#jack and will should've gotten together

[scootersscooter]

Something beautiful about Will and Jack not getting together in the original Will & Grace. Something cowardly about them not getting together in the reboot.

[elizabeth-mitchells]

also ngl this episode annoyed me real bad on this rewatch. why does no men on this island respect the privacy between a girl and her mysterious silver case she found at the bottom of a lake????

[negrowhat]

BL Things that Disappointed Me in 2024

I couldn't let this year end without telling y'all about the things that truly let me down this year. Things that brought down my viewing pleasure.

Dr. Plakao from Wandee Goodday. Specifically that he didn't really get some type of real storyline outside of helping Wandee with his troubles. I wanted to see more of his dating and romantic life. We finally got a taste of some Ace representation and we only got crumbs. I just wanted more of his romance with Blue. I did. I really did.

Third from Century of Love. WTF was he even there for? All he did was get attacked by San and then turned around and sheltered the man and helped him lie to his own friend. Did my boy even get a happy ending? I just felt like he was a waste of a good character.

RyuAtomZen from The Rebound. Because we all saw how the series was selling us on a poly situation between Ryu, Atom, and Zen. The chemistry between the three was great and it was clear that their "love triangle" wasn't even a triangle just 3 points in a circle. All the pieces were there. We saw Zen spend time with Ryu and Atom. We saw Atom spend time with Ryu and Zen. And we saw Ryu spend time with Atom and Zen. They practically all slept together throughout the series and Granny was ready to adopt Atom and Ryu. IT WAS RIGHT THERE and the poly relationship wouldn't have been the craziest thing to come from that series let's be fucking real. Let me move on because I'm ranting now lol.

ViMook from Love Sea. Oh they pissed me off and it was really because they dragged on whatever cat and mouse manipulation game ViMook had going on until the very end. There was plenty of time for them to do all that and move on to being actual girlfriends or at least dating before the series ended. Like I loved them together but their entire storyline was not the fucking vibe. Here's to hoping we get more of Chanya and Aya in 2025.

'Khun Dad' from SunsetxVibes. I'm not even going to get into how disappointed I was with the series overall (I don't have the time) but I will talk about how fucking YUCKY it was for Salin to CHOOSE to call Sun 'Khun Dad' throughout the series. This is the ONLY time I've ever been disgusted by a daddy kink because why in THE FUCK would you want to call your man 'Khun Dad'? It was without a doubt the WORST thing about that series. Gag-o-rama.

Tonkla from 4 Minutes. I was upset that he died. He was the only one whose death was not justifiable to me. There were worse people in that series who lived. He could've run away. He could've fled the country with Korn (or not). It was possible. I have strong feelings about Tongkla not surviving after everything he went through.

TattooAran and HopeSave from Jack and Joker. All I'm saying is that as long as those eps were we should've gotten more development with the 2 other side couples. HopeSave were an established couple and we didn't even get a kiss between them?? And why did they make TattooAran so fucking lowkey?? Why did we get played with MarkProm AGAIN??? A beautiful love story could've flowered between them because the material was all there and we got NOTHING. I'm pressed.

Not seeing Mick in the maid costume in Every You, Every Me. A maid costume was mentioned, even teased, so where the fuck was it? Why didn't I see Blue in the maid costume??? They could've given us a taste. Mick would look so amazing in a maid costume.

[cinnis]

all the corps: supercorp, rojascorp, reigncorp, spheercorp, agentcorp

did i miss any?

oh

guardiancorp 😅

Hello Sides! I figured it'll be easier to start with the I Ship It corps first!

Supercorp!

The chemistry in S2 is intense. While I have some issues with supercorp the positives outweigh my quibbles most days and a lot of that comes from the chemistry established in S2. Sincerely love the ship a whole lot.

My favorite thing about the ship, I'm a sucker for supportive partners and Supercorp are usually really good at that. Also the angst potential between a Super and A Luthor is delicious.

Um, Kara's behavior in S3 is abhorrent and I really, really, really dislike that S5 distracts from what should really be Kara reckoning with her choices by giving Lena a heel turn that only 60% works. If that's not unpopular enough I also think Lena tops.

Rojascorp!

Confidence Women is maybe the best episode in S5 and absolutely sold me on Rojascorp even if it isn't my favorite Corp ship. The camaraderie established therein really really works for me. I mean "You Jump, I Jump"

Andrea goes on an expedition because Lena asks! While she has other important stuff going on! That's devotion! It's delicious childhood friends to lovers to enemies to lovers(?), it kills.

Andrea doesn't seem to be that bad a boss? Like yes using your magazine to advertise your tech is shady, but at least she calls people by name? Honestly the impetus to make her abusive is gross, but I don't know if that's super relevant.

Reigncorp!

Depending on the day this ship supplants Supercorp as my favorite Corp ship. And it's all because of the mutual trust and support in it. Like both Super & Rojascorp are marred by deception, but Sam comes to Lena when Lena needs help and then when Sam is dealing with Reign Lena promises to cure her and dedicates herself to the task. It's just so good!

God I'm kind of bad at structuring these answers, but you know the scene when Lena's drunk, she goes to Sam and wears Sam's sweatshirt while she's on her couch. That vulnerability is perfect.

Sam & Ruby should both have powers in a S3+ setting. And I don't think Sam is going to try to reconcile Lena & Kara, if Lena comes to her about it Sam is going to be solely invested in helping her.

Spheercorp!

I liked Jack in S2 he seemed sweet, and compared to Mon-El he was literally perfection, I thought it worked better as exes, but I liked it quite well. The scenes he got in Confidence Women really helped cement him as the show's best boyfriend.

He recommends Lena lean on other people! They're working on a fulfilling project together. Like it seems supportive and happy and healthy!

Mon-El got to show up a bunch in E100 I think Jack should've gotten a scene there too! Also let Lena and Kelly reminisce about lost partners!

And now we get to the ships I don't ship!

Agentcorp

To be quite honest, the only time Alex and Lena felt like friends was while Alex was mindwiped. They never read as particularly close to me, and Alex immediately calling into question all the good Lena had ever done for her and the rest of the Superfriends in S5E8 killed any inkling of them ever actually being close for me. (Jonn recommended going to Lena during Crisis, Alex was opposed iirc)

Way more stuff like in S4 without the mindwipe involved, or even just more scenes where they hung out at all?

Look I don't think the ship works, but I've heard Chyler was gunning for an agentcorp kiss and I can respect that. I'm almost curious what that version of the show looks like.

Guardiancorp

The transition from "She's a Luthor" to "Oh I might have feelings" just feels absurdly quick and underbaked? Like it definitely feels like it's relying on the 1 month timeskip between S2-3 to make it work. Mostly I just feel like keeping them icy for longer would've worked out for the best.

Honestly I have no idea. Mehcad is charming, but there's no chemistry there. Would it be cheating just to say if it had been Kelly instead?

I do like that Lena and James disagree and can sort it out, regardless of my opinion on those disagreements, I think that's cool! Also the fact that Lena reverts to Jimmy sometimes is an inspired choice!

Ok! I hope that was coherent! Feel free to ask any followup questions if you'd like elaboration!

[musicfashionmonsters]

Love Should've Brought You Home

Random short based off of a JH story I'm free styling writing. It has nothing to do with the story itself, though some facts from the latter may present themselves.

Warning: Angst ahead

Synopsis: Jack is engaged to his former high school girlfriend Simone after they reconnected and began dating in their adult years. As the stress of their careers, wedding planning and their relationship weighs heavy on them, Jack begins a five month affair with a woman he met at a party. Growing tired of lying and sneaking around, he decides to tell Simone everything.

Main Cast: Jack Harlow and Jourdan Riane (as Simone)

Cameos: None

Mad Love Library Masterlist

Jack laid back in the comfortable California king bed staring up at the ceiling as Stacey laid asleep next to him. He looked over at her, though his mind was elsewhere. He thought about Simone, his fiancee of a year and a half and the only woman to have gotten him near the full point of marriage.

The two of them had known each other since they were 14 years old and dated from ages 15 to 17. They'd broken up months before graduation due to their differences in plans and Jack's acceptance of gaining attention from other girls. She wanted to pursue a degree while he wanted to chase his rap career. Though the two supported each other's dreams and remained faithful to each other, the relationship didn't last.

Others thought they would be the high school sweethearts that stayed together through college age and eventually get married and have kids. The two of them secretly thought that as well.

Simone Le'vine was the name she was given at birth and what the world knew her as, but he knew her as Monie. A Louisville native of both French and Haitian decent with the brains, beauty and spirit to match. Hypnotizing brown eyes, brown skin, beautiful naturally curly hair that he liked to run his fingers through when it wasn't in a protective style, long legs with thick thighs and an ass he loved to grasp in his palms. She'd earned her degree in both business and psychology while in college, though she became a model due to being discovered shortly before her graduation.

She had been on nearly every famous magazine cover known in and outside of the US and even walked a few runways. Though her height was only 5'7, designers were mesmerized by her with every step she'd take.

The two of them reconnected at the 2022 Met Gala with plenty of hostility from her end which he understood. A civil conversation between them eventually took place and they renewed their friendship, though Jack knew he wanted her back. Simone wanted him back as well, but didn't want to come off so eager. Which she wasn't.

They'd gotten back together and things had been great the past three years. Until Stacey came along.

He'd met Stacey at an awards after party nearly five months ago and the two had been sneaking around ever since. She met her around the time that he and Simone had been bickering and having petty arguments back and forth. It didn't help that Simone had a male friend that she was close with who was also in the industry she was in. The guy rarely hid his desire for her or the fact he wanted her to be with him instead of Jack.

It pissed him off more when he would comment on every photo she would post or the photos he would take with her, alluding to there being something more between them. Sometimes he wondered if there was.

He looked over at Stacey's sleeping figure once more, shaking his head to himself. She wasn't even half of what Simone was and he began to think with his head up top instead of down below.

He needed to come clean with his woman and stop whatever he had with Stacey.

He flipped back the covers and got out of the bed to put his clothes on. As he dressed himself, Stacey turned over, her eyes fluttering open as she looked at him.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked in her sleepy voice.

"Honestly, I should've left sooner." He admitted honestly and grabbed his New Balance sneakers, "Look, I might as well go ahead and tell you now. This is the last time we're gonna see each other."

Stacey immediately sat up, covering herself with the comforter.

"What? Why? Did I do something wrong?" She asked him, concern laced in her tone.

"It's not you that did something wrong, it's me. I should've never started this...thing with you. I have a woman waiting for me at home that I love and I'm here with you. This should never have happened." He shook his head, slipping on his sneakers.

"Wait, Jack. Just wait. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that what you and me had is done. I'm going home to my woman and I'm telling her everything that's been happening."

Stacey scoffed and chuckled humorlessly, "And you really think it's that easy? You think she's gonna just welcome you with open arms? From what you've been telling me, she never has welcomed you with open arms."

"You know nothing about her or the history we have." He defended, "That woman knows me better than anybody else and look at what I'm doing to her. It took a while for me to get her back and this is how I treat her. I'm going back where I belong and you and me are done."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, leaning back against the headboard.

"Fine, do whatever. When she kicks you out of the house and breaks up with you, don't come crawling back to me."

"Believe me...I won't. Made the mistake of crawling to you once, a second time is not needed to remind me."

He grabbed his phone, keys and wallet and walked out of the bedroom towards the front door. He left, got into his car and immediately started the engine before pulling out of the driveway.

When he arrived back to Simone's house in the last night hour, he used his key and carefully the front door, quietly closing it behind him. He tiptoed through the spacious entryway, making sure not to make too much noise.

