#like... everyone's going to see him as kid again (or y'know a young adult) and maybe not take him as seriously as they should??

[wishingeel]

Alright... so for whatever ungodly reason I’ve been putting off finally watching RWBY volume 9 (despite waiting with anticipation for SO long), and... dang. Like DANG. I’m gonna need to stare at a wall for a while.

[lpwrites]

@msginnymalfoy

So to be honest, this isn't very high on the list of Scott McCall Fandom War Crimes to me, because it's not wrong necessarily? But it's really important to look at it in context.

This is an MTV show, aimed at teens and young adults, about teenagers in high school.

Teenagers, especially teenage boys in a competitive sport, tend to get hyper-competitive.

Off the top of my head, there ARE a few instances of what anon calls ~dick measuring contests~ and I'd be happy to discuss them more in-depth when I'm not on my way to work, but the thing I want to point out before anything is that AA always seems to imply by wording or otherwise that like....Scott's at fault for these. Maybe it's just me, but the phrasing has always come off like Jackson (or whoever) is the passive victim of Scott's RAGING need to one-up everyone around him.

But anyways, if anyone could remind me of episodes/exact scenes that'd be super

S1x01? I think? When Coach puts Scott in goal and he does great. He's not doing it with the active intent of riling up Jackson, but Jackson, iirc, cuts the line in what's supposed to be just a practice/warm-up to try and Get Scott. I'd call that a dick measuring started by Jackson. He's so rankled by this kid one-upping him that he takes it personal and makes it his mission to show him his place, if you will. This also has the unintended consequence of putting Scott in Jackson's sights, which snowballs into Jackson trying to get Scott to get him the bite

I would also consider the infamous 'Where are you getting your juice?' scene to be some form of posturing/jealousy, but again, that's JACKSON instigating it. He's literally so BESIDE himself that a sophomore could POSSIBLY be better than him that he has to corner Scott and pressure him into telling him where he's getting his edge. It's not coming from Jackson being self-righteous or like....believing in justice. He wants that edge for himself, it's entirely selfish. This one's a little more of a reach tho.

The scene where Jackson tells the team to not pass to Scott, and Scott overhears I would probably mark down at least a little? Because Scott /does/ take it personally and he does make it a point to push himself to do better to score, but I'd also put that as a reactionary move instead of like...instigating it. Jackson puts it into motion, and Scott /could/ have let it go, but also like. This is a show about teenagers. I don't fault him for behaving like one.

Dick measuring/insecurity/jealousy in? s4 when Liam shows up I would definitely count against Scott. He gets caught up in it the same way I assume Jackson did in s1 -- how is this newbie showing me up like this -- but that's such a cornerstone of sports/team/teen show dramas that again, it's expected. Scott started it.

One that isn't ever really mentioned but I feel is along the same vein of dick-measuring/posturing: Erica's scene in the rock candy lab vs Allison, and the continuation/confrontation where Erica says she's always wanted to steal someone's boyfriend. That's definitely what I would consider dick-measuring. Emotionally, but, y'know. Same vibe.

These are just a few examples, there's a ton more I'm sure of it, but the point I'm trying to make is that it's expected (to me) from a teen show. If a show didn't have any of this, I'd consider it to be very OOC, because this is how they build up drama between teenagers. Also, it's a pretty common trope in drama shows regardless, so I don't see why it's so egregious for some people in the fandom.

I mean I know why, but as a trope it's pretty run of the mill. I'll try and think of some more examples maybe? But it's a pretty common thread, 2/10 will watch grudgingly.

[tarnishedxknight]

[ Another Time Another Place A Hollow Universe In Space ]

When Vossler angrily said that mocking him was punishable by imprisonment, likely to intimidate and silence them, Rocket waved at him with a dismissive paw. “Save it, pal. Our team was formed accidentally at the Kyln, which is… you guessed it! A prison. I’ve escaped twenty-three prisons, so I wouldn’t bother if I were ya.”

Vossler didn’t seem self-aware enough to realize the Guardians were respectful with Reks, Basch or the other guards for a reason. But Vossler had clearly noticed that even the other guards chuckled at how ineffective his remarks were, which made Rocket think they didn’t like the man very much. Meanwhile, Mantis couldn’t ignore the sensation that something was wrong. The feeling made her antennae go crazy. Her fingertips went numb, her senses trying to adapt to the place. It was like running into a cobweb; you could barely see it, but you could feel it clinging to you. It was something she had never experienced before, despite the hundreds of planets they had visited.

“C'mon, man,” Quill said to Vossler when he started to insult Reks. “He’s still learning. Give him a break. I get it, you’re smart and we’re idiots, you know better and everyone else does not. If you’re so capable, stick to annoying other adults. Not kids.”

“It is a childish and cowardly thing to do,” Gamora said with a nod, agreeing with her boyfriend’s statement. “There is a difference between using your authority to maintain order and abusing it to belittle and demean young ones. Pathetic. Arrogant men like yourself tend to assume the entire galaxy belongs to them.” Gamora got close to his face, partly to shield Reks, but mostly to make sure Vossler could see her hardened expression. “If I were one of your colleagues, I wouldn’t trust you in the slightest. If I were a damsel in distress, I would trust you even less,” she hissed as she glared at him.

“You fuckin’ tell him, babe,” Quill said, unable to hide his proud, smug smirk.

Mantis felt slightly better after the Guardians held her in a group hug, providing her with a sense of familiarity by letting her read their emotions, helping her ground herself. In her disoriented state, she couldn’t see Munoh right away, but she could feel their presence even before the Occurian got close to her. When they stared at her, Mantis just… stared back, her eyes wide with surprise and incomprehension. The entire experience was affecting her, and now she had a vision to deal with. As her face paled, Mantis swallowed, trying not to engage with the hallucination, and focused on the Zune, trying to pick a song to listen to. However, as she adjusted the headphones over her ears, she quickly glanced at Munoh once again.

When Basch returned and told Quill that the King would see them, the half-human half-Celestial hybrid clapped once and did a little dance. “Cool, awesome! I mean…” Quill stilled and cleared his throat, bowing his head. “Thank you, Captain. We are grateful for your kindness, and we will remind it fondly in the future.”

“Remember it, not remind it. Dumbass,” Rocket corrected.

“If we have permission to do so, we’re all going. Together,” Quill said, ignoring Rocket. “Y'know, I think we know why Mantis feels the way she does. It doesn’t seem to be a health problem, it’s more of an empath problem.” He turned to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Can you walk?” He smiled when Mantis nodded. “Yeah? Good. Come on, Guardians!” he roared.

“Why are you yelling?” Drax inquired.

“Yeah, we’re right here,” Mantis complained.

__________

“Ah, criminal fugitives, then. I might have known,” Vossler said judgmentally. “King Raminas is occupied with keeping this kingdom safe amidst war and plague. He hasn’t time to waste on miscreants like yourselves.”

Reks hated being left with Vossler. Dealing with him was night and day compared to his captain. It made Reks wonder how and why Vossler was accepted into the Order in the first place, but it was not his place to ever comment, of course.

Vossler looked to a few mechanics who were waiting to perform maintenance on the ship, even as they looked up at it and whispered amongst themselves at all the parts that looked like none they’d ever seen before. “Well?” he called to them and they all stiffened. “The sooner we fix this junkheap, the sooner we shall all be rid of these delinquents.”

The mechanics sprung into action, inasmuch as they went to approach the ship to check parts and skystones that didn’t exist, and to repair other parts they knew nothing about...

When Quill questioned his treatment of Reks, strangely going so far as to refer to the royal guardsman as an infant goat, for some unknown reason, Vossler listened quietly. As a very green woman continue to berate him, he stared for a moment before motioning for Reks to come closer to him. “You there, lad.”

“Y-yes, Ser Azelas?” Reks said, stepping forward.

“How many summers have you seen?” he asked.

“Seventeen, ser,” Reks replied.

“And how long are you enlisted in Dalmasca’s army?” Vossler pressed.

“Two years, ser,” the young man answered.

“And how long are you in service within the Royal Guard?” Vossler asked.

“One year, ser,” Reks replied, straightening a bit more with his response. It was clear that he was very proud of that promotion, indeed.

“There,” Vossler said, turning back to Quill. “He is no child. The age of adulthood in Dalmasca is sixteen, since you claim to be unaware of Ivalician cultures, and he has been already two years a soldier. Furthermore, in times of war and political unrest, we do not employ idiots among the Royal Palace Guard. Our king’s safety is paramount. Only the finest are promoted to such positions. The lad’s failing is neither lack of intelligence nor experience, but rather...” he glanced back at Reks, “lack of manners towards his superiors.”

“A-apologies, ser, if I have been at all rude,” Reks said to Vossler.

The corners of Vossler’s mouth curled ever so slightly upwards, his immense ego reveling in the guard’s subservience. “You are forgiven. But you will conduct yourself better from this moment onward.”

“Yes, ser,” Reks said.

Munoh noticed the one with very strong energy behaving... oddly. More than once she almost looked directly at them, but seemed to quite deliberately avert her gaze. Munoh sensed her energy becoming more volatile, as if disturbed by their presence. “You sense me, child... do you not?” Munoh asked very gently, a curious inquiry rather than a blunt challenge. Not many could detect the presence of an Occurian if they wished to remain undetectable, not without magical assistance, and so Munoh was impressed and intrigued. “No harm do I mean. Be at peace,” they said, offering some calming energy in her direction, since she seemed to be so unsettled. It was ancient, Munoh’s magic, but not threatening. More like an old, wise, guardian than an insidious intruder. Only a little, though, did they offer, for this one seemed to be highly sensitive to surrounding energies, and Munoh had no desire to overwhelm.

Upon Basch’s return, the very air seemed lighter among the ranks. “Aye, you’ve all permission to have audience with His Majesty. Howe’er, I must ask that you leave any and all weapons behind. If you are unaware, war currently rages on all sides around us. There are many who would seek to threaten His Majesty’s life and Dalmascan autonomy. ‘Tis a risk we cannot take. I bid you understand.” It was not negotiable, and yet Basch said it as though it were a kind request among friends rather than a direct order. He had a way with tone and words, with making those around him feel seen and heard, and with putting others at comfortable ease. It was part of the reason why he was Knight Captain over an older, native Dalmascan like Vossler. “You have my word that none shall threaten you unprovoked inside the palace, or they will answer to me,” he said rather formally. “Treat with us in peace, and we shall do the same with you.”

Vossler had taken to idly picking at his fingernails with the tip of a dagger while he listened to this conversation. Why was Raminas bothering with these lowlifes? Did he not have more important things to do with his time?

“Ser Azelas, remain here and make certain their ship is properly tended to,” Basch ordered.

“Aye,” Vossler simply said, though he was already bored of this.

Basch turned to the group of royal guardsmen, pointing in turn at two of them. “You, and you. Remain here and assist as needed. The rest of you, with me,” he ordered.

Reks, included among through going with Basch, was far more outwardly relieved than perhaps he should have been.

The Royal Palace of Rabanastre was a sprawling building of three main floors, six towers, and hundreds of years of history. Some seven hundred years old, the massive building consisted of white and beige sandstone, white marble, and granite, all locally sourced. As the Guardians were led inside its carved walls and high ceilings, it was apparent that the ancient building was very well kept. Clean and devoid of cracks or wear, the stone shined with a lovely polish at every glance. All around, tapestries depicting Dalmasca’s history and culture hung, as did the royal seal of House Dalmasca.

The only things that might have seemed out of place with the impeccably maintained luxury around every corner was the intrusion of sand and the presence of tiny lizards. Glistening, crystalline sand grains collected in corners and against walls, and this did not seem to bother anyone. In fact, it seemed almost welcomed and aesthetically acceptable for this to occur, judging by the fact that no one anywhere was in the process of sweeping it away. And the diminutive lizards, not unlike those of the anoles of Terra, were everywhere. On the walls, the ceilings, even clinging to the tapestries. And this, too, seemed normal, for the various guardsmen walking about within the palace took no notice of them beyond avoiding stepping directly on them.

Basch led the Guardians from the dock into one of the towers and down into the palace proper, taking them through large, opulent hallways lined with guards and servants alike. The palace was a bright and bustling place, filled with happy and proud energy, despite the hard times the population of Rabanastre found itself braving. All who worked there were proud to be there, loved their king and kingdom, and were proud to be Dalmasca. It was also clear that they had a great deal of respect for Basch as well, for many greeted him along the way. And whether it was another knight, a guard, or a lowly servant who greeted him, Basch returned the greeting with respect and kindness in like kind.

Soon, they arrived at a pair of immense, towering double doors flanked by guards more heavily armored than some others had been along the way. Basch paused before them, turning to the Guardians. “Please wait here a moment,” he asked of them as the doors were cranked open and he entered. The doors were closed behind him, and the Guardians found themselves waiting without, bounded by guards on all sides. This was only for a couple of minutes, and then the doors were cranked open fully and Basch bid the Guardians all enter. Once they had, the doors were cranked shut once more.

Upon a throne at the end of a long, torchlit, golden hall was an aging man with a kind face. Although old, he seemed alert and had a regal bearing about him.

“Your Majesty, I present to you Captain Star-Lord of Missouri in Terra, and his crew,” Basch said, nodding formally to the king before turning to the Guardians. “His Majesty King Raminas B’nargin Dalmasca,” he announced to them before stepping aside to allow the meeting to continue. He remained close by the throne, however.

{ I’m stopping here because I didn’t know if Quill or anyone else would speak up before the king did. And I also didn’t know if they would put up a stink about the weapons issue, so feel free to do whatever you wanted with that, heh. I will place a pic of Raminas below, though, so that you know what the Guardians are seeing when they meet him. He looks weary here because he just got some bad news, lol, but with them he’d look a bit more friendly. There just... aren’t too many pics of him because he died so early on in the game. }

[thedarkcoven]

Don't Let the Devil Inside - Part 2

Minors DNI! 18+ ONLY!!! Warnings (for the whole story): Alcohol use, tobacco use, violence, talk of death and suicide, smut, choking, hair pulling, angst, manipulation, abuse of power, noncon, loss of virginity, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, public sex (car sex), oral sex, unprotected sex (please be safe), marking, possessive/protective!Arvin, dom/soft!Lee, semidark!Lee, jealous!Arvin, age gap: the reader is 24 and Lee Bodecker is 40. Modern Day setting ~~~~~~If you wanna be tagged lemme know <3 I apologize for any typos/shit grammar @turbolisedcomet

