#//I hope this is okay! Please let me know if anything needs changed

[shadystranger]

—So what changed your mind?

The damnest thing

DEAN: I-I-I don't need you coming up with some way to stop me. I-I-I don't need to get shaky on this thing.

Sam, you tried. And I love you for trying.

Sam, you're the last person I could tell. The last person I could be around because you're the only one that could've talked me out of it. And I won't.

Okay, Sam. Let's go home. Let's go home. Maybe Billie's wrong. Maybe. But I do believe in us.

I can't keep waking up every morning with this false hope. I'm done trying to find a cure, Sammy. I'm willing to live with this thing forever.

—Dean, listen to me - whatever you're doing, whatever you've done, please...

I let Rudy die. How was that not evil? I know what I am, Sam.

—You summoned me because you knew I would do anything to protect you.

DEATH: It's for family [the world] that you must [kill Sam].

SAM: This is where you tell me you're gonna pull the trigger? DEAN: Yeah, it is. We don't have a choice, Sam.

SAM: Now you - you want my permission? (Stammers) You want me to say I'm cool with losing him and losing you all at once? 'Cause I can't do that. I won't say that, 'cause I... (getting emotional) No. I've already lost too much.

Dean? Dean! (Sam is still running, yelling for Dean.) Dean, don't! Dean? Dean! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, Dean! Hey, hey, hey! Dean!

DEAN: Look, man, I get it. I get it. We have lost way, way too much. And it's hard not to feel like just... cashing out. I felt like that. After Chuck, back at the crypt. But you know what brought me back? You did.

SAM: I know, I know, I'm sorry. I know. But... but what I'm saying is that I don't feel free. and... and sometimes it's... it's like I-I-I can't even breathe. But maybe tomorrow. You know, maybe I'll... I'll feel better in the morning. DEAN: And what if you don't? SAM: I don't know.

DEAN: what I found out about Chuck... it's like-it's like I wasn't alive. Not really. You know, like, my whole life I've never been free. But now... now me and Sam, we got a shot at living a life. Without all this crap on our backs.

DEAN: Chuck has to die. He has to! Otherwise he'll keep us tap dancing forever, and I can't live like that, man! I can't live like that! I won't! SAM: Just put it away, and we'll figure it out, Dean, we'll find another way, you and me. We always do. [Dean uncocks the gun and puts it away.]

I mean, the world is ending...... the walls are coming down on us...... I look over to you and all I can think about is: I just didn't wanna let you down.

[fairestones]

@legionscall liked for a starter for their muse Lark

Sola of Sonne studied the young woman before her, Brianne had long since left with Aelia, so it was just the queen and the new comer in the gilded throne room.

"I hear you are an adept fighter, Lady Lark." The queen said, if her captain of the guard was to be believed, this stranger was as skilled as any man in the Queen's Guard.

"What is your business in my kingdom?"

[yinjiyang]

Petals on the Path

@vilisus liked for a starter

       While Yin was fascinated with life, it was perhaps a bit difficult for him to interact directly with it.  Particularly with creations that were more susceptible to temperature changes.  Direct contact was dangerous.  But now and then, he came across something already dying, and perhaps the chill of his touch could preserve it for a bit longer, such as the flower he had found upon the path, likely fallen from a girl's basket as she excitedly rushed home with her floral finds.  Her loss was his gain.  After all, there was no harm in keeping the poor plant already destined for an early death before bloom could transition to fruit.  Delicate fingertips plucked the sprig from the ground and he stood elegantly with his newest treasure, examining it thoroughly, turning it in his grasp to inspect and admire from every angle as a gentle breeze lightly tossed a few loose strands of hair framing his features.

       "Before your time ends, we shall experience the world beyond your roots.  Carry the memories with you to your next life."  His voice was soft, ethereal, and haunting but mostly kind as he carefully tucked the flower behind his right ear.

[phoenix-flamed]

Continued from here:

Judging by the weapon his partner had at his side, Otto very much meant business. Which was even more intriguing and concerning, and this time it was more of the latter. The moment the other man turned towards him, Miles began searching his face for any clue, any indication of the severity of the situation -- fortunately, he wouldn't need to wait long for his answers.

