#I mean I used to be able to do that with Eileen

[quibbs126]

I was thinking about my old character Sugar Cane Cookie earlier. The one I was planning on shipping with Dark Cacao but could only come up with a young design for

If I do manage to do stuff with Sugar Cane again then I’m making some changes, and the original design I made would be his grandchild (Sugar Cane II, they both share the same name)

But the point I was trying to bring up was that I really don’t know what to do for a Dark Cacao OC x canon. Because like, I want something that fits with him, but I also don’t think he should just date another fighting person like him, which is where I end up going with Sugar Cane

I don’t know what works with him. And frankly I might have that same problem with Dark Choco too, I don’t know what works with them

[loosethreadsofyoursoul]

while i will always love and appreciate the bisexual dean winchester agenda, i truly believe that if he was raised differently—or maybe if he grew up today instead—that boy would have been gay. like his love for women in a romantic/sexual context was always such a caricature and was continuously used as a symbol of masculinity that played against the roles assigned to him by his father growing up for the sake of suppressing any queerness he might exhibit. now whether that suppression was purposely written into his character or was a reaction to the character they had created, i’m not sure, but it’s there regardless.

i don’t mean to dismiss the love he felt for cassie or lisa, but particularly with lisa, i’m not sure he was ever in love with her, despite the fact that he did care for both her and ben. i get so frustrated watching the end of s5 because him going to her house and his perfect “apple pie life” being with her in suburbia genuinely came out of nowhere and i’ve never understood a) why it had to happen, and b) why it had to be lisa. but thinking about it in this sense, she was the closest thing he had in his life to everything he was raised to believe he should want by one john winchester, who lost his perfect wife, perfect family, perfect apple pie life and sent all of them down this path in the first place. so of course to dean, his happy ending would be with someone like lisa. but that’s the important part. someone like lisa, not lisa herself. he may have had love for her and he may have been able to picture a life with her, but it wasn’t necessarily because she was everything he wanted; she was a symbol of the things that tore his family apart and so to be with her felt like he was finally able to put some of it back together. and that makes me so sad for him because all of that is a result of the sense of responsibility ingrained in him growing up by john, not something he wanted for himself.

but back to his general attitude towards women, there was an excellent post that said he only acts like the typical womanizer he has a reputation for being around women deemed “stereotypical” by the misogynistic perspective. otherwise, he tends to take on a fairly brotherly role; he doesn’t tend to pursue any women he can “take seriously,” and is more intimidated or impressed by them than anything else. with the exception of cassie (which was pre-series and we never got full context for in the first place), he only ever pursued women with whom he would have a definitive ending—by that i mean women who he knows he’ll never see again or who would have a clearly defined role during the time they’re together that wouldn’t threaten the status quo. and yes these could also be the traits of a commitment-phobe or someone chronically on the move, but for one, sam doesn’t tend to do the same thing (see ruby, amelia, and eileen), and for two, given the things i mentioned already, it makes me consider it more of a result of him not actually being interested in women romantically.

his reaction to women when not purposely used as the butt of a joke or to perpetuate the “womanizer dean winchester” agenda is often so innately fraternal, caring in a way that doesn’t have any expectations behind it. and when there is a romantic context, so much of the relationship can be attributed to the way john raised him and the beliefs he has as a direct result; it’s never simply been built on the foundation of love.

every time he is dismissed as this macho het guy, it also dismisses so much of what makes him a wonderful character, and yes a lot of that is his queerness. so in a world where he didn’t grow up with roles and responsibilities that shaped him into someone he knew his dad hated and forced him to create this character for himself in order to survive? i think he would have been gay and he would have been okay with that.

[soracities]

Hey I hope this is okay to ask, what are some lines you would have as wall posters?

I'm trying to design some for my room and I would like to have something on being human, being kind and the beauty of the world, if you already have done something similar could I have the link? Thank you🌻

oh this is genuinely one of my favourite things to do, a small selection of faves💗:

"Hope is a muscle" (Bjork)

“The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him: “What are you going through?” (Simone Weil)

"I did not come into this world to be comforted. I came, like red bird, to sing." (Mary Oliver)

"You are not broken, you are young and learning how to live." (Heather Havrilesky)

"The most beautiful part of your body is where it's headed. & remember, loneliness is still time spent with the world." (Ocean Vuong)

I don’t know where I get the courage to keep on living in the midst of these ruins. Let us love each other to the end." (George Sand)

"That in man which cannot be domesticated is not his evil but his goodness." (Antonio Porchia)

"No surprise that danger and suffering surrounds us, what astonishes is the singing." (Jack Gilbert)

"If you will grant me one vivid morning I can chain myself to it for fifty years." (William Stafford)

"Yes everybody's dying / to be someone else)But / i'll live my life if it kills me" (e.e. cummings)

"It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world" (Mary Oliver)

"Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time." (Maya Angelou)

"Is it foolish to speak of little joys that occur in the middle of tragedy? It is our humanity. Whatever we have left of it. We must not deny it to ourselves." (Ilya Kaminsky)

"This place could be beautiful, right? You could make this place beautiful." (Maggie Smith)

“Kindness, kindness, kindness. I want to make a New Year’s prayer, not a resolution. I’m praying for courage.” (Susan Sontag)

"A loveless world is a dead world." (Albert Camus)

"I still feel like the world is a piece of bread, I’m holding out half to you.” (Eileen Myles)

"You’re on earth, there’s no cure for that!...Get out of here and love one another!" (Samuel Beckett)

"We shall inflict hope. We shall inflict life." (Paul Eluard)

"We’ve come this far, survived this much. What would happen if we decided to survive more? To love harder?” (Ada Limón)

"what does it all come down to? love? Love." (e.e. cummings)

"Listen I love you joy is coming." (Kim Addonizio)

[octuscle]

So I just got my Chronivac and noticed that it's saying that I used to be a country boy stud with a redneck boyfriend and don't remember any of this, did someone else use one on me without my knowledge

Phew! As far as I can tell, you have purchased a special edition of the Chronivac with a preset already activated. And you started the activation by contacting support. I'm afraid there's not much I can do… At least not until the transformation is complete.

You're sitting in a sports bar with one of your frat brothers. You've just come from rowing training. You're both stars of the university team. Still! Because while you're waiting for your non-alcoholic beer, something starts to change… You were just talking about the upcoming exams. And suddenly you're talking about football. Somehow out of the blue. Fuck university. University pisses you off.

You may not notice it, but the smell in the bar starts to change. Sweat. Beer. Sawdust. Frying fat… Your eyes fall on the man next to you at the bar. Stephen, the captain of the lacrosse team, was just standing there. Now there's someone who looks a lot like Stephen. But he's wearing a sweaty undershirt, has one thumb tucked under his massive belt buckle and has a bottle of beer in the other. His jeans are dirty and he's wearing dusty biker boots. And they are no longer standing on a stylish concrete floor but on an old floorboard covered with sawdust. Stephen turns up his nose. And spits on the floor. What the hell?!?!?! Your bro asks you if you have snuff. You're too confused to be surprised that you pull a can of Copenhagen out of your back pocket. And before you put the tin away again, you take a big pinch yourself.

