#but these in particular remind me of jesse as a character.

[quick-drawn]

𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 ( 𝟓 ) 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄.

Dust Bowl Dance — Mumford & Sons

Saint Bernard — Lincoln

Like A Cowboy — Parker McCollum

Bilgewater — Brown Bird

Wolves of the Revolution — The Arcadian Wild

tagged by: @colecassiidy what a boss move

[autisticandroids]

outsider pov

time is fake. these are some outsider pov fics for @spnficrecfest. there's a lot of conceptual overlap here with my casefic reclist, since i'm such an enthusiast for law enforcement chasing the boys. any crossovers do NOT require familiarity with the crossed over material. all of these are gen.

in order of wordcount:

identity theft solutions by ivyfic, 1k

a guy gets a letter in the mail from a bank he doesn't have an account with about a credit card he's never used.

the glomourous life of john dillinger by dwarfankylosaur, 1k

henriksen and his partner have a bet. extraordinarily charming.

not long enough by gayeld, 1k

salmondean tell victor about the supernatural. in particular, meg.

the outsider by denihil, 1k

henriksen has some sympathy for sam.

breathe on, sister (they pass me by remix), 1k

henriksen puzzles over sam and dean saving people from a fire. i would read the fic it's a remix of as well, if i were you.

days without feathers by pyrebi, 1k

jess's mom sees sam on tv.

the mysterious cold oak murders by anonymous, 2k

buzzfeed unsolved does an episode on the events of all hell breaks loose part 1.

perseverance by grumkinsnark, 2k

henriksen interviews a series of season one characters in search of the winchesters.

paper weight by vaznetti, 3k

kathleen hudak, from the benders, pokes into the winchester case at henriksen's behest.

the death defying mystery of the brothers winchester by dyed_red, 5k

buzzfeed unsolved again, this time on our boys.

the angel killer by vikki, 5k

cas is caught by the cops, circa season five.

the henricksen files by ante down, 9k

technically abandoned, but it's more a series of codas and character studies than a story, so it being abandoned doesn't really matter. so old it was written before henriksen's name spelling was canonized. this fic is a series of henriksen-centric codas, following him as he follows the winchesters over the course of season two. it has some of my favorite henriksen characterization, actually.

no way out iii by kelincihutan, 21k, violence warning

criminal minds crossover. real feds meet fake feds, and problems ensue.

minimal loss (what a joke) by eden22, 26k

criminal minds crossover. the feds go into a hunter compound. they meet some hunter children, including ten year old sam and fourteen year old dean. they try not to cause another waco.

this fic is one of the ones that i revisit when i want to be reminded that fanfiction can be good. it's THAT good.

the right to remain silent by boundlight, 27k, chose not to warn

svu crossover. tfw are caught by the cops in new york. i lied, this one is destiel.

nothing to see here by innie, 30k

a canon divergence starting from in my time of dying. kathleen hudak chases the winchesters. a number of other things also happen. john makes a different deal.

[kairiscorner]

when grump meets grump <3

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

miguel x grumpy reader

now if there was anyone else feared upon in the spider society that wasn't named 'miguel o'hara', it was you. the moment you joined the spider society, everyone had a new face to fear.

every day was a challenge for the rest of the spider society, even jess and peter b couldn't go to your quarters without knocking and stating their name and business for coming there. if they wasted your time with an easy picking mission, or a bad joke, or at worst... a childish prank, they'd be squishes spiders in the next minute–or make that in the next five seconds.

you were serious about your job, no nonsense was allowed on your watch. you reminded everyone of a certain leader who was very particular with how things were run at HQ, and how fun was virtually dead when he was doing things his way.

but surprisingly...

"i hate him." you seethed as you clenched your fists, your eyebrows were furrowed as you scrunched up your nose, gritting your teeth. peter b spit out his coffee all over the table by accident, jess fetching a few napkins to clean it up.

"you... you hate miguel?" peter b asked, exasperated and... bewildered, if anything else. you nodded, slowly, as your eye twitched just the slightest at the mention of that damned man's name.

"he thinks he's the shit. honestly, what's wrong with him? why does he make everything about him? you've seen how he plans out the missions, he always delivers the finishing blow. he never lets anyone else do the work, it's always him, him, him!" you exclaim as you got up and threw the table down out of rage.

peter b yelped as jess grabbed him and brought the both of them to the side. they were... extremely surprised you didn't see eye-to-eye with miguel. they always believed that if they weren't miguel's closest allies, you'd be. but no. your rage and hatred for miguel subverted their expectations.

"so glad i never let them hold mayday..." peter b murmured. "well be glad if they don't hear you right no–" jess was telling him, until you turned your head with a scowl at them. "i could hear everything you two were saying, y'know." you warned them, which was their cue to leave.

you cooled down after a few hours, beating anomalies without anyone else holding you down or telling you what to do always hit the spot. but soon, the dreaded hour came.

a holographic image of miguel appeared on your watch, you tried your hardest not to look angry nor disgusted at the sight of him, even when masked. "report back to my office at HQ, we got a situation here." he said curtly, and before you could even ask what was so important that he had to call you, he hung up immediately.

you sighed and groaned in frustration as you opened up a portal to head back to HQ. the moment you stepped back into HQ, you were in miguel's office. you crossed your arms over your chest and raised an eyebrow.

"talk to me." you said in a monotonous voice as miguel turned around to look at you, confused. "why're you here?" he asked. you looked at him in disbelief. "o'hara, don't fuck with me. you called me earlier, dumbass." you reminded him, getting a little pissed off at him playing dumb.

miguel looked at you now in disbelief, turning around fully to face you as his platform slowly descended. you tapped your foot impatiently like a cartoon character. "last time i checked, you weren't from earth-8311. what's got you so impatient over nothing?" he asked in a tired voice.

you groaned. "you. you called me? jeez, i thought you of all people would know it's not hilarious to waste another person's valuable time with such stupid, insipid little pranks!" you exclaimed, angry, and a little embarrassed because miguel really did seem like he didn't know what you were talking about. could you have been wrong, for once in your life?

miguel put a hand up to stop your fuming self from framing him from any more allegations of him summoning you to his office. "i didn't call anyone, i was out fighting more variants of the vulture with jess and a new recruit. i didn't call for anyone else, except... dammit." miguel breathed out as he put a hand to his side and pinched the bridge of his nose with furrowed eyebrows.

"lyla!" miguel called for the ai assistant in an irritated voice. lyla showed up a little disheveled, she soon refreshed herself and came back looking more presentable. "what?" she asked as she looked at miguel, who looked at her a little... desperately.

"did you... did you call them?" miguel was asking lyla in a hushed voice, almost as if he did not want you to hear what they were talking about even if it concerned you.

lyla looked at miguel, then at you, then back at miguel, then back at you, then she smiled. she shrugged. "i did." she said in a cheeky, unenergetic voice.

miguel rubbed both of his temples and shut his eyes when lyla admitted she called you. you pit your hands on your hips and raises an eyebrow, still unsure of what was going on.

"but why?" miguel asked in a slightly nervous tone. "you know never to call their line unless... it's absolutely necessary." he reminded lyla, who laughed a little at that.

"i was just doing what you told me to do, test out your automated answering system for video calls. it was arbitrary, just so happened to call them with an automated response. no biggie." she said with a smile and a shrug as miguel looked like he was about to combust out of frustration towards her.

"so what is it? why'd you call?" you asked in an expectant voice, looking at miguel who tried to appear brave, but instead, appeared remorseful.

"i... i didn't call you here." he admitted, looking at you then back away. "lyla was testing out the beta stages of a project i have, um, it was an arbitrary choice, really, just so happened to call you by accident and didn't get to tell you it was a beta test. i'm sorry, for wasting your time and energy for coming here." he apologized.

your eyes widened as you looked at him. "you... apologized?" you asked with a tone of surprise. "you, miguel o'hara, apologized to me?" you asked incredulously as lyla was taking videos of this moment.

miguel put his hands to his hips, hung his head, and nodded. "yeah." he said with a click of his tongue as he looked back up at you. "i'm sorry." he said, and though it was hard to distinguish it from sarcasm or sincerity, miguel really was being sincere with his apology for wasting your time.

you stared at him, you refused to believe he was being honest. "and why would you apologize? i thought everyone here was expected to bow down to you, mr. o'hara." you asked, putting up your cold front.

"well... if you must know, um..." miguel stuttered, trying to find the right words, when lyla finally spoke up on his behalf. "your badassness scares him shitless. he hates having to piss you off because he wants to keep living." she said, and as miguel lunged forward to shut her up, lyla moved from one side of his to the other. "that, and he thinks you're super hot, so there. toodles." she said as she logged off as miguel was going to lunge at her again. he cussed under his breath as you took in what lyla said.

"is it true?" you asked him, your tone softening. he turned around to face you, and looked at you with a nervous expression. "do i... scare you?" you ask miguel as you approached him. he loomed over you, but you always found ways to subdue your opponents–miguel never wanted you to see him as one. in fact, he wanted you to look at him as the complete opposite, really.

