

[lecliss]

OwO For that ask game - F (What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?), I (Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?), O (Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?), T (Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? ), Y (What are your secondhand fandoms (fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with)), and I'll stop here before I ask you the whole alphabet bc I'm curious ashdkaldhsjdh

Lmao thank you buddy for adding the questions so I wouldnt have to go back and forth cuz I use mobile 😔

F - The fandom for that would be Naruto. If I remember correctly the first fanfic I read was for Naruto and that was probably when I was like, 10 or 11 I think. Couldve been younger tho?? It's always hard to remember specific things that far back, lol. And I'm still in it now as you can tell, so that's likely around 11 years and still going. I'm not leaving and no one can make me leave!! 😂

I - Does stop liking imply having liked it all??? Idk, if it doesn't then who cares. This is probably the closest I've got that I can think of anyway. So, you know how some media attracts the same group of people so you've got some fandoms being filled with the same people that almost all like the same two or three or so pieces of media? The Servamp fandom is very chummy with and shares many people with both the Haikyuu and Bungou no Stray Dogs fandoms. I don't care for Haikyuu at all and I'm kinda interested in BSD, but not enough to bother getting into it. So so, back before Tumblr mobile could let you filter tags like it can now, since I followed a lot of Servamp blogs, I had to see a lot of Haikyuu. And except for a few small exceptions, I generally hate sports animes. A new season either started or was ending and I was forced to see so much fucking Haikyuu. Oh my god, so much Haikyuu. And I hated it. Ya know like the more you see something you don't care for the more annoying it slowly becomes? Well, for some people. So I just loathe seeing anything even remotely Haikyuu related now. No offensive to the show, but there's just an association there in my head now cuz I didn't wanna unfollow my Servamp mutuals for it, but I couldn't stop seeing it then either. So in a way, both the Haikyuu and Servamp fandom on Tumblr ruined Haikyuu for me before it even had a chance. Now thankfully I can have it filtered, and the reason I mentioned BSD at all is cuz the same thing almost started happening with that too, but then I could also filter that so now it won't get ruined for me in case I ever do decide to check it out.

O - Maybe not random cuz I've been looking for a chance to bring it up forever now, but Drive By(too lazy to look up by who) has always and will always remind me of Flint x Volkner(also too lazy to look up the ship name lol) cuz I used to be addicted to that song and was really into that ship at the time so that's all I thought about while listening to it. I don't even remember what specifically I would think about with them, but knowing me probably an AU scenario that I've long since forgotten, lol.

T - FUCKING THANK YOU LUA! People can pry 1/4th Australian Aboriginal Jim from my cold dead hands, holy FUCK!!! I don't care if I'm seeing things that aren't there, Jim is part Aboriginal to me and I will die on this fucking hill. I will!!! Also, homeschooled O'Brien. I've got some old discord convos about it with a friend that I'd have to go searching for to remember the exact details of the proof, but I swear it makes so much sense!!!! That is also a hill I will just die on and no one will be able to remove my corpse from it. These are my hills, these are where I live and die.

Y - Uuuuhhh, not sure how much counts as what, lol. Mmmm, perhaps cuz of the Servamp fandom I know a few things about BSD despite, as mentioned, me never actually partaking in it myself. Oh, oh, oh and also She-Ra. Definitely seen enough of that all over Tumblr to have some small opinions and know the overall plot and enjoy some fanart despite never watching it either. And before I started watching it myself, Atla also qualified, altho I watched most of Korra, but I don't see that nearly as much as the original series. And if series within series count then Yugioh Zexal as well, since I've never watched more than the first episode in English and the first manga volume, but I know plenty of the plot(even if the more I find out the more confused it makes me, lol).

Thank you again buddy! I wouldn't mind you sending the whole alphabet either, lol. They're all good questions. I'll send you some too after my guild battle in like an hour, I gotta go prepare.

[waltongoggins]

ohhh may i ask what you didn't like about the first season? fyi i never read the comics and i think the story kinda dragged at times (esp. abt the hazel&chacha bits??), and ik i'm gonna be lynched for this but i think ellen page was pretty meh as vanya...but since you've read the comics i'm curious abt what you think

yes, you can absolutely ask but the answer may be long...and keep in mind this is from the perspective of someone who not only has read the comics, but has been completely enamored with them since ‘07...i’ll start with hazel & cha-cha since you mentioned them and because it’s a Big One for me. (this is going under a cut because it’s long as hell, and i’m prone to rambling)

steve blackman, the showrunner, was so excited to bring H&CC into s1 and yet what he essentially did was create two OC’s. on one hand, i get. in the comics they have very little depth, but the few key traits they do have were essentially erased. they became bland, joyless versions of some of the most iconic characters in the whole series. the more time i spend with tuatv the less i give a sh*t about hazel/agnes (and it was already part of the show that dragged for me). i’m annoyed they massively revamped these characters, but i’m disgusted by the way they made the White Man redeemable and Loving and Soft, while focusing on the hyperviolent, revenge-seeking black woman trying to ruin the Quirky White Indie Couple. i’m annoyed they ruined the love and camaraderie between comics H&CC in favor of a forced romance subplot that they used to fill time. i’m mad that hazel got a second chance and a few layers worth of depth while cha-cha started and ended with “she likes murder!” with about one second worth of deeper characterization before it gets shit on again. either give both characters the same care and attention or keep them both as Gleeful Assassins, prioritizing and humanizing the white man while reducing the black woman to harmful tropes at the same time without even hope for something more is UGLY.

moving on to vanya because you also mentioned her (and i’m bitter) i love ellen page and i think she did an amazing job in the show. and i like tv!vanya for what she is, but it didn’t feel much like vanya to me and while i work really hard to keep the show separate from the comics and enjoy both for what they bring to the table, i wish i saw more of that character on screen. that’s essentially the base of a lot of my issues with the show as a comics fan...in so many ways it doesn’t /fee/ like the comics at all. and that’s a bummer for me, because i spent over a decade imagining what this adaptation would look like. i could go into detail here and make a list of specific things that disappointed me re: character details, personality changes, world building, etc. but it would be long and tedious and it’s just as easy to say that it wasn’t what i hoped it would be. (not that i don’t love the show, i do!!!! but coming from this specific perspective, some of these things are just hard to accept, and a lot of the changes i’m just not a fan of, no matter how hard i try to be. some of them make sense and some of them just didn’t need to be done imo...). overall i feel like the show lost a lot of the magic from the comics, and certainly much of its uniqueness.

as for some Bigger, more Tangible issues i have with the overall narrative of the show itself:

dave. listen, i was ecstatic when i read that klaus was going to have a canon boyfriend, but this isn’t what i expected nor what i wanted. you want to talk about Bury Your Gays? this is a pretty significant example, and dave doesn’t even have any actual characterization out of fanon and/or what the actor had to make up for himself to give any semblance of life to that relationship (or the idea of it). in the end he was simply fodder to klaus’ arc and while i respect any/all fans who try to salvage this and make the best of it, it really did Nothing for me at all besides make me angry.

EUDORA PATCH. similar to above, another example of a harmful and ultimately unneeded trope to fuel diego’s pain and personal tragedy which he’s already full up on. another new addition to the story i was excited to see on screen that really just ultimately left me bitter.

to be fair, both of these could be fixed or at least revisited via time travel, but i’m still cautious about being hopeful. i feel like the chances of seeing dave again might be higher than that of patch bc of certain details of the Dallas arc that might land them back in the 60s, but STILL. a season with this kind of thing back-to-back just ain’t cute.

on a different level, i have such a big problem with how the plot is revealed in this show, specifically re: pogo. let me say this, if your entire plot can be avoided by ONE CHARACTER revealing some truth then it’s...Not Great...and the fact that pogo has THREE bombshell pieces of news that are littered off one after the other and significantly drive the story just feels lazy, frankly. and the more i watch it the more i hate it. (also i feel like they missed the opportunity to make the audience really /care/ and /feel/ for pogo. maybe instead of all that time with hazel/agnes they could’ve added in more flashbacks to reveal character rs’s for ALL the kids and their parents/guardian figures hmm just a thought...)

give me time and i can think of more, but i guess (barring some of the more petty issues i have regarding certain choice changes from the comics) these are mostly the Big Ones i feel toward the show.