Something is different. But you don't know what… Caren comes over and asks if you'd like another round of beer. And if you want something to eat. Damn, a big portion of chicken wings and a pitcher of beer would be just the thing right now. But before the food arrives, you have to take a piss. And actually get rid of any other pressure. You glance in the direction of the toilets. The stall has just become free. You signal to your bro that he should follow you straight away. As an appetizer, he gets a load of what's currently building up in your balls.

It was a damn great evening in the bar. The food was good, there was plenty of beer and you were able to cum twice. But you and your buddy had to go to bed early. You had to be at work at 07:00. At the latest. There's a lot to do at the moment. Due to the economic crisis, your fellow citizens have to drive their cars longer than usual. And that means more work for you and your buddy in the workshop. But you love your job!

But you love the end of the day even more. Tonight is burger night at the sports bar. Eileen makes the best and biggest burgers in the county. And every second pitcher of beer is free. And today you have something to celebrate. A city slicker broke down with his show-off car. You don't have that much experience with German tin. But the car eventually purred like a Bavarian cat again. And the snob had to bleed for it. And you finally have the last installment for your garage together. Tomorrow you'll go to Pete at the bank and then tear up the loan agreement. And you'll spend today a local round on that fact. It's only half the price today. Hehehe.

You're the hottest studs in town. Rumor has it that you've bedded every woman under 40. Many women brag that you got them pregnant. You like to jerk off to these stories. Preferably as a couple. You keep your trucker hats on. The one or other dried cum stain can tell stories.

A few weeks ago there was some chick who took pictures of you and shared them on one of those shitty social networks or whatever. She got in touch a few days later and said that the response had been amazing or something. She could turn you into stars. You don't want to be stars. You're already studs. That's quite enough for you. But the good thing is that a whole lot of guys are now coming to your place who want to be fucked by you. And you don't need to be told twice. Your food is on Hank. Because of you, his motel is almost always fully booked since the chick's visit.

The sports bar is still called "Eileen's". Just like it's still called "Hank's Motel". They haven't owned it all for a long time. It's all yours. It may not be obvious to your bro and you, but you're by far the richest people in town. It all started when some rich guy you two were shagging in Hank's presidential suite had a heart attack shortly afterwards. And left you both a million dollars each. There were several cases like that. Inheritances, gifts. One guy even wanted to adopt you both. Shit, you had a stressful time. The workshop during the day, you had to look after your fans in the evening. That damn chick. Until her visit, you had a really relaxed life.

Hell, your life is as relaxed as it can be. There are so many people in this village who owe you a hell of a lot. Literally. And figuratively. You might not have as much energy as you used to. But you still have a hell of a lot of sex!

Caren comes over and asks if you'd like another round of beer. And if you want something to eat. Damn, a big portion of chicken wings and a pitcher of beer would be just the thing right now. But before the food arrives, you have to take a piss. And actually get rid of any other pressure. You glance in the direction of the toilets. The stall has just become free. You signal to your bro that he should follow you straight away. As an appetizer, he gets a load of what's currently building up in your balls. Good things never change!

[inkyarcturus]

hii can you write part two of snape hcs 🙏💗

Of course here you go :D

Hogwarts Pre-Prank

So of course Lily and Sev end up getting their letter of acceptance. This leads to the rift between Lily and Petunia, as petunia becomes jealous over lily’s ability to do magic, getting the iconic scene of her sending a letter to Dumbledore asking to attend Hogwarts.

This is the first big fight Sev and Lily have. The first sign of troubles to come in later years.

Unfortunately, Sev doesn’t understand why this is such a big deal to Lily as Sev didn’t like Petunia in the first place. Besides the fact that Petunia mutually hates Sev for his “strangeness”, Severus dislikes her general personality and likely, for her muggleness. At this point in time, Sev has had no friends besides Lily, someone who is magical. All the muggles in the neighborhood dislike him for his lack of money and strangeness, his father despises him for his magical heritage, he has had no good experience with people who are not magical, except for Mr and Mrs Evans.

I believe the kindness of Mr and Mrs Evans is the main reason Sev doesn’t immediately fall into the blood supremacy pipeline. I do not think that Sev, at this point, was fully prejudiced against muggles, but there was definitely a small voice in his head saying, “we’ll show them one day, we’re better.” Sev is a boy quick to anger and someone who fights back in whatever way he can. This gets worse with age, inspired by people who laughs at his tears.

At this age, Sev still has a strong sense of empathy, while he may not like Petunia, he understands Lily is upset and tries to comfort her in whatever way he can. Lily doesn’t fight for long with Sev because of this.

They both get sorted in rival houses, something Sev was expecting and yet not expecting at the same time. While he hoped Lily would end up in Slytherin, I think he believed she could have ended up in any of the other three houses. Lily was quite smart and curious, was fiercely loyal and hardworking, and could be brave when it came to fighting for what she believed in.

This separation was terrifying for Sev. His first friend in a rival house, a house he was expected to hate, horrifying. Eileen likely told stories of the ruthless nature of slytherin house and the blood supremacy that plagued it, not helping his fears over the new environment.

The first person he talks to in slytherin is Lucius. He meets Avery, Mulciber, Evan, Wilhem, all his year mates, all bad influences. And so the downfall begins.

I think he spends the first three years relatively alone, going through his life being bullied by the marauders, bullied by the slytherins, and ignored by the teachers.

That doesn’t mean he does nothing of course. He’s learning during that time, learning and planning. He goes through potions text books like they’re water, he asks for as many books from his mom as physically possible.

Eileen absolutely snuck some of the books from the Princes with her when she was kicked out for marrying Tobias, quite a few of them were dark as well.

He starts experimenting, starting off small simply improving potions and then, 4th year he starts trying to make new spells.

As this happens the slytherin learn of his intelligence. Soon there’s whispers of the uses of an intelligent halfblood whose capable of brewing potions better than Slughorn or the seventh years.

Lucius has stuck to him since the beginning. As a prefect he’s able to have a good reason to know every new student, see if they would be a good fit for his lord. Therefore, he makes sure to keep a good report with everyone even if he finds them less than desirable. He’s more cunning in his youth than Draco, less spoiled and more raised for politics.

I think Narcissa is in a similar situation to Lucius. She’s prefect and watches Severus come into this new world, already thinking about how he could be. She is kinder to him than Lucius, she corrects his “mugglish” or “poor” behavior softly, unlike Lucius who thinks embarrassment is the best solution.

I think seeing Lucius and Narcissa interact with Sev while he was head boy is really the thing that slowly convinced the slytherins of his use.

God this is getting long- anyways, Lily and Sev stay close despite everything for the first three to four years. There are some highlights in those years that don’t include Lily. They come in the form of Charity, Aurora, and Remus when he’s not with the Marauders.

Severus has a track record of feeling more comfortable and safe with girls.

Ill break here and do a lil part just about those three later :,D

[johnica-weeks]

Johnica Week 2024

When is the event? 📆

This year's Johnica Week will start on Thursday 18th January and end on Sunday 21st January! For the first time the event will START on their wedding anniversary and continue throughout the weekend 🥰 But as always, don't worry if you're late! You can keep sending your contributions after the last day, these are simply indicative days to gather all together 💕

Where? 🔎

Here on Tumblr, on AO3 and also on Instagram for visual artists!