Suddenly, the lights in the living room came on and he looked to see Simone sitting on the large sectional with her arms crossed. If looks could kill, he would be a dead man.

"Studio session must've ran late, huh?" She questioned him, the look of anger swirling in her eyes.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck and walked closer towards her, "Yeah, about that...um, I wasn't at the studio."

"No, really? I had no idea." She expressed in fake shock, tilting her head.

"Cut the sarcasm, Monie."

"You don't get to tell me that. I don't wanna hear shit from you except her name. Who is she?" She badgered him.

He sighed and looked down at his feet.

"Her name is Stacey." He confessed.

"And how long have you been seeing her?"

The guilt began to sit in more and he sighed a second time.

"Five months." He mumbled.

Simone chuckled humorlessly, pinching the bridge of her nose and bit her bottom lip as she attempted to suppress her rage before directing her attention back to him.

"Five months? Five MONTHS?!" She exclaimed, standing up from the couch. "We're supposed to get married in six months and you've been sleeping around on me with some random bitch?!"

"I know, I know! I'm sorry! You and I were arguing so much back and forth and neither one of us wanted to listen to each other. I met her at an after party and she just-"

"Distracted you from the problems we had when you should've been talking to the main one you have the problems with?" She finished his sentence, crossing her arms.

"Baby, princess...I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did it, I really don't. I know I should've been thinking with my head up top and I should've talked to you first instead of letting her come between us. I don't want her. I even told her I'd come clean to you and I broke things off with her because I couldn't live with doing that to you."

"Clearly, you could live with it. You made it five months, what's a lifetime?"

She scoffed deeply and pushed past him, marching up the stairs to the bedroom. He was hot on her trails, following her upstairs and watched as she grabbed a suitcase from the walk-in closet.

"I know I fucked up, there's no excuse for it. I was wrong and I'll do whatever to make this right. Just please give me another chance." He begged her.

Simone remained quiet as she packed some clothes and other belongings into the suitcase.

"Come on, baby. Why are you packing a suitcase? Where are you going?" He asked, keeping his eyes onto her.

She chuckled humorlessly again and looked at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. See, I don't know if you forgot, but I paid for this house and I pay for the bills that go with it." She reminded him and pointed at the suitcase, "These are your things."

"Baby, please don't. I don't want her, I don't need her and I don't even love her! I love you!" He expressed desperately.

"You love me?! You love me, huh?! Is this how you treat somebody you love?! Sneaking around and fucking some other bitch behind my back?! Lying to me for months?! If that's your idea of "love", I don't fucking want it! Love should've brought your ass home to me instead of her for the past five months!" She raged, angrily zipping up the suitcase.

Tears filled both of their eyes as she took the suitcase off of the bed and placed it in front of him.

"That should be everything. Anything else, I'll have it sent to you."

"Princess, I don't want this. I don't want to be without you. I don't want anybody else, I want you. I want you forever. Let me know what I can do to make this right. I swear I'll do anything." He pleaded, cupping her cheeks into his palms.

"You know what you can do?" She caressed his cheek.

"I'll do anything. You name it."

All of a sudden, Simone reached back and slapped him as hard as she could. Jack stumbled back slightly and held his reddened cheek, looking at her sorrowfully.

"You can take the suitcase and get the fuck out of my house. I don't want to see you right now, if at all." She spoke calmly, her voice trembling in anger and betrayal.

"Princess..."

"Get out, Thomas. NOW." She demanded.

They always used each other's middle names whenever a situation at hand was not one to be taken lightly. It was also a way to show just how upset one or the other truly was by something that was done or said.

Knowing there was no changing her mind, Jack grabbed the suitcase and began walking out of the bedroom.

"Oh, I just remembered. You did forget something." She spoke up.

She reached for the seven carat engagement ring on her finger and threw it at him. It bounced off of his chest and he looked down at it, feeling more tears fill his eyes. He grabbed the ring off of the floor and looked at her as the tears fell down her face.

A burned memory that he'd never forget. He had no one to blame for it but himself. Usually, he'd be the one wiping her tears from someone else causing her harm. Now, the cause of her tears were on his hands.

Not another word was said as he held the suitcase in his hand and walked down the stairs and out of the door.

If she never wanted to see him again, he knew she would've been well within her rights. He did the one thing he promised he wouldn't do ever when they got back together.

He broke her heart and her trust.

[archerandthefoxx]

So I was up from 12am to 5am reading ACFTL and I honestly can't believe that it's over now. Like my brain can genuinely not wrap my head around it. The book I have been waiting for months. The series I've been reading since it was only ouabh. I honestly can't believe it's done now.

So these are just my thoughts on acftl: (SPOILERS BTW)

So I want to start with things I didn't like because I like to end things on a more positive note:

● There was a lot of potential for other things that Stephanie has hinted to in the past (just basically a lot of unanswered questions) that I can't simply believe isn't anything bigger:

> "too familiar nickname" when Jacks called her Little Fox for the first time. This had the potential to be something really big, but the fact that Eva has no connection to the fox is just leaving me confused (as in being the first fox or a reincarnation). Like how. Especially when it was heavily hinted to in the past.

> "heavier than an apple should've been" when Jacks threw an apple at Eva in ouabh. I don't understand what this was supposed to mean if it just ended up being nothing. Like why did it have to be mentioned

> An Evajacks wedding was heavily hinted to in ouabh (even the reverse dust jacket for bn acftl). I just would have liked to see that.

● For me, some of the plot points just felt very disconnected and not linked, to the point where it felt like just random things being stringed together. Like it felt like things were just happening, as if I was reading different books at the same time.

● Acftl kinda feels like after tbona, Stephanie went online and saw everyone's theories and aimed to do the exact opposite. Sometimes I felt so confused because it felt like random facts and points were just thrown at me. Or this felt like this was the original version that Stephanie wrote.

●Why was time personified constantly?

●Where was my boy, Luc? I love him and I missed him so much. I was waiting for him to pop up on the page or make a creepy/funny appearance ("Hello, Eva" - I always laughed when he pulled stuff like this).

●Even though she's not relevant, where was Marisol? You can't tell me she just disappeared. I would have just liked to know what happened to her.

●Aurora's role felt so random.

●The whole thing about Jacks's curse felt to simple and barely touched on.

●I would have liked a better answer on Jacks’s obsession with apples. Like I understand it was left like that on purpose but it would have been nice.

*

●I would have liked the return of Scarlet and Tella. They were the ones who sent Evangeline to the Magnificent North. It would have been nice to see them after all of that and Jacks and Tella could have gotten some sort of closure.

●I love how everyone was hell-bent on the fact that apollo is lysander. The fact that everyone believed Apollo was Lysander started to make me doubt it. When Lysander appeared on the page, I was surprised tbh.

● Tbona established their clear feelings for each other and acftl was them just accepting it.

●Anyways I need domestic evajacks. Like 20 chapters. The bonus epilogues healed me.

My theories that were actually right: ●Tiberius slashing Apollo’s back

●Aurora having some type of magic and being the true villain. I was so sure that she was obsessed with Jacks and placed the Archer's curse.

~"My turn" if you know, you know. Something I never knew I needed. And I need more. There is never such thing as too much Evajacks.

Me having mixed feelings about acftl hurts so much because I've been waiting for this book for so long (I've been reading this series since it was only ouabh). I haven't been able to wrap my head around the fact that this is the official book. Ouabh and Tbona were soo amazing. They were so magical and fairytale like and I cried after I finished acftl, not just because the series was over (because I did) but because it didn't live up to the expectations I had and the high standards that ouabh and tbona set.

This series will always and forever be the series I go back to when I'm sad. Regardless of how it ended, I loved it because Stephanie created a new definition of magic and fairytale for me.

[queermania]

Hi what are your thoughts on Lebanon? (the episode not the town hehe)

the first time i watched it i loathed it. now that i've had time to sit with it, i've really come around. i think it has a couple flaws, one of them fatal, but i still like it.

it's first flaw is that it's too ambitious. there's not enough time for what it's trying to do. the town as a character is a really neat concept and one they could've gotten a whole episode out of (and they should've). and the concept of john coming back for a day is also a really neat concept, and again, something that needed at least an entire episode to breathe. smooshing those two together makes it all feel underdeveloped and rushed.

the second flaw, and the one that is fatal in my opinion, is the john and mary of it all. i know a lot of people are bothered by sam and dean forgiving john and having nice family moments with him but i'm not. those were moments that they earned, not because john deserved them, but because the boys did. sam didn't need to have another shouting match with john. he'd already come to understand why john did the things he did. he'd already forgiven him. hell, he'd already forgiven him to his face even if john didn't know that was happening (in 5x13). this just let sam have closure.

the same is true of dean. dean didn't need to yell at john and tell him all of the ways he fucked up. i mean, the fact that john ruined their lives is already pretty clear. dean is in his forties and is living in a bunker and still hunting. but dean got to look his dad in the eyes and say, "this is my life because i chose it and it may not look the way you think it should but it's mine. i don't need your approval." he got to choose the family he built for himself over his dad and that's so so special to me.

none of that was about forgiving john, or even forgetting everything he did. it was about closure.

the only one who let john off the hook was mary. john gave her children the exact life she didn't want them to have and he did it in her memory. he turned her into nothing more than an effigy to mourn. she's been told, to her face, that what john did to her children was child abuse..... and she has no thoughts about it? i didn't need to see sam and dean yell at john and spew every hateful thing they ever felt because i already knew how they were feeling. i'd watched over fourteen seasons of it. but mary's surely complicated feelings about john are never addressed at any point in the show and that's fine up until the moment they bring john back to stand in front of her, face-to-face. i know there wasn't enough time in the episode to get into it but that's a problem. you cannot load the chekhov's gun of john and mary being forced together for breeding purposes + have mary learn of every horrible thing john ever did to the children she didn't want to be hunters, all in her name, and then not pull the trigger. you just can't. and it never gets addressed before or after this episode either. it's just a glaring neon sign. and it makes the whole thing feel like john apologia.

all that being said, i do love the idea of the town as a character and what it reveals about sam and dean. i loved seeing sam and dean have those moments of closure with their father. i loved seeing a glimpse into an alternate timeline. i loved the utilization of cas and zachariah. i loved that in the end dean chose cas and jack over his father. there was a lot of good in the episode.

[vanyzvat]

FAILED TIMELIFE

A short fanfic in which Jack gets erased from the universe, and within minutes, the story adjusts itself, and Henrik loses all memory of him ever existing.

Trying to work with the current canon events, so I thought of a concept, in which c!Jack gets erased from the timeline mid-story!

This is loosely inspired by Doki Doki Literature Club, specifically how Sayori was erased from the game, and then the script had to work itself around that gap.

Henrik carefully opened the door to the hospital room, where he found Jack still lying on the bed, unconscious. Every time, he hoped it would be different. That things could go back to normal...

...But, they never did.

“Top of zhe mornin', Jack...!”

“You know... Chase has grown tired of imitating you, your fans miss you, we miss you. Have you ever thought of zhat? Well, you should've thought about it before zu went up and died...!”

...Henrik sighed. Being mad at the circumstances wasn't going to change anything, but if things continued down this route, he might have to just... Give up, and let Jack go.

He really didn't want to consider that as an option just yet.

He administered some medicine through the IV drip before walking out of the room, heading right back to his office.

He was still studying Jack's records, trying desperately to understand what he was missing. His brain wasn't supposed to do that, his heart wasn't supposed to beat like that...

Suddenly... His computer turned off, and...

...

What? What was he doing again? He swore it was something important, so why couldn't he remember...

