#while the original idea would've been cute too this??? this is just a one hit ko

[pierswife]

@camellias-and-coriander fucking killed me with my holiday gift this sucks /lh

Like you ever get a nail in the coffin that makes an F/O a main F/O? Y e a h— Like the pose just has me so god damn soft like this is such a win like I would kill to hold him tenderly like that like oooooh my god and they sent to me while I'm sleepy as FUCK so I couldn't even be stubborn and pouty about how happy this made me and how happy he makes me ggwfjwjxjhaks

[haru-natsuka]

Second Male Leads Are all Yanderes but I Won't Rest Until I Win My Love Back (Female Reader x OCs)

CHAPTER 4

Story will start after the synopsis

Every second male lead who appeared in this world had a hidden yandere side that can emerge at any moment and turn them into a twisted and obsessive villain.

As someone with a severe case of the "second male lead syndrome", you are determined to pursue your love for the second male lead, leaving the original male lead to become the second.

While you were busy chasing after the second male lead, the original male lead kept on bothering you and trying to get you to choose him instead.

"Don't you dare to come any closer!" You snap at the original male lead, your tone sharp and firm.

"Oh, and who's going to stop me? You?" The yandere stares at you, a menacing look in their eyes, as their body slowly moves closer.

"Too close! Step back!"

"Your words mean nothing to me. You can't control me. I will come as close as I please, you can't stop me."

As if a yandere was not enough, when you chose to ignore the original male lead, another second male lead suddenly entered your life, further complicating the situation.

The yandere and the upcoming second male lead both seem determined to have you for themselves, and they were both very possessive and pushy in their approaches to you.

You just wanted to be happy with your true love. Yandere or not, you would stick with your crush!

CHAPTER 1 << CHAPTER 2 << CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4: THE LADIES

What was the meaning of happiness in your life? To you, it was when you had gotten to go out with your lovely Adrian, hands wrapped around his arm in a secure lock and the most important thing was, Adrian allowed you! Just seeing the envious looks on other ladies faces at the town was enough to make your smile even brighter.

'Yes! Adrian is mine! Back off'

"I'm doing you a favour, Adrian. I'm saving you from being ambush by all these predatory ladies" That was just an excuse as you tightened your hold on him, laid your head on his shoulder and acted as his protector and savior.

"Oh, you are? I am in debt to you then." Although you did not look at his face as you were busy laying your head on his shoulder but you could tell he was looking at your direction.

"Do you think they would've been able to lure me away from you?" His question sounded so playful but coming from Adrian, it was just out of pure curiosity. An angel who just wanted to know more about your thoughts.

"Will you?" You chose to withhold your answer for this one question and used his curiosity for this opportunity instead.

"If these ladies tried to lure you away from me, would you fall for their antics?" You asked, wanting to see how he would answer that question.

"I don't think so. I rather feel more comfortable being with you, out of everyone. You spend a lot of your time with me and I can't be more than thankful or..." Adrian's tone changed from his usual calm one into the one he would used whenever he would tease you for fun.

"or maybe it was the fact that you held onto me too tightly that I cannot escape to anywhere" You could feel his hot breath hit your face as he brought his face closer to you as he whispered.

'Too cute! Can I just pinch those cheeks.'

"Your words does not synchronies with your expression, Adrian. You had fun teasing me a lot these days"

As you were about to behave more respectful to Adrian's boundary by releasing your grip on his arm, as if he disliked the idea, Adrian placed a hand over yours. Your focus was back at him in question. When you looked into his eyes, they were glistening warmly and looking at you, giving you chills and a hint of excitement.

"This is the payment for my debt so do as you like"

'Do as I like? I-I ba-bad thoughts go away!'

"Look at these two undeclared young couple. Flirting with each other early in the morning" Suddenly, an old voice rang out, calling attention to you and Adrian from a fruit store. You immediately glanced over your shoulder to look at the source of the voice.

The person who spoke was none other than your dear madam, who smiled sheepishly at you with joy and rejoice. Your mood brightened when you saw her expression, as it was a reminder of her support of this relationship. She seemed overjoyed with your happiness and satisfaction, and this made you feel more grateful to her for her kindness and love towards you.

"You're mistaken, madam. We are not a couple yet," you clarified, politely explaining to her that you and Adrian were not a couple at this point in time.

"But pray for my success please. When we are together, madam would be the first person I told to."

Upon hearing your words, the madam's eyes widened and she displayed an expression that held a hint of disappointment. It was apparent that she had hoped for a different outcome, with the two of you already being a couple. That was why she was now feeling disappointed, after realizing that you still not success in pursuing your love for Adrian.

"Adrian still rejecting you?" The madam shifted her focus on Adrian.

"Young man, you should not let a beautiful flower alone when it's dazzlingly shine in front of you. You should treasure it before it flies away. As the flower blown by the wind, it would be hard for you to get it back"

Adrian remained silent and did not reply, his expression changing to one that you found difficult to fathom. You choose to be the one who continued the conversation. Mentally, questioning the meaning of his expression. He must felt uncomfortable with the old lady's words.

"Madam, I will never go away. I will never give up but I dont want to force Adrian to accept my feeling." You reassured the older lady, who was now actively supporting and rooting for you and yet failed miserably.

"That's the same answer you keep on repeating. I'm rooting for you, Y/N and do remember my warning young man."

Adrian remained silent all the way until both of you reached a bookstore, seemingly deep in thought. He did not seem to have much to say, and kept his thoughts to himself. You chose not to enter the bookstore with him to give him some space, and instead, simply waited outside while he went in.

As you waited outside the bookstore, you did not have much else to do except to inspect the stores around you in detail. You closely studied the signs, decorations, and interiors, as if they were the most interesting things you had ever seen. You took in all the various colors and designs of each store, and soaked it all in with great care and detail.

As you continued to inspect the stores around you, a sudden burst of noise and a crowd of people caught your attention. The crowd was gathered and concentrated in one spot, which caught your curiosity. So, you tiptoed closer in order to see what it was that had piqued their interest. When you eventually managed to get a glimpse of the source, you were shaken by what you saw.

When you were watching the scene unfold from your vantage point, you suddenly saw a familiar face that you recognized from your college days. It was the most hated man from your list, someone you absolutely despised. The man locked eyes with you, and immediately began approaching you at a rapid pace.

'No no he does not walking here right or he might wants to buy something from the store too. Yeah yeah that must be it. We had never even talked before'

You quickly scooted to the side, attempting to evade his path by moving out of the way. However, he continued to approach you, as if he had his sights set on you and had no intention of backing down. Without awaiting your consent, he abruptly grabbed your wrist and pulled you close to him, seeming insistent in engaging in a direct interaction with you.

'The hand that only meant for Adrian! What with this bastard with his unrespectful behavior?! He just walks to me perfectly fine but still need to pull me? That's not important right now. The thing is, don't you dare disturbing my outing with my man!'

>> CHAPTER 5

@d3sperate-enuf @sirenetheblogger @orinnie @aoiyx @chin-chii

This time, I want to focus on the growth of the interaction for Adrian and Y/N. Are the dialogues too much though? But I do enjoy writing it this way. Isn't it too fluffy and cute?! Enjoy your weekend while accompanied by this story.

[tomatoswup]

phone calls

summary: two old rotary phones begin the connection between two souls. One from the past and another from the future.

warnings: angst, literally angst, sad vash :(, hurt/comfort but its not the comfort you think it is. kinda more like an acceptance comfort

pairing:vash x reader

-inspired by the movie "The Lake House"

A/N: am i a fiend for writing angst? yes. do I like reading it? NOPE. wanted to get this out before I hustled on school work hehe. But fun fact this was originally longer but I rewrote and condensed it b/c I thought it was too long for just a one shot lost media typa beat. honestly i don't think i wrote this right but fuck it we ball. I recommend reading this with the saddest song you have bookmarked. Enjoy!~

"Hmmm...Well you got some personality to you.” You mumbled, staring at the old red vintage rotary phone sitting in front of you. How did you come to achieve this old relic of time? Well in short terms, you liked to think about it like an equation.

Old attic + mischievous white cat = you adventuring to go find said cat and to your dismay, said cat scares the living ever hell out of you making you lose balance and fall backwards into endless towers of boxes.

Fun times right?

Those bruises weren't gonna be….

But that was the least of your problems at the moment. As expected, the rotary phone suddenly started to ring, shaking and clicking in itself, making you sigh in disappointment. Grabbing the phone, you yanked it up to your ear “Hey, yeah I don’t think this is gonna work.” You deadpanned “Now we know that we're always gonna be connected, what is this? The 5th time?"

"Damn and I thought you hanging up would’ve solved the problem. I don't think we could connect with anyone else though! I asked the farmer about it and he had no idea!" Chirped the male on the other side of the line.

Of course! It sounded like a normal conversation between two individuals but even Einstein himself would've been baffled at these circumstances. Imagine this, you find an old phone and you had been playfully talking into it until a voice actually responds without it being connected. Strange right? And no, you were sure you hadn't been seeing any strange figures on the sides of your vision.

Now here you were, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on alongside the man who had introduced himself as Vash The Stampede.

"21st century my ass, Google isn't doing shit!"

"Wait hold on now, did you just say 21st?"

"Yeah? Something wrong?"

"Uh well.. It's just that its actually the 32nd century."

You blink a few times "No, it's not. My calender literally says it's the 21st century. It's general knowledge."

"No I'm pretty sure its the 32nd century!" Vash snapped back.

Silence filled the air on both sides.

"WAIT A MINUTE-"

And thats how the unknown man from the future and you hit it off.

After this discovery, the two of you talked on the phone for a while, sharing things about each of your own time periods. And you slowly found yourself enjoying the conversations you would have with Vash who you soon found out, was pretty goofy in his own way, but kind. And unknowingly, Vash felt the same way.

What was an accidental and odd situation turned into practically an everyday thing for the both of you now.

After work, you always looked forwards to that red phone on your nightstand until one day, you decided to decorate it with cute little stickers because why not?

After all, it was fasinating to hear things about the future. Sometimes you'd laugh at the way Vash described it, like something out of an old wild west movie.

"It's all just desert! Really!" He groaned out as you chuckled, holding the phone to your ear with your shoulder as you put books and CD's away on your bookshelf "At least you can make some cool sandcastles or something!"

"With what water?"

"Your tears." Snorting, you listen on as he whined through the receiver. "Hey but just imagine me helping you build them! Makes it hurt less."

Vash let out a exaggerating sigh "But seriously, it's not always sunny were you live?" He asked curiously.

"Nope!" You smiled, slipping one of your favorite books into place "It changes every so often really. Depending on the season." You hummed out, looking out the window to your right to see the drenching rain down with its spring showers.

"Season?"

"Sometimes it rains and sometimes it gets super cold. Other days it just gets too hot and if we're lucky, we get days with perfect temperatures. Its never the same but I guess that's the beauty to it here. Every day is a new sight no one could really get tired of. "

Or a new headache.

Vash stayed quiet on the line, and you imagined how he looked like deep in thought. Eyebrows furrowed, his supposed pointy blonde hair messily spread out across his pillow, and eyes as blue as the sky looking up at the ceiling in concentration.

…Okayyy that’s enough out of you.

He didn't say the eye part himself but you liked to ponder on the idea.

"That sounds beautiful.."

And to that, you smiled. "Yeah, it kinda is."

But something in your head made you stop and look down at the book you had in hand, unsure if you wanted to say anything.

"Hey Vash.."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry that I'm the only person you could really reach with this thing. I know you really wanted to talk to your friends.."

"Why are you apologizing? It's not everyday I talk to someone from the past! From even before No Mans Land!”

You sigh and slip the final book away to which Vash adds in one more sentence. "And even if you weren't, I like talking to you."

You scoff in good humor "You're lying blonde."

"NO I"M NOT!" Vash gasps out dramatically "Oh how you hurt me so!"