💚 Use the tag #JohnicaWeek2024 in your entries here and on Instagram!

📚 > Here is the AO3 COLLECTION where to post your fics! <

💚 Tag @eileen-crys and/or @johnica-weeks in your works so I can read, see and share them!

📚 At the end of the event I’ll make a Tumblr masterlist with all the works!

2020 Masterlist | 2021 Masterlist | 2022 Masterlist | 2023 Masterlist

The Theme 🎁

The 49th Wedding Anniversary comes soon before the huge milestone of the 50 years together, and it's usually represented by various symbols that I added to the prompts: Zircon, Orchids, the color Purple, and luxurious gifts. The main theme of this year's event is GIFTS, the act of giving the partner something material or abstract as an act of selflessness, that can have various meanings and various reactions.

Like all the prompts, it’s up to you to follow the theme or not, consider it just as a general theme that you could build your entries around. I chose some prompts that might fit this theme, that are about gifts as physical objects or as ideas for situations or alternative worldbuildings.

How? 🖼

You're encouraged to join with your preferred creative media or challenge yourself with something new! Fanfictions, drawings, comics, poetry, collages and photo edits, moodboards, anything you like! More in the RULES below.

Like all Ship Weeks, this is a fandom event to share love and creativity related to a particular couple, so be sure to engage with the entries and support all the artists and writers that chose to join! Reblog, leave likes/kudos and comment on the artworks to keep the fandom alive! 💜💖💕💜💖💕

Day 1 • 18 January (Anniversary!)

Flowers: Orchids are symbols of love, beauty, refinement, fertility, strength and resilience, and mature charm.

Surprise gift!

Handmade by the other

Young, poor and happy together

"I've got a loving wife and a couple of kids at home, that'll do me!"

Day 2 • 19 January

The color: Purple can evoke spirituality, mystery, royalty, imagination, compassion, fantasy, wisdom, creativity and sensitivity.

A kinky gift 😏

Concert tickets

Radio interview

“When you love something, you protect it with your entire life. Right now, my guts tell me to do the same.”

Day 3 • 20 January

Gemstone: Zircon zircon is a talisman of travelers. They count on it to lead to a shelter and show the right way. Plus, it is able to protect from injuries. Women used the gem to ease childbirth, drive away evil spirits, enhance health, get wisdom, and attract good luck.

Rejecting a gift

Torn between options

Dreaming and daydreaming

"You remembered something I’d mentioned a million years ago!"

Day 4 • 21 January

Celebration: Luxury the 49th wedding anniversary is the step right before the big 50, also known as the Golden wedding. All the symbols represent the wealth of experience a couple has after being married for nearly five decades. Two people who are willing to work together and compromise and do all the things that make a marriage successful deserve to celebrate with a bit of Luxury.

Matching pyjamas

Spa experience / Pampering one another

Knowing each other like an open book

"Oh my, this must have been expensive!" "Nothing is expensive enough for you, my love."

What can you do? ✒

You can join with fanfics, edits and moodboards, drawings of all kinds and if you want to sing or play an instrument please feel free to!

The requirements are:

John and Veronica Deacon as the main pairing;

Your love and creativity! 🥰

You can write/draw:

Fics with and without accurate settings and timelines;

Alternative Universes (AU) of any kind and genre, mixed or not with the prompts (ex. Fem!John AU + coffee shop, A/B/O AU + Superpowers);

“What if"s;

Genderswap/genderbending of any kind;

Other Queen members, friends, pairings, family, poly ships (that have to involve both John and Veronica!), OCs, etc…

Fluff, angst, crack, hurt/comfort, action, mystery, sexy times… anything you fancy!

🔥 NSFW is allowed with PROPER TAGS! IMPORTANT note: please interact with NSFW only if you’re +18! 🔞

… and more! If you’re unsure feel free to ask!

We’re here to celebrate John and Veronica Deacon, not to create drama or fights nor to disrespect their privacy. So please be considered about your entries and comments and always try to be respectful to John, to Veronica, to their family and friends, to the people who ship them or ship other couples and to your audience.

HOW to post? 🤔

You can post your entries here on Tumblr, on AO3 and on Instagram, using the hashtag #JohnicaWeek2024 and tagging me.

If you prefer, you can post anonymously on AO3, HERE is an easy guide on how to do it!

If you’re on Tumblr and want to post a fic anonymously please send me a DM and I’ll post it on @johnica-weeks on your behalf, crediting it as Anonymous author! I will also post fics from Anon authors posted on AO3 here on tumblr on Anon's behalf.

🔥 TAG your work APPROPRIATELY! This includes all potential triggers and smut. On Tumblr you can include the appropriate warnings at the top of the fic followed by a "keep reading” cut (you can add it in desktop version AND on mobile by writing :readmore: in a new line!) Also be sure to tag the rating of your fic, the genre and the themes of your story, enough to help the readers!

✨ If you’re still unsure, HERE’s a useful guide on how to tag your works!

As a reader... 📖

If you’re a fan of John, of Johnica or simply like to read fanfictions, positive interactions are always much welcomed! Support the authors by leaving likes, a comment (even a little one!) and sharing their work. On AO3 you don’t need an account to leave Kudos and Comments! (Unless the author has willingly prevented guests to comment). To leave a comment on AO3 you simply have to choose a temporary mail and set your email to get a notification for an eventual reply.

If a work is not tagged appropriately, you can reach out to me via DM and I’ll warn the author. If anything makes you uncomfortable, simply close the work! Do not engage by leaving nasty comments or messaging the author!

🔥 IMPORTANT!!! 🔥

During the event, if any of you/your entries gets hateful comments or messages towards you, your entries, the Johnica ship, the event or other creators, please DELETE the hateful comment/message right away with no interactions and let me know! This is no place for haters, just for creativity and love. If you see a hateful comment on other works do not engage, instead leave a positive comment to the same work and support the author! 💜

Realistic or not, remember that fanfictions are, by definition, FICTIONAL and not meant to be a documentary! There are lots of things we don’t know about John and Veronica’s private lives and don’t want to go in too deeply, gossip or speculate about them, so feel free to fly with your fantasy and let your creativity flow! 😊💖 Most of all… have fun, respect each other and support each other’s works!

Dividers and graphics by @firefly-graphics and @johnica-weeks. As always for any info and question feel free to send an ask or a DM!

[deathrooteater]

Assorted Bloodborne Headcanons

-Gehrman, before the Dream, was a certified bird watcher.

-Ludwig had only dueling experience before Byrgenwerth. Gehrman taught him how to fight dirty by making him eat dirt.

-Simon sees himself in hares, and as such, loves them. If having a non-practical pet was possible in Yharnam, he would have adopted a hare in a heart beat.

-Elaborating on the non-practical pet thing, since we only see dogs and snakes as pets, I fully believe only animals with practical applications (such as a dog's hunting skill) are allowed in Yharnam since the Beast Scourge started.

-Cats do still exist in Yharnam though. They're just sneaky.

-Laurence is the sole reason cats haven't been banned, saying that they can still hunt rats (as if the rats aren't bigger than the cats). He just wanted to keep his own cat.