"um... yes." he admitted, looking down at the ground. "but, you also find me attractive?" you ask, which sends a warmth through miguel's cheeks. "i... i kinda do." he mutters as he looks away from you.

you put a hand on his chin as you made him look at you, gently turning his face to look at you. "oh, well don't just look away from someone after you confess to them, that's very rude." you said with a joking air.

miguel looked at you, his eyes wide as he saw, for the first time, a playful look on your face that had no malice, no anger, no... grump in it. "i may be grumpy and serious, but that doesn't mean i'm heartless." you tell him as you squeeze his cheeks together.

"man, who'd've thought a big, commanding man such as you was actually scared of little old me? now that just makes me blush." you said with a small laugh as a rosy blush slowly appeared on your cheeks, miguel's blush deepening.

"so, do you... do you feel the same way?" he asks you, pretty hopeful of your answer. you shrug. "i did just admit to jess and peter b how much i hated the way you made everything in missions about you... but maybe you did that because you hate having someone telling you what to do. i hate that too, actually." you say with a grin.

"i kinda like the cut of your jib, o'hara. maybe... maybe you and i can come around to a compromise on our, well..." you trailed off as you searched for the right words.

"attitude problems." lyla chimed in as she disappeared just as immediately as she came in. miguel groaned as you chuckled. miguel smiled up at you. "yeah, maybe we can... take a break from being such grumps." he said.

"hey, you're the grump–i'm always the right one, you know that." you tell him as you give him a sly look.

"is that right now?" miguel asked sarcastically as he smiled at you.

maybe both of your grumpiness would only be a sometime thing now, hopefully.

tags!! @miguelswifey04

[imjustwritingg]

Other than wanting to wrap Hailey in cotton wool and give her the biggest hug, how are you feeling/what are your thoughts after last nights episode?

This turned into an unofficial review of sorts and it got rather long, so I’ll post it all below the cut for those that want to read my thoughts.

I might be in the minority here, but I really enjoyed the episode. I kinda loved it actually, and it might be one of my favorite episodes. I enjoyed everything about it…the writing, the directing, the acting.

Gwen Sigan wrote the episode, but I gotta give her credit where it’s due because it was pretty damn good in my book. It reminded me a lot of her writing days prior to her becoming show-runner and I miss those days so very much.

I think the tidbits of Hailey’s past are coming way too late, but I still really enjoyed getting to peek into her life a bit more. Just wish we could have gotten more of it along the way and not three episodes before the character is gone.

I loved Kevin’s blatant callout to Hailey in the first minute of the episode of how she’s dealing and if running is helping her. He asks this question of “how are you doing…really doing?” with no words and just one look, and then we’re given the answer by Hailey deflecting and avoiding yet again under the guise of wanting a sugar fix. I think that was brilliant. It conveyed everything you needed to know about Hailey’s mental state in one short moment.

No Voight in the episode was such a gift.

Hailey being in charge and leading this particular case was the right move and she handled it so well. I’m bummed we probably won’t see her leading her own unit someday.

Also back to the no Voight thing just for a moment to say that it’s interesting to see how the dynamic shifted with the team versus him not being around and Hailey being in charge. The team felt lighter to me, like in the sense that they weren’t on edge, walking on eggshells in a way. Everything just felt calmer. There was still an intensity and an urgency to solve the case, but rules were followed, there was no off the book cowboy bullshit, and it felt like everyone followed Hailey and trusted her, whereas with Voight they were obeying orders that were barked out to them. I don’t know. It just felt really different and so very satisfying to me.

I love Kevin and Kim’s ability to communicate with one another with just one look between them. Makes me think of the early days of them being partners and being on patrol. They still work so wonderfully together.

This case was sick. A mother doing that to her own child is demented. Where these writers, and Gwen specifically, come up with these ideas is beyond me, but someone should probably do a wellness check on her. Like girly needs some serious therapy and R&R.

Josephine Petrovic. I had some hesitation with her at first as you usually do with a new character as you try and suss them out, but I’ve gotta say, I like her. I like her and I hate that I like her and I hate that she only just came onto the show because I would love to see what happens with her if she were to stick around, but I can’t watch this show without Tracy or Jesse — mostly Tracy — but neither of them? I just can’t do it. I have some other thoughts on Jo, but I will save them for another ask I received.

I obviously saved the elephant in the room for last…Jay. I really don’t think the mentions and nods to him in this episode were “bad” in any way because it’s stuff that has already been said about the character…Gwen’s version of him at least, but I do think there is a reason why he is being brought up and why there are so many nods to the marriage. Hailey insisted she wasn’t angry with him in the premiere. She signed the divorce papers, sent them off, and that was that and she washed her hands of him. Except she didn’t. Because she is angry, she hasn’t moved on in the year and a half he’s been gone now, signing the papers didn’t give her any closure…hell, even him signing the papers didn’t give her any closure, (I will die on the hill that he only signed them because it’s what he thought she wanted). I personally do not think she will get any closure whatsoever if she doesn’t have a conversation with him, if she doesn’t confront him and all of it head on…the anger and resentment and confusion and the love that is still there. You can’t turn that shit off. You can’t just push it away and be like, “okay, I’m done with you now, goodbye.” Life doesn’t work that way. Emotions don’t work that way. Grief sure as shit doesn’t work that way, and I feel like that is the stage Hailey is stuck in right now. Grieving the loss of Jay and her marriage and stuck in a limbo that she doesn’t know how to navigate on her own while dealing with childhood trauma that she actually isn’t really dealing with at all. And she is without a doubt on her own. That is the one thing that has been made clear this season. She has no family, not any friends other than co-workers, and right now, she doesn’t have Jay. I respect the “independent woman, gonna stand on my own, I don’t need anyone” mindset, but I don’t agree with how we got here and I also don’t fully agree with the notion that she doesn’t need anyone because everyone needs someone. You can’t do life alone. You need someone in your corner, someone by your side, someone who gets you in ways you don’t even know yourself, and for Hailey, that person is and will always be Jay Halstead. I think she will realize she needs to get out of Chicago like her brothers, like Jay, like Will, and I hope that wherever she ends up, Jay is there waiting for her and the two of them can just start over without Chicago and their past looming over them like a dark cloud. And for the love of God, let them both go to therapy…together and separately.

Brenna Malloy directed and it was just…perfect. True cinema if you will. The close-ups of the actors’ faces during certain scenes and how the camera would pan to them at just the exact right moment for a reaction, the no background noise and intentional pauses during scenes that allowed moments to feel heavier and more real, the ending shot of Hailey and her teary eyes…I feel like it was a story that was so delicately handled and crafted by Brenna, and I’m just really impressed.

Tracy Spiridakos. I mean, what more even needs to be said? The woman is a powerhouse. It always amazes me knowing how much of a goof she is on set and then you watch an episode like this and it’s just like…WOW. Her range of emotion and the way she makes you feel every single one of those emotions is truly something that needs to be studied. You cry with her, you smile with her, you laugh with her, but the biggest thing is you feel for her character, and I think that is something that not all actors are capable of doing with an audience. Tracy knocks it out of the park, across the highway, into the next town every time, and her execution is consistent every time as well. No one is doing it like her, and I love and respect the hell out of that woman and her talent.

I think the same also needs to be said for Bojana Novakovic. I have been surprisingly impressed by her and kind of adore her. I’ve really been enjoying the character of Josephine Petrovic and I hate that she’s only coming into the show now right when Tracy is walking out the door because Bojana alone is incredible, but her and Tracy together? It’s like magic to me. Their chemistry as scene partners and the way they bounce off each other is absolutely insane, and then their ability to pull you in and keep you locked in…ooof. I think it’s something special and I’ve really enjoyed seeing them together on-screen.

As for how I feel…

I feel good? Okay? The episode didn’t do much for me in the grand scheme of “what is Hailey gonna do” or “what’s gonna happen” because we already anticipated her leaving Chicago. That wasn’t ever in question. But the actual reason for Hailey leaving is still muddled to me, even more so because she hasn’t resolved anything in her life. She still has these demons, a past filled with trauma she hasn’t found peace with, she has no closure with Jay, she has questions and zero answers, and she is already and literally running from her problems.

So, is she supposed to leave Chicago and start over somewhere and her problems are just gonna go poof? Magically disappear? Because that’s not how that works, and I think that would be yet another injustice to the character and more lazy writing. I do think the episode (finally!) laid the groundwork for Tracy’s exit, but it should have started in episode 1, not 10. Tracy gave them an entire season to wrap up Hailey’s story, and I feel like they wasted so much time and it’s gonna be another rushed exit once the curtain falls. It’s not that I’m surprised in that regard, but I am disappointed (again!) especially considering how much of a fuss Gwen made about “it’s so generous of Tracy to give us a whole season.”

If Gwen’s plan was to make Hailey’s exit about her family and her childhood trauma then the seed should have been planted long before now, and Jay shouldn’t still be a sore subject for her. I think we’re in for a really emotional ending to the season, not just for Hailey, but for the first time since season eight I’m actually looking forward to a finale again.

In conclusion and a very long story short…I loved the episode, but Gwen Sigan is still on my shit list.

[the-bi-space-ace]

There’s been some discussion recently about the subplot of bullying in The Bad Batch and I had some thoughts so I decided to write them out to discuss them.