"Hardy har har." You chuckled, shoving a box of things you wanted stored away in the corner of your room. "At least I know I'm speaking to someone as beautiful as the nightsky!" He huffed out trying to sound manlier.

“Yeah? Now how could you tell that?"

"Because I know a pretty and kind soul when I hear it."

E-Excuse me?

Your face flushes red "Alright cowboy are you trying to soften me up?"

"Pftttttt nooooooo~"

Your conversations never ceased to end, and when talking to Vash about practically everything, it felt...comforting. To know there was someone to listen to your struggles, and listen to his own. It felt so intimate.

Sharing about your life on Earth, the things you do and him speaking about his own life and travels around his home planet.

One day, Vash and you had been talking for the night and he mentioned something that gave you a sense of familiarity.

PROJECT SEEDS.

A large project that's been reported on the news for more than a few months now so of course you caught onto that. You've watched their segment on TV before. Something about bringing life to other planets?

You knew the Earth was dying, scientists had announced that someday in the nearing future, the very sun that shone down on you, would destroy you. But did that really matter to you anymore?

The project had been accepting registrations for boarding their new ship incase it happened. Your sister got to register in time but you had been too late. All the slots were filled.

That was a very odd day to say the least.

But that didn't stop you from speaking to Vash.

"Vash, do you ever think you'll see me in the future?" You pondered one night as you were cuddled up in your blankets, the cold being unbearable this winter season.

"Well, I hope so. Sometimes it gets tiring speaking into a thing of metal and plastic hehe.." You could practically hear him playfully grin through the receiver.

You gripped the handle of the phone tight as tears threatened to leave the corner of your eyes.

"I hope I get to see you one day Vash.."

He went quiet for a moment.

"I do too.."

That night, you slept with the phone held to your chest as the fluttering feeling in your stomach never ceased. And you didn't want it to.

Vash had made it a routine to call you every night at exactly midnight to check in on how you were since he couldn't really do it in person either way. And every time he called, it felt as if he heard your voice for the first time all over again. The warmth in his chest made him smile when you answered the phone with the nervous pitch in your voice.

"Vash?"

He found it theraputic to listen as you talked about your day, the normalicy and peace No Man's Land and that his own life had lacked.

Hanging out with friends, reading in libraries, and more.

How he loved it.. Hearing you speak so fondly, so excited, it felt refreshing to Vash.

You were full of life

And Vash wouldn’t trade it for anything.

With every time you spoke his name, he felt like melting into a puddle. He just wanted to hear you repeat his name over and over again, and no, he'll never get tired of it. He could spend an eternity laying in the dusty bed of the farmer’s home just listening to your voice. Listening to your worries, your hopes, and the momentary jokes you would tell him.

But as the days passed, after one full year and a half of the two of you speaking over the old rotary phone, you answered the phone one night with a change clear to Vash. You sounded so weak, so sickly and out of breath.

"Are you alright?" He asked, hearing loud shuffling and things falling on the other line.

"I-I'm fine!" You coughed out as Vash peeked out the old wooden window in the room he was staying in, spotting Wolfwood and the broadcasting girls waiting for him to join them.

"Are you sure?" He breathed out in honest concern, feeling his fingers fiddling with the hem of his sleeve.

"I'm fine Vash, seriously." Your voice weakly echoed through the receiver "Just a little sick, that's all.."

"Please make sure to get some rest okay? I'll ring you when I come back."

"Promise?"

"I promise lov-" Vash caught himself, quickly shutting his mouth.

"Hm?" You hummed out in question.

"Sorry a fly got caught in my throat! Hahaha!" He played off before sighing.

"Take care of yourself, for me okay?"

"I will, I will.." Before Vash put the phone back onto the base, you said one more thing.

"Love you." And with that, the familiar ding of the phone receiver on the other line rang through Vash's ear, signifiying the end of the call.

And Vash was left in utter silence and awe. Love. Love you said. Him?

A fond expression instinctively grew on his face, yet the churning feeling in his stomach wasn't one of butterflies, but one of dread. He couldn't help but leave with the gut feeling that something was wrong.

When Vash returned back to his room and picked up the phone at the same time the two of you would call each other at every day, there was no reponse.

He called your name and no sound came out of the other end. So he put the phone back down onto the base and lifted it back up again to his ear as the same dread slowly seeped into his chest. The room was starting to feel a bit more heavier than usual.

"Hello?" He breathed out nervously as he felt his forehead start to sweat.

"Come on.." He muttered to himself worriedly. Maybe you weren't home in time and had gone to the doctor. Yeah, maybe that's the reason. So Vash left the phone alone for the night for the first time but the prodding feeling in his chest didn't leave.

He tried the next night.

No response.

Maybe you had stayed over your parents' for the day.

He kept the phone by him whilst he napped, waiting for the ring of the phone to wake him up like an alarm, but that didn't come.

He tried the next night, the next night, and continued for the next 3 months until finally.

One night, Vash just stared at the old red phone that hadn’t rung since that day, anticipating at least one final call, one last goodbye from you. Sitting on the bed side, he kept his eyes on the phone until finally Vash couldn’t hold it anymore and cried. Clear waters falling down his cheeks as he tightly held the phone to his chest in desperation.

Did you forget about him?

Did you find the love of your life and decided not to bother with him anymore?

'Come back.'

'Dont leave me please.'

'I love you."

'Please speak to me.'

The string of desparate thoughts ran through his mind as the burning sensation grew in his chest. He can't breathe. He gasped for air as his quiet wails filled the night.

Don't go.

The morning after Vash permanently left the farmer's residence. Of course, he took the phone along too, incase you ever decided to ring back but to Vash's dismay, it never did.

And Vash thought back to you, from time to time, stil wondering if you remembered about the red phone that sat in your room and the idiot blonde on the other side of it.

2 years had passed since that night, and both Vash and the gang found themselves in the city of Augusta for their annual merchant gathering, an event in which all the merchants from around the planet come and trade their valuables or tools in a big, single event.

Crowds of people flooded the streets as the stands were all surrounded to the brim. Vash had been walking beside Wolfwood, who was talking about some bounty hunters causing trouble around when something red caught his eye from an stand that they had walked past, causing Vash to stop in his tracks. Eyes widening in realization, he rushed over to the stall, leaving Wolfwood in the dust.

"H-Hey where are you going!?!" Wolfwood called out but Vash ignored him. His leather clothed hands slammed down on the stall table, the young man who managed the stall yelping in surprise.

"H-HOW CAN I HELP YOU?!" The man nervously shouted out as Vash reached over and picked up a very familiar red rotary phone "Where did you get this!?" He exclaimed in urgency. "How'd you get this!?"

"I-I-" The young man quickly cleared his throat and regained his composure at the sudden burst from the tall blonde-spiked haired man.

"It's a very old device! Back during the old days according to my great-grandmother!"

Vash looked down at the red phone, very dusty but he was able to make out the sticker decorations and doodles that were scattered around on it. Inspecting it more, he turned it around to the back and saw something melancholic.

"12:00 PM Midnight" was written on the back of the base with black marker. The time the two of you would call each other every night those years ago.

"Sorry, is.. is there anyone I could talk to about this?" Vash apologized, giving the young man a somber smile as he held the phone to himself, as if someone were going to rip it away from his grasp.

The man observed Vash for a moment, before nodding and giving Vash directions to his great-grandmother's home, right outside the border of Augusta.

"There you are!" Wolfwoods' voice rang out angrily behind him "The hell did you see now?!"

Vash turned to Wolfwood and simply gave him a smile "We're gonna be paying a visit."

It didn't take long to reach the old worn down home and greet the owner of the property, a small old lady to which surprised Wolfwood that she hadn't kicked the bucket yet.

Vash, of course, elbowed him in the rib for that one.

Seeing the phone in Vash's arms, the lady let out a small smile "My, I haven't seen that phone since I was a child..." She quickly showed Vash and Wolfwood inside, explaining how the phone came to be here.

"According to my grandfather, our lineage began with two sibilngs who were born and raised on Earth. When Earth neared its end, the daughter of the family was able to escape whilst the other sibling unknowingly stayed behind on Earth."

The old lady snapped her fingers to Wolfwood and waved him over "Be a dear for me and put this on the table."

Watching Wolfwood put a very old and deteriorating box on the table, the lady continued.

"Well, the sibling died before the daughter left Earth, so in attempt to preserve her family's memories, the daughter took some of her siblings' things, something to remember them by."

The old lady points to the phone in Vash's arm "That was one of them. And here-" The lady patted on side of the box "-are the things she was able to take with her. Check them out yourself." She softly motioned Vash to come closer with her frail, wrinkled hand.

Hesitating for just a second, he took slow and steady steps towards the box, biting the inside of his cheek in attempt to not just cry.

Damn, he sure felt like a cry baby these days.

Putting the phone down besides the box, Vash reached into the box and pulled out various things. Old shirts, CDs, a wallet, wired headphones, books, and something he never thought he'd ever see in fine print that made his breath hitch.

A colored photo I.D and on the side of it, your full name printed in black.

It was you.

These were your things, these shirts you've worn, the CDs you've listened to, the wallet you used in your day-to-day life, but he kept his eyes on the I.D.

Vash stared at your photo, the features you've described to him once were in his hands, proof of your existence.

He couldn't hold it anymore, how could he? Silent tears ran down his face as the small giggles he let out, turned into full on laughter.

He laughed and laughed whilst holding the I.D close to his heart.

You didn't purposely leave him.

You hadn’t meant to.

The same gracious laughter morphed into sobs as he grabbed everything he had taken out of the box, and enveloped them tightly into his arms.

This was the first time he was able to physically feel you, even if you weren't there yourself. He wished the smell of the favorite perfume you had gotten one day had still lingered onto your shirts, he wished he could've shared and listened to your favorite music alongside you. And he wished you were beside him, looking through all these things with him. He wanted to hear you reminsce your past and your present again.

Oh he wished.

Vash spent hours at the old ladies' home, looking and observing every single one of your belongings. There were some he remembered you talking to him about, and others he didn't recognize.

But it was time for him to leave and Vash knew it.

Looking up at the sky outside, he softly smiled, caressing the small compartment he had your I.D pocketed in.

"C'mon needle-noggin. Time to get your ass moving!" Wolfwood shouted ahead of him.

Letting out a large exhale, Vash muttered out a few words before running to catch up with the priest "Wait up!"

Behind him, two objects were left behind in the sand, placed neatly besides a metal nameplate.

The two red cherry rotary phones glistened in the sun, one filled with stickers and the other covered in dirt and scuff marks as your name plate, that had been cleaned of any dirt or scratches, continued to sit in peace as the windy breeze passed on by.

"I'll live on. For the both of us."

[merp-blerp]

Some Tincrow Moments From The Wiz Production I Just Saw While It’s Fresh In My Mind

Note: I had never seen the stage version of The Wiz before last night, so I could be missing things and points. Also, my memory might be just a bit fuzzy on exact details, but I know this stuff mention did indeed happen at some point.

Avery Wilson was Scarecrow and Phillip Johnson Richardson was Tinman. They absolutely killed it. Everyone did. I’m going to need a cast album and pro-shot please!

Scarecrow is a dance God once they get him off the poll in time for “You Can’t Win”. Why they kept Michael Jackson on a damn poll in the movie despite the fact that his dance moves would've been really cool for Scarecrow, I’ll never know.

This is the first direct Oz retelling I’ve seen to give Scarecrow a human backstory (Wicked is more of/better off seen as it’s own thing in my opinion). He was once a scientist who got his brain taken by one of the witches and turned into a Scarecrow. I don’t remember if it’s mentioned if he had a family in this show—it might’ve not been—but if he did I guess he would’ve completely forgotten because he “has no brain”. And I might be wrong, but I think it was mentioned he had a name too, but if so I don’t remember it. I find that interesting and fun to play with, especially if one would be able to compare and contrast that with Nick Chopper’s backstory (and/or whatever the Tinman’s name might be in this version of Oz; guy collects names like candy). I would have to see The Wiz again in order to do that myself, but you know, I like the idea.