[toastydehmer]

Colors Ask

Original list can be found here! Though some of these were doctored up a wee bit just so I could make better sense of them.

[RED] What are you most passionate about? How did this passion develope?

My passion has been creating these ideas and worlds and AUs or even just overarching plots to stories I'll probably never write. It started with my voracious habit to read - something I probably do WAY too much of if I'm too be honest. As I read I would theorize and extrapolate from what the story told so far and I guess it became a habit. Now I look at fandoms I like or pairings and suddenly and writing down notes, sketching designs, and looking up references for this whole new Alternate Universe just because I can. I love it!

[ORANGE] How many pieces of fruit do you aim to eat per day? What do you actually manage?

Uh, I don't eat often bub. A meal at McDonalds is enough to fill me up for an entire 24-hour period. I eat fruit when my body craves it which tends to be about once a week to every other week.

[YELLOW] What's your happy place? Real or fictional?

Okay. That 'happy place' idea is utter bullshit. When I get an anxiety/panick attack, I don't go to a tranquil place in my mind and start to feel better. That doesn't help because guess what, an idle mind is the perfect playground for personal demons. Happy Places probably exist but they don't do jackshit once you're already in one and besides, I couldn't never keep my thoughts straight enough in the middle of an attack to make a decision.

[GREEN] Do you prefer indoors or outdoors? What's your favorite flower to smell?

Indoors during winter and late autumn, outdoors the rest of the year. I like to just lay in the grass when the sun is high on a clear, breezy day and bask in the light like a cat. As for flower... hell if I know. A flower is a flower to my brain.

[BLUE] What is your favorite mode of long distance transportation? Have you ever been on a plane? If so, what was it like?

Uh, car. I've only been a plane plane twice (nearly passed right out walling to my seat the first time I was so terrified) but both were utterly boring. The book I brought with I finished before half the trip was over. Though it was fun seeing the clouds, I think they would get boring after so many trips. And besides, in a car trip on my own, I can play whatever music I want however loud I please.

[INDIGO] What's your top three names? Would you ever consider having children?

I actually have a list in Google Drive because my boyfriend and I had started talking about the possibility of having kids sometime in the next five to ten years. Looking at it, it's hard to choose but it follows a pattern of a Latin, Greek, or Irish word that had meaning.

Daughter: it would be Eirini (Greek: Peace), Elpida (Greek: Hope), and Nadur (Irish: Nature).

Son: Anam (Latin: Soul), Rioga (Irish: Royal), and Nostrum (Latin: Ours).

[VIOLET] What's your favorite cake flavour? Are you any good at baking?

Chocolate hands down. If it's chocolate you got me. And yes, I am very good at baking. My two favorite recipes are Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese frosting and Flour-less Chocolate Torte. Both arevcompletely from scratch mind you, frosting and all. So god damned delicious.

[PURPLE] Do you support the Royal Family? Who is your favorite historical figure and why?

Royal Family? Well, I don't know anything about them instead of Royal Family how about President? And no, I do not support a large portion of Trump's decisions mainly to do with his methods and the nuances of those decisions.

Also, I don't really have a favorite hostiorical figure? Or even one I like? To me they're like one big tapestry that details the human race, one which is still continually being added to. They are a part of the whole. Which to put in layman's terms means I like history overall more than any singular person involved.

[PINK] What is your favorite animal? Zoos or farms?

CATS!!! I love house cats, big cats, wild cats, domesticated cats, exotic cats, local cats, cats, cats, cats! But not the musical, lol. But I'd rather see cats in their natural habits. Hells, I'd rather see all animals in their natural habits when considering non-domesticaed animal breeds. I don't like either of them if the purpose is to just visit the animals in them.

[TURQUOISE] Do you like being in the sea? What coastal town is your favorite to visit?

Hm. I was born and raised in the land of ten thousand lakes and have only ever been to the coast twice, the Gulf of Mexico and the Southern Californian coast in specific. I was able to wade into the ocean when I went to the Gulf but I don't think that would be a good choice to base my decision on as I was stung my floating remnants of jellyfish and then didn't risk going in again after that. To make things easier, let's go with large bodies of water in general, to which the answer is a wholesome yes. I love to swim and float in the water.

[MINT] Do you like astrology? Do you consider Pluto a 'real planet'?

Ah. This question. I do occasionally practice witchcraft when I have a good purpose to do so - such as making a charm for a friend, cleansing my home, and other such things. Astrology is part of what I do so yes, I like it in the sense that it helps me work or stronger correspondences. As for Pluto....bot really. Pluto is a dwarf planet by scientific standards. In my practice, there isn't much to tie it to outside of a person's sign related to it. It's hard to work with it because of this as all the other planets (substituting earth with the moon here) have ample correspondences.

[CRIMSON] Have you ever broken and bone before? Do you enjoy going to the dentist?

Hell no to both questions. Next!

[AMBER] Do you have a license to drive? If now, how do you get around?

Yes I do! I have a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsberg edition. My first car, used it be my dad. I've had it for just about two years now and I keep her in tip top shape as much as a possibly can! Just wish I had a proper garage so I could do my own small repairs and work on her.

[LIME] Do you like monkeys? Do you believe the theory of evolution?

No, I don't really care for monkeys. And from a scientific standpoint, yes I do.

[TANGERINE] How tall are you? Do you ever wish you were taller or shorter?

I am literally just a hair below 5'11" and for a woman my age where I live, that is really tall. I match height with most men I've met. But I do sometimes wish I was shorter just because my height and stature paired with my resting bitch face tend to intimidate or slightly scare people when they first meet me. I often have to explain that, "No, I'm not angry, this is just my normal look when I'm not really feeling any specific emotion. You're fine, I swear. I just look like this." And I'm a gentle giant. Think BFG if you know it. I'm the one who will jump in to protect and be a meat shield for someone else but am unable to raise a hand for my own safety. People being scared of me just makes me feel really damn sad and depressed.

[AZURE] Which gender and sexuality do you most identify with?

Uuuuuuh. Hm. Well- that is kinda a hard question? For gender I think the closest I can relate to is genderfliud. I don't have any body dysphoria but I do know there are times I feel way more masculine than feminine. The reverse is just as equally true. And then there are times where I don't feel like I have a specific gender. Sexuality can make this kind of hard to pin down for me. Put it this way. I am panromantic but I find males sexually arousing much more than I do females. And for those curious (unlikely anyone) I'll go by any pronoun. He, she, it, they/them, I really don't give a fuck.

[BEIGE] What is your favorite pop/soda? Do you enjoy alcohol?

P E P S I. Coke is an abomination, something which my boyfriend heavily disagrees with the heathen... I don't....really like to drink often. Alcoholism kind of runs in the family and due to that, I'm more likely to form a codependency on it as well. My family on my Dad's side is heavily German if that helps make more sense. But I do enjoy sweet wines the very few times I allow myself a glass, no more than two.

[CORAL] What is your favorite Disney movie? Who does it better, Disney or Pixar?

You- you can't just ASK me this!! I grew up on Disney! To pick a favorite would be blasphemous of me!!! Also, if that didn't make it clear, Pixar can suck my sack. Disney for the win.

[SAPPHIRE] Do you wear any jewelry? What do you think looks best on other people?

I wear a silver ring on me right middle finger everyday 24/7 and only take it off during my job or when I'm going into any amount of water. I used to wear earrings as well but I lost my silver pair and I can only wear gold or silver. Yes, I have tried to nail polish trick and hypoallergenic. No, I couldn't get either to work with me. My ears would still puss around the non-pure metal earrings. Now I only wear any of my other earrings when I'm doing something special and never for more than a few hours or so.