-Micolash was fascinated by marine wildlife even before Byrgenwerth. He is very autistic about octopuses.

-Rom was the same but for bugs. If she lived in the modern day, she would have had a spider bugsona, complete with expensive fursuit (with functional extra legs!).

-Kos and Flora (Moon Presence) used to be lovers. They parted on bad terms, but Flora still has a thing for Kos (even if Kos is, well, dead).

-Brador likes annoying people. He likes seeing them seethe with rage. Absolutely an internet troll kinda guy.

-Adella is bi but repressed as fuck. She also has a crush both on the Good Hunter and Arianna, but between the Night of the Hunt being as it is, the Amygdala on the roof of the chapel and her own issues, she ends up turning murderous.

-If Adella had asked, Arianna would have taken her virginity in a heartbeat.

-Gehrman doesn't love the Doll, but he also doesn't hate her. He understands she didn't ask to be given life. He also hates himself for dressing his doll of Maria in feminine clothes, and for even making the doll in the first place; he did it because he wanted to imagine Maria in a more peaceful life, but between his badly processed grief and the Bad values of the time, he fucked up Bad.

-Ludwig is trans, though he hasn't been able to get anything to transition. He just bears the dysphoria, though it did get better when he started presenting more masc and people started referring to him by he/him.

-Gehrman, Ludwig and Brador are Laurence's harem (half joking).

-Laurence is gay as fuck, which means he once laughed at a woman who declared her love for him (she dodged a bullet there).

-Djura likes drawing in his free time.

-Eileen fucking hates the feeling of blood and grime on her skin. It is part of the reason her garb covers everything.

-The Brain of Mensis was formed from the fused bodies and consciousness of the Mensis Scholars (sans Micolash and Edgar) fusing with a Winter Lantern.

[awakenthemusic]

Peace (A Soft Epilogue)

"Dean," A voice whispers as a warm hand shakes Dean gently by the shoulder.

Dean rises back to consciousness slowly, a recently-acquired skill (a luxury).

Sam's softly-smiling face appears before his bleary eyes. A slow blink brings him into better focus, the laughter lines around Sam’s eyes that are finally starting to overtake the worry wrinkles on his forehead come back into sharp relief. "We're gonna head out," He murmurs.

A glance over his shoulder. Eileen stands by the door, features softened by distance, but ready smile easily visible as she waves and holds up a hand that means 'I love you.'

Dean sends the message back left-handed (he's been practicing with both).

To Sam, he whispers, "You sure you don't wanna crash here? It's dangerous for old folks to drive after dark."

Sam shoots him an annoyed (and fond) look as he tries to hold back a grin. "I'm not the one who couldn't stay awake for my own movie marathon, Jerk."

"Hey," Dean protests (softly). "I ain't old, I'm just in a food coma, Bitch."

Sam stops holding back his grin. "Whatever you say, old timer." He easily dodges Dean's halfhearted swipe, then leans back in to squeeze Dean's shoulder. "Love you."

"Yeah, love you too," Dean huffs, mock-annoyed still (the words come out so easily now, turns out—like signing—they flow better with practice). "Now get out of here."

Sam chuckles as he heads for the door, knowing to lock it behind him as he goes (he and Eileen have keys).

Dean settles back against the warm wall of muscle at his back and squeezes the hand interlaced with his, never more glad that they'd shelled out for the ridiculously large sectional that allows them room to lie sandwiched together (and room for visiting family).

A bean bag chair stands alone against the far wall and Dean feels a bittersweet pang.

Cas stirs and squeezes the arm currently around Dean's waist (which has finally been allowed to grow softer and is currently stuffed full of good food and extra servings of pie). "You alright?" His voice is sleep-rough but somehow lighter than it's been in years.

"Yeah," Dean whispers back, unwilling to break this moment.

"Jack?" Powers or not, Cas has always been able to read Dean's mind.

Dean nods with a sigh.

Another squeeze. "I miss him too." Easy words breathed against the back of Dean's neck, like there could be no other answer, like a lifetime full of 'toughen up' and 'no one cares you're hurting' had been the exception, not the rule.

"He seemed happy, though." Dean thinks how excited Jack was, bouncing excitedly on the video call this afternoon, telling them about his new friends and how he'd been settling back into his dorm after the winter break.

Cas nods. "He'll be home soon, spring is just around the corner."

Dean nods back and nearly drifts off again. His phone pings with a notification at almost the same moment Cas' does.

They untangle themselves, but stay close as they sit up to check their phones.

Dean opens his messages, idly reminding himself to charge his phone tonight. The many birthday wishes from friends and family drained his battery today.

A text from Claire, Happy birthday, Hasselhoff. Brace yourself.

Cas laughs in the glow of his screen, his eyes scrunching up and sending a road map of lines across his temples that Dean would drive for the rest of time.

"Claire?"

Cas nods. "She sent us a 'warning,'" (his air quotes melt Dean's heart just that little bit more, like they always do.) Cas smiles bright. "She and Kaia are crashing at our place tomorrow on their way to Yosemite."

Dean grins back, relishing the thought of family in the guest room again.

He texts back, Bring it on, Barbie, And kindly doesn't mention that they are not even close to 'on the way' to Yosemite from Sioux Falls.

"They actually manage to scrounge up a case?" Dean asks, worry sending tension coiling across his shoulders. Turns out, Chuck lied. The world left behind after his defeat is calmer, with fewer monsters stirred to bloodlust, not more.

Cas shakes his head. "Road trip."

The tension releases, a smile taking its place. Dean sinks back into Cas' side, thoughts drifting to what his past self would think if he could see Dean now.

He always told himself he didn't want to get old, didn't want to deal with those aches and pains, didn't want to get slow. He told himself that living long enough to lose all his friends was really the worst thing. He told himself that going down swinging was the only way to go.

He ignored the pain of broken ribs and bleeding knuckles. He ignored how many friends he'd already lost. He ignored his own desire to live at peace and in safety.

Why hope for things you know you'll never have.

Dean chuckles, causing Cas to raise a questioning brow.

Dean takes a look around the home he’s built here with Cas and then leans in for a lingering kiss, knowing he'll be welcome, knowing he is loved by so many people (his family), no matter what.

He answers, smiling so wide his cheeks ache with it. "Just glad that past me was full of crap."

[quillinhand]

favourite snape hcs go 🎤

Hiiii

this is gonna take a while cuz I've been waiting for someone to ask this question for so long- so sorry for answering this post after a while lol

ok so.

he hates coffee, but marking and juggling all his work means it's often the only thing keeping him awake, and my man, he likes to take his coffee with enough cream and sugar to kill a small child. for energy, of course.

he likes to sleep. will commit murder if someone disturbs him.

actually likes marking. something about shitting on teenagers calm him down.

sometimes, he'll take out his old essays and go thru them with red ink. no teenager is as fun to shit on as yourself. except perhaps potter.

pan ace. am not accepting arguments

had sex for the first in the early days after graduation and initiation into the death eaters. hated it. very much.

loves physical touch and so, naturally, will make it impossible for anyone to touch him

has the weirdest possible relationship with Lucius malfoy but like, we don't talk about that.