Tinman’s backstory is slightly different. He was too gay and sassy for his own good, saying one of the witches was a “rusty” singer, causing her to turn him from a lumberjack into a “heartless” Tinman who gradually lost almost all of his memories outside of the mere fact that he once had a family due to this curse. He thinks he doesn’t have a heart because he can’t remember the ones he loved, just that he used to. Nimmie Amee isn’t a part of his story in this show. That’s about as tragic as the backstory Baum gave him, if not worse.

Give me an angst with a happy ending AU where Tinman and Scarecrow knew each other as humans but both forgot due to their curses, only to rediscover each other through their found families. Imagine Scarecrow having Nimmie Amee’s original role in a way—noooo—

Scarecrow mimicking Tinman’s rusty dance moves while they oil him (he mimicked a lot of people throughout the show—Dorothy, the wizard’s announcers calling his name, maybe etc., so I guess it was just his cute little thing).

When Dorothy’s trying to convince the gang to bring Lion along Tinman says “Are you sure? We already have to bring Captain Brainless?” (or something a lot like that, I'm paraphrasing), thinking they had too many already as if his husband wasn't first in line on the journey before him, only for Scarecrow to say, “I’m captain?!?!” *Insert cute happy head waggles* (Hits different when you know Scarecrow becomes the ruler of Oz after the first book till Ozma’s found, but his leadership wasn't mentioned in The Wiz so maybe that's not on purpose) I adore Avery Wilson’s take on Scarecrow. Tinman has always been my favorite of Dorothy’s friends if I had to pick one, but Wilson’s performance really made Scarecrow stand out even more than usual. I don’t know if I can explain it, it might just have to be seen; pray there’s a slime tutorial out there.

Lion’s kinda gay too, but in solo. And I know Ozma’s not here, so there’s not really any evidence for Dorothy’s queerness… but she is—I can feel it in my lesbian soul, okay!?!?

All of Dorothy’s friends not only want their gifts, but don't see the point in their existences without them. It made me sad for them.

I don’t know where to mention it, but Toto’s not in this show at all—poor guy. EDIT: I just learned that in the original production, Toto was played by a white dog as a joke that there was an all-black cast as opposed to him traditionally being a black/brown dog with a white cast. That is hilarious—why didn't they recreate that???

Tincrow’s only straight-feeling moment is with them both being distracted by the poppies (which caught me off guard in this show because traditionally Scarecrow and Tinman are the only ones not affected by the poppies because they’re not flesh and blood like Dorothy, Lion, and Toto; in this Dorothy was the one to break everyone free from them. I’ve been trying to understand the purpose of this change. Maybe to give Dorothy a bit more agency). The poppies were these sensual flower ladies trying to convince the gang to be lazy, which on it’s own is a fun twist on the flowers that put Dorothy and Lion to sleep. But hey, maybe that makes it not straight, just lazy. I'm all for Bi4Bi Tincrow too.

After the Kalidahs attack they comfort and hype each other and Dorothy up (Dorothy’s their sapphic adopted daughter, in this essay, I will—).

I forget when exactly this happens, maybe during the Kalidahs scene, but at one point they casually cling to each other's arms for no(?) reason. They just met and they’re already married.

Scarecrow backup-singing a little before everyone else joins Tinman during “What Would I Do If I Could Feel” (at least at my showing, I don’t know if this is a regular occurrence as a part of the show or just something that happened to happen at mine).

Making fun of the Wicked Witch together, calling her smelly, and having Lion join in. Bros, that’s what got you in trouble to begin with—messing with a dang witch!

Interestingly, the idea of Dorothy’s friends having they’re gifts all along isn’t here. Instead, it’s implied that after they kill the last wicked witch the curse is mostly lifted, with Tincrow’s gifts returning to them, but they stay a scarecrow and tin-man for some reason. I like to think they still had them all along though, that idea’s too cute and sweet for me to let go of.

The last time we see them they leave the stage together, Lion going ahead of them to reunite with his mom. I can’t explain why this feels important to me. I guess because usually characters exit the stage individually as like a goodbye queue to the audience, knowing that that last step off the stage will detemand the last impression of the characters. So the fact that the last impression of both of them is them together feels special. Or maybe it’s just me.

They both had such sassy black queer vibes the whole time. The show itself already has such sass, but both of them, Scarecrow especially, were oozing it in different fonts. They were giving off bear x twink—or maybe otter couple vibes.

Gay or not, The Wiz is so great! I recommend it so much!

[mushroom-for-art]

The first crackship child, Imp and @phlurrii 's Circe makes, Nymph!

First art piece using Sai and a Wacom drawing tablet rather than my usual method and! I think she looks really good!!

She was originally gonna have green stripes on her arms like her momma Circe but as I couldn't make a nice green to go with the dark pink that was already established (based on Imps arm patterns) I just left them pink but I imagine as an adult she would get greener markings in those stripes and the shoulder stripes because adult mew patterns go brrr. Same for her legs I imagine she'd get more green stripes to go with, her leg patterns are based off Circes stripes and Imps spots with the patterns becoming completed spots going up the leg cause I thought it was good

Same for her second neck rather than a strip down the middle of green she's got stripes because of Imps striped neck and the spaces in between will probably grow in green patterns as well, her nose will probably become fully green too or just get more texture depth

Beans and heart bean because Im not immune to heart pattern and also Imp had heart patterns on her knees so had to squeeze in a heart so double beans

Her ear horn fluff is more pointed like how Imp has her little horn points so she's got more exaggerated fluff points and probably horn points in her horn cartilage/bone whichever

Both her mama have blue eyes so she inherited that she also got paler arms from great grandmeau and grandma mew. Big ol fluffy face in phlurri style because fluffy babyyy

She takes a lot after Circe physically because (Circe has the better reference of expressed features) Circes mew genes probably merge with and amplify Imps mew genes making them more phlurri world leaning in design than my world leaning

Also a shiny baby! Mainly because I probably couldn't mix Imps purple and Circes green into a nice color and I think her fluff works better with green plus she looks so minty! Like a little mint! Very cute to me with a darker tail tip like mama Imp rather than light like Circe

Her tail spots were originally purple like Imps and as much as I liked it and thought it was cool I had to accept that I couldn't force purple into the pallete, so I shifted and altered it to this green and then lowered the opacity, I suppose it'd make them like great uncle Flurry? Spots gang

I headcanon she's actually got quite a thin tail that's just incredibly fluffy, since Imp has a thinner tail reminiscent of a mew but it's definitely all muscle don't wanna get hit by it.

She'll either grow more visible chest shoulders as she grows or because of the way Imps cloned mew dna and Circes altered mew dna interact her shoulders remain quite fuzzy without a hard covering with just a thicker chest/half chestplate. Yes I just kinda forgor it oops

I'm noticing parts I missed when cleaning up if you notice no you didn't

I will admit I did struggle with this as Imp doesn't have many traits to mix, had I been clever (which im not) I definitely would've played into Imp having fairy dna and given Nymph features from that fairy line but I don't actually know where Imp gets her fairy dna from or if its enough to really express properly she just had parts here and there added to make her more docile so it unfortunately isn't enough to use in clever design.

She's called Nymph because the idea in my head was definitely more greens and pinks and what's green and pink? A flowering tree, Circes name is associated with magic, magic tree? Nymph. Plus a Nymph is a baby insect and Imp would probably call her Nymph with the expectation that when they're older they'll shed their baby name and pick a new one for themselves cause Imp definitely has weird mixed feelings on her own name. I think I'm also pulling from the concept of Elves having baby names until they're adults.

I love her very much your honor, there was gonna be other art of Imp and Circe holding Nymph while holding hands but the art spoons are gone and i feel guilty enough making everyone wait so long for these lmao, (tho I kinda wanna write a drabble for them we'll see)

[braxien12]

ShuYuka - SITS AU

Finished : 08/28/2022 Words: 2,081 It was originally a band AU but this works too.

Yukari's meticulously cared for hair was in danger of being pulled out strain by strain.

S.E.E.S's fans have been waiting a long time for their new album. It's been in the works for months now and is only one song from being finished.

It's just that Yukari has no idea what to write!

Of all the songs, this one has been the one asked for the most. Soul Phrase: a song about the death of a loved one and the promise of moving on and forward even though they're gone, was a huge hit with their fans.

For the final song of the album, the band wanted to accommodate the fans. For the finale, they wanted to give The Answer: the reply from the departed about the loved one's new found resolve.

But the answer just wouldn't come. She was drawing a complete blank for the song, which made no sense. Mostly every member of S.E.E.S has had to deal with death. She's definitely no exception. She should be able to come up with this.

She's tried everything: hot tea, took a few breaks, even moved around the apartment for a different atmosphere. This was her third move and though the recording room had excellent acoustics, it was super cold.

A low rumbling sound echoed around the room.

Scratch that. Screw the acoustics. She was just starting to get the hang of ignoring her stomach too.

"Maybe I should've gone out for sushi with them after all," Yukari huffed. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her aching eyes. They were starting to cross from staring so intently at a blank sheet of paper for so long. A shiver racked her. She quickly rubbed her bare arms. They were cold to the touch, Maybe a tank top and shorts wasn't the best choice of clothing for an empty recording studio.

"You should've. Would've made it more interesting." She jumped at the sudden voice. Something was draped over her shoulders next.

Minato dropped himself in the chair next to her, his leg thrown over the other and his torso too bare for the weather conditions happening outside. She now knew what was draped over her shoulders: Minato's peacoat.

"You're back."

"Mmhmm. Made any progress on the song?" He nodded his head towards the small notebook nestled in her lap.

"Absolutely zero. It's so frustrating!" She huddled up in her seat, bringing her knees to her chest while being careful with her notebook. She still side-eyed him. He always made it a habit to catch her off guard. "And why do you always have to sneak up on me like that?"

He gave a ghost of a smile. "Your reactions are cute."

This bastard.

"What about using personal experience? What about that video your father left you."

Before her father passed away, he had left her a video recording. It had taken her so long to find it. But after she found it, she felt relieved and sad. Relieved that she now knew how her dad felt about her and didn't want to leave her, and sad because she wanted so badly to tell him she loved him too.

"That's different. Soul Phrase is more of a message towards a friend or a lover. Quoting dad's message wouldn't fit it."

"So what you're saying is that you can't write it... because you haven't experienced it before."

"W-Well, yeah. More or less I guess." She blushed. It was an embarrassing topic for her.

Her stomach rumbled low again in the quiet room of excellent acoustics. Her blush deepened. Maybe this was her stomach getting revenge for ignoring it all this time.

"Come on." Next thing she knew he was pulling her chair back and pulling her out of the chair by her arm and leading her towards the door.

"W-Wait! Where are we going?"

"Octopia's. You might want to get changed first. It's cold outside."

"How can you eat that much takoyaki after coming back from sushi with everyone?" Yukari asked him as she watched him pop a whole takoyaki into his mouth. She'll never understand how Minato's able to pack so much away. Maybe it's true he has a bottomless stomach.

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's a gift."

"More like a curse. I don't know how being hungry 24/7 can be a gift. I also don't see how this is supposed to help me with the lyrics," Yukari said before taking a bite of one of her takoyakis.

"Who said this was for the lyrics?"

"Wha-! Minato!"

"Your stomach isn't complaining." He shoved another ball of takoyaki into his mouth.

"Minato! I need to get these lyrics finished by tonight! I can't just spend the rest of the day walking around the station eating takoyaki like- hmpf!" Her rant was stopped by the rest of her takoyaki being popped into her mouth.

Did he just-

"Takeba-chan, trust me." He dropped the toothpick back into the tray. His hand came back towards her face. He swiped the pad of his thumb across the corner of her lips, the callus scratching pleasantly against her skin. The close proximity made her cheeks feel hot.

