#with how thin the line is between character and cc

[aipurjopa]

my stance on the stupid boundary thing has always been "if you're going to break them, tag your shit properly and don't do it in a place where the cc can see it." like.

[gn-bee]

Some pregnancy nonsense doodles

I haven't had much time in the last two weeks, so quick nothing doodles in between duty had to suffice.

I have babies on the brain, probably because I was in a place where everyone is always having babies for 9 days. We'll blame high elevation too.

[wrens-garden]

Outsiders, Krowfangs POV, episode 7

It's been weeks since it last 'woke up'. Nearly no hunger bars, so… promising

Red solves his depression with beer, Red has given some to Krow despite Kyles protests. Red is an interesting character.

The theatre looks like it's being prepared for a show, and Apo's fake head has been taken off the stick in the archery range.

Krow has just been told about Owen, Magic and Bek are going to clearing 2. It's upset that it took Owen telling it, to know, but doesn't think it can blame anyone as it's been in a hole for weeks.

Krow and Kyle seem to bond by insulting each other. Krow is very protective of Ayngel. Krow thinks it's messed up that no one told Ayngel or itself about them going to clearing 2.

Krow seems to have faulty memory surrounding Guts poisoning Magic (Probably just cc!Krow forgetting things that happened)

They're updating the book. Guts is staying because they tried to kill Red, Rasbi, Squidney, Spidey and Mohwee are going. Krow thinks that they can't be on the list simply because they like them, they need to assure themselves.

Squidney was only coming along because she's caused no issues, and she might have knowledge of the maze but, she's injured and might mentally give up. Mohwee is too hotheaded. Spidey can't bring anything. Rasbi Krow doesn't know much about, but she just seems depressed.

The list is no longer about people to keep in the clearing, but instead people that will run the maze with them. Krow thinks a lot of the people in the clearing would betray them if they don't betray them first.

The new list is: Krow, Ori, Guts, Owen, Silvia, Kyle

Krow says that if Ayngel was hurt, it would leave her behind too, but expects her to do the same for it. Because if she stops because Krow is injured, the last thing it will see is her dying too. Ayngel says she thinks Krow as her friend and isn't simply being nice to it. It loves Ayngel and would do anything for her within the clearing, but in the maze that's not an option.

Krow has fallen off the deep end majorly. I get where it's coming from but wow.

They're not taking Bek because Krow thinks she'll betray them unnecessarily, or Magic because she would sacrifice herself, and Krow doesn't want people doing that.

Currently, