#honestly this cartoon gets away with a lot so i wouldn't be surprised

[scooterpengie]

Um is this an innuendo in the Shrunken Rescue comic??? 😭

Maybe I'm just dirty minded but like I genuinely can't think what else that line could mean??? (They're referring to Heed's bedroom btw)

[baby-zakarii]

Regressor Rohan Kishibe Headcanons!

Wanted to write them down for a looong time and I finally did! Also set somewhere between diu and tskr??? Idk honestly

💚Rohan started regressing at 16, right after his manga got published. At first it was quite surprising (and embarassing) for him, he didn't know what was happening to him. Even after doing research about age regression he still wouldn't really tell anyone about his coping method - anyone who eventually found out did it by complete accident. Although currently only a few people know about his regression, they are all really supportive (Morioh is full of kiddos and you can't convince me otherwise lol)

💚His age range is 1-6 years old. He regresses mostly involuntarily, but sometimes he'll do it willingly just to relax a bit, usually after several hours of work. He has a special little corner in his studio in case of suddenly regressing - it has a soft blanket, some toys and pillows

💚He doesn't have a cg, but sometimes he lets others babysit him. Koichi is always eager to help Rohan after school (although Rohan usually won't ask because of his pride). They also have playdates together when they're both small

💚His other babysitter is Kyoka! She's very blunt when it comes to his regression, asking him if he's small at random moments. Sometimes she basically drags Rohan over to his baby corner when she sees he's overworking himself

💚Baby Rohan is a very creative kiddo. He loves coloring, drawing and finger painting. He has a big set of art supplies for children as he tends to be quite clumsy and usually makes a mess and/or breaks something - and that something won't be his luxurious overpriced pen!

💚He needs to be supervised while making art though, he gets so carried away that he starts drawing on walls, floors and even himself

💚If he's too tired to draw, he likes watching cartoons! He appreciates different artstyles and is the biggest "cartoons are not just for kids" believer. He especially likes mlp and ghibli movies

💚He has a lot of plush dolls and loves playing with them. He gets all kinds of tiny fashionable clothes for them and runs pretend fashion shows! Sometimes he even does tea parties (top secret!) (Josuke isn't invited.)

💚Rohan is way more sensitive when in baby headspace. He gets overwhelmed easily and usually doesn't even know what caused it. The best way to help him is to give him his comfort item (like a favourite toy) and let him cry it out! This dude need a good cry!

💚He's also suprisingly easily to spook... He may be a horror writer, but he's not immune to his own genre lol

💚His biggest fear are windows. He cannot sleep next to them or stand too close when he's small - it reminds him of that night with Reimi. All windows must be closed and babyproofed!

💚Rain is scary to him for the exact same reason (dripping noise...), soft music and his dolls usually helps him calm down during storms

💚He absolutely loves baths. Won't leave the bathtub for hours, has all kinds of fancy soaps, shampoos and bathbombs... and uses them mercilessly to create "potions" or do his "selfcare routine" which is just pouring random liquids all over himself. Also, bath crayons are obviously a hit with him, he'll use half a box per bath though

💚Soooo fussy about bedtime, he often has trouble relaxing enough to take a nap. He may throw a tantrum because he's actually too tired to fall asleep. When he's in baby headspace, the best solution is swaddling! Koichi unfortunately isn't able to help Rohan with that - he's a teenager, he can't swaddle properly, let's be honest - so they just cuddle when they are both small and fall asleep together, often with other Morioh littles too! Kyoka on the other hand did excessive research and is a swaddling pro, she can stop Rohan's sleep deprivation fit in seconds by wrapping him like a baby artist burrito

💚💚💚💚💚

I have many thoughts abt him, so I might write more in the future hehe! This is your sign to babify your fave character, they need it! Go give them a blankie, a paci and some kissies and cuddles🍼❤️

[slimesaurian]

I wrote a lil puppypost (for a single joke) but I feel like folks might like it here

Scribblehub link if you like, otherwise click that lil "read more" down there 👇

My puppy girl has this squeaky toy that she loves. I think it was made for teething dogs because it's this oversized molar, like the type you see in cartoons. Like, a doggy dentist kind of toy. Anyways, I started incorporating it into our training and she took really well to it! She learned the "Sit!" command quickly, and I was attempting to get her to respond to "Speak!" commands when it broke, and she was absolutely heatbroken.

So I figured, since I'm a good pet owner, I'd get her a replacement. The issue is she's very particular with her toys, and she loved this one so much because it had a really good mouthfeel. I knew I had to get the same exact one so I did some googling around for the company that made it. Turns out they were bought by another company and underwent a lot of changes. Luckily they still produced the exact same toy except they had to change the color to navy blue to match the new logo. I figured a color change probably wouldn't matter to her since it'll mostly be in her mouth anyways and placed an order on a replacement.

Now, something I should mention about her is that she doesn't have the best eyesight. To make up for it, I verbally communicate what I'm holding up when giving commands so she can tell what reward she'll get. For example, I used to wave around her old toy saying "Tooth! Tooth!" before following it up with a "Sit!". While waiting for the new toy to come in, I attempted to continue teaching her the "Speak!" command with treats, but it wasn't enough to get over her shyness.

You see, she used to bark for me on command back when we were a long distance couple. Back then she was still living in her parent's house but they were hardly ever home; they would always be out with the neighbors for a barbecue or some other social gathering, sipping on wine and chatting until midnight. While they were away she'd be far more brazen, and I have plenty a fond memory of our late night calls filled with her howls and barks. Unfortunately, now that she's moved in with me and, more notably, my partners, she's far more embarrassed of her puppy tendencies, even if they all find it endearing.

Anyways, all that to say I was really banking on this replacement toy to be as good as the last. That old tooth was her favorite thing in the world (well, maybe other than me), and she was honestly a lot more down without her favorite mouth stim. When the package finally arrived, I set it on the table and beckoned her over, instructing her to sit on the ground next to me. She resisted, but a couple treats later and there she was, sitting like a good girl and tilting her head as I told her I had a special treat in store for her today. I made a show of slowly pulling it out of the package and presenting it to her, making sure to savor every second of her reaction. I'll never forget the sight I was rewarded with; all traces of anxiety flushed away as she recognized it, her mouth instinctively unclenching and watching her excitement rise from her wagging tail up through her body, escaping with an unsuppressed "yip!"

She practically ripped the toy from my hands, chewing and gnawing and squeaking away on the ground. My partners emerged from their rooms, curious at the commotion in the living room and watched the scene, a smile spreading across their faces. One of them couldn't contain it any more and started petting away at our little pup and, to my surprise, the only reaction from her was more wriggling and happy whines.

Ever since then she's been far more comfortable being her true puppy self around the whole household, even to the point where my partners have taken to training her as well! She claims that the new squeaky toy has an even better mouthfeel than the old, a claim I'm willing to believe based on her enthusiasm with tricks. She's been happier and more social than I've ever seen her before, and I'm amazed at how much improvement she's undergone.

And to think, just a few months ago I needed wired headphones to hear her to bark, but now I just need to "Blue Tooth! Speak!" her.

[angellesword]

YOUR EYES TELL | JJK (03)

Summary: You live in a world where people see in black and white. The solution to finally see the colors? It's simple. You need to meet your soulmate and look at him in the eyes, but what if the person bound to you is already contented with the monochromatic world? What if...Jeongguk, your soulmate, is already in love with someone else?

Alternatively;

"A future without you is a world without color."

Genre: soulmate au, e2l, slow burn, angst, fluff, roommate au

Pairing: Artist!Jungkook x Lawyer!Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

SERIES: CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 4

Note: OC is a lawyer but the author knows nothing about law except the three law subjects she took last semester. errors. ah. there will always be errors here bc english isn’t my first language. anyway!!! enjoy!

Jimin wasn't lying when he said you were a mess. This was evident to Jeongguk the second he stepped inside your apartment.

Pile of cardboard boxes and papers were cluttered all over the floor, causing him to feel uneasy. The faint colors visible in his eyes didn't help to calm his nerves. It was as if he suddenly became hypersensitive to his surroundings.

He assumed that your house wasn't really that untidy, but as stated, the colors made it seem like it was untidier.

"Hi there, buddy." Jeongguk forced a smile at the cat glaring at him. He remembered Jimin telling him that your cat was a bitch. The fury pet was making this strange, scary sound. Jeongguk suddenly wished you were here to stop the cat from attacking him.

He wasn't expecting you to lock yourself inside your room the moment you realized that he was your soulmate.

He was so startled by your reaction that his first instinct was to run after you. The thing was, your cat was blocking your bedroom door—stopping him from intruding your personal space. It was obvious that the little animal didn't like the fact that Jeongguk invited himself inside your home.

Jeongguk didn't know why you were hiding from him. In your defense, you were embarrassed. What were you supposed to say to your soulmate? How were you going to explain to him that the reason why you looked like a mess was because of your demanding job?

Being a civil lawyer was exhausting. One second you're negotiating settlement with the other side's attorney, then you would just find yourself filing motions in court and of course, there were many instances where you're standing before the jury and judge to present a case.

Expertise wasn't the only thing necessary in law. You also needed a great amount of empathy so that you could understand your clients. You cared for them a lot; this was why it was such a big deal for you whenever they choose to omit facts.

You hated it when your clients were being dishonest, you didn't need them to be innocent. You only wanted them to tell you the absolute truth so that you could properly defend them. It wasn't like your job was easy. The fact that most people living in your world see in black and white was already a pain in the ass. Earlier this day, you had a client who was suing a businessperson for selling fake whitening products. She claimed that she spent a whopping two thousand dollars to get that fair skin tone. Sadly, it didn't work.

The opposing side asked your client this: how can you say that the products don’t work when you can’t even see colors?

You were shocked to learn this. Your client was subject to a color test for eyes. She said she could see colors when in fact, she couldn't. Actually, the only reason why the vendor sold your client the whitening products was because she also lied to the seller. The latter's rule was that she wouldn't allow people who see in black and white to purchase her products. This was so she could protect her business' image from fraudster like your client.

Things like this often happened in court. The one you encountered were usually easier to resolve, unlike what criminal lawyers face. This, however, didn't mean your job should be taken lightly.

What happened in court today actually took a toll on you. Your boss humiliated you in front of your colleagues, saying that he couldn't believe an experienced lawyer like you would make such rookie mistake. This made you feel like a loser that's why you decided to go home early to rest. You knew you couldn't work when your heart was this heavy.

You ran yourself a bath the moment you reached your apartment. Jimin was bombarding your phone with text messages to remind you that Jeongguk, a friend of his, was going to drop at your place later today since he was interested to be your roommate.

You simply replied 'Yes, I haven't forgotten. Stop pestering me,' to your best friend. Truthfully, Jimin hadn't shut up about this guy named Jeongguk since last week. He kept telling you that he was the perfect replacement for Seulgi, your former roommate.

You just shrugged it off. Honestly, you didn't care if Jeongguk was the perfect roommate or not. At this point, you would take anyone in. You seriously needed someone who could help you with the household chores.