You decided to wear your lilac babydoll dress with a sweetheart neckline, the skirt stopping mid-thigh with black mary-jane shoes. Your foundation matched your complexion and your eyeshadow and lips complimented the shade of purple on your dress, making the color of your eyes pop. Arvin sat on your bed, looking through his phone while waiting; your parents were already at the parade site and told you they'd hold a spot for you. He smiled once you turned to him, making a final adjustment to your hair before smiling. "Ya look good, Y/N. Haven't seen you in a dress besides your work dress and church dress since we were kids. You're beautiful." Arvin was always too afraid to admit his feelings for you even though everyone else could see it. "Thank you, Arv. You look good too." You smiled and ruffled his hair. "Come on. Let's get there 'fore it's too late. Don't want Lee rippin' my head off when he comes by the restaurant again." You let out a small chuckle and went to Arvin's pickup truck. Your father waved at you and Arvin and motioned to the two lawn chairs that were sat close to the sidewalk so you could be close to the parade and the floats. Going to parades has always been a tradition since you were young and it was never going to change. Arvin sat beside you and drank some moonshine that your father and him shared. You grabbed it from him and took a big swig, smirking at him then sticking your tongue out at him as soon as he grabbed it back from you. "Hey now. I need you sober to drive. Your pops said I can crash tonight." "Fine." You huffed and gave a fake pout which caused him to laugh. "Would you cut it out?" He chuckled and playfully pushed your arm. "You're such a child." "What? I'm an adult. I'm allowed to drink to, y'know." The different floats and lights were so pretty. They filled you with childlike glee as you sat practically on the edge of your seat. Arvin watched with a smile as your eyes filled with excitement, the sound of the school band's instruments spilling out into the warm late summer air. Once the band continued you, you noticed red and blue lights. Your heart dropped as the cruiser slowly drove forward, a deputy in the passenger seat and back throwing candy out to children and any adult with a sweet tooth. You felt your heart catch in your throat when Lee's blue eyes landed on you with a smirk on his face. Out of reaction you snatched the moonshine from Arvin and took a big gulp before shoving it back into his hands. Lee's icy blue eyes now turned into the shade of blue like you see during stormy days. He took note of the alcohol and clenched his jaw as he gripped the steering wheel. Arvin gave you a questioning look as you stood and began weaving through the crowd to go to his truck. You needed a smoke to calm your nerves and wanted to be as far away from the Sheriff as possible. You groaned when you noticed Lee pulling in to block the truck from you. "Get out. You, Y/N. Get in the damn car. Now." You glared and crossed your arms before complying with his order, pushing past the deputy. You slammed the car door and huffed, staring straight ahead as he rolled up the windows. "What is it, Sheriff?" You whined as he gripped your jaw and forced you to look at him. "What I say bout that lil attitude o' yours, darlin'? So tell me... Were you drinkin' alcohol?" "N-No, sir." You whimpered as his fingers tightened, bringing your face close to his. He inhaled and smirked, staring down at you. "Is that so? Why I smell shine then?" "Fi-Fine. I was drinking moonshine. Let me go, Lee." "It's Sheriff to ya, darlin' and no. I ain't lettin' you go. You need to get punished for your fuckin' attitude. Get in the back." You glared at him but did as you were told. You paused as soon as you saw Lee exit the car then get back in, sitting in the back seat and closing the door. He grabbed a handful of your hair and pulled you over his lap as he scooted into the middle, your face being pushed into the leather of the seat. Lee took in

a sharp inhale as his rough hands pushed up your lilac skirt, his hands gripping your thighs. Your eyes went wide as you started to squirm but Lee was much stronger than you. Sharp stinging pain made you freeze, your breath now catching your throat before you could protest. It took your brain a second to register what just happened and before you could comment, you felt your panties getting yanked down then his hands being brought down over and over on both ass cheeks. By the time he was done with you, you were whining as tears made streaks in your makeup, your ass now radiating heat from the abuse from his big hands. He sat you back up after pulling your underwear back up, anger still on his face. "Now. What do we say, princess?" "I-I'm so sorry, She-Sheriff." You managed to get out through hiccups and sobs. "Shh. Shh. It's okay, darlin'." He pulled you against his chest as you cried, petting your back softly and placing a soft kiss to your forehead. "S'okay, darlin'. I just hate it when you treat me with disrespect. Since day one you've treated me like shit. Bout time you show me some respect. I'm the law 'round here. Got that?" "Ye-Yes, Sheriff. I'm sorry, Sheriff." "I know you are. Get out. I'll be at the restaurant tomorrow for some lunch. You gonna be workin'?" You nodded and got out, answering with your voice before closing the door. Arvin walked over just in time as the deputy got back in the car and Lee drove off. He noticed your tears and instantly got pissed and protective, pulling you close in a tight hug. "What the fuck that pig do to you, Y/n? Tell me. I swear if he touched you-." "N-No. We just talked. He told me he never meant harm and-and that I was in the wrong and I am. I treated that man so poorly." You lied. "I-I just felt so bad and broke down. He hugged me and told me it's okay and that he forgives me." Arvin wasn't buying it but to not stress you out even more he just stood there holding you while whispering sweet things. His voice was soothing but it was hard to focus on it with the feeling of heat coming from your behind. "Ca-Can we go home? I want to shower, Arv." He nodded and helped you into the truck. All you wanted to do was let the hot water soothe your pain then curl up into the bed with Arvin to let your emotions melt away, not wanting to face Lee again tomorrow. All you wanted was to sleep.

[sladewilsonisanantihero]

The Original Intent of Terra and how Deathstroke got the bad end of the stick for it

Okay, Deathstroke Children (Idk what to call you guys because fellow Deathstrokers would end this conversation immediately), I found the time to do this, so let's get to it!

(Note: My original laptop broke with my comics, so I have no images to spare, so it will be sourced. Another note: Many words will be in bold. Partly so that for those reading will not lose track.)

But if tl;dr:

Cold Hard Truth: Everyone from Terra fans to Deathstroke fans needs to stop seeing these characters as real people.

Original Terra wasn't human trafficked or whatever sob story people want to label her with. The CREATORS intended her to be written as Evil without the mental illness and to die for the shock value. They had Raven, The Literal Empath, spell this out in Judas Contract. As for Deathstroke's involvement, he was shoved into her creation story, and Marv Wolfman himself recognized his mistake in doing that.

And for those calling Deathstroke a nazi, Original Terra had nazi-like beliefs where common people should fear and serve them or be killed off just because they're 'special'. Again, BLUNTLY stated in the Judas Contract. So if you're going to call Deathstroke a Pedophile, we'll call OG Terra a Neo-Nazi. (But I highly advice for Deathstroke Fans to not start that kind of war, but I had to say what I had to say.)

Don't get me wrong. (Hopefully all) Deathstroke fans know that their relationship was wrong just like Marv Wolfman, and we do not support pedophiles! But Slade isn't a pedophile! He was never intended to be written as one! It was a mistake made on many levels and should be rewritten like OG Terra's Evil Neo-Nazi-like personality, instead of being thrown into cancel culture.

Also for Deathstroke fans, don't get upset over their content and begin any argument emotionally. Just enjoy whatever good content we can get and support it if you can. Hopefully we'll get our Deathstroke movies and so on!

So I've briefly chatted with one of you over the matter with Terra/Tara Markov and how upsetting it is about how people refer to Slade Wilson as a Pedophile. That is a serious accusation that would make it very uncomfortable to argue about since it can easily make it seem like we justify the actions of pedophiles, and that we are part of pedophile culture that does exist in social media space.

AND WE SHOULDN'T, AND FOR ANTIS READING THIS WE WON'T.

But there was a time when I used to have a blog called friendlyremindersofsladewilson, where I defended Slade and put the blame all on Terra. I was 14 at the time, and looking back at it, I am not proud of it because I realized now as an adult how I defended it for most of the wrong reasons, but still stand with the fact that SLADE IS NOT A PEDOPHILE.

And since this took place when I was so young, it compelled me to write this post because I fear some of you are really young, too, and may end up in this regretful position.

So to make it clear, what Slade had been written to do is a crime, and we should acknowledge it, but not in the way as if it was a crime acted out in real life.

What I mean by that is that there's a clear separation between fiction and reality where one isn't real (Duh!). In this case, it's about the mistakes made between fiction and reality. In reality, mistakes made by the person responsible is on the person. In fiction, mistakes made is dependent on the creator's intent, and sometimes the creators can make mistakes themselves.

Most notably Terra's:

Tara Markov/Terra was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez.

In Marv Wolfman's literal website, he stated in his online "What the-?" column:

"Which leads to Terra. That was easy. George and I wanted a Titan who betrayed the others. we also wanted to play against every reader conception of who characters are. George and I knew her whole story before we began and we knew she would die. We set the story up with her trying to destroy the Statue of Liberty to show she was the bad girl, but we knew if George drew her as a cute kid everyone would simply assume she would be ‘turned’ from the dark side because that’s the way it was always done which is why that wouldn’t be the way we did it. Tara was insane an stayed that way right until the moment she died. By the way, she IS dead. I don’t know what other writers will do with her – if anything – but if they want to honor the original series they will leave her dead. The Terra from Team Titans was – as stated – some kid the villain kidnapped and physically and mentally altered her into looking and acting like the original. But she was NEVER the real Terra."

And it should also be noted that he stated before this statement that:

"...Only mistake I think I made with him is having him have a physical relationship with the 16 year old Tara Markov. That was wrong."

So Marv Wolfman himself recognizes that what he did was a mistake, but his intent on Terra was never to write a victim.

And quick note: Insanity isn't written as a mental illness here. It's written like how many villains are labeled as insane for having skewed beliefs that deviates from the common good.

Terra truly had some nazi-like beliefs where she BELIEVED that everyone who wasn't 'special' like her and the Teen Titans deserved to be treated like shit because they weren't 'special' like them. She bluntly said it herself in the Judas Contract.

As for George Perez's comment in an interview I found in this website:

"GEORGE: Tara was just a cute little girl, although I based a little bit of that on my wife Carol’s sister, Barbara. A little upturned nose… Barbara does not have the teeth that Tara had. I wanted Tara to be a girl who looked normal. Which also means her death caught everyone even more offguard.

Tara, she was made to be killed; she served her purpose. That was it.

ANDY: You didn ‘t get any attachment to Tara?

GEORGE: No, because I knew we were going to kill her. So I deliberately used all the things to make her as likeable and cute as possible, so people would never believe we were going to kill a sixteen-year-old. And she was a sixteen-year-old sociopath. She was one of our cleverest gimmicks; we deliberately created her in order to lead everyone astray. So we couldn’t build any fondness for her, ’cause we knew full well what her whole motive for existence was. Her existence was basically to keep the stories interesting; we were tossing a curve that no one would have expected.

ANDY: You didn ‘t even love to hate her, huh?

GEORGE: No. I loved handling her, because she was such a good idea. But she was an idea. Not as much a person. She was there to show exactly how much their humanity can be one thing they have to be careful about, the Teen Titans have to be careful about. . . they can be too trusting, or their own weaknesses can be used against them."

Terra was supposed to be a representation of An Evil Betrayal of Trust and That Not All Cute Girls Are Good.

But they took it too far by making her sleep with Deathstroke because they wanted to truly make her look evil by literally sleeping with the enemy. Y'know because this was the 80s, and women having sex was an evil act back then, and that point of view has somewhat or barely improved 40 years later.

Deathstroke was just shoved into this idea, and Marv tried and perhaps failed at trying to undo this mistake with his talk with Beastboy (Tales of the Teen Titans issue #55) and before his confrontation from Wintergreen (Deathstroke (1991); Chapter 35).

So just as I had stated at the top in the tl;dr, it was a mistake made on many levels and should have been rewritten out just as many had done with OG Terra's true personality, and be done with it.

Random person: "He still slept with a 16-year-old."

And it's not that hard to make other heroes and villains do this mistake. Because again, it's all fiction. Deathstroke's fictional. As in Not Real, so we could literally undo the damage by rewriting this mistake. Or make it worse by making Terra the rapist by her using her Earth powers to bind Slade down and force him, and you can't deny that it's plausible. Because she's fictional. Anything can happen. So why didn't Slade tell Beastboy whether he slept with her or not, maybe it was because he really didn't want to but he was forced into it. And that's just something you can't dump on a very emotional man who was trying to kill you a moment ago.

ALL THE POSSIBILITIES BECAUSE IT'S FICITIONAL!

But ANYWAY, I went way too dark there.

Ending on a brighter note: Personally to all Deathstroke fans, please value your mental health, please don't start any arguments that'll compromise it, and continue supporting Deathstroke in whatever way you can!

[four-rabbit]

My best friend died in the 90′

Ok, so, this is part of an ghost AU that I have and probably will be talking about in the future, where Virgil is a ghost and them and Remus are best friends, (this is not the main plot but anyway, like I said, I'll talk about it in later)

However, while this doesn't happen, please have this oneshot about Remus and Virgil meeting each other

Summary: Remus never had any friends, but that changed when he decided to go to the cemetery in the middle of the night, just to meet Virgil, a kid that besides being just as weird as Remus, happens to be dead.

(For a little bit of context: in this fanfic Remus comes from a family where eveyone can speak to ghosts, on his mom side, at least, but unlike Roman, Remus was never able to talk to a ghost before meeting Virgil)

Characters: Remus Sanders, Virgil sanders, mentions to Roman Sanders

Warnings: swearing (specifically a kid swearing), discussions of death, mentions of a fight and bullying.

Obs: in this au Virgil uses exclusively they/them pronouns and Remus uses he/it. This is not a genderbend version of Remus.

I've always been the weird child so it seemed appropriate that my first friend had been dead for more than a decade.

It's a funny story: I had gotten to another fight, I even lost a tooth that day and probably would have lost two if I hadn't run away the moment the fucking coward that called himself a bully invited his friends for help. I may be fast but I can only bite so many people at once.

I didn't want to go home because Roman would be worried and my parents would be angry, which was the usual, but getting bullied was also the usual, didn't mean that I couldn't get tired of it, that's why I decided to go to the cemetery I mean, why not? 

I knew I was far from my house because it took me less than ten minutes to reach it. My parents moved to as far as possible from there the moment Roman was born, the guy can't stand even getting closer to it, which I founded stupid at the time. I would give anything to have the stupid paranormal sensitivity that he was so afraid of instead of being the disappointment of the family.

Turns out he was right for being afraid. 

After a quick look I confirmed that there was no other living soul at the cemetery besides me, so I smiled and sat on the closest gravestone. Mom always said that we should respect the dead and their resting place or else they would teach us a lesson or whatever but I was fine with that because I had decided a long ago that If a ghost showed themself to me it would be the coolest freaking thing ever. I kicked the gravestone weakly, as if knocking on a door. That thought made me giggle as I imagined a ghost appearing in pajamas, angry at me for disturbing them that late at night. I kicked again, this time a little harder. 

"Stop that" someone mumbled besides me. I immediately got to my feet, thinking that the gravedigger had seen me but fortunately I didn't see an angry adult, but a kid. They were using a black hoodie and had equally dark hair falling on their face. They were pale as a dead body, fat and tall, basically the opposite of me, an unhealthily skinny latino little shit. I snorted.

"What are you gonna do about it?" I kicked the gravestone once more. They seemed startled, backing up a little. 

"You- you can see me?"

"Why wouldn't- OH MY GOD YOU'RE A GHOST?!" I screamed not even caring if someone could hear me. Virgil cared. 

"Sshh! I-" they seemed disconcerted but gave up with a sigh "Yes, I'm" 

"Oh! Holy shit! Is that your gravestone?! Is that why you appeared when I kicked it?!" I jumped in excitement, getting close to them to take a closer look at my most recent discovery. 

"No, I just don't think you should kick it. It's disrespectful" 

"Yeah, whatever! Oh my god I can't believe I'm seeing a ghost! Suck it, mom, I knew I could do it too!" I exclaimed to nothing in particular as if she could hear me. "What's your name?"

"No- look, I'm sorry, I didn't think you could see me, I just- I should go" they said in the classic "I want to get rid of you" that everyone used after talking to me for more than five minutes. I started to get desperate, this was my first time seeing a ghost, I wouldn't let them leave that easily.

"No, don't go! I promise that I'm cool! Sorry for kicking your friend's gravestone, I don't know, please stay!" I begged and I guess my irresistible cuteness touched their heart because they turned to look at me again.

"He's not my friend," Virgil explained. "Just an old ghost that doesn't like to be bothered." they looked down shyly and I thought that was cute. "My name is Virgil. What's yours?" 

"My name-" I always hated to tell people my deadname, I just didn't know why at the time "You can call me the Duke because my name is shit I really hate it y'know, it really sucks ass" They probably raised an eyebrow, it was hard to tell with all that hair failing on their face, but didn't say anything besides:

"Why not the duchess?"

"Because I don't want to" replied, crossing my arms as if challenging them to disagree. Virgil looked me up and down, processing my appearance. I was using dirty green legs, a black dress that my mom insisted that I wore for school and an old all star. Their eyes stopped at my face, with my bloody nose and the missing tooth. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh yeah I got into a fight! But it's cool, I'm not afraid of those assholes" now they seemed worried.

"Why did you get into a fight?"

"Just the usual, he stole my lunch, pushed me out of my bike, called me some bad words and I bit him. Y'know everyone thinks blood is so gross but I kinda like the taste." I looked at them, trying to see their reactions. I couldn't see their eyes but I'm sure they widened as Virgil got closer, saying in the same worried tone that Roman used:

"You should be careful! Have you told your parents?! Do you have any friends to walk with you? Or you could tell a teacher! No, forget it, teachers never help, at least not when I was alive. Is there anyone you can trust to protect you?"

"Wow, chill, I can take care of myself"

"I'm serious, Duke!" I rolled my eyes. I hated when people treated me as some fragile girl that couldn't take care of herself. Turned out I just hated that people treated me like a girl. 

"Why do you care? I just met you" 

"Because-" Virgil changed their mind mid phrase. Can't blame them, I wouldn't share my backstory and the reason I died that easily either if I was a ghost. "You seem nice, I don't want you to get hurt" I don't think anyone had ever called me nice by that time. Weird, gross, disturbing, problem child, ungracious I had always heard, but nice was new, even Roman just called me "cool" or "brave" at best. So, of course, I got defensive. 