(They are as close as you get to fucking/killing each other without actually fucking/killing each other. Knows each others darkest secrets but still would kill the other to keep themselves alive sort of close)

has a similar relationship with voldy shorts except, with our resident evil it's like, not consensual? Sort of? idk . My man's into tall dark and creepy ok? except in Lucius's case it's tall blonde and rich/ridiculous but. we don't talk about that.

Severus fucking Snape didnt become friends with Lily fucking Evans cuz she was pretty. nope. Twas cuz ma girl was powerful as heck(like him) and, more importantly, a bitch(like him). You are kidding yourself if ya think their friendship was anything other than that.

his relationship with his parents is a toxic one in that there IS some level of care there, but Tobias is too much of a depressed 30 something man to be a good father and Eileen was too much of a proud hag to be a good mother, and Severus was too much like them to be able to deal with their shit.

a huge part of why he used the mental arts so much was cuz he couldn't handle his emotions easily for the longest time, and would burst at the smallest thing. this was the trait that made him such a good target for bullying. the one trait he could never quite get rid of- just hide, under steel walls and scars that opened far too easily.

after lily died, he occluded to the point of magical exhaustion and ended up collapsing. wrecked his body to the point of him not being able to move for months. this was one of the first, and only things he learned to be kind to himself for, and relaxed with his occlumency shields as much as he could. and then voldy returned, and. well.

he is the Slytherin house's hero. not that he understands why. something about the whole, evil, dark, vampire aesthetic was very appealing ya see.

my man wears heels to look taller. not accepting arguments

his whole outfit was carefully planned. 20s Snape had FUN, I tell you. My man spent YEARS cultivating his whole vibe, from the expressions, to the poetry, to the ROBES- perfection, perfection. have you any idea how much he argued with tailors that, no, he actually didn't give a fuck if the robe he wanted was too tight for pockets. what the actual FUCK do you mean.

the buttons have so much history

his eye colour is actually just. gray, but like my man likes the whole vibe of ✨ obsidian ✨ more so. makes sure to stay around dimly lit areas for maximum effect.

he did actually go to school before hogwarts, but like he couldn't control his magic, so my man would bust the lights and flood the bathrooms and make the chairs hit the teachers he didn't like. The AMOUNT of confounding Eileen had to do to distract the town from their magic- worthy of a book series on its own.

I'm ending cuz this is already so longgg. sorry for answering lateee. ilyy 💜💜💜

[the-fluffiest-trainer]

[The previous video continues, filming from a hidden spot near the ceiling as Lysandre greets the two ponies and Calem.]

Hello, Twilight and friends. This is an unexpected meeting, but a pleasant one.

Hi. We were headed this way for Fluttershy's gym challenge anyway and thought we'd catch up. Got a few questions for you, actually.

Oh? Fire away, then, and let science be done!

[Fluttershy takes in a deep breath, and tenses somewhat.]

Have you found the Ultimate Weapon built by King Arizona of Kalos three thousand years ago, which he used once to end the ancient war with Galar by annihilating both sides' armies? Do you have it in your possession, at one of your labs or wherever?

[Lysandre is visibly startled, but answers without hesitation.]

You're well informed. Yes, I discovered it some time ago and one of the many scientific projects Team Flare has undertaken has been to study that marvel of engineering, to find out how it worked, what power it ran on to cause such a legendary effect... Imagine if we could harness that scale of energy today! The central Kalos power plant could cease operations for a year if we had just one instant of the weapon's energy, converted into usable form. Its workers could rest, it would put out no pollution...

Oh... that sounds nice actually...

You do have it, then. And I never knew about this?

Team Flare has many departments. Is that unexpected? Not everyone works on the study and prediction of Fallers either.

I suppose that's true... What is the Ultimate Weapon's power source? How much has the team found out so far?

It is called Infinity Energy, as a provisional name until something more descriptive can be found. History is not my strong suit so I do not know how the old king charged the weapon – I am unsure if anyone knows – but we have discovered that the legendary pokemon are possessed of a great quantity of infinity energy.

Legendary pokemon? Twilight, didn't you mention looking for them a while back, and you actually found two of them?

Yes! Xerneas and Yveltal, both found together, in a dormant state. The pokemon of life and death – did Xerneas ever wake? I've been meaning to get back to Geosenge and take a closer look.

I am afraid the efforts to wake the legendary pokemon have been put on hold. The Ultimate Weapon, or as we may call it in future, the ultimate clean energy source for the region, was deemed more important once the similarity in energy was uncovered.

[Twilight frowns and shifts her wings a little. Fluttershy and Calem just listen from the sidelines, though Calem appears increasingly uncomfortable.]

You told me we would find Xerneas, and they would be able to help restore Equestria to life after it was ravaged by Tirek. This, along with trying to predict my friends' arrivals here, is why I joined Team Flare.

And Xerneas may still provide that life! You said the enemy in your world absorbed magic. You said you wished for a nonmagical weapon strong enough to destroy him – I believe you mentioned a ballista, though in this world that is rather primitive. Could we not combine the work of your team and another? Predict the time and location of a portal between this world and Equestria, and while it is open, strike a massive, smiting blow to Tirek on the other side? And then, that job complete, wake Xerneas to spread life, and affix an adapter upon the weapon to transform it – powered now by infinity energy drawn out of Yveltal – into a generator of electricity, thereby saving two worlds at once?

Hmmm... I suppose, if that would work... it would be very precise, but we did find Fluttershy's arrival portal accurately...

No.

What was that, Fluttershy?

I said no. I will not let you have a weaponized version of Ari's device. Not when you've just said you would fire it, because what's to stop the temptation to use it again, here at home? Just like Eileen's Lysandre tried to do, thinking the solution to resource scarcity would be to just start killing until there weren't enough people left to have to compete for anything. I won't let that happen here. I won't let it even be an option here.

[Fluttershy brings out a pokeball from her bag. Behind her, Calem puts one hand to his own pokeballs, but neither opens any yet.]

There's no need to resort to doing battle, now. We're on the same side, here! To do what is best for the long-term stability of both our homelands, so that Kalos and Equestria may both flourish and become as beautiful as ever they have been before. And if that requires a heavy hand to clear away some filth, we shall simply rebuild even better on the other side.

And besides, a future Champion in the making like yourself would not stoop to fighting three on one, would you?

[Tensions have risen across the entire group now, and everyone has a hand or hoof to their pokeballs. No one wants to make the first move and everyone stands paralyzed for a moment, until Twilight takes a few steps forward and turns around.]

...She won't have to. Because this will actually be two on two.

[Video ends.]

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 29 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

Zo: Alva, I wrote up those agricultural practices you wanted.

Zo: [UtaruAgriculture.pdf]

DIVINER: Oh, thanks!!

DIVINER: I hope it wasn't too much trouble!

Zo: No, it was simple enough. Though I think you will find it a little disorganized. I've never had to actually write it down before.

BoyNextDoor: What's all this about? It thought you had already learned more than enough for your people, Alva.

DIVINER: I have! I mean, I think so? I'm still looking. But this isn't about the agriculture, really, it's about comparing what the Utaru have retained or learned over the generations with what the Quen have learned from the Ancestors!

HIMBO: PEER REVIEW!

DIVINER: Not quite, but sort of! I just wanted to see exactly what the differences are!