I wanted to bring up some things that maybe can put together this disconnect we seem to see between the show The Bad Batch and the show The Clone Wars and maybe explains a bit about this whole bullied versus bully concept.

To me The Clone Wars paints a very different picture than The Bad Batch in a way that only serves to make the lines blurry and make the viewer think (perhaps not their intention but I think maybe they fell into this more on accident). The Clone Wars batch rolls in with a reputation that’s already not too great. Jesse even says it: it’s not that they win. It’s how they win. The batch is known for dangerous stunts that put other people at risk. They don’t always think through their decisions outside of themselves. Then we get this scene of them walking off of the ship and they are very arrogant. They show off, they talk big, they don’t exactly give off ‘approachable’.

We get into the mission and Jesse, in particular, is not a fan but it isn’t very aggressive yet. Crosshair is being confrontational - staring Jesse down, making snippy comments, and being an overall ass (I love Crosshair, don’t get me wrong, I’m just talking about what I observe in this introduction). I think it’s because he senses Jesse’s dislike of them and wants to poke at it.

We’re not off to a good start.

Where I think the batch fails in this episode is letting Crosshair insult Rex and further goad Jesse. Crosshair shouldn’t have said half the stuff he did and Jesse (and later, Rex) are justified in hitting back at him.

They’re soldiers. They’re going to get in each other’s faces if someone starts talking shit.

When Jesse scolds Crosshair - I think Kix is somewhere standing in the background but not directly involved- Wrecker steps in and turns things violent.

It’s not a moment I’m most proud of them. It’s actually one of the moments I’m least proud of them. Crosshair and Kix get into it when Crosshair shoves him for trying to help Jesse and Rex is attempting to get Wrecker to let Jesse go. This escalated quickly and I’m not sure I can say that this was justified. It seems like a big jump to me (but maybe someone disagrees, feel free to, I’d like to know someone else’s thoughts).

In this episode we’re really led down one path that says the batch and other clones don’t get along and from this limited perspective in this episode it seems like the batch are instigators. They roll in, avoid consequences for themselves, and roll out without giving anyone else a second thought.

The Bad Batch tv show paints an entirely different picture and it is definitely to make them more likable and relatable to a young audience. Every kids show has the character that’s an underdog, it’s who we want to root for. It makes the people in The Bad Batch’s age range connect with them more and I can’t exactly blame them for writing it this way - although after seeing the batch in the clone wars it does make me sigh a bit, I won’t lie.

I was bullied as a child. Quite severely, actually, so I find myself justifying the disconnect with a few things. Perhaps the batch puts up a front so they push other clones away before it can happen to them. I’ve done this. I put on a really abrasive attitude to keep people away when I was in high school and I regret it. However, I got over myself as I got older and worked through my own issues rather than blaming other people. Because you have to. It’s not alright to continue to hurt other people because you were hurt and I remind myself of that every single day. It’s the only way to move forward. I never have to forgive people who have hurt me but I can’t start using it as an excuse.

I mention this only to say that maybe their behavior in The Clone Wars was a mask built from past hurt and that could make sense to me. You build up walls when you’ve been hurt and you create behaviors based on experience. However, I still don’t think their behavior should be excused. I still think they escalated that situation far before anyone else did. In the same way I think Jesse made a lot of snap judgements about the batch and just kept finding ways to reinforce that judgement based on what he’d heard about them prior. And this snap judgment isn’t the best way to go about working with new people. It’s not an excuse, just an explanation.

I even think the batch’s behavior in episode 1 of their own show kind of contradicts some of their behavior in TCW. Particularly Crosshair. Crosshair doesn’t engage in the cafeteria until he absolutely has to while in TCW he is the primary instigator. We can try to explain this by saying it’s because his chip activated and his personality shifted. I just think it’s something worth pointing out.

I’d also like to add that of course the batch are the primary instigators in The Clone Wars because the clones we knew and loved in that show are technically the heroes of the episode. Of course they’re portrayed in a better light. It’s the same as the batch in episode one of their own show. Of course they’re portrayed as the ‘good guys’. It’s their show. To me it’s less of a character moment and more of a way to get the viewers of the show to root for somebody, whoever they want us to root for in the moment. The Bad Batch is told from their perspective so they are going to be the underdogs while The Clone Wars brings the batch in as outsiders to the group and gives them a more aggressive interaction to further our already beloved character’s narratives.

This was a very long way to say, I’ve always been kinda meh about the whole ‘the batch is bullied’ subplot and I tend to avoid writing it in my own fics because I think there is inconsistency with the writing between the clone wars and the bad batch and this can possibly be boiled down to a few things like different writers on the creative teams, an uncertain future, and wanting to paint certain characters in certain lights because of the show they are on. Rather than actually being a truly defining character arc it is a tool, as most writing is, it’s just not a tool I particularly care for in this story. And while I do think there are inconsistencies I can piece together some things to explain it if I really want to. I don’t think one side is right and one side is wrong. I think there are a million explanations for hurt on both sides and we decide it for ourselves because neither show truly made it clear enough for me to draw any lines in the sand. (And if you’ve been reading my stories at all you know I love a good grey area so I probably wouldn’t draw lines at all.)

I always try to be fair to everyone when I write stuff like this so I hope I’ve covered all of my points well enough. There are plenty of things to say about this topic and it has been talked about a few times recently in other posts that you can read. Tagging 1 by @laughhardrunfastbekindsblog and 2 by @gars-technician because these two posts inspired me to write this.

I’d definitely encourage open discussion here if anyone wants to chime in 😊 while I know we might all have different opinions I’m certainly willing to hear them as long as everyone is respectful.

[jgroffdaily]

Interview by Jake Nevis, photos by Jenny Anderson - excerpts:

For Groff in particular, who’s earned a Tony Award nomination for his swaggering turn as the prodigious composer Franklin Shepard, the experience of starring in Merrily We Roll Along is provoking a tender sort of reappraisal of the wide-eyed, closeted 20-something who arrived on Broadway two decades ago in Spring Awakening, tending his own dreams. “There’s so many powerful parallels and I’m feeling the opportunity to release a lot of the tension I was holding at that time,” he told me earlier this month over coffee in Greenwich Village (just before showing face at a Tony’s luncheon). “This character feels like an exorcism of the lightest and darkest parts of myself.” With easy candor—and a charm not dissimilar to the kind he demonstrates in the role—Groff opened up about learning to live without shame and what Looking, the polarizing HBO series he starred in from 2014 to 2016, taught him about show business.

JAKE NEVINS: Hey, Jonathan. Congrats on your Tony nomination.

JONATHON GROFF: Thank you so much.

NEVINS: That’s exciting. How do you feel?

GROFF: Oh my god, I feel super emotional. I’ve been crying a lot these days. Last time I was nominated was during Hamilton, which was like seven or eight years ago. And I wasn’t in the show when the nominations happened. I had left to do a TV show. So this is the first time since Spring Awakening that I’ve experienced the intensity of awards season on Broadway while being in the show. I’m having a lot of flashbacks to being 22 years old.

NEVINS: What were your first encounters with Merrily in particular?

GROFF: Gideon Glick, who was in Spring Awakening with me, sent a text to the Spring Awakening text chain saying, “This documentary came out called The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened. And it’s devastating and beautiful, and it reminded me so much of us. You all have to go see it.” So I watched the documentary about Merrily that Lonny Price made and was blown away by it. At the Hollywood Bowl, I had done Sondheim on Sondheim, where I sang the role of Frank in “Opening Doors” and Jesse Tyler Ferguson did “Franklin Shepard, Inc.,” so I knew the songs from there. Funny enough, we had just finished our Spring Awakening reunion concert, which was in the fall of 2021, and we were making a documentary about the concert and about the show. The Merrily doc was a big inspiration for that because of how they went back and forth and showed them as kids and showed them as adults. And then in January 2022, me and Jim Carnahan, who cast me in Spring Awakening 16 years before, were in a film club during COVID. After we saw 8½ at the Film Forum in January 2022, he said to me, “We’re going to come to you with an offer for Frank in Merrily We Roll Along. Do you know the show?” And I was like, “I know pieces of it, but I don’t know the show.” Maria’s production in London was on YouTube, so I watched it and I died for it. I just thought it was fucking genius, never having seen it and obviously knowing from the documentary that the show was originally a flop. So it took six months between January and June 2022 for us to figure out the dates. Dan [Radcliffe] was already attached to play Charley, and then Lindsay [Mendez] came on, and then we were off and running.

[Jonathan on reactions to Looking] And I was like, “Whoa.” That was when I started to learn the art of walking with an open heart and also protecting myself.

NEVINS: What does that look like?

GROFF: It’s like, having empathy and respect for the haters and honoring them and understanding that that opinion can exist and I can still be in my lane and express myself. Just because someone says it’s terrible doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth making.

NEVINS: Well, I’ll leave you with this. What’s the status of your inner voice? By all accounts, you’re living your dream, but I don’t want to draw any conclusions.

GROFF: This feels like it’s been a rebirth, a bit of a renaissance, and a release. It’s like I’m re-experiencing what I experienced when I was 22 with Spring Awakening, but now as a flashback, which is what Merrily is about. I moved to New York in 2004, 20 years ago. This show takes place over the course of 20 years. It’s about three friends. Spring Awakening was about these three characters. There’s so many powerful parallels and I’m feeling the opportunity to release a lot of the tension I was holding at that time. It feels like this opportunity to tap back into that 20-year-old I was and release all of the baggage from that time. I’m feeling more like myself than I ever have. This character feels like an exorcism of the lightest and darkest parts of myself.

