#he can cook spiders; turn them into perfumes; etc

[crcta]

Also, my Albedo cooks spiders

[metalbatandzenko]

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

oof this one is gonna be so long™ so it’s going under the cut.

Let’s talk about the slow dance scene in Hidden Horns. Specifically Badd and Garou’s slow dance.

First thing is that this scene actually got written before most of the rest of the fic. It wasn’t originally going to be part of HH, I wrote it bc I was listening to Orville Peck’s album Pony, and when this song came on, I thought it sounded like a fun song to slow dance to. It also made me yearn but that’s besides the point. 

Anyways let’s get into it.

Badd guided Garou’s hands to his hips. “‘m not a kid like Zen is, y’can hold me.”

Garou blinked, doing his best to focus on anything other than the warm weight of Badd’s hands on his shoulders or the feeling of Badd’s hips between his hands.

Garou’s a disaster. If you’ve ever seen middle schooler’s slow dance with the stiff zombie arms, that’s basically what he was doing. Which if you’ve ever been in that position, you know it’s not super comfortable for either party, nor is it sustainable bc of that.

But putting his hands on Badd’s hips might have been even more dangerous to Garou. Badd’s kind of a walking contradiction: he’s gruff but he’s sweet, rough but also gentle, muscular yet graceful. Garou’s kind of been seeing that first hand, but now he’s feeling it for himself in the way Badd moves and the feeling of muscle shifting under his finger tips.

There’s also the implied trust that Badd is showing in draping his arms around Garou’s neck on both ends. They’re both putting themselves in a vulnerable position where the other could easily overpower them if they strike first. Their willingness to be in this position with one another is kind of part of the evolution of their dynamic. 

I left a lot of that unsaid both because of the fact that having that analysis mid fic kind of kills the pacing and fic. Also this is done in the rhythm and tempo of Roses Are Falling, and while it’s a slow song, it’s not at a standstill.

“Back on the run,”

“Her reflexes are scary fast,” Garou remarked.

“Back to the blue…”

Badd chuckled. “Yeah. Sometimes she’s too fast even fer me t’track.”

One of the reasons I decided to put this scene in HH versus saving it for another fic is because of the lyrics of the song. There’s some fun foreshadowing and parallels between what is happening and what the lyrics are saying that I thought would work really well for this fic.

I also think this works well as a little nod to the actual canon of OPM and a potential way their relationship could evolve from here. So we get the compare and contrast throughout the passage of where the characters in HH are versus where their canon counterparts might be.

“Roses Are Falling” is, by Orville Peck’s own admission, a song about “loving someone so much you kind of want to kill them.” While I don’t think Badd and Garou have that kind of relationship, I think there’s some truth to the lyrics and this idea of being isolated together, which we also see in “Kansas Remembers Me Now” and “Big Sky”, the two other Orville Peck songs featured in this section.

Zenko’s a pretty safe topic for the boys to discuss. Badd can talk about her for hours on end, and Garou adores her. If they have one spot of common ground, it’s Zenko.

“Winning is fun,”

“She’s gonna pass you up soon,” Garou said.

“Losing is, too…”

Badd gave him a confused look.

“You know, in terms of athletic abilities.”

“Roses are fallin’, roses from fallin’ for you,”

Badd smacked Garou’s neck, feigning offense, but Garou saw the small smile on his face.

Slow dancing is incredibly intimate (even in a platonic setting. Platonic slowdances still require a lot of trust and vulnerability). Especially for two people grappling with unspoken feelings like these two idiots.

Garou definitely feels that tension at this point and tries to diffuse it in a way that’s worked for them in the past: by jokingly poking fun at Badd.

The lyrics here felt fitting to me. The two of them are highly competitive, but they’ve gotten to a point where just the act of being together is more important than winning. They kind of verbally spar for a lot of their relationship, but here we see them just enjoying each other’s company.

“Ooh…”  

The two swayed at an arm’s distance.

“The ache inside the hate–I found a way to sit and wait, and now I can’t: your voice–your face–without a trace–I’ll wait for you…”

“‘s awkward swayin’ this far apart,” Badd huffed.

He pulled Garou close enough that their noses almost touched.

For much of their friendship, Badd’s been the one acting as the initiator. He suggests the sleepover, he cooks for Garou, he introduces truth or dare, which becomes their coded language for opening up, etc. It makes sense for him to be the one to initiate here.