DIVINER: We can't be sure, but I think that the Utaru are completely divorced from the Ancestors!

β: isnt everyone

β: youre all descended from the cradles no one is technically connected to before

DIVINER: Well, yes, but I mean most other cultures have clear influences from the Ancestors! The Carja developed their religion from ancient books, the Tenakth have their Visions, and the Oseram learned at least some things from ruins.

BoyNextDoor: The Nora didn't learn anything from the Old Ones. The ruins of the Metal World are forbidden.

DIVINER: True, but we don't know exactly to what extent! After all, we know you have at least ruin, the exterior of the Cradle facility!

DIVINER: Besides, the Quen didn't learn hunting from the Ancestors, so there's not an easy point of comparison.

FlameHairSavior: So you want a pure sample. Why, exactly? I mean, I understand getting more information that you might be able to use, but you don't sound like you're looking for better farming techniques.

DIVINER: If I can identify the differences, I can make all sorts of interesting inferences! Maybe improve both of our techniques, if I can see what works in one area and what doesn't in another!

FlameHairSavior: I think you're just having fun.

DIVINER: That too!!

Zo: I suspect that you'll be less impressed with Utaru practices. We do, after all, have a major advantage with the land-gods.

DIVINER: Don't sell yourselves short! Agriculture was never so central to our culture as it is for you! We revere Eileen Sasaki as a great Ancestor, but it was always just a means to an end! We grow food for our population. Nothing more and nothing less.

DIVINER: Your children probably know more about growing plants than most of our experts!

Zo: I suspect that is an exaggeration.

Zo: But thank you.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Do not underestimate the value of specialization. How do you think that the Tenakth were able to fight back the Carja?

BoyNextDoor: Sheer charger-headed stubbornness?

HIMBO: NO, THE OSERAM ARE THE STUBBORN ONES.

MARSHAL Kotallo: [B99SelfBurn.gif]

DIVINER: You used one of mine!!

MARSHAL Kotallo: I've used several of yours already.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Regardless. The point is that, as Alva noted, while the Utaru have some advantages that might have kept them from being pushed to truly innovate, their deep devotion to the very idea of agriculture must have led to some advancements that other cultures would never have discovered.

HIMBO: THE CARJA STILL USE SOME UTARU TO FARM THE MAIZELANDS. EVEN WHEN THEY WERE SLAVES, THEY WERE APPARENTLY THE BEST THAT THEY HAD.

β: they put slaves who hate them in charge of their food

β: couldnt they just sabotage everything

HIMBO: I'D CALL IT CRAZY, BUT IT WORKED.

Zo: No Utaru would sabotage a field. It would be an affront to everything we believe in.

BoyNextDoor: I bet they worked harder once Avad freed them, though.

HIMBO: YEAH, HE TOLD THEM ALL THEY COULD GO HOME, OR STAY AND BE PAID. I THINK... HALF TOOK THE JOBS? ERSA WAS CAPTAIN BACK THEN, SO I DON'T REMEMBER FOR SURE.

Zo: Utaru also become very attached to any fields they sow. They would not leave them easily.

BoyNextDoor: Are you saying they... put down roots?

HIMBO: HA!

DIVINER: Surprise pun from the Nora brave!

MARSHAL Kotallo: [DisapprovalDog.png]

Zo: [ForumWeaponHeadShake267.gif]

FlameHairSavior: It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for.

Zo: That's because the quiet ones understand the value of patience.

β: they know if they wait long enough it will bear fruit

DIVINER: [DeadpoolGasp.gif]

MARSHAL Kotallo: In some parts of the Clan Lands, puns can get you executed.

FlameHairSavior: Really? One little pun? Even for the worst of the Tenakth, that seems a little much.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Unfortunately, yes. My people do not appreciate those who go against the grain.

FlameHairSavior: …

FlameHairSavior: I'm coming back with a ravager cannon and I'm going to shoot you.

Chapter 29 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[dotthings]

With Rob there in a 70's wig as the keyboardist of the band, yeah sure it could be Chuck and he's enjoying all this drama immensely, that's likely. It's creepy. But once again I need to do a reminder: Chuck does not force people to have feelings. He doesn't implant feelings. He moves events around the Winchester family, puts obstacles in, he can make things move physically, he can even force a human to move a certain way but he cannot make them feel what they don't feel. There was a ton of bad takes about this during the run of the mothership while antis kept trying to claim things like--Saileen is noncon, roofied into loving each other, when it was Eileen and Sam's real feelings all along. Chuck made a spell, a piece of paper, fall out of one of Rowena's spellbooks at the right moment, the rest was all them. That all was expressly canon, antis still kept shrieking it was noncon and Sam and Eileen didn't really care about each other and weren't really falling in love, that it was all Chuck.

That was antis being objectively incorrect and anti-canon. And that is the argument some fans of TW are reaching for again to deny what John/Mary actually is.

It already had become clear me on TW that John and Mary's romance is not cupid roofies. I've been saying this for a few months.

They were not forced to feel things.

They were not forced to fall in love.

Trapped in a maze, they ran their own race.

Mary tells John she needs more time. After seeing her friend Carlos almost having to sacrifice his very soul, and then when he refuses that path, Carlos almost died, and then Carlos serenades his friends, who are his family, Mary is shooketh. It made her think. Carlos sings to this rag-tag group of hunters who mean everything to him. He's lost a lot, had to lose some of his dreams, but gained a lot. Carlos leads with his heart and he's very loving.

It's after Carlos' song that Mary is able to go to John and act on her feelings she already has, but she was afraid. Mary, who Samuel said is so stubborn and will go head-first despite danger, when it's about killing monsters. But when it comes to feelings, and being close to people, especially her romantic feelings for John, she's scared.

Nobody roofied Mary into going to John and reciprocating.

Not Chuck. Not cupids.

Seriously, guys, so much of fandom is clinging to the idea that JohnMary is a manufactured romance where their feelings aren't real.

A lot of us thought that. I know. It's based on bits and pieces of information the mothership dropped, it's understandable, but if you look back now, you see how much was assumptions. Old school fandom made assumptions, newer fandom made assumptions.

And now TW is spelling it out loudly and clearing that up. It's not a retcon, it's a clarification and filling in blanks. We only had bits and pieces before and assumptions.

The love was real.

Their conflicts and problems were real.

They loved each other and they had a lot of problems, the marriage was troubled, and there's reasons for that. They both have issues.

What about any of this is real, we are.

Destiel shippers don't want to admit how similar these two love stories are, while TW keeps throwing Destiel parallels. It's not that canon is saying these two love stories are identical, but there are things in common some shippers don't want to admit. But also, what else are these parallels saying.

They are both romantic love stories.

Trapped in a maze but the feelings are real.

They love each other but the relationship has problems, conflicts, things that pull them apart.

TW is knocking on Destiel shippers' doors, you can answer or you can pretend it's not, because you're scared to be hopeful, about what TW is saying to you.

*****Also please don't diminish Carlos' emotional importance, the very self-evident impact he has on his friends, on Lata, on Mary, on John. Which was an A plot of this episode, the ep was very Carlos focused.*****

Don't ignore Mary starting to sob when she thought Carlos was about to die, John's anger on his behalf, Lata's tears, or how John, Mary, and Lata were all entranced by Carlos' song that he sang for them.