It was no secret that Minato was attractive. The man himself had a plethora of fan clubs himself as the lead guitarist and lead singer. Many would've paid an arm and a leg just to spend one night with him.

But Minato brushed them all off. The love letters and emails, the gifts, the blatant flirting(that one really worked on her nerves). He ignored them all. With his normally quiet and aloof personality, no one really took offense to it either. In fact they loved him all the more for it, thinking it cute and so cool of him.

There were some that protested though. Junpei couldn't believe his gall, mostly because he wishes he could have fangirls like that too. Mitsuru worried that his aloofness would ruin his image and urged him to at least answer a few emails. Akihiko didn't see the problem since he himself throws away his love letters and gifts too (unless it's protein). Mitsuru seemed to protest less when she discovered this knowledge.

If it was one thing the females of S.E.E.S could say, they could definitely trust their men.

She was brought back out of her thoughts when he pulled his thumb away. Her mind imploded when he brought his thumb to his mouth.

"Eat your takoyaki and follow me."

They left Iwatodai Station and they set off, dumping their trays before they left the strip mall. The further they walked the more and more familiar the path became.

Naganaki Shrine is still as peaceful as it is in the day. It seems to have a different atmosphere with the shift of time. The sun was starting to set, and even though the shrine was usually empty, the setting sun gave it a more ethereal feel.

"We made it in time." Minato wasn't looking at the shrine.

"Huh?" Minato grabbed her hand and raised their hands together, he pointed. Yukari followed the way he was pointing and jaw dropped.

Long ago when she used to write small skits and lyrics in her Hello Kitty notebook, her mother told her of a wonderful source of inspiration - a special moment that happens only twice a day - that only a few are able to catch. She called it The Golden Hour: a time of day that made everything look absolutely beautiful. The newly bloomed cherry blossoms were no exception. A soft wind coursed through, carrying the petals in the breeze.

"It's beautiful." She was breathless.

"When I saw this, you were the first person I wanted to share this with."

She hasn't a clue why that made her cheeks darken in color. He could've just meant he wanted to share it with her as friends.

"Well, I'm glad you had me in mind. It's beautiful."

"When I was little, my parents would come here every spring together." Yukari was shocked at the explanation. Minato has never talked about his parents and she didn't make him; she knows how hard it is to talk about past traumas, so she listened intently. She could tell this was important. "My mom used to love gazing up at the branches while the petals fell down around her. She would make it a game to catch as many in her hands as she could carry, and when she was done my father would kindly walk up behind her and pluck the cherry blossom petals from her hair and kiss her on the cheek."

"That's sweet. They sounded very much in love."

"They were. Even though my memories of them are hazy, I still know that they were each other's whole worlds."

There was a silence between them. They just stood there and enjoyed the view, but the longer they stood there, the antsier Yukari became. She wasn't kidding when she said she really needed to get back to finish the song. She would also hate to sit through Ikutsuki's terrible dad puns for too long.

"This is beautiful and all Minato, but I really have to get back to writing the lyrics..."

"Takeba-chan, I can't say that I know what it feels like to lose a close friend or a lover, but I'd like to think that I'd know what I'd say to them if I died." He joined their hands together down by their sides. His skin was warm against hers. Her heart was skipping beats, but why was he doing this? Did he know about her feelings for him? Was he doing this just to humiliate and turn her down later? No. Minato wasn't like that.

"I know that I wouldn't want to worry about me, to move on, and know that I loved them dearly. With everything I am and everything I had." Her breath thinned as she listened to his words and completely left her when he turned to look at her with such deep meaning and emotions in his eyes that her eyes were tearing up to reflect them. He brought their joined hands up and he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her forehead and slid down to cup her cheeks. He stepped closer, even closer than they already are, until their breaths mingled.

He leaned in. Or she did. Neither of them knows.

He tasted sweet. She could still taste the remnants of the takoyaki and she's pretty sure he can taste it on hers too. This kiss was sweet, no heat or other intentions, just the gentle brushing and soft pushing of lips meeting in the middle; enough to reciprocate. He pulled away, and the resulting smile absolutely took her breath away.

"I hope this helped you, Yukari-chan." He leaned in again - like her heart wasn't beating fast enough already - pecking her lips again and pulling away before she could kiss him back. He already can't get enough.

Sure enough. She's pretty sure she's found her inspiration.

Even from backstage the fans' screams could be heard loud and clear as S.E.E.S finished their third song of the night. Their loud cheers chased the band backstage. Minato ran straight to Yukari. He was slightly sweaty from his long performance.

"The fans loved it. Good job, Yukari-chan."

"What are you thanking me for? I wouldn't have come up with anything if it wasn't for you."

He shook his head, "Not true. You just needed the motivation."

"Listen to that crowd calling our names!" Junpei reveled in the applause. He was practically jumping on his toes to get back out there. "They're asking for an encore. Come on, Minato!"

Junpei ran out first with the others behind him, Mitsuru fondly rolling her eyes at the guitarist's eagerness. Minato hesitated to follow them.

"Go on ahead. They're calling for you. I'll be right here."

He still hesitated, looking between her and his teammates. Seemly making up his mind, he turned back towards her. "What do you say after this we go to the Paulownia Mall tomorrow? They just opened up a new store, I heard."

"That new cosmetics store? Sure." She needed to pick up a new skin treatment anyway. It'd be more fun if Minato went with her too.

He smiled, "Then it's a date."

Then he leaned down and blew her mind again.

She could distantly hear an off-key guitar chord.

[jesswritesthat]

Oikawa Tōru: Abnormality (Part 3)

Fandom: Haikyuu!! — [ Masterlist ]

Summary: A slow-ish burn

• Argentina and Japan are a world apart, but they say love can travel vast distances - as can planes. Although, they also say timing is everything.

Warnings: Cursing, suggestive themes

A/N: Sorry it took a while! One part left! Open to comments and suggestions ofc as your ideas are amazing so please enjoy 💕

|  Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |

>>>>——————————>

Of all the people from his past, the last person Oikawa would've thought to stumble across was Hinata Shōyō playing beach volleyball in Rio of all places - although with that head of fiery ginger, it was hard to miss him.

Naturally, he treated the vibrant Decoy to dinner that evening, although Oikawa hadn't expected to delve into the most emotionally tethered memories he had buried away when he'd proposed it.

"Suga-san is a teacher now and he has a really cool girlfriend!"

"Mr.Refreshing has a partner huh? How cute~" Oikawa mindlessly nodded along with the excited decoys' chatter, listening but remaining somewhat uninterested with the topic for now.

"Well they both gave me nuggies when I asked that - so I think they're just friends, but before I left (L/n)-san taught me a bit of Spanish!"

Breath lodging in his throat, words dissipating on his dry tongue and heartbeat stammering like it'd stopped - much like the rest of his body whilst his mind raced a mile a minute.

It'd been a long time since he'd heard your name without asking for it. Even more bitterly humourous being the fact he instinctively hovered over your contact details whenever he'd hit a low, internally chastising himself before flicking to Iwas' conversation instead. As such, a deep chill settled his very bones and left an irritating crawling sensation across his tanned skin that he couldn't seem to escape.

"(L/n)? You - you mean (L/n) (Y/n)?" It felt sparce on his lips yet constant in his mind, Hinata displayed a wave of positive recognition however, which only sickened the setter more.

"Yeah! You know them too?!"

Knew you? That felt like foreign terminology, simply 'knowing' you wasn't a sufficient label for your complicated relationship - it had been far more than that, he'd hated you, liked you, annoyed you, loved you... kissed you...

It pains him to admit that he thinks about his final night in Japan semi regularly, specifically  the one and only kiss you'd ever shared, always comparing others to it like a golden standard. It wasn't his first and certainly not his last, but part of him wished you would be. His last that is. It was the most in love he'd ever been, even further frustrating the fact he hadn't acted on it. Not once had you ever become his.

That was regret he supposed, leaving him with tantalisingly lingering 'what ifs'?' of what could've been. Those complicated and raw emotions had translated into the kiss itself and no matter how hard he tried, he could never forget what you tasted like.

Yet, for the sake of his 'worthless pride'...

"Not really, we went to Seijoh together nothing more~" With a wave of his hand he'd dismissed the subject, ignoring the searing burns in his chest but unlike most, (oblivious) Hinata happily moved on with the topic.

"Nevermind then, anyway Daichi is a junior officer and—"

"No! I mean…" Oikawa winced at the desperation in his voice and clenched his jaw in thought, originally hoping Hinata would at least divulge trivial details about you without prompting, so the fact he skipped over it left the Setter hesitantly displaying vulnerability. "Ho-how is (Y/n)-chan doing?"

"Huh? Oh so you were close. They're an Art and Spanish teacher at the same school as Suga now. They're really awesome and pretty too..."

Again, the Decoy had stated the obvious. There were many compelling reasons why Oikawa was so drawn to you, even if your interactions had mainly revolved around snide comments and savagery - so much so that his fangirls weren't even threatened by you.

Though, he suspected even they'd noticed the evolution of his feelings over time, how his considerate actions blatantly mocked the contrastingly venomous words he'd spit.

Not that you were much better, but that's why it was so addicting with both of you understanding one another enough to be there when it truly counted. It might be time to pay his homeland a visit.

"Wanna play a game of beach volleyball Oikawa-san?"

"Sure Shrimp~"

———

Japan. It didn't feel like home anymore, as harsh as that sounded, he'd withhold that statement when visiting his family though. Before they could sit down for a traditional home cooked meal that evening, Oikawa had unresolved business that'd brought him to one particular Elementary School.

"Hey! Mr.Refreshing! Is (L/n) around?"

"Oikawa? Long time! (L/n)-Sensei actually left two days ago, the last available flight they could get was today - apparently the cause was important enough to miss work for." The silver haired teacher informed, a sheepish grin on his lips.

"So (Y/n)-chan isn't even in the country..." No wonder it didn't feel like home. Just then the brunettes phone buzzed with an all-too-taunting witch emoji on display. "Speak of the devil."

[ (Y/n)-chan 🧙🏻‍♀️: Recognise this? *image attached* ]

Scanning over the photo below your message, a small smirk ghosted his features as he typed a reply.

[ Oikawa-chan: The San Juan International Airport, my knowledge is superior~ ]

There was a cocky air to his posture at first, it was only alongside the sympathetic look of Sugawara did realisation hit him, already calling your mobile with a dangerously rapid fidgeting of fingers through his tousled strands.

There wasn't time for you greet him, desperate question fired the second you'd accepted the call.

"Don't tell me you're in Argentina?!"

"Yes! I was hoping to see you whilst I'm here for the week. Whaddya say?" Your voice was upsettingly gleeful compared to his urgent one.

"I'm in Japan! I wanted to see you whilst I was visiting!"

"How... How long Tō—" You swallowed deeply, biting your lip with a wince as the last time you'd called him 'Tōru' flashed by - you corrected yourself. "Oikawa-chan?"

"A week, like you. Fuck, why is it always like this?! Why can we never—"

You didn't want him to finish, it'd make it painfully real all over again and like him, you would rather avoid that familiar heartache.

"It's fine, right place wrong time. Seeing you in person would give me nightmares~"

It was never right. High School in Japan was the wrong time (especially with Oikawa leaving), yet you couldn't deny the perfect place of it - now you suffered the opposite dilemma.

Meanwhile, with stagnant silence on the other end of the line, you now stood outside the San Juan Volleyball Club building with shoulders slumping in disappointment. Definitely not expecting an uncertain callout.

"(Y/n)...?" The only person you knew in this area of Argentina was currently in Japan afterall...

"Um (L/n)! My apologies, in Japanaese it's (L/n) first, I forgot..."

The Spanish speaker instantly corrected themselves, approaching you with mild apologetic hesitance since you were mid-call which prompted you to abruptly end it due to sudden realisation.

"No way, hi— Uh I gotta go, enjoy Miyagi and talk soon." Before Oikawa could refute, you'd hung up (probably for the best in reluctant honesty).