Oh! Right, he was studying [][][][]'s records...

...Whose records? Wait...

What was going on? Why couldn't he remember his name? Henrik tried to think, but he just couldn't piece his memories together. This man... He couldn't remember anything about him. His name, his face- It was like his memories were suddenly tampered with.

Henrik scratched the back of his head in confusion as he sat up from his chair and stepped out of his office, heading back to the hospital room he had left moments prior. The patient was in this room- So if he just walked inside, he should be able to refresh his memory.

...What?

There was... No one there.

The hospital room was completely empty, with no sign of anyone ever being there to begin with. What just happened? Had Henrik lost his mind? But he swore there was someone...

Maybe he had just gotten too tired from work.

...

...Why was he in this room again?

[biromantic-nerd]

Happy Wincest Wednesday!

I'm actually asking an explicitly non-wincest question for once. I've been seeing a lot of talk about Sam/Rowena and Sam/Eileen lately, and it makes me wonder: what are people's favorite ships besides wincest? When you venture outside our corner of the fandom, what relationships are you looking at?

Also: if your answer is an incest ship, I also want to know your favorite non-incest ship. I already know half of us are down bad for shipping the boys with John or Jack. My goal here is more to discover what I don't already know.

- @schizosamwincester

Hi! Thanks for the question! ❤️

Okay so I am not very far into SPN because 1. I have memory problems and have to rewatch it + 2. seeing spoilers for the later seasons has me nervous, like, I am NOT emotionally ready to experience all that!! So my point is: I haven't gotten to Rowena or Eileen or Jack yet, though I've seen cute posts about them. I'm almost to the end of season 5. ....But.... 🫣 Well. I'm scared! (Plus I need another rewatch.)

But I really love the idea of Sam/Jack. That's his mom!!! He's an adult and a baby and that's his sad hurting mom who loves him through it all. Jack just wanting to flip the roles and take care of his mom? Oooh I love the idea. I think it's a very fun pair. But we'll see when I get there because sometimes unrelated parental/child relationships are strictly platonic for me and I just don't vibe with the shipping of them for whatever reason. But I think I also will be down bad for them.

Sam/Cas is EVERYTHING! I LOVE them!!!!!! Sam 'has so much faith'/Cas 'losing faith'? Angel/the boy with demon blood? Autistic4autistic? Dork4dork? Soft+fierce4soft+fierce? I can go on forever. They are AMAZING! Sastiel is so so so so good. I got a teeeeny bit biased before I started watching bc a dear friend ships Sastiel and I was always like '😳 👀 oh?' whenever I saw their posts. But then seeing them together as I watched convinced me i LOVE them aaa the handshake alone..... iconic! Soft and yet alienating to Sam yet Cas is WELCOMING and tender and Sam is distraught and yet still in awe oooooooooo. Sastiel is so good. (Of course I think all flavor variations of Wincest+Sastiel are good. Whichever way you spin the dynamics.) Sastiel my beloved ❤️

I also love the idea of Sam and minor characters. He has such chemistry with everyone that the smaller roles are really fun to ship with him. And tbh the way Sam LOOKS and SPEAKS with people? 🥺 Augh. It's easy to imagine people falling for Sam. Or having blatant sexual tension like him and Patrick the witch lol.

Sam/Jess is a classic and to me so so so good. The original. The icon. There is a lot of depth that can be explored even with how little screentime we get of Jess. She cares so much and Sam was going to marry her and they just seem really supportive of each other and proud of each other and aaa! Plus, and I cannot stress this enough, they are so pretty together. Model duo.

Sam/John is interesting to me but not usually as much as other pairs. I don't seek it out but then I'll see posts and go 'oh? 👀 nice' Usually I prefer Sam/John with Sam/Dean too. A wincest triangle with Sam at the middle. However Dean/John is interesting too so I am for sure for the Sam/John + Dean/John + Sam/Dean dynamic.

Sam/Mary is in theory a bit interesting to me. I don't know yet what she's like when she comes back. But the concept of Sam/Mary. Sam whose family has idolized Mary and Sam who feels like his 'evil' condemned her. She's an idol. She's a second chance would've-could've-should've shot at happiness and a safe life. She's 'supposed to' love Sam with all her heart and hopefully in a way John+Dean can't because THEIR hearts are more than a bit broken from losing Mary. So sure a bit interesting.

Now the concept of Young!John/Sam?? OOOOH I love that. Sam finding forgiveness in his young father who hasn't yet told Dean to kill him and hasn't yet died to save Dean (which in a way Sam blames himself for bc he thinks Azazel is his fault) and how gentle and kind young John is towards them even despite the strange circumstances. Now I also think this dynamic is delicious with Young!Mary. I truly love the way Jared acts with the 'you're so beautiful' and it screams awe, it is so full of platonic love and admiration. And I can see young Mary watching Sam/Young!John. I think Sam/Young!John + Young!John/Young!Mary would be INCREDIBLE!!!!!! Having Sam and Mary be adjacent to each other, overlapping in John and the threesome dynamic, but just not quite together. THAT is so so good to me. However I also enjoy the idea of just all three of them together on purpose. Sam with BOTH of his young parents. Ooo it is just! Sooo interesting to me! Young Mary before she dies and Sam has less grief+guilt about 'causing' it (but of course sometimes his guilt and grief are WORSE bc oh man she's so wonderful, so young, so full of life and she doesn't get to KEEP that; it's cut short and aaa) I haven't actually seen this yet in a fic or post but like. Ooooooough the concept of Sam and at least one of his young parents captivates me

[falmerbrook]

High Isle/Firesong thoughts

Putting it under the cut for spoilers, which normally I don't think would be that big of a deal, but for this one a big part of the plot is an identity reveal towards the end and I have a lot of say about it.

I think it's interesting how I feel like Dragonhold and Markarth should've been more directly tied in to their respective chapters, while I think Fargrave and Firesong should've been way more separated story-wise, if not just their own thing.

Anyway--

Both zones were absolutely gorgeous! Especially High Isle, which I think is probably my favorite zone in the whole game to just wander around in. The landscape was gorgeous, and the contrast between the lava and volcanic activity and the lush greenery of the island worked really well. The architecture and designs of the built parts of the landscape were also some of my favorite. The Druids parts felt very unique and well designed, and the more developed cities were also very pretty and felt like proper cities. Gonfalon Bay and Vastyr were do pretty and pleasant and quaint! Loved them. They had so man little details that helped them feel grand and lived in. If not anything else, these zones definitely have down the vibes and atmosphere amazingly imo.

While I think both this story arc and Gates of Oblivion were significantly messier and worse than the previous chapters, they were in different ways. GoO felt like good ideas stuck in a draft that needed to be rewritten and developed more, while High Isle (on its own) felt put together just fine, but was just sorta bland and unengaging for some reason. I've been thinking about it and i can't really pinpoint why it just didn't hook me in (and seemingly didn't really hook anyone in given the sentiments I've seen around it), but I can't really point at anything.

One thing I've found in this game is that my attachment to the characters invovled is more important than the actual story itself (for example, I actually have a lot of issues with the actual plot of Summerset, but I still really enjoyed it because I was so invested in so much of the cast of the main quest), and perhaps that's part of where High Isle and Firesong failed. There wasn't much of an emotional hook with the characters in this one, nor did the narrative let us get emotionally invested in them or their stories. I think Firesong got the closest with Stefan, Laurel, and Frii, but I don't think they gave us enough time with them to get attached before throwing the story at us. Like, the part with the chapel on Vastyr actually surprised me, and I think it could've felt a lot more shocking in I was more invested in what Stefan was losing from it, or if I had gotten to know the people who died in it better. That's just an example of what I mean.

There were also a lot of characters between the too, I think more than usual, so that probably didn't help. On top of all that, while there might be some interesting things in the Druid lore, I think it didn't add much to either sink my teeth into, or contribute to the greater lore of the world that much unfortunately.

The main storylines of the two zones felt pretty disconnected as well, in my opinions. To the extent that I feel like they might've worked better (well, to be more specific, High Isle's would've worked better) as separate things. The story of Firesong has jack shit to do with the story of High Isle until the epilogue, and even then I think the way it was integrated was worse than if the themes and plot points of High Isle had been left to work on their own.

On that note...

I actually called Bacaro as the Ascendant Lord from the beginning, but ended up dismissing the idea as the story went on, so I was a little hyped (and a little confused) when I realized in the epilogue it was going in that direction. I'll give them credit, it makes me want to play through it all again to see if there were hints dropped that I missed. However, his motivation sucked! And, like, if Firesong wasn't a part of this story I don't think it would've had to. His motivation just ended up being some bloodline crap with absolutely no set up and him wanted to be the Druid King for some reason.

This storyline had an interesting set up for sympathetic and/or thought provoking motivation for their antagonist and the antagonist faction, but it was almost as if they were scared of having them have a point. Like, they don't give us a single chance to actually consider that they Ascendant Order has a point about the rulers or the war, they just flat out tell you the moment they are introduced "yeah but they kill people and are hypocrites so whatever." Let us come to that conclusion ourselves over the course of the story! Let them have a point! Actually confront their ideology and the ideology of the protagonists. It feels like such unconfident writing. And this is the rux of the issue with Bacaro. They have the perfect set up for his motivation to be related to the Society of the Steadfast. Imagine it: he founds a humanitarian organization trying to help victims of the war, in the process seeing the horror and destruction the war is leaving on the continent. Over time he feels more and more incensed by the whole thing, motivating him to take up arms (secretly) against the people driving the war forward, and in the chase for his goals he get more and more terroristic about it. There you go, interesting character motivation and interesting philosophical conflict. But no, we need a generic feeling bad-guy faction to mow down and a generic villain who wants power (again).

And about the alliance leaders... look I really like all three of them and it was cool seeing them again, but I just keep feeling like the narrative was justifying why we had to care about them potentially coming to harm or why the AO was wrong by making them seem like upstanding people and it felt like another missed opportunity to me (and super bootlick-y). They don't have to be the best leaders ever for us to like them. Like, while the Ascendant Lord is trying to make a point about the leaders having their people killed in a war so they can gain power, the story keeps point out that actually they also hate the war and want it to end and totally fight alongside everyone etc. etc. etc. (Irnskar can get a pass. He's not even in charge. And he's kinda cute so). And it's just, like, you don't need all this justification for the story to work. If all three of them had died as Bacaro had intended that doesn't mean the war would've just ended. if anything, it would've led to all hell breaking lose. That, and our implied affection for them as fictional characters, is enough of a reason to protect them and the peace talks. It's a minor thing, really, but it bugged me. All that notwithstanding, Emeric got several laughs out of me so I still liked his inclusion specifically anyway.

Oh right, there was a theme in this one. I liked that, conceptually. The whole legacy of the Bretons thing, while a bit on the nose and clearly a response to fans in its presentation, was interesting, but a tad underdeveloped imo. The theme is there, as in the pieces are set up, but not elaborated on fully as they aren't compared as much as I think they should've been. We see both the politics of the noble houses, and the cultural of the Druids, but outside of a few lines of lore and with Stefan (everything with him had the potential to be interesting but was left to surface level imo) the two aren't compared and contrasted enough. If it was more thematically relevant to the main story (well, not in the way they forced it into the epilogue) I think it would've been good.

All this makes it sound like I hated this arc but I actually didn't lol. My feeling was more "meh" but the flaws with the epilogue specifically really got me thinking about why I felt like it didn't work and I wanted to yap about it, per usual!

[echoingvoids]

Told Me So (Jetra)

Masterlist Request a oneshot

A really crazy arranged marriage thing I got. Vaguely set in medieval times.