[GOLD] What do you consider your biggest achievement? When was the last time you won (at) something?

Ah, achievements, things that

[lifeisdabubbles-undersalmondean]

La Pomme ~ Chapter 12

Pairing: Sam x OC (eventual Dean x OC and Dean x Castiel. And I mean eventual.)

Series summary: George is a casual French-Mistake-universe Supernatural fan living in no-COVID 2020, who's life is upended when she's suddenly launched between realities, two years into the boys' past (S13E22). What begins as an insane, immersive fan experience turns into more when Jack goes missing and George offers up her AU information to help track him down. Soon it's discovered that she and Sam may actually have history. But that's impossible, right?

Word Count: 5,500

Warnings: {smut, fluff, angst, show level violence, swearing, mentions of suicide} ***Detailed warnings will be tagged for specific chapters.

A/N: Following the events of my prequel Paradise and second story From My Eyes Off. Reading those first gives context but isn’t necessary to start this one.

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

George was lounging in the warm bath water, trying to use breathing exercises to clear her mind and calm herself. It had been a long day, capping off a long almost-month inside the Supernatural Universe. There were so many questions she couldn't answer and she wished she could turn her brain off; focus on anything else.

"George?" She heard Dean's muffled call from the other side of the bathroom door. "You OK in there?"

"Yea," She answered quietly. "Just humiliated," She added with an eye roll.

"Don't sweat it," Came his unusually sympathetic reply. "We've all been there, or somewhere similar… or somewhere worse," He added off handedly, taking another bite of pie. It occurred to him suddenly that the two of them were alone and Dean had a thought. After a moment's hesitation, he swallowed his bite of pie and called timidly, "George?"

"Yea?" She responded curiously, her voice raised slightly to compensate for the sound barrier. There was such a long pause with no answer that she wondered if it had just been her imagination. As she was about to call out again, she heard him finally.

"Can I ask you something?" Came an inquiry so quiet she almost didn't hear it. He sounded uncharacteristically troubled and… nervous?

"Yea, sure," She answered gently.

"What do you know about Michael?"

"Michael who?" Came her quick, confused reply.

"The archangel? Asshole that's been wearing me as a suit the last few weeks?" She was suddenly reminded of the fact that she was living inside of a TV show and it stunned her into silence. "That Michael? Has he not been on the show or...?" The nervous huff in his reply shook her out of her stupor. She realized this must be a hard topic for him. Unfortunately, though, she didn't have any insight to give.

"Oh fuck, right, Michael," She swallowed and gathered her thoughts before replying with a sigh, "I'm sorry, Dean, I don't really know much. I hadn't started this season yet," She finished apologetically.

"Thanks," Came a sarcastic reply.

She frowned and defended, "Look, I have a life, dude! I get behind, I can't always tune in every Thursday! Trust me, no one is more sorry about that than me right now. Maybe if I had, I could have done something to prevent this insane situation." A heavy sigh dotted the end of her sentence pointedly. Then she had a strange, disconcerting thought:

Would you really have prevented this from happening if you had a choice?

The thought startled her and she guiltily refused to answer herself.

A welcome distraction for her was noticing the silence that followed her answer to Dean; George could tell he was still concerned. Reaching over and grabbing the door handle, she cracked it just enough to spy Dean sitting on the edge of the mattress, holding a take out box. He glanced at her almost imperceptibly and she could tell her eyes weren't exactly welcome, so she turned her head away but left the door open.

"Here's what I've heard/seen on accident," She started, pausing to think and then saying carefully, "He comes back somehow," She heard him bristle but kept going, "And you do something to trap him. Some kind of box… or maybe a walk-in freezer?" She was trying to organize the spoilers she'd seen and identify what was related to Michael and what wasn't. "I know that doesn't make a lot of sense and I'm sorry, but that's all I've got."

Dean sighed and shrugged, "It's alright, George. I'm just… feeling lost. Was hoping for some clues, but it's not on you to save my bacon." George gave a wry smile to the bath water and sat quietly for a moment.

Finally she turned her head to look at him and asked, "You want to know what I do know, Dean?"

Slowly, he turned to look at her with an intrigued eyebrow, "I don't know, do I?"

With an amused eye roll she spoke, "I know this--right now--this story line with alternate Michael? It's two seasons behind where you and your brother end up in my reality. And--at least as far as I remember--this alternate Michael isn't a starring role for very long."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows at her in consideration, "Meaning?"

She shrugged and offered, "Meaning, you figure this out. Like you always do. You will figure this out and you will beat Michael and be onto the next big bad, whomever that is. Which, don't even ask because I really have no idea. Haven't watched those seasons at all yet… I think there's one episode where you meet Scooby Doo?"

Dean smirked and rolled his eyes, telling her matter-of-factly, "We already did that."

"No shit?! That already happened?" When he nodded in confirmation George 'ughed' loudly, rolling her eyes, "Damnit, that must have been one of the ones I just watched. What was it like?! Was Shaggy really high? Was Daphne really hot? Was Scooby just adorable?!"

Dean chuckled and answered, "Uh, yes, hell yes, and duh! It's Scooby Doo! Of course he's adorable!"

"Was it weird to be animated?"

He shrugged a little, "Eh, kin-"

She cut him off with a gasp, "Wait! Was all of you animated, like.. did you have all your-"

He shook his head and proclaimed, "That's none of your business!"

"Sorry!" George apologized defensively, then begged, "Tell me you and Daphne-"

"George!" Dean admonished with feigned offense, "I don't kiss and tell."

She scoffed and guessed, "Struck out, huh?"

Dean frowned and simply said, "Her and Fred are an item. I didn't want to break that up," to which George laughed in disbelief.

"Yea, I got it. I think things are starting to come back to me now," George teased him and he shrugged in defeat, unable to deny the fact that he definitely struck out with Daphne. When her laughter died away, she looked at him again and said, "I'm sorry I can't be more of a help. I know, I know, it's not my job to save you but that doesn't mean I enjoy not being able to." They were quiet again for a minute and she sighed, "If I could just call Ryan."

"Who's he?"

"She is my Winchester Wiki," She explained very matter of factly and Dean stared at her with an annoyed expression. With a smile she continued, "She's my friend and she's also a fan of the show; Got me back into it later in life and, well lets just say, she pays closer attention than I do. She'd be able to help you with this whole Michael problem without breaking a sweat. Oh and she's gorgeous," George tossed on and Dean raised a curious eyebrow. She caught his curious expression and asked, "You don't happen to have a phone with trans-universal long distance coverage by chance?"

Dean snorted and shook his head in bemused defeat, "Not on me." He was frustrated that she didn't have more insight on Michael, though somewhat comforted by the fact that-at least in her reality-he wasn't dead yet. That was something, he guessed.

"So," George smirked at him, glee in her eyes, "American's Next Top Model, hmm?"

"What, are you surprised? A house full of attractive models?" Dean gave her an obvious expression.

She shark-mouthed understandably and nodded, "Fair point. Allison cycle 12? Ooof. Hello!"

Dean considered her assessment for a moment, then nodded agreeably but offered, "Mercedes, cycle 2."

George had to remember who that was for a minute but then nodded emphatically, "Yes! Gorgeous and she was good. She ended up top three, right?"

They compared notes for a few minutes, until he finished the last bite of pie in the container he was holding. Then he whipped out his phone and muttered in her direction, "Finish your bath. I'm gonna text Sam for more towels."

When Sam got the text he snagged a pile from a housekeeping cart on their way back to George's room. They had also stopped by the car and brought up a few bags, per his request. Dean carefully handed George the towels through the bathroom door, so as to not accidentally see any bits, and then turned to Sam for a room update.