Garou in HH has pretty much the same backstory as he does in canon, he just didn’t go off the rails because he met Tareo earlier. But it was important to me to make sure the fact he still didn’t know how to interact/make friends his age was front and center. He doesn’t initiate many of the “friendship milestones” because he doesn’t know what to do. All this is new ground for him. 

The fact Badd even wants to be his friend is unprecedented and completely unexpected to him. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean he doesn’t initiate anything. He takes Zenko to school so Badd can heal, he meets Madame Oshitani, he asks Badd how he’s feeling and offers his ear when it’s clear something’s bothering him. 

Badd is very intentional about how he goes about interacting with Garou because he knows Garou’s never had a friend like him before. Garou by contrast, does things just to be helpful and worries about being a good friend/if he’s doing it right, not realizing he’s already being a good friend.

Garou’s normally so direct and unabashed, so having this spot where he’s more self-conscious and awkward is a fun reversal. And it’s pretty canon compliant given how he interacts with Tareo.

We see them kind of switch roles later, where Garou takes the lead during their orange chicken talk.

The lyrics here have two roles: it kind of mimics how I think their canon relationship could progress like I mentioned earlier (from hate to irritation to begrudging respect and love) but also shows their unspoken fear of what could happen in HH: they blow up and each becomes a face that the other can’t forget, but can’t go back to.

It’s not a fear that has gotten addressed super directly thus far, (we see a little bit in the upcoming chapter) the closest being the non-conversation the two have about what is left unsaid.

“Roses are fallin’ for you…”

The first thing Garou noticed was how good Badd smelled. Seems his sleep addled brain hadn’t been wrong after all.

Garou is in Gay Panic™ mode here. 

I described Badd in an earlier chapter as smelling like aftershave and freesia. I wanted to give him a smell that kind of combined his classic style with something gentler, and more sweet. 

Freesia is usually a smell in women’s perfumes, but it’s one I think he’d appreciate. And I don’t see him being one to give a fuck about gendering smells.

“You…”

Badd draped his arms around Garou’s neck and averted his gaze.

Garou watched in wonder as Badd’s lashes fluttered.

Up as close as he was and borderline drunk off how good Badd’s smelled, Garou stared unabashedly at his face.

He looked so, devastatingly beautiful.

Garou staring here is kind of a callback to the conversation they have early on about Garou ogling at Badd/Badd making fun of him for it.

There’s an openness here that’s different than the last time Garou really looked at Badd. Before, he was admiring him and his power. Here, we see him taking in a more delicate side of Badd, and Badd just letting him look at him. We’re seeing him take in Badd’s lashes, and calling him beautiful. It’s a new facet of who Badd is, and a new contradiction for Garou to grapple with: powerful, yet delicate.

If you’ve ever been with someone and you’re standing next to one another and you can see them staring at you from the corner of your eye and you keep pretending to look out at something in the distance because it’s easier than making eye contact and having to sort out what that gaze means, that’s essentially what is happening here.

Badd’s aware Garou’s staring at him, and he knows why. But he’s not ready to meet his gaze yet. Especially not if Garou himself isn’t ready.

“Under your skin, over the moon…”

He prayed Badd wouldn’t look up so he could continue to look at him.

“Don’t let me in, I don't know what I’d do…”

Because if Badd did, and Garou saw what he thought he would in Badd’s eyes, it would devastate him.

This is a callback to Garou refusing to make eye contact when he’s laughing about Badd’s indignation over pigeons because he knows whatever Badd’s gaze holds will devastate him. 

Garou equally fears the two ways it will devastate him. Either he looks up, sees the warmth in his gaze, and falls for Badd, only to find out his feelings aren’t reciprocated, or his feelings are, and he’s thrust into a new landscape to navigate that leaves him vulnerable and exposed, and threatens to tear apart their friendship.

In Ch.9/What’s Left Unspoken, I originally planned on having a metaphor that kind of embodied that second fear. Garou can almost picture a strand of spider silk connecting him and Badd. Something so delicate and new, that he almost didn’t want to acknowledge it. Because doing so would cosmically shift their dynamic, and if that thread got severed, it could threaten their whole relationship. I ended up cutting it because I couldn’t get the metaphor quite right and it brought the chapter to a standstill.