I know this is jetra, but fair warning, this has some jacktra stuff at the start. Its gonna hurt. (I got a super good jetra angst idea, okay, so hold on and bear with me.)

Word Count: 8395 

The viewpoint on women and things at the start may also trigger some people. The viewpoint in this oneshot does not reflect my actual views, and please keep in mind what was socially acceptable in medieval times.

TW: descriptions of violence, sexual references, swearing

<>

"Arranged marriages educate people how to stay in love for the rest of their lives."

<>

Petra slammed her hand on the table, the sleeve of her uncomfortable dress swishing with the violent motion. "You did what?!"

Lord Soren Goldsmith, the man who had adopted and raised her, sat on the other side of the table. His dark eyes watched her intently, his hands clasped together calmly on the rich wooden tabletop. "I arranged a marriage for you. Why are you so surprised?"

She let out a manical laugh. "Maybe because you went behind my back and just did this without any warning?"

"Petra, you are my daughter. I am a lord. It is expected that you shall have an arranged marriage, and Lady Ellegaard has been warning you about this for years. As the only one to carry on my legacy, there are certain responsibilities that must be fulfilled."

"Ah, yes. Let your name be dissolved by some man and then have children."

"Petra, someone must inherit my estates, and that someone is you," he gestured to the room they stood in. "This house, not my name, is my legacy. I can't let it fall into the wrong hands and I trust you to do right by it."

"Why do I need to get married to protect your house?! I don't need a husband to run an estate!"

"I hate to tell you this, but you are aware that most of society expects it. The Order and I...share a different viewpoint."

"Lady Ellegaard never got married and owns an estate. She's still accepted by society."

"Just barely. And we all know she hasn't gotten married because Lord Magnus won't get his shit together and ask for her hand."

Petra let out a frustrated growl, lifting her hand off the table. "I won't do it."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Beg all you want. I won't marry whatever dude you've decided to pick out."

A dark look crossed Soren's face. "Oh really now. And what makes you think you'll get out of this?"

"I've got plenty of ways I could evade it."

"Oh, and I'm sure the first one is to run off into the wilds and explore like you always talk about? With that Jack fellow, I assume," a scoff. "I knew I should've cut you off from him years ago. He's a bad influence on you."

"What, because he believes that women can be independent? That women are just as good as men are?"

"Enough!" Soren stood, chair scraping on the stone floor. "You will not avoid this, Petra. I assure you, you will not be able to leave the city. You will marry the man I have chosen and that is final."

Petra glared at her adoptive father for a long moment before silently turning on her heel and marching off. The skirts of her dress swished as she walked, almost sounding as angry as she felt. She passed Lord Magnus in the hall, who shot her a quizitive look, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Her door slammed and Magnus entered the dining hall, where Soren now sat slumped in his chair. "What's got the resident red-head all worked up?"

Soren just looked at his friend tiredly, and Magnus felt himself pale a bit. "Oh. You did that."

"We all knew I'd have to do it eventually," Soren sighed, straightening his posture. "She's talking about running off."

"With that Jack fellow, I presume."

A nod and Magnus hummed. "Frankly, don't blame her. If you really think about it...I mean, imagine if the men were married off to the women. We'd feel pretty indignant too."

Soren sighed again. "Yes, well, our ideology has set her up for failure in this world. The change in global mentality about women and marriage will be a long time in the coming, and now we've subjected her to a world that won't yet yield."

"Live and learn, I guess. Does she even know who you picked?"

"Stormed off before I could tell her anything about him."

"Huh. So who is he, then?"

"Baron Jesse Osborne, also known as the Emerald Baron. For his characteristic green eyes, see. He is a very nice, respectable young man who I know would do right by her and everything we've built."

Magnus nodded slowly. "I've heard of him. Probably one of the best options for her."

"Of course. I really hope she doesn't actually think I'd subject her to whoever made the strongest political agreement."

"Too hung up on Jack to consider that, I guess."

Soren shook his head, standing again. "I have to go double the guard at the walls until I can get her to listen. She is going to marry the Baron."

Magnus said nothing, watching Soren turn and leave the room.

<>

Petra sat at her desk, fingers tapping angrily on the wood. Sure, maybe society expected women to get married, be submissive, and all that, but whatever happened to breaking society norms? Being different, living different, and showing the world that's not how things need to be?

She supposed Lady Ellegaard had always tried to warn her. Little things in discussions reminded both of them that, and Petra groaned, dropping her head back and staring at the ceiling. Night was approaching and crazy plans were swirling through her head. Plans that mostly wouldn't work, but plans nonetheless.

Something tapped against the double glass doors to her little balcony, making her jump. She was out of her seat in an instant, nearly tripping on her dress as she rushed to open the doors. She was met by a familiar tall man, scruffy beard, and dark-blond hair drawn back in a ponytail. "M'lady."

"Oh, thank Notch," she grabbed him by the collar, yanking him into her room. "Quick, get in here before the guard sees you."

She shut the doors while he adjusted his shirt. "Oh, yeah, what is with the sudden increase of guards? Is Lord Soren expecting an attack or something?"

"Oh Notch, they didn't see you, did they?"

"Of course not. Sneaking around is my specialty," she raised a skeptical eyebrow and he waved her off. "Mostly my specialty. Anyway, what's going on? Because if your face is anything to go by, you have a clue as to the event occurring around here."

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed, glancing nervously at the door. It was Jack's turn to raise an eyebrow and she sighed, sinking down to sit on the chest that sat at the end of her bed. "I'm being married off."

"WHA--cough--what?! To who?!"

"I...don't know yet. I was too angry to stick around and listen. He didn't even warn me, Jack. Just sprung it on me."

Jack let out a low whistle, crossing his arms. "So much for breaking society's norms."

"You don't seriously think I'm going to sit here and take it, do you?" She stood and began to pace, her blue dress dragging just slightly on the floor as she did. "I'm formulating a plan. Look, are you willing to help me?"

He stood and took her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "Of course I am. You are meant to be so much more than some housewife, Petra, I mean that."

She smiled a bit. "Now that's the real reason I like you. So, I've been brainstorming; thinking of all the possible options. As much as I want to, we can't leave right now, not with the doubled guard. No, we have to wait until Soren calms down, and believes I'm not going anywhere. So I'll pretend to subject myself to this 'fate' and slowly 'change my mind' about it."

Jack shot her a devilish grin. "Lure him into a false sense of security."

"Exactly. Then we'll see if we can leave before the wedding. If not...we'll have to find a way to get you to his estate, and I'll leave then. Since I assume I'll be going there given I have no rights to Soren's house unless he dies."

"Sounds solid enough. Once the guard is lowered, I'll prep things, come and get you, and we'll leave," a pause. "Hey, when you figure out who this dude is, let me know. I'll need to know where he lives."

"I'll find a way to get a message to you if I don't see you in a few days."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I better get going before the guard changes."

"Wait," Petra grabbed Jack's arm, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips. "Don't get caught. Because I'm not sure what Soren will do to you."

Jack simply grinned and winked. "I already told you: sneaking around is my specialty."

She laughed a bit, shoving his arm. "Get out of here."

Jack snorted, bowing dramatically before carefully opening the balcony doors and slipping out. She heard him pull himself onto the roof, and then it was silence.

She sat back down at her desk, except now...now things suddenly didn't seem so bad. She had a plan. She'd finally get to explore the world and with a guy she actually liked.

Soren could shove his society norms up his ass. That hypocrite. 

<>

"I'm glad you were able to get here so quickly," Soren led the way to his house, through the streets of the village. "I know our mountain village is not easy to reach."

The green eyes of the baron scanned the streets with interest, taking in the shadows of the setting sun before landing back on the anxious face of the lord. "Lord Soren, I must say, I actually found the journey to be a bit of an adventure. I have never been so far north before."

"An adventure, you say? Hm," they walked into the courtyard, pausing at the double doors of the house's main entrance. "I must warn you, Baron Jesse, that she has been...oddly subdued over the past few days. I fear an explosion of her temper may be lurking around the corner."

Jesse shook his head. "I'm sure it can't be as bad as you claim."

"If you don't value your head, I suppose. Come on, then."

They entered the building, Soren leading the younger man up the main staircase. He started to go down the hall, then paused, calling instead, "Petra?"

Jesse raised an eyebrow, and Soren glanced back at him. "Staying near the stairs in case you need to run."

"I'll say, Lord Soren, you are being a bit ridiculous--"

Somewhere down the hall a door opened and Jesse saw a tall woman in a dark blue dress step out into the corridor. He assumed that must be her, as her height and red hair were like how Soren had described in their letters.

Her face was oddly calm, detached, and as she approached, Jesse could better see the sharpness of her jaw and how her dark eyes reflected the light of the lanterns. Although he could see something else brewing in those eyes; a storm, a temper that Soren had warned about.

She held Jesse's gaze for a long, challenging moment before she dropped into a half curtsy. "Baron Jesse Osborne," Something only describable as sarcasm dripped in her tone. "Welcome to the Goldsmith house."

"Lady Petra," he bowed, gaze set on her as he straightened. He was just now realizing how tall she actually was. "It is an honor to finally meet you. Lord Soren said much of you to me."

Petra's dark eyes narrowed at her adoptive father. "Oh, I'm sure he has."

Soren chuckled nervously and clapped his hands together. "I'm going to go see how dinner is coming along, shall I? Let you two get acquainted."

He rushed off and Jesse watched him go, turning back to find her in his personal space. "Uhm, hi?"

"Listen here, 'Emerald Baron'," she loomed over him, making him shrink back and making her seem even taller. "You seem like a very nice man. But I do not want to marry you and will not."

"I'm sorry?"

"I will not be treated as some sort of bargaining chip to be used by men. I will not marry you, Baron, and I am giving you the chance to leave now before I make you leave."

This must be what Soren was warning about. Jesse stared up into her glittering dark eyes, completely overwhelmed and unsure of what to say. Seemingly satisfied by his shock, she stepped back, and turned to go down the stairs. 

He listened to the sound of her shoes tapping away and grabbed the handrail, leaning over and taking a deep breath. Never had he met such a forefront, opinionated woman. Never had he been terrified of a woman's gaze. He was a conflict of emotions telling him to stay, to run, to cut off the deal, to go through with it, to save his life or risk it. He didn't know what to think, but one thing was certain.

He instantly admired her boldness.

<>

If she was disappointed or angry that he was still there at breakfast that following morning, she didn't show it. In fact, she hardly showed any emotion at all, simply replying with a flat tone and a dead facial expression whenever someone spoke to her. 

Lord Soren turned out to be a very anxious man, something Jesse had not expected due to the letters. Perhaps it was because he was worried about Jesse up and leaving.

The baron had made up his mind that despite Petra's threat, he was not going anywhere. And this seemed to make her angry.

Over the next few days, she'd shoot him looks that could kill, making snippy comments whenever he'd speak. It was a bit exhausting, to say the least, but he had made a commitment. And he didn't give up on his commitments just because they were difficult.

On the sixth day, however, after she nearly sent him flying down a set of stairs, he decided to confront her. 

She was sitting at her desk when the knock sounded on the door. "If your name stars with a 'J' and ends with an 'E', the stable is in the other building."

The door swung open and Jesse leaned against the frame, green eyes narrowed. "Too bad I'm not in need of a horse, given I'm not going anywhere."

"Are you sure? I'm sure any horse would be glad to take you far away from here."

He sighed. "You're not going to give me a chance, are you?"

"Wow, he figured it out. Guess he's smarter than he looks."