"Hm. Want me to tell you what he, Peter by the way, is the name of the asshole, yeah, he's a big asshole, what Peter and his friends called me?!" Again, Virgil barely reacted to my swearing and I was starting to get frustrated, it was always an easy way to get some fun reactions, especially from adults.

"Not really…" as they would learn in the years that followed, that kind of phrase rarely stopped me from speaking. 

"He called me a bitch! That's when I bit him, actually, he was like, listen here you little bitch and he pointed his finger at my face and I bit it and I almost ripped it off I swear!" I looked at them, waiting for their reaction, already imagining what it would be. I was young but I had lived enough to mainly aim for negative responses just because they were better than no response at all. Virgil stayed in silence for longer than I wanted which was like the most boring response. 

"How old are you, Duke?"

"I'm going to be nine in three months! How old are you?"

"I died when I was ten." 

"Cool! I was never friends with an older kid!" I was never friends with anyone besides Roman, but anyway. "I mean, you're my friend, right?" They didn't answer immediately, but then Virgil opened a smile and probably decided they were going to protect that little chaotic gremlin.

"Yeah, I guess I’m.”

[catboyklug]

One new message.

Summary: Amitie has just one more day until spring break, but he's worried he'll get in trouble since the Goddess of Spacetime keeps trying to message him!

Characters: Amitie (he/him), the Goddess/Jeanna (she/her it/its), various Primp Highschool students and teachers

Warnings: None

Note: Do not interact with this post if you're a proshipper lol. Primp is a high school/middleschool/preschool mix that we have many of here (mostly w/ catholic schools) s yeah. Amitie is 15 in this.

My name is Amitie! I'm a student at Primp Highschool, and I'm just like every other kid there!

Except...

I have the phone number of the Goddess on my phone!

At first, I thought it was just a prank. I mean, c'mon, the Goddess, messaging a dork like me?? Get real!

But after a while, I realized she was totally serious! She even sent me pictures of herself in space, and a friend's friend totally confirmed it! That's so cool!

I gotta admit, though, some of the stuff she sends me is kinda creepy! Like, sometimes she sends me messages about this weird apocalypse thing. Sometimes it ends just by me being nice to someone or whatever, but...

It's prolly just a joke on her end, although I don't think Goddesses usually make jokes. I'd have to ask someone!

Anyway, today's the last day of school before summer break, I'm super excited! Me and some friends are gonna go out of Primp for the first time ever- with our parents, of course. Don't wanna get lost without an adult to keep you safe, y'know!

Well, anyway, I'll be updating this blog again after school. See you guys later!! ^^

"Sorry, ms. teacher!" Amitie said upon finally putting his phone away.

"At least mew weren't totnyally late like the last twenty times, mya!" Popoi said, glaring at the poor child.

"Now, now, Popoi, it's not his fault, remember?" Accord gently scolded, "But I will admit, I am also glad..."

"Regardless, class has now begun, everyone, so please put any devices away and sit down. Klug, that includes you."

Grumbling, the young mage put away his latest creation: a phone battery fueled by magic instead of battery acid, used to power a small robot designed to fall off of tables.

"Now, everyone check your agendas and work from there. Today is the last day of school before break, and although that certainly doesn't mean you should slack off, there's no need for extra work."

Most sighed with relief, except for Klug, who began grumbling again at the assumption that extra work would not be permitted today. Everyone pulled out their agendas and then the workbooks they needed, then got to work.

[crispyjenkins]

I dare you to write an Ani5 fix-it fic. I will not be taking criticism and will die on the hill that this is the most powerful ship and could’ve saved the entire clone wars. Bonus points if it features the ship Mace Windu/headaches (bc anakin is a walking mess of shatterpoints and lives to annoy Mace). Codywan to help knock some sense into anakin would also be top tier. I LOVE YOU ZEPH’BUIR

(of course i can’t do a whole fix-it in a quick prompt answer, but i think i’ve set it up for a far happier ending than in canon! support communication and education in relationships (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) and also adhd clones.

fives might be the most i’ve ever struggled with a character (‘cept maybe ahsoka....) so it took a little while to figure out how to write this scene in a way i liked. also, had to go and watch fives clips to try and get my autism brain working, and BOY HOWDY do i actually hate dbb’s take on the clones, especially the accent but everything else too. their character designs make me want to cry. so i’m begging, for me, to imagine this fives like this especially because then we get Tol Anakin and a Smol Clone BF and i think that is a seriously underutilised dynamic.

thank you for the prompt, ad, and for cursing me with this ship in the first place. someday i’ll get around to actually writing them as the battle husbands they are 🧡)

Alt+R to quick reblog on desktop, Hold the reblog symbol to quick reblog on mobile

  Echo's always been good with programming, but Fives is better with the actual building. He's not any good with inventing, maybe, but putting things together? Opening them up and knowing immediately what's wrong? Fives would even say he enjoys it — and being able to talk shop with Skywalker like they're nobody mechanics from the Outer Rim instead of General and Soldier makes the long hyperjumps between missions actually bearable. 

  How that led to him sitting in a rarely used hallway on the Resolute with Skywalker ("Anakin," he keeps insisting with a smile), both leant over a mouse droid in pieces on a drop cloth, Fives isn't really sure. It probably had something to do with Skywalker's excited bounce when he'd come to ask if Fives wanted to help him, the sparkle in his eye reminding Fives just how young the both of them are. How, technically, he's older than Anakin.

  Because, yeah, he is Anakin, not Skywalker, when they're like this. With his growing knight cut a curly untamed cloud around his ears, grease smeared on the underside of his jaw, with Fives stripped down to his blacks from the waist up, with even his blasters set on the floor next to them. 

  With it quickly becoming clear that Anakin doesn't actually need help to rewire the mouse droid, but had asked for Fives to join him anyways.

  They've been at it for a few hours now, their jokes winding down to companionable quiet as they both work on separate parts of the droid. It honestly might have been easier to start from a scrap droid than try to rewire this one correctly, but it's easy work Fives could do blindfolded, and sharing the mutually-focused silence is actually quite nice.

  Anakin is elbow-deep in the outer casing when he finally asks, "Do the clones feel love?"

  And Fives almost gets up and walks away. He knows not every battalion ended up with a good Jedi, that the 212th and the 501st had been so kriffing lucky to end up with "The Team", but sometimes he forgets. Maybe that's the worst part of it: slow, personal moments like this, Fives forgets he's not natborn and bearer of a face shared with millions. Being around his general makes him forget, and maybe he had taken that for granted until now.

  Or maybe it's for that reason that he hesitates from storming off, because Anakin had been the one to name Alpha, to insist on giving them proper leave, to defend them from anyone who talks down at them even if they're a planetary leader. And Rex had said something, once, about Anakin’s brain working in either/ors, being hardwired in some way to only see in black and white and believing that if you're one thing, you can't be another. That what Anakin says isn't always what he means.

  So instead, he asks, "What kind of love are we talkin'?"

  Anakin refuses to raise his head, and Fives can almost see him stressing about how to phrase this.  "Y'know, grand romance and stuff. One-and-onlys and holodrama romcom propaganda and imagining growing old together."

  "'Not quite sure what you're asking, sir." He takes a deep breath. "The short answer is yes, we can and do feel that, but the long answer is I can't speak for every brother, and I would not want to. Some of us don't feel that." Shrugging, he passes Anakin a socket wrench before he can ask for it. "But it's not because we can't, not because of the longnecks. We're bred to be obedient, sir, not emotionless."

  Quiet settles over them again while Anakin processes this, his mouth twisted rather horribly. Fives starts to think he would do a whole awful lot to turn that frown back into a haughty smile. 

  "What do you really want to ask, General?"

  "I'm married to Senator Amidala."

  Now, everyone with eyes knows that. Maybe Torrent knows even better, when they've been covering for their general for over a year now, and clearly the Jedi just aren't doing anything about it — but Fives also knows Anakin has never actually told anyone about this, not even General Kenobi. Rex says Anakin still thinks they've been discreet.

  "If I may be blunt, sir, this is not news."

  And Anakin actually laughs at that, shaking his head as he tosses down his tools to stare at the opposite wall instead. Fives watches his gaze go distant, somewhere far away from the Resolute lost in the middle of space. “I’ve loved her since I was nine years old, Fives. I loved her through not seeing her for a decade, through her assassination attempts and the First Battle of Geonosis and becoming a knight, and I...”

  Fives sighs once. “No one said you had to stay in love, sir.”

  “But that’s just it,” he groans. “I’ve never known how to do anything else, how to be anything else. I don’t... know who I am without it.”

  He has to look away from Anakin, then, because he’s seen brothers go stupid for people they meet on campaigns, or for their Jedi, and Fives isn’t nearly as young as some of the shinies out there, but he knows what it looks like, when they leap in without thinking. He lets out a long, slow breath, his eyes falling on the ‘saber at Anakin’s hip. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

  Anakin blinks at him, and nods.

  “That’s too young to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life.” Fives raises a brow at his general’s startled expression, which is maybe more amusing (endearing) than it has any business being. “General, you’re barely an adult, just the same as the vode. If my mental timeline is right, you weren’t even twenty standard when you married Amidala, which, frankly, was reckless and unfair on her part.”

  “Padmé would never–”

  “I don’t mean intentionally, sir. The fact of the matter is, no wonder you don’t know who you are without her, because you’ve always had her.” That decade of no contact notwithstanding, considering Anakin didn’t not have her, either. “Senator Amidala knew who and what she was before you, and she’ll know who and what she is without you.”

  “That’s not quite fair,” Anakin grumbles, but his throat is flushed in what Fives hopes is entirely appropriate guilt, or at the very least embarrassment. “It was my idea to get married after Geonosis.”

  Fives snorts. “The idea of a child thrown into war, afraid to lose anything.”

  “You’re being uncharacteristically candid, Fives.”

  “Respectfully, sir, the last thing you need is to be coddled.” His general laughs again, this time good and bright in a way he hasn’t heard before; and then Fives can’t help what he admits next. “We weren’t allowed toys, or anything.”

  Laughter cutting off abruptly, Anakin’s eyes grow haunted instead. There might not be anyone else in the galaxy with quite the same experience as the clones, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those that understand.

  “Hevy made me and Echo– Well, he said they were mythosaurs like Kal taught us about, but they looked more like sad loth cats. He cut up his own bedsheet to make ‘em, and couldn’t tell the longnecks what he’d done with it, so he just slept on the bare mattress.”

  “Fives...”

  But it’s clear Anakin doesn’t actually know what to say, so Fives pushes on. “Some of Fett’s instructors tried to teach us Mando’a, you know? I think Spar is the only brother that ever got fluent, the rest of us have been making up words and combining them with Basic and Kaminoan and whatever else the Cuy’val Dar spoke that sometimes we don’t even remember what language they are anymore.”

  “I didn’t learn Basic until I was five.” Anakin thunks his head onto the wall behind him with a sigh, the mouse droid forgotten at his feet. “Other padawans always told me I was lucky Master Obi-Wan knew Huttese.” Ahh, kark, his general had been a Hutt salve; at least the spice runners made sure their slaves could communicate with their customers. “I couldn’t read a word of Aurebesh when I first came to the Temple, though to be fair, I couldn’t read anything else, either.”

  “You grow up around other kids?”

  “Yeah, my mom and I lived in the biggest slave slum on Tatooine.”

  Fives doesn’t need to tell him how lucky he was just to have had their own quarters. “I think, sir, that the vode know better than you think, what it’s like always standing on the edge of losing everything.”

  Squeezing his eyes closed, Anakin inhales sharply and clenches his fists over his knees. “What happened? To your mythosaur toys?”

  “One of the longnecks found them while we were in training, ‘threw them out before we got back. I think Hevy was even more upset than we were.”

  The leather glove over his prosthesis creaks as he tightens his grip on his own palms. “Was it easy? To just... forget about them?”

  “Of course not,” Fives snorts and crosses his arms, “we were the equivalent of eight standard at the time, but we honestly didn’t have a choice. As we got a little older, we stopped trying to put meaning in things, because we weren’t allowed things. Our names are our only real possession, even our armor can be taken from us, but we will not, cannot, let anyone take our names.”

  Groaning, Anakin scrubs his hands over his face before pushing himself up to finally look at Fives properly. He still doesn’t speak for a moment, just watching him, then teases flatly, “You’ve been spending too much time with Cody and Obi-Wan, you’re starting to speak in riddles.”

  “They are riddles only to you, sir.” He offers a small smile, and is only slightly disappointed when Anakin doesn’t return it.

  Instead, he lets out a winded breath. “So. You’re saying that it’s not easy to let go of even small things, but we must. And then there are things that we shouldn’t let go of?”

  “Some things aren’t ours to keep.”

  Anakin swallows. “Like Padmé,”

  “Like any person, no matter what sort of love we have for them.”

  Groaning, Anakin pulls his knees back up close and drops his face into his arms. “But I still love her.”

  Knowing that this is not a new problem, that General Kenobi has been trying to teach his general this for as long as they’ve known each other, Fives takes a moment to consider. “You don’t really have to stop loving her.”

  “But you said–”

  “You think I stop loving my brothers when they die?”

  Whether or not it’s healthy to hold onto affections for someone after a romantic relationship is a conversation for another time, Fives decides, and leans over to pick up where Anakin had left off with the droid.

  “General, it sounds to me like you already know all this,” he says, twisting a wire into the grip of his glove to yank it from the motor. “And  that you’re digging your feet in — which is the crux of the problem, isn’t it?”

  “You sound like Obi-Wan,” he groans, but doesn’t deny it.

  “Hmm, well, at least we’re still just kids.”

  Anakin very slowly looks up from his arms, just enough for Fives to see his wide eyes. “What do you...?”

  “Well, we’ve still got time to learn, don’t we?” Fives raises his eyebrow as he fits the new wire into the motor and starts to close all the panels back up. “I still think about Hevy and Droidbait and Cutup, and honestly, I still think about Echo’s and my mythosaurs. That’s not a bad thing, I don’t think, not even the Jedi would think that’s bad. I’m still angry when my vode don’t get funerals and I honestly hold that against the Chancellor and the Jedi both. But I don’t get to go back to Kamino and take my anger out on the longneck that took our toys, and I’m... working on it, not being so angry with the generals. I’m still angry. But I know the Jedi have about as much say in all of this as we do, and I know burying my brothers won’t bring them back. So I’m working on it.”

  “I... don’t have to be good at it all at once.”

  “Great Maker, General, just because you’re the Chosen One doesn’t mean you have to actually be good at absolutely everything from the start. You just have to try, and you still have time to.”

  He looks up and finds Anakin already smiling back. “Fives, I could kiss you.”

  “Considering it sounds like Senator Amidala just divorced you, I think that’s a very bad idea, sir.”

  “Bah, you’re no fun.”

  Fives feigns offense, “This mouse droid we’ve rigged to follow Captain Rex around and scream says differently.”

-

  The night the 501st returns to the Resolute after finally (kriffing finally) leaving Umbara, Fives finds a hand-sewn stuffed mythosaur on his bunk, with a string collar and a dogtag etched with CT-782.

-

Mando’a: Cuy’val Dar — “Those who no longer exist”, group of 75 Mando’ade and 25 others put together by Jango to train the clones vod/e —  “brother/s, comrade/s, sibling/s”, technically gender neutral but used most often in fandom as “brother/s” (*in this context, fives is using brothers as gender neutral as well, because you won’t take trans and nb clones even from my cold dead hands*)

[layce2015]

The Last of Us Part 2 (Joel x Reader)

Chapter 2: 4 Years Later

Chapter 1

*(y/n)'s POV*

Went out one night to make a little round

I met Little Sadie and I shot her down

Went back home, jumped into bed

44 pistol under my head

I woke up in the morning about half past nine

The hacks and the buggies standing in line

Gents and gamblers standing around

Taking little sadie to her burying ground

I began to think of what a deed I'd done

I grabbed my hat and away I did run

Made a good run, just a little too slow

They overtook me in jericho

I bobbed my head to the music as I leaned against the wall at the bar while Joel stood next to me. "Here you go." Tommy said as he hands us our drinks. "Thanks, Tommy." Joel said as we take our drinks and I take a sip. "So, how are the boys?" Maria asked us, referring to our sons Aiden and Ethan. "They're doing good. Being awnry as ever." I replied.