And what answers they turned out to be.

As soon as the words Rosalith Castle left the bearded man's lips, Miles paled a shade. His entire body tensed up, pupils dilating; and for that moment, all he could hear was the frantic beating of his heart within his ears. But when Otto's composure started to slip just the slightest fraction, a sheen of wetness glimmering in his eyes, the older man snapped himself out of it, forcing back that steady, serious expression to mask the myriad emotions coursing through him.

An escaped Bearer to track down. Not just any Bearer, but Otto's own son. It was Miles who broke their eye contact, just for a few moments -- after turning his head downward, his blue-green eyes squeezed tightly closed, the furrow of his brow only deepening further. Being separated from a child was a pain he could relate to, and while his own story thus far had a bittersweet ending, in that he now knew his sons were alive, despite him lacking the courage to reveal his truth to them...

... He hoped, and prayed to Metia, that his friend and companion's story would have a happy ending. Of course, he did have questions, or curiosities rather, pertaining to Otto's past; those could wait until later, and he would wait patiently for Otto himself to be ready to divulge the information.

All too soon after, his eyes reopened, now filled with resolve for their mission -- and he nodded. "Time is indeed of the essence, if he is somewhere in Rosalith. Anabella may be gone, but there is ever a chance that her Black Shields may yet linger, or that pillagers have already descended upon the city to take advantage of the chaos."

Not to mention the fact that last he had heard, Rosalith had suffered much and more under the aggressions of Dhalmekia, as led by Hugo Kupka. But that was an entirely other matter that he didn't wish to dwell upon, when combined with everything else the city had suffered.

"But you already know these things," Miles apologized a moment later, before stepping forward to cross the gap between them and place a reassuring hand upon Otto's shoulder. "We will find him. I know the city and the castle both -- if he is still taking refuge there, rest assured that there are no places that he might hide that I am not myself aware of. Now, before we depart, were the new arrivals able to give a description of the area in which they took shelter, beyond simply near the castle? Any detail, no matter how small, will be an invaluable boon."

@hideawaysteward

[cosmic-gemstone]

@starlight-empire-child liked for a starter with Oracle Qessyn!

~*~

Gazing out the window in silence, Qessyn quietly thought to herself. So much had happened. But she was, at last, free of the Empire’s cruelty. Safely with the Marmora, with the Coalition. For now, at least.

An ear flicked, and a soft smile graced her features. She was not alone; the sound of small feet indicated that. Turning, she spoke with a soft, gentle voice.

“You don’t need to be afraid, little one. Please, do come in.”

[inun4ki]

The man standing before him now bore a peculiar cursed energy signature, strange and unusual - uniquely foreign. But it was as fascinating as it was bothersome, previously relaxed nerves now tweaked by uncertainty and instinctive alarm. Kaede thought it best to be wary of and alert around sorcerers of all sorts, ally or foe, even and especially when wasting a few hours at a dive bar in the city and getting a little buzzed in the process. He was supposed to be having the fun other people his age were, meeting new people and letting loose, taking the edge off with a night out - not eyeballing a stange, handsome, probably dangerous sorcerer as if his night had been utterly, completely ruined.

He heaved a whisky-tinged sigh and rolled his eyes, pouting under the lamplight, tugging on a long lock of hair with a single finger and idly adjusting his jacket. Self-conscious at the wrong time, for he'd been caught staring, reflexively glancing away with a swiftness that would put his sober self to shame. He didn't say anything, pretending as if he hadn't been gawking at the man with silvery platinum hair and blue eyes, as if he hadn't noticed his cursed energy, the look on his face--

If he had to work on his days off, he was going to be pissed.

With a swell of, perhaps, arrogant clarity, Kaede looked at the man once more. If he spoke, he hadn't heard a word, too busy with his thoughts to listen properly. Lips moving without uttering a sound.

"You look familiar, sorry," he said quickly, a stubborn firmness to his cover. "Was trying to figure out if you were an actor, or...someone I might have met once."

@fromvitya

[its-a-full-galaxy]

@alootus liked this for a starter!