The warm water grazing your skin made you feel sleepy. Before you knew it, you're off to dreamland; however, your little slumber was disrupted by loud knocks coming from your front door.

"Shit!" Your eyes went wide upon realizing that your supposed to be new roommate was already at the door. As if to confirm the horror, your phone rang.

Jimin was calling.

"Where the hell are you? Jeongguk is in front of your door!"

"I know. I'm so sorry! I fell asleep." You got out of the tub, hurriedly putting on your bathrobe.

"Talk to you later!" You ended the voice call, rushing towards the door. Unfortunately, you slipped on the wet floor.

You whined in pain. Luck was truly not on your side today, but instead of getting annoyed, you simply stood up and went your way to the door.

"I'm sorry, I was in the shower. I swear I heard you the first time you knocked, but I was panicking so I slipped down the floor and I..." You were already blabbering right after opening the door. You hadn't seen your future roommate's face because it was easier to lie without looking at someone in the eyes.

You didn't know why you told him you heard his first knock, when in reality, you didn't. You guessed you just hated disappointing people. What happened with your boss today was something you couldn't let to be repeated again. You couldn't bear to irritate another person.

You kept yourself busy as you reasoned out. You ran your hand through your wet hair, eyes widening when you saw your fingers covered in soap suds.

"Oh, my God!" You were panicking again. This time, you finally looked at Jeongguk to see his reaction.

It was like the world stopped.

No. You did not see colors instantly. What you felt was something strange—mystical perhaps. It was just like how they described it in books and movies.

You thought people were exaggerating about what they claimed they felt when they met their soulmates.

Apparently, they were not.

You know the feeling of finally seeing the rainbow after the strong storm? It was like that. Except this was way better. Your young self was probably rejoicing now. Being able to meet and look in your soulmate's eyes was dazzling.

The colors were becoming visible now, it was faint—this was in contrast to the embarrassment you were feeling.

You suddenly became very self-conscious with what you looked like. You were wrong. Your young self wasn't that happy because she wasn't expecting to meet her soulmate like this.

You were aware that you looked awful. The bags under your bloodshot eyes were probably so deep. The soap suds in your hair made you appear ridiculous. The most horrifying of all? You were wearing a bathrobe designed with the face of your favorite cartoon character.

"Uh—"

You ran away, locking yourself in your room before Jeongguk could finish what he was about to say.

Your heart was beating so fast as you stared in the mirror. The disgust you felt intensified. God. You looked horrible. You mentally cursed the brand of the mascara you were wearing. So much for claiming to be smudge proof! Curse yourself too because this wouldn't happen in the first place if you only refrained from crying over your boss' mean words, but it seemed like you never learned. You just scolded yourself from crying easily, but here you were, tears were painting your cheeks once again.

"No..." Your lips quivered. You were stronger than this. You weren't going to ruin your chance with your soulmate.

Determined, you quickly changed into a sage dress. Your hands were trembling because of your new found excitement. You loved colors ever since you were a kid. The fact that you couldn't see them didn't stop you from learning its meaning. You studied good color combination before. You were aware how to aesthetically match the hues. For instance, you knew that you would look ridiculous if you wore a neon green shirt and bright pink jeans. You were always careful in choosing what to wear, so now that you could finally see colors without referring to your color palette generator, you were beyond happy.

When you looked decent enough, you decided to finally face your soulmate. The first thing you saw as you opened your bedroom door was Jeongguk sitting on your couch—this was a very shocking scene. No. You weren't surprised because he was casually plopped down on your sofa, what you didn't expect was to see Miri, your bitch of a cat, to be so comfortable on Jeongguk's lap. Your pet looked at peace; the usual hiss she was making was replaced by a silent purring. Her bambi eyes mirrored your soulmate's same big, doe eyes.

You cleared your throat to get Jeongguk's attention.

"I let myself in, I hope you don't mind." You couldn't decipher what he was feeling. Jeongguk's voice was soft, but there was no hint of emotion there. His expression was also unreadable.

Jeongguk tore his gaze away from you when he realized that you were staring. As if this wasn't already awkward for him, you went on to say something that made him more uncomfortable.

"I've been waiting so long to meet you! Are you going to move in with me now?" You plopped down beside Jeongguk, squeezing your body between him and the arm of your sofa. Miri hissed since she was astounded by your sudden action. Actually, Jeongguk was surprised too. Your couch was pretty spacious; he didn't understand why you had to press yourself beside him.

Jeongguk also didn't know why you sounded so hopeful. The sparks in your eyes caused him to scowl; however, this didn't stop you from speaking your hopeless thoughts.

"We could do a lot of things together! I had planned everything since I was young!" You giggled. You didn't know why you were so comfortable telling him things. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that you two were soulmates.

However Jeongguk was confused with your weird idea of wanting to do all of this romantic stuff with him. The uneasiness he felt couldn't be contained anymore when you abruptly talked about dating—as in dating him.

"Whoa, whoa..." He cut you off, arching his brow and moving away from you. "Slow down, will you? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh." You blushed, immediately realizing that you had gone too far. "I'm sorry I got carried away. I was just excited to meet you." You couldn't help but beam at him.

Jeongguk continued to raise his brow at you.

"Why? Are you really that desperate to find a roommate?"

It was your turn to raise a brow at him.

"N-No, I just..." You breathed in, unsure of what to say. "I'm just happy to finally meet my soulmate."

"Soulmate?"

You flinched because of the bitterness in his voice. His innocent eyes turned dark, he was glaring at you. Miri was startled once more. She jumped on your lap because she was getting scared of Jeongguk.

"I'm sorry to break it to you, but I don't believe in soulmates." The word 'soulmate' sounded so rough coming from him, making you flinch again.

Many people had told you that you were good at gauging the feelings of other people, this was why your heart skipped a beat when you saw pain and anger crossed Jeongguk's feature. It was as if he was betrayed by someone.

"It's the most absurd thing I've heard in my entire life. Only stupid people believe in soulmates. I mean—" Jeongguk sucked in a breath. He was so annoyed that he didn't even know how to express his thoughts without breaking apart. "It's limiting the possibilities for people. Why am I required to fall in love with someone I barely know? Why should I leave the person I truly love just because a person meant to be the love of my life," he paused, quoting the words love of my life in the air. "Helped me see colors? It's like forcing me to do something I don't—no, I can't do. It's such a burden. Love can't be bought. I refuse to be with people just because they helped me."

There was silence after Jeongguk's long speech of the reasons why he didn't—or as what he claimed—couldn't love you.

Jeongguk wetted his bottom lip. The silence was making him hate himself. He hated himself because he saw the tears forming in your eyes, an obvious sign that you were hurt because of what he said. But most importantly, he hated you.

It was unlikely of him to hate someone he just met—or to simply hate anyone at all, but everything about you was making him mad as hell.

He hated your hopeful eyes, he hated your beliefs, he hated that you were the person hindering him from being with Red.

He knew it was unfair to blame you since Red chose to leave on her own, but he still couldn't help himself because the idea of soulmate was what urged her to leave.

You were Jeongguk's soulmate and for him, it meant nothing. So with a furrowed brow, he stared hard at you as he said this:

"I'm making you choose right now. Either accept me as Jeongguk, your tenant or Jeongguk, your soulmate. But just so you know, I will never stay with you if you treat me like a soulmate."

His word stung, though you were aware that the only way to make him stay was to choose the former option. At least this way, you got to be with your soulmate.

The colors you see were starting to fade away and it was okay...

[hootcifer]

talking about toh | season two, episode eight: "knock knock knockin' on hooty's door"

holy shit

sorry this was a few days late, i was equal parts busy and lazy.

previous | first | next spoilers under the cut, as always

the beginning

awww hooty’s writing to lilith! like he promised!

btw, just so you guys know, i’ll be referring to hooty with he/they pronouns, because it makes sense to me. also i use he/they and i’m a hooty stan so it works.

I realize now that i spelled “hootsifer” wrong in my url. oh well, i like “hootcifer” better anyway. (also the url “hootsifer” is taken anyway)

oh no, hooty feels unimportant! i’m sure the large majority of the fandom is okay with this, but i’m not! poor thing.

i found it adorable that luz wants to find a way into amity's heart (even though she's had a place there since grom). how she would use the echo mouse for that, i don't know.

luz saying "we have to go" was almost a direct parallel to amity saying "I GOTTA GO" in "wing it like witches".

king's plot

i love how king is going through his angsty teen phase. that's hilarious.

why the fuck does hooty just eat people?! and then just act like that's an okay thing to do?!

i think it's a fun detail that hooty is wearing king's teacher hat from "the intruder". i love little things like that.

i like how this episode gave us some lore as to how demons on the isles work. they emerged from the muck of a decomposing titan? that's dope! it's also cool how there's three main types of demons.

hooty is a worm?!

on the board with all the bug demons, i recognized the butterfly alador kept chasing in "escaping expulsion", as well as adagast from "witches before wizards", the bear trap demon from "the intruder", and the kindergarten teacher from "i was a teenage abomination".

it was neat to see the fairy from "a lying witch and a warden" and the butterfly... thing from "witches before wizards". more neat continuity stuff!

what did king say with his dance? i'm very curious.

maybe king didn't want to talk about the cocoon, but i certainly do! what the hell happened?!

because of some of the images in the background when hooty was talking about demons, we can infer that some students of hexside are demons and not witches. i wonder if witches are more powerful than demons, or if they're on the same level.

other biped demons i recognize are the bounty hunter, tibbles, one of the pirates, warden wrath, and braxus.

i also saw a cat-person. are catgirls and catboys a thing on the isles?

i like how tiny nose and hooty are friends. somehow, it makes sense.

was tiny nose playing on a nintendo switch? that's cool.

we got to see even more past demons from the section about beasts, such as the ratworms, the echo mouse, the trash slug, the selikdomus, the slitherbeast, and the snaggleback.

has tiny nose's voice changed, or is that just me?

i'm really curious as to what the heck king is. is he a unique kind of demon? a hybrid, maybe?

i thought it was sweet that hooty and tiny nose tried to celebrate king for who he is, even though it just made him sad. they're trying.

eda's plot

hooty had a good point in wanting eda to sleep. sleep is important! says the guy who regularly stays up until at least midnight.

i completely understand hooty's fear of the owl beast. remember what happened last time?

the cookies hooty made were very cute. i loved that.

hey, the sleeping nettles are back! the same thing luz and hunter used a few episodes back to put kikimora's steed to sleep.

we got to see eda's dad! we know very little about him, but we did see him. also, did he look like nigel thornberry to anyone else? no? just me? okay then.

it broke my heart seeing raine and eda breaking up. it was neat that we got confirmation that they were together!

eda clearly regrets pushing raine away. poor thing.

who is the cloaked figure? i've seen a lot of theories that it's amity, but that makes no sense. i don't think she was even alive at this point. it could be odalia, though. that would be a cool twist.

the little owl beast was so cute. i want a plush of that.