"Wonder where they got that from?" Tommy asked, sarcastically, as he glances over at Joel. "Hey!" Joel said, slightly offended, while I sniggered. "I don't know, it's a total mystery." I said, feigning ignorance, and Tommy and Maria laugh as Joel shakes his head. "Oh, I see how it is." He grumbles but I could see a faint of a smile on his lips.

"You know I love you." I said as I lean up and kissed his cheek. "Mmhmm." He hums and I wrap my arm around his arm. "Anyway, I think maybe in a couple of days we should have a family get together. Maybe like a movie night or something." Tommy suggested and Joel and I smiled. "That sounds nice. Aiden and Ethan would love to see you guys again." I said and Joel nods in agreement. 

"Have you guys talked to Ellie?" Maria asked us and Joel and I give her a sad look. "What happened between you guys?" She asked and I run my hands over my eyes. "I-It's...complicated." Joel replied and Tommy and Maria nodded, although I could tell that they weren't satisfied with the answer.

Then the song ends and a softer and slower song started to play and Joel smiles. He sets his drink down on the table before he grabs my hand. "C'mon." He whispers and I set my drink down just as he leads me to the dance floor as other couples get there.

"Joel, what are you doing?" I asked, curiously, just as we stopped walking and I stand in front of him. "Just follow my lead." He said and he places his right hand around my waist then takes my right hand into his left and we start to slow dance to the music.

I smirked as I placed my left hand on his shoulder then the both of us swayed side to side. "Y'know...this is nice. I miss this." I said and he chuckles, softly. "I mean, don't get me wrong...I love our sons but...sometimes I miss these times of just you and me." I said to him. "Oh, trust me...you ain't the only one." He said and I laugh, softly.

I take my right hand out of his hand then wrapped my arms around his neck and he wraps his arms around my waist. Both of us stare into each others eyes, lovingly, then he starts to smile. "What?" I asked him. "Nothin'." He said but he still had that smile on his face.

"What's going on in your head, cowboy?" I asked him, curiously, and he chuckles. "It's just...it's just that this right here..." he said as he nods at me. "Reminded me of our wedding day." He said and I smiled. "Oh yeah?" I said. "Yeah...I remember thinking how beautiful you were...and how lucky I was to have you." He said.

"I remember how nervous I was that day but then when I looked into your eyes, once I got up to that alter, my nerves melted away." I said and Joel chuckles. "I also seem to recall you shoving that piece of cake into my face once we finished cutting the cake." Joel reminisced and I laugh. "Yeah, but you got me back by kissing me while your face was covered in cake and icing." I said and the both of us share a laugh.

Then my eyes wandered over his shoulder and see Ellie a few feet away from us, dancing with Dina. And they were dancing almost similar to how Joel and I are dancing. It kinda hurt seeing her, I mean we hadn't left in the best of terms almost two years ago but I still care and worry about her.

Joel, I know, was having a hard time dealing with Ellie being distant with us, I could see it in his eyes and face. Especially, when he would interact with our sons. He had a good time with being their dad but I could tell he still wanted Ellie around.

I watched as Dina and Ellie were talking and slowed danced, their arms around each other. "Whatcha looking at?" Joel asked me then he follows my gaze and sees Ellie just as Dina and her look at each other, lovingly, then Dina leans in and kissed Ellie.

I knew it! I thought as I see them share a kiss. They pull back and I see Ellie smiling until Seth, one of the residents here, goes over to them. "Hey! This is a family event." He said and Joel and I watch him, closely. "Sorry." Dina says, chuckling, but Seth glares at them. "Sorry." Dina said again, only a bit more defensive. 

She takes Ellie's hand and starts to walk away as Seth yells after them. "Remember next time there's kids around." said Seth and Joel and I break our embrace as he glares over at Seth. "Yeah, like your setting such a great example." Dina said as her and Ellie walk further away.

"Oh, just what this town needs. Another loud mouth dyke." Seth sneers and then Joel jumps into protective father mode and starts to go at Seth. "Joel!" I said just as Ellie turns around and turns towards Seth.

"The fuck did you just say?!" She asked, angrily, just as Joel goes up to Seth. "Hey." He yells then he shoves Seth back while I go over to Joel and stand in front of him, placing my hands on his chest to stop him.

"Joel, please." I pleaded, quietly, as Joel glares at Seth. "Get the hell outta here." He growls at Seth. "Get your hands off me." Seth said as he starts to come towards Joel but I turn to Seth. "Stop!" I said just as Maria comes up.

"Hey! Enough." Maria said then she turns to Seth and grabs his arm, leading him out of the building, Tommy following behind them. Joel and I turn just as Ellie started to walk away. 

"You alright, kiddo?" Joel asked her then she turns, sharply, to him. "What is wrong with you?" She spat at him. "He had no right..." Joel started to say but Ellie talks over him. "And you do?!" She asked, angrily. "Ellie, he was just trying to..." I tried to explain but she shakes her head.

"I don't need his fucking help, (y/n). And I don't need yours either." She growled and I frowned at her, my heart breaking at this, then I looked down before looking around to see everyone staring at us. "Right." Joel mutters then I hear footsteps. I turn my head and see him walking away, I give him a sad look then turn to Ellie for a moment before I go and follow Joel out.

Later that night, we were back at our house and I grabbed two mugs of coffee, that I made, and walk out to the back porch. There, Joel was sitting in a chair and playing his guitar while Aiden and Ethan were sitting on the floor of the porch, listening to their father play.

I smiled as I set Joel's mug on the table next to him then I sit on the chair on the other side of the table. I take a few sips of coffee as I watch our sons watch and listen to Joel play.

Ever since they were born, they immediately gotten attached to him. So much so, that I would tease Joel and say that the boys love him more than me. I mean, when they were smaller and cried in the middle of the night, I would try to calm them down but they would continue to cry. Then Joel would come in and help me and immediately they would stop.

Even at one point, he would play his guitar and the boys would fall asleep to the soft strums of Joel's guitar.

After while, we hear footsteps and all of us look over to see Ellie walking up to us. "Ellie!" Aiden and Ethan exclaimed, happily, and they get up and run over to her. She smiles, slightly, and kneels down as they run into her arms, hugging her.

Ever since Ellie stopped talking to us, Aiden and Ethan have missed her and only see her when we walk around the streets of Jackson

"Hey, you little monsters." She said, smiling, at them as Joel sets his guitar down then he and I share a look before looking back at Ellie. She hugs the boys tightly then raises her head towards us, her eyes full of mixed emotions.

"Hey." Joel and I said to her as she stands up but both Aiden and Ethan grab her hands and hold it, which made my heart melt. They love her so much like most young kids do with their older siblings. 

I stare at Ellie then at the boys before I clear my throat. "Uh, boys, why don't you two go inside and get ready for bed?" I said to them. "Do we have to?" Aiden asked, his big (e/c) eyes filled with disappointment. "Yes." I said and both boys groan and look up at Ellie.

"It's okay, I just need to talk to them. It's boring adult stuff." Ellie said to the boys and they nod. They walk over to the door as I open it and they enter inside while Ellie walks closer then leans over the railings of thr porch. I shut the door and both Joel and I picked up our mugs of coffee.

"What are you guys drinking?" She asked, the awkward tension between us was so thick you could cut it with a sword. "Coffee." I replied. "Where'd you get that?" She asked. "Uh, those people that came through last week." Joel replied. "Oh." She said, understanding, the three of us standing next to each other, leaning over the railings. 

Ellie was at one end, I was at the other end and Joel was standing between us.

"A little embarrassed as to what I had to trade to get it, but...not bad." Joel said and he takes another sip from his cup. "Better than nothing." I remarked. We stand there in silence again before Ellie speaks up.

"I had Seth under control." She said as she turns to Joel. "Yeah, I know." He said. "And you guys need to stop harassing Jesse about my patrols." She said and both of us look down. We had be giving Jesse a bit of a hard time about Ellie's patrols but it was only to make sure she was safe. "Okay." Joel whispers as I nod. "Sorry." I said and Ellie let's out a heavy sigh.

"Dina. Is she your girlfriend?" I asked her. "No! No. She--that was just one kiss...it didn't mean anything. She just...I don't know why she did that." Ellie said, quickly. "You do like her." Joel said and Ellie raises her head then sighs once again before she turns her head away.

"I'm so stupid." She whispers and I look over at her, sympathetically. "Look, (y/n) and I have no idea what that girl's intentions are, but...both of us know that she would be lucky to have you." Joel said and I nod in agreement.

"You guys are such assholes." She growls as she shakes her head. "We're not trying to--" I started to say but she starts to raise her voice. "I was supposed to die in that hospital. My life would've fucking mattered!" She yelled, angrily, as she hits the side of her fist on the railings, as if to make a point. "But both of you took that from me!" She yelled then she let's out a sigh like the weight was lifted off of her shoulder.

I ran my thumb over the rim of my mug then set it down just as Joel does the same and stands up straighter. "If somehow the Lord gave us a second chance at that moment...we would do it all over again." Joel said, firmly, as he turns to face Ellie.

She looks at him for a moment then looks over at me and I nod at her. "It's true." I said and she turns her head away from us as she looks down. "Yeah." She whispers. "I just...I don't think I could ever forgive you guys for that." She said and Joel and I look down then look away from her. "But I would like to try." She said and then I shut my eyes as I felt the tears filling up, not from sadness but from happiness and relief.

It hasn't been the same since Ellie found out about our lie and the silence and the ignoring us has really hurt us. And I know its bothered Joel the most. Thank God, we have our sons to keep his mind busy; but even then I could tell he was heartbroken that Ellie wasn't around. Both of us just wanted to go back to those happy moments, where all of us acted like a family.

Cause even through all of this, I still consider Ellie my daughter, just like I did with Sarah all them years ago. And I know Joel feels the same way.

I open my eyes and both Joel and I look over at her. "We'd like that." Joel said and she stands there for a moment. "Okay." She whispers then she looks back over to us. "I'll see you guys around." She said. "Yeah." We said, in unison, and she walks away.

Joel let's out a shaky, heavy sigh then I come up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist then lean my head against his back. He places his hand over mine and runs his thumb over my hand and we stand there for a good few moments in silence. 

"Alright, you two." I said to Aiden and Ethan as I tucked them into bed. "Is everything okay, mommy?" Ethan asked me. "Yeah, everything's fine, honey. Why do you ask?" I asked. "It's just you and Daddy looked sad when Ellie showed up." Ethan said and I look at him, feeling a bit sad.

"Is Ellie okay? Is she coming back around?" Aiden asked me. "Yeah, she's fine. And um...well...that's what your father and I are hoping." I tell them. "I hope so. I miss having her around." Aiden said. "Yeah, I have found some more superhero cards for her." Ethan said and I chuckle.

"Why did she stop coming by, mommy? Does she not like us anymore?" Ethan asked and I felt my heart break at this as both boys look at me with such sadness in their eyes. "No, no. Ellie still loves you guys. It's just...it's just...it's complicated, dears." I said and they look at me, confused.

"I'll explain it to you boys when you're older, okay?" I said and they stare at me for a moment then they nod. "Just know that it has nothing to do with you two." I tell them and they nod at them. I smirk a bit then I tuck them in their bed and kiss their foreheads. "Goodnight, boys." I said, softly.

"Night." Ethan said.

"Night, mommy." Aiden said and I shut the lights off and started to close the door but left it open a crack.

I walk into mine and Joel's shared room and see Joel sitting on the edge of the bed, his back facing me. I give a sympathetic look towards him before I go sit behind him and wrap my arms around his shoulder, hugging him. 

He takes one of my hands and kissed it before he sighs. I lean my chin on his shoulder then I kiss his neck before I look at him, I could see that his mind was preoccupied with what Ellie had said.

"Hey..." I whispered and he turns to face me. I give a small smile at him and said. "It's a start at least." He and I stare at each other before he nods. "Yeah. It's a start." He mutters and a small smile graces his lips. "I told you she would come around...eventually. We just needed to give her time." I said and he nods.

We share a kiss then we lean our foreheads against each other for a few moments until I remove my arms off of him and get up then turn the lights off.

I go over to my side of the bed and pull back the blankets just as Joel gets up and goes over to his side of the bed. Both of us get into bed then Joel pulls me closer to him and he pushes a strand of hair away from my face as he looks into my eyes.

"I love you." He whispers. "I love you too." I said and he leans in and kissed me. We kiss for a few moments before I pull back then curl up against his chest. He holds me close then kissed the top of my head as I start to close my eyes and fall asleep, listening to his heartbeat.

@fangirl-inthe-us

[sa-nddd]

first mcyt post! this is a dream smp one! let me know what you think :)

Dream SMP headcanons: being the villain >:)

basically, reader is the chew toy of L'manburg. everyone uses her, yet treats her like crap. she's tired of being a toy, and finally unleashes her power.

takes place in the dream smp

warnings: strong language, injury, manipulation, explosives, strong themes

not proofread, it's 5am on a school night and I haven't slept :)

gender identity: cis female, she/her pronouns, no use of name

she was tired.

days, months, years of being pushed over and treated like shit, how didn't they see it coming?

it started in L'manburg's fight for Independence.

She was passionate, wanting to do everything to help her 'friends'.

she gave them shelter, weapons, supplies, and care.

thinking back, all she sees is their faces in red.

fast forward a bit, the war was done!

celebrations nightly, and never was she invited.

she didn't mind, thinking they just were distracted and forgot to send her an invite.

she does live a few miles away, anyways.

then came Schlatt's takeover.

once again, she sent pogtopia crates of her weaponry and materials, only wanting to help.

only to get left by herself, preparing to defeat Schlatt on her own.

when she saw them all walk to the battle field together, she was torn.

Once again, she was left to her own accord, almost getting hit with DREAM'S arrows.

Techno, however, pulled her away.

The only person who showed her an act of kindness.

She fought with a new determination that day.

A few days after that fight, Techno heard a knock from where he was farming potatoes.

Looking up, he saw her standing on the bottom step of pogtopia's stairs, holding an ender chest.

she walked up to him, stopping a safe distance away before placing down her e-chest and opening it.

she pulled out a few things, three stacks of pink fireworks, a few wither skulls, and netherite blocks.

he looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she gave him so many things.

he refused at first, which made her confused.

everyone always took her gifts with open arms, why wasn't he?

when he asked her why she gave him such a expensive gift, she ended up explaining her story, how she was unknowingly being used for her materials.

techno was low-key pissed.

he'd keep her in mind, he promised.

fast forward a bit more, and the two became closer.

since then, techno has taught her everything she needed to know.

how she was manipulated, used, and a victim.

after realizing what techno was telling her was the truth, she decided to stop her generous ways, giving less and less things to her 'friends' and more towards herself and techno.

the two became close, bonding over being used and their power.

the two were a powerful duo, finding strength within eachother.

they were attached at the hip, techno not being this close to anyone other than Phil.

it was surprising, but welcomed.

techno would teach her his ways in fights, and they often collected materials together.

they basically lived together at this point.

he was soft

skipping forward to Manburg's last battle, they agreed on something.

anarchy was the best B)

jk, that they would do everything in their power to destroy every government they could.

As the battle went on, they stood with their backs together, protecting eachother.

as they confronted Schlatt, techno pushed her behind him, not wanting her in reach of the mentally unstable man in front of them.

as they walked to the podium, leaving Schlatt's body behind, the duo stood proudly next to eachother.

the first government they tore apart as partners, it felt great.

they watched, their proud expressions slipping into angry ones as they watched a new government being formed in front of them.

"The fuck?" she whispered out, following techno as he stood up straight, preparing to shout his next words.

she pulled out her ender chest, doing quick work of pulling out her soul and and wither skulls, as well as some xp bottles to heal her and Techno's armour.

as techno started his speech, she handed him the materials, splashing potions in preparation for the blast damage they might take.

then, the ground rumbled beneath them.

They reacted quickly, moving away from the explosives.

Techno pulled out his crossbow and fireworks, firing at any one he saw.

she stood in front of him, her shield up, blocking the debris and blasts from them.

once the explosions passed their area, they got to work spawning in a Wither each.

"You want to be a hero, Tommy? THEN DIE LIKE ONE!"