Darius stood on a balcony, gazing out at the scenery before him. The building he stood in nearly touched the Coruscant sky, towering with its brothers over the busy bridge streets and air traffic below. It was all so familiar and yet so different. Buildings still towered, streets were still darkened below, and the world was still humming with the life of a planet-wide city.

Yet it was still different, untouched and untainted by the Empire that hadn't been born yet. It was a Republic here, no palaces, no Emperors, no Stormtroopers marching down the roads, aliens and humans still milling about together without the prejudice that forced them into Invis Sec...

He glanced back when he heard the door to his borrowed quarters open and turned to see who'd come in. If he hadn't known Lady Lavinia Heraldy was still only a child now, he might've mistaken the young woman for her, though Senator Amidala's hair was much darker than his childhood friend's.

In a move befitting a Videre more than a Mandalorian, Darius bowed as he addressed the young woman. "Senator Amidala," he greeted and straightened. "It's good to meet you."

[respondedinkind]

Plotted starter for @ssolessurvivor

Something must have gone wrong at some point during Ka'anh's escape - because the last thing he remembers is that he made it, that he managed to get his beaten body to a shuttle and leave his home behind, flee from the special forces sent after him to try and get him to succumb to his fate.

Now, however, he's not where he should be, he can tell; He's not sitting within his shuttle, he's not controlling it in any way, he's not flying it through the vast distance of space.

He's lying on his stomach instead, face down, and the surface his face is pressed against isn't made of cold steel but rather of... something else. Something that smells different; It tickles his face, which Ka'anh barely feels, because the pain he experiences is probably the worst he's ever gone through.

A moan escapes him, deep and guttural; Something stabs into his abdomen, somewhere next to his navel, the rhythmic pulse a telltale of something dangerous happening within his skull. Every fiber of his existence is on fire, every nerve ending sending signals through his body at speeds that overwhelm him, and with every breath he takes, Ka'anh can hear his lungs rattle like he's pulling chains through his ribcage.

This might be the first time he actually wants to die - to just stay here and give up, to have this pain fade and leave him, throw him into darkness to never return. But of course he does not give in to the urge; He's a soldier, he's made for survival, and he doesn't want the fight against his own kind to have been for nothing - it wouldn't be worth it, deem it a failure despite his success to get away from a home that never has given him the comfort it should have in the first place.

Somehow, Ka'anh manages to move - he uses his left arm to push himself up, which, in return, causes his frame to roll onto his back; He cries out as he does, the pain that shoots through him so intense he feels like he's going to puke his guts out, but it does not happen, not yet. Eyes squeezed shut, teeth bared in agony, Ka'anh inhales, exhales, inhales and exhales - he whistles as he does, not on purpose but because his lungs continue to collapse, a rib or two must have broken through the tissue. His body shivers from exhaustion and effort to keep him alive, and when Ka'anh finally manages to crack his eyes open, he is greeted with blobs of blue and green, but no clear image that tells him where he is.

Brain damage, his mind successfully provides, most likey from whatever he's suffered through. He hears the sound of broken machinery, smells molten steel - he must have crashed somewhere, he assumes. Get up, get up, get up! Assess the damage, assess your health, figure out where you are and how you get away again!

As Ka'anh tries to do exactly that, he realizes his injuries must be even worse than expected - one of his legs doesn't cooperate, it's likely broken at least twice, somewhere along the hip perhaps. When he blinks to clear his vision, he can see the blurry shapes of his own self as he looks down - spotting his shirt being torn, soaked with blood, his shaking hands equally as bright red in color as he holds them up in front of his face. One wrist must be broken, it bends awkwardly, and the stabbing sensation from earlier is a piece of metal debris poking out from the left side of his lower abdomen.

"---Wi..." (Fuck), he grunts, his head falling back to the ground as he takes another breath, trying to steady himself. Only after a second he tries again, growls as he sits up, then somehow manages to turn back around so he is on all fours (or, all threes, as his one leg is of no use). His wrist creaks under the pressure and he, as quickly as he can, shifts his weight to his other hand - then uses the bad one to wipe away some sweat and blood from his forehead, blinking again as he takes a peek at what surrounds him.