"Bad news: no adjoining rooms. The best I could do was five doors down. Even more bad news: only one queen bed." Sam held up the room key with a feigned wince. "But listen, I don't think we should leave George alone, so I'll just crash on the floor in here and you can take the room."

"Wow, what a sacrifice," Dean chuckled knowingly at his brother and snatched the key from him. "Shouldn't we have Cas handle it, though?"

"No, why?" Sam protested a little too fast.

"Because he doesn't need sleep. He can keep an eye on the little deserter. Make sure she doesn't do it again?"

Sam frowned, "She's not going to. And if she does, I think I can handle it. How is she supposed to get any sleep with Cas staring at her all night?"

"I don't stare at people when they sleep," Cas interrupted. With a huff he clarified, "I stare at the wall."

Dean looked at the offended angel and shrugged, "It's not that bad. He's quiet. Honestly, it's kind of comforting when you think about it." There was an awkward pause and Dean added, "Sometimes he'll sing for you if you ask nice-"

"Dean," Castiel admonished him for sharing something so intimate. Cas only did that for him.

Sam looked between the two of their sheepish faces and then assured sarcastically, "Yea, a singing angel staring at the wall in the dark. Totally not creepy."

George came out of the bathroom wrapped in the clean towels from Dean. She was now looking a little sheepish as well, "Hey, sorry about earlier. All of it. I jus-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Dean held up a hand to her. "Save it for the morning. You can spill your guts over breakfast. We couldn't get adjoining rooms, so Cas and I will be just down the hall; Sam will stay with you tonight. On the floor," He said pointedly with a 'behave' look toward Sam, who rolled his eyes in irritation. George nodded, barely listening, and let out a tired sigh.

Then she had a startling thought and groaned, "Shit. I'm going to have to put those crusty clothes back on."

Dean grinned proudly, "You're not the only one with surprise gifts." He took the bags that Sam and Cas had retrieved from the car and set them down on the wooden table.

"What's this?" She asked, grabbing one of the handles and peeking into the bag where she spotted the Friends logo hoodie she'd picked out at Target. "My clothes? My deodorant?! Oh Dean! Thank you so much! I would kiss you but you have pie like… all over your face, but thank you!" As she dug into the bags to search for the PJs, Dean looked questioningly at Sam and Cas who nodded in confirmation.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Dean grumbled, moving over to the sink to wipe his face. Sam shrugged in feigned innocence, laughing internally at his idiot brother.

"How did you get all the clothes I picked?" She asked, impressed.

"We got lucky; Sam happened to hear one of the employees complaining about a nutty woman who'd run from the store like a bat outta hell and abandoned all her stuff," Dean gave her a pointed stare.

She looked first at Sam, and then Cas and Dean, with immense gratitude, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Her spirits had been lifted a little. The fresh underwear alone was going to make her feel a thousand times better.

"They mentioned they'd already put back one or two items when we asked about it, so hopefully we got the right replacements." Sam warned her.

"I don't care! I can apply deodorant and brush my teeth; I'm sure I can put together at least one clean outfit with what's here! So I'm hap-" She suddenly stopped and froze, having discovered a strange item in one of the bags. "Wha?" In one swift motion she pulled out a pale pink lace bodysuit and held it up for them to see. With an annoyed, yet curious expression she looked at Dean and asked, "Someone care to explain this?"

Dean held his hands up in innocence and Sam inspected the garment in confusion.

"It looked nice on the mannequin and the Target associate who helped me pick it out said it was bold, yet feminine. Perfect for the new woman in my life," Castiel happily explained, sounding as though he was reciting someone else's words.

George blushed a bit, looking at Sam and Dean like 'is he for real?', unsure how to respond. Both men shrugged unhelpfully, avoiding eye contact with the item she was still holding, and remained quiet. Cas seemed so proud, she didn't want to ruin it.

Finally, she stuttered out, "Wow. OK, well… thanks. Very thoughtful of you, Castiel…"

"If you wanted to provide me with your exact measurements, the sales associate offered to help me pick out a 'matching bra and panty se'-"

"OK, why don't we quit while we're ahead, eh Buddy?" Dean grabbed up four of the remaining takeout boxes and motioned for Cas to do the same. He then reached for the pink, lacey material in George's hand, jokingly trying to take it from her.

She swatted him with it and held it out of his reach, "Hey! You're the old woman in his life."

He couldn't help but laugh in response, though he shook his head in annoyance, and then headed out the door with the angel in tow, "See you crazy kids in the morning!"

When they left George looked at Sam curiously, "Is it wrong that I kind of want to give Cas 'my measurements' and then watch him try to pick out lingerie?"

Sam smirked in amusement but nodded, "Yes."

"Oh, you're no fun," George chuckled and tossed the teddy back into the bag.

"Perhaps the wrong audience?" He suggested with a chuckle.

"Yea, that's fair," She agreed. While she rifled through the bags and grabbed out some black PJ pants, a light blue, short sleeved t-shirt, and a pair of underwear, Sam watched her quietly. To say he was relieved to find her safe and unharmed was an understatement. He'd also been thrilled by her admission that she liked it here, but, like Cas, he was curious what it meant. And what it could mean for him.

Does she like it enough to stay maybe? He cursed at himself for even thinking it.

"Uh, George?" He finally pushed through the nerves and forced himself to speak.

"Hmm?" She responded curiously, not looking up from her bags just yet.

He tried to adopt a nonchalant, yet comforting tone and asked, "When you were saying earlier that you felt… comfortable here? Like you belong? What did you mean?"

Pausing her rummaging, she glanced over at him, caught off guard by the question. Truthfully, she didn't know if she could answer it. She was quiet for a long time, trying to decide how deep she wanted to get into this.

Finally, she turned to him and said, "Back home I… I've always had this strange, out of place feeling. Major dysphoria my whole life and kinda irritatingly painful too, like... full body restless leg syndrome. I've always imagined it similar to how a trans individual might experience feeling like they were born in the wrong body, ya know?" Sam made a noise of confirmation and she continued, "Except, my body is fine--well, it's not the cause of this problem anyway," they chuckled together.

"It's more… my whole being was wrong somehow, like I didn't belong. Anywhere. I had trouble connecting with people and making friends; even my own family seemed so different from me. I felt like I was on a different wavelength than other people, and not in a snooty, I'm-better-than-anybody way but like a sad, I-have-hardly-any-friends-because-I-can't-relate way, so it sucked. Hard. My family wasn't much help; though they tried to help by testing me for every 'disorder' you could think of. Nada. I was just… inexplicably different and no one could explain why. I could barely explain what I was feeling. They--my parents--were surprisingly relieved when I came out after college. For them, my 'struggle with the fact that I liked boys and girls throughout my childhood' explained everything away so perfectly, that they wrote it off right then and there. But it never had to do with that; my sexuality was nothing I ever struggled with, I just didn't feel like I needed to tell them. And since I'm still queer in this reality..." She trailed off her point, allowing him to fill in the blanks, with a chuckle.

Sam nodded with a sympathetic smile, clearly reading on her face how painful her experience had been. Gently he asked, "And now, being here, i-in this reality, you feel...?"

Her head tilted to the side and, looking at him wide-eyed, she sighed deeply, "Now? God, now, I feel… normal? Or, at least what I can only assume normal people feel like." Suddenly her voice was heavy with deep emotional relief, "I don't know how to explain it… and I don't know why, maybe I don't even care why, but I feel so good for the first time in forever. Emotionally, spiritually, physically... The constant restless buzzing is mercifully just gone. Sometimes I think I feel it again--that terrible, agonizing discomfort--and my heart skips a beat. But then my brain registers that it really is gone and I still feel good! And that feeling is almost better than the best sex I've ever had."

Sam shark-mouthed in surprised appreciation and teased kindly, "So, I guess you did know how to explain it?"

George let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding with a chuckle and nodded, "Yea, I guess so. Honestly, I'm a little scared to go back," A few tears that had welled up as she was proselytizing spilled down her cheeks uncontrollably and she reached up to wipe them away, blushing lightly.