The withers took off, heads flying everywhere.

As she looked around, she met eyes with a few of her 'friends'.

trey all looked at her with betrayal and anger in their eyes, finally connecting the dots as to why she was being distant.

she just smirked back, causing them surprise.

Techno was done speaking, it was her turn.

"You know, I don't know why I wasted all those years on the wrong side, this is fun."

they looked shocked, not expecting the usually soft girl to be so evil.

"Does the medicine taste good? Cause it didn't for me.

Betrayal is a strange feeling, isn't it?"

"Being used doesn't feel nice. But hey, you live you learn, right?"

She stared them down, eyes glazed over with dark clouds.

"Y'know, I'm a strong believer in Karma.

I'd say Karma comes in different ways for everyone, and we never know what shape or way it'll come to us."

"However, I do know how it will come back to you."

The group let her words sink in, trying to fight off the withers roaming around.

"It's by me!" she chirped.

" and I know exactly how I'm going to do it!" she smiled, pearly whites showing.

"I'm going tear you apart from the inside. just. like. you. did. for. me."

After that, everything was a blur.

she doesn't remember much, only coming back to her senses when Techno pulled her to the lake, pulling out his trident, and passing her her own.

they flew away, going to pack their things and run away.

time skip a few days, her and phil quickly became friends, the same with ghostbur.

Her and Techno are settled down in a cabin far away, having everything then needed.

things were finally good.

She had caring friends, and nice home, and left her old life behind.

it was nice.

time passed, l'manburg with a new plan to take down Technoblade.

would that happen? fuck no LMAOO

TECHNOBLADE NEVER DIESSSS!

anyways

Phil was under house arrest, Techno was taken by the butcher army, and she was pissed.

actually, pissed was an understatement.

she was stood behind Phil's chimney, peaking at the scene in front of her.

she wasn't afraid, she knew techno had a totem on him, as did she. (courtesy of sugar daddy dré)

However, that didn't stop her from jumping down and gripping onto Fundy's hair, pulling it back harshly and pressing her sword into his neck.

She wasn't going to kill him, she has morals, but they didn't know that.

while they were distracted with her, Phil tossed Techno a pickaxe.

He got free, pearling away.

Quackity noticed, running after him while yelling. the rest followed, leaving her unattended with Carl. She took Carl, waving at Phil and Ghostbur before riding back home.

Now, when she went down to the basement and noticed a misplaced block in the floor, she didn't think she'd find a human down there.

Especially Tommy.

Then again, that kid is always ending up in weird situations.

she dragged him upstairs, forcing him to stay put till Techno comes back from trading with the villagers.

while waiting, the two bonded over their experiences with manipulation, Tommy apologizing to her for what he did.

She forgave him, not blaming the young one for following in the adults foot steps. He didn't know better.

Boy, Techno did not expect Tommy and her to be laughing when he stepped in, but alas, it is what it is

Time skip the preparations, the day of the festival has come.

The three were sneaking around in invis pots, going over the plan multiple times.

That was, until she witnessed the Community House, or at least what was left of it.

She fell to her knees, the memories flowing through her mind.

It had been there since the beginning, something she helped to build.

kc when things were simple, no fighting, no war, just friends hanging out.

she remembers the nights where the ogs would stay up building it, sleeping in beds pushed up together.

just her, Dream, George, Sapnap, Callahan, Alyssa, and Sam, having fun, building and joking around.

back before the fight, when Her and Dream yelled at each other over something useless.

before she ran off to L'manburg, who hated her for her relationships with the opposing team, but kept her for her things.

Her invis pot ran out, her body appearing.

Techno panicked, trying to get her to drink another, but she told him it was fine, to trust her.

He hesitated, but turned his attention to Tommy. she snuck off, watching as people slow started swarming around.

tears fell down her cheeks.

she looked around, meeting eyes with Bad.

She ran to his open arms, crying into them.

This was the only place that she had happy memories at, before she met Techno.

The only place that kept her sane.

She let go of bad, turning to Callahan, who gave her a small, sad smile and pulled her into a hug.

She looked to the side after a few seconds, meeting eyes with George, who also hugged her.

she felt someone's arms wrap around her, and she turned around, meeting Sapnap's eyes, and leaning into him.

Finally, she turned to Sam, who was staring at the destruction with tears streaming down his face.

The two of them were the most attached to the community house.

She stumbled into his arms, both of them sniffling into their embrace.

They both kept their arms around each other, turing to the scene in front of them. As Tommy and Tubbo started fighting, she knew that's her sign to go back to Techno. she let go of Sam, meeting eyes with her friends, letting them know she'd be back.

she wiped her face, quickly gearing up before jumping down beside Techno. she joined him in splashing tommy with pots.

then things took a turn. suddenly, Dream has the disks, tommy is on Tubbo's side again, and Techno and her are pearling out of a mob.

She was out of it the whole time, the Community House affecting her alot.

she decided then, it's time to take revenge.

It was the day they were going to destroy L'manburg once and for all.

She was prepared, wither skulls and soul sand filled her pockets, stacks of tnt filling chests in the sky, the black structure towering over l'manburg.

She had a smile on her face, letting out all her stress and anger.

as l'manburg went down, she could feel herself feel more alive, more free.

She stood with Phil and Techno on top of the crater that was once l'manburg, laughing gleefully.

It was over.

The thing that caused he the most pain.

now that Karma has come collect it's dept, she can be herself again.

"C'mon, let's go home."

she smiled at Techno and Phil, wanting nothing more than some tea and sweets.

Her job was done.

for now, at least. >:)

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

nina you know i love your salty takes. 13) Unpopular opinion about Sokka and/or Zuko (just because they're such beloved characters)? & 14 ) Unpopular opinion about your fandom? & 25) How would you have ended ATLA (ie the sozin's comet four parter)?

13.

(gonna just do sokka bc i feel like i've already complained a lot about zuko mischaracterization)

i love and fully adhere to the headcanon that sokka is bi, but i feel like it's sort of...overstated by the fandom, and not really explored. like, in modern au zukka fic, he's often portrayed as this out-and-proud bisexual in contrast to a closeted zuko, and that's not in line with his canon characterization at all. suki knocked the sexism out of him, but he spends a lot of the show trying to live up to this masculine warrior ideal and getting mocked/feeling ashamed about feminine traits (e.g. "don't answer to twinkletoes, it's not manly" "says the guy who matches his bag to his belt"). there's so much potential in a bakoda and sokka story where hakoda coming out as bi prompts sokka to reevaluate his ideas about masculinity and start thinking about his own sexual orientation.

but that would involve not centering zuko for once, and we can't have that, can we?

14.

there's pretty common assumption that this fandom is for kids because atla's a kids show, and that adults are guests in the fandom who have to behave themselves. that is often the case for kids show fandoms, but since atla is 15 years old, i feel like the same rules don't quite apply. i'm pretty sure the renaissance consisted of a lot of people revisiting childhood nostalgia, or even people like me who missed it as kids and were catching up on their generation's formative media. adults should be careful to curate their fandom spaces to keep kids safe, and kids should do the same to keep themselves safe, but to act like adults in atla fandom are interlopers and that their content about characters growing up with them is not appropriate is...misguided.

25.

i generally like sozin's comet. the lion turtle thing wasn't super built up lore-wise, but it was satisfying character-wise and that's way more important. i love getting to see the white lotus in action, i love the insights into past avatars, i think azula's breakdown is well-executed and heartbreaking, and the final battles between zuko & azula and aang & ozai are incredible to watch. i feel like every member of the gaang got a chance to show off their character growth.

however, since this is salty opinions - pretty much everything after the final battles feels a bit hollow to me.

1. aang defeats ozai and it's this powerful character moment and awe-inspiring sequence...and then sokka shows up and calls ozai the loser lord. it's an abrupt tone shift that undermines the gravity of the situation. they could've held off on the jokes for just a moment longer and it would have been so much better.

2. iroh absolutely should not go retire to ba sing se. i don't think he should be the fire lord - i'm pretty sure the earth kingdom wouldn't love the dragon of the west as the fire lord - but he should definitely stay with zuko and help him. maybe he splits his time or something just so people don't think zuko's a puppet king, but leaving zuko alone to clean up the fire nation by himself is just irresponsible.

(y'know which member of the white lotus does get to retire post war? jeong jeong. man's been on the run for years, put his life on the line to defy his imperialist nation. he deserves a break)

3. the bit with zuko asking ozai about his mother feels like a leftover from another version of the episode where they were setting up a spinoff movie or fourth season. it should've been cut.

4. the reconciliation between mai and zuko feels rushed. the coronation happens some time after the events of the final agni kai (enough for zuko to be somewhat healed, at least), and they could have established that mai's been around for that period of time and that they've worked things out. instead, it comes off like this is the moment they reunite, and their relationship problems are brushed off as 'don't break up with me again'. just a little tweak would've made it much more satisfying.

5. the final scene in ba sing se is good in many ways, namely, that everyone's chilling having tea and sokka's drawing them. that's adorable. the kataang kiss is a little weird since aang is still so young, but it's fine. my main problem is how they're all wearing earth kingdom clothes except aang. if i were visualizing a final scene for a show about ending a war, i would definitely imagine of a bunch of characters from different backgrounds sitting together in peace and enjoying each other's company, but i'd also want to communicate that visually, make them look like they're from different backgrounds. i don't see what the symbolism of having all the characters in earth kingdom clothes is. there probably wasn't any.

i feel like that's all the salt i got. hope you enjoyed

[iamallybee]

Because peeps on my dash are hooked on the Deltadi ship and have got me hooked too, here's a basic outline of how Delta Dawn and Dickory got together in the Gumdrop AU! It also calls back to my other Trolls headcanon posts so you might wanna read those before this one. Putting under the cut because this is looooong!

All his life, Dickory had been told that one day he’ll meet that special someone, he’ll experience certain feelings, of love and intimacy. But Dickory just...never felt it. He felt love for his family but romance? Sexual feelings? It never came to him. During his teenage years, he did feel like he was broken. He felt pressured to start his first relationship, telling himself feelings would come. It...did not end well. In fact, you could say it made him feel more broken than ever.

But then the avalanche happened. Due to the mass loss of yodellers, many of the young adults were pressured to marry and have children quickly to increase numbers and save their culture. In fact, it became a new tradition for yodellers to marry as soon as they turned 18. The only one to refuse this was an 18-year-old Dickory. He may have been shunned a little for his decision (which made him feel worse about his lack of sexuality) but he honestly didn’t have time to think about that anymore. His was still a kid who parents literally just died with a baby brother left behind to take care of. He had no time for marriage, he’d say to the other yodellers. His brother needed him and that is totally the only reason why he couldn’t marry. Throughout his life, Dickory would continue to feel stress and sadness, not knowing about being ace/aro and still believing there was something wrong with him. But at least he has Hickory and his new bounty hunting job to distract him.

Anyway, TWT happened and as soon as Delta found out that Hickory was really two trolls disguised as one country troll imposing on her beloved town, she had them arrested and put on community service for a unspecified amount of time. So she and Dickory did not have the best start in the slightest.

Hickory was soon made to do a report on Pop Trolls and left for Pop Village (and thus beginning his own romance with Poppy and Branch but that’s another story). Dickory was made to stay and do humiliating duties (like clean up after the livestock) while enduring the mockery of the locals and the ridiculously high heat. The only good/kind of less worse thing he saw in this was the fact that Delta’s niece, Clampers, was strangely drawn to him. She would nag and ask him questions about why he has two legs, what are those stumpy things on your hooves and can I bite them? Annoyed initially, he soon warmed up to her as she reminded him of Hickory when he was a child. Their friendship reached a point where they even started playing together. Delta witnessed this one day and maybe, just maybe, her heart may have melted. But only a little.

One day, after a restless sleep, Dickory decided to take a walk about town in the early hours of the morning. His was surprised when his keen ears picked up on a faint, mournful song from the cemetery. He found Delta singing with tears in her eyes to the grave of her sister. After awkward small talk, they both open up about the loved ones they've lost and how it changed them. They found their experiences to be remarkably similar (Delta lost her sister in a mining accident and was left to raise her daughter) and from that point on, they began to grow closer.

Over the next several weeks, Dickory began to actually care about the Lonesome Flats community and his service became a lot more voluntary and a lot less punishing. He would help the elderly, fix up anything that needed fixing, even learned how to herd up the livestock (although his first attempt was a complete hilarious disaster that Growley Pete just loves to tease him about). The locals soon began to think of him as one of their own and gained their respect, in turn gaining Delta's trust.

Delta and Dickory's friendship grew in that time too. In the beginning, she would order him to do certain task or else she would make him do something much more humiliating which used to tick him off. Now, she would ask him or else she would 'threaten' him to make him clean out Growley Pete's hooves, which he would respond with a sarcastic comment with a smile. They were pretty much very buddy-buddy. But the locals weren't blind to the underlying romantic tension between them.

Delta absolutely knew she was having romantic feelings for Dickory but she was at first hesitant. Country trolls are the type to take romance on head first and confidently but she was afraid of scaring him off so decided to bide her time for the right moment. Not exactly made easy when her parents totally shipped them and would try everything in their power to embarrass Delta enough into confessing.

Dickory, on the other hand, didn't know what to feel. Sure, he liked Delta now but she was just a good friend to have a drink and a laugh with, throw sarcastic comments at, arm wrestle with, share personal and past trauma history with, stare at and wish to touch her stupid big beautiful hair, want to hold close to-uh oh!

Suddenly it was like he was a teenager again but this time it was different. He liked her but it can't be THAT kind of love. It didn't exist for him, remember? He couldn't feel that love for anyone because he never did and it would never happen. She's a friend you care a lot about and that's it. Besides, even if there were feelings (which there weren't), it would be best if nothing happened because come on, she would never want someone who didn't like...well, y'know.

Basically, Dickory's in denial pretty hard.

Anyhow, the country trolls have a pretty big shindig one evening where there's plenty of dancing, laughing, drinking and fun. Both Delta and Dickory were having a great time but just as buddies, right? 

However, at one point in the early hours of the morning, they found themselves alone together and Delta, in a drunken stupor with all logic thrown out the window, confesses and boldly kisses Dickory. And then she passed out.

In the days following, things were very awkward. Delta remembered the kiss and was horribly embarrassed for being so careless. She decided it was best if they actually sat down and talked about it like adults. Only problem? Dickory was now deliberately avoiding Delta. He didn't want to ruin the friendship they already had but he also didn't want to have the conversation he knew was inevitably coming.

Finally, a frustrated Delta decided to f this and confront Dickory head on. A huge argument blew up between them (which temporarily cleared out the town) which culminated to Delta demanding to know why he doesn't want to be with her and Dickory yells back 'BECAUSE I'M BROKEN, DAMMIT!'

Silence.

After the shock, the pair of them calm down enough for Delta to gently encourage him to explain further. Dickory shakily and tearfully admits his unresolved negative feelings about his asexuality, the yodellers pressure on him to marry, how much its affected him and how wrong he's truly felt all these years and yet he somehow has feelings for Delta that he doesn't understand and how he can't be the man she wants him to be or give her what she would ultimately want.

Shocked, Delta tells him that she's sorry she ever made him feel this way but she only wants Dickory to be himself and if being himself means that he can't give her certain things then that's okay because she loves him just as he is.

But Dickory, still confused, emotional and a stubborn old goat, decides this is the best time to run off and return home.

Heartbroken, Delta writes to Hickory that his community service is up and he is free to return to his home. She tries her best to continue her duties as mayor but everyone can tell she greatly misses Dickory.

When the brothers reunite back to their homes, they also try to move on as normal but both of them have a lot to think about in terms of the things they went through recently (again, Hickory had his own romantic shenanigans going on as well). One night, the two of them talk about what they went up to in the past weeks and realise that the other has experienced love and are too stubborn to admit it. They even have a big sibling argument about it. I mean whose dumb enough to not look past their own insecurities and see that they are loved and they love them back and they shouldn't let the past hold them down in finding happiness and - oh, I see what's happening here!

Anyway, its agreed upon that Hickory and Dickory should return to Lonesome Flats and Pop Village to confess their feelings to their respective loved ones and not see each other until they do or someone's ass is getting beat (y'know, normal sibling pact stuff).