His shuttle, wrecked. Nature that's unfamiliar to him, including trees and grass. The scent of blood is overwhelming, and despite everything being quiet it almost feels deafening, the silence added to his own blood rushing within his ears. He huffs, takes another breath, feeling nausea hitting him in sharp bursts to which he swallows - trying to keep it at bay.

He needs to... figure something out. He has a medkit somewhere, but to find it will be close to impossible with how damaged and torn his shuttle is. Perhaps his body would cope on its own, but with the concussion, the metal sticking inside his abdomen, the multiple broken bones all over his frame, the collapsed lung, possible internal bleeding... chances are slim, even for someone like him.

Ka'anh gives in, finally, and retches - covering the grass beneath himself in crimson, coughing in between, the pain almost too much to handle. Too much to exist. Too much to endure.

He thinks he hears something, somewhere - like twigs snapping beneath weight, perhaps. Fuck, where is his gun?! Where is it?! He can not find it on his own body as his hand starts to pat himself down...

[harlowhanlon]

WHERE: some street, downtown closed starter for: @josiahhuddington

Nightfall was still some time ahead of the northern hemisphere, as Harlow strut down the busy sidewalk. She was late, late, late to a not-so-important date. Hasting through the slowly commencing downpour to a place she unwillingly and begrudgingly called home. It was an appointment, she was headed towards. A meeting with her roommate's netflix account and a bowl of salted popcorn. Merely a brief glance downward as she struggled to free her umbrella from the bag swung over her arm, caused a brief lack of keen attention. Merely a moment until a collision made her tumble, lose her balance and her ankle gave in.

"Ah," she groaned, as she slowly dared to sit up, a slightly painful throb crawling beneath her skin. She looked at her hurting ankle first. She looked at the man she'd bumped into second. "Ouch."

[cxpperhead]

🔪

Send 🔪 to walk in on my muse standing over a dead body.

The sewers are not one of Copperhead's favourite haunts. While the darkness is a thing he's comfortable with, the cold and the damp rubs his scales the wrong way and the rank stench of Gotham's Underbelly fogs his sense of smell for hours. It's only when desperate prey slips into the sewers that Copperhead is forced to follow after them, and from what he's heard during his time in Gotham, it's a place he does well to avoid. Imagine his surprise when he learns he's not the only reptilian metahuman in the world. It's part of the reason why Copperhead came all the way to Gotham in the first place despite the horrid winters. Sure, the opportunity to commit crime more freely had its allure but the thought that he's not alone, that he's not just one scaled freak in a world of normal people had him wistful for... something - he didn't know what, but he made the long trek from Arizona to here all the same. Now that he was staring down into the open sewer, Copperhead was wondering if perhaps he'd made the wrong choice. He didn't know much about this Killer Croc, only that he was large, and especially dangerous. A scaled behemoth who skulked beneath Gotham's streets and struck fear into the hearts of those who caught a glimpse of him, but he existed. Copperhead had watched the news, read articles to know there was truth to them, but he didn't know how well one like him would be received, or even welcomed as a kindred spirit. It wasn't as though there were welcome signs hanging up in places, but his quarry had slipped down here so it must be safe enough to venture into for now. Serpentine tongue flickers to access his surroundings as Copperhead descends the slime-coated walls. There are scents everywhere amidst the stench of humid rot and fetid water, of rats and their leavings. There's rotten food littered here and there too, dropped or scavenged by the teaming rodent hordes that threaten to swell before too long but Copperhead filters them out, instead focusing on the scent that drew him here... There! A lingering scent rubbed against the wall betrays where the one he was hunting has gone and Copperhead continues on, his eyes on the water at all times in fears (or hopes) of seeing a pair not so different his own. Was Killer Croc even down here? Or was he elsewhere, in another part of the city perhaps? Copperhead supposed it didn't matter much right now. He would cross that bridge when he came to it, but first he had a rat to catch and pursued his target relentlessly, eventually cornering him not five minutes later.