“Roses are fallin’, roses from fallin’ for you…”  

Badd began to turn his head, but before their eyes could meet, Garou looked away.

“Ooh…”

Garou could feel Badd’s gaze raking over him. From the corner of his eye, he saw his lips part.

Here we’re seeing that fear controlling Garou a bit. He doesn’t know what’s in Badd’s gaze, and he thinks if he avoids it, he can avoid the change in their dynamic all together. 

But some part of him wants to know, and is screaming for him to turn his head, potential consequences be damned. 

“You know, darling, you bring out the worst in me…”

Garou steeled his nerves and looked directly at Badd.

“Sometimes when I’m around you, I feel like pure evil…”

He’d been right. The tenderness he found in Badd’s eyes devastated him.

The second song line here is...very much how Garou views himself in canon, and to a lesser extent, in this AU.

He still hasn’t forgiven himself for what he might have done, and when he sees Badd, and his gentleness, kindness and optimism despite how the world has treated him and Zenko, it makes him question hero-dom more than he already does.

And we’re seeing Garou discover what is in Badd’s eyes. Garou has a harder time reading Badd than Badd does reading him, so what he finds in Badd’s eyes is unreadable to him, hence why the statement is left vague in terms of what he finds there.

“I guess they say nobody's perfect…”

Badd’s gaze flicked down to Garou’s lips.

“But they’ve never met a devil like you…”

The lyrics here feel spot on, especially to end the muscial interlude to. Garou knows Badd isn’t perfect and vise versa, but they still accept one another. The lyrics kind of foreshadow Badd and Garou’s heart to heart about why they think they’re bad people. 

Badd’s action here are really what solidify Garou’s understanding of what he’s seeing in Badd’s eyes. 

Before he realized what he was doing, Garou was leaning in, closing the small gap between them.

And when he sees the warmth there, and knows his feelings are reciprocated, he leans in, more intentionally taking the role of the initiator for the first time.

[milfdarthvader]

Jim and Lee

Who was the one to propose?

Jim was thinking about it for a while, he always knew how much Lee wanted to have a family, and he wanted to see her happy. So by the night of the propose, while the two were lying in bed, he wrapped her hair on his fingers, and smiling was ready for the question, but then Lee suddently said: ‘Hey Jim, we should be married already. Don’t you think so?’. That’s the woman he wanted to marry. Sassy. Sure what she wanted in life. Jim just sighed and answered ‘Yes’, and then kissed her lips, meanwhile Lee pressed her body against him, full of happiness.

Who stressed more over wedding planning?

Both. Lee because even a small ceremony would take lot of her time; she was anxious and excited making decisions over the wedding dress, the party, the buffet, etc. Jim was worried about not being able to have more presence in the wedding planning; he would have married her the second after the proposal but Lee deserves the best in their big day.

Who decorated the house?

Lee again. Jim doesn’t have many things to hang in the walls and also he likes to see Lee’s lovely decoration ideas in every corner of their home. For Jim every single detail represents part of Lee’s essence. He loves the idea of getting in home and find her familiar look, her delicious perfume, and to feels like she is his home. After a long day in Gotham where both didn’t know if they would be able to come home alive, It was always a good thing to know there was someone to come back to.

Who does the cooking?

Lee loves cooking, and Jim knows the names of all the drinks. But sometimes he loves to surprises her by cooking a fancy and romantic dinner followed by an even more romantic dance. It was always a good idea to get out his heartless by-the-book, hard man look, when home with her.

Who is more organized?

Growing with his mom, Jim had a very deep relationship with his first woman, she taught him how to survive living alone, so he knew cook something, or wash his clothes or something. But when his father was in home, he taught Jim the militay discipline. Everything has it right place, and the messy of the days only makes you stress out more. So, when in home with Lee, who was also a organized person, because of her years in college, the two had a very good order at home. She always teased about the day they’d have kids like it would be. “You better not freak out” and then he laughed.

Who’s more dominant?

It would look like Jim is the alpha here because he can control all those police officers of the GCPD and some of the gangsters in the city, but in fact it’s Lee. Lee’s tenacity doesn’t hesitate. Never. She’s also a very jealous woman and his position in GCPD wasn’t helping. Jim was also jealous man, but he only demonstrate it when he asked her how to: “why the hell areyou with me?” then Lee knew he needed some validation.