HARPY EDA! holy shit, she's so cool. top tier character design.

luz (and amity)'s plot

you better bet your ass i have a lot to say about this! plot! okay, let's start from the beginning.

i was really hoping we would get some mutual pining lumity this season, and by god did it deliver! luz referring to her as a "cotton-candy-haired goddess" was too cute.

from what she said, it sounds like this isn't the first time luz has tried to ask someone out. she's so afraid of getting rejected. wait a minute, amity was afraid of getting rejected too! that's a parallel i didn't even realize!

i wasn't expecting to see amity this episode! it looks like her parents let her keep her purple hair. that, or the twins are using illusions to hide her hair from their parents.

i love how hooty's solution to getting amity to the owl house is to straight-up eat her. that's one way to do things.

i really want to know more about house demons. are there more than one? are they all bird-like? are they born as houses or do they just inhabit houses? so many questions and not enough lore!

the way luz interrupted amity when she suggested "forgetting" about what happened in front of blight manor reminded me of how eda kept interrupting king last episode when she thought he was going to tell her he was planning on leaving.

i'm not gonna lie, i skipped through the majority of the tunnel of love scene. that kind of thing gives me second-hand embarrassment like you wouldn't believe.

my heart shattered into pieces when amity said that the idea of her adting luz was stupid. she obviously doesn't believe it, but she's probably been trying to convince herself of it.

this part had me terrified that the lumity plot for the episode would end there. thank goodness it didn't, eh?

the ending

AAAAAAAAAAAA

okay, okay, let's start from when hooty freaks out for a third time, after the tunnel of love.

i thought it was funny how hooty ripped himself out of the door in order to run (?) away. at least we didn't have to hear all the sounds this time.

wait, "things always get weird when hooty's upset"? has this kind of thing happened before?

gosh, the part where king's voice powers saved luz and amity was so cool. i saw somewhere that the animator wanted to reflect the lesbian and bi flags and they did a great job.

eda encouraging luz to ask amity out was so cute. we stan a supportive mom, always.

and then comes the scene everyone's been talking about. oh my gosh, this was done so beautifully! it was equally awkward and cute, the way it should have been, and the fact that they both asked each other was perfect!

LOOK AT HOW HAPPY AMITY IS WHEN SHE SAYS YES!!! this is the happiest we have ever seen her, and it's adorable.

something i really love about this scene is the fact that they didn't say "i love you" or even kiss, like what seems to happen in a lot of confession scenes. they just held hands. it was probably one of the most realistic confession scenes i've ever seen. it kind of reminded me of when my gf and i got together.

oh yeah, that's right! they're officially together!!!!!!! FINALLY!!! i was not expecting anything that happened in this episode, but out of everything this one was the most surprising. holy SHIT! we have a canonically sapphic couple! in a disney cartoon! a disney cartoon!

honestly, i hope everyone has gained more respect for hooty after this. they've helped further the plot more in one episode than anyone else has done throughout the rest of the show.

we got to see king's dad properly for the first time! i don't think we'll see him in "eclipse lake", but maybe we will in the episode after that? i hope so.

everyone's freaking out about hooty eating the letter but... can't they just... throw it back up? like they did at the beginning of "really small problems"?

predictions

to my knowledge, the next episode is going to be about amity looking for an ingredient for the new portal. i also know that eda, king, and hunter will be there too. i don't know what to expect, but i am very excited. until next time!

[astro-rain]

delicate; b.barnes

chapter seventeen - “wouldn’t dream of it”

delicate masterlist

word count: 4.7k

synopsis: reader has a strange dream that ends up bringing on a cascade of various events and feelings.

pairings: bucky barnes x fem!reader

A/N: feel free to drop any opinions/thoughts/predictions below (or in my asks if u wanna be anonymous!!)

She would have woken up from a night's sleep saturated with regret... if she had slept a wink. She spent the night tossing and turning, and at about five in the morning, the pursuit of rest was abandoned.

Forcefully and exasperatedly, she sat straight up, glaring at the clock and letting the blanket pool around her waist. Y/N had her weekly meeting with Shuri at nine o'clock... that meant four hours to kill. More like four more hours of trudging through thoughts, memories, questions, and fears surrounding the previous day. Four more hours of ruminating over Bucky Barnes. This seemed to become a reoccurring activity her life.

She stared at the wall, thinking about how before, there was at least the excuse of being drunk: maybe not completely knowing what she was doing, maybe not remembering something correctly. But they were sober this time... she was sober. And what struck her was that, when it happened, when he kissed her, there was no moment of initial startle. There was no surprise jerk back or woah-what-are-you-doing response. Their bodies just fell into form. She just fell into form. Like it was an instinct. Like they were both used to it, and had done it a number of times before.

She wasn't sure what shocked her more: the fact that he kissed her or the fact that she kissed him back. Was he being bold? Or did she lead him on? Had she been leading him on? He wouldn't have done it on his own account, right? She had a degree of difficulty in believing she was wanted. Truly.

She could've sworn that she wasn't this emotionally invested. She could've sworn that if she couldn't control what she was feeling, she could at least control what she was doing. She rubbed her eyes, wondering where she went so wrong. It probably happened at some point during the isolated time she had been spending with Bucky in a secret corner of the world, not minding the least bit that she had been away from home and work for months whilst working on a project hardly anyone else was even aware of.

Even with all this in mind, she didn't seem to care. She didn't really mind that she hadn't been home in ages, it didn't really bother her that she might be in trouble when she gets back for helping enemy of the state Sharon Carter, runaway fugitive Steve Rogers, or war criminal James Buchanan Barnes. Because every time she thought about the consequences, it just didn't seem to matter more than what was keeping her in Wakanda... Besides, she guessed Bucky would probably be pardoned and after everything settled down, who would pay any attention to her? It's not like she mattered in the grand scheme.

As soon as that very thought arose, she could hear Bucky's voice scolding her in the back of her head. Why was he always there?

Frustrated, she groaned into the air in front of her. Her feelings were so confusing, she wasn't even sure what exactly it was she felt towards Bucky. On one hand, she felt fiercely protective over him: she'd go down fighting before she'd let anyone lay a hand on him, prepared to stay in his corner forever, ready on defense.

But at the same time, she felt this ineffable sense of warmth for him. Like one look at the way his eyes crinkle when he smiled, and she'd turn soft as water. Like being in his vicinity smoothed out the rough around her edges.

And if all this wasn't enough, now she had been touched by him, she had felt his lips and the gentleness in his skin. This brought a cascade of new feelings, ones she knew she had to hide. It... was definitely a problem. She knew, don't get her wrong, she knew it was a problem. As much as she understood this irrefutable fact, the numbness in her lips just wouldn't go away. He had remained with her even hours later. She couldn't get rid of his heartbeat; it was still in her hand. She could still feel him.

Basically, she knew this most recent development was an issue. She knew it was bad, wrong, worrisome, and whatever else. And knowing this, recognizing the very hot water she was in, the only thing she could focus on was trying to ignore the recurrent desire to be near him, to find him and be close to him.

"Fuck."

She plopped back down on her back and elected to cast a burning glare at the ceiling until she had to get ready for her meeting.

—

"I think it might be too hot for this," she complained with a smile on her face.

"It was your idea," he said, a few steps ahead of her, "and we're almost there, so buck up."

She laughed. He smiled at the sound.

"What?" he asked.

"You said buck up. Like Buck... Bucky. Like you."

He just looked at her, amused. Sun kissed and happy.

"It's fitting," she shrugged, grinning.

"Guess so. Hurry up, slow poke. You're gonna fall behind."

"I'm already behind," she huffed . "Your super soldier legs are too fast for me."

"Well," he stopped short and she finally caught up, standing right beside him, "we're here. So worry not."

He looked over at her to find her already looking at him. Funny how their eyes always found each other like that.

"What?" he asked again, not able to help how the corners of his mouth turned up just slightly.

"Nothin.’ Everything," she shrugged. "You."

Perhaps she just liked looking at him. Him and his long hair and light eyes. Was that such a crime? His skin looked caramelized under the sun. She wanted to reach out and touch him.

"You're a real peach, y'know that?" he smirked.

She looked away, pretending to find the grass around them spectacularly interesting while hiding a dopey smile at his compliment.

"Hey, doll face. I'm a lot more fun than the grass, I swear," he teased. "Lemme see my favorite face."

"Hold on." She got an idea.

She reached down beside her and plucked a flower from the soil.

"A little hibiscus," she smiled, tucking the small flower behind his ear. God, he was just so pretty.

She stood back, satisfied with her decor. She sighed, content. How couldn't she be? She was looking at two of the most beautiful things. Flowers and Bucky.

As soon as it was securely in place, Bucky bent down to pick the hibiscus that sat right next to the one Y/N chose. Mirroring her actions, he placed it behind her ear.

"A little hibiscus," he repeated fondly, "for a real peach!"

She didn't dare try to hide the next dopey grin while taking in the sight before her, of Bucky beaming in the sunlight with a flower in his hair. Looking at this, she understood why mankind began to paint. Why there needed to be someway to capture something as precious as this, some method of preserving something so idyllic and beautiful and pure and perfect.

Perfect like the cool, fresh water of the lake. Their lake. Their place. The flowing, breathing water she felt around her waist. They floated around, her and Bucky, as light as air in that lake.

The two were weightless, adoration suspended in animation. The water preserved the feeling of feather light kisses and chests pressed together and hands beginning to roam. If only she could be closer to him. Her fingers in his hair and his palms on either side of her face wasn't enough. She needed more. More, more, more of him.

Skin is so soft and the sun is so warm and soon enough, the water was up to her shoulders as his arms ran up her back. Arms plural, she noticed. He held her with both, protectively enclosing the longing feeling between them.

"Oh, fucking hell!" Y/N sprang up, throwing the blanket off of her.

She must've fallen asleep... and began to dream... She could imagine if her brain was a person, it'd be laughing at her for that.

Why? Why? What was the reason for this? There was no point! How frustrating! How embarrassing that her mind betrayed her with dreams of him.

"God damn it," she swore under her breath.

She wanted to angrily shake her fist in the air like vengeful cartoon character, as she got out of bed and headed towards her wardrobe.

It was 8 a.m. One hour until her meeting with Shuri. She would spend the time changing her outfit until it was distracting enough to draw her attention away from thoughts of that damn lake... and his damn hands...

—

"My friend!" Shuri greeted in her usual upbeat manner. "How are you? How are things?"

There was absolutely no way to answer this honestly.

"I'm doin' well. Same old, same old. How 'bout you?"

"Good as always," she smiled. "Thank you."

Y/N took a seat at one of the tables in Shuri's lab. "So how is T'Challa doing with Nakia?"

"Oh, who knows these days! He is so awkward, I have no idea!"

They both laughed. Y/N was glad she and Shuri were able to talk like this. They weren't just robotic colleagues who only communicated when they needed to. They were partners, and they worked well together.