The last gasps of a dying man is rarely pleasant to hear. Copperhead is hanging over the water, claws clutching the ceiling as the struggling figure in his coils thrashes and squirms, growing weaker as the seconds pass. It's not long before white-knuckled fingers let go of his tail and sag bonelessly before Copperhead snaps the neck to make sure the man is well and truly dead, and then he freezes. There's another scent in the air though, and the serpent metahuman glances around, at the shadows and the waters before noticing he's no longer quite as alone as he thought. He looks guilty as all hell holding a dead body, and in Croc's territory no less but it's all Copperhead can do but speak out loud, and politely no less to let the sewer's true inhabitant he meant no harm. "Sorry, I hope he wasn't one of yours." The snake-like metahuman comments softly, wincing a little at how sound reverberate down here in these depths. It's a stark reminder that the surface is quite a bit further away than he likes, if Croc isn't the welcoming sort and sees this intrusion as some sort of challenge.

[sparkydx]

Comfort Food and Friends || Sparky + Luna

Starter for Meimei (@dxyingyue)

He didn't dress up -- he hadn't thought he'd need to! -- but upon arriving at the Top View Towers Officetel. Given, the place wasn't as swanky as those villas he passed every time he went to the park, but it was still a very nice place. (Honestly, compared to his current and previous lodgings, this building might as well be a five-star hotel!) He couldn't blame the doorman for assuming the plain-dressed fellow carrying a bag of groceries was just there to make a delivery to a resident or office and not actually visiting someone on the second floor.

He'd had time -- Sparky had nothing but time, actually -- so not only had he procured a couple recipes he thought his friend might enjoy, but he had also prepped a few things already. (A proper braise for the pork would take a minimum of two hours tops! She might starve by then!) Cradling the bag on one arm, he lifted his free hand to deliver a gentle but firm series of two knocks upon the door of 202.

Knock-knock, knock-knock.

Pause. Wait, that was technically four knocks? Two knocks delivered twice equaled four. That wasn't good.

Knock-knock, knock-knock, knock-knock.

Three double knocks equaled six, but it still didn't feel right because now that was technically five double-knocks total. And that was odd! Unlucky for an even unit on an even floor, right?

Knock-knock.

There. Six double knocks for twelve knocks total. Evened out. Safe. He nodded to himself, satisfied.

[yinjiyang]

Shadow Petals

"When was the last time you actually got some rest?" -- @hua-cheng-silver-wrath -- Hua Cheng -- Lack of Sleep Starters

Three days. Three nights. That was how long it had been since the daoshi arrived in the village after hearing whispers of a mysterious illness afflicting its residents; an illness that did not appear abated by most medicines, but the daoshi seemed to at least know of a concoction capable of staving the effects, stopping the illness from worsening those infected. During the day, the windows were boarded yet he continued to work by the golden light of a single lantern at his table; but in the evening, the windows were open to allow the silvery glow of the moon and stars to shine on his workspace as he mixed and measured and stirred. To most, he appeared to be working tirelessly in the medicine house, at all hours of the night. Including this one. People had come in and out of the medicine house quite frequently...during the day. At night, however, it had generally been very quiet as the majority of the village slept. But not this person, it seemed. The sound of the voice--and more importantly, the ripples of that presence--warranted a lift of Yin Jiyang's head in acknowledgement of the visitor, though he did not look away from his work.

"...I am resting..." he softly replied as he continued to grind the dried herbs with the pestle, the sound quiet against the stone of the bowl and blending with the hauntingly ethereal quality of his void. "...this is therapeutic..."

[halidursun]

— closed for: ruby morrisey / @ophaeliacs. — location: honey bee tea.

Given the popularity of tea in Turkish culture Halide had been raised on it and to this day it was a beverage she consumed daily. Not simply for the routine nor taste, also for the health benefits that it provided as a regular part of her diet. The problem that morning was discovering how dangerously low her supply was when she'd gone to make her morning cup after rising somewhere around 11am. An online order would take a bit of time to reach her doorstep, there was always the option of nabbing some from her parents house in the interim, but after dressing Halide decided to check on the local tea shop to see and hope that the store carried some. What a blessing that would be.