Who’s the cuddler?

We know it’s Jim. He loves to keep Lee between his arms.

What’s their favourite non-sexual activity?

This is curious because they love going to the circus as the very first time they dated, even knowing how it finished that occasion. Even though, the smell of the candies, and the music of the spectacle remind them their first night.

Who comes home drunk at 3am?

Jim is always drinking the whole week, so when he and Lee have a date, it’s her turn, so she gets a little tipsy. And he is always okay with this, because Leslie is even more funny and sweet with a little more wine in her veins.

Who kills the spiders?

Jim has a bad history with poisonous things so Lee takes them out of the house but she doesn’t kill them because, as a doctor, she believes that everyone’s life matters.

Who falls asleep first?

Mostly it is Jim who falls asleep in the middle of the pillow talk after a long day working in the GCPD. When Lee does, Jim likes to observe the shape of her lips and the size of her nose, falling in love again with every detail of her pretty face.

Their relationship summed up in a GIF

@doontpanic thanks for the idea and for sharing your thoughts with me, this couldn’t be possible without you :D

[dimenovelhero]

Ooh our ship and any numbers you want!!

((I’m doing ALL THE NUMBERS but there are some where I’m not sure who’s who, so please let me know what you think.  Also, this is a mixture of all the verses because WHO NEEDS CONTINUITY)) :p

1. Who is the early bird/ Who is the night owl?

Sandy has to be the early bird, in order to go to school/do barn chores, but Jack would stay up painting and then sleep until noon if he could.

2. Who is the big spoon/ Who is the little spoon?

Normally Jack is the big spoon, but if something’s bothering him Sandy holds him instead.

3. Who hogs the cover/ Who loves to cuddle?

At first they’re super generous with the covers and will go without to make sure the other has enough…but they both love cuddling, so it ends up not mattering anyway :p

4. Who wakes the other one up with kisses?

Both, but Sandy usually wakes up first, so it’s usually her.

5. Who usually has nightmares?

JACK.

6. Who would have really deep emotional thoughts at the middle of the night/ Who would have them in the middle of the day?

Jack at night, Sandy during the daytime.  He’d wake up with them, but she’d be the one waiting for him to come inside so she could share some epiphany she’d had while making dinner.

7. Who sweats the small stuff?

Neither.  They’re both pretty chill.

8. Who sleeps in their underwear (or naked)/ Who sleeps in their pajamas?

Given that Jack sleeps in his underwear in canon, that’s a possibility, but in a verse where flannel pajama pants are a thing, the kid would be in love with them.  (I feel like Sandy probably has some very 1960s pajamas with little bows or something on them.)

9. Who makes the coffee (or tea)?

Jack shouldn’t be trusted anywhere near the kitchen, but eventually he could probably handle making coffee.

10. Who likes sweet/ Who likes sour?

I feel like they’d both like sweet?

11. Who likes horror movies/ Who likes romance movies?

Sandy likes romance movies, and Jack likes teasing her about them and joking around reenacting the scenes, but his favorites are definitely Westerns.

12. Who is smol/ Who is tol?

Sandy is smol and Jack is tol!

13. Who is considered the scaredy cat?

Neither?  They have pretty good reasons for what they’re afraid of.

14. Who kills the spiders?

They’d be a put-the-spider-outside kind of family.

15. Who is scared of the dark?

Tulsa at night isn’t the safest place, so Jack walks Sandy home–it’s not a question of being scared of the dark, it’s just wanting to protect her.

16. Who is scared of thunderstorms?

Neither, although when the storms trap them at Buck’s they can cause questionable situations :p

17. Who works/ Who stays at home?

Jack definitely works, but while he wants to be able to provide for Sandy so she doesn’t have to work, he’s super supportive of her getting a job if she wants to.  (In the Western AU she’d probably be a traditional housewife, but they’d live on a farm so it’s not like either one goes far.)

18. Who is a cat person/ Who is a dog person?

Both of them are dog people.

19. Who loves to call the other one cute names?

They haven’t really come up with any nicknames yet…BUT GIVE THEM TIME

20. Who is dominant/ Who is submissive?

They don’t have that dynamic.  They’re a PARTNERSHIP!