The meeting commenced like it did every other week. Updates on Bucky's progress, new ideas or adjustments to treatment or planning, going over scans or data, you name it. But this time, she had something else in mind. Something that a dream reminded her of. She had mentioned maybe getting her hands on a prosthetic for Bucky. She wasn’t familiar with the prosthetics industry in Wakanda, but they could probably make something work.

Was that too much? Did she care too much? Was she showing too much regard for him? Was this too much to ask of her?

"Hey, remember a couple weeks ago when I talked about prosthetics?"

"Of course," Shuri smiled. She genuinely enjoyed her partner - her partner who was intelligent, confident, and articulate but still sometimes sounded shy. "You wanna see what I've been working on?"

"You... you ordered one? I didn't-"

"Oh, no. Not ordered. Just you wait," she said, pulling out a drawer to dig amongst papers. "I've been workin' my magic."

Shuri pulled out a manilla folder that had W.W. - Proj. 1 printed on it.

She dropped the folder in front of the psychologist who sat across from her, gesturing for her to look through it. Y/N opened it to see several pages of prosthetics research, information on cybernetics and various designs for a bionic arm.

"Oh... wow." Y/N marveled.

"What do you think?"

"It's incredible," Y/N shook her head. "I didn't- ... I thought you meant you bought one or something. I didn't know you designed one"

"I didn't just design it. I made it."

"You- what?"

"Yep. First model ready for use. Do you want to see it?"

"I'd love to."

Shuri walked her over to a large, rectangular case in the side of the lab.

"Holy shit," she let slip.

The arm was astounding: a glossy black with ridges etched in a shiny gold. It glimmered, sitting in its casing.

Shuri laughed. Thank you."

"Sorry. Excuse my French. This is... remarkable. Can I give it to him?"

"I suppose so. It hasn't got much use just sitting in my lab."

Excitement grew in her chest. Bucky would be able to have an arm he was in control of, one that wasn't forcefully attached to him and used as a weapon. In a way, he would be gaining a sense of autonomy. God, she wanted to see him right away and tell him the news. She was happy to make Bucky happy.

"Oh," Shuri perked her head up. "And there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"You're aware of the trigger words, correct?"

"Of course."

"I'm close to fully deconstructing the mind control, but there's no way to know for sure unless we test it out..."

Oh. The excitement dissipated and her stomach dropped. She didn't mean...

"You don't mean..."

"The effect and response of the words needs to be tested on him."

Oh God. There was no way this would be easy.

"And you need to be the one to do it."

Fuck.

"Me?" she tried to hide her shock, her worry, her now overwhelming urge to protect him. "How come?"

"It seems like he trusts you most out of everyone here. I consulted with the Doras about safety and we think that if something were to go wrong, it'd be safest to happen with you. Of course they'll be nearby, but you'd be the one mostly likely to be able to control him in that state."

Her mouth went dry. Control him? She could never. She would never. She knew, in depth, the anguish he carried in his bones as a result of being trapped as a weapon wielded by other people. The thought of her controlling him made her skin crawl.

She knew how much he feared the Winter Soldier and how he would hate losing touch with himself again. He's been free from this kind of violation for a while now; she had very much rather not take that freedom away.

At the same time, she understood how this test was necessary for a full recovery and rehabilitation. And who knows if the words will even work? Maybe she'll say them and nothing will even happen.

He would have to get over this obstacle in order to make it to the other side clean. She could only imagine how scary this would be for him. But she'd be damned if she wasn't going to be right there with him.

"Okay," she said dryly. "When... when are we gonna do this?"

"Not yet but soon. I'll keep you updated."

The rest of the meeting carried on as usual, but Y/N might as well have not even been there. Her mind was off. Off somewhere trying to think of how to tell Bucky the news. The very last thing in the world she wanted to do was hurt him. She'd take his place if she could.

—

As soon as she was free from the calm, professional facade she had going with Shuri, she found herself speed walking back to where Bucky was. She needed to get to him. Now.

When his hut was in sight, she was nervous. She was nervous before, she supposed. She just wanted everything to be okay.

"Buck," she called, a few steps away from the entryway. "I need to talk to you!"

When she stepped inside she froze in place, staring blankly at the two super soldiers in front of her instead of the one she expected. Two as in Bucky and Steve.

"Y/N," Bucky stood up. He sounded surprised.

"Oh-uh," she stuttered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I can come back later."

"That's okay," Steve's voice was gentle. "I'll leave you... to it."

Steve threw Bucky a look she couldn't quite decipher before he left. Bucky just looked panicked.

And soon enough they were alone. They stood directly in front of each other, but with a noticeably awkward amount of space between them. The tiny part of her brain that was still mulling over the dream wanted him closer.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey..."

"You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "It's uh... there's kind of a lot."

"Look, about yesterday, I-"

Oh. She completely forgot about that. Well, not completely. There was no way she could forget that. But, at the moment there were more pressing matters on her mind.

"It's not about yesterday."

"It's...not?"

"No. I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

"Uh... bad news?"

She took a steady breath in. She wasn't sure exactly how to tell him, she just knew he needed to know. He deserved nothing but the truth.

"So, I was just with Shuri and we discussed the next step in your treatment..."

He said nothing, waiting for the aforementioned "bad news." She continued.

"Apparently, we have to test the trigger words on you..."

His expression dropped and she watched all the color drain from his face.

"I know. I'm sorry. I don't wanna do it, but we have to do it to see if it's really outta your head."

"Yeah, that's the problem," he finally spoke. "What if it's not? Then I hurt someone - or multiple people. There's gotta be some other way to test it."

"You're not going to hurt anyone. Or multiple people."

"How can you say that?"

"It's just gonna be the two of us."

"What?!"

"Shuri thought the safest way of doing this was for me to conduct the test. That way, if things ever got out of hand, which is very unlikely to happen, I'd be the best bet at... handling... that situation. Since you know me the best."

"No way. There's no way. I thought you meant they were gonna strap me down and have some lab tech read them. This is way too unsafe-"

"Strap you down? Bucky, no-"

He still saw himself as an animal that needed to be contained. Muzzled.

"What if I hurt you?" his voice shook just a little.

The fear in his eyes was potent. It made her angry. Angry at Hydra and whoever the fuck else had a hand in this sin against the kind and gentle man who stood before her. The man who was genuinely scared of himself. How dare they make him feel so unsafe within his own mind, within his own body. All she wanted to do was make it better, and suddenly, she could no longer stand for the distance between them. She stepped forward and grasped his hand between both of hers.

"I trust you, Buck," she smiled a small but earnest smile, letting him know that she truly was here for him. "Entirely. I promise. Okay?"

He nodded, still reluctant and entirely scared.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

"I do. I trust you, I do," he cast his glance downwards, almost in shame. "It's myself I don't trust."

Her chest twisted with an emotion difficult to place. Mostly, it was the desire to take every ounce of pain away. She wished she could just snap her fingers and make it fade into nothing.

"That's okay," she said.

He looked back up at her, confused.

"You don't have to trust yourself. That's hard enough as it is and Hydra didn't make it any easier. You just trust me, alright? I'm the one reading the words, so, even though I'd hate it, if you were to be... activated... you'd be listening to me not trying to fight me," she squeezed his hand. "And I will not let anything happen to you."

"I'm not worried about me..."

She knew. She was not stupid; she knew that Bucky was separate from the Winter Soldier and that theoretically, the Winter Soldier - and only the Winter Soldier - had the potential to hurt her. She wasn't blind to the dangers, but she also wasn't blind to the fact that there was no exact science to brainwashing. Whos to say nothing could ever seep through the programming? She knew what happened with Bucky when he was forced to fight Steve for the first time. How it changed him.

Even though the Winter Soldier was in there, there was more of Bucky. She knew that for sure. And she needed to make sure he knew one thing: even if the Winter Soldier was trying to claw his way back and entire world was against him, she saw Bucky and trusted Bucky and believed in Bucky. She was a constant. And she wouldn’t give up on him.

"What, you're worried about me?" she joked, lightheartedly. She took the hand she was holding and pressed it against her cheek. "This wouldn't hurt me, James Buchanan."

He sighed, feeling the warmth from her face. He did not deserve this kindness and he definitely did not trust himself despite her trust in him. Of course Bucky would never hurt her. But Bucky wasn't the Winter Soldier. And he didn't have the heart to tell her what the Winter Soldier could or would do. He didn't have the stomach to even think about what would happen if the Winter Soldier actually did something.

But there was something about the way she believed in him, the way her conviction was so strong. It made him almost start to doubt these feelings. He could never be sure of everything being okay, but at least he could be sure of her.

"Okay," he whispered.

"Okay?"

"I'll do it."

"Alright," she smiled.

She removed his hand from her face, but still held onto it.

"And even if you did try to fight me, I think I could go a couple rounds in the ring with the Winter Soldier. I'm big and tough."

They both laughed knowing she had very minimal fight training.

"You'd definitely kick my ass," Bucky chuckled.

She just smiled. And then her eyes grew wide.

"Oh! You wanna know the good news?"

"F'course."

Bucky watched her briefly disappear through the entryway before returning with a big, rectangular case. He raised an eyebrow.

"That's good news? What is it, a bomb?"

"I don't do bombs... arson only."

The look on his face made her wonder if he actually questioned whether or not she was serious. She fought laughter as she opened the case. It was silent for a moment. Y/N looked at him, waiting for a reaction.

"Is that... for me?"

"All yours, Buck. A favor I asked of Shuri."

She told him about the arm. Told him about Shuri's design, and the features and functionality. She didn't mention what made her think to ask Shuri, but that surely wasn't important.

"It's really cool, and like super sleek and badass. But more importantly, it will make you feel more... I don't wanna say regular 'cause nothing about you is regular," a shy smile slipped. "But more... how you're used to having your body feel and function."

"That's..." he shook his head before looking up and making dauntingly deliberate eye contact. "Thank you. For thinkin' of me. I mean it. I hope it wasn't too much trouble for her to make it."

"Nothin's too much trouble, Bucky. You're worth it."

"You're a real peach, y’know that?"

Suddenly she looked abashed. Did he say something wrong?

"Sorry- I didn't-"

"No, it's okay. I just got a weird sense of déjà vu. Don't worry about it."

He looked at her like he didn't quite believe her, but she tried not to think too hard about it.

"So..." Bucky gestured towards the arm. "...what do we do with this?"

"You wanna try it on?"

His brows shot up. "Oh! I mean- sure- I guess so, yeah."

She tried to pick it up and nearly threw her back out. "Jesus!"

"Woah there, tiger," he withheld a laugh, putting a hand under the vibranium arm to hold most of its weight.

"Okay, sit down," she ordered, both of them fumbling to hold onto the arm. "Shuri told me how to get the arm on. There's some... magnetic thing. I don't even know - it was some complex engineering lingo. Not my field."

After a couple minutes, clumsy hands attempting awkward assembly, and several curse words later... the arm was attached. They both stood as Bucky stuck out the bionic arm, admiring it and Y/N leaned back, admiring him. Wow.