"Excuse my language, Lady Petra, but you are being nothing short of an ass."

She snorted. "I will not excuse my language, Emerald Baron, because I don't give a fuck."

He pressed his lips together, watching her for a long moment as she returned to her writing without a second glance at him. "The wedding is in two days. Your father and I finalized the terms today."

The scratching of her pen stopped mid-word as she froze, but she quickly relaxed. "That's nice. Still not going to marry you, though."

"I don't think you'll have much of a choice."

Her dark gaze finally met his, a flash of anger crossing her features. "Everyone has a choice, Baron, and contrary to popular belief, 'everyone' includes women too. I have the choice if I will marry you or not, just like you have the choice to stay here or leave. You can try to drag me into that church if you like, but it will be a lot harder than you think."

"Lady Petra, I don't intend to drag you anywhere. Besides, you grew up around Knight Gabriel of Warta. I'd be insane to try to lay a hand on you. And regardless of who you grew up with, I wouldn't touch you against your will," Jesse stared her down, watching her eyebrow arch up in surprise at the comment. "This marriage thing is more out of my hands than you might think."

"Oh really?" She crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat. "And why is that, Baron?"

He sighed. "My mother wanted to see me married before she died. That never happened. And now my uncle Ivor has been on my case about it. He actually contacted your father, not him contacting me. And then Ivor was so insistent that I caved and ended up here."

Her face turned to one of obvious surprise and she didn't try to clear it. "Okay, still...why did you listen to him? You have every right to go pick someone else. So why go along with what your uncle said and stay with someone who clearly wants nothing to do with you? I'm sure there were plenty of submissive ladies who gladly would married you, given you're a baron and all."

He immediately shook his head. "I didn't want someone like that. I wanted...I wanted someone to be a partner, not just to be submissive to whatever I say," Petra's mouth was hanging open now and he took a deep breath. "Now that the final terms are set, there's no getting out of this for either of us. All I'm asking is for you to take a chance on me before you shut me out completely."

She pressed her lips together in a thin line, and he braced for the sharp 'no' he was expecting to hear. "Fine."

He blinked. "Come again?"

"I said fine, you moron. Now get the hell out of my bedroom."

"I'm in the doorway."

"Get out of my doorway, then."

He couldn't help but snort. "Sure."

As he stepped back and closed the door, he could've sworn he saw the slightest bit of amusement flash on her face.

<>

Jesse left his room the next morning to find Petra leaning against the wall directly across from the door. "Good Notch, Lady Petra!"

"Alright, here's the deal," not so much as a 'good morning' left her mouth as she fell into step with him. "Two hours."

"For...what, exactly?"

"To get to know each other better or whatever. The wedding's tomorrow, right? I'm giving you a chance," She shrugged, crossing her arms. "We'll spend an hour doing something you find interesting and then an hour doing something I find interesting. Bonding or whatever."

He felt a grin appear on his face. "That's a great idea."

"Yeah? Well, glad you agree. We'll do your hour first, after breakfast. Please tell me it's something interesting you like to do."

He thought a moment, a devilish grin appearing on his face. "After breakfast, meet me at the northwest gate, the one leading into the forest grounds. Wear pants."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't press him for more information. Breakfast went smoothly for the first time, and after a week of rather dismal energies, Lord Soren looked rather relieved that Petra looked not-miserable. Although he did seem concerned at the smile that was lingering on Jesse's face.

He was already standing at the gate when Petra arrived. She wore some leggings and a loose black shirt, her flaming auburn hair tied in a bandana. It was quite a switch from the tighter-fitting blue dresses she tended to wear and Jesse thought she looked far more comfortable. 

She gestured to the scene in front of her. "You like horse riding?"

He couldn't help but grin, placing a hand on the horse's side. "Even better. Horse racing."

"Really?" She was clearly trying to keep the surprise off her face, although it was clear in her voice. "Didn't take you for the competitive type."

"There's a lot about me you don't know," he pulled himself up into the saddle. "You ready?"

"Of course I am. But a fair warning, I have rode horses through these woods many times."

"Alright. We'll ride straight for the creek bend, then turn there, weave between the two oak trees, and whoever reaches here first, wins," he shrugged at her raised eyebrow. "I spent some time out here over the week."

"Well. Be prepared to get your ass kicked."

He gasped dramatically. "Such language, Lady Petra. Anywho...three...two...one...go!"

They both kicked their horses into a gallop, tearing through the trees, Petra letting out a whoop. Jesse lost count of how many times he nearly got his face ripped off by a tree branch, but he couldn't care less about the scratches.

Because he managed to win.

Petra looked a bit sour about it, to say the least, and he couldn't help a good-natured laugh. "I thought several times there you for sure had me beat, Lady Petra."

"Yes, well..." She slid out of the saddle, eyeing him. "I can't find any flaws in your technique or any cheating either...good job, Emerald Baron."

"Thank you. I think we spent most of my hour chit-chatting, but that's fine...do you need to set anything for yours?"

A faint smirk appeared on her features. "Not at all. Follow me to the courtyard."

<>

Jesse hit the ground hard, sliding a bit across the dirt, the practice sword flying out of his hand. Petra landed on top of him before he could even move, a hand holding his head in place, and the blunt edge of her practice sword pressing against his throat. "I win. Again."

He stared up at her, swallowing hard and feeling the dull blade scrape his neck. "Yeah."

She raised an eyebrow, not relaxing her grip on her sword or the pressure of her legs pinning his arms at his sides. He felt her hand on his head shift just a bit, pushing his skull back even further and leaving his throat more open for slicing. "Looking at your build and skillset, you clearly know what you're doing. You aren't letting me win, are you?"

"Of course not," he looked her dead in the eye. "There are easier ways to put myself in compromising positions, trust me."

She scoffed, releasing his head and finally pulling back her sword. He watched her face as she stood and readjusted her turquoise bandana. "And here I was, hearing from society that men are the better fighters."

"If you mean by muscle strength, then yeah, we are. But a lot of men simply muscle their way through things instead of using technique, like you did," he carefully sat up, feeling the soreness already creeping into his body. "Your technique was something I've never seen before. You used some sort of combination of strength and agility, often catching me surprised or at angles I couldn't defend so well."

"That's true. You have a lot of weak spots."

He chuckled, looking up at her again. "Yeah, and I probably never would've learned of them if not for you, Lady Petra. You have a lot to teach me."

She paused in readjusting her shirt sleeves, turning to look at him with a sort of disbelieving smile on her face. "Do you...do you actually mean that?"

"If you don't believe my words, just ask my aching body." He went to push himself to his feet, pausing when a pale hand appeared in front of him, outstretched for him to take. He smiled up at her and took it, letting her help him up. 

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but she seemed to be looking at him with something he hadn't seen before--respect. He grinned and she let out a short laugh, walking over and retrieving his lost sword. "Maybe I should take the job of defending the house. You'd probably have better luck in the kitchen."

He gasped in mock offense. "That's hurtful."

She threw her head back and laughed, Jesse grinning like a fool. "I guess you were right, Baron Jesse Osbrone."

"About what?"

She turned to face him, the sun making her eyes sparkle and her hair seem to be on fire. "There is a lot about you I don't know. And I think...maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I learned more about you."

She turned and headed towards the armory, leaving Jesse staring after her, speechless. After a whole week of glares and snippy comments, hearing something like that...

"Emerald Baron?" A servant snapped his focus. "Lunch is ready."

Jesse glanced back at the armory and with a slight smile, turned and followed the servant back to the house.

<>

Petra stared at her ceiling, moonlight creeping in through the windows and giving the room a silvery glow. She had been awake for hours and was nothing short of exhausted, but every time she shut her eyes, Jesse's face would flash behind her closed lids. His green eyes, his grin--but what really stuck was that final sparring match, when he had let her push his head as far back as it could go, pressing her sword against his neck.

She growled, rolling over and staring at the wall. Then she rolled and stared at the other one. In less than a minute, she was staring again at the ceiling, arms flopped out and legs tangled in the sheets. She didn't understand why that earlier moment was haunting her so badly. Sure, Jesse had turned out to be a better man than she expected, but she still had no intention on staying with him. Her plans with Jack were what she wanted.

Jack. Where was he? It had been well over a week and a half since she last saw him. He wouldn't have forgotten, would he...?

A tapping sounding on the glass door made her sit bolt upright and she scrambled to untangle herself from the sheets. A moment later she was running across the cool stone floor of her room, yanking the doors open. "Where have you been?"

"Sorry. I got tied up in a bad deal and only yesterday was I finally free of it."

She huffed, grabbing him by the collar and kissing him furiously. Like she was trying to ground herself through him. Like she was trying to remind herself that he was who she wanted.

He was, wasn't he?

When they finally broke apart, Jack managed to get out, "Notch, is he that bad?"

She shook her head, not meeting Jack's eyes. "Opposite. He's that nice."

"Huh. Well, it shouldn't matter soon. If I start preparations tonight, we can be out of here in two days, and--"

"I'm marrying him tomorrow morning, Jack."

"Say what now?"

She looked up into his face. "Didn't you hear the news? Two days ago, the agreement was finalized. I'm to marry him at noon today."

"I told you, I got tangled up. Haven't heard much of anything except his name," he sighed, running a hand over the rough stubble at the edge of his beard. "This certainly makes things more difficult. Okay, new plan. We both know you'll travel to his home, Beacontown, after the wedding. It's about three days, right? It'd probably be better if you leave when you get there, because you disappearing on the road will make it harder for us to get away in time."

"Okay. How long will it be after I arrive before we leave?"

"Well, given I have to get there a little ways behind and work on getting supplies and connections...a week at most? I'll send up a green flare at 2 AM, you'll see it. Head towards the location with anything you'd want to bring on you and we'll be gone."

She kissed him again, slower and more assured this time. Her arms were around his neck and she murmured, "The wedding is open for anyone to go to."

"And I can watch the woman I love be legally bound to some man who knows nothing about her? No thanks."

She chuckled a bit, burying her face in his shoulder. Everything would be fine.

Just. Fine.

<>

Jesse wasn't hearing a single thing the priest was saying. It was all he could do to focus on the older man and not look at Petra, who knelt at the alter quietly. It absolutely astounded Jesse from how she went from pants and bandana, holding a sword to his throat to a gown and a bun, her hands next to his on an alter.

He remembered his father saying something about the duality of women. This must've been what he meant.

The priest came to the end of his speech, announcing, "In the name of Notch our Creator, Jeb our Challenger, and Herobrine our Darkness, I pronounce thee wed. May your days together be long and your life be prosperous. You may kiss the bride."

Jesse turned to Petra, taking in her face and nodding just the tiniest bit. She nodded back, closing her eyes as he placed a hand on her cheek and pressed his lips against hers. It was the most chaste kiss he had ever experienced (not that he had a whole lot to compare it to) but despite that it felt like there was some kind of fire behind it.

Jesse didn't know what to do with that realization.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Petra seemed resigned, and Lord Soren clearly worried about it the whole day. Jesse got to meet all the members of the Order of the Stone and get thoroughly threatened by all of them. 

Lord Magnus was definitely the most terrifying. "Now listen here, Emerald Baron or whatever they call you, Petra is like a daughter to us. I'm sure you've gotten a taste of her fiery personality."

Jesse immediately thought of the sparring match. "Yeah."

"Yeah, well, you know what she'll do to you if you do anything. You wanna know what I'll do?"

"Frankly I'd like to walk away trauma-free, but I feel you're going to tell me anyway."

Magnus smirked, leaning over and whispering his threat. Jesse's eyes went wide, the bald man grinning like a maniac. "I feel I've made myself clear."