Sugawara watched Oikawa pull the phone from his ear in frustration —a hint of worry lacing his irises too due to the mysterious voice he’d heard— scowling at the now blank screen prior to Sugas' interruption.

"Don’t worry Oikawa, I’ve learned that (Y/n) always finds a way."

———

Argentina was, in its’ entirety, a successful trip and now you'd arrived home with suitcase contents strewn across your lounge floor.

That's when the thumping of the door interrupted you, Hanamaki knew you were back this afternoon so you assumed it was him when you reluctantly answered.

"Takahiro if you've lost your key again I am going to murde- it's you..."

"It is... does that um..." The gorgeous brunette looked away, preventing you from seeing the sudden emotion crashing down on him causing the stammering hesitation. "Does that disappoint you?"

The silence was palpable, arms landing on your hips with a sympathetic smile.

"You could never disappoint me, dumbass."

There was a spark in his hazel irises, electrifying them with amusement the second he’d snapped his gaze back to you. A coinciding 24 hours in the same country, and already he decided he’d miss you when he left tomorrow.

"So rude (Y/n)-chan!"

"Don’t call me that!”

Entering the apartment, the Setter felt somewhat displaced as he refused to overstep any of your boundaries. He didn't even know what they were anymore. When he was here with Takahiro days ago, he was comfortable and made himself at home, but with you, he couldn't risk liberties. It was stupid he knew, he also knew you wouldn't care yet still...

"Sooo… Where's Hanamaki?"

"It's a Friday night, he's most likely got himself a one night stand." You laughed in return, preparing the athlete a tea before resuming your chore with Oikawa cautiously sitting opposite.

"Can I help?"

"Uh yeah sure, that's the wash pile."

It was weird, sitting on your apartment floor and organising your recently unpacked suitcase into coordinated piles with Oikawas’ witty commentary of all things.

When you'd pictured being reunited with him, not once had a scenario remotely similar to this come to mind. You supposed it was fitting, neither of you would know how to act without the distraction.

"Oho? These are a little scandalous for you (Y/n)-chan." The much more at eased Pro Player smirked, lacy panties hung teasingly on his index as evidence.

"I didn't know who I might've met okay! It's good to be prepared - clean pile!" You lurched for them, Oikawa manoeuvring them from your reach and leaned forward instead, voice seductively low.

"Were they for me?"

"I don't think they’re your colour, but you're welcome to try Oikawa-chan."

"Ouch! For your information, every colour suits me." He’d tossed them to the side, palm dramatically placed over his heart in feigned offence. The man had matured but he remained the same, and you couldn’t subdue the nostalgic smile and wit flowing from you.

"Ah yes, you'd look very pretty in lace too Oikawa."

"I would~"

Again it was a comfortable silence, the two of you getting through your belongings before you chose to break it.

“Are you staying the night?”

“What?”

“I assumed Takahiro invited you?”

“Ah, no I came to see him but you came home earlier than expected. Is that really okay - if I stay I mean…”

“Don’t see why not, you can take Hiros’ room and he can have the couch if he comes home. Do you need to grab anything from your family?”

“Right, I’ll be back in an hour!”

That night he returned with not only his bags but an additional food shop too - ingredients for dinner he’d told you, a flavourful recipe he’d picked up whilst living abroad and credit to him, he’d become quite the amateur chef.

You’d danced around the kitchen with music and laughter infusing the atmosphere, tonight you weren’t enemies, evident by how touches travelled too easily, even if the sarcasm accompanying them held savagery late into the evening.

Only when the stars began to paint the noir canvas did you find him leaning against the window, absentminded smile directed at the fractions of light until you stood beside him.

"Do you believe in aliens?" It was unexpected, and solemn, a deeper meaning likely imbedding his question.

"What?"

"I just, I don't think I ever asked you back in High School, so..."

"Yeah definitely, I'm pretty sure I met one."

"What?! For real? Where?" The natural excited curiosity was adorable, but the way your expectant gaze looked him and and down left it immediately morphing to a pout.

"You're still so mean (Y/n)-chan!"

"You picked a witch emoji for a reason, didn't you?" A raised brow was directed at the Setter who return his gaze to the sky wearing a look of contemplation.

"It wasn't because of that."

"Really?" There was a hint of surprise underpinned your words, Oikawa tilting his head toward you now wearing a gentle smirk.

"Mm, it's because I felt like you cast a spell on me and it was the worst emoji I could find without being sentimental - since we were archenemies y'know?"

"Am I allowed to ask why you thought that?"

"Probably not, but we've never done things normally. I couldn't stop thinking about you after we first met, you were mean, and it was refreshing to have that playful friendship with someone who wasn't crushing on me." A nonchalant shrug emphasised his point, the two of you wearing reminiscent smiles now.

"Yeah, you made it so easy to rattle you and maybe we disliked each other at first, until we didn't."

"Until we didn't." Oikawa reiterated, pausing for a moment and spoke with purpose. "What changed with you?"

"I got to know you, the real you, outside of the false smiles and charm used on your fans. I realised you were so dedicated and hardworking, and you truly cared about people in your life - and part of me, maybe, liked the thought of being one of those people."

You directed your attention toward the sky as you finished, part of it to mask your embarrassment due to your honesty. Especially when you could feel the weight of his grateful gaze on your figure.

Did you know how beautiful you were bathed in the light of the stars? He’d selfishly hoped he’d be considered one, for you always seemed to shine with him, did you view him as favourably? It was torture, withholding abnormalities he’d never find the answer to. It’d be pointless asking you to go with him again, you had a life here now, so it was better -as it always had been- to stick to your routine.

"And yet you were still snarky!" Firstly offended, then childish in its delivery, one you were quick to mirror when you shot to him incredulously.

"You kept calling me (Y/n)-chan, what did you expect?!"

Fiery irises met again, looking deep into each other until soft smiles disgraces your glares due to sheer familiarity of your combined antics. You hadn’t changed much after all.

"If I wasn't going home... you know I'd—" Oikawa delicately started, fingers slipping to your jaw only pausing when when your own laced onto his wrist.

"Don't."

"(Y/n)... if I kissed you again, I wouldn't be able to stop." It was the first time he hadn’t added ‘-chan’, the significance hurting more than you’d realise in the moment.

"So don't. We made that mistake years ago, we've grown up since then, we didn't know what it meant." You’d winced, this was a conversation you never wanted to have because it was a double-edged sword, crafted to damage you both just like being stabbed in the heart. Evident in the broken tone of Tōru, retracting his hand like you’d burnt him.

"You don't think it meant anything?"

"I never said that Tōru."

Tense silence overtook the atmosphere, the two of you resting on your arms side by side on the window frame, staring at the trailing lights of Miyagi rather than each other. For how long you didn’t know, but it felt right, like a weight had been lifted. It was hidden in the recent discussion, a confession without a confession, you understood each other.

"It's good that we had this conversation, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it was..."

———

The next morning you’d awoken to classic dispute, Hanamaki apparently home and equipped with contagious energy.

"So do you think in Japanese or Spanish?"

"Bold of you to assume Tōru thinks..." Came your playful chuckle upon entering the kitchen, there was a hesitant pause though.

Makki curious upon hearing you speak his Captains’ first name, whilst the owner flicked to you with mutual understanding, like a balance had been acquired.

"Hey?! I think about you (Y/n)-chan!"

A gag sound escaped you, Oikawa sticking his tongue out whilst Takahiro dangled those - the item he’d found when he’d returned earlier.

"Missing something roomie?"

Hastily you snatched the panties with haunting realisation, venom coating your aggravated tone once you’d shoved them away.

"What is it with Seijoh boys and having the audacity to pick up my underwear?!"

"If it's any consolation, I don't think Iwa-chan would have the balls to do it." Oikawa proudly observed, hands on his hips as if victorious. Until your crafty retort that is.

"Then he has more balls than you give him credit for~"

"Yeah that- wait— has he touched your underwear? Were you still in it?! (L/n) this isn't—"

"Calm down, of course he hasn't - but you should see your face Oikawa."

"Judging by that, it seems like I wasn't the only one getting some action last night huh?" The mischievous lilt of your flatmate sung, enjoying the mild jealously decorating his former Captain.

"Hiro! We didn't sleep together!"

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?! You can't just ask that!" You replied again, disbelief painfully clear with your body language.

"The conditions were perfect? Long lost ‘friends’ alone in an apartment, a final night together before they separate again. It was literally an ideal reason to have sex." The strawberry blonde highlighted, leaning on his palm far too calmly considering his chosen topic.

"...the way you say that, makes it sound like you planned it Takahiro."

"I uh, I should g—" His phone sprang to life and he was reactive to answer whilst dodging the pillow thrown at him, words rushed as he scrambled out the door. "Mattsun not now— they figured it out!"

"See, if he'd have lit some scented candles, maybe I would've thought about it." Came your resigning sigh, arms folded with a bemused smile.

"Wait, you didn't?"

"You did?"

"Pfft haha, no." Oikawa turned away with an obnoxious noise and hand dismissively waving you off.

"Whatever, I'll drop you at the airport."

"Aww (Y/n)-chan~ You miss me already?"

"Not even in your worst nightmares Crappykawa."

———

Lazily and dramatically, with the back of his hand placed against his forehead like a damsel in distress - Oikawa requested you help with his luggage. Even though he was perfectly capable of doing so himself.

It lead you to the departure gates alongside him, the two of you simultaneously stopping and looking up to his flight listed on the screen.

Easily, like flowing water you released sentimental laughs, forcefully pulling one another into a longing embrace with shared whispers of 'I will miss you.' and 'You're so beautifully annoying.' muttered into heated skin and hoping they'd last like intricate tattoos. Both pain and beauty lacing them.

Undoubtly it lasted too long to be platonic, too tight to be loveless, and if you asked the aweing onlookers, they'd say ancient souls had finally found each other after years of yearning. This wasn't such a tale though, this was hello and goodbye all in one so it was no surprise that you suffered yet again.

Sendai Airport. The final call for his flight echoed in the area, once more there was a time limit, what were you supposed to do that'd possibly covey your feelings to him?

Smile?

Cry?

Both?

You pulled away, eyes glassy and still Oikawa tried to smile for you, thumb gently wiping the sole tear that'd managed to break your usually strong wall. Then came a familiar burning, like fire ravaging your heart, then veins, travelling like scorching blood throughout your entire system.

You felt hot, victim to golden rays of sun that emitted only from the glow of Oikawa Tōru, he still tasted the same when he kissed you - like a smouldering honeyed blaze.

"What? Am I supposed to just kiss you for the next 20 seconds then?" It was mildly sarcastic, underpinning astonshiment that he'd been so candid with his wishes but his assertive reply silenced you.

"18."

"Wh—"

This time it was more passionate than the last, an unfulfilled need behind the way he'd kissed you, smiling into your lips when you'd eagerly reciprocated and then switching angle. A firm grip held you close to him, assuring you he wouldn't let you again, desperate groan of satisfaction delivered to your mouth and you couldn't help but gasp in return as your fingers entangled into silky strands that felt just as they had years ago.

You weren't supposed to be doing this, both of you knew that.

A gentle bite to your lower lip signified he'd parted, palms easing to your waist and foreheads meeting whilst your hands moved to his chest feeling the rapid pulsations of his heart through his cotton t-shirt.

"Just because we can't be together doesn't mean I'll stop loving you." The genuine meaningful sentiment of Oikawas' emotion-filled tone was enough to melt you if your mind wasn’t already wiped from that kiss. Like he’d said, it was hard to stop and he’d left a final chasté kiss as goodbye.

Then the terminology registered, snapping you from the pure bliss of the moment as you met him with a startled gaze - one he could only raise a concerned brow at since you'd moved so abruptly.

"You lo- you can't just—" There was distance now, no longer tethered together by physical touch and you had no idea what you could say to him, and in honesty he didn't either.