As George contemplated her admission in the silence, the guilt she felt over leaving them earlier was back. Why the hell did she leave if she'd felt so damn good here? She also felt like a stupid, impulsive child running away from the only people who seemed to care about her, at least insofar as they didn't want her to die. She felt especially guilty that Sam had stuck his neck out for her with Dean and she'd basically stomped on it.

Sam stood awkwardly, watching her with an empathetic grimace. He nearly leapt over to comfort her but… Christ, was this situation complicated. Maybe if things were different, maybe if she wasn't safer in her old reality, maybe if they hadn't handcuffed her to a chair and interrogated her, maybe if she hadn't spent the last few hours crying through an existential crisis, maybe if he wasn't terrified she would push him away in disgust? Maybe if she wasn't practically naked right now... maybe then he wouldn't feel so torn about walking over and wrapping her up into a bear hug.

After a moment of nervously wringing her fingers, George met his eyes and took a deep breath, apologizing, "I'm sorry I ran, Sam. I don't even really know why I-"

"Hey, you don't have to explain anything to me," Sam shook his head definitively, taking a few small steps toward her, now within arms reach. "I understand what you're going through-sort of, and you know, in reverse but still-I get it. Don't worry about it," He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it, "I'm just happy I found you."

At his touch, her heart skipped a beat and she felt her whole body flush, goosebumps forming on her skin. The sincerity in his voice and the look in his eyes nearly made her physically swoon. Was that an admission of something or just a subtextless statement of forgiveness? Staring into his eyes made her feel like she was on the downswing of the world's tallest roller coaster. She had to force herself to break eye contact before she could breathe again. He squeezed her hand once more before slowly letting go and as he did she had a realization.

"Thank you." Mustering up a smile through her butterflies, she clumsily grabbed the clothing she needed. "Anyway, I'm suddenly very, very aware of the fact that I'm naked-oh and have been since the three of you got here," She realized, blushing again. Jesus, I took a bath with Dean Winchester in the next room. Her legs felt like jelly as she tried to remain cool, calm, collect, walking toward the bathroom, "Uh, so, I should probably go put some clothes on, now."

Sam nodded understandingly and said with an earnest expression, "Hopefully not on my account." When George froze mid step and jerked her head towards him, burning red from head to toe, he faltered, "Er-uh-I just meant, you don't need to feel uncomfortable naaak-err-without-I mean you aren't making me uncomfortable while-without… clothes." George was relaxed by his shy, adorable stuttering, although at this point 'shy' surprised her. He'd been just as bold back at the bunker, more than once. He sighed and gave her a meek smile, "Uh, somehow this sounded less creepy in my head."

With a chuckle she put him out of his misery, "Relax, Ravenclaw, I understand. It's not on your account, it's on mine," She assured him, to which he nodded thankfully, a relieved expression on his face. She turned back to the door of the bathroom, pushing it open and stepping in.

When she exited the bathroom again, now fully clothed, the only light in the room was now the small, soft light above the bed. At first, the room seemed empty and George wondered if she'd scared Sam away with all her emotions. She was about to call out for him when she finally noticed a pair of big old feet sticking out from along the side of the bed near the window.

"Sam? What are you doing?" She walked over and found him lying on the ground on top of one solitary blanket.

"Just relaxing." He shrugged boyishly.

"On the floor?"

He clarified, "On my bed."

"Sorry, this tissue paper is supposed to be your bed?" She asked for clarification.

"Standard issue motel comforter. And, yea, it's perfect," He reached down on his side and pulled the right side of the blanket over himself. "See, you just fold the top over and it becomes a mattress and a blanket in one!" He seemed genuinely pleased about his makeshift accommodations, as though he was sharing a trade secret with her.

"Wow," she tried to sound impressed, "clever." She hopped onto the bed above him complimenting a bit sarcastically, "Quite the boy scout, aren't you?"

His head jerked up to look at her. There it was again. Another line direct from his dream falling familiarly from her lips. Hearing the pet name conjured images in his mind of the dream woman saying it. It felt identical.

But, how? That dream wasn't real. It was just Gabriel. George is a different woman, it's just a coin-

"Hey, can I ask you something?" George cut into his internal panicking with a soft voice suddenly.

"Yep?" He tried to seem nonchalant.

"Well… OK, I'm just going to say this because fuck it, I have nothing to lose at this point," She wasn't looking at him but sensed his nervous curiosity right away. Ignoring her own butterflies, she said, "Seems to me that the Sam I met at the bunker would have committed to that earlier 'unintended' innuendo." She raised a sideways brow at him, checking out of the corner of her eye to make sure he understood what she was referencing. When she could tell he did, she finally turned her head to meet his eyes and with a shy smile asked, "So, what gives?"

Sam considered her question for a minute; he wasn't sure where to start. Finally he folded his hands in his lap and shrugged sadly, "Actually, uh-about that, I feel like I owe you an apology."

Oooh, that doesn't sound good, George tried to hide her grimace. Her stomach started twisting in painful knots. What's that you were saying about nothing to lose?

"Por que?" She was trying to stave off a cold sweat.

"For… Well, I guess, how about handcuffing you to a chair and interrogating you for starters? For allowing you to be sexually assaulted by a demon? For letting you risk your life to come with us on this hunt? For hitting on you when you were obviously going through a difficult time? Take your pick."

She let out a breath of surprised relief and smiled curiously, "Oh… well in that case, let me just say: one, your brother was the one who handcuffed me to the chair--and it was understandable. Two, it's not your responsibility to protect me from the likes of Tim. He wasn't the first creep and he won't be the last." He seemed thoroughly unsatisfied by that response, so she tried to lighten it up by continuing, "And three, you didn't let me come on the hunt. Clearly I strong armed you." A tiny snort of amusement emitted from him and she smirked, then added curiously, "And, lastly, just to be clear… you were hitting on me?"

He huffed in humiliation, running his hand over his face, unable to look at her, "God, I feel like a real jackass." A blackhole was growing in the pit of his stomach. "Your world was literally turned upside down and you needed help not--not some weird, bunker dwelling asshole making advances."

"Uh, Sam," At first George laughed; the absurdity of the hottest man on television apologizing for hitting on her struck her funny bone. However, when it registered just how sober the tone of his voice was, the reality of the situation hit her again like a ton of bricks. She realized that part of her was still anticipating Jared to break at some point and reveal all of this had been an elaborate set up. It hadn't occurred to her yet that, for Sam, this was all real. His sincerity touched her.

She swallowed down the rest of her laughter, along with her typical smartass response, and smiled kindly, "Thank you for the apology and I appreciate the thought, I really do, but it's not necessary. You had no idea, considering I lied to you--which I'm also sorry about if I haven't already said that." That last part came out quickly upon realizing she might not have apologized yet. He gave her a kind smile and waved her off gently, so she continued, "So, please don't feel guilty. And I'll let you know if your advances are ever unwanted. Promise."

The deja vu hit him again so hard it knocked the wind out of him. His eyes snapped up to meet hers from his spot on the floor. A blush creeped across her cheeks as he stared curiously. She was back on the roller coaster, butterflies tumbling in her gut, but forced herself to keep eye contact, allowing him to conduct his search. She wasn't sure what he was so determinedly looking for but she hoped he was finding it.

A mix of emotions wrestled within him at the moment. Though he knew logically it made no sense, he was having a harder and harder time denying that he knew this woman, intimately--in every sense of the word. But, how?! And, holy shit, was she saying what he hoped she was saying? He could feel his hopes skyrocketing while he struggled to hold them down in self-preservation.

A huge yawn broke out on her face, ruining the moment and snapping Sam out of his stupor.

"Whoa, Jesus," She laughed a bit, surprised by the force of the yawn.

"Time for bed?" Sam tried to mask his disappointment at the disruption. She nodded agreeably.