All Jesse could do was nod and Magnus barked a laugh before disappearing into the crowd of people. A different laugh, one Jesse was just starting to recognize, floated over to him, accompanied with the words, "My uncles giving you trouble?"

Jesse turned to her, eyebrows knit together. "Your aunt, too."

"Heh, I knew it," Petra waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. You won't really have to deal with them soon."

Jesse pressed his lips together, wondering what that was supposed to mean, and decided not to question it. He was soon swept in a cascade of greetings and people, and Petra simply vanished into the crowd.

<>

The first day of travel passed without incident. The second, however, did not go so well.

It was that time between when the moon had set yet the dawn was a long time coming. Something snapping woke Petra up at this unearthly hour. Before she could even move, a warm hand clapped over her mouth, a voice that was becoming familiar hissing, "Don't. Move."

Her immediate response was to reach for her sword, but she instead decided to stay still, wondering what the hell was going on. She looked up at Jesse, whose face was barely visible in the darkness, watching his green eyes scan the forest. His gaze flickered down to her and he slowly removed his hand from her face. "There's someone over there."

She didn't dare sit up, whispering back, "Do you think it's bandits?"

"I wouldn't doubt it. Here's what we're going to do. Pretend to be asleep. I'll let them come, think they have me overwhelmed. Then you'll lunge up and attack them from behind."

She nodded a bit, watching him straighten and walk back over to the log he had been sitting on when she had fallen asleep. She heard another snap, followed by the quiet crunch of feet on the grass. A shadowy figure suddenly appeared behind Jesse, putting a dagger to his throat. 

In the darkness, she saw Jesse's eyes widen and if it was anything to go by, he was not planning for that to happen the way it was. She heard the figure murmuring something she couldn't understand and as she reached for her sword, she heard Jesse curse. Petra figured this thief was two seconds away from simply slitting Jesse's throat and being done with it, and this made Petra pause.

She could escape. Very easily could escape, especially since this thief appeared to work alone. If she let Jesse die, she could find Jack and disappear off the map. Two weeks ago she wouldn't have hesitated to go through with such a plan.

But now--now she realized that she couldn't let Jesse die. She liked him a little too much. 

So she gripped her sword and suddenly lunged up with an unearthly scream, catching the thief off-guard. In the narrow window that the stranger was startled, Jesse grabbed the weapon and turned it on the thief, spitting out a string of threats so fierce Petra was shocked. 

The thief tore off into the woods in terror, leaving his knife in Jesse's hand, which the baron threw to the ground. He then let out a massive sigh and sat down, wincing. "That went well."

Petra grabbed one of lanterns, fumbling with it a minute until it finally lit up. She took one look at Jesse and cursed. "You're bleeding."

His hand immediately flew up to his throat, lightly touching the spot where the thin trickle of blood was coming from. "I knew he nicked me."

She over to the horses (which had somehow barely reacted to the whole affair) and rummaged through the saddlebags until she found a clean cloth. "Here, let me see."

"You don't have to worry. It'll be fine--"

"Oh my Notch, what is with men and saying that?" She marched over to him, setting the lantern down. "'Don't worry, I'll be fine'. I don't care how tough you think you are, an infection will take you down faster than any warrior could."

Jesse chuckled. "I didn't even realize I did that."

"Of course you didn't. Now tilt your head back and let me see or I'll force you."

He held up his hands in surrender, amusement glinting in his eyes as he tilted his head back. "I wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something."

She poured a bit of water on the cloth before carefully dabbing it on the cut. "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"Probably that I'm going to die from getting my throat slit," she stopped and gave him a look and he snorted. "Would you argue?"

"No, but I'd more say the universe is telling you that you have a weak spot you seriously need to work on," she set the cloth aside, lifting up the lantern and peering at the wound. "Good, it's already scabbing over."

"Told you I'd be fine."

She rolled her eyes, setting the lantern down and getting to her feet. "Whatever you say, Jesse."

She froze just before reaching the saddlebags, slowly turning to face him. He wore a stupid grin on his face. "What did you say?"

She debated arguing with him, trying to gaslight him, but instead silently turned back to the saddlebags. She heard him get up and walk over to her, and when she turned, she found herself looking into green eyes. "What?"

"My name. You said my name; no titles or anything."

"You're crazy."

He grinned. "It's too late to try and gaslight me. I know what I heard."

She scoffed, brushing past him and starting to gather their things. "We should start getting ready to go. Dawn will be in a few hours."

"And now you're trying to change the subject."

She paused, looking over at him. "And what if I am, Jesse?"

The stupid grin spread on his face and he simply sat back down, watching her. She tried to ignore him but after a minute, she turned to him. "Do you need something?"

He simply shrugged and continued smiling and she scoffed. "You know, for someone who nearly had their throat cut open, you're awful cheerful."

"Yeah, well, my throat wasn't cut open and I have you to thank for that. If I were alone, I probably would've died."

She smirked. "Seems you're a lot more dependent on me than you should be."

"I firmly believe that people should be able to rely on each other. I should be able to rely on you just like you should be able to rely on me," his green eyes stared her down intensely. "Of course, that's just my personal opinion. What do you think, Petra?"

Something in the way he said her name made her pause, made her reconsider. Not his opinion, but her plans, her ideas.

Would staying with him really be so bad?

"I think that's...actually really great."

"Yeah?"

She couldn't help but smile at him a bit. "Yeah."

He held her gaze for just a moment before looking away. "Well...I guess you're right, we should get ready to go. We're not safe here, anyway."

She nodded slowly, watching him get to his feet and start gathering things. During that whole day she caught herself looking at him, realizing just how much more there was to him than she had thought. She had accused men of taking women at face-value but now that she thought about it...maybe she was guilty of doing the same.

<>

On the third day they finally arrived in Beacontown, the afternoon sun warming the air. They were met by an excited crowd of people, all of who were thrilled to see Petra. They called out greetings and well-wishes, and as the couple dismounted their horses, a little girl came up to Petra and offered a bright blue flower of a kind the woman had never seen before. 

Petra knelt down to be at the girl's eye-level, carefully accepting the gift. "Oh, this is beautiful."

The girl smiled shyly. "I think it goes nicely with your hair."

"I think you're right," Petra reached up, carefully tucking it into the crown braid she currently wore. "How do I look?"

"Oh, so amazing! I've never seen hair like yours before. It's like fire," she girl smiled again. "I'm glad you like it."

"Thank you." Petra straightened, watching the little girl giggle and run off, disappearing into the crowd. She tucked a loose strand of her auburn hair over her shoulder, glancing  to find Jesse looking at her with some strange smile. "What?"

He chuckled a bit. "You're going to fit in great here. I never thought you'd be the type to like children."

She scoffed, pulling one of her saddlebags off the horse. "I don't like children. I just don't want them to start crying or break or something so I have to be nice to them."

Jesse's grin suggested that he knew she was lying but he didn't press it, instead leading the way to the house. The courtyard had training equipment lining the one wall, and Petra found herself thinking of the optimal way to set it up to use it.

Of course, plans like that would ride on her staying. She wasn't staying. Was she?

As they reached the doors, they suddenly flew open, a very nervous-looking young man standing there. His face lit up. "Baron Jesse, you're home! Welcome back!"

Jesse smiled warmly, shaking the man's hand. "Radar. It's good to be home. I'd like you to meet--"

"Lady Petra Goldsmith!" Radar nervously adjusted his glasses. "I've heard about you! I'm Radar Belinga, I help the Baron manage his affairs! It is very nice to meet you."

Petra shook Radar's hand. "It's nice to meet you too. And you've already heard about me?"

"Oh, everyone's heard about you! You see, the townspeople really love the Baron and were all very excited to hear that he was getting married. And the Baron had told me some things about you from the letter your father Lord Soren sent, and he sent me a letter while visiting your hometown. He seems to like you very much!"

Petra slowly turned to Jesse. His face, to her shock, was turning very red and he briefly met her eyes, looking away with a nervous chuckle. "Radar, we've talked about this."

"Oh! Oh no, I'm so sorry, Baron, sir!" Radar waved his hands. "Lady Petra, please forget I ever said anything!"

"It's going to be kind of hard to do that," she raised an eyebrow in Jesse's direction. "Given hearing such things were being said about me. He likes me very much, hm?"

Jesse sputtered. "I--I have a great amount of respect for you. That's what I was saying to Radar."

Radar nodded so vigorously Petra worried his head was going to come off. "Yes! Yes, that's very true! Anyway, uhm...dinner is almost ready! I can have your things taken upstairs while you head to the dining room."

"That'd be great, Radar, thank you," Jesse still didn't meet Petra's eyes, watching his assistant disappear into the house. "After you, Lady Petra."

She stepped inside, taking in the foyer while Jesse closed the doors. When he turned, he found her in his personal space, just like when he had first met her. "Good Notch!"

"Clearly you said more than that you respect me if your embarrassment is anything to go by," Petra raised an eyebrow. "So what else did you tell Radar?"

"I didn't tell him that much," Jesse slipped past her, beckoning for her to follow. "Just mostly that I respected you and that you have many talents."

She followed closely behind him, travel boots tapping on the stone floors. "That's it?"

"Mostly...and..." He paused at a set of doors, hand resting on the handle as he looked up at her. "I also said...that you're very beautiful."

She blinked and he pushed the doors open, walking into the dining room. She took a second to follow him, wondering just why hearing him say that was causing a strange feeling to spread in her stomach.

Everything about Jesse threw her off, made it hard to think about anything else. Her desire to leave was growing weaker every minute she spent with him and more frequently she found herself thinking about Jesse where she used to be thinking about Jack.

Jack. The one she had loved for years. But had she truly loved him if this Jesse Osborne came in and so easily caught her attention, invaded her heart? As she sat down at the large dining table, it dawned on her that something about Jesse was making her fall for him.

What was it? Was it something about his looks like his smile or his build? Or was it his personality, the way he respected her and admired her? The way he treated her like an actual person and not just a thing? 

What was it?

<>

"And this," Jesse pushed a door open. "Is your room."

Petra peered inside, taking in the ample space and the four-poster bed. The writing desk shoved against one wall and the armor stand in the corner. As she stepped into the doorway, he announced, "I didn't have too much time to send word for them to prepare this. You want anything changed, just let Radar know. He'll get it done real quick."

She turned to the baron. "Where do you sleep?"

"In the last room at the end of the hall," he waved a hand vaguely in the direction. "I thought you'd probably be more comfortable having your space to sleep in."

She stared at him. This man... "You really thought to do that for me?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. I wouldn't want you to think you have to share a room with me when you really don't have to. I mean..." He shrugged again, looking away. "You're welcome to. I...I wouldn't mind."

Did she want to share a room with him? She wasn't sure. Part of her completely denied the thought of it while the rest of her loudly insisted that she should. That she should let him kiss her, let him hold her, and--

"-etra? Are you okay?"

She gasped, blinking rapidly as she fought to suppress the strange surge of images and desires rushing through her mind. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. Great. Yeah."

He nodded slowly. "Okay."

They stared at each other for a long moment and just as he turned to go, she blurted out, "Wait! Uhm..." She fumbled for words as he turned back to her. "I-I just wanted to see how your neck was healing up."

He hummed in understanding, tilting his head back without hesitation and something in that simple motion made Petra break. It was an act of trust. He trusted her not to try to do anything or slit his throat open, which they both knew she was very capable of doing at any moment.

She never meant for this to happen.

"Uh, looks like it's pretty much healed up."

He nodded, lowering his head again. "That's good."

"Good."

"Great."