It moved Mary and it helped her get past her fear and she went to John and was able to reciprocate.

Nobody roofied her feelings.

It's just feelings.

[castieldelamancha]

"Come over here, Cas, Sam and Eileen are ready."

Castiel stands up from his chair and walks to the other side of the table, leaning over Dean's shoulder to look at the computer screen where Sam and Eileen wave at him as soon as he is on view. He waves back, painfully aware of the scent of Dean's aftershave, they are so close, of his warmth, so close, of how easy it would be to simply reach out and touch him. And how complicated it would make things. He hears Sam clearing his throat and he realizes he was staring at Dean's profile. He looks at the screen once again, consciously avoiding staring at Eileen's knowing eyes.

"Well, you guys have anything? Because we have no clue what we are after so far." Sam and Eileen share a look at Dean's question and Sam shakes his head slowly.

Not yet. Eileen signs, Castiel saying it out loud for Dean, because he just really started learning ASL and he just knows the basics for now, he is a fast learner, Castiel is sure he will improve in no time. It's kinda complicated looking for such specific info within all the materials you have around here. She gestures at the library around them, Castiel isn't surprised, not with the few clues they have been able to gather here and send their way.

"Nah, you know what's complicated? Winning a staring contest against Cas." Dean says, "you will find something soon."

Sam rolls his eyes, "I don't think I could stand to look at Cas for long enough to have a staring contest with him," Castiel makes a face and Sam's expression turns apologetic, "you could probably see all my sins, or whatever." He explains and Dean lets out an snort.

"I can do that without having to stare at you for a prolonged period of time."

"Dude, really?" Now Dean is full on laughing.

"C'mon Cas, don't be mean." He likes that about Dean, how he can telll when Castiel is being serious and when he is trying to mess with them. He likes many things about him.

"Don't worry Sam, your secrets are safe, I wouldn't invade your privacy in such a way."

Dean, still laughing, muttering about the horror on Sam's face, bumps his shoulder against Cas' side and he stares at him for a brief moment, smiling down at him. He likes Dean like this, laughing freely, the weight on his shoulder seeming lighter to carry if only for a moment, it's a rare sight, but one he always commits to memory.

As soon as his eyes go back to the screen Eileen signs, too fast for Sam to be able to catch more than a couple words even if he has been learning for longer than Dean.

Will you ever tell him?

Castiel raises an eyebrow.

Have you told Sam?

Woah, aren't you guys supposed to be beings of good vibes and light?

Castiel laughs lightly, making Dean, who was having his own conversation with Sam turn to look at him.

Unfortunately for you, you know the only angel that never was quite what you would expect of angels to be.

He wouldn't consider any of the other angels perfect beings of light and love either anyway, Eileen grins at him, "what?" Dean says, still staring at him, his tone light, "you guys talking shit about us?"

"I was just telling Eileen how you used me as an excuse to get two slices of pie back at the diner we stop at on our way here."

Dean scoffs and looks away, shaking his head, it seems it's Sam's turn to laugh now, his laughter growing louder when Dean claims is getting late, it's only five pm, and that they better say this goodbyes because they all have a long day ahead tomorrow.

[soulsam]

hello and happy wincest wednesday! supernatural canon is incredibly undecided on this matter, so i want to know YOUR headcanons for what language(s) sam and dean have studied! do you think they have overlap anywhere, or would they divide and conquer? 🤔 i think about this so often, so i want to know other people's opinions too :)

(@incesthemes)

omg hi ciel!!!!! thank you so much for the ask :D

honestly this is a super interesting question...but one that I probably don't have a great answer for? it's not something I've really thought about before! :o

let me think...we know that sam has some knowledge of spanish (source: 5x05 fallen idols) and latin (no single definitive source for this but he often is able to translate latin words or phrases on the fly), as well as sign language (we see him use it with eileen multiple times). he also knows at least un petit peu de français (source: 13x12 various & sundry villains) although to be fair that was only a couple words that he could've easily picked up just from existing in the world.

in my opinion, the languages he's actually studied in some capacity are spanish, latin, and asl, although I don't think he's anywhere near fluent in any of them. they're all very practical choices, of course. buuuuut...I also really really love the headcanon that he learned (had to learn) enochian while he was in the cage. I don't remember if there's any canon evidence for this, but even if there isn't, it's just so juicy that it has been cemented in my brain.

dean, on the other hand...I honestly doubt he's actually studied any foreign languages at length. a good percentage of american high schools have a language requirement, but we also know that dean has a GED (and a give 'em hell attitude), so it's possible he could've skirted around that entirely. actually though I do think he's taken at least a year of spanish, enough to learn how to pronounce things, because when he speaks latin it comes out sounding like spanish instead (thank you jensen, it makes me laugh every time). other than that, though, I think he mostly just picks up the odd word or two from books or tv or movies (I have to imagine that at some point, like many routine hentai watchers, he just absorbed the meaning of words like itai and iku). it's pretty much impossible for him not to have learned some latin over the years as well but I don't think he ever sat himself down and was like okay I'm gonna learn latin.

also, when the two of them randomly run across foreign phrases, I think usually dean will look to sam to translate or sam will just offer up his knowledge without really being prompted. it happens more in late seasons iirc and could be related to the way they dumbed dean way down toward the end of the show but I do also like the headcanon that dean never really bothered to learn other languages because "that's sammy's thing and he's good at it." he's the designated research boy after all, not dean.

damn, now you've really got me thinking about this too!!! it's a super interesting topic to consider, honestly. it's very possible that sam's got some knowledge of more languages than the ones I pointed out and he just never got the chance to use them, and it's possible that dean knows more than he lets on and just likes when sam shows off (I honestly think that that's why he plays dumb sometimes). I don't think even the writers know whether any of that is true. I don't know if kripke knows, lol. it's a lot of fun to speculate on though!!!

[twelvegrimmyplace]

Nick Grimshaw looks back: ‘Rihanna, Kate, Naomi – Mum was never fazed by them. But she did lose it over Alan Titchmarsh’

The broadcaster and his mother recreate an old photo and recall their wild nights out together

Born in Oldham in 1984, Nick Grimshaw is a presenter best known for his time on BBC Radio 1, as well as his mischievous charm and A-list social circle. Starting his career as a runner for MTV, he went on to present T4, became a judge on the X Factor, hosted the Radio 1 Breakfast show and now has a culinary podcast, Dish. He lives with his fiance, the dancer Meshach Henry, in London with his two dogs. His memoir, Soft Lad, is out now.

Eileen

Nick always wanted to be the centre of attention, and was a very comical child. In that picture, he was probably eight, and it would have been Children In Need night. When that happened, my God, he made everyone sit down. He’d get you nuts, crisps and sweets, and you’d have to watch the whole lot. He’d get obsessed like that with everything – television, radio, music. There was a dog book fad, too. He knew off by heart every breed and he’d take it to church when we went to mass, hiding it inside the hymn book so nobody could see.