Bucky smiled, holding both his forearms out - palms facing up - to see how they moved. "This is incredible."

He turned to her. "You're incredible. Thank you."

"No problem at all," she stepped forward. "How does it feel?"

Her hands found their way below his, cupping the underneath of them with a feather light touch. "How do you feel?"

"More... balanced," he laughed. "Coordinated?"

"Steady?"

"Absolutely."

"Stronger?"

"Definitely."

She looked up at him. "Confident? More comfortable in your own skin? That's what's most important."

He gripped her hands. "For sure. Thanks to you."

"Glad I could help. Just wanna make you feel more like yourself, you know?"

"I feel the most like myself when I'm with you," he nearly whispered.

He smiled, and then did something... unexpected. He let go of one of her hands and with the other, he twirled her around as if they were dancing. She went along with the movement, body falling in sync it even though she was confused.

"You make me wanna dance again."

With his voice so endearing, and his heart so spirited, the world around them fell quiet. She stepped forward and rested her hand on his shoulder. Then she placed one of his hands on her waist, and held the other out to the side, fingers intertwined with hers. And oh, the feeling of his hands on her; it was nearly overwhelming.

"Then dance."

And they swayed. They swayed to nothing, to the sweet sound of finding comfort in another person. She let her eyes flutter shut, allowed her guard to come down for just a moment. Just this moment. With him.

Bucky broke the silence with a shy question. "So yesterday... what does that mean for-"

"Let's just keep it between us."

"What do you mean?"

"It was a moment - like this one. I think I think too much, and I may have overreacted before. It doesn't have to be some cumbersome ordeal. It's just us."

"We're good then?"

"We're good."

"Good. 'Cause I like this."

She inhaled and smiled at the feeling of him inside her lungs. They continued swaying as they continued talking.

"You were in my dream you know?"

"Was I?"

"You were."

"Could I fly?"

"No," she laughed. "You were - well we, actually, were walking to that lake."

"To swim?"

Not exactly...

"I don't know. It's kinda foggy and didn't make much sense since it was a dream but we were definitely there."

"Did I say anything existentially insightful?" he joked.

"I don't remember much of what we said, but I remember how it felt."

"How... how did it feel?"

There she went again. She could feel herself slipping, but found it hard to care. She closed her eyes, thinking back to hibiscuses and Bucky's arms.

"The water and sun on my skin felt kind of like this," her hands ran up his sides dangerously slow and settled behind his neck, finger tips tangling into the ends of his hair.

His breath faltered. "Is that so?"

Unconsciously, his other hand found her waist and somehow the little space between them grew even smaller.

"Mhm," she hummed. "and the sight of a flower in your hair felt kind of like this."

Her hands moved to cup his face, the soft skin of her palm settling on his jawline.

"It was so pretty," she sighed.

"Yeah... pretty," he agreed. But he wasn't talking about the dream or the flower.

"And... your arms and your hands... felt kind of like this."

Gently, she pulled his face down to hers, though he needed no guidance or encouragement. When their lips met, that feelings of incompletion and longing, which had been prickling the back of her mind since the previous day, finally went away. They dissolved into fingers pressing into her hips, soft stubble tickling her cheek, and the delightfully encompassing presence of him.

She wasn't sure how long it was until they separated and words were spoken again. All she really recognized what that she was out of breath.

"And to think I was going to apologize for yesterday," Bucky smirked.

"I had to return the favor."

"And I gotta make up for lost time"

"Well, please don't let me stop you."

And he didn't. They continued right where they left off, except this time, it felt much too similar to something she had felt before. Hands began to roam just like they did in her dream.

The only thing was, her dream was cut short. She had no idea how it ended. But his hands were everywhere and it was all her senses could register. He was everywhere: her lips, her neck, her collar bones. She was burning.

The air ran out of her chest, and her voice was barely a breathy sigh. "Don't stop."

She could feel his smile on her skin. "Wouldn't dream of it."

-

The next morning, she awoke entwined in his arms - both of them.

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[zmediaoutlet]

hellooo. i was sitting in bed the other day and thought.. i wonder if sam still prays - and if so... does who he prays to change throughout the course of the seasons? And there is honestly no one i would rather ask this question than you. so please, if you have the time, could you share your thoughts (any throughts really!) on sam winchester as a praying man? thank you!

oh bud, it's so interesting that you had this thought -- I was thinking about this just the other day, too! Sam & faith is one of those concepts that I do find interesting but it's sort of hard to get a solid picture of; partly because Sam doesn't talk about it, and partly because what details you *can* glean are sifted through the different 'eras' of him, if you feel me. (Also you run into the possibility of the christian lesbian sam people and that's something I have to avoid for my health, lol.)

So -- your pondering about who he prays to changing I think is really spot on. When he's a kid, I suspect it's the usual kind of unformed bearded Christian-y God, a benevolent dad-figure who knows the answers and hopefully wants what's best for everyone. Little Sam was a hard-nosed kid in a lot of ways, and smart, and disappointed early by the weirdness of his life -- but he had a kind of essential hope in him, too. He was unsure about John but still had a kid's faith in his dad, and in Dean too in some ways, and I feel like that'd just... continue seamlessly into his praying to a capital-g God that he just knew had to be there. Asking for safety and deliverance and that his family would be okay, with a stubborn little clasped-hands faith that if he did everything that he needed to do, if he did it right, then it'd work out. Because what's the alternative?

When he's older of course some of that little-kid certainty fades, but I think it's telling that even s2 Sam, aged 23 or so, still apparently prays every day. I suspect that the cliched white-bearded God of a kid's cartoon fades away slightly -- I mean, he's educated and clever, I doubt he's picturing the Monty Python God -- but he might still genuinely think of it as an overarching Creator. Hazy still on the details but believing, even if sometimes he thinks it's stupid or pointless or embarrassing, that determined and focused hope might do... something. After all, there is magic in the world. There are demons, and horrors, and an afterlife of some kind or another. Why not also believe in some kind of light to buttress against the darkness? (This probably staggers a little in s4/5, but when he thinks he's righteous in s4 he might think he's playing directly into God's scheme, and when he realizes he's not in s5 he might pray for help and steadiness.)

When the Chuck reveal happens I think this takes a serious blow. God shouldn't be... this. This shady smirky little twerp who's Greek-god-level in his pettiness and smallness. Powerful only because of might, not because of right. There, I'm very open to various interpretations. Sam clearly takes Chuck seriously as The Creator because, like, he is and Sam doesn't ignore the evidence in front of his eyes -- asking about physics & evolution, wondering about how things were made, getting answers, at last! But where does that faith go? It can't go into Chuck. Faith is all about the evidence of things not seen, the ethereal and unbound, and Chuck's practically mud. It just doesn't work.

So. Does grown-up Sam, who's been through the hardest possible times and seen all the shit he's seen, still pray? To what? He'd have to know that prayer was more about meditation than reward, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he'd developed some kind of breath practice that had taken the place of prayer, and probably did him more good. Then again, maybe he looks at the sorry excuse for a deity that he's been saddled with, that he prayed toward for 30+ years, and just decides... no, if Chuck & Amara are something this mundane then there must be something more, and thus directs his prayer/medication toward an as-yet-unknown even-higher being. (Trouble with higher beings -- it's turtles all the way down.) For myself, I prefer the meditation headcanon. It makes Sam more... believable to me. However, I hope that after s15 when he's alone, and even when he's got a kid, he does send up prayers -- to Jack. Maybe he's not asking for anything, and not expecting any answer, but that's his boy. He wants to check in, even if he'll never get an answer. It just makes him feel better.

All of this said: I think this, Sam & prayer & faith, is tied in a really essential way to Sam's base character note of optimism. He's really just the most incorrigible optimist, and I value that hugely as a character trait for him. It's the base level of so many of his actions, even if they fail: he believes that he can make a life for himself despite all evidence to the contrary -- he believes he can get revenge where his dad failed -- he believes he can save Dean from hell -- he believes he can save the world. And hey, he actually succeeds on that last one, more than once. And he makes a life for himself... eventually, even if it ends up being in a bunker, in Kansas, with his brother-cum-soulmate. It's fascinating to me that Sam just... expects more. He believes that the world can be good and just and better, through effort and determination and cleverness and his two strong hands, and prayer's just... part of that. Even in the latter years when he's been beaten down by so much he believes that's so. At that point, what he's praying to doesn't matter so much; it matters that he thinks there's still a world worth fighting for.

(It's then very interesting to contrast all of that against his brother.)

[chibi-beaver]

I'm in a bad batch kinda mood today and decided to write some Hunter & Omega fluff/angst!

Rating: General

Warnings: none (this is pretty wholesome)

Summary: After Hunter loses his cool with Omega, he remembers what Cut and Suu told him and tries to make things right

Tags: hurt/comfort, fluff, angst, domestic fluff, parenting, father daughter relationship

There will be Bad Batch spoilers in this so don't read if you haven't watched the latest episode (episode 4)

Honestly, I'm pretty proud of this rn 😁

Story is also attached under the cut if you wanna read it here, if you like it I'd appreciate the notes here and/or kudos on ao3 😁

Edit: I forgot to add some fic tags 😳

Omega had gotten herself into yet another jam. All they had to do was get supplies on Tatooine. It certainly wasn't the nicest planet but it was in the outer rim and for the most part, off the radar of the Empire.

All Omega had to do was stay close to Hunter as they went into Mos Espa. It was supposed to be an in and out supply run but when was any supply run in and out? He should've known that something had to happen but why did it have to happen to Omega?

She had gotten herself into the hands of yet another bounty hunter. Hadn't she learned her lesson after the encounter on Pantora? Hunter thought to himself as he ran through the sandy "streets" of Mos Espa in search of Omega.

"Wrecker, Tech, Echo! I need help finding Omega!" Hunter yelled into his comm.

"I'm on it!" Wrecker replied.

"I'm finishing the ship's repairs but I've sent Echo," Tech said.

"I thought Echo was repairing the ship with you," Hunter said.

"He was, but we're almost done," Tech replied.

Hunter was relieved that he got two of his men helping him find Omega.

Hunter tripped over his feet. The grains of sand were making his feet slide everywhere. Just when things couldn't get any worse, Hunter noticed a Tusken Raider running off with something. Upon closer look, it was his blaster.

Hunter was conflicted on what to do but he eventually ran after the Tusken Raider and tackled it to the ground before ripping the gun out of his tiny hands. Some more Tusken Raiders surrounded Hunter, weapons pointed at him. Probably stolen weapons, he thought. He looked around, looking for an out. He knew if he shot one, he'd subsequently get shot by another, which could incapacitate him, but he couldn't waste any time. If their encounter with the bounty hunter on Pantora taught him anything, he knew that they were cunning and fearless. They would do anything to keep their hands on Omega and would harm anyone who got in their way. Almost like what he would do for Omega. He just wished that she would stop getting into trouble.