Another long moment of staring and again, he turned to leave. He had made it about two steps down the hall before she stepped out after him. "Jesse?"

He quickly turned around. "Yes?"

She took a deep breath. "I...stay."

He walked back towards her, his eyebrow arching up ever so slightly. "Stay?"

"Stay," she repeated. Never had she fumbled for words, but now she was struggling to speak. "I want you to stay. With me. Right now."

Understanding seemed to dawn in his green eyes. "You want me to stay...with you...in here...right now?"

She swallowed, managing a nod. "Yes. I...I want you to stay, Jesse," she managed a little laugh. "Hell, I want you, Jesse."

He let out a disbelieving laugh. "Are you sure?"

"When am I not?"

He smiled, his gaze flicking down to her lips. "I mean...if you are sure..."

He hardly hesitated, his lips meeting hers in a slow, sweet kiss. She sucked in a breath, her fingers sliding into his hair. He felt overwhelming, different, and she couldn't deny that she loved the feeling. She felt her back press against the wall, his lips beginning to chase hers more intently as his hands gripped her waist. 

She reached for the door and pushing it all the way open, she took his face in her hands and pulled him into her room, not wanting to let their lips part. Despite her efforts, they separated as they fell onto the bed, Jesse hovering over her a moment with a disbelieving look on his face. "Holy shit."

She nodded a bit, breathing hard. "I...you..."

No words could be found and Jesse glanced over her shoulder, jogging over to the door and pushing it shut, looking back at her with what could only be described as a devilish smile. She couldn't help but smirk at him as he came back over to her, letting him pin her hands to the mattress. As he mouth moved along her jawline down to her neck, she closed her eyes and focused solely on him.

<>

Radar definitely noticed a shift in behavior between the pair, despite having only seen them together for a few hours previously. They both seemed happier and a little less nervous around each other. They spoke freely to each other and made it part of their routine to spar every morning. 

The townspeople loved Petra, admiring her bold spirit and relentless bravery. On her fourth day in town, she traveled down into the mines to help protect the miners from the monsters that liked to haunt the shafts. Without telling Jesse first. When he was told what she had done, he simply laughed, a grin of admiration settling on his face as he said, "We should all learn to take the initiative like she does."

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye and Petra found herself content. Every day she'd head out into town, interact with the people, and come back to have lunch with Jesse. 

Jesse. She had never expected him to be the man he was, and she was glad she had given him a chance.

Late one night, on the dawn of her third week in town, Petra was looking up at the ceiling, studying how the moonlight cast shadows across it. Her fingers absently played with Jesse's hair, who had his head lying contentedly on her chest. She had to admit, she was surprisingly happy, something she would not have thought a month and a half ago.

Just as she let her eyes close, a knock sounded on the door, making her eyes snap open again. The knock sounded a second time and Petra nudged Jesse, earning a loud groan from him. "Jesse. Jesse, there's someone at the door."

He sighed, his breath tickling her chin before he sat up, running a hand through his hair and rolling out of the bed onto the floor with a thump. Petra had to suppress a laugh, the knock sounding again accompanied by a stressed-sounding voice, "Emerald Baron? I hate to wake you, but..."

Petra sat up a bit, watching Jesse wrestle with his shirt. "Do you need me to go with you?"

"No, it's probably those kids messing with the livestock again," he leaned over, pressing a kiss to her lips. "You might as well sleep. I'll be right back."

She watched him slip out of the room, the murmur of voices heading down the hall and slowly fading away. She stared at the ceiling for a moment longer before sighing and getting up herself, pulling on her robe and staring out the window. The moon was bright, the sky clear of clouds and a light breeze shook the trees outside. 

Just as she turned to go back to bed, she heard a tapping on the window. She was frozen like a statue, barely breathing as her mind slowly recognized that knock. 

Jack.

She turned around almost mechanically, seeing the familiar adventurer standing there, arms crossed and a rather conflicting war of emotions on his face. She had somehow completely forgotten about him...

She lightly bit her lip, thinking. She had no idea when Jesse would be back and letting Jack was for sure going to cause trouble. Trouble that she didn't want or need. But he deserved to know that...that she wasn't going with him anymore. He deserved to know.

So, with a cautious glance over her shoulder, she pulled the window open.

<>

Jesse saw the man at the window. No one else had noticed, too busy dealing with the boys who had been messing with the cattle. Jesse was staring at the stranger, unable to make out who he was and what he was doing, but Jesse's first thought was they were there to attack Petra. 

That was his first thought...then he saw the window open from the inside. Watched the stranger slip inside.

Something snapped inside Jesse as his brain slowly started to catch up.

He had been played. She had been playing him all along. 

Just when he thought they had begun come to an understanding, they had learned to trust and respect each other. She had strung him along like herbs out to dry.

He had been played. 

The thought made him both furious and heartbroken at the same time. He thought she was upright, thought she cared about him but he was clearly wrong.

"Emerald Baron, sir?" Radar stepped into his line of vision. "Are you okay?"

"Everything's great, Radar," Jesse's voice came out with more bite than intended. "Are we done here?"

"I'm sorry, Baron sir, but we were just about to ask what you'd like done with these boys."

Jesse didn't even bother to look at them as he started walking towards the house. "Throw them in the dungeon for a night or two. Clearly my kindness in letting them go before meant nothing to them."

There was whispers as he walked away, but he didn't care to listen to them. Inside he was a war of rage and frustration, undercoursed by a surge of hurt. 

He was hurt. That was the core of it. Because she had played him like a fool.

A/N: I AM BEING EVIL AND SPLITTING THIS INTO TWO PARTS.

DON'T WORRY things will work out (probably) and this little story will be finished in the next part! 

[angelsdean]

about the ensemble cast missed opportunities.

cas and dean babysitting baby cas and baby sam while sam, garth and bess hunt down some monster of the week with a very sniffable smell.

jack and claire sibling team up to save dean and sam, who turned into adorable frogs after being cursed by a fairy tale related object. meanwhile cas is on a girls night out trip with eileen and rowena, but they are disturbed by one of rowena's ex girlfriends.

crowley centered episode where he is bored running hell and takes a vacation everytime he wants to sip on his cocktail and relax, someone else calls him for help/info etc

yesssssss i want all of that !!!

deancas babysitting adventures would be sooo funny. i'm torn between cas wanting to actually put all the baby knowledge he gained from those parenting books to good use OR him just angel-magicking away any issue. like baby is fussy bc they have gas? angel magics them all better. teething pain? not anymore! hungry? sims-cheat-style fills their hunger bar. gross diaper situation? grace-zaps it clean again. meanwhile dean's got the other twin and he's running around warming up a bottle with one hand and bouncing and singing to the baby in the other arm. he's got sweat and baby spit-up all over his shirt. cut to cas sitting on the sofa peacefully reading to his twin. i think cas has baby sam while baby cas is making dean's life a living hell jdkfdkg

frog shenanigans: jack keeps frog!dean and frog!sam in his jacket pockets. dean keeps grumpily ribbeting for attention. sam is trying to communicate in morse code because he thinks he knows how to turn them back but jack is just like "you guys are sooo cute" and puts them back in his pocket. both claire and jack are also Very Determined to solve this together on their own and insist they Cannot Under Any Circumstances disrupt cas, rowena, and eileen's girls night out trip even tho rowena def could undo the curse in a second.

crowley, poor crowley. let the man drink his little fruity drinks in peace! he's about to close the gates to hell himself if one (1) more person calls him! he should've never gotten the demons on a cellphone plan

[omarwolaeth]

Hearing some thoughts on Rin's lines about Clear Wing.

I don't disagree that it feels off-putting or wrong (whichever you prefer to describe it as), but I imagine her reasoning doesn't necessarily boil down to seeing herself as above Yuugo (though it's very possible it partially is; they both lived in a dog eat dog world - the City - and they're commons to boot - so they're fighting one another to duel Jack up until she's kidnapped, even if Yuugo says they were going to do it together), as much as it boils down to her being the responsible one.

Yuugo really isn't, so it might possibly be that, given how dependable of a monster Clear Wing (and Crystal Wing) are, Rin thinks her burn deck is a better fit for such a monster than Yuugo's luck based deck. The answer to this is obviously no as soon as anything to do with Zarc or Ray comes into the picture (Clear Wing and Yuugo are both cut from the same quarter of the Supreme King Dragon, even if it was by En Winds.)

Or, Rin is probably jealous she doesn't have effect negation in her monsters, and is bullying Yuugo about it because she's seemingly never really dealt with her frustrations in any other way (because Yuugo's always there.) Or maybe because Clear Wing is a unique card and Rin wants a copy too.

Alternatively, this is somehow the same thing as Yuuri's sadistic streak; a hold over from their Original self, and Ray decided Clear Wing should've been one of her monsters. As if Zarc would lose one of his dragons without a fight, though.

(Additional note I think is important but couldn't figure out where to put it in; Rin's defeat line in the overworld implies to me that Yuugo expects her to win her matches, like it shouldn't be hard for her. Yuugo's never gotten angry at her even if she's gotten angry at him multiple times and she's probably afraid of what he'd think - either this hasn't happened and she's worried all his frustrations with her would ungracefully tumble out, only putting up with her because she wins and can get food on their table even if we know that wouldn't happen - he loves her so much he'll ramble about her to anyone given half a chance, or it has happened before and Rin doesn't want to experience that sort of thing again, as though it would embarrass her.) (So her self esteem is either rock bottom when it comes to losing. or she's got too much pride to admit any of her losses to the one person who adores her)

[purposefully-lost]

She couldn't move. There was a heavy, leaden weight in her limbs, leaving them pinned to the ground and unyielding no matter how hard she tried. It was to the point that she wasn't even sure how she'd ever managed to move at all, since thinking into existence did nothing. She was thinly aware of a vague, throbbing pain somewhere in the back of her neck, but it seemed to come and go at random. Sometimes it was so excruciating she wanted to scream, and sometimes it felt like she'd simply laid down to take a break in the middle of her hike. She wasn't sure how long she'd been here. The sky had gotten darker.

She'd never been so tired of the inside of her own head. She didn't know where her bag was or what had happened to it-- she just remembered wandering off the trail, and suddenly she'd woken up here- but she had a book inside that she would've killed to have in her hands just then. The Return of the King. Jack had let her borrow it. She was so close to the end...

Jack. He liked to come out here, she knew. They'd never come together, at least not yet, but she wanted so badly to go camping with him. They'd talked about it. He had this place he wanted to show her, this meadow. It sounded so pretty.

She couldn't really see the stars above her. Not only was there a canopy of leaves blocking her view, but her vision had gone sort of halfway blurry and halfway dark. She didn't think her eyes were working quite right anymore. But that was okay. All she needed to be able to see was light. Then she'd know, if a shadow passed over her, that someone had found her. He'd kneel down next to her and talk to her in a soft voice. Stroke her cheek and pull her close to his chest and tell her that it was okay, if she was scared, but she'd be alright. He was going to carry her home. When she was stuck in the hospital getting back her fluids and being henned over by her mother, he'd sit at her bedside and read her the last few chapters of the book he'd given her. He'd hold her hand.

Chris let her eyes fall shut and tried again to move her hands, but it didn't work. She should've kissed him when she'd had the chance.

She could hear crickets, and the distant call of an owl. The swish and sway of leaves in the wind. Very quiet, she could hear the running of the creek. And the cracking of a branch as something walked towards her.