NEVINS: An exorcism that ends with a Tony, hopefully

GROFF: Oh my god.

[wundrousarts]

What is your favorite theory about Mog's mom?

We have sooo little information about her that I find it hard to theorize about her. I have been holding onto this interview since 2020, where Jessica talks about how Morrigan doesn't really mention her mom but it is still an important part of her and her life. Here is part of it:

I always say Book Four is the book that I've been looking forward to writing since before I finished writing Nevermoor, because I knew that this was when Morrigan would begin to come to grips with that. That would begin to actually be part of her reality and part of her mental landscape and she would start to understand what that massive gap is that she has and how she's going to fill it.

Needless to say I am desperate. DESPERATE. for some crumbs re: Mog's mom in Silverborn. I think that at the very least "Act 2" might be when we finally start to learn more on that.

Here are some things I enjoy thinking about, in no particular order:

— I enjoy the theories that her name might be Odelle or Odette, or that her last name might be Swan or something related to that. Love the theories that perhaps she's from Nevermoor.

—— When the "[redacted] snippet" was shared, I asked for a hint on what word was hidden and Jess said "It's a surname. But not one you've seen in the books so far 👀" so it's like. Why was it hidden? Could it be a surname that is distinguishable and could connect to a certain mysterious character we don't know much about? Hmmm 🤔🧐. I hope that part wasn't cut because it's honestly the part for Silverborn I'm most curious about to discover the context!

— I am always very indecisive about my theories so until we learn more I still think that Morrigan's dream from Hollowpox could equally relate to both the Courage Square Massacre and whatever happened to Mog's mom.

— This isn't really related but Morrigan thinking that Maud Lowry (President Wintersea) reminded her of a mom haunts me. Like was it just Jess saying she looked like a soccer mom? Or is there something more?

— Also not really a theory but like. I've been revisiting the Silverborn Masterpost lately and while a lot of it is reaching or "cornplating" as the kids say (which. is kinda the point lol), I still think that the way that silver shows up for Witnesses, with the connections to home, the past, and identity, along with Emmett belonging to Mog's mom, could be worth noting.

[happynowyo]

Reflection, part 2

A/n: feel free to send request if you want to see some particular scenes in this fic between different characters or if you want me to write some other stuff based on some prompts with Kaz💜

And one more thing. The timeline in this fic takes place after season 1 of SaB but Pekka didn't frame Kaz, Inej and Jesper for murder. Matthias is too good to stay in Hellgate so let's imagine that Kaz was in a good mood one day and helped Nina (from the book kanon) to get him out just as she asked him over and over again. Wylan is a part of the Crows as well but no one except for Kaz knows that he's Van Eck.

Fandom: Six of crows

Warnings: Kaz Brekker and everything that goes with him

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x ShadowSummoner!OC

Summary: wandering about Ketterdam leads Jess to an unexpected encounter.

Word count: 1,7k

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4

Tag list: @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @valkyrie05x

The small hotel, located in the business part of the town, looked quite decent. But not enough to convince Jess that Ketterdam could claim to be the fair capital of Kerch.

The journey by sea took several weeks and by the end of it Jess was literally sick of the sight of the water and the noise of waves. She was endlessly bored, but deep down she consoled herself that the calm routine on a ship was far better than being anywhere near the Fold. The farther away she stayed from it, the safer it was.

A few weeks spent in near silence, with the exception of a brief dialogue with the captain, allowed her to put her thoughts in order and fully comprehend what had happened. At night Jess saw her father in her dreams over and over again, and he was so much like his old self, the one who had affectionately stroked her hair and spoiled her with fascinating stories from the past, that it seemed wild to her that the same man could try to subdue Alina to take her power of Sun summoner and use it to destroy everything and everyone around.

The contrast was so great that it was still hard to believe. Jess remembered perfectly well that her father was capable of cruelty, and the scars left on her back as the terrifying reminder were itchy but he was her father, and she was trying to hold on to the good things that had once bound them together. Baghra would surely scold her for that and call her a weak foolish girl whose naivety would lead to a bad outcome, but hadn't Baghra herself stayed by Aleksander's side for centuries and supported him by going along with her motherly feelings?

Jess was well aware of her grandmother's combative nature. Baghra would have found a way to kill the Darkling long time ago if she really wanted to stop him. Perhaps she clung to the idea that time would change Aleksander and allow him to pacify his lust for power and his hatred of the royal dynasty, that used the powerful Grishas as toys for entertainment at fancy parties, and Jess could not blame Baghra for that blind hope for the best.

When she arrived in Ketterdam, the first few days fell entirely out of her mind as she rested and slept pretty much all the time. Dreams saved her from the severe anxiety that came in choking waves and filled every cell of her body. Along with it there were some destructive thoughts full of obsessive paranoia. The Darkling was the strongest Grisha she had ever known, and she could easily imagine the rage her father would feel when he learned of her runaway. She would never be safe as long as he lived, but now Jess had no one who could truly confirm the Darkling's death in the Fold. She wished she had a mass of useful spies in different parts of the world, like Baghra, but she clung to the tip about Nina.

Jess was a couple of years older than Nina, but their rooms were next to each other in the East part of the Little Palace. That was one of the first reasons for their friendship. The other was that their impulsive nature and desire to act out of spite caused them to be punished by their teachers more often than anyone else. They practiced together, spending time chatting and also helping each other during their studies, trying to get their powers under control. Jess joked that she volunteered to be a guinea pig for Nina when she slowed her heart or made it gallop when Nina tried to squeeze her lungs, depriving her of oxygen and instantly plunging Jess into a state of animal panic for her life.

They got along well, so well that they once trusted each other with their most intimate secrets. Technically, Jess was known as one of the servants in the Little Palace. Baghra insisted that the fact of her kinship with Aleksander should have remained in shadows because of the fear of possible future consequences. But the burden of that truth grew heavier and heavier as the years went on. Nina was her only friend and Jess found it increasingly difficult to lie to her about why she always disappeared in the evenings. So on her fifteenth birthday she told Nina about her ability to summon shadows. Putting two plus two together was easy as everyone knew that such a gift was only inherited through the Morozov's bloodline.

Nina appreciated the trust that had developed between them, so in return she opened up about the planned escape. Jess was well aware that her friend was opposed to the idea that Grishas should serve the Crown without complaint and unconditionally participate in someone else's war as part of the First Army. Nina was a hopeless romantic and a relentless adventurer. She wanted something more out of her life besides orders, fear, and endless fighting with creatures in the Fold.

Perhaps it would have been easier for the two of them to run away together, but Baghra kept saying that Jess lacked self-control and the Darkling would instantly send an entire group to find her. The moment was not suitable and with tears in her eyes she had to let Nina go alone, enduring her father's interrogations later, when the alien darkness surrounded her with a thick veil and hurt by touching bare skin. Even if her father guessed the truth, he could not learn it from Jess.

Now she wanted to think that the memory of their former friendship would help her connect with Nina, though she was worried that Nina's opinion of her might have changed over the years. She could believe that Jess had helped her father of her own will and not by the order with the threat of cruel punishment, because who really cared about such details? During the war your motives and sincere desires don't mean anything — it's your actions that matter. And that's how Jess soothed her conscience after another nightmare that threw up pictures of the horrible things Aleksander forced her to do.

Finding someone in an unfamiliar city was a new task for Jess, but she was always the one to learn quickly, so the good two hundred kruge left in the hotel receptionist's pocket helped to get the names of a couple of places where Heartrenders usually worked. After visiting these places, however, Jess was left with nothing. If Nina had ever worked there, it wasn't under her own name. So her next attempt was the town square. You can understand a lot about the people of any place if you listen to what they say.

So Jess lurched in the shadows, clinging to scraps of other people's conversations about debts, gangs, Dime Lions, brothels and tourists. The flow of information poured over her in an avalanche, made her get lost in the names and places. Everything began to blend into indecipherable white noise, and Jess stopped focusing so much on her self-control. The shadows instantly came alive, licking her fingers with a unbodied chill and becoming thicker under the visor of some fancy bakery. The anxiety began to override clear thoughts, and Jess shook herself off just in time to see two guys walking past her, making lively conversation.

The vaguely familiar "Nina insisted that this is where they sell the best pistachio ice cream" caught her attention, and she let her curiosity take over, following the pair in a decent distance. She hadn't been able to follow them all the way, however, as someone's hand suddenly tugged at her shoulder, pulling her sharply into an empty alleyway. Her shoulder joined painfully with cold bricks, and Jess felt both indignation and fright as she looked up to see some Suli girl, whose face was half concealed by a grey cloak. She looked so thin and frail at the first side that Jess was surprised that the girl held the blade so confidently at her throat. Not the first time, apparently.

— The city is drowning in corrupt politicians and dishonest merchants, but you guys still rob an ordinary tourist? — the silly joke flew off her tongue before her brain had time to assess the dangerous situation.