So

In true spaghetti western style, Dickory returns to Lonesome Flats. He stares Delta down from one side of town to the other, locals watching with baited breath. He yells to Delta for the whole town to hear, that he was an idiot for running away and that he wasn't sure how they were going to figure things out in the future. But he's here now, he's not running away anymore and he loves her too.

Delta, without saying a word, storms up to Dickory, picks up up from under the arms and gives him a great, big, long overdue smooch to the cheers of the townsfolk and the cries of 'FINALLY' from her parents and niece (meanwhile, Growley Pete starts collecting bets).

Anyhow, Dickory moves to Lonesome Flats, eventually marries Delta, adopts Clampers as his niece, is fully content with being demiromtic/asexual, yada yada, happy ending, mwah! (I am a master of storytelling)

[speaking-from-the-abyss]

Hey uh, in all seriousness, can we talk about the implications of the most recent Pokémon ship? (bear with me this is a LONG post)

I'm talking about this two:

Ok so, to put in context:

A few weeks ago the most recent Pokémon season started -called only Pokémon (2019) but we all know is Pokémon Sword and Shield-. And since episode 2 internet has exploded with people shipping Ash with the new co-protagonist, Go. I've seen this specially on Twitter, but also here in Tumblr and there's no doubt in other sites the ship is also present.

Now, I'm not a super big fan of Pokémon, but I've been around quite enough time to know that two or so seasons ago there was this girl called Serena who was supposed to be the "real" couple for Ash, like, the "cannonical partner" or something, because she was the first girl co-protagonist who actually had a crush on him and they kissed and whatnot.

Because of this a lot of people have been wondering why we never see nor hear anything about her and her relationship with Ash again (I didn't watch Sun and Moon so maybe I'm wrong). And now we have Go, and their interactions have been good enough to make people ship them so hard and so fast that it surprised even me - literally after episode 2 came out.

But not only that. At least from what I know, Go is a non binary kid (they were described as agender) so even if the translation subtitles uses the pronouns he/his with them, that's inaccurate, because they're not a boy (I could be wrong because I've seen people and websites calling them both agender and male, but for the sake of this post I'll refer to them as NB. Does anyone has the canon facts?). And that gives the opportunity for the ship to actually become canon without the assumption that's a gay ship because tecnically one of them is not a boy. It sounds as a stretch, but... y'know, it could totally happen.

Let's be honest: we all se the chemistry between the two. And we all know, deep down inside our hearts, that the series is probably not gonna go in romantic direction with them. They're most likely to develop a friends/rivals relationship with admiration for each other, because romance has never been a genre/topic we associate with Pokémon. But for just a second, for just a tiiiny little second, let's believe the confirmation of the ship as canon totally happens in the future. Can you imagine it? That'd be amazing.

First off, because we're talking about the confirmation that the protagonist of a series as iconic as Pokémon is LGBTQA (we can later discuss if this would make Ash bi or pan or gay or whatever). We have to remember that, despite the large demography in ages of people who watch Pokémon, it's still a show mostly directed towards kids. With this, we're giving kids someone in an anime who they can identify with, which is super important for the whole process of realization, understanding and acceptance they could be going trhough. But this doesn't aply only for kids, because this process is not something everyone experiences during childhood: the teens, the young adults and even the adults could find a situation they can feel close to. And it's beign represented not in an underground series that nobody knows about, but in fricking Pokémon. And they're not characters who are extras and don't even appear that much: they're the fricking protagonists.

Of fricking Pokémon. Pokémon. We're talking about a 20+ years long series, with tons of fans all around the globe and an impressive influence in pop culture. I dunno about other people, but at least for me it would mean so much to know that the protagonist of this incredible huge franchise, good ol' Ash, was a LGBTQA character.

But of course, ONLY IF they develop this topic in a sensible and serious way that's natural instead of forcing it just to go with the trend.

Second, because if they really wanna go down that path, they can address really important things, like the slowly realization of the both about liking the other as more as a friend. And this is important because we have to remember that both Ash and Go are still kids, so this whole process is new to them: to discover love, to have a person you like, to experiment all the insecurities, fears and distress it can cause, as well as all the joy and happiness. Love by itself it's pretty complex, specially the first one because you have no idea what to do or what you're even feeling, but if we add to the mix the fact that you're falling for someone you're not supposed to by the terms of society, then things are even more complicated.

But you know what? All of this is extremely normal. Thinking "why am I feeling like this?" is normal. Thinking "why do I feel like this if he's a boy?" is normal. Just asking "Why?" and not knowing what to do is extremely normal. And they're kids, so it's even more normal for them to not know what to do next or how to manage those emotions. For people that are discovering their sexuality it's also really normal to ask these questions. Realization is never easy or pleasant, and it requires a lot of time, but it's crucial for acceptance. So if they actually go in a romantic way with those two, it'd be awesome if they talk about these kinds of things in a sensitive way.

And third, because we're talking about representation here. Ash could be gay or bi or pan (again, we'll discuss that later, depending on the development of the series) but Go is -for what I know- non binary. We have a non binary child as a co-protagonist in fricking heckin' Pokémon.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but i believe this is the first time in the history of the Pokémon anime this happens. Heck, even in the history of the whole franchise. And I'm just. So happy for that. I'm cis, but I have heard and read a bunch about NB people, and we can all agree is one of the identities that has less representation than almost any other, just because is so hard for us as a society to understand that not everyone has to be a boy or a girl. They don't have to "pick a side" and stay there forever. I guess it resonates with me since i'm bi, so beign told that "it's just a phase" or "sooner or later you're gonna pick one" really pisses me.

But anyways, back to the point, which is I'm so happy to see more representation of NB people. Good job guys, let's keep it up.

Now, we have to understand that, right now, the ship it's really not a big deal. Sure we have fun and we ship them and we all see how well they relationship would go, but because this is Pokémon, it's really unlikely to happen. But if it does happen, if, against everything, we get to live in a timeline where Ash and Go end up as a couple in canon, well oh boy oh boy,

hell's gonna break loose.

In all ways posibles. There would be people who love it and people who hate it, and the controversy would be extremely high, with people defending and other damning this development. And there'd be also the ones who would just enjoy the chaos with popcorn like me. But, honestly, it's a risky move for the franchise: it could go extremely well or extremely bad. I guess it will all depend in what kind of story they want to tell this time because, as far as I know, we're not having the usual "Ash enters the league and tries to win it" thing.

Only time will tell.

[lu-undy]

Chapter 88 - SBT

Here it is!

"Mh, now I'm no expert on wines but that's a good one, I like it!" Mike said as he put his glass back on the table. "C'mon, boys, help yourselves to the nibbles, otherwise I'll eat everythin' and Caroline will tell me off…!"

"As I should!" She answered. "But yes, please, Lucien.. Micky, push the olives to him, dear."

"Sure…" Mundy obeyed. 

"I am glad you like the wine, Mike. Madame Caroline, what are your impressions?" Lucien asked. 

"Very good too, not too sweet and not too fruity."

Lucien nodded and smiled.

"So Mundy got his impressively delicate palate from you, Madame?" 

"Oh?" She answered. "And please, call me Caroline." 

"I shall. But oui, Mundy is gifted when it comes to tasting." Lucien went on and Mundy's cheeks turned pink. 

"Well… Uh… I don't know… I mean…"

Caroline chuckled. 

"Well, he is my baby after all, aren't you Micky?" She pinched his cheek and he smiled.

"Château… des… Graves?" Mike deciphered with his English pronunciation.

"Château des Graves." Lucien corrected. "Made where I come from."

"Where's that?" Mike asked. 

"The region around Bordeaux, in the South-West of France." 

"Bordeaux…" Mike repeated. "Isn't that the region famous for its wine?" 

"Oui, the red kind in particular although our winemakers are getting better with white and rosé these days." Lucien commented as everyone snacked on between two sentences. 

"So what's your story?" Mike asked. "Micky told us you were French, and if may say so, I can quite hear it in your voice, eh."

"Oh yes, charming accent!" Caroline added. 

"Merci." Lucien nodded politely. 

"So yeah, how did you end up in Oz of all places? What were you doin' back in France?" 

"Well..." Lucien started. "I originally destined myself to the world of the stage." 

"You were an actor?" Caroline asked excitedly. 

"Almost," Lucien answered. "I was a singer." 

"Ooh!" She exclaimed, even more enthusiastic. 

"Back then, I was barely a man. But the war struck and as a young and capable man, I was drafted into the resisting forces of my country."

"Ah, sorry to hear that, son." Mike said. "I've had some mates go to fight and not return."

"I lost a lot of my brothers in arms too." Lucien said. 

"But you survived, eh?" 

"Oui, I did, and it was hard at first." 

"Excuse me, I'll bring the salad." Caroline said. 

"Hold on, Mum, I'll help." Mundy went with her. 

"Y'know, Lucien, " Mike looked his guest in the eye. "I understand that. Used to have a mate who made it back but could never really live normally again."

"Indeed, it is typical among soldiers. But I didn't leave the army, I moved ranks and services."

"Oh, so you stayed there?"

"Oui, I did, all the way until my life flipped." 

"Here we are with the salad!" Caroline entered. "Micky, put the chicken and potatoes on the side, thank you, sweetie." 

Mundy did as he was told. 

"Lucien, please?" 

"Oh, but of course." Lucien passed his plate and Caroline served him. When all the plates were filled, she sat down and they all started digging in. 

"Bon appétit." Lucien said. "And thank you very much for all of this effort."

"It's nothing, it feels nice to cook for Micky and his friend." 

They all had a go at the salad. 

"The lettuce's really fresh, Mum. Reminds me of the farm…" Mundy said with nostalgia. 

"It comes from the garden, sweetie."

"Does it? Hold on, you have a garden?" 

"Yeah, we do, son." Mike answered with a chuckle at Mundy's surprise. "Got a few things goin' on back there, you can have a look after dinner if you want." 

"Sure!"

"Lucien, ya like gardenin'?" Mike asked. 

"Oui, very much. I find that nurturing nature is fulfilling in an almost spiritual way." 

"Well said, son, well said…" Mike nodded. "People now all want fancy jobs in cities, with fancy suits and ties - uh…" Mike stopped when he realised that Lucien was in fact wearing exactly that. "No offense, eh?" His eyes darted to his wife, a bit ashamed, and Caroline glared at him.

"None taken," Lucien answered with a smile. "I see perfectly what you mean." 

"Yeah… Well they all want that and look at farmin' like it's dirty jobs. Let me tell you, it's honest work, honest pay, and you're helping yourself and the community… Makin' a positive difference, y'know what I mean?"

"But of course." 

The concerto of cutlery on plates went on as they moved on to the main course. Caroline had prepared a roasted chicken with baked potatoes and roasted vegetables. Mike stood up to cut the chicken. 

"Wanna do it, Micky?" 

Mundy raised his eyes like a child. He was shocked by his father's question as much as he was honoured. 

"Uh, I mean, really?" 

"Yeah, you're a big boy now, c'mon, do it…!" Mike handed him the large knife. 

"Right…" Mundy stood up and got busy with it, under his father's keen eyes. The Aussie looked at his mother with excited eyes for a second and she nodded, proud of him. His cheeks turned pink. "What bit d'you like, Lu'?" 

"Lu?" Mike repeated and Mundy blushed beyond his ears. 

"Y-yeah, it's uh…"

"It is a nickname." Lucien explained. "And of all the ways Mundy could have called me, he chose the name of a famous French biscuit brand." He chuckled and Caroline followed him in his laughter. 

"Really?" She asked. 

"Oui! They are everywhere in France and equally successful. So each time he calls me that way, I remember my childhood. But oui, Mundy, a bit of the breast please." 

The Aussie obliged. 

"Dad, still the thighs?" 

Mike smiled. 

"You remember?"

"Course I do." Mundy smiled and cut the chicken thigh. "Wings for Mum… And bits of the rest for me… There." 

"Thanks, sweetie." Caroline got busy with the roasted vegetables. When she finished filling the plates and resumed her seat, the conversation started anew. 

"So Micky told us you helped him…?" Mike started. 

"In what aspect?" Lucien asked. 

"With… That bloke."

"Oh," Lucien nodded. "Indeed, I did my best. I had some business to settle with him and Mundy has provided a critical helping hand." Lucien and Mundy exchanged a grin that was taken for a friendly smile. 

"Why were you after'im?" Mike asked. 

"Mike, that's personal…!" Caroline said. 

"Non, please." Lucien answered. "It is all fine. I am happy to answer." He wiped the corners of his mouth and took a sip of the wine to clear his throat. "As Mundy may have told you, I lost my fiancée and son because of that man." 

"I'm so sorry to hear that, son…" Mike answered, shaking his head. 

"Merci. After that, I quit my job and rented a small flat in Paris. Similarly to Mundy, I couldn't bring myself to do anything, so I just waited to heal." 

Caroline and Mike were listening carefully between the bites of food. 

"How old was your son?" Caroline asked. 

"Fifteen…"

"You had waited fifteen years with a kid to get married?" Mike asked. 

"Mike…!" Caroline glared at him. 

"What? I'm just askin'!"

"It is alright, Caroline, thank you." Lucien answered. "Oui indeed I did wait a long time. If I am truly honest, I should say that the news of my then partner being pregnant shocked me beyond belief. It made a man out of me instantly, if that makes sense."

"Oh yeah it does…" Mike answered. "Same when we got Micky."

"Suddenly you don't live as two free adults, but as the trunk of a family tree. You have to be sturdy enough to support everyone and you have the responsibility of the most fragile being in existence." Lucien added. Mundy noticed his dreamy eyes as he stared into Mike's eyes. It looked like Lucien was in fact looking in his own mind. 

"Well said, son, well said." 

"When Marie gave birth to Jérémy, she stopped working. I pursued my career, still climbing up in responsibility and honor until Jérémy was old enough to perhaps understand my position in the army. Unfortunately, I had to travel a lot and missed their company, and Jérémy's growth sorely."

"I'm sorry for you, son…"

"So am I." Lucien answered. "Marie hated my job and spent her time begging me to quit. She hated the risk that I put myself into everyday and she feared that if Jérémy learnt about it, he might want to join the army too." 

Caroline nodded. 

"I was on my last mission when the accident happened." Lucien frowned. "As Marie and Jérémy exited the house, in Boston, I was watching them from the window. It happened too fast but to me, it lasted ten years. They crossed the road when a 4-by-4 took a turn, drifted on the asphalt, and hit them. I saw Marie tackle Jérémy to try and put him to safety but she took the hit first. Both were then ejected away." 

Lucien paused and put his fork down. 

"I ran to them, barefoot in the street, as I saw their bodies fly; that of the woman of my life, and my son, my flesh and blood, my angel. When I reached them, Marie was still holding Jérémy in her soft limbs while his eyes were shut. The ambulance arrived and Marie smiled with a last tear before shutting her eyes." 

All the forks had been put down and the silence weighed on everyone's shoulders. Lucien took a deep breath. 

"After that, my story is both very similar and very different to Mundy's. I locked myself up both figuratively and concretely. I quitted my job and stayed in a small flat in Paris. Oddly enough, my isolation lasted as long as Mundy's, ten years." 

Caroline and Mike's eyebrows jumped. 

"We're really sorry for you, Lucien." Caroline said and Lucien raised his eyes to her, a distraught smile on his lips. 

"Thank you." He nodded slightly, still quite moved.

"Go on, dear." She encouraged him. He took a deep breath and went on. 

"One day, I came to learn that the man who took Marie and Jérémy away from me was here, in Australia. So I jumped in the first flight and landed here."

There was a moment of silence around the table before Mike dared speak.

"Micky said you also knew Maurice…?" 

"Ah, oui, indeed I do. He is an old friend, from my military service days." Lucien answered.

"That's quite incredible!" Mike said. "I've known Maurice for decades now and I'd never have guessed he spent some time in France!" 

The concerto of cutlery on plate resumed.

"Oh but he did. And having ears and eyes everywhere in the city, he helped me track down that man until I met with Mundy." 

"How did you meet exactly?" Caroline asked. 

"Well, I am not sure such a story is for feminine ears…" 

"Aw, please! I killed this chicken myself!" She answered and Lucien's eyebrows jumped. He chuckled at the enthusiasm of the old lady.

"In that case," He cast a glance over Mike who seemed as eager to know as his wife. "I had in mind to be caught by his… Well… employees and find a way to make it to Duchemin directly." 