"(Y/n)-ch—" A pause, expression furrowing only for a millisecond as he breathed out your name, and following came his charming grin and peace sign. "(Y/n), see ya!"

Finally he'd done as you wanted, so why did it hurt so much? That annoying '-chan' being absent -“You secretly love it.” Was he right all those years ago?- suddenly made you feel indescribably sick. Just like it did last night too…

"Tch... later dumbass, don't crack any mirrors on the plane." A hopeless but loving look overcame his handsome features, one you likely reflected as he nodded to you with a proud smile. Though, the sunlight bouncing off of the droplets shaking beneath his irises sparkled brightly - it gave you hope, a flicker of fire sparking a glinting smirk dancing on your lips.

“You’ll see me sooner than you think, Tōru.”

<——————————<<<<

|  Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |

[ Masterlist ]

[antiyourwokehomophobia2]

So remember how I asked y'all if you'd like to read some of my writing? Well, I got a cute one-shot idea two nights ago and I just finished it so here you go. It turned out longer than I anticipated but if you want a cute and angsty lesbian story that hits close to home for a lot of us, click "read more"! I hope you enjoy!

Acceptance

Ally couldn't believe she had gotten herself into this situation. What kind of fucking luck did she have to be trapped in a room with her? They had been trapped together for about 30 minutes now but Ally was just now sneaking her first glance towards Bree. The other woman sat with her back against the wall and and her face leaned towards the ceiling; her eyes were closed and she would've looked peaceful if it wasn't for the fact that her hands were clasped so tight that even though Ally was on the other side of the room, she could see the strained skin. It was odd for Bree to be anything other than completely happy so this sight made Ally even more agitated than she already was.

She was trying not to let her own discomfort show but she knew why Bree was stressed and it was stressing her out too and seeing Bree stressed was adding to that stress.

Suddenly, Bree let out a soft chuckle that made Ally whip around.

"What could possibly be funny to you right now?" Ally asked, genuinely confused.

Bree took a while to answer. She opened her eyes ever so slightly and focused on nothing in particular "For three whole days, I've been thinking about what I want to say to you. How to go about apologizing... And even now, locked in a room with you for half an hour with nothing to do but think, I can't piece together what I want to say."

"You don't need to apologize" Ally said, scratching at the back of her head "it's not that serious."

"Then why can't you look at me?"

Ally didn't respond. So Bree took it as a cue to continue.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable that night at the bar... I've always felt, so... connected with you and then we were finally alone together and having fun and I felt so much chemistry between us and I thought you felt the same way but I guess not."

Ally didn't break her silence and instead thought back to that night at the bar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ally was sitting on her couch, after work, and was in the middle of stress eating when she felt a buzz in her pocket. It was a "how are you" text from Bree and Ally was in no mood to pretend to be fine after the long day she had experienced.

"Today was shitty, ngl"

"Oof, Are you okay?"

"Do you think there's a chance I won't get fired if I fight my useless coworker?"

"Maybe if you do it in a spot where there's no camera's. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I want to go have fun is what I want to do. But I don't want to go to any of the places close to me."

"I was actually meaning to go to that new bar in the next city over if you wanted to join. I heard from one of my friends that the atmosphere there is something else."

Ally looked at the text for a long time. Was this a good idea? Did she want to be alone with Bree at all let alone at a bar? She wasn't blind to the chemistry that had been growing between them ever since Ally had made some piece with her original negative feelings towards the other woman. She also wasn't blind to the way the chemistry made her feel: uncomfortable, excited, timid, flustered, scared. Finally, Ally had come to the conclusion that she was being waaay too uptight and needed to let off steam or she'd go crazy. Was there anything to lose?

"Count me in"

"Be ready by nine!"

Now the two women were standing at the entrance of the bar and Ally was feeling a little squeamish. She was more emotionally stable now and Bree looked adorable in the little gray skirt she was wearing. Oh well, it was too late to back out now.

At first, Ally didn't feel any particular way about the club but then the clock struck 10:30 and man, Bree's friend wasn't kidding about the atmosphere.

(I'm sorry, I've never been to a bar before and felt really silly describing an "amazing atmosphere" because I'm not sure what that would look like in a bar setting so just imagine simultaneously feeling at home and pumped up in a bar)

"so what do think?" Bree asked.

"I think I should come here more often" Ally smiled and looked at Bree, only to be surprised at her twiddling her thumbs.

"You only do that when you're nervous, " Ally remarked "what's wrong?"

"Doyouwanttodance?" Bree sputtered.

Ally's face grew hot, she looked around and decided that everyone was too involved with themselves and their partners to pay her and Bree any mind. "s-sure, I guess."

Bree looked surprised at this and then she beamed a smile that made Ally choke on her drink. Wasting no time, Bree took Ally's hand and pulled her towards the dance floor. Ally downed her drink as fast as she could and threw the glass behind her, hoping that it wouldn't--oh, fuck, there was a small shattering sound and Ally thought it best to hurry along with her herder.

Two things quickly became apparent when the women arrived at their destination: neither of them could dance very well and neither of them cared because they were having too much fun. Ally felt the stress of her day roll away with the sweat on her skin as she moved her body--to call it "dancing" would be a stretch. At first, her and Bree kept a foots worth of distance between them but as their confidence grew, Bree closed the space and wrapped her arms around Ally's neck as they began to move in sync with each other. Bree held eye contact with Ally and Ally could feel Bree's hand caressing the back of her neck, then her collarbones, and then smoothly moving up to finally rest on her cheeks. Even though Ally had been sweating for over an hour, she was just now starting to feel hot. At this point Bree's body--her chest--was flush against Ally's and there was no mistaking the fact that her knee had been making teasing trips between Ally's legs. Her eyes held so much desire as they switched back and forth between maintaining eye contact and observing Ally's lips.

"Y'know," Bree cooed "I've been meaning to ask you out for a while... I didn't think you'd say yes but I'm really really glad you did."

On any other occasion, Ally would've had a sarcastic quip to hide how she really felt when Bree showed interest in her. But this wasn't any other occasion, Ally didn't have the energy to defend herself, to put her walls up, to pretend.

When Bree closed the distance between their lips, Ally felt like her heart was going to fly out of her chest. She couldn't believe that Bree's lips were softer than she imagined. She couldn't believe that she was kissing Bree at all. She put her hands on Bree's waist and pulled her closer. They stayed there for a moment or two, drinking each other in, enjoying the feel of the other, drowning in each other's taste. Ally felt like she was in paradise. It wasn't until Bree maneuvered her thigh to grind against Ally's crotch that Ally was brought back to reality.

Suddenly, she wasn't in the bar anymore, she was a teenager in class. "Dyke" screamed a female classmate that Ally had admitted to thinking was pretty. Her lips were curled up in disgust and her eyes threw dangers full of poison Ally's way and poison her they did.

She was a teenager in the hallway when a girl who made her heart flutter walked past and she couldn't help but look after her as she did so. She should've looked away. "Disgusting queer" sneered a boy who saw Ally doing this, "hey, this dyke is totally eyeing your ass" the boy called after the girl. The girl heard this and turned towards the boy in confusion before noticing Ally. Ally had fantasized about this girl noticing her--she thought that their eyes would meet and the girl would be charmed by Ally and fall for her. But there was no charm in the girl's eyes: she took one look at Ally's buzzed head and masculine clothing and contorted her face into one of disapproval and disgust. "gross," she said "I'm not like you, so I better not catch you looking at me like that ever again," she made her way towards her friends who were watching this situation unfold, cast another look at Ally, whispered something to her friends, and then erupted into laughter with them. Those words and that laughter poisoned Ally once again.

She was a teenager, sitting under her parents' gaze as they found out she was a lesbian. "We didn't raise you to be like this" came her sobbing mother. Ally sat with her head downcast and hands balled into fists on her lap as her vision became blurry from tears. She had hoped that they'd be accepting but she was wrong. As she watched her mother cry in despair, she couldn't help but feel like this was the type of crying one would do if they found out their child was sick... Was she sick? Nevertheless, Ally may not have found acceptance but she did find another dose of poison.

She was a teenager who had just gotten her very first paycheck and knew exactly what she was going to spend it on. "It's bad enough you think you're gay but do you have to be one of those ugly butches too?" came her father who caught her sneaking into the house with bags full of men's clothing. Ally could feel the poison seeping in but she could also feel something new--a wall. A wall was being built inside her that allowed nothing to enter: be it poison or tonic. It would be too late before she realized that the wall allowed no poison to exit either.

She was a woman in a bar with someone she was afraid of falling in love with. Ally took a step back from Bree and bumped into the person behind her. She said an apology much louder than she had anticipated and began trying to think of where the bathroom could be.

"What's wrong?" came Bree with alarm in her voice.

"It's fine, it's fine" Ally said, all the while trying to put distance between the two of them.

"Then why--Please don't go." Bree sounded heartbroken and confused but Ally couldn't afford to care. She looked around and made sure no one had been paying attention to them. She desperately threw her walls back up and turned her back on Bree.

"Uh, I'll call a friend to come get me, you can call your ride, it's fine. Uh...text me when you get out of here safely."

Ally didn't wait for a response and rushed to the bathroom where she texted her friend to come get her. The "I'm here" text couldn't have come fast enough and Ally bolted out of the bathroom and out of the club. She instructed her friend to wait for a while until she received a text from Bree that she was safe. The text came and Ally breathed a sigh of relief and promptly passed out after giving her friend the go-ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since then, Ally couldn't bring herself to talk to, look at, or be in the same room as Bree. And now they were trapped together. Ally needed more time than this to rebuild her resolve. She couldn't deal with all these feelings right now. The wall she had built had taken a huge hit during the night at the bar and it had only been three days since then--she needed more time.

But she didn't have that time. Bree was right here in the room with her and she felt vulnerable. As time wore on in silence, Ally's resolve weakened--she couldn't exactly not linger on her feelings with Bree right next to her. Eventually, Ally broke and she pressed the top of her head against the wall.

"How..." Ally began, her eyes stinging "How are you so comfortable with the things people call you? I don't understand. I've heard what people say to you and about you--especially since you've been hanging around me so much--and yet, you don't seem bothered by it at all."

She used her fists to push herself off the wall and turn towards Bree, who looked concerned by the tears that were streaming down Ally's face.

"I didn't push you away because I didn't enjoy it" Ally admitted "it was because I did enjoy it and I absolutely hate the fact that I did. I'm not as brave as you, I can't take what people say with a smile." she let out a bitter chuckle as she finally spoke her truth.

"Y'know..." Bree began "the way you think of me is actually how I've thought of you for the longest time. You seemed so confident and unbothered by everything, and that's what drew me to you in the first place. It never occurred to me that you viewed me the same way... and I'm just now realizing how misguided such a view is because, to tell you the truth?" Bree got up and made her way over to Ally's side of the room. She cupped Ally's face and gazed at her with a look she had never seen before.

"The things people say do hurt me. Of course they do. I let it hurt for as long as it wants to and then I start thinking rationally. Does this person matter to me? Is a random stranger someone I want to take self-image-altering criticism from? People who tear others down will always find something about you to attack. I can't change who I am, I can't change what I like. Agonizing over it does nothing. I'm stuck with myself for the rest of my life so why should I beat myself up about it every single day? I don't know what you've been through and I hope one day you can trust me enough to tell me, but for now I want you to know that there's nothing wrong with you, Ally. There's nothing wrong with us."

Bree brought Ally's head to rest on her shoulder and her tears turned to sobs. It had been a while since she last cried this hard and and she couldn't remember ever feeling safe enough to cry in front of another person.

As she cried, Ally felt a significant amount of weight lift off her chest. Not all of it, no, but she felt she could breath a little deeper and a little part of her start to heal. She bunched up her hands in Bree's gray jacket and smushed her face into her shoulder as she let out some of the pain she had acquired over the years.

Finally.

Finally, Ally allowed herself to process some of her pain.