Suli's brown eyes narrowed but her grip on Jess' shoulder was still firm.

— You were too focused on my friends for a tourist. Jesper spotted you three blocks back.

— I honestly don't understand…

— Did Pekka send you? Is he so desperate that now he's recruiting some pretty faces from Ravka? Your accent is minimal but my hearing is too trained.

The stranger's face remained impenetrable, so blank that Jess immediately noticed the contrast with the anxiety that flashed in the girl's eyes. God, if Nina wasn't in Ketterdam and Jess had come all that exhausting way for nothing, just to die in an empty alley because of someone else's suspicions, then Aleksander had better be dead indeed so he would never learn of such an embarrassment.

— Look, I arrived in Ketterdam three days ago and I have no idea who Jesper, Pekka and who else are! I'm looking for an old friend, Nina Zenik, I heard a familiar name in the crowd and just followed, so you don't have to worry about your safety. Whatever problems you have with Pekka, I won't give you any trouble, — Jess felt much more confident, though Suli's skeptical look full of mockery made it clear that she doubted Jess' ability to hurt anyone. That's better.

— How do you know Nina?

The jubilation that gripped Jess could be compared to the first alcohol in life that hits instantly and intoxicates too fast. Or to the time when she'd managed to confront her father and her shadows had swallowed his whole. She didn't hide the relieved exhale and visibly relaxed, pulling the stranger's dagger away from her with a slight smile.

— We'd been neighbors once. I hadn't seen her in a few years but I hoped to get some help. It's a matter of life and death, literally, and if you agreed to take me to her, I'd owe you forever.

— You know, Jesper says the same thing when he tries to convince me to leave him with cards alone for another game, it's a surprise you haven't met each other yet.

Part 3

[dontcryminecraft]

rewatching techno's playthrough of the minecraft storymode game and the way his commentary meshes with the main pov character Jesse reminds me of saiki k lol

"i hate everyone and everything, i will willingly burn down everything for my own sake and i don't care if anyone dies, in fact I'm rooting for it and want it to happen. the only thing keeping me from murdering lukas in particular is game mechanics. The only good character is the pig." *is forced to save the world* *forced to befriend lukas* *forced to save everyone* *every slightly rude dialogue option isn't taken as rude or turned on it's head*

[alys0r]

A small analysis of the Moonvale characters.

I must say right away that the characters from Moonvale seem to me more realistic and lively, even despite the disgusting avatars with artificial intelligence. These are clearly more or less the same types of characters from Duskwood, but somewhat modified. Initially, I thought that I would be extremely disappointed if everything in Moonvale was exactly the same as in the previous Everbyte game, but no. It seems that everything repeats itself, but it repeats extremely well. This is not a copy, but a parallel. Moreover, there are still differences. But about everything in order.

ADAM

Our missing waif. And yet we interact with him directly. We're connected somehow, and it's not just about the envelope with our name on it. Was Adam on his way to give us the envelope? I doubt it very much, considering that the main character is obviously not privy to this. Is it all related to Duskwood? I'm pretty sure I'm not, and if I am, it's obviously not with Hannah. To be honest, I haven't looked at the theory of this game yet, and I don't know if anyone has voiced such a thought, but the cave is clearly similar to the mine where Jake and Richie were. Especially considering that, as Jake said, if I'm not mistaken, the mine stretches for many kilometers, and the actions of the current game take place not so far from Duskwood. Soooooo, returning to Adam, this whole situation with him is clearly very different from the situation with Hannah, which is good news. I can't get a good look at Adam himself, given that there is no clear information about him

ERIC

Eric is probably one of my favorites (apart from Jake, of course, heh) among all those created by Everbyte. He is a lively and interesting character. Of all the people I'm dealing with today, it's the hardest for me to compare Eric to anyone in particular. Maybe with Thomas, because it's the first time we've talked to him, but that's all. Eric clearly has some kind of sin in the past, as can be understood from his correspondence with Ash, and it seems to me that this will play an important role in the plot (it is not surprising that such attention is paid to this). He is completely calm even in a tense situation and knows how to think clearly enough. The fact that he went into the forest alone, strangely, is still explained by the fact that he is well-versed in the wild. Eric is proactive, but he still thinks first and then acts, thanks to him for that (although this may change in the next chapters). And, apart from Adam, this is the only character whose face we've seen. Separately, I want to note that the idea that Eric could have done something bad on the night of the Festival (given that people from nearby cities come to Duskwood during the festival) is quite interesting.

ASH

Lily, with her combative nature, is clearly visible here. But Ash is clearly more sarcastic. And she doesn't throw accusations right and left, preferring to find out at least something first (but not personal data (I still love Lily)). Unfortunately, it is difficult to say anything else about this, given that this is only the first chapter. But Ash is already making a positive impression.

CHARLIE

Richie is No. 2, but not the kidnapper. Charlie seems to be much more free and open than Richie, but we all know why Richie himself couldn't be like that. Charlie is clearly more active and impressionable. One of those people who can't sit still and like to get involved in something. And unlike Eric, he acts first. It still seems to me that something unpleasant will be revealed about Charlie (although perhaps this applies to everyone in general). But he is a very nice person.

VIOLET

It reminds me of Jesse, but it's hard to say for sure yet. I think, like Jesse, he will play a big role specifically for the main character.

ANONYMOUS

I think, like me, you also thought at first that it was Jake. I'm not going to build theories about personality yet, but chel clearly knows us as well as Adam. Whether he will play the same role as Jake is difficult to say. (It will certainly be very funny if they also make him a romantic interest, deciding to stupidly copy Jake….)

That's all for now. I'm wondering which of the Duskwood characters will still make themselves felt (except Jake, I think he will obviously still show up). Maybe it will be Allan. Although it seems to me that in any case it will be someone little expected by us. And maybe I will have correspondence with the main guys of Duskwood, but literally something one-time.

I'm sorry for the mistakes, I don't know English very well and I use a translator

[presleyhearted]

Yours Truly - Chapter 13.5: Soon.

・❥・pairing: Elvis x original female character

・❥・genre: slow burn, mystery, angst, fluff.

・❥・wc: 645 words

・❥・summary: In which a 21-year-old girl suddenly finds herself having consecutive dreams of a particular rock ‘n’ roll star whom she has never met and who died 45 years ago.

・❥・ ratings & warnings: SFW. none.

❥・a/n: This is written from a different point of view. And yes, it it mostly a back-and-forth dialogue, which lacks description and detail. But all is intentional. You should zoom in, analyze, and put the puzzle pieces together yourself. This chapter was posted on wattpad months ago, I thought I already posted it on here at the same time. Sorry about that.

It is a short, but highly important chapter. 

chapter index | prev | chapter 14

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

"When someone loves you, the way they talk about you is different. You feel safe and comfortable." - Jess C. Scott 

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

NARRATOR'S VOICE 

[24 HOURS PRIOR. . .]

IT WOULD BE untrue if one were to say that the world is only full of purity, hope, and overwhelming happiness. However, it would also not be deemed proper to agree that only all dark madness and misery roam the earth. One cannot exist without the other. A saying that has been echoed from one ear to another. A saying that can account for a plethora of statements; you can never truly have it all. No one ever can. Furthermore, human beings have a forceful tendency to prolong what is simply out of their grasp. It is admirably optimistic, however, once again only prolonging the sheer inevitably of it all. 

How human. Hm. 

For one to voluntarily exhaust themselves for the silver of nonsensical hope? How foolish one would be to disregard the oldest rule of nature. 

Therefore, Dear readers, it would only be appropriate to simply from time to time - remind ourselves not to fall into our own warps of idealistic reverie. But of course, as it has been said many times before, humans are not known for being exceptional listeners. 

The rigorous downpour continued, and the dark-haired man could not care less - his blue eyes fixated on the spot in front of him with his right hand grasping into the air, then dropping it to his side momentarily. For just a few moments prior a woman was in front of him, her hazel eyes and radiant smile aimed at him. Not to mention, her arms around him as they danced despite the unconventional conditions, despite the water cascading down her dress and sticking to her skin. Now, at this moment, the man stands alone - the woman? vanished in a second, without the man completing his sentence. Slipping through his fingers just like that. 

The man slowly notices the umbrella hovering over him, the act of the figure beside him. He lets out a heavy sigh. 

"No- not yet." The man says, despite the person beside him not uttering a single word. 

"You are only exhausting yourself." 

"'Am not. " The man replies, shaking his head.

"It all has been more than enough." 

 "No," The man rejects, "Not even close."

"Yes, yes it it is. It has been. Listen to me-"

"No! I-I-I can't. Please, not now."

"Need I remind you that there is a limit." 

Silence.

"It is not wise of you to take hold, to attach yourself like this. You know the inevitable. For your sake, I am to warn you - be done with it."

"Be done with it?! " The man scoffs, "The fuck is she? A toy? No. I-I-I have chosen this, this was my choice. Don't you dare rip this off me. You know how it's been for me. I don't give a damn about your warning, keep 'em to yourself. She needs me. I-I-I have to be there. For her. All for her. I don't give a damn how tired ya say I am, I will do everything I can. I-I-I know, I know that it will happen. But not today. Not now. I-I can't let go. I- I-I need her. It's not possible to just 'be done with it' nah. Not with her. " The man furiously shakes his head, his eyes swollen with tears. 