Her eyes flew open again. Involuntarily, unable to really feel it, her breaths quickened to something almost panicked. She strained at the corners of her version, turning her head what miniscule way she could and enduring the pain that followed to try and see. It'd be him. He was going to kiss her, her first kiss, and everything would turn out alright. She'd tell her mom that she thought Rabbit's home wasn't a very good place and he'd be allowed to stay over whenever he needed to. They could sit in the living room and listen to records and re-do what they hadn't done on the night of the formal. She waited, so certain it'd be him, but it was the large, cloven hooves of an abnormally sized buck that stepped close to her.

Maybe it was just the way she was staring up at it, but he was huge. Large, elegant antlers that should've weighed him down, really, but he didn't seem hindered. The deer lowered his head until he was staring right at her, his hot breath on her face, then lifted again. It let out a long bleat, seemingly just at the night, then started to lay down next to her. His large, heavy head rested on her chest.

He was gorgeous. He wasn't what she wanted. Chris realized she could see even less than she could moments ago and a cold panic took hold of her heart. She closed her eyes to block it out, putting all of her effort instead into trying to make a sound. Nothing but air-- nothing but gasps that made her lightheaded and dizzy. She tried to look up again and couldn't- or maybe she'd finally lost her sight and just couldn't tell the difference between open and closed. Some sound finally escaped her throat, the last she knew she'd ever make, and it sounded almost like Jack.

[owengrose]

Shipper tag game

tagged by my friend @sunriseverse (hi friend!!!!!)

What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

johnlock. listen. i'm aware. i am aware. Thankfully I've grown as a person and now I don't care about anything or anyone associated with that mess of a show.

Which ship would you consider your first one?

uhhhhhh aang/katara maybe? I really wasn't interested in romance that much until like middle school, but I do remember thinking katara and aang should get together as a kid.

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

probably destiel. Actually wait no, guaranteed destiel.

Do you remember the first couple you saw fanart of?

i was in middle school when Twilight came out, so I can almost guarantee you somebody drew Bella and Edward fanart and showed me. I don't actually know this for sure though, this is just a guess. The first fanart I actually remember seeing was Percy/Annabeth.

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

lmao no. it's just not worth it literally ever

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

mmm not really. i have ships where I just don't see it, but I don't usually feel all that strongly about it.

Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

Sam/Jack from Stargate! This is entirely @kbunny10 's fault, she got me into Stargate and now I have Feelings.

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

I mean, always. The biggest ones are probably Morgwen, Sam/Jack, destiel (i thought i was free but then nov 5 happened so......). But I'm not super actively a shipper these days

Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

no bc everyone i've ever wanted to get together did so in my heart. Sam and Jack should've gotten together on screen, but In My Heart they did get together so it's chill.

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

not that i can think of! my romantic tastes tend to be relatively consistent honestly. maybe the gay ones before i became not homophobic (and then not straight! yayyyyyy!!!!! :D )

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would've been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

again, none that i can think of! I'm kind of a normie tbh

What is your favorite crack ship?

so this isn't actually a crack ship but like. Captain Hook and the daughter of Snow White/Prince Charming on OUAT got together. That was a real thing. They really said "you know who we should pair with our main character, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming? Famous villain Captain Hook. Yeah we're gonna make him young and sexy so it's fine." That was a real thing!! It aired on television and I was REALLY invested!! Man OUAT was such a wild ride lmao

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

i thought it was destiel but i checked by ao3 bookmarks and apparently newmann are still unbeat!! shoutout to the year where i was obsessed with those gay little scientists, i went absolutely NUTS for them. My newmann fics that I bookmarked are more than the #2 and #3 ships COMBINED.

What do most of your ships usually have in common?

there's usually an earnestness or a sincerity that either one or both of them has. where one person is just like very open about how much they like/admire the other, or where they engage with people so trustingly, or something along those lines. sometimes its sincere4snarky, sometimes its sincere4sincere, and sometimes its "i'm only earnest around you"

What you absolutely hate in a ship?

lack of communication. it drives me INSANE. unless they're miscommunicating about their feelings for each other, then it's great. but otherwise i hate it bc like, this is your partner!! talk to them!! what the fuck!!

Tagging: @kbunny10, @inesathammar, @cawfeeann, @lacigarra, and anyone else who wants to do this!

[archester-creations]

Rated: G

Pairing: Solar Dawn (Sky Lark/Sun Wukong/Yang Xiao Long)

Word Count: ~2k

A/N: Day five: healing @rwbyrarepairweek ; security breach au, animatronic Sky

Not every kid likes Sky. A small portion actually hates him, though he is supposed to be a jester and not a clown and Yang had thought the clown-fear thing was mostly myth. That was before she started working for Scarlatina Entertainment as a technician. Yang rubs the back of her hand against her forehead, smearing grease. "Alright, can you move your fingers?"

Sky raises his left arm, the bare brown metal glints slightly under the lights of her workshop under the Pizzaplex, and flexes his fingers. They move without so much as a creak and he smiles. "Fixed."

"Thankfully. Now on to the second one," Yang says. "Can you turn for me?"

Sky nods and turns around to straddle the chair, draping the already fixed arm over the back. He drops his head to rest on it, too. "I still can't believe those brats managed to hurt both arms before a parent got to them."

"Neither can I." Yang clicks her tongue. If Ruby or her did that, they would've been grounded for weeks. Not that either of them would've ever done it. Even as kids they were both way into robotics.

Actually, thinking about it, if they were young enough they might have tried some pretty stupid stuff to try and see how it worked. Yang still remembers all the pens and mechanical pencils she tore apart—a few of which were Weiss' that she ended up being unable to fix. There is a knock on the wall and Yang calls whoever it is in without turning from Sky's wires.

"I heard Sky got hurt again?" Sun asks as he walks into the room.

"Yeah," Sky and Yang sigh together.

"Have you sewn his sleeves?" Sun asks.

"Yeah." Yang vaguely gestures to where they sit on the table, next to the still open sewing kit. "Can you put it on him?"

Sun nods, knowing that while she can't see it, she would know he did anyway. "So did you scare them or were they just bastards?"

"Bastards." Sky sighs. He holds his arm up so Sun can attach the sleeve to his forearm. "Preteens."

The cloth is long and flowing; it attached to under the metal at the joint between the animatronic's upper and lower arm and Sun carefully feels along the seam to reattach it. His fingers flutter against Sky's metal and wires. It doesn't hurt, but it does tickle, and while Sky tries to stop he can't help squirming.

Yang clicks her tongue. "Babe, stay still."

"Sun is tickling me," Sky giggles, the noises bubbling up.

"Sorry." Sun removes his fingers and sits on the table in a clear area. Cloth hangs loosely from the spots Sun didn't get to. "I'll finish after you're done, Yang."

"Thanks," Yang hums. "And sorry, too, I forgot how ticklish he is there."

"So did I for a few moments," Sky says. He lays his arm in his lap, the action making a hollow ting sound. It's easy to forget he's ticklish even like this. "Are you almost done?"

"About. I need to go slower with your arms, I don't want to hurt the wires so your fingers malfunction," Yang says and smiles at the panel she's messing in. "You need those to flip off Cardin."

Sky hums. "I do, so I guess I can sit here patiently for a little longer, if Sun entertains me." He glances up at his other boyfriend and Sun snorts. It's an ugly type of snort, it always is, but it also always makes Sky feel a little like he's overheating. He loves that snort.

"What do you want me to do?" Sun asks and Sky forcefully keeps himself from shrugging. Yang hums in appreciation.

"Anything. Yang's too focused to talk to me," Sky says.

"Then what if I…" Sun pulls three balls out of seemingly thin air, sliding off the table as he does, and Sky laughs. "juggle?"

"Isn't that supposed to be my thing?" Sky asks.

"You don't have a monopoly on juggling." Sun taps a finger against his beak.

"Alright." Sky rolls his eyes in mock annoyance. "Show me what you got."

"Cool." Sun smiles and it's just as sunny as his name. Sometimes Sky thinks Sun should've gotten the security jacket with the sun patches instead of the lightning bolts, but he likes that his security guard matches him. "I've been practicing this."

Sky shifts in the seat, not enough to disturb Yang but just enough to sit up. Sun throws all three balls up together and catches them before he starts truly juggling. As an animatronic, Sky is nearly an expert at juggling. It's one of the things that's just in his coding. He's literally built for agility, hand-eye-coordination, athletics. Anything a jester might need to physically entertain. Whether or not he was actually good at any of that stuff while he was human, he doesn't really remember, but he thinks he was. All that is to say, Sky loves watching this. The balls arc and spin, Sun moving with them and never missing a catch, even as he has to lean into the table for one. The movements speak of time, speak of hours, speak of passion. The way Sun smiles, bright and large and all laughter just without the sound, speaks of passion. Speaks of fun. Sometimes Sky fumbles a ball, but his body is really just code. It's wires and metal and made for errors like that to happen as statistically seldom as human error can achieve. And with Yang as the main technician– as his only technician– Sky rarely makes a physical error. Meanwhile Sun juggles without error because of practice. It is beautiful, though Sky knows neither of his human boyfriends would naturally think of it that way. But that's okay. Sky knows people see beauty in different things and he is more than okay with being the only person to look at Sun and see his forever messy hair, curls bouncing as he juggles, and know that it is beautiful.

A spark in his wires causes him to look over at Yang, who flushes and looks away from Sun and back at his arm, and Sky thinks happily that she does see it, too.

Sun juggles for a bit longer, and on the ball's last loop he throws each of them higher and ducks under them, mouth wide, and swallowing after all three falls so it looks as if he's eaten them. One of his arms is behind his back, and Sky knows it means he's simply caught them. Something he thinks is more impressive, because that means Sun caught all three without looking. With all three balls in his hand, Sun takes a bow. Since Yang has his right arm, he claps by hitting his thigh. His palm makes a soft ringing sound against the metal there, like a bell.

"I'm done," Yang says at that moment and rolls her chair away. She stands and stretches, her spine and elbows making a popping sound. Sky smiles and flexes the fingers of his right hand, rotating the wrist to make sure everything is working probably, though he knows it is. The only reason he checks is because he knows Yang wants him to.

"Thanks, Yang," Sky says.

"Anything for my girlfriend," Yang says, smiling cheekily as she adds, "Plus it's how I get a paycheck."

Sky puts a hand on his chest to gasp dramatically. "Is that all I am to you? A job?"

"No," Yang says, sudden seriousness belied by the way her lips are twitching upward again. "You're also an annoyance."

"How dare, good sir! Sun, do you see how our boyfriend treats me?" Sky bemoans, making Sun snort. If not for the weight difference, Sky would’ve leaned against Sun just to really sell it. Instead he tips backwards in the chair.

“She’s being terribly cruel,” Sun agrees and that gets Yang to break, laughter filling the room as they join in. it always feels good to be silly with them. Natural in a way that isn’t related to his job, though that is very natural, too. It’s just different. Sky waves his arm and the cloth moves in the air like a wave.

“Finish my sleeves for me?” Sky asks, batting his eyelashes. There is still humour in Sun’s smile as he takes the unattached cloth in his hands and continues to attach it to Sky’s arm while Sky tries his best to keep it still despite the tickling feeling, so he doesn’t pinch and hurt Sun’s fingers.

"You're so spoiled," Yang says, only half joking but fully fond and unrepentant as she is one of the two doing the spoiling, and bends down to kiss his forehead. Sky beams up at her.

"As I should be," he says with all the snottiness he can muster while smiling and being unintentionally tickled. It makes Yang snort. Sun purposely flutters his fingers at his wires and Sky gives a cut-off laugh, freezing up.

“Suuun,” Sky complains and Sun just smiles.

“Gimme your other arm?” Sun says. Sky sighs and holds up his other arm so Sun can connect the other sleeve.