When she'd walked into the shop the aromatics immediately crafted a smile on her face. It was only a few minutes of browsing when she'd been approached, asked if there was anything they could aide her in finding. "Do you have any Turkish tea by chance?" If not, there might be a trip to Chicago in store for her for the day after all. Which Hali had been hoping to avoid, decidedly taking a day off and not putting more miles on her pretty little sports car. "I'm almost out at home, I don't know why I didn't order before this morning, and I'm trying to circumvent going to my parents..." There was a smile with the unnecessary explanation. "This is a lovely little shop you have here. I wish I'd stopped in sooner," Hali pointed to a teapot on a shelf on display, "I started eyeing that up as soon as I walked in."

[astarab1aze]

starter / @pvremichigan

"D'aww, why th' long face, huh? S'only lil ol' me~" Grinning fiendishly, he slid into the seat beside her, lazily postured and no less aiming to pester her until she pulled her gun on him again. It amused him, quite at her expense, but he couldn't help himself. "Wha's a drink 'tween friends?"

He pat her on the shoulder, lightly, but no less crossing a boundary or two. The grumpy types never could get behind a friendly clap on the back, never could relax - and how boring, but entertaining enough in the end. Ever the mischievous fox underneath eccentric robes and shifting skin. He ran his fingers through his hair then and signaled the barkeep, dipping his head and pointing a thumb at her - two more of whatever the hell she was having, wasn't like it'd effect him anyway, whatever it was. He'd be paying regardless.

"Now, we gonna talk it out like grown-ups, or we gonna play 'ard t' get?" What he wanted from her exactly, he didn't rightly know, but he was curious enough about her to bother in the first place - meaningless to her, he supposed. He wanted to know how many buttons she had to press in order for her to really, truly pop off, but he also wanted to know who she was, what made her tick, what she thought. People were fascinating, be they human or nightfolk, and it certainly couldn't hurt to pal around for a spell before things got hairy with the Red Hand again. Loux was never going to be the sort of person who stopped living.

"I come in peace, an' all tha' corny shit."

[phoenix-flamed]

Elwin was, to put it bluntly, worried and anxious. His mother had already set her mind on abdicating the throne, and there was no convincing her otherwise. The movement within the north never seemed to cease for long -- but for a mercy, the tribes had yet to escalate their attacks into a full-scale war. (At least, not so far.) There were other things, of course -- matters too numerous to count, but most pressing of all was concern for his betrothed.

If things were hard for him, he could only imagine how much more difficult they must be for Anabella. Uprooted from her home at Phoenix Gate, being brought to Rosalith whether she wanted it or not, preparing to be married to him and become Duchess in quick succession... While he couldn't change their circumstances -- her circumstances, he could try his best to make it even a fragment easier for her.

That and he did wish to get to know her more than just in passing or glimpses from journeys to Phoenix Gate. The real her, that is, rather than who she was expected to be. But that was a desire that he would keep to himself for the time being.

Again and again and again, ever since the young man's childhood, he'd been reminded of the importance of the role they would play for the duchy, and for their family. It was daunting, and it was all the more reason that he longed to make Anabella feel comfortable and welcome here, if not altogether happy. For the burden placed upon her shoulders, and the duty she was assigned to carry out, she deserved that much. So it was with quiet, careful steps that the heir to the throne made his way through the castle grounds, those oceanic-hued eyes scanning to and fro as he struggled to ease the frantic beating of his heart. For propriety's sake, it was rare that the two had private moments together, but this was a unique situation -- and by that, Elwin meant he was sneaking.

The few servants he had inquired to and trusted with his feelings had pointed him in the direction of the castle gardens, leading him to weave between the various looming bushes in search of Anabella. The blooms were especially bright and full this season, which he would take as a good omen for the future, both near and far.

@creatrix-mea

[mccnxhild]

going out and getting drunk was in no way normal behavior for autumn - she usually wasn't one to go out alone. at least one other person would be by her side, but yet tonight was different for some reason. ans now here she ended up having to call the other to come to her rescue. cheeks rosy from the alcohol flush, a smile wide on her lips as she saw the other approach her. taking their face in her hands she smiled. "my savior! everything in my life feels worth it since it's all lead me to you." she beams. // @dollieour