"Let go."

"No."

"I shall see you soon then, Elvis." 

・‥...━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━...‥・

chapter 14

taglist:

@literally-just-elvis-fics

@obsessedwithurlove

@simplyamberj

@ilovereadingfanfics

[ashplayz]

Helluva boss x Y/n (my aus)

I've done a version of this with the hazbin hotel characters already. I wrote these because I'm considering taking requests for scenarios with the characters I'm doing for both shows but anything I write will generally follow my au for each character.

Characters included:

Loona. Moxxie and Millie (together as a poly) agent's one and two (together as a poly) fizzarolli and asmodeus (together as a poly) Verosika Mayday, Stella. Jesse (he's the bouncer from ozzies. Mrs. Mayberry (teacher lady from episode one)

The characters I didn't include I won't be writing for not necessarily because I don't like those characters just because I'm not entirely comfortable on my ability to write for certain characters. I love Blitz and Stolas obviously queen bee too, Not so much striker.. I just don't know how well I can write for those characters. Once we get to see more of Barbie wire I'll consider writing one for her..

Warnings:

Language, mentions of abuse atempted suicide, murder ect.

Loona x non binary Y/n:

Loona was sniffing as she stepped out of Beelzebubs party. She was upset knowing she could never compare to the queen bee. But she actually really really liked vortex, she knew she didn't even have a shot however.. She was about to call Blitz to come pick her up when a voice caught her attention. "Hey there, what's a pretty lady like you doing out here alone?" The voice asked. Loona turned to see a stunning demon that bore a very similar likeness to Bezzlebub, their h/c colored hair having stars mixed in that shone like rainbows. and their h/c colored eyes gleaming with mischief. It was Y/n, the sibling of Queen Beelzebub, a renowned figure in the same line of work as Angel dust. Loona's heart skipped a beat. She had heard stories about Y/n and seen them in the papers, but seeing them in person was a whole different experience. Y/n was not only incredibly beautiful but also known for their charisma and talent in the line of work they were in.

Y/n flashed a warm smile and sat down beside Loona. "So, what's got you looking so glum at this fabulous party?" Loona sighed, her ears drooping. "It's just... I've been having a rough day, and being here only reminds me of how alone I am. Everyone seems to be having a great time except for me." Y/n's eyes softened with understanding. "I can relate. Sometimes, even the most glamorous events can feel empty. But you know what? The key is to find someone who makes you feel like you belong, someone who sees your worth and appreciates you for who you are.Y/n said gently. They knew all too well how Loona was feeling being the sibling of such a popular icon as Beelzebub didn't always feel great.. Y/n chuckled and gently nudged Loona's shoulder. "If you're up for it. let's go do something fun instead of sitting here sulking" Y/n Said. It didn't take long for the two of them to grow very close. As the pair both had their own problems and sadness but they were able to help each other.

Millie + Moxxie x Fem sinner reader:

Blitz had been too busy to work on yet another case so he assigned it to Moxxie and Millie. Upon meeting the client they were both starstruck as she was certainly eye-catching. She was a high-profile client named Y/n. She was seeking revenge on the person that killed her, she wouldn't exactly give a lot of details on how she died or who the person was to her because it was clearly difficult for her to talk about. As they delved deeper into the case, Moxxie and Millie realized that they crossed paths with Y/n more often than they anticipated, and it made them question a few things as the pair couldn't seem to focus on the task at hand but rather Y/n in particular their paths intertwined again and again. The more they interacted with Y/n, the more they wanted to know about this mysterious client. One evening, after a particularly long day of investigating, Moxxie and Millie found themselves alone in their office. The atmosphere was heavy with unspoken feelings and lingering glances. Millie broke the silence. "Moxxie, do you ever think about... adding someone else to our relationship?" she asked hesitantly. Moxxie looked down at the table as his mind was running, he had heard about polyuamous relationships but he never considered the possibility of them being in one as they had always been content with just the two of them more than content. But it wasn't something he was really against per say. "You mean with Y/n?" Moxxie asked.

"Yeah.. I mean she does seem pretty cool and all.. I mean we've been together for a year now so we know we have a lot of love for each other, we could have enough love between the two of us for another person.." Millie said. Moxxie nodded. I get it. Y/n is... captivating, and I would like to know her more. If we're both on board, I don't see why we couldn't explore this, Millie. As long as she's okay with it of course" A mix of relief and excitement washed over Millie's face. "Really? You're okay with it?" Moxxie smiled warmly, reaching out to hold Millie's hand. "As long as we communicate openly and everyone involved is comfortable, I think it could be a new and exciting experience for all of us. We'll have to find a way to let Y/n know how we feel." They decided to wait until after the case was over until asking her out. It was a particularly tricky case after all. And they wouldn't have much of a shot if they failed to kill the target. Upon finishing the mission they invited Y/n to a celebratory dinner moxxie was relieved that blitz was too preoccupied with other things to interfere like he did with their last date at ozzies. They dressed up, wanting to make a good impression on Y/n, as well as each other

Agent one + agent two x fem sinner Y/n:

(I've already written a full story for this so I'll sum it up here)

Y/n worked at I. M. P but wasn't there when the events of 'truth seekers' took place. However she heard about all the batshitery that went down and was worried that the agentcy got stuff on them like recordings that could be used against them in the future so she went there using an ozmodin crystal to tie up loose ends. Only to get caught by agents one and two. As she was tied up she started flirting with the pair. After some time the pair ended up actually catching feelings for her. What they soon came to know was that y/n was in an abusive relationship with the person who was the reason for her death. I. M. P thankful found out and made him pay. While Y/n and the agents came to terms with their feelings for each other. Here's the full story 👇

https://www.tumblr.com/ashplayz/723952492806815744/agent-one-and-two-from-helluva-boss-x-reader-my?source=share

fizzarolli + asmodeus x fem imp:

Y/n was a famous imp singer. She had a voice that could silence even the loudest crowds. She was to perform a song at ozzies which is how the pair first met her. Even they were starstruck by her voice, especially considering her song wasn't about anything vulgar which was ironic considering the way the pair reacted to Moxxies love song. But what made Y/n so captivating wasn't her voice, it was her seemingly inability to feel or express emotions.Fizz and Ozzie didn't believe that she couldn't feel emotions however and were determined to get to the bottom of her stoic expression. The pair befriended her, it was ironic considering how unlikely the two of them seemed together, She was even more of a stark contrast to the pair of them. Fizz and Ozzie tried various things to get even a spark of emotions from her but to no avail, some things they tried ranged from party's to pranks for better or worse but nothing worked. The pair were frustrated at this but they weren't so easily deterd. But overtime the pair became closer to her and they soon saw just a tiny spark of something.. Happiness and this made the pair feel a spark of something as well as they realized how easy it was for them to see a future with her. Most people wouldn't guess that their relationship was actually genuine because it's the embodiment of lust with an imp that has a line of love dolls biased on him, but in reality the two actually cared a great deal for each other, dare even say loved each other in their own way. They had no problem seeing forever with each other. And they realized that they might actually both want to see a future with Y/n as well. But upon unlocking her emotions they learned there was a reason she wanted to stop feeling in the first place. She endured so much pain in life and couldn't handle the aftermath of that pain. Fizz understood this painfully well considering the accident he suffered at the hands of Blitzo leaving him burned and resulting in the loss of his arms and legs, but he turned that pain into the strength needed to continue on in life. The pair saw that she was slipping away from them but what could they do if all she did was push them away. They never told her about their feelings for her until it was almost too late, and it landed the pair in the emergency room. Once she was in stable condition the two fearfully admitted how they felt about her and how they would give anything for her to be okay. The road ahead was going to be a bumpy and difficult one but as long as the three of them stuck together they were ready to face it together.

Verosika Mayday x fem human:

While Verosika was performing her song 'Vacay to Bone town' during the events of spring broken, she saw a girl sitting out away from the growing crowd of her adoring fans not paying any mind. Verosika from a distance tried to use her charm to wow this girl, to which she looked up momentarily only to shift her attention elsewhere. Verosika had too big of an ego to take this sitting down, she had never seen anyone lose interest that quickly so she became determined to win over this human girl just to prove to herself that she hasn't lost her touch after her relationship with Blitzo and that she could still have anyone she wanted. After her performance she made her way over to the girl and introduced herself flirtatiously, the girl however seemed unfazed by this but nonetheless introduced herself as Y/n. Verosika grew more and more frustrated by the second because no matter what approach she took Y/n was still unfazed by her attempts. It didn't take long for Verosika to reveal the fact she was actually a demon and oddly enough that brought them closer. Verosika even went as far as to take Y/n to dates in hell. She was rich and highly influential so nobody said jack shit about it. As much as Y/n remained indifferent about Verosika's advances she couldn't deny the fact that they were incredibly close. And eventually Verosika couldn't deny the fact that her feelings for Y/n were genuine and not just to prove her ability to pull anyone. But Verosika hadn't been in a genuine relationship since Blitzo and it left her hurt and without a car and credit card. But nonetheless Verosika became determined to get Y/n to feel the same.