"Listen, could you at least take a pillow, please? One pillow? For me?" Pulling the sheets back, so she could climb in, she yanked a pillow out and tossed it over the edge of the bed. She heard it land with an audible POOMPF right on his face. "Oops," she said with a snicker, reaching over to turn off the lamp on the table while he adjusted the pillow behind his head.

Sliding up under the covers, she settled down on her back. The deafening silence in the room allowed her mind to wander freely while she stared up at the ceiling. After a moment she rolled onto her side and peeked over the edge of the bed, surprised to find Sam's beautiful hazel eyes staring intensely back at her in the dark.

She whispered, "Sam?"

"Yeah?" Came a soft, low rumble, as he continued to stare back.

"How did you find me?" She wondered.

"Uh…" He turned away from her quickly and shifted nervously. He felt compelled to be honest with her; luckily the shroud of darkness made him bolder than he would have been in the harsh light of day. "We tracked you through the cab company mostly. Lost your trail at the diner and then… I'm not really sure. We were driving around and when I saw the sign for the motel I… uh, just had a strong feeling that you were here?"

"...uh huh." His answer surprised her. So much so, that she had to break eye contact and lay back down. She stared at the ceiling in shock.

What did that mean?

Though even as she asked herself the question, she had a feeling that she already knew. It was a feeling that didn't exactly put her at ease; raising more questions than it answered. She mulled it over for a few moments, before deciding she was too tired to pull at that thread.

She finally shrugged a little and said, "Good instincts?"

"Yeah… that must be it," He trailed off, having a nearly identical conversation with himself, and they fell silent again.

"Sam?" She said, choking back a nervous laughter. When she heard him respond with a curious grunt she hesitated. Finally, she blurted in a quiet, definitive whisper, "Samgirl. No question." When she could hear the smile behind another, practically silent--as though he was trying to hide it--grunt of confirmation she smiled wide, adding quickly, "And just so you know, that is the first and last time you will ever hear me utter that silly term of my own volition."

"Understood," He murmured in a teasingly serious tone, making her laugh quietly.

With another big yawn, she forced herself to stop engaging. Before rolling over, she tossed over her shoulder, "And don't tell Dean. He'll be devastated and we have a job to do." The sound of his joyful chuckling was the last thing she heard before sleep overtook her.

[lifeisdabubbles-undersalmondean]

La Pomme ~ Chapter 10

Pairing: Sam x OC (eventual Dean x OC and Dean x Castiel. And I mean eventual.)

Series summary: George is a casual French-Mistake-universe Supernatural fan living in no-COVID 2020, who's life is upended when she's suddenly launched between realities, two years into the boys' past (S13E22). What begins as an insane, immersive fan experience turns into more when Jack goes missing and George offers up her AU information to help track him down. Soon it's discovered that she and Sam may actually have history. But that's impossible, right?

Word Count: 4,500

Warnings: {smut, fluff, angst, show level violence, swearing, mentions of suicide} ***Detailed warnings will be tagged for specific chapters.

A/N: Following the events of my prequel Paradise and second story From My Eyes Off. Reading those first gives context but isn’t necessary to start this one.

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About 4 hours later, George stirred awake as she began getting hit in the face with the bright morning sun. She was surprised to find Sam driving, with Dean passed out next to him. Castiel looked like he hadn't moved an inch since she'd closed her eyes and she smiled at his resolve. When she finally shifted, she noticed a large unfamiliar, tan jacket laying across her lap.

Reaching up to lightly touch Sam on the shoulder, gently alerting him to her presence, she whispered, "What time is it?"

"Hey, morning. A little after six. You doing OK? Need to pee?" He teased gently and she smiled.

"I'm alright at the moment, though I wouldn't turn down a chance to stretch my legs." She sat up in her seat, stretching as much as she could without invading Cas' space. Sam watched in the rear view as she crossed her arms above her head and arched her back for a stretch. He caught himself admiring the way the fabric of her shirt lifted up just enough for him to catch a fleeting glimpse of the skin on her waist. There was more bright ink peeking out from the top of her khakis, he noticed. She released the stretch much too soon in his opinion and then leaned over to pick up the jacket that had fallen off of her lap. She held it up questioningly to Sam and he adjusted himself in his seat, clearing his throat.

"Oh, that's, uh-mine." He stuttered, reaching back and taking it from her outstretched hands. "The backseat can get cold."

"Mm," She smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Thanks. How long have you been driving?"

"Just about 3 hours. I could use a stretch myself; I think there's a rest stop ahead a few miles." She nodded lazily, still brushing off the sleep, and looked over at Cas.

"You been keeping a weather eye out, Castiel?" She asked teasingly.

"Yes ma'am. Can never be too careful with these two." As nervous as she made him, he actually liked George. She eagerly included him in conversation and car games, which he wasn't used to. He also enjoyed her attempts to banter with him and he was getting better at deciphering them and even participating.

"Good man." She patted his shoulder appreciatively.

Cas nodded in solidarity, then he raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively. George smiled and raised both her eyebrows in response, waiting for him to speak. Based on his expression, she assumed he wanted to ask her a question. When he didn't speak, she raised her eyebrows more to encourage him. He darted his eyes to Sam; his face dropped quickly.

George followed his gaze to Sam and was startled at the daggers he was staring at Cas. She asked, "What? What's with the eyes?"

When Sam noticed her looking, he dropped his angry face and shrugged, "Nothin'? No eyes." Cas shrugged awkwardly in agreement. George looked between the two of them skeptically. She knew what she saw.

Narrowing her eyes, she demanded, "What?"

"Nothing," Cas stated with an incredibly unconvincing tone. George's head whipped to look at Sam as he rolled his eyes at Cas before he could stop himself.

She was annoyed now, "Seriously, guys-what?! Do I have a zit? Was I drooling in my sleep or-?" Her face fell suddenly and she winced, "Did I say something embarrassing?" She'd had partners mention her sleep talking once or twice and she'd been having a strangely vivid dream about Sam just before the sunshine woke her up. Considering the content, she prayed she hadn't said anything.

At her question, Cas and Sam exchanged a confused look. They both shook their heads as Sam answered, "Nope, no drooling, no talking. And no zits," he ended with a smirk.

George looked relieved for a moment and then frowned, "Then what? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked Cas and then looked at Sam, "And why are you trying to keep him quiet?"

Sam pulled an innocent face, "I'm not-"

"Save it, dude! I saw you," George laughed at his innocent-little-brother face. "What's goin' on?"

Cas folded, "We were just wonder-"

Sam cut him off with a "No!" so loud that Dean startled awake with a snort.

"The hell?" Dean grumbled. Sam sighed defeatedly. He knew it was too late to stop the inevitable now, but he'd really tried. This was going to be painful.

"I believe your thug brother is threatening Castiel into keeping secrets," George stated annoyedly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Dean responded with a confused, "Huh?"

Castiel explained, defensively, "I was just trying to ask George if she's a 'Deangirl' or a 'Samgirl'."

George's eyes went wide. Large, angry red splotches began to appear on her pale cheeks and a sweat broke out on her brow. Sam gripped the steering wheel tightly, clenching his jaw and looking mortified.

Dean let out a loud, "Ha!" Chuckling, he sat up right and murmured, "Definitely glad I got woken up for this."

"What?" Cas huffed, seeing everyone's reactions. "I know you said we weren't supposed to say anything when she woke up, but you two were having a lively discussion about it earlier and I j-"

George choked on nothing and sputtered, "The two of you were having a lively discussion about wheth-" Dean and Sam both pulled the same innocent expression, though Dean couldn't hide his glee.

Sam cut her off with a stutter, "We weren't-It-it wasn't exactly-there was no-"

Dean shook his head, cutting him off with a matter-of-fact, "We were just trying to explain to Cas more about the reality you came from-with the show and everything? Naturally the subject of the fans came up..."