Finally, Ally allowed herself to be held by a woman who she desired.

Finally, Ally allowed herself to drop her facade of being constantly strong.

Finally, Ally allowed herself to begin to heal.

[elizabethrobertajones]

Did Bobo really create the Wayward Sisters? If so, why weren't Jack and especially Cas included in that episode? That's my biggest issue with that pilot honestly, I mean, the fact that the show abandoned Claire and Cas' bond after season 10 and gave that storyline to Salmondean. Her bond with Cas is more interesting because of their connection to the Novaks. I also think that Claire and Jack would've made a more engaging dynamic and spin off together, I think they're strong characters & actors

Hi there!

Bobo isn’t the “creator” of Wayward so much as it can even have one, as it was a very organic idea, which even involved a healthy amount of fandom input. The original campaign in season 10 was for Wayward Daughters, and the idea picked up so much steam the altered title for, I guess, a mix of copyright and thematic relevance was the Sisters one. I’d say 10x08 was the real genesis of it as something that could be really solid. Once Kim and Briana were put together the chemistry and star power they could have had together was really meteoric as far as our small SPN world was concerned. Phil Sgriccia directed 9x13 and wrote 10x08 and was more of the parent of Wayward than any specific writer in that sense. Jody and Claire were pretty much common property of the show by that point. Claire was really introduced again in relation to plotlines and questions about Cas and less to do with them really going out of their way to re-launch her. I think they’d have been much cornier about it from the start and while YA protagonist diary writing her way through the end of Wayward Sisters was cute, it’s the sort of cutesy that really has to be earned. If she STARTED that way, like maybe me and 3 friends would be stanning her and everyone else would be revolted :P

(I am a YA fantasy novel author, but I do think everyone should make room in their hearts for this level of cheese)

In any case, Bobo just threw his hat into an already crowded ring with Alex, but obviously loving the characters and having his own personal wayward child to contribute did help elevate him to the prospective showrunner seat, but also all the other writers who’d written these characters except Dabb had left at that point. If Bobo was going to shepherd them through to their new show, he’d be the legacy writer, even though he was a new baby writer in the season Donna was introduced... Attrition aside, he did genuinely write them very well, loved their stories and was great with writing Jody when he could get her, so he would also have been a good choice even if all the others were left still... 

But anyway. Season 10′s subplot for Cas was about Claire and learning some stuff about himself along the way, but she was used very much for his personal development and for Dean as well, being a mini Dean herself in a season where he had lost a lot of his sense of self. It’s a total accident of scheduling but Angel Heart (10x20) being the last episode before 10x22 is a nice touch in that regard. And while Cas tried really hard with Claire and awoke his inner Dad side so that he’d be more prepared for fatherhood next time, it was pretty insurmountable between them to have anything more than a bittersweet relationship where the best he could do was make up with her and see her somewhere safe. The fact of him looking like her actual dead father is horrendous the more you think about it and while she managed to see him for who he was instead of a horrible monster, that’s more than enough trauma to inflict on an already traumatised girl for the sake of helping Cas’s manpain and tidying up the sticky question of Jimmy and Cas’s right to the vessel. 

Angel Heart very specifically ends with TFW mailing Claire to Jody because they know she’s already good with Alex in a genuine way and can handle these sort of issues and has done it before. And also because she can be a guardian who will not constantly remind Claire that her father is dead but something is walking around wearing a perfect reconstruction of his face. Carver era did a few things here and there with bodily autonomy and the problem of angel and demon vessels, but it was also really hit and miss. They’d get random waves of feeling guilty about it but then by necessity go back to stabbing angels in their still-living vessels an episode later. Claire was a way to address at the very least that whatever Cas was being put through was only a punishment on Cas and not on Jimmy as well, which is probably why we got such sappy Heaven scenes. We NEEDED to be shown he was in Heaven and largely okay with what was going on so that the show could justify using Cas at all as a character without breaking the code of ethics they tried to make their own characters adhere to. Aside from that it also gave Cas a side plot for when he wasn’t needed in the main plot, and any emotional connection to anything that wasn’t Sam and Dean.

Anyway 10x20 caused this huge fandom high which was followed by one of the lowest lows of the fandom immediately after, and both centred on female characters (in fact, now we know, 2 lesbians even! Though I’d wonder if, The Gay Agenda aside, Bobo spite-wrote that specifically because of the roots of Wayward) and I think that galvanised the whole movement of fans and hopefully some self-reflection in the show. They DID start making an effort in season 11, which shows some of the early signs of better inclusion but also backtracking or edging nervously away from the more intense Carver era stuff. Not just because Dean didn’t have the Mark any more but in general it was like someone had opened a window and let in some fresh air... Even before Carver bailed somewhere around the midseason to go do a different show and Dabb started to step up. 

All this to say that the Wayward stuff was always about the female characters and making up for the past sins of the show. It’s even a riff on the “wayward son” line which obviously centres around male protagonists and their journey. Claire stumbled into being a part of it in the lucky way of being in the right place and time, but the journey had already started even in the season 10 momentum with earlier work and it was that which suddenly made the prospect that Jody had two young women living with her now seem like a starter for the next generation of the show as it was a mirrored format to season 1 in a way, if you took Alex and Claire as the new Sam and Dean. It was exciting but people flipped out after Angel Heart because stuff had been bubbling since season 9 and earlier in season 10, so this was just pouring more candy into an already visibly full bowl of potential tasty gems. It made a possibility seem real that hadn’t before because we already had Kim bitterly complaining that the CW refused to hear the case for a Jody spin off because she was too old. The next best thing was a Jody spin off where she was the Gandalf to some CW age appropriate characters.

(the CW is and always has been garbage)

Anyway in season 13 Jack was introduced as a Claire 2.0 but as a male character with staying power for that reason, but he was filling the space she left for Cas. He couldn’t be a father to her and neither really wanted that set up anyway. But thematically it had created the possibility of Dadstiel and the space he had in his heart for that. Since the show was in its waning years they would be looking for endgame and handing Cas an easy win with a son he could unconditionally love who would love him back unconditionally absolutely filled that gap. It was a non SamnDean thing that Cas could have for himself outside of whatever happened with them. Not sure the memo came back that he was supposed to have mORE than that but oh well it’s not real if you don’t watch it :))) But yeah Jack was always going to be linked to Cas’s endgame, he wasn’t a free-floating character such as Jody who could go where she wanted and do as she pleased. He was main story relevant from start to finish and tied inexorably to another main character’s fate. Because the show wouldn’t do that with its female characters they could be bundled into spin offs but in practical terms Jack was both never what the Wayward as envisioned by fans or writers was about, nor would he have been free to go. 

Since it would have been about centering the stories of people overlooked by the main story, Claire a case in point that she had her life ruined in season 4 and it was a footnote until season ten, and then metaphorically more the concept of having queer and non-white characters in the mix of main characters, it would have represented a future of the story where the main show was unable to tread. Probably because of the CW. Also inherent biases in the writers. Bad cocktail. Jack is both too white and too male to fit the brief to ever leave SPN, and not only that but he is so as a precise mirror to the main white male characters, being passably any one of their sons if you squint, and meant to be instantly instinctively read as such... he was one of the safest bets of representing the show as the network wanted to imagine its target demographic.

So I really don’t think that Jack has any place being in a spin off of the show unless you want more of the same. They tried to give us something different and the CW didn’t like it because it wasn’t more of the same. Ironically a Jack spin off, with or without Claire, would have more chance of being greenlit and more chance of success. But the spin off they put their heart behind was Wayward Sisters as it was. And I think it was absolutely correct that never mind leaving Jack out of it after his work was done in the lead up episode to help set the table, but honestly they could have cut all the middle scenes of Sam and Dean wandering in the woods and gained precious seconds with the girls and still had a functioning story with those guys. It was like some cowardly missive was sent that the show couldn’t actually go more than 10 minutes without showing a flesh and blood Winchester or the whole thing would spontaneously sizzle out of syndication and the money tree would wither on the spot. And in the mean time, we could have been having Banter with the girls. Or Claire and Kaia holding hands some more. The good stuff :P 

[ambivalent-anarchy]

Too Cheesy

Gender: Female

Pairing: Peter Parker x reader

Warnings: Sickening fluff and insanely cheesy pick up lines.

Summary- Ned agrees to stay at Peter's house and help him find the perfect pickup line to ask out his crush with before spring break. But what happens when his crush tags along and also wants to help? ---------------------------------------

"Nah Peter, too corny."

Peter Parker was standing in the middle of his room, his best friend Ned sitting on his bed, cradling their death star in his hands. Peter scrolled down the screen of his phone. "Okay, how about this one?" After reading, Peter looked to the wall and gave a smug smirk, as if he were actually looking at someone. "Hey [Y/N]... are you religious? 'Cause you’re the answer to all my prayers."

Ned cocked his head to the side. "Is she religious?"

"I dunno, I never really asked before," Peter answered, breaking out of his assumed position.

Ned scrunched his nose a bit. "Well, we probably should stay off of religious pick-up lines then."

"Right," Peter agreed, looking back to his phone again. He scrolled a bit more. When satisfied, he looked up at the wall again, raised his eyebrows with an award winning smile before he recited another.

"Life without you would be like a broken pencil… pointless."

"Wow..," Ned said. He pointed and nodded slowly. "I think that's a keeper. Try it again just to make sure though. Oh- and this time, make it more personal."

"Okay," Peter said, going back over the line in his head. He assumed the position and instead of a smug, gave a small smolder.

"Wait," Ned interrupted. "Does this one even make sense? I mean- a pencil still has a point even when it's broken, right? Unless, of course, it's the bottom half, but that would only work if it's a clean break. A-and-"

Suddenly, realizing how completely ridiculous he must look, Peter grimaced. "Ned, why're we doing this again?!"

Ned rolled his eyes. "C'mon Pete. It's because pickup lines always work!"

"A-are you sure? Cuz that doesn't sound right."

"Dude, I'm telling you," Ned defended. "I saw Flash walk right up to Sydney and gave her the perfect pickup line and he immediately got a date! Flash of all people! If he can, you certainly can!"

Peter rolled his eyes. Ned was seriously comparing him to Flash? There were tons of reasons as to how Flash got with Sydney. "But Flash is popular and rich and stuff... I'm just me."

Ned scoffed. "Well..." He looked up with a carefree smile. "If it makes you feel any better, if I were a girl, I'd totally date you."

"..thanks..." Peter said, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. He looked around the room with a nervous chuckle. Ned, apparently not realizing the awkwardness in the room, hasn't looked away and continued to smile at his friend.

Finding his voice, Peter spoke up. "So, um, what was Flash's line anyway?"

"Uh-uh man," Ned answered. "You gotta find your own! Sydney probably already told the whole school, so you'd just be a copycat. Your line needs to be original."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "We're literally looking this stuff up from the internet, Ned! That's not original!"

"Just trust me. Now read another."

"Okay..." Peter begrudgingly agreed. He was regretting this whole thing more and more each second. He took a deep breath and recited his next one.

"[Y/N], my love for you is like dividing by zero– it can't be defined."

He looked to Ned, who was silently contemplating the words.

"...I kinda like it," Ned finally said.

"I don't know," the scrawny teenager sighed, throwing his phone onto his bed. "It needs to be really good! Not mediocre. Tomorrow is my only chance to tell [Y/N] how I feel before spring break starts. I can't back out!"

"Pete, relax. We'll just add it to the list. Now do another-"

"Peter!!! [Y/N]'s here!!!"

The two teenagers froze. Their eyes widened at his aunt May's voice. They looked to the door, then to each other.

"What is she doing here?!?!," Peter whisper-shouted, two seconds from panicking.

"It's your apartment, you tell me!," Ned whispered back, arms flailing wildly.

"She can't be here!," he yelled to himself, pointing towards the door you could be walking through any second now. "She can NOT be here!"