Stella x fem imp Y/n: (short)

Y/n had been friends with both Stella and stolas when they were kids and surprisingly got along well with both of them as they were both very different people as kids. Stella was often sad as a child her upbringing was anything but loving, as she was always under pressure to be perfect by her family. Y/n didn't come from a necessarily happy family either. So she understood Stella's pain and was there for her. But as Stella got older and her arranged marriage to stolas drew closer she began to change for the worse. And ended up pushing Y/n away and hurting her deeply. Y/n went on to achieve big things while Stella ended up sorting through the rubble of her broken marriage. Stella had only herself to blame deep down she knew that but she had too much pride to revert back to the person she used to be as she viewed herself back then to be weak, her reason for feeling this way was the fact that then she had fallen for an imp, Y/n to be exact. Stolas cheating on her with blitz only reminded her of that fact and she hated it. But Y/n had heard about Stella and stolas's divorce and decided to drop in and check on her old friends. Stella had hurt her badly and due to that she held a lot of bitterness towards her. But she couldn't hide the fact that she loved the person Stella used to be.

Jesse (the bouncer from ozzies) x fem succubus Y/n: (short)

Jesse had lost a bet to his friends and as a result they made him ask out a new succubus that had just started working at ozzies, what made her special in particular was the fact she didn't act like a normal succubus as she rejected every one who asked her out and Jesse was no different. Her rejection definitely hurt his big ego so he didn't give up. Eventually he did opt to being her friend as a way to get close enough to her to have a better shot but the pair did actually end up becoming good friends. And he learned the reason behind her rejecting everyone was because she had been badly hurt be someone she loved. He was a sinner and they started a relationship pretty early on. But he learned that redemption was possible and decided to go for it despite the fact he promised her that he loved her too much to ever leave her. In the end he left her like she was nothing and so she vowed never to fall in love again. But at this point it was no longer a dare to Jesse he actually genuinely liked her a great deal but he had his work cut out for him when it came to getting her to trust him enough to date him.

Mrs. Mayberry (technically ex Mrs Mayberry)

X fem sinner Y/n: (short)

When mrs. Mayberry first entered hell; she was dazed and confused, also incredibly devastated by what had happened before her untimely death and by her own actions. She desperately needed a place to stay so she went to an apartment complex type thing only to learn that there were no open apartments available. She was told to try to room with someone and Y/n happened to be the first one she asked. Y/n was cold and came across as rude but nonetheless she allowed Mayberry to stay with her until she got her own place as long as she got a job and paid her share of the rent. Y/n was the one to suggest that Mayberry take revenge on the whore who slept with her husband. Seeing as Y/n had also hired I. M. P to settle a score. Overtime the they became closer and despite y/n still obtaining her hash attitude Mayberry couldn't help but fall for her.

As you can probably tell I lost motivation halfway through.

[goddessofroyalty]

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

Verse: Cloud is the Remnant’s carrier

Tags: omegaverse, past-mpreg, some mention of force-pregnancy

I’m far enough into the Rebirth to start writing this thing again.

Promise this isn’t just going to become a series of different characters learning about the Remnant triplets existence, just halfway through writing this I had a moment of “wait does Red XIII even know about any of the kids?” so had to include that.

-----------

“What’s wrong?”

Spike looks actively pained to be asking the question so Barret really must be looking pathetic in his feeling sorry for himself now they’re all settled into the hotel for the night. Their merc may be a ‘mega but he was no damn good at warm and fuzzy stuff like most would expect of his designation.

“It’s nothing,” Barret says. Not wanting to drag the mood down on their first night on the road after escaping Midgar and Shinra.

“Just thinking ‘bout Marlene is all,” Barret says, just as Cloud sits on the other bed probably satisfied that he’d at least asked. They say stress shared is stress halved. And if anyone would understand what Barret was going through it’d be their resident former-SOLDIER. “It’d be about her bedtime now. And I ain’t there to read her her story.”

It was damned unfair that he had to leave his baby girl behind so he could go save the planet from what Shinra had done. Marlene deserves her daddy being there to say goodnight and instead he’s out hunting down Sephiroth.

“Elmyra will make sure she gets one,” Cloud says, laying back down on his bed for the night.

“Yeah, but will she do all the voices right? And will she make sure to explain exactly how the hero rallies the people against the evil dictator?” Marlene was particular about these things after all. It’d even taken Tifa a bit to get it right back when she first started babysitting when Barret had to go out on Avalanche business.

Spike just shrugs.

“You have a child?” Red asks before Barret has a chance to have a go at the merc for his lack of carrying about something so important.

“Huh? Yeah. We both do.” Had they not mentioned that before?

Barret digs out the photo of his baby girl he takes with him everywhere for whenever he needs to be reminded of why he’s doing this again to show their newest party member his princess.

“That’s Marlene. She’s my baby girl. The brightest kid you ever could meet.” Barret doesn’t try and keep the pride from his voice. Why should he? Marlene deserves his love for her shouted from the rooftops. “And Cloud’s are- uh-“

“Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo,” Cloud rattles off before Barret accidently messes up their weird ass names. “They’re- uh-“

Spike’s brow furrows in pained confusion and maybe Barret shouldn’t have brought the kids up. It’s easy for him to talk about his baby girl without including the shit Shinra put them through but the mega’ merc can’t. No real way to explain his babies without talking ‘bout their monster sire.

“They’re triplets,” Barret offers because he’s not an asshole that gonna’ force the ‘mega to say anything he don’t wanna’. What matters is that they’re Spike’s. “And you telling me you’re not thinking about how you’re not there to tuck them in and sing them to sleep?”

“I- don’t,” Cloud says, looking a bit better than he had moments ago. His expression is still confused but it doesn’t take much for that Barret’s figured out.

“You don’t sing to them?” Barret doesn’t imagine the merc has the most beautiful singing voice around but that’s not what it’s about. He used to sing to Marlene despite barely being able to hold a tune. Still does when she asks, although when it comes to singing its Tifa and Jesse she begs for it from and Barret can’t even be mad about it – they’ve got the best voices in Avalanche. “You read them bedtime stories then!?”

“No,” Cloud says with a shake of his head.

“Seriously!?” He knew the poor bugger was in over his head with three babies on his hands but he didn’t realize it was that bad.

“I – they’re babies,” Cloud says, sitting up on the bed with the befuddled confused expression that makes people underestimate him even with him still wearing his SOLDIER uniform. “They wouldn’t understand them anyway.”

“It’s not about them understanding! It’s about them hearing your voice!” It’s not doing shit like that that gets you people like Sephiroth. Which, shit, they probably gotta’ be extra careful with those three to counteract whatever psychotic genes they got from that bastard.

He can’t even be that mad at Spike about it either. The poor bastard had been dealt a shit hand with the three of them and seemed to be struggling enough just keeping them and himself alive. Tifa had warned Barret the ‘mega suffered from nightmares when it was decided they and Red would room together and the three babies are young enough they likely don’t sleep through he night either. Hard to think about lullaby’s and bedtime stories when you’re barely getting any rest yourself.

Marlene would be making sure Elymira gave them all bedtime stories for the time being. But the kids weren’t staying with Aerith’s mum forever.

“Right. When we get back from saving the planet we’re gonna’ make sure they keep getting stories every night as well.” Marlene’ll no doubt be used to living with the three as well by the time they get back – no point trying to separate them again.

“You don’t have to,” Spike says because he’s allergic to asking for help.

“It’s nothing. And I can’t leave it up to you to try and tell a story – you’d miss half the facts.” Might take him a while to train the merc up to being any good at it but Barret’s one of the best bed-time story tellers around so if anyone can do it it’ll be him.

“I-“ Spike goes to protest.

“I know some tales as well,” Red chimes in, looking actually excited at the idea. “It will be good to pass them down to the next generation.”

“Hell yeah!” Barret says more to keep the energy going and prevent Spike from trying and squashing the idea. “I’m sure the girls have some too. We’ll have to build a roster. Though I’m always going to be my baby girl’s favorite.”

“We’ll see about that,” Red says, sounding mighty confident considering he had been a lab experiment until a couple hours back. Barret’s not giving up his title as the best storyteller without a fight, he’ll be sure to win Cloud’s three over as well.

It’s better than Cloud shouldering the burden of what Shinra did to him alone.