Nick’s talkative. It was like switching the light on in the morning, then it was all day, nonstop. He was known for it, and would get in trouble at school because of it. He knew from a young age that he wanted to get a job at Radio 1. He said: “That’s where I’m going to work” and his dad replied: “Mmm, you and a million other kids.” But Nick stuck by it.

As well as chatting, he was in a band, playing the cornet. It was terrible. When I’d get my friends round – there’s a group of nine of us, we call it Girls’ Night – Nick would worm his way in. The cornet would come out. Once or twice he’d say: “I don’t want you to look at me while I do it,” so he’d have his back to us. He was way out of tune and we’d be bursting not to laugh but his dad would say: “Brilliant! Fantastic!” He got thrown out of the band in the end and I had to try to talk them into letting him back in.

When he left home for university we thought we’d gone deaf because it was so quiet. His house was a dump. You’d wipe your feet when you came out – it was atrocious. Then he was off to London. He wouldn’t really tell me what was happening down there – he’d just say he was handing out flyers.

I didn’t see a lot of him back then, but sometimes he’d bring his friends up for Christmas. Nick asked if Amy Winehouse could come one year. I said: “Why?” He said: “Well, she’s got nowhere to go.” She didn’t come in the end, but I did speak to her when she rang the house phone.

Nick’s very thoughtful. Even more so as he’s got older. He’s grown up, and I now see him settled with Meshach, and they’re so lovely together. My friends all say I’m so lucky he wants to include me in everything he does. I’ve had some brilliant holidays with him, but when I visit him in London it’s always a bit full-on. I get there and he says: “Don’t worry, we’ll have a nice quiet weekend” but it never is. He’s bumping into people, or there’s a party and we’re not home until quarter to six the next morning. It’s exhausting, but I do think, you know what? While I’m fit and able to, I’m going to enjoy it.

Nick

That was the prime spot in our lounge. I was getting ready to watch the telly and cuddle with Eileen. The green mark on my hand was from painting – possibly a frog. My milk teeth hadn’t fallen out but my adult teeth started growing – so you can see a single fang in the picture. My family were like: “Oh that’s horrible! That’s so gross.” They used to call me Wolf Boy. How mean.

I was enjoying my life at this point. I loved primary school. It was in a bungalow, and it didn’t feel as if I was doing actual work, just running around seeing gerbils or a stray dog. We’d do skipping or play rounders or welly chucking. It was about this time that I got into Hardcore Ecstasy – a rave compilation that I loved. At secondary school I had friends but I was never in a clique or a gang, and I wonder if it’s because my reference points were off because of my older brother and sister’s influence. I was less excited about the Spice Girls because I was like: “Yeah, but have you heard the Slits?” Pretty annoying. I obviously also loved Girls’ Night.

I don’t know what it was about cities, but I always wanted to be somewhere bigger. I grew up in suburban Oldham and enjoyed the chaos of going to central Manchester. Once I realised I wanted to do radio, I knew I had to go to London. It seemed there was so much life for young people there versus being on my mum and dad’s watch, listening to wood pigeons and having a potato hash for tea. I wanted a racket.

I ended up meeting Mairead [Nash] and Tabitha [Denholm] from Queens of Noize when I was doing student radio. That night we went out together and didn’t come back for 24 hours. My friend Jenny dropped me off the next day at my parents’ and my dad was in the front garden. As the car pulled up he said: “Where the bloody hell have you been? Look at the bleeding state of you!” I looked straight ahead and said: “Drive on.” He chased me down the road with clippers and I hid at Jenny’s. London was such a big fast city, so the friends I made I bonded with quickly. When I was unemployed, me and Amy [Winehouse] would get drunk in the day in Camden, and Mairead and Tabitha really looked after me. Sadie [Frost], too.

When my dad died [in 2016], a family friend, Sarah, said to think of it as the start of a new sort of relationship with my mum. We could be adults together rather than mother and son. I was worried about her feeling alone after such a monumental change, but we ended up becoming good friends and she’d come out with me to parties, or we’d go away with Sadie’s family.

Mum was never fazed by any of my friends. Once I took her to a Stella McCartney fashion week dinner and everyone famous was there – Rihanna, Kate, Naomi. None of it bothered her, although it was good gossip for her when she got back home and could tell Girls’ Night how gorgeous they all were. That being said, she did lose it when she met Alan Titchmarsh. The night before, I’d taken her to DJ with me at one of [stylist and journalist] Katie Grand’s fashion parties and we ended up having a big night. I was so hungover the next day when we were supposed to go to the Chelsea flower show together, that we ended up getting drunk there to get over it. Then she saw Alan. She was like: Alan! Alan! Weak at the knees for Alan.

My mum has also been a victim of many pranks on the radio. Once Alan Carr called her and said he was a casting agent who wanted to know if she’d like to be Pauline Quirk’s mother in Broadchurch. Another time, I called and said I had all these demands for when I visited next: that I wanted a kilo of wheatgrass and an ostrich egg. It was so funny that we made a song on Radio 1 of my mum going “Wheatgrass?” over banging techno.

When I was younger, I’d call her when I needed something – and also because contractually you should ring your mum. Then I called her for pranks. Now I phone every day because I want to gossip or to hear her news. Even though I’ll keep taking her along to parties, my favourite thing is still staying at home watching telly with Eileen.

[source]

[qnewsau]

Gina Gershon told she'd 'never work again' after 1996 lesbian film

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Gina Gershon told she'd 'never work again' after 1996 lesbian film

In a recent episode of the ‘It Happened in Hollywood’ podcast, Bound costars Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly spoke about their roles in the iconic lesbian film.

Written and directed by the Wachowskis in their feature-film debut, Bound tells the story of Violet (Tilly), a woman who is trapped in a relationship with a mobster named Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) but falls in love with ex-con Corky (Gershon), a woman working on their apartment building.

“It was a great script and I could tell they were incredible directors, but my agents were like, ‘We will not let you do this movie. You are ruining your career,’ ” Gershon said on the podcast.

“‘We will not be able to let you represent. You will never work again.’ “

“I said, first of all, it’s so shortsighted to say, ‘Oh, this is a lesbian movie.’ I mean, they happen to be lesbians,” Gershon said. “They happen to be into women, but it’s really a movie about trust.”

“I thought that was so small-minded and shortsighted. And if that’s what we were up against, I was in.”

Gina Gershon loved to play ‘the hero’ in Bound

Gina Gershon added that she loved that she got to play ‘the hero’ on screen.

“When does the girl get to play the hero, you know?’ she said.

“I thought, ‘Well, I could cut off my hair, cut off my nails, have no makeup. I get the girl. I get the car. I screw over the mob.’ It’s a win-win all around.”

As for the infamous sex scene with Gerson, Jennifer Tilly praised her costar: “Gina’s the best person in the world to have a sex scene [with], because we have so much trust.”

“I could say to Gina, ‘Can you hold up my breast so it looks a little more juicy and and perky?’ ” she said.

“We were really helping each other out, and she’s just the coolest person in the world.”

Read More:

Eileen: Watch the trailer for Anne Hathaway’s lesbian thriller

First trailer for lesbian road trip film Drive-Away Dolls

We Are Pride partners with Lesflicks for Pride Month

Rosie O’Donnell: ‘Now and Then’ character was supposed to be a lesbian

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.