Suddenly, they all ran off at the sound of something. Hunter was unsure of the source of the sound until his comm went off.

"You can thank me later, Tuskens hate Krayt Dragons," Tech said.

"How did you know I was-"

"I got my repairs done and I started watching the camera feeds around Mos Espa and noticed some Tuskens bothering you in the background of one," Tech replied.

"Now I'm glad you record the sound of every animal you've heard of," Hunter said, relief permeating his voice.

"I can see the bounty hunter!" Wrecker said into the comm.

"Transmit me your coordinates!" Hunter said.

"How do I do that!?" Wrecker asked.

"I got this, you focus on finding Omega," Tech said as he transmitted Wrecker's coordinates to Hunter and Echo.

Hunter immediately ran to them, meeting up with Echo on the way. Just as they got there, Wrecker got knocked out by Bounty Hunter who seemed to use the weapon he knocked Wrecker out with as a hat.

"I got Wrecker, go find Omega!" Echo said as he tried to help Wrecker.

Hunter obliged to what Echo said as he continued running after the bounty hunter. He was led to a dead-end street where he saw an anooba cornering Omega. Hunter took out his blaster and shot the anooba in the leg, causing him to yelp. Omega was distressed by the sound, as was the bounty hunter who retaliated by throwing his hat like a frisbee at Hunter. Hunter ducked just in time and avoided being hit by the hat. The bounty hunter then took out a weapon of his own and began shooting at Hunter with it. Hunter continued running towards the bounty hunter, to tackle him. It was successful until the anooba came back to tackle Hunter, causing him to drop his blaster.

Omega slowly made her way towards the blaster, but the anooba must have smelt her because he got off of Hunter and jumped on Omega. Hunter took the opportunity to pick up his blaster and pointed it at the bounty hunter's head, just as Echo and Wrecker arrived at the scene. Cornering the bounty hunter. He called his anooba off of Omega as he searched for a way out.

"What do you want with Omega?" Hunter asked, keeping the blaster pointed at the bounty hunter's head. He started speaking in an unknown language.

"Where's Tech when you need him?" Echo muttered as he turned on his comm but didn't say anything.

Hunter repeated the question as Omega approached Wrecker and stood behind his leg, she was trembling.

"He's trying to say that he was put off to it by an unknown client, it's just a job to him, a good-paying job at that," Tech whispered as he listened in.

The bounty hunter didn't answer the question as the anooba brought back his hat. The bounty hunter took the hat and hit Hunter with it before running to make his escape, pushing Echo and Wrecker out of the way.

"What were you thinking?!" Hunter said frustratedly to Omega.

"I-I'm sorry," Omega said.

"I thought you would've learned not to talk to strangers or touch strange animals after Pantora!" Hunter continued.

Omega said nothing in return as she stayed at Wrecker's side.

"You could've gotten yourself killed again! These situations are why I wanted to send you with Cut and Suu! So that you could be safe!" Hunter said. He saw the sad expression on Omega's face immediately after he said that. She looked like she was going to cry.

"Lay off her!" Wrecker said as he took Omega's hand and started back to the ship with Echo.

Hunter quickly began to regret what he had said. The regret kept itself on his mind as he walked back to the ship.

When he got back to the ship, Omega was in her room with the curtain closed.

"Let's get off this desert world," Tech said as he plotted a course for Idaflor. Maybe this time they would actually make it there without needing to repair the ship or to get supplies.

Hunter began to grow concerned as hours passed and Omega had still not left her room. Usually, she wouldn't stay in her room long. Her curious mind always kept her on the go, even though she had seen the inside of the ship countless times. Even if she wasn't feeling curious, she would usually leave to use the fresher. Tech looked back from the pilot's seat at Hunter

"What's wrong?" Tech asked.

"Nothing that you can fix," Hunter said, glancing at Omega's room.

"Well, that's a lie because I know a way to fix most things," Tech said.

"Yea, you can fix ships but you know about as much as I do about parenting," Hunter replied.

"Ah, it's about Omega. Hmmm, well maybe you should talk to her, perhaps discussing whatever happened might help things," Tech said.

Hunter didn't reply. Rather he sat back into his chair while Tech turned back to whatever device he was building. He remembered Tech telling him what it was but he had forgotten. As Hunter thought about what he could do, his mind went back to Cut and Suu.

"Easy, she's not a soldier."

Cut said that to him the first time he lashed out at Omega.

"You're safe, that's all that matters."

Hunter reminded himself that Omega was on the ship with them and not in the hands of that bounty hunter but at the same time, she shouldn't have touched that anooba. They didn't know the animal, it could've been diseased, or as it was in this case, connected to someone dangerous.

"Children will always find ways of getting into trouble, Hunter. It's what they do. Protecting them is what we do".

Hunter thought more about what he had said on Tatooine. Even if some of it was warranted, he shouldn't have brought up Cut and Suu. It was a bit of a sore spot for Omega, knowing that Hunter was going to pawn her off on Cut and Suu, even if he thought it was for her own good.

Hunter decided to approach Omega's room. He climbed up a couple steps of the ladder.

"Omega?" Hunter said.

"Go away!" Omega said.

"I just want to talk," Hunter said. "No yelling this time. I'm not mad." Hunter continued in a gentler tone.

"Fine," Omega said.

Hunter pulled the curtain to side slightly. She was sitting in her room with Lula held in one of her arms as she looked out the window at the whizzing of hyperspace.

Hunter sat in the small face, doing his best to fit. Wrecker clearly designed this space for someone of Omega's size. He eventually sat horizontally in the room, with one leg hanging outside of the space for his own comfort.

"You're gonna get rid of me again, aren't you?" Omega said.

"What? No. You said you wanted to be with us, I promised you that if you wanted to be with us then you will be with us."

"But I screwed up again," Omega said.

"You said it yourself once, you have a lot to learn. But so do I and I realize I was a bit too harsh today. I'm sorry."

"I can't help that I'm curious sometimes," Omega said, thinking back on how it was her who wanted to pet the anooba.

"I know, but sometimes it's better to watch from afar," Hunter said.

Omega didn't say anything in response. Rather she clutched the Lula.

"I'm not going to get rid of you. We want you here just as much as you want to be here. I'm sorry for bringing up Cut and Suu and I'm just glad you're okay," Hunter said.

To Hunter's surprise, Omega moved closer to him and put her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. Hunter was initially taken aback but he soon returned the hug. When they eventually pulled away from one another, Omega smiled.

"Now let's agree to put what happened today behind us," Hunter said.

"Ok," Omega replied.

Hunter made his way back down the ladder and extended a hand out to Omega,

"wanna come down and hang out with us or explore the ship or do whatever you want?" Hunter asked.

"Sure!" Omega said as she came out of her room and started asked Tech various questions about the ship and the controls. Hunter watched and smiled at seeing Omega feeling a bit better.

[prettyboongi]

It Had to Be You

[A/N: Omigod guys! I’m so excited! This is my first series ever and hopefully not my last. The idea for this series came to me about when I first started this blog and it’s been stewing in my mind ever since. This series is really inspired by laidback coming of age films and my favorite childhood cartoons, so I’m definitely going for a more nostalgic feel. Also, I’m trying something a little different with my writing. I decided to write this with a somewhat American-esque setting, and with that names are going to written in the western way (ex. Taehyung Kim, Jimin Park, Jungkook Jeon). So keep that in mind. I really hope you guys enjoy this series and please feel free to give me feedback!]

Quick thanks to @soft-hard-peaches​ and @cheonjae-min​ for encouraging me to write this series <3

Reader x Taehyung (also including Jimin and Jungkook!)

Word Count: 1,749

Warnings: some strong language

First posted: 07.04.20

Chapter One: Dog Days Are Over

“What’s taking him so long?,” Taehyung whines as he leans his back against the large tree he and his friend Jungkook found shelter from. He takes out his flip phone to check the time. “He should be here by now.” 

Sitting down next to him, Jungkook looks up at Taehyung, “Didn’t he mention he had to run some errands with his mom?” 

Taehyung sighs. “Yeah but he texted me he was on his way to the park but that was 30 minutes ago!” 

Normally, the young boy wouldn't mind his best friend Jimin Park running late to their rendezvous. But today was their last day of summer vacation, before starting their first day of eight grade. So understandably, he wanted to enjoy the last bit of freedom as long as he could. 

Today was an especially hot mid-August afternoon. The torrid summer air made it feel as if your skin was baking from the uncomfortable heat, and the occasional breeze that came now and then barely served any justice. The large tree Taehyung and Jungkook were under did help shield some of the sun’s harsh rays from beaming down on them but still couldn’t protect them from the dry environment. Despite this torture, Taehyung actually liked days like this. It was so that a lot of people avoid going outside. Many overprotective moms often confine their children at home to avoid the possibility of heatstroke. With usually crowded places like the park only having a handful of people, Taehyung felt as if his small town was his domain. 

Jungkook began going over his excitement for his first day of sixth grade. He was absolutely giddy that he would finally be considered one of the big kids, although Taehyung reminded him he still had a long way to go. Taehyung tried his best to listen to Jungkook, only ending up drifting off to his own reverie. It was the sound of approaching footsteps that brought him back to the real world. 

“Sorry, I’m late,” Taehyung hears Jimin say before facing towards him. 

“It’s fine, let’s just hurry and-,” Taehyung stops himself when he sees that Jimin hadn’t come alone. Standing next to him was some girl about his height.  You were about the same height as Jimin, making you slightly shorter than Taehyung. You had your hair in a downward ponytail, and was wearing a faded red baseball tee with denim capri pants. Taehyung didn’t see anything spectacular about you, but then again he felt that way about most girls his age. 

Smiling at his two friends absentmindedly, it takes a moment before Jimin catches on to the awkward silence. 

“Oh yeah sorry,” Jimin says bashfully, rubbing the back of his head, “this is Y/N, she’s new here.” He then gestures to the two boys. “These are my best friends, Taehyung Kim and Jungkook Jeon.” 

“‘Sup?,” you greeted, giving a quick nod. 

Taehyung copies the same action as the new girl, “Nothing much.” Taehyung didn’t really know what else to say to Y/N; it wasn’t that he was shy or anything, he just really didn’t expect to meet anyone new. However the ever shy Jungkook stayed silent and tried to hide behind his older friend. 

"Do you mind if she tags along with us?"

"Nope, it's cool," Taehyung answered, hiding his annoyance. Taehyung really wanted to spend the last day of summer break with just his two best buds, not with some kid he didn't even know. As much as he wanted to send you back to where she came from, he also didn't want a dick and just kick you out. 

Taehyung pulled out his phone and checked the time again. "We better head to Moon's Comics before he closes for the day." 

"Yeah definitely," Jimin replies, "but on the way there, let's stop by the convenience store and get some slushies." 

Taehyung shoots him a dirty look. "Dude, you already so long to get here." 

"Come on, Taetae," Jimin cooed affectionately, "it's really hot today, we could all use one." 