21. Who has an obsession (over anything)?

Jack may have stolen a horse and sung angsty ballads about Santa Fe while riding through the streets of New York City

22. Who goes all out for Valentine’s Day?

They’d both put in effort–Jack would try to give her a “real” (i.e. “traditional”) date, to the nicest restaurant he could afford and both of them dressing up and everything–and Sandy would wear things she knew he liked (favorite dress or perfume or whatever) and be super sweet when he’s totally not used to upscale places :p

23. Who asks who out on the first date?

Jack, but since Sandy invited him over to get cleaned up after the bronc-to-the-face incident he maintains that that was their first date (she disagrees, and she’s right) :p

24. Who is the talker/ Who is the listener?

Jack talks more, but they both like to listen to each other.

25. Who wears the other ones clothes?

SANDY IN JACK’S T-SHIRTS PLEASE AND THANK YOU

26. Who likes to eat healthy/ Who loves junk food?

Sandy would probably want to eat healthy, and since she’s their only hope at cooking Jack would go along with it, but you can also definitely catch them sharing a milkshake or fries.

27. Who takes a long shower/ Who sings in the shower?

Sandy sings, but Jack’s in there until the water goes cold.  After having to rush so that 30 other boys could all have a turn in the group home, long showers are a heavenly experience.

28. Who is the book worm?

Jack reads SO many dime novels.  SO.  MANY.  And most of them are awful.

29. Who is the better cook?

Sandy.  She could be a terrible cook and still be better than Jack is.

30. Who likes long walks on the beach?

Both.  They like long walks anywhere…preferably holding hands.

31. Who is more affectionate?

BOTH OF THEM.  They’re ridiculously affectionate, but Jack’s more cuddly and Sandy’s more into cheek kisses, hand-holding, etc.

32. Who likes to have really long (deep) conversation?

These two talk about everything.

33. Who would wear “not guilty” t-shirt/ Who would wear “sin” t-shirt?

THEY LITERALLY HAVE A VERSE WHERE SANDY’S THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER AND JACK IS A HORSE THIEF

34. Who would wear “if lost return to…” t-shirt/ Who would wear “I am…” t-shirt?

Jack would get lost (not because of a faulty sense of direction, he just wants to SEE EVERYTHING), and Sandy’s the one trying to keep him in line.

35. Who goes overboard on the holidays?

Sandy.  Jack didn’t even know what mistletoe looked like until he met her.

36. Who is the social media addict?

Sandy would probably post all these super cute instagram photos of her outfits and aesthetic and dates with Jack, and the only thing Jack ever posts are pictures of horses.  (Occasionally his truck and Sandy too.  But 90% of it is Nell…although he’s so technologically challenged he doesn’t do much social media-ing.)

37. Height difference or age difference?

They have a bigger height difference than age difference–if Sandy’s 16 in canon, he’s probably 18-19 (considering that he finished school before coming to Tulsa.)

38. Who likes to star gaze?

JACK.

39. Who buys cereal for the prize inside?

Jack, but mostly for the cereal.  The boy’s constantly starving.

40. Who is the fun parent/ Who is the responsible parent?

Jack would have the kids riding horses as soon as they could sit up, and Sandy would have her hands full trying to make sure nobody dies, poor kid. :p

41. Who cries during sad movies?

Sandy.

42. Who is the neat freak?

Sandy’s organized, but she’s not crazy about it, which Jack appreciates.  He tends to be a walking tornado, but he knows where everything is because he doesn’t have a lot.

43. Who wins the stuffed animals at the carnival for the other one?

Jack!

44. Who is active/ Who is lazy?

Sandy’s not lazy, but Jack veers on hyperactive.

45. Who is more likely to get drunk?

Jack, although he watches it around Sandy.

46. Who has the longer food order?

Jack because he eats SO MUCH.

47. Who has the more complex coffee order?

If it’s anything other than “black,” it’s Sandy. :p

48. Who loses stuff?

Once he gets over the habit of having to keep things together in case he needs to leave somewhere fast, Jack misplaces small things a lot…usually his truck keys.  It’s a daily dose of excitement as he tries not to be late for work.

49. Who is the driver/ Who is the passenger?

Since Paulita is Jack’s truck and she’s “sensitive” (read: falling apart and needs a million tricks to operate), he’s usually the driver, but he’d let Sandy drive if she wanted to.

50. Who is the hopeless romantic?

BOTH OF THEM.  SO HOPELESS.  SO ROMANTIC. :p