The two quietly went back and forth as you came closer to his room. Normally, you were always more than welcome. But today, unbeknownst to you, Peter's home was probably the one place you definitely shouldn't be.

You poked your head around the doorframe. "Heyyyy fellas!"

They froze, looking to you with their mouths zipped shut. "Why so tense?," you asked, a small smile playing on your lips.

"No reason!," Peter yelled.

"Hey [Y/N]." Ned gave a wide smile.

You return it with a wider smile that certainly betrayed the rest of your face, that held only confusion. "Uh, what's going on, guys??"

They looked to each other, then to you, then to each other again. Ned broke away first this time. "Peter's trying to find a pick-up line to tell his crush was tomorrow!," he spat out quickly, earning an excited gasp from you.

Peter's jaw stopped to the floor. If he were a computer, he would've definitely been crashing right now. "What the hell, Ned?!," he practically screamed, his voice cracking a bit before he covered his face with his hands.

"So, whose the girl?," you asked, pushing through them and climbing onto the top bunk to sit.

"Uh-"

"DON'T. SAY. ANYTHING!," Peter hissed out through gritted teeth.

It didn't take you too long to realize the tension in the room. "Uh, should I come back another time or something?"

"That would be ideal," Peter mumbled under his breath.

Your eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance. Why were they being so weird and vague?

"Okay, did I do something? Is that why you're acting so weird, Pete? I mean, I was gonna try to help you out so you won't make a complete fool of yourself in front of this girl, but-"

Ned dropped the death star as he excitedly clapped his hands together. "That'd be perfect, actually!!"

Both you and Peter groaned as you looked at the peices on the floor. "Ned!"

"At this point that thing needs to stay at my house cuz when it's at either of yours it always breaks!," you laughed.

"Umm..." Peter looked away and took a deep breath. "[Y/N]?"

At this point, he had no idea nor any control over what was going on and the only words processing in his mind were what the fuck.

His crush was not supposed to be here while he was practicing what to say to his crush tomorrow.

"Yeah, Pete?"

But you were here now, and you didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon.

So what's the worse that could happen?

"C-could you maybe, um, help me with this?"

"With your girl problems? Sure. I mean, if we leave it your hands, the poor girl won't even know what hits her."

Ned bit his lip, attempting (and failing) to hide a fit of laughter. "She sure won't!"

"Dude!," Peter hissed, nudging his shoulder.

"So what've you got so far?," you said, watching Peter expectantly.

"Uhh.." He blew out a heavy breath. Welp, he thought. Guess we're doing this now. He picked up his phone and awkwardly read off the line.

"My love for you is like dividing by zero– it can't be defined.."

He looked back up at you, frozen as statue. That was so embarrassing. You smiled and giggled a little. "That was so cheesy!"

"Oh..," Peter mumbled. He'd actually thought that one was pretty good.

"That's only because he's not doing it like he did a second ago," Ned, ever the oblivious one, noted. "C'mon! Do it the way you did it before [Y/N] came in here."

If looks could kill, Ned would surely have been maimed and then ran over a bus by now.

Peter sighed. He looked up to the wall right above where [Y/N] was sitting and gave his best smolder.

But before he could get a word out, laughter erupted the room. "PETE WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!," [Y/N] shrieked, practically falling off the the top bunk of the bed with laughter. "Girls' want a genuine smile, not some James Bond wannabe look!"

"Y-you don't think it looks cool?," he asked, cheeks red as beets by now.

"Frickin' goofy is what that looks like!," she responded. "Gimme your phone."

Peter's face fell. Wow, he thought. I'm way off. No way I'm gonna get her now, except...He looked to Ned, who was practically just spectating the whole thing at this point. Their eyes joined, and they could both tell they'd come to the same conclusion.

What better way to find out exactly what to say than by finding out by who you're going to say it to?

[Y/N] scrolled down a few until she found one that she liked. "Ooh, this one's pretty good." She looked up from the phone. "Now, watch me and I'll show you how it's done." She hopped down from the bed and said the line straight to Peter's face, biting her lip and smirking.

"Hey you, apart from being sexy, what do you do for a living?"

Immediately afterwards, she broke out of it. "See?," she asked. "That's how it's done." [Y/N] tossed the phone back into Peter's hands before sitting back down. "Now do that."

Peter sucked in a quick breath, lightly tugging the bottom of his gray shirt. "U-uh, um, yeah okay.."

That was hot, was all he could really think at the moment. She's so frickin hot.

Scatterbrained, he stood and looked back at you. "U-uh.. -oh, here's one..." He shook his head slightly, as if attempting to shake the jitters out. "A-are you a cam-mera? C-cuz.. you sure do make me sm-mile," he stammered, ending with beyond awkward fingers guns.

[Y/N] chuckled, biting back a small smile. "Ya know, you're just too cute sometimes..."

At that, Ned's jaw fell to the floor. Peter's face turned a shade of red you didn't believe was even possible.

"Uh, u-um, ah, heh, thanks..."

"Hey yo, my mom's texting me," Ned suddenly announced. "I gotta get home. See you two tomorrow." He smiled at [Y/N] and then looked Peter square in the face with a shit-eating grin. "And good luck Pete!," he said, earning a middle finger from his best friend.

After the door closed, [Y/N] frowned. "What's up with you two? Are you guys fighting?"

"Nah, Ned's just being..." Peter trailed off, shaking his head slightly. If he were to elaborate, he could risk telling you. Better to play it safe. "So was that one good?"

"I mean, it'd be nice if you could g-g-g-get it out!," you mocked with a smile.

"No stuttering then," he concluded to himself. "Stuttering's a turn off."

"Well, not exactly," you corrected. "I actually think it's kinda cute when you do it." Noticing his intense blushing, you grabbed his hands to give comfort. "Just relax. No stuttering. And keep eye contact. Got it, Pete?"

His cheeks reddened as he looked away, desperately trying to redirect his focus from your turned up lips. "Oh, u-uh um, thanks! That's great, ya know! L-lets, ah, just get back to the th-thing- uh, the line..."

And so you did. You helped him til eleven o'clock at night. You went over about fifty. Until there was no way he couldn't have a perfect one to show the girl.

Until the next morning.

Spoiler alert: he didn't find a line.

When you left the indecisive teenager, he'd looked like he was on the right path. He had an entire list of good choices you'd picked out with him, along with practiced ways to do each one.

But, when he woke up and looked back at the list, each one just felt wrong.

Cheesy.

Overused.

Corny.

Lame.

You wouldn't like it. You'd already heard it. It wouldn't feel special to you if he'd told you something you'd already picked out for yourself, even if you didn't know you had.

You'd reject him. And more? Because you were a nice person, you'd probably still want to be friends.

Which was definitely way, way worse.

"Peter!," May yelled. "Engine's being turned on in five! Be there or you'll have to swing to school!"

-

Perer told you he'd tell his crush the line by the lockers during homeroom.

You couldn't wait. 'This is gonna be so awesome,' you thought, scanning the halls for his curly brown hair and wrinkled jacket.

'Of course, this girl better be worth his time or I'm gonna frickin' tackle her....'

The night before, Peter had told you nearly everything about this mystery girl.

He gushed about how she was perfect. Beautiful. Everything he ever wanted.

And you felt happy for him.

But deep inside, you knew that whoever the girl he'd chosen was, you wouldn't approve. Because deep down, you wished that it would be you.

But you and Peter were friends. Since the sixth grade. If anything was ever gonna happen, it surely already would've.

And It wasn't gonna happen...

And when this girl said yes (it's Peter Parker, why wouldn't you?), you'd have to watch them hug, kiss, give inside jokes, and everything else couples did.

And because he was your best friend, you'd have to just sit there and be happy for him.

"Miss. [Y/L/N]. Come on, get to class!," your homeroom teacher yelled, standing by the door, holding it open for you to walk into the classroom.

"Must be late again...," you mumbled, looking around the halls for Peter one last time before making your way to the door.

"[Y/N]!"

You whipped your head to where the voice was coming from. It was Ned, running down the hallway.

"Yeah?"

"He's gonna do it!," he yelled. "He's about to ask!"

You turned towards your teacher. "Um, can I go to the restroom please?"

"Yeah sure," the teacher replied.

Once the door closed, you ran to meet Ned in the middle of the hall. "Ask? Wait, on a date or to actually be his girlfriend?"

"TO BE HIS GIIIIRRRRRRLLLLLLLFRIEND!!," he yelled, shaking you by your shoulders back and forth frantically.

'Wow,' you thought, eyes wide. 'Peter's actually getting some balls now.'

This was it. And you were gonna hold your tongue and watch it happen.

Ned looked over your shoulder as he practically gasped for air. "He's coming! He's coming!"

You pulled his arm a bit, attempting to pull him to towards the wall. "Don't we need to hide? They don't need an audience!"

Suddenly, using his strength against you, Ned turned you around quickly for you to come face to face with Peter.

"Where's the girl?," you said, looking around curiously. After you were met with silence, your curious smile went away. "Pete, where is she? Where's she at?"

"I-it's...um, [Y/N] it's always been-heh. It's you," he answered, looking into your eyes shyly.

Ned could've bursts from joy right then and there. You could feel his grip on your arms tighten out of excitement.

But you didn't care, because you were sky high yourself. "So all that, yesterday? That was all about-"

"Yeah. You."

You sighed, practically frozen. "Major fucking plot twist, dude.."

He tilted his head. "'Saw' level?"

"More like 'Shutter Island' level," you answered.

"Ooh, that was a big one," Ned added brightly.

You shifted slightly. "So, um, what was the line you chose?"

"Oh!," Peter laughed. "How could I forget? Uh-" He grabbed your hands gently. "Okay." Hey blew out a long breath. "Relaxing. No stuttering. And keeping eye contact," he reminded himself aloud before he slowly and tenderly recited the line he'd chosen.

"[Y/N], ahem, um, If I had a penny for every time I thought about you, I'd have exactly one cent.."

You frowned. "Hold on, I don't get it. That means-"

"-Because you never leave my mind, sweetheart."

Raising your eyebrows, your heart warmed and you covered your hand over your mouth. That was one you hadn't chosen. You'd never even heard it before. He'd found it himself.

Noticing your reaction, Peter tensed. "W-was that too much? I'm sorry if that was too much! The last thing I would want for it to be is too-"

"That was perfect, Peter."

He paused. "It wasn't too cheesy?"

"Just a little cheesy," you said, pinching your fingers together and giving a quick wink.

"On a scale of one to ten?," Ned asked.

"Ned!," Peter scolded, quickly sliding his finger over his neck as a warning. He then looked back to you with a timid smirk.

"So, ah, does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?"

"Hmm, I guess it does, huh?," you giggled and turned to walk away just as the bell rang for first period.

-

"Sooooo, how'd it go?," May asked, poking her head around the doorframe of Peter's room.

When Peter turned towards her from his bed, May knew the answer before he even uttered a word.

He was staring up at ceiling twiddling his fingers and grinning like a madman.

"She said yes, May..I-i didn't think she'd actually say yes!"

May smiled. "Well, that's good!"

"Our first date's tomorrow and- Oh God! I might need to find another line to tell her! I'll use the math one this time since she was so excited about acing that test earlier today. Oh my gosh what if- what if we kiss?! That'd be SO awesome! Right, May? Ooh man, what am I gonna wear?? Ned said to wear a tux. But it's just a movie date, not prom! Jeans and a t-shirt should work, right? What if I get there and I'm underdressed?! Why is this stuff so hard?!"

Aunt May watched as the young boy frantically vented to himself and shook her head. "God bless him..."

She looked down at his desk in the corner of his room. On it was a small journal. It was opened to a page labelled 'Pickup Lines To Tell [Y/N]'

Underneath it were lines separated into sections based on 'coolness,' 'nerdiness,' and 'sexiness.'

May furrowed her eyebrows. "Hon, you know pick-up lines never work, right?

"Well May," Peter sighed, leaning back into his bed. "There's a special girl out there that would beg to differ.."