"Dew what?" Mike asked. 

"Duchemin, Arthur Duchemin was the name of that man who took everything from you and me." Lucien explained. "The first part of my plan worked beautifully and I found myself tied up to a chair by his goons."

"Oooh!" Caroline's eyes were shining in excitement. 

"But I underestimated Duchemin and didn't realise he could have me killed then and there. I was blinded by my will for revenge and ignored the possibility that I could end up dead." 

"So what did you do?" She asked, buzzing on her seat. 

"Me? Nothing. But in an instant, the guards around me started falling one after the other. I did not understand what was happening but it caused enough of a distraction that I managed to free myself."

"Ooh, what happened?" 

Lucien gave that lopsided grin that could make flowers bloom. 

"Mundy tranquilised them all and saved me that day." 

"W-well… I saw a bloke takin' a beatin while being tied up. And you weren't wearing their uniforms so… Heh…"

"Why were you there?" Mike asked. 

"That hangar where Lu' was, that's where the alligators I was after were." Mundy answered. "There were two trucks. One empty, one with the 'gators. I got closer when I made sure all the guards were shot asleep. I opened the first truck, it was empty. When I opened the second one, I found the 'gators and Lu'."

They exchanged a conniving glance. 

"Indeed, that is how we met." Lucien confirmed. "And we each considered the other like an enemy, or competition at least. In the end, we realised that we needed each other to do the job, so we teamed up." 

Everyone grinned around the table. 

"And so now you live together, eh?" Mike asked. 

"Oui, we do. In fact, we work together too. Mundy helps with his many talents. I only take the responsibility of teaching children and teenagers."

"That's really nice of both of you." Caroline said. 

"As Mike said," Lucien answered. "We try to work to make a positive difference around us." 

"Yeah, honest work, and good souls." Mike said. "So you do the teachin'?" 

"Oui."

"Ever done that before?" 

"Oui, in the ex-colonies, a few decades ago."

"Whereabouts?" 

"Northern Africa."

"Did you like it there?" 

"Oui, I did. Beyond the sunny weather and warm temperatures, people's mindset and customs were and still are considerably different from ours. I learnt a lot from their simpler way of life."

"Sounds like you did an awful lot of things in your life, eh? Singer, soldier, teacher…?" 

"Oui, and many others." Lucien nodded. "But please, enough about me…"

"Yeah, Mike, stop interrogating the guest…!" Caroline added. "Sorry, dear, we haven't had visits for quite a while."

"I'm just curious, Caroline!" 

"Exactly!" She answered. 

Mundy and Lucien chuckled at their banter. 

"I am glad you survived." Lucien said as everyone was finishing their meals. "When Mundy told me the news, he was restless!" 

Mundy blushed. He guessed Lucien wanted to insist on the impact that Mundy's parents' survival had on him. He smiled at his lover, hoping that Lucien would read "thank you" on his lips.

"Aw, Micky is such a sweetheart. You know Lucien, he might seem tall and strong, our boy, but he's very sensitive, very compassionate." Caroline said and held her son's hand. 

"Oh, trust me, I know very well." 

"Really?" Mike asked. 

"Oui, he rescued a black cat and I saw the respect with which he treats him."

"Back in the days, we used to have a few dogs." Caroline explained. "They loved Micky and were so excited to be around him…!"

"I can very well see why." 

"You rescued a kitty too, eh?" Mundy said to Lucien. "She's snow white, with long hair, she's gorgeous! He got her when she was a kitten and raised her. Mum, Dad, you should see them one day, the cats."

"Aw," Caroline grinned sweetly. "You can bring them next time." 

"Sure. Oh and Lu' didn't tell you but he trained his cat to wait at crossroads!"

"Seriously?" Mike asked. "You can train a cat to do that?"

"Yeah, he did! And I trained Sooty boy to do the same." 

"Sooty boy?" Caroline asked. 

"Yeah, the black cat, he's called Soot, and the white princess is Pearl." 

"Do they get along well?" Mike asked. 

"More than well." Lucien answered with a smile. 

"They got kittens together!" Mundy added. 

"Oh bugger! That's great!" Mike said. "How many?" 

And the discussion went on about the cats and the kittens. 

"But what about you guys? What have you been up to?" Mundy asked. 

"We got the garden goin' on at the back." Mike answered. "It's more than enough for us so we have the surplus sold. We go to the market on marketday and have a little stand there. We usually sell everything, not that it's much, but it helps pay the bills, eh?" 

"Oh, that's great!" Mundy answered. 

"All the veggies and potatoes you had today come from the garden." He added. 

"The chicken too!" Caroline added. "By the way Micky, d'you want some more?" 

"Nah, Mum, thanks, I'm full. But you have chickens? Like before?"

"Nah, not as many, just a few ones. But come on, Micky, just a bit more chicken…? A little bit…? You won't even feel it!" 

"Mum, please, I wanna save some space for dessert…!"

"Fine, alright." She turned to Lucien. "And what about you, dear? You liked my roasted chicken, yeah?" 

"It was exquisite, Caroline." Lucien answered. "But like Mundy, not tasting your dessert would be an insult to your culinary talents."

"Well that's some very nice way of putting it…!"

Caroline stood up and started to empty the table. Mundy helped her and in no time, Caroline was back with tea and dessert. 

"And here we are…"

"Oh, Mum, is this your chocolate cake?" Mundy asked excitedly.

"Yes it is!"

"Yes!" Mundy exclaimed. "Mum, you have no idea how much I like that…!"

"Of course I do!" She answered. "Now, be a sweetheart and give everyone some tea while I cut the cake, yeah?" 

"Sure." 

Both got busy while Mike and Lucien leaned back on their chairs.

"So you guys continue farmin'? That's really good." 

"Yeah, keeps us busy." Caroline added.

"And you, you ended up livin' together, eh?" Mike asked. 

"Oui, after the events with Duchemin, we… lived separately for a year." 

Mundy blushed beyond his ears. He was uncomfortable with the idea of lying to his parents. Hiding Lucien's true identity was a big enough lie but now, the Frenchman was also not talking about the period of time where he was supposedly dead. Mundy wished he could be brutally honest and just burst out with all the truth. But of course he couldn't. No, not now, and maybe not in a million years. Now was the time to get along with his parents again. He would think about telling them the truth about Lucien later… or maybe never. Gosh… 

Everyone started with their dessert and Lucien couldn't hold back a smile seeing Mundy roll his eyes in bliss while eating his mother's cake. 

"We were both coming back from the nerve-wrecking experience of dealing with that man." Lucien went on. "And after a year, our paths crossed again. Mundy was already working for Maurice and I was looking for something to keep my days busy, and provide Perle with everything that she needs." 

"Back then, I was still living in my van with the cats."

"The cats?" Caroline asked. "You had other ones?" 

Mundy blushed. 

"Uh… I mean…"

"He was also feeding the strays." Lucien jumped in to his rescue. "A very compassionate soul he is, and the best of friends." 

Again, the gaze that Lucien gave to Mundy, with heavy lidded-eyes, spoke much louder to the Aussie than to his parents. And then Mundy realised that if Lucien managed to remain unfazed it was because for him, it was routine, or it had been routine for decades, with him being a spy…

"Maurice's pay isn't much, but with the two of us, we can afford the bills." Mundy said. "And well, I knew Lu', he knew me so the housemate choice was quick and easy."

"Aw, that's very nice… I can't remember the last time Micky brought a friend home to be honest." Caroline said. 

"And he chose one with great taste for his wines at least, eh?" Mike added with a smile. 

"Many thanks, I am truly honoured to meet you." Lucien nodded his head like a bow. 

The dinner went well and as the dessert plates were now all empty, the discussion naturally came to an end. 

"Thank you again for your delicious dinner and for having me to share it." Lucien said at the door while Caroline gave him his jacket. "Oh, thank you." 

"You're very welcome, boys." She tapped his arm and Lucien smiled. "You'll be safe on your way back, yeah?" 

"Yeah, Mum, don't worry…" Mundy kissed his mother on her head. 

"Right, right, be safe, boys, eh?" Mike added as hugs were exchanged and hands were shaken. 

"We will, Mike." Lucien answered. 

They made their way to the motorcycle and Lucien motioned Mundy to drive. The Aussie hopped on, and Lucien behind him.

"Come back and visit soon, Micky, eh?" Caroline asked. 

"I will, Mum, don't worry." 

Both slipped on their helmets and Mundy started the engine.

"See ya!" Mike and Caroline waved at Mundy and Lucien who flew away in the street. 

"Aw, such good boys they are… And Lucien…! Very polite, eh?" Caroline said as Mike and her made it back home. They cleared up the rest of the table and chatted about their dinner again. 

"Really seems like our boy Micky is a man now, eh? Only thing missin' is a good sheila and boom!" Mike said. 

"Aw, yeah… Can you imagine? Micky with a girlfriend…?" Caroline answered. 

"Can't really, he never brought anyone home before. It's the first time in… whew… Can you remember the last time he brought a friend home?" Mike brought more plates to the sink, where Caroline was washing the dishes. "Caroline?" 

He found her staring emptily in front of her and frowning. 

"What's wrong?" He asked. 

"There's something that doesn't add up…" She answered. 

"What?" 

"It's his jacket." 

"Micky's?"

"Nah, his friend's…" She put a hand on her hip. 

"What about it?" 

"They said that they moved in together to afford the rent, right?" 

"Yeah, and?"

"How come the brand of his jacket is Lemercier?" 

"Le-what?" Mike asked. 

"Lemercier, it's the expensive tailor in the old centre, he only does custom-made stuff…" 

"Bah, he might've got that at work with Maurice." Mike answered. "Y'know how rich folks can throw anything in the bin, Caroline." 

"Yeah…" 

She resumed her washing of the dishes and Mike helped her. Their conversation fell silent, and as Mike glanced at his wife again, he saw that her brow was still furrowed. 

"Not buyin' it?" He asked.

"No, I'm not. There's something that's missin', Mike."

"Ah, women…"

"Mike, I am being serious." She raised her eyes to her husband and pushed her glasses back with the back of her hand. "Lucien is polite, nice and all, but there is something we're missing."

[mrmallard]

18 and 33

18: rant about your favorite musician

So I was bullied pretty badly as a kid at school and at home, and there was a period of time where I was drowning in a sea of age-appropriate content that felt extremely condescending and fake - it wouldn't ever engage with the idea of being sad or depressed in a serious and nuanced manner outside of the token "you're sad now but things aren't so bad!" message. Most adult media I had access to at the time, mostly shitty early-00's action movies airing on TV, was very vapid and about as thematically hollow as the age appropriate stuff. Nothing really represented me and made me feel heard, nothing validated what I was going through and the negativity I was feeling towards others and myself.

As a 12 year old, I found the media which finally validated the depression, hurt and general violent negativity that existed within me due to all of my negative experiences.

And that media...

was End of Evangelion, an anime movie in which the apocalypse happens in an immeasurably bizarre and fucked up way, where there's a bunch of overt giant robot violence but also very alarming and grounded person-to-person violence, and where the ending is unendingly bleak.

I then found the Mountain Goats through a show called Moral Orel when I was 16, and I lamented the fact that I hadn't found them before I found one of the bleakest anime movies of all time to cope with what I was going through. Because my Evangelion fandom ultimately did me a lot of harm - and while I was a stupid kid at times in how I engaged with the Mountain Goats (sending John stupid asks on Tumblr like a fucking asshole), there was a much more resonant catharsis that came with the music I heard, and it facilitated healing over time rather than escapism and outright nihilism.

I feel like had I found them earlier, I could have negated some of the harm I did to myself - like Tallahassee came out when I was 6, and I was pirating music all the time on LimeWire from 13 onwards. There's a hypothetical past where my music piracy led me to find the Mountain Goats way earlier than I eventually did, and it would have changed my life forever.

The Mountain Goats laid out a template for how I found all of my other favorite bands. There was the initial hook - the prerequisite "No Children" and "Old College Try" from Moral Orel - followed by immense overplay, followed by branching out into their other music. Once the connection has been made to a strong base of starter songs, I then get interested in listening to full albums, which is where I find the second wave of songs to latch on to after the first wave gets overplayed. Rinse and repeat until I've exposed myself to all of their music. TMG was the first band to facilitate this process, and I've done the same thing to every "core" musical act I've listened to since.

What I like about the Mountain Goats is that they're not afraid to broach difficult subjects? The Sunset Tree is a masterpiece in this regard, there's a level of vulnerability on that album that you don't get from most other artists - the closest equivalent I can think of is A Crow Looked At Me by Mt. Eerie, about the singer's wife dying of cancer.

There was a part of me that used to approach The Sunset Tree with a lurid voyeurism, a desire to validate my own pain by engaging with the pain that the album puts out there - but now when I hear songs like Hast Thou Considered The Tetrapod, I'm capable of seeing a broader picture and having more than just the desire to be validated by listening to another person's trauma. I would consume media like this to feed an unending hunger, but now I take it in bite sized portions and stay mindful of what it represents outside of my own experience.

One thing I want to talk about is John's early work, because when I started listening to the band I couldn't stand the lo-fi stuff. The whirring sound gave me a headache. But over time I've built up a strong base of his earlier material, even stuff he considers an old shame, that I absolutely adore.

The first "going to" song, to my understanding, is Going to Chino. And if you haven't heard Going to Chino, I recommend it - it's silly, it's overwrought and it's passionate. You'll never hear a more earnest commendation of a town's access to the 60 freeway in any other songs on earth. There's also Minnesota, which to this day might be John Darnielle's most romantic song. He acknowledges that he's a different person than when he started making music and he prefers to move forward as opposed to living in the past, but there's a lot of power in songs like No, I Can't or Yoga, regardless of how far removed he becomes from the self that made them.

My favorite song might be From TG&Y, because it hits on a very personal note - engaging in self-destructive behaviour to cope with a town that's sucking all of the life and goodness out of you. I've only ever drank to excess, but there's something very relatable about feeling how run down you are after a bender, having this awful manky taste in your mouth the whole time as you shift from place to place, and having this impulse of needing to run away and start a new life before this way of living kills you.

There's a lot of myself wrapped up in the Mountain Goats, and whether they're the primary band on my radar at any given moment or not, I can always spare a few words about how they make me feel.

33: what do you think about a lot

I think a lot about queer people in the past and how they've able to live their lives. I'll give you three examples.

Lately, I've had this pet idea about the anime/manga series Ranma 1/2. I haven't seen or read it, but I do know that it's about this young guy named Ranma who is afflicted with a curse or the like that results in him changing gender depending on the temperature of the water that gets dumped on him.

Ranma 1/2, from what I've gleaned, has resulted in a few gender awakenings - if I'm not mistaken, I think Dan Shive was one of those people, who went on to create the webcomic El Goonish Shive which deals with gender in a similar way at the start before taking more of a serious turn as the comic goes on.

But I have this idea in my head about early Ranma 1/2 fans writing stories about Ranma coming to terms with being a woman, and deciding to find a way to break the curse in a way that would leave the character as a woman. I wonder if there's anyone who tapped into their transness back then through their Ranma fandom, and whose journey is documented in their work.

It's like, there's people back then who Get It. Who came into their own in a time where the concept of gender transition was less accepted than it was now. And that's my people - geeky fanfiction writers. I want to know that there are people who found an innate truth to them, and who were able to be happy.

Another example I want to talk about is Robert Reed, who played Mike Brady on the Brady Bunch. I care deeply for Robert Reed. From what information is the most easily accessible about the man, he was apparently a pretty angry guy at times - he wasn't proud of his role on the Brady Bunch, and he'd get into arguments with the producer of the show. He was a closeted gay man playing the most sanitized TV dad in America, and if that news ever came out, it would sink his career and the entire show along with it.

But he was a good man. Notably, the producer of the Brady Bunch would tolerate his outbursts because his instincts would usually turn out to be right. And while he was upset with the material, he was never abusive to his co-stars. A bunch of them speak fondly about him to this day - he'd take the kids on day trips and stuff, and became something of a mentor and father figure to them. You don't hear wholesome stories like that from the 70's any more, but by all accounts Robert Reed seems to have been a decent man.

Robert died of colon cancer, but at the time of his death he had HIV as well. He was an incredibly private person - the only reason we know that he's gay is because he called Florence Henderson a week before he died to let her know and to get her to tell the rest of the cast. Apparently he kept in touch with her for years, and he saw fit to let everyone know before he died.