"They weren't sure which 'girl' designation you fell into. I didn't see what the issue was with just politely asking?"

"It's not a polite question, Cas!" George snapped in humiliation.

"Oh…" He frowned, "why not?"

"Because!" She explained fully.

"There are just some things you don't ask a woman, Cas," Dean offered with a bemused chuckle.

Cas' brows furrowed, looking curiously at George, "Does this question somehow relate to your age or menstrual cycle?"

"Sweet Jesus," George laughed to keep from crying in embarrassment, hiding her face behind her hands. She knew this was how Cas was but she wasn't prepared to experience his naivete in real life. The Kegel comments she could handle but this was beyond.

Sam desperately tried to re-rail the train wreck that was happening, "Cas, what Dean meant to say was, there are some things you shouldn't ask people. Humans, in general. Private things."

"Mortifying things," George groaned from behind her hands.

Cas was still confused, "And asking someone whether they're a 'Samgirl' or a 'Deangirl' is private?"

George dropped her hands and nodded emphatically, "In the context of our current situation, yes!"

"Why?"

"Because!" When he looked at her with a patient expression on his face she realized he'd need more than that. "Because… because…" she looked to Sam and Dean for help but neither one offered any. "Ugh, because it's the same as asking... 'Hey, Cas, if you had to, who would you rather sleep with, Dean or Sam?'"

"Don't answer that," Dean said slowly, with a frown.

"Not so amusing now, is it?" George smirked triumphantly at him.

"Well, I don't sleep but if you're saying I have to, then I guess I'd rather not-sleep with Sam," Castiel determined, after some thought.

"What?!" Came a half offended, half surprised echo from the front.

George's eyes lit up with far too much glee, "Oooooh?"

"Yes, definitely Sam," He nodded, more sure than before. Seeing their expressions - George's filled with joy, Dean's slightly hurt, and Sam pleasantly shocked - he explained, "Dean is an angry sleeper. The risk of getting shot is high. Sleeping-or not-with Sam would be far safer."

"Oooh, darn!" George laughed disappointedly at Cas' unexpected-yet-entirely-expected literal interpretation. The brothers looked relieved and also mildly amused.

Cas was lost, "I fail to understand what this has to do with-"

Dean 'ughed' deeply before explaining, "It's about sex, Cas." Sam cringed, eyes focused on the road. George groaned painfully and turtled her head inside her shirt as much as possible. "You essentially asked George which one of us she'd rather have sex with. Which-while incredibly entertaining for me-is a personal question," he finished uncharacteristically kindly.

George peeked her eyes out, surprised to see the sincere look on Dean's face, "Hmm, that actually wasn't as bad as I thou-"

Sam cut her off with a quiet, knowing, "Wait for it."

Just as George made eye contact with Dean he added, "I mean, it's none of our business how much sex George wants to have with Sam."

"And there it is," Sam finished knowingly with a frustrated eye roll.

"Ass!" George shrieked and punched Dean in the shoulder before retreating back into her shirt. Dean laughed heartily, flinching a bit.

"So, anyway," Sam began helpfully, trying to change the subject. "I'm kinda curious how much the show-the one of us, in-in your reality-how much it matches up with our real lives?"

George slowly came out of her shirt, blinking quickly, and thought for a moment, "Uhm, well I don't really know. I mean I've watched the show but like I said before, I wasn't the biggest fan in terms of… for lack of a better term, 'the lore' of it. I know bits and pieces here and there, but I'm by no means an expert."

"But you don't have the books?" Dean followed up curiously.

"The books are in the show, but I'm pretty sure they aren't published in… my 'real life'-who knows what the hell that is anymore. If I understand correctly, each book was supposed to equate to one episode in a season of the TV show. The published books stopped when Dean went to hell right?" Dean grumbled a yes and George continued, "OK, for the TV show that's the end of season three."

"How many seasons are there?" Dean asked curiously.

"Uhh, I think fifteen, so far?" Had it been canceled? She couldn't remember.

"Fifteen?! People have been watching our lives for-" Dean cut off and took a breath. "I can't decide if I'm annoyed that people are watching our boring ass lives for that long or that our lives are dramatic enough to be a television show for that long."

"What season did we come to your reality?" Sam wondered. Dean 'ughed' loudly at the memory.

With an amused shake of her head, she answered, "Season six, I think? Such a great episode! That whole season was pretty solid, actually. A great combination of funny yet emotionally gripping. I think that was also Cas and Meg kissing-" She looked at Cas earnestly and interjected into her own rambling, "That was awesome-and the posse magnet episode-which, btw, of course, people made shirts of that." For once in this conversation Dean looked happy, giving Sam a pleased expression, which garnered an eyeroll.

"If I'm not mistaken that was also the season with soul-" she was about to say "soulless Sam" but her heart twinged and she realized she couldn't be so flippant with the fandom created monikers anymore. These were no longer just characters, they were, inexplicably, very real people whom she now knew.

And cared about, she heard a tiny voice add.

"Er, it covered Sam's time after hell…without a soul," She grimaced a bit in sympathy, not knowing how best to fill in the blanks.

Sam's face went from startled to shame on a small delay. Further confirmation that she knew of the million awful things he'd done, he grimaced. If she knew everything it could not bode well. The thought filled him with a surprising amount of disappointment.

She'd seen the look on his face and quickly added with a hopeful smile, "And it also covered the time after you got your soul back! Which included the French Mistake!"

"The French Mistake?" Castiel asked.

"The one when they came to my reality!" George grinned and Dean made a yuck face. "You guys had so much great chemistry that episode. Making fun of their names and the alpacas, it was golden. Can't say enough about how hilarious that episode was. I was surprised by the dialogue about their tension on set because that's actually always been rumored to be true. It seems weird that they'd talk about it if it was true, though, so who knows what to think?" The men in the car certainly didn't but they nodded politely and let her ramble. "So, either it's all just stupid rumors and they find it funny or-HOLD ON!" Suddenly her face fell and she looked at Sam in shock upon realizing, "Did you sleep with Jared's wife?"

Three pairs of eyes were boring into Sam and he shrunk down in his seat, looking stunned and stuttering, "Er-I-Uh-You-you know abou-"

"You had sex with fake Ruby?!" Dean was beyond indignant.

"Who's Jared?" Cas asked.

Sam looked mortified and George instantly felt bad about starting them down this path. She hadn't meant to embarrass him, she just failed to think before she spoke sometimes. Especially after realizations like that. Obviously, this whole "Supernatural is real" had more ramifications than she'd realized.

Making a mental note to maybe ask him about it later, she quickly changed the subject, "They were filming the French Mistake when we lost Misha." Frowning sadly, she patted Castiel's knee, "I want you to know I was devastated about that. Misha was my favorite Castiel."

Castiel looked confused, glancing at Sam and Dean, "Thank you?" She smiled and squeezed his knee gently before letting go. "So, in your reality, I'm dead?" Castiel asked with a contemplative look.

"Well…" She paused, trying to think of how to explain it so he would understand, "you're not-er Castiel is not. But the actor who played the vessel you're currently inhabiting is."

"Jimmy Novak?" Castiel confirmed and George nodded a bit.

"That sounds right," She agreed; she'd only seen the episode once so she couldn't be sure. "When Misha died tragically in that horrible stabbing 'accident,' the writers were just going to write Castiel out of the show but the fandom fired upon them with the white hot rage of a Deastiel shipper left unsatisfied," Her eyes were wide with emphasis; Sam snickered, Dean huffed and Castiel was oblivious, "so they quickly brought you back in a new vessel a couple episodes later." {author's note: yes I prefer 'Deastiel', it makes the most sense for the mashup of both their names IMO and it's my story}

The three men considered the scenario for a minute. Sam seemed unsure, Dean wondered what the new actor looked like, and Cas paused, then nodded, "Well, I suppose that makes sense. If I could find another vessel willing and able to hold me I'd want to still be around to help." George smiled at his loyalty. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed MishaCas. The replacement actor was fine but to her, the chemistry was never the same.