Initially, Taehyung doesn't budge, and it didn't expect for you to chime in. 

"Yeah, Taetae," Y/N says in a mocking yet playful tone, "a little detour couldn't hurt. And I just got my allowance so it'll all be on me." 

Taehyung didn't know what to make of your generous offer. But he wasn't quick to refuse a free slushie. 

As the quartet made their way to the nearby convenience store, the conversation was primarily made up with getting to know you. You revealed that you were from the city and that you were sent to live with your aunt and grandma. 

“They own that one bookstore, across from the Tino’s Pizzeria,” Jimin informed Taehyung, “it was one of the places me and mom had to stop by earlier, and that’s where I was introduced to Y/N.” 

Taehyung was genuinely surprised. “I never knew  there was a bookstore around  there. And I go to Tino’s all the time.” 

Jimin shook his head. “Of course you didn’t, Tae. You don’t read.”

Taehyung glares at him while you stifled a giggle. Secretly, Taehyung had to admit: your giggle was pretty damn cute.  

You also revealed that you were the same age as Taehyung and Jimin, starting the 8th grade alongside them. At one point, you whispered to Taehyung, “Hey, what’s with Bambi?”, subtly gesturing towards Jungkook. 

“Oh that’s just he’s just really shy, especially around girls.” 

“Oh,” you responded understandably. However, that didn’t stop you from catching Jungkook’s attention and waving at him flirtily. This causes the poor kid to turn beet red and walk further away from the group. “Okay, he’s now my favorite.” 

The friendly ring of the convenience store door went as the four kids made their way out. Thanks to the generosity of the new girl, each person had a large cherry slushie in one hand and an additional treat of their choosing. 

"Thanks for treating us, Y/N," Jimin says to her with a big smile on his face. 

"Yeah, thanks," chimed Taehyung, "you really didn't have to." 

You took a sip from your slushie before responding to the two boys. "Oh it's no problem. This just means you guys owe me next time." You shoot them a playful smile. 

Noticing Jungkook hasn't said anything in awhile, Jimin turns to him. "Jungkook, don't you have something to say to Y/N." 

Jungkook stops mid-sip and quickly wipes his red stained mouth. "Um, thank you, Y/N," he says in a quiet voice. 

You then step close to Jungkook and pat his head gently. "You're very welcome, cutie." 

This tender gesture causes the sixth grader-to-be blush slightly and beam at you as if you were a divine goddess. Seeing this, Jimin quietly giggles to himself while Taehyung rolls his eyes. 

Despite the unexpected addition to the group, Taehyung's last day of freedom was a huge success. He got some tasty treats to enjoy on the way to the comic bookshop. There, he got a copy of the manga he wanted and a free poster from the owner, Mr. Moon, to congratulate him on starting the new school year. He honestly thought things couldn't get better. And it also felt nice to meet someone as cool as you. For the longest time, he's been comfortable with just his two best friends but now he couldn’t wait to see where this friendship with you will go. 

The gang were on their way back to the park to hang out for the rest of the day. Laughs filled the air as Taehyung was telling a story about his accidentally leaving him at the supermarket. When he noticed that you suddenly stopped in front of them, that's when he walks closer to you. 

"Hey, what's up?," he asks while studying the intense look on your face. When you didn't answer him, he turned his gaze ahead to see what you were so fixed on.  All he saw in front ahead was a couple, a boy and girl, sitting on a bench about two yards before Taehyung and you stood. They looked to be older teenagers and they were feeding each other french fries, all lovey dovey. The other cheesiness of the scene made Taehyung grimace. 

You turn to Taehyung and give him a mischievous smile. “Hey fellas,” she called out, “Watch this!” Before any of the boys could react, they saw you wind up your arm back -cherry slushie still in hand- and threw your drink right at the seated couple. 

In mere seconds, the couple was covered in the cold red goop, their expression in complete shock. The teenage boy looks towards the direction of where the slushie was thrown and ultimately finds the culprit. The moment the boy got up from the bench, Taehyung heard you shout, “Run”, as she had already made a head start. Before they knew it, the three boys were running for their lives, trying to make sure the angry teen doesn’t catch up to them and murder them. Taehyung did his very best to run at the same speed as you while you effortlessly were hauling serious ass. Jimin had some trouble catching up especially as he was pulling Jungkook’s arm, making sure he doesn’t fall behind. 

After a minute of running, the gang found a sewage tunnel to hide in, losing the angry teen completely. The sounds of their lingering pants echoes throughout the spacious tunnel. Once Taehyung’s breathing returned to it’s normal pace, he was suddenly filled with fierce irritation. 

“What the hell was that all about?!” he shouts at Y/N. 

Taehyung waited for an explanation from you, but you only responded with a fit of laughter. 

“Omigod, did you see the look on that dude’s face?!,” you guffawed, holding yourself as if you were going to topple over. 

The three boys stared at you in silence, totally flummoxed over the entire situation. However, you were too busy trying to die down your own laughing fit to even notice.

“Y/N,” Jimin said as you were quieting down, “Why did you throw your slushie at them?”

You wiped the tears from the corner of your eyes before answering Jimin’s question. “Simple: because I thought it would be funny.” You shoot the three of them a devilish smirk. 

Taehyung's eyes widened at the girl he initially thought was easygoing and kind. But now he sees an entirely different person from before. He thinks to himself, “What is this chick’s deal?” 

[master-jarrus]

Rewatching the cartoon beauty and the beast

Some notes:

Gaston is smart enough to provide intellectual stimulus for Belle. He's just to arrogant, conceited, and sexist for it to work out.

I forgot Maurice almost went off a cliff.

The live action did a lot better with pacing. 21:34 and Belle is already in the castle here

Can we appreciate the scenery for a sec!

Belle's voice is kind of whiny but then again she is supposed to be afraid so... can't really judge

Also why did she want him to come into light before agreeing?

You didn't let her say goodbye! Ooh look at that guilt already displaying itself

He's honestly really awkward which makes a lot since he's been a beast since he was 11

She's using that same face she uses with Gaston

Was spring/falling and it's now snowing

The people only like Gaston because he owns the bar

Fun fact: Gaston is based off of someone's ex and that is an absolute nightmare think about

🎶Le fou I have been thinking

A dangerous pastime

I know🎶

She never drank the tea

Adam (the beast that actually is his name) only acts how he does because he was spoiled and then people felt bad for him which allowed him to get away with more

Cogsworth and Lumiere have the same vibes as Dwight and Jim from the office

I aSked heR NicEly

Actually you didn't

Be our guest!

Oh wait, laze about the castle... guess that throws out them spoil him because he was cursed.

The forks' faces are creepy

"Who said anything about the castle being enchanted" well let's see your a talking clock. Yeah I have no idea how I could've possibly jumped to that conclusion

He literally could've just said, "don't go into the west wing I don't like people in my quarters." And she would've never gone in there. Just saying

Also for someone who often has to deal with someone who can't take no for an answer, you'd think she would take no for an answer

Screams get out, realizes he screwed up and completely lost his temper.

Question: was he remorseful because he scared her? Or because he thinks he just ruined his only chance at being human?

Wolves!

Belle looks great with her hair down

Like she's absolutely terrified and stuff but that lighting working for her

Beast just passed out

She was going to leave him

Why will it sting? It's just water, right?

"I wouldn't have run away if you hadn't frightened me!"

Beast:

Asylum guy: that's despicable! I love it

Le fou doesn't think Belle is a good match for Gaston apparently. That or he's trying to tease him and it's not working out well

Unrealistic expectations: getting a library as a gift

Belle likes a ton of sugar and cream in her porridge

When you think about it they fell in love in about a month or 2 maybe three

Please just let chip in on the secret nothing works better at helping people realizing their feelings then the awkward reveal that a child provides

Her hair bun is so weird. It's just kind of of folded over weirdly.

Huh, I always remembered it as they were eating and the scene changed to them dancing not Belle getting up and dragging him onto the dance floor with her

The animation with dress twisting around her!

All of a sudden no snow

Are you happy

Yes!

Gets sad

That hesitation on the please as if she isn't sure if she should say it or not is such a mood (alexa)

Why did she bring her dad back to the castle? Wouldn't it be smarter in every aspect?

Dress change

She didn't question the snow man?

Well, I guess she was busy focusing on her father

She proves the beast's existence, her father and her are still locked up

Assuming that the beast will want their children as a sacrifice even though he never has before

The lightning on the mirror

Can hear women singing in the mob song, all men in the mob

I'm surprised they didn't assume Belle sent the mob to the castle

The chopper is an ingenious design but I see on fatal flaw. There isn't any actual way for the ax to be brought back up

Cogsworth having a mental breakdown and just becoming a lunatic

Anybody else get the sense we were suppose to get creeper vibes with the guy pulling out the feather duster's feathers?

Why didn't gaston bring his gun?

Gaston apparently thinks the beast has a beak

People make it seem like adam gave Gaston mercy because he's changed and honestly no, it's because he never killed anyone before

"Beast!" Girl, it's been at least 3 months and you still don't know his name?

She has to actually say it for it count for some stupid reason

Ooh kind of dark idea: what if she didn't like him and he was only changed back because he was dead? Also would that lift the curse off the staff?

Yes because you would be able to walk after being a beast for 10 years

When you realize that curse wasn't lifted off anything/one until the kissed

Clothes from when he was a beast perfectly fit his human form

When I was little I thought Maurice and Mrs. Potts were going to get together because they were old and single

End of movie

Y'know I only planned on taking note of Gaston's intellect and probable dyslexia

[acescreations]

Moody Manipulations - Patton

[Part 2 to the Connected Youtuber Ego Universe(CYEU) stories I'm doing on Amino.]

Characters: Logan Sanders, Patton Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Roman Sanders, Thomas Sanders, Elliott (Cartoon Therapy), Kai (Cartoon Therapy), Lauren (Cartoon Therapy), Missy Sanders [background character], Pranks Sanders [refrenced], Mitchell (Cartoon Therapy) [mentioned]

Warnings: Patton has a really bad day, cries, and hides his emotions, Patton also has a retail job I feel like I should mention that, Mitchell is implied to be a little b*tch, Patton gets verbally abused

Word Count: 1798

It really didn't take me long to figure out what my emotions do. Whenever I was happy, things went right in the world, and when I was sad things went wrong. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but the correlation was too obvious to be chance. After that, I always did my best to stay in a good mood. I'd do things I enjoy, and avoid people and things that upset me.

I have to admit, staying happy became a lot harder. It almost seemed like a job at this point, since it was my responsibility to be happy. I still tried my hardest despite this, and when I was happy, hearing about all the good things happening in the world put me in an even better mood. Though that did go both ways, and hearing about bad things happening made me more upset, so I eventually decided to not look at the news when I was already uspet.

This was all a pretty good strategy for keeping my mood up, but one day everything went wrong, and I had no idea how to stay happy then.