My understanding is that he had a partner at the time, though I'm not 100% sure. I hope Robert Reed had love throughout his life, y'know. I hope he had people who he loved and was loved by in return. I'm sad that he lived his whole life in the closet, and I hope he was able to find comfort and fulfillment in the relationships he did have in his life.

The last example I want to talk about is David Hyde Pierce - Niles from Frasier and the professor from Treasure Planet. I learned a while back that he had come out as gay in the late 2000's, getting married before Proposition 13 went into effect in California. I saw a topic about him on GameFAQs recently and I wanted to bring up that he was gay and married, but it had been a while so I googled him again to get my facts straight.

Not only is David Hyde Pierce still married, he's been in a relationship with his husband since 1983.

It means so much to me because people break up all the time in Hollywood. Whether it be the stress of the outside world gawking at them all the time, or the vice and excess of the entertainment industry corrupting people over time, or just falling out of love ala Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman - relationships in Hollywood don't last. And you don't hear much about gay celebrities and their love lives unless it becomes a point of controversy, ala Elton John's adoption issues or George Michael getting outed.

But the entire time David Hyde Pierce was on Frasier and doing voiceover - for all intents and purposes, at the top of his career - he was in a relationship with a man he'd already loved for a decade beforehand. And they continued to be together until gay marriage became legal, at which point they married each other, and they're still married to this day.

I'm really happy that they've been able to go the distance. May we all have what they have one day.

[pathetic-has-been-rockstar]

The bonfire surprise

Pairing: Crowley x reader

Written for: @spnchristmasbingo​

Square/s filled: Chestnuts; Sitting by the fire

Warnings: none

Summary: still set to enjoy every bit of winter and holiday traditions, you decide to bring Jack to pick up chestnuts. Crowley joins you on the most innocuous hunt of the year, bringing Juliet along to spice things up. Roasting chestnuts on Hellfire never looked so good.

Words: 3091

Beta: @raspberrymama​ (I’ll never say this enough: check out her works!)

this piece can be found on AO3, here! If you’re interested in the whole series, you just have to click here!

“So... are you coming or not?”

Crowley tilts his head a bit, then nods, looking at you. “You know... yes. Since we've been consistently saving this world, it would be nice to take a walk in it.”

You were surprised when he decided to stick around for Christmas, or at least until the brothers don't actively start to try and kill him. He declared he enjoys the mayhem he can create frustrating Christmas' plans, but you suspect that he's probably just bored by his temporary lack of employment. You give him a small nod.

“Precisely what I was thinking.”

“Great. Now... aren't you forgetting something?”

You run a quick mind inventory, but nothing seems to be missing. “... like what?”

“Like the kid?” Crowley suggests, falsely helpful.

“... oh, no. Jack's in the car from like ten minutes. He can't wait to go.”

Crowley sighs dramatically. “Oh, to be young and eager again. Is it far?”

“About twenty minutes from here... why don't you come with us? You can try and crush Jack's optimism while we go.”

“I can do it on site. I've got someone to pick up, if it's all the same to you.”

“Oh... sure. Of course.” You are slightly curious and, even if you would never admit it, slightly disappointed. You were hoping for some time with Crowley, but he seems to have framed the occasion like a good chance to do... well, anything else.

“Fantastic. I'll see you there.”

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Yes, Jack?”, you answer after a second, emerging from your thoughts.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You are just very quiet.”

“I'm just... a bit tired, you know.” Of course you were quiet. You're dying to see who was so important that had to be picked up and brought to what feels like a family thing.

“Sure. So... how's it gonna be?”

Surprised, you throw a side glance at Jack. The kid is smart. “As it's always been, I guess. Why?”

“I've never picked up chestnuts.”

Of course. Of course it was about the chestnuts. You stammer a moment, trying to collect yourself. “Oh, it's fun, actually. You just have to watch out for the shells, actually. They're spikey, y'know. You put on your gloves, then we pick them up from the ground,and  check if there are holes in them. If they're whole we can put them in the baskets.”

“What if there's a hole?”

“Well, that means there's a worm inside. It's not a problem if you accidentally eat it, since it's basically lived inside the thing its whole life and it tastes like that, but... let's just try and avoid it, ok?”

“Sure. No point in killing it just because it's in the wrong place at the right moment.”

You smile, surprised by the tenderness of his heart. The whole argument about his nature before he was born it feels incredibly stupid, now. The kid doesn't even want to kill a worm.

“Precisely. Besides, it might mean that the thing is rotting, and we don't want to deal with the consequences of eating spoilt food. Why don't you put on some music?”

Jack literally beams at the idea. “Can I connect my phone?”

“Sure thing, kid. We have about half an hour to go, connect the Bluetooth and jam away.”

The rest of the ride consists mainly in Jack humming Christmas songs and weird covers of them, while you keep your eyes on the road and occasionally sing along with him.

Once you get there, you immediately spot Crowley. Seeing that he's alone, you tilt your head.

“Weren't you supposed to pick up someone?”

“I did.”

He whistles, and a second later two hellhounds appear next to him, wagging their tails. He smiles at you, clearly satisfied by your surprised expression.

“I'm confident you remember Juliet and Banquo.”

“I do. How... how can I see them?”

“Because I let you.”

“... oh. Thanks, I guess.”

Crowley hints at them with a swift nod. “Go ahead, touch them. I know you'd like to.”

Trying to play it cool, you kneel down and pat the head of Juliet. A second later, Banquo is rubbing his head against your arm, almost throwing you off balance. Crowley immediately notices.

“Banquo. Settle down, boy.”

The hound whimpers and draws back, immediately obeying Crowley, who gives you a satisfied look.

“I trained them myself.”

“I figured that much.” you fire back. Like anyone else could train those hounds to act like that.

You're distracted by Jack calling you. You turn and you see the bundle of scarf, hat and oversized sport coat wandering among the trees and picking up the burrs, only to let them fall again as soon as they sting him. Crowley raises an eyebrow, amused.

“Looks like the most powerful being in existence needs help with picking up some fruit from the ground.”

“... he's three years old.”

“They grow so fast, don't they?”

You turn your back to Crowley and walk to Jack. Juliet and Banquo run around, sniffing the leaves and acting mostly like normal dogs. You notice that, and turn to Crowley, who's been casually waddling around, following you and Jack.

“Why are they like these?”

“What do you mean?”

“They act like normal dogs.”

“They like topside.”

“Don't they have souls to collect, today?”

“They always do.” Crowley replies with a casual scroll of his shoulders.

“Then why are they here?”

“There are other hounds, you know. These two were just the most affectionate to me. In short, useless to dear mother, and very useful for my personal security.”

Of course, you don't know why they're there. You're not a hunter, after all, not in the truest meaning of the word. You've been dragged in there when you ran into Bobby, years earlier, trying to nick a book from your shop. You gave him the book in exchange for some explanations, and it turned out your years of eccentric reading made you pretty useful.

Bobby then started to call you for lore-related things, and it was only a matter of time before the hunters started to use your shop as a sort of base. You started to store magical items, too, and even faced a few monsters on your own. Not exactly your cup of tea, but fun. Crowley knows about this all, obviously. Everyone knows about it. His dogs are there because you are there. The idea of a human dear both to the king of Hell and the future God might inspire some unpleasant thoughts in rogue demons and monsters, so he doesn't want to take any unnecessary risk.

You only see the hounds sprinting away, running after a very lucky squirrel. The little rodent manages to climb up the bark of the chestnut tree just in time, escaping the fangs of the hellish beasts for a split hair. Crowley giggles happily next to you, apparently delighted.

“The dislike for squirrels must run in the family.”

“Yeah... Jack, honey, wait, no.”

Jack has started to climb on the tree, trying to reach the lowest branches, that are still a good seven feet above the ground. He really is a three years old sometimes, but you keep forgetting that. When he falls back on you, you are painfully reminded that he is a three years old in a fully adult body.

Before Jack can do it, Crowley helps you up, smirking.

“Everything fine, love?”

“Yeah, peachy.”

He chuckles and takes a dried leaf off your hair, then gives you an amused smile.

“Looks like you're enjoying yourselves, at least.”

Jack enthusiastically answers for you, then dashes away to inspect a new patch of dried leaves and fallen burrs. When climbing up the trees is finally off the table, you three keep walking in the woods and picking up chestnuts here and there until the baskets are full. You look at your clock, starting to feel the cold seeping through your clothes.

“We still have a couple of hours of good light left. Let's go back to the car, we'll make a fire there.”

“... a fire? What for?”

“Well, we... you know what? It's a surprise. Come on, let's go back.”

Jack smiles in excitement, then slows down, looking at you and Crowley. You walk closer than you did earlier, and you don't even seem to notice how the back of your hands touch while you walk. He's seen Dean and Castiel subconsciously trying to get closer just like that. He might be young, but he's learnt quite a lot about love and longing, and he's quite sure that he has a fine example of both lying right in front of him. He also has an idea about how to make that happen, even if he will have to wait until you return to the bunker.

When the three of you make it back to the clearing where you parked the car, you start looking around for some logs and branches to set the fire. You have some water and a couple of old newspapers in the car, so safety and the ignition are accounted for. You're still scouring the clearing through the growing darkness when Crowley clears his throat. You turn to him, expecting him to mock you for not having figured it before.

“... what?”

“I assume you're looking for something to start the fire.”

“Well, duh.”

He scoffs, not taking seriously your remark, and raises his hand, “Perhaps I could be of assistance. You know... hellfire and all that.”

“Oh, I... I didn't think of it.”

“I figured that much”, he echoes the words you spat at him earlier in a much gentler tone. You almost feel bad for treating him harshly, but you just can't help it. There's something about him and the way he treats you that makes you feel... uneasy, for some reason.

Crowley knows you well, by now, but he still hasn't found a way to unravel you completely. He was content when you sought him out in your sleep. You slipped through the sheets and held him, just like you did a few years ago, and you seemed pretty happy about it. You wanted to be close to him... and yet you seem very bothered by his presence, at times. Of course, this only makes him all the more curious to find out the key to decipher your weirdness. He doesn't like pending business, and you certainly are acting like one.

With a snap of his fingers, a bright fire starts burning a few yards away from the car, complete with a few logs to sit around it, and you look at it, fascinated like a child. Juliet and Banquo immediately recognize the nature of the flames, and go to quietly lie down next to them.

You start laughing and walk to the car, taking the castiron skillet and a couple of knives.

“What, no knife for me?”

You jump, surprised. He's definitely closer than where you left him, and you didn't hear him approach.

“Stop moving so quietly! I'll tie a bell around your neck.”

“Oooh, my own collar? Kinky. I might like that.”

You thank the darkness and the dancing lights cast by the open flames for hiding the redness creeping up your cheeks. You grab a third knife, flip it and offer the handle to Crowley.

“You know how to do it, right?”

“Love, I am a demon, not a moron.”

“Eh. Sometimes you can be both.”

He rolls his eyes, only mildly annoyed. “Care to make an example or do I have to take your insults at face value?”

You would like to answer, but your throat closes. The thought of that day in the Apocalypse world is etched in your mind, and you don't like to think about it. Luckily, you catch Jack getting close to the hounds with the clear intention of petting them, so you're spared from answering. You dash to him, worried.

“Jack, don't!”

Jack immediately takes a step back and looks at you, confused. “But they look so cute!”

“Yeah, but those are not fluffy animals. Those are killing machines, and...”

“And they're trained to behave around people who mean no harm to me. Go ahead, boy. They like scratches on their heads.” Crowley encourages Jack.

You survey carefully the scene, ready to spring into action, but Crowley was telling the truth. A minute later, Jack is sitting on the ground, scratching Juliet's head with a hand, and patting Banquo with the other, looking happier than ever.

“You think Dean will let us keep on in the bunker?”

You think about it for a second. There's not a strong enough word in any human language to express the way Dean would refuse the idea of a hellhound loose in the bunker. Hearing Crowley chuckle next to you, you're sure that he's thinking the exact same thing.

“I... I don't think so, Jack.” Jack nods, trusting your judgement, and looks at you.

“Right. So... what do I do with the knife?”

You sit down on the log next to his one and teach him how to lightly carve the smooth shell of the fruit with a X, so that it doesn't swell and bash while it cooks. When you prepare enough for the three of you, you pour them in the pan and set it on the fire, shaking it from time to time to ensure an even cooking.

Jack notices that your movements are steady, and studies you for a moment. “So... is it a Christmas tradition?”

“It’s more of a winter thing, not just Christmas,” you answer, “I used to go picking chestnuts with my grandfather, from November through December. Then we would cook them on this big open fire in the backyard of his country house. Not a fancy one, though. He was a farmer, so it was one of those old houses full of tools and handmade stuff. I really liked that place.”

“I bet it was amazing.”

You think about it for a moment. “You know what? It really was. And they kept loads of animals, too. He and my grandma would do everything at home, from scratch.”

You start telling Jack things you've never told anyone since you moved and started your new life. Meanwhile, you keep your eyes on the chestnuts, taking them out of fire when they're done.

You pick some pages from the old newspapers and roll three cones, then pour the hot roasted fruit in them. You offer one to Jack, and one to Crowley, who looks surprised.

“... for me?”

“Yes. I know you don't eat, but...”

He takes the cone from your hands, smiling.

“I still like the taste. Thanks, love. Very thoughtful of you.”

“Shut up”, you mutter, but you're smiling.

Jack encourages you to tell more stories about your family, and you hear the crunching noises coming from him slowing down progressively. When you look at him again, on the other side of the flames, you see him dozing off, still nestled between Juliet and Banquo.

You smile and throw your paper cone filled with discarded skins in the fire, watching it crackle, then reach out, trying to warm your hands. The air is cold, and it's totally dark around you, despite being only four p.m. You think about what you just told Jack, and a sting of nostalgia catches you by surprise.

You quickly blink a couple of times, hoping to chase those unexpected tears away, but you feel a hand on your shoulder.

“Are you alright, kitten?”

You almost forgot about Crowley. Surprisingly, he didn’t say anything while you were telling your stories to Jack, but you don’t suspect he listened to every word you said. “I... yes. Just... I haven't thought about those things for a very long time. I... I'm just being stupid.”

“Oh, love. Don't. Actually, you made me remember a few things about my winters as a human.”

“... really?” You think you couldn't be more surprised, but you're wrong. Your amazement hits its peak when Crowley starts telling you about old Scottish traditions, and his experiences with them.

After a few minutes of chatting, you shiver, and inch closer to him. He doesn't move away, instead he wraps an arm around your shoulders.

“I suspect you like me just as a heather, love” he purrs right beside your ear.

“Who says I like you?”

You both laugh and stay quiet, enjoying the cold air, the warmth of the fire and the smell of smoke and roasted chestnuts filling the air for a while. You close your eyes for a moment, laying your head back on his shoulder. His cologne and the hint of sulphur hidden behind it always made you feel safe, and now that things are so different from what they were, you aren't even plagued by the question anymore. The ever-present question of what was going to come next, what was going to happen... how you’d lose him.

You sigh and open your eyes, looking at Jack, then move away from Crowley.

“You know... we should go back. It's dark, and I'm sure they're wondering where we are.”

“... I'll bring back the puppies and see you there, if it's fine with you.”

“It... it is. More than fine, actually.”

He brushes your hand, and you feel his warmth through your glove, then look at him while he speaks.

“Thanks for sharing those memories, love. I know they were for the kid, but... it was nice to hear them.”

“Actually… I'm glad you were here.”

For a moment, both of you stay still. You feel your heart beating faster when you look at him. The way the fire underlines his features, the sheer intensity of his gaze force you to shiver, despite being comfortable and warm. Crowley looks at you and can’t hold back a smile. It might be the moment he was waiting for.

Instead, suddenly panicking, you stand up quickly, feeling your usual shield going up again. You can't be too vulnerable around him, after all. And Jack… you must bring him back. You didn’t come all that way just to get all lovey-dovey with the former king of Hell. “Well, I'll see you back at the bunker.”

“Right. See you there.” Crowley mutters through his teeth and notices the sudden shift in your behaviour. He wonders if his efforts still make sense. Then, he watches you waking up Jack and talking softly to him, petting the hounds and making sure everything is fine, and he knows he just has to be a bit more patient.

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