George said absentmindedly, "As far as I can tell-though my knowledge is obviously limited-most of the rest of the story line from the show has been the same here? Castiel's the only major difference I recognize."

After a long, pregnant pause, Dean asked tentatively, "So… exactly, how much do you know about us?"

George squinted a little at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well… like, do they show everything?"

George smirked and shook her head, "It's basic cable not HBO. Maybe a handful of shirtless scenes but nothing Game of Thrones graphic. The focus of the show is the supernatural-is you guys, hunting and saving and all that, so not really a lot of romantic, naked stuff. The focus of the fandom, on the other hand? Well that's a very different story," She cracked with a chuckle.

The next nine or so hours of their car ride passed fairly uneventfully as George rambled about the show, asking them questions and comparing notes about their lives. Dean took over driving after a pitstop and as the hours turned into nearly day(s), everyone-including Cas-started getting a little punchy, not to mention ripe. Nice, fun friendly games of I-Spy or the license plate game had dissolved into butt-hurt bickering and the silence that returned to the car for the last two hours had been welcomed by everyone.

Finally, though, George caught a road sign for Reno, Nevada - 30 miles and decided she couldn't take it anymore. She was sore, tired, tired of wearing a bra, in desperate need of a shower-or three, and she didn't know how much longer she could keep silently farting and blaming it on Cas. Luckily for her, he remained his usual indifferent self but Dean certainly seemed to be getting suspicious of the smells emanating from the back. She also made the startling realization that she had no change of clothes with her during one of her earlier daydreams about a long hot bath. Hopefully she'd made enough headway with Dean for him not to be too pissed when she mentioned it.

"Hey, I have a fun new game we could try." George paused to allow the three grumpuses to groan in unison before continuing, "it's called let's stop in a real town-say Reno!-and get some actual food and maybe a hotel room for some actual sleep for the first time in 24 hours! Any takers?" She tried to keep her expectations low. "Dean, I bet Reno has great pie."

"You know what George?" Dean began in a mock angry voice, pausing for dramatic effect. "They have some damn good pie in Reno. Remember that one place just off the 659, Sammy? That pie was orgasmic! What was that place called…"

"Brown Cub Diner?" George offered.

"That's it! How'd you know?"

"I'm from Carson City; I grew up around here. Brown Cub Diner is famous in our area. Have you tried their pancakes? They have a special sweet cream batter and those flapjacks just melt in your mouth." She saw Dean's reaction and could almost taste the hot, bubbly bath water and nice soft warm (flat!) mattress. She pressed on, "I think we're only about 30 minutes from there?"

"Ya know Dean, we have been driving for about 24 hours. Obviously, we need to get to Jack but we're of no use to him if we're sore and exhausted. Wouldn't be such a bad idea to take a break, get some good food, take a shower," he gave an exaggerated, unpleasant smell look in George's direction and she swatted his shoulder, "and recharge before hitting the road for the last stretch?" George could have kissed Sam for the assist, even if he did use it as an excuse to call her funky. Rude.

"Fine," Dean huffed and everyone, well Sam and George, Cas was pretty indifferent, celebrated with high fives. "But we're getting pie-and pancakes-first!"

"Uh, if I could just interject one quick additional favor?" George asked, causing Dean to let out a low exasperated, yet questioning growl. "I literally only have the clothes on my back and seeing as how there also happens to be a Target just off the freeway on Sparks Blvd coming up in 2 miles," she pointed to the excellently timed street sign they were passing, "then perhaps we could make a super quick stop so that I could get a change of clothes or two?" It all came out in one breath and she stopped to catch her next. "Pretty please?"

Dean remained silent as he drove the next two miles and George was starting to feel deflated. But when he pulled off the Sparks Blvd exit, she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind for a thank you hug, causing him to swerve slightly and curse before gently sloughing her off. They arrived at Target and Dean parked toward the back, keeping his baby away from any other riff raff cars. Turning off the engine, he then produced a wallet from his back pocket. He dug out a small stack of $20s and handed it to her.

"We typically like to pay for things, Sticky Fingers." Dean began.

"With all your stolen money?" She asked cheekily, because she just couldn't help herself either. He was the quintessential big brother and it set her little sister mode on 11 every time.

He paused and gave her a squinted stare before continuing, "In and out in 30 minutes; those flapjacks are calling my name!"

She thanked Dean for the cash, promising to pay him back before realizing how impossible that was, and the three boys decided to wait in the car while she ran in.

Heading first for the toiletries for some personal essentials, she then doubled back toward the front where she picked up a generic pair of tennies-comfort and function seemed more important than style in her current situation-and a packet of white socks. Next she grabbed up two half-decent bras and a pack of underwear before crossing over to the racks of outerwear. She'd tried to work out in the car how many items she'd need and to keep things conservative she figured a two-three pair of pants and the same amount of plain shirts would suffice. She'd finally settled on two pairs of dark denim boot cut jeans and one pair of black cotton joggers, along with two fitted, v-neck, long sleeved t-shirts, one in navy, one in maroon, a black sleeveless undershirt, and couldn't help grabbing an oversized pink and black madres plaid button down. She also grabbed a black pull over hoodie with the Friends logo, since she knew that the redwoods could get pretty cold and she was stoked that Friends was still a thing in this reality. Lastly, she grabbed a pair of plain, flowy black PJ pants and a large men's pale blue v-neck tee for sleeping, and made her way toward the register.

As she waited in line with her cart, spacing out about whether or not she grabbed too much or not enough of each clothing item, she caught a glimpse of something familiar out of the corner of her eye. Three lanes away from her a short, chubby woman with mousy, short brown and graying hair, wearing a familiar pale green jacket was also checking out. From behind, the woman looked exactly like George's mother and she felt whiplashed back to her reality.

"Mom?" Her voice came out scratchy and quiet as she involuntarily called out to the woman. Part of her felt compelled to scream out, run over and grab her into a hug, listen happily as her mom comfortingly told George that everything was OK and she'd just been dreaming. But she was frozen in place by shock. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched the woman-her mother! She was sure of it!-finish her transaction and head for the front door. George looked back at her cart and the money in her hand. She debated with herself for half a second before abandoning the shopping cart and bolting after the pale green jacket that had exited the store and disappeared from her sight. She made chase, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk in front of the store and frantically searching the parking lot for the woman.

When George finally spotted her unloading her purchases into a car she didn't recognize, George's stomach dropped. She could now see her face and it was very clear that the lovely middle eastern woman was not her mother. Tears began welling up in George's eyes, her face flushed red from emotion, and she walked over to lean on the building, trying to get a hold of herself.

Her mind was racing and she was trying to catch her breath in her panicked state. She had gotten so swept up in the adventure and insanity of this dreamlike experience that she'd forgotten about her actual life for the past 24 hours. But now that she thought about her old, boring normal life-a life where she wasn't crazy; where she wasn't feeling this constant, strange, unshakable feeling of inaccessible deja vu; where she wasn't carpooling with an angel to go rescue someone from potential death; where she wasn't conversing with Sam and Dean motherfucking Winchester-she wanted to run. All knowledge of how difficult and far-from-perfect her real life had been were forgotten in the moment. She glanced over toward the back of the parking lot where she could still see the Impala parked where she'd left it, then pulled the money out of her pocket, counting through it - $300.

As fate would have it, she spotted a taxi dropping a couple off near the corner of the building and jogged over.

"Are you taking fares?" She bent over to ask the driver as the couple walked away.

"Where you going?"

"Carson City?" George almost hoped the woman would turn her down.

"That's nearly 40 miles away, it's gonna be over $100?" The driver responded, questioningly. George shot one last guilty look back at the Impala before climbing into the back.

"Let's go." She crouched down low in her seat as they exited the parking lot and tried to ignore the intense guilt-nausea building in the pit of her stomach.