I was heading down to my job at the local retail store and I bumped into someone on the street. "Whoops! Sorry about that." They said nothing, and just kept walking. I was surprised I didn't see them sooner. They had a head full of messy green hair along with bright blue eyes. I didn't really think much of it, after all, it was a busy street, people run into each other all the time. Once I got to my job, I saw my best friend getting his stuff. It looked like he was leaving, but we were supposed to be on the same shift today. I walked up to him as he was putting his hat on. "What's going on Chase? Are you leaving?" He turned to me with a sigh. "Yeah, I just got fired. I have no idea how I'm gonna pay for my date with Stacy now."

"Oh, geez." I was pretty disappointed myself. I always looked forward to the days when we worked together. "Well, good luck on finding a new job, I guess." Chase nodded as he walked past me. "Yeah, I guess."

I sighed as he left. This job was going to get a lot harder without him here. But, I still had my job to do, so I put on my name tag and I clocked in.

After a while of uneventful work, a woman came in and slammed a box of party supplies onto the counter. "I need to return these," she demanded.

"Okay ma'am," I said, a little nervous, "do you have the receipt?"

"No, but I don't need this anymore. I never needed it, so give me a refund on it!"

"I'm sorry, but can't return anything without proof of purchase." I had never had one of these conversations before, and this lady was really intimidating.

"I'm not keeping stuff my husband bought as a prank! Of course you teenagers don't care about how much money all this costs, you probably get handed money just so you can spend it all on stupid parties, don't you?"

Of course, I didn't actually do any of that, but she didn't know that, and I wasn't allowed to tell her that. "I want to help you, but I can't give you a refund on anything without a receipt."

The woman let out a frustrated growl. "I don't have time for this." She stormed out of the store, leaving the box on the counter. I allowed myself a sad sigh as I picked up the box and moved it off the counter, putting on a brand new smile as the next person in the line brought up their stuff. "Good afternoon, did you find everything you were looking for?"

~ ~ ~

By the end of my shift, I was exhausted. I wanted to call someone for a ride home, but my phone had died, so I had to walk. To make matters worse, I saw a cat that had been hit by a car on the side of the road. By that point, I was barely holding back tears, although I kept telling myself to stay cheerful, which only made it harder. I decided that I'd have a few cookies to cheer myself up when I got home.

I walked through the door, and saw Logan and Thomas sitting on the couch, watching the news. Obviously, it was all bad news. Logan turned off the TV as they both turned to me. "Bad day?" I must have looked pretty upset, because I never told Thomas about what my emotions do, but something must have prompted him to ask that. I just shrugged. I didn't want to talk about it, because I felt like I'd break down in tears if I did. I walked past them wordlessly and went into my room to change out of my work clothes. When I walked back out, I was determined to improve my mood, so I put on a smile and went to get that cookie, but I opened the cookie jar to find that it was empty. "When did we finish the cookies?" I asked to anyone who was listening. Thomas spoke up from the living room. "I'm pretty sure Lauren finished them with Roman and Virgil." I wanted to be upset about this, but I was determined to stay positive.

It's okay Patton, you can just make some more. That should be fun, that should make you happy.

I began taking out ingredients, but it turned out we were out of a flour, sugar, and eggs. That was definitely a disappointment. I told myself I'd be able to get through it anyway.

After that, though, was when I completely lost composure. Elliott walked out of their room, their shoulders hanging as they sat down next to Thomas on the couch. Logan looked up from where he was reading on the other end of the couch. "Mitchell left another message today." I overheard them saying. My heart broke in sympathy for my parent, and I quickly walked out of the kitchen and into my room, barely even trying to hold back tears anymore.

As soon as I was alone in my room, I collapsed to the floor, letting out all the sobbing my day had been leading up to. I don't know how loud I was being, but after wiping tears from my eyes, I looked up and I was surrounded by my family, all with faces of varying levels of concern and sympathy. Once my crying slowed, Virgil, eho was sitting in front of me, said "Hey, what's wrong?" I lowered my head onto my knees. "Bad day," I muttered, overcome with guilt for how many people I must have gotten hurt today. "Patton," I heard Logan say at my right, "you can't keep getting upset at yourself for being upset." I shook my head. "No, you don't understand," I said.

"I'm pretty sure I do, and Patton," Logan continued, "you're going to have your ups and downs, and it'll be less... disastrous if you just let the bad days be just a little bad. The world can take a little bit of misfortune, believe me."

I looked up at him, confused. "Are you saying you-"

"Yes Patton, and for your information I regularly keep up on the news so I can tell how your feeling. And yes," Logan continued, "everyone else knows too."

"Oh." I looked around at everyone, unsure of how I never found out.

"So why don't you just tell us what's going on today?" Virgil asked, scooting over to sit next to me. I shrugged, not really sure when exactly my day started going terribly. "Well on the way to work I bumped into this guy, which I really didn't mind that much, but after that I found out my friend got fired," I then just started stating everything that happened that day. I didn't mean to, really, I just started talking and then I couldn't stop myself. Once I was finished, Roman gave me a thoughtful look. "What did the guy on the street look like?" I blinked at him, confused as to why he was questioning that. "Well, he had blue eyes, and really messy green hair."

"What was he wearing?"

"I dunno, this big wavy coat?"

"Roman," Logan sighed, "what does this have to do with anything?" Roman didn't answer, despite everyone beong equally confused. He just stood up, muttered something about "Marvin" and walked out. "I have a hunch about something, I'll be back, hopefully with good news." Thomas sighed and shook his head after Roman left the house. "That boy, honestly. Anyway, how about me and Elliott go get those ingredients you were needing? You can just stay here and relax."

"No!" I said, a little too frantically. "I-it's just," I mumbled, "you could get hurt."

"It's fine," Logan said. "Camden's got an eye on the TV, and things are improving. They should be able to get there and back safely." Camden was the name Logan gave his familiar. I slowly nodded, and Virgil stood up and grabbed my hand. "All right, now you come here and watch some TV." I stood up and followed him as he led me to the couch, Logan, Kai, and Lauren following behind while Thomas and Elliott got ready to go to the store. Me and Virgil sat next to each other on the couch, Logan sitting a small distance away while Kai and Lauren sat near us.

After a while of watching Steven Universe, Roman burst back through the door. "Patton, you will have to worry about this misfortune no longer!"

"O-okay. Um, what did you do?" I asked.

"Well that person you bumped into, I'm actually acquainted to him. He calls himself Marvin the Magnificent. He claims to be a magician, but for as long as I knew him he couldn't do any actual magic. Turns out he got magic powers through a deal with a demon or something, and he had to agree to curse you with misfortune." He sat down on my other side, so now I had one sibling at both of my sides. "I talked him into releasing the curse," he said, probably more casually than what the situation would call for.

"Okay, thanks then," I said, despite Roman already being immersed in the show. We continued watching until Thomas and Elliott returned with the baking supplies, then Virgil, Thomas, and Lauren joined me in baking cookies. Once I tasted one of the cookies from out of the oven, I figured that the day wouldn't be as bad as it had been.

[expired-blueberries]

What do you think will happen to Ben 10?

If i remember correctly, there's supposed to be something coming this year? like an announcement in summer maybe? (i could be remembering wrong though) but beyond that if i had to guess...

if i had to guess, they might bring back the reboot gang and, idk, maybe focus on ben having the omnitrix and how that works with school and whatnot? it would probably have the same length episodes that the reboot did, and probably wouldn't get too serious (again, like the reboot). it might show ben, gwen, and kevin being friends in the show (begrudgingly, in kevin's case), and maybe it'll show ben dealing with fame since, honestly, he never hid the fact that he had the omnitrix and he was turning into aliens. most episodes would probably be largely self-contained and mostly fight oriented, again, like the reboot was.

(various thoughts underneath the read more, both pertaining to the question and not lol)

the problem is that cartoon network's age demographic is now ages 6-12, and every bigwig who either doesn't have a kid or isn't involved with their kid thinks that kids don't want serious stuff or overarching plot, and that nobody over 12 wants to watch cartoons. i think this is a trend across kid's tv right now - disney is constantly lowballing the ages of their protagonists so that they're closer in age to their desired demographic and cancelling shows that are viewed as too mature, nickelodeon is beating every dead horse it has with all of the spongebob shows it has now, and cartoon network is cashing in on immature humor to draw in the young kids that don't want to watch nick or disney.

i think ben 10 is one of the shows cartoon network could genuinely market to an older audience, kind of like it did with uaf and even omniverse. ben 10 could HONESTLY be one of its stand-out shows, the one that opens the door to having cartoons for people over 12. we KNOW that ben 10 has a lot of potential, and it's different from, i believe, a lot of popular cartoons that are out right now in that it's science and not magic based (the omnitrix is. science.), it's a superhero show but it allows its characters to grow and change (cough ttg cough), and with some slight tweaking to its marketing it could be equally interesting to both boys and girls.

(in that paragraph I'm specifically saying teenagers, like i need to point this out I need you to understand that i am not saying they would make cartoons for adults because that's its own can of worms that i'm not getting into right now and anyway an adult cartoon wouldn't air on cartoon network because it would rather air on adult swim but i digress i just need you to understand i am specifically talking about teenagers when i talk about 'cartoons for people over 12' in this AND YES ADULTS COULD STILL WATCH THE SHOW I AM NOT EXCLUDING ADULTS BUT WE ALL NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE NOT MARKETING TO ADULTS NOR WILL THEY MARKET TO ADULTS)

moving on, ben 10 is too much of a cash cow show with a near infinite amount of possibilities to be explored for them to do away with it completely any time soon... if they're smart. HOWEVER i wouldn't be surprised if they fuck it up somehow and then have to bury it again for a few years. but even in that scenario i imagine it would come back because, again, cash cow, infinite possibilities, etc. i don't even just mean that in the lore and story sense, i mean it could be a fountain of merch if they're smart. yeah, toys are definitely included, but you could also go for clothes and room decor and whatnot. i genuinely don't believe they did enough to market the reboot, because i think if they had then they probably could've kept the reboot going for a while yet. whether or not that would have been a good thing is up to you (personally, i thought it was getting a little old hat by the time it ended, but that was also to be expected with episodes that were only 10 minutes long and rarely serious).

i don't know what's coming, i don't know what to expect, and i don't have particularly high hopes. i love the reboot, don't get me wrong, i really adore it, but, just like its predecessors, it has it's share of problems, problems which likely could be exacerbated by a new series.

i will say, i don't think they're ever going to bring back the older continuity. they won't bring back ultimate alien, or alien force, or even omniverse or even original series. this just won't happen. and i'm saying this because even now i still occasionally see fans on twitter asking to bring back ov and i just gotta tell ya i don't think it's gonna happen, and i don't mean that in an 'ugh ov was my least favorite series and i don't want to see it revived' way but in a 'they were scraping the barrel by the time it ended, and yes, they could have showed the roadtrip ben and rook and kevin and gwen went on, but at this point no kid knows who those iterations of those characters are and would have no reason to care about them and there's just not enough adult fans to make a show about that, or any show in the original continuity being made anew, monetarily worth it.'