[farharbour]

happy oc-tober everypony 💖 finally took the time to draw out my three main fallout characters! i was going to draw all of my ocs out before posting but i couldn't wait to share these i love them so so so much they are my besties truly i made them i live for them and i would and will die for them

some info about each of them under the cut:

jesse: sosu; you know him, you love him, i never shut up about him. early 30s. my vaguely self-insert projection character who's taken on a life of his own at this point (but in my heart he will always be an extension of me to some extent). anyway. science guy, pacifist-adjacent. pre-war he was a radiologist w/ a concentration in epidemiology and was one of the last researchers trying to cure the new plague. his story in-game is less about shaun and more about the question of whether or not he's a synth (he's not but he's manipulated into thinking he is for a long long time). works with the railroad but has a falling-out with them post-game and takes up post as a doctor in diamond city. soft-spoken but capable. has a few grey hairs because i think it's cute and no other reason (poliosis). he's bi and dating nick. also poly but that's not super important.

bec: lw; i drew her here as she looks at age 29, when she's hanging out in the commonwealth with jesse. i'm not a fan of fo3 so she's truly a fo4 npc who just so happens to have also been the protagonist of fo3. she was injured pretty badly while activating the purifier and suffered severe radiation burns on the right side of her body; it was bad enough that the bos, who took her in, had no other option than to amputate her right arm (she's left-handed). she was coerced into working with the bos in exchange for saving her life and giving her a fully-functioning prosthetic arm but eventually parted ways on less than stellar terms once maxson started worming his way into power. she made he way north on the trail of dr. li and her father, who she had discovered had close ties to the institute (and she herself had a bit of a stake in the synth equation because of how much the replicated man quest affected her). after coming up empty she decided to hunker down in an old red rocket outside of sanctuary hills and turned the garage there into her home. she's a mechanic and loves tinkering with old tech, power armor in particular. she's a lesbian and dating another npc of mine, peaches (aka the general of the minutemen in jess' story).

simon: c6; late-20s. chaotic neutral but not chaotic stupid. dumbass but not dumb. they're related to the chosen one (it's a long and complicated family history that i haven't completely fleshed out yet) and they grew up in arroyo. they were always eager for adventure and set out at a young age for new reno, taking whatever odd jobs they could find. they eventually settled on being a package courier, as it gave him the opportunity to see more of the wasteland they loved so much. they set up a trading post on the long 15 years later and weren't able to escape the blast when it was destroyed; they carry a long scar across the length of their back as a reminder. he's mainly out for himself, but he's also deeply loyal to those few he considers trustworthy. has a soft heart under his silly and slightly abrasive exterior. collects teddy bears and dyes their own hair with a dye they makes themself with a mixture of bleach, clay, and mutfruit. never one to hunker down, they basically vanish back west after hoover dam. unsure if anyone ever sees him again. he's gay and 'dating' arcade (it's very very very very very complicated).

[isfjmel-phleg]

Forgive me for posting again about a character whom nobody knows, but I'm going through Grant's appearances with the JSA and I just have a Lot of Feelings.

Grant personally can't catch a break, but he does have the advantage of repeatedly having teammates who try to look out for him. This time, on the JSA, it's his former Titans teammate Jesse Chambers (formerly Jesse Quick, now going by her mother's old codename Liberty Belle) and to a lesser extent Jesse's husband Rick Tyler (Hourman). They recruit him onto the team (...much to his reluctance) and take him under their wing. They're the ones who find out why he wears the full-face mask now and have seen his severely scarred face.

And the narrative never brings this up, but they have a sort of familial connection to Grant too. As a result of the experimentation done on him, Grant has DNA from quite a few members of the JLA and JSA, including both of Jesse's parents and Rick's father. So Jesse and Rick are probably the closest to biological siblings that the orphaned Grant's likely to get. Sort of.

Anyway, there's one particular scene I'd like to talk about, from Justice Society of America 2007 #8.

When Grant was sixteen and had just developed his powers (a few years prior to this story?), he got banned from the state of Georgia after he accidentally blew up downtown Atlanta. The JSA are going to Georgia on a mission and make it clear at the state line that he can't legally join them, but he follows them anyway because Zoom, the speedster supervillain who is responsible for his disfiguring scars, has been sighted there. He wants revenge. He tracks Zoom down and is trying to kill him when Jesse comes to talk to him.

We never get to see Grant's entire scarred face, as if out of respect for his privacy, but there are glimpses of parts of it, such as here, that get the idea across. I suspect the scars might have been less of an issue for him if he didn't already have deep-seated problems with self-loathing and feeling unlovable. Someone with more inner resources might have been able to approach this differently, but for someone like Grant the scarring is just a tangible sign of what he's already struggling with, and his response is accordingly intense. He has gone from a generally agreeable boy with some anger issues to a young man who is angry almost constantly.

Jesse tries to talk him down, but he's pretty worked up. "Your face isn't who you are," she tells him. This is reminiscent of Grant's words when he chose to call himself Damage because "What I do is who I am." And now he not only causes damage but feels that being damaged is all he's reduced to.

His comment about not being able to be with a girl again seems kind of out of place for his motives? He hasn't dated anyone since his first love interest got fridged. But maybe he had finally gotten to a place where he was ready to open himself up to that again...and then all this happened.

Jesse reminds him that she has seen his face and hasn't rejected him (back in #4). Unlike her husband, who responded to the sight of the scars with shocked concern, she made a point of not staring or commenting, handed Grant his mask, and told him to get back into the fight. But his core belief that others will reject him is so strong that the only way he can justify Jesse's supportive behavior to himself is to insist that she's an anomaly. He changes the subject to his resentment of Jesse's being "perfect."

This is a sore subject for Jesse. She was pressured since childhood to carry on her father's legacy, with insinuations being made that she wouldn't be "special" if she didn't. The mantle of the Flash was once promised to her and then turned out to be a ruse to try to motivate the actually intended successor--and she was quite hurt by that. She has juggled running a large company after her father's death, attending grad school, and being a superhero (all while being constantly overshadowed by other speedsters). And then she gave up her speed to help Wally and had to start over with a new heroic identity.

Zoom takes the opportunity to taunt her about losing her speed, but she ignores him and opens up to Grant about her struggles with perfectionism and how her husband's support helped her see herself and her capabilities differently.

"Just because something has a crack in it doesn't mean you throw it away."

Her new codename, Liberty Belle, isn't just her mother's mantle. It's a reminder that there's still value in things that are cracked. Broken. Damaged. And for someone who's been so pressured to be perfect, that's a liberating mindset.

But to Grant, this approach still seems too easy. As far as he's concerned, he's not merely cracked but beyond repair. The doctors tried and failed to reconstruct his face. His attempts to heal after addressing his past of abuse while on the Titans apparently weren't successful. The state he used to live in ("hometown" is incorrect...he had just recently moved there before the explosion and has moved too often to definitively call anywhere a hometown) has utterly rejected him and won't revoke the ruling.

Jesse isn't so convinced though. She's not going to give up on him. And Grant stands down.

And that's when Zoom attacks, both physically and verbally. He mocks Jesse for attempting to be "a big sister" and proceeds with his intention to kill Grant.

Grant has some degree of superspeed but not enough to keep up with a speedster on this level. He freezes, almost as if resigned to his own death. Almost, but not quite. He's in tears...maybe for the first time since his difficult conversation with Roy.

Jesse goes even more into big sister mode. It's enough for her to suddenly be able to reaccess her speed, stop the debris from hitting Grant, and throw it back at Zoom, incapacitating him.

Grant is impressed and grateful, and Jesse has finally worked through her mental block. Helping him has helped her too. She and the rest of the JSA manage to prevent him from getting arrested for setting foot in Georgia, and things move on.

But this conversation proves to have an impact. In #11, Grant comes to the defense of a new superhero, Judomaster (Sonia Sato), who has taken up a legacy mantle to avenge her father's murder and is about to get arrested after a destructive public fight.

As he tries to explain why he's interfering on her behalf, he repeats Jesse's words.

He has spent his entire time with the JSA so far wallowing in his own misery, but now he's using that sense of hurt to advocate for someone else in a similar position to prevent her from having to suffer what he has. He was alone and unsupported during the Atlanta incident, and he doesn't want that for Sonia. Jesse passed on something that helped her; now Grant is doing the same for someone else.

This growth is not lost on Jesse and Rick!

And of course nothing is magically solved, and Grant continues to struggle a lot and more terrible things happen, but this moment is a much-needed respite from the mental mire he's been trapped in for so long, and I wish this arc had been allowed to fully continue.

[frazzledsoul]

15, 19, & 33 :)

Favorite Stars Hollow side resident?

Does Kirk count? He's in the main credits, so probably not.

It's going to have to be Gypsy, then. I also have a soft spot for Reverend Skinner.

Luke's coffee/pancakes, Sookie's magic risotto, or Emily's apple tarts?

I absolutely want to see what the big deal is with the apple tarts.

What character reminds you of another character from another show?

Luke Danes, Jim Hopper (Stranger Things), and Ron Swanson (Parks and Rec) are all essentially the same person.

Paris and Sister Michael from Derry Girls are soulmates if they ever did exist.

I have a long standing theory that Steve Harrington (Stranger Things) is every iconic Rory Gilmore boyfriend in one. In season one, he was Logan, the careless playboy who learns the error of his ways. In season two, he is Dean, the boy with little ambition who slowly realizes his girlfriend has fallen for someone else but gets over it. In season three, he is season four era Jess, fumbling around for direction and clinging to the wrong girl to try to find a way out. In season four, he's retained his slutty ways but is still wistful about an old love interest, even if they don't have the same aims in life anymore, so I think that's season six Jess, even if season six Jess had his shit together otherwise a lot more than Steve did. Steve in particular actually does remind me a lot of Jess, as do my other emo boys Jon Snow and Peter Parker as portrayed by Andrew Garfield. There's something so vulnerable and earnest about all of them despite their circumstances, and they're all placed in situations where they are not expected to thrive, but in many ways they do. Natalie Scattorcio also reminds me of Jess (the horrible childhood, extreme daddy issues, big sad brown eyes, the snark, the moral code they secretly hold to even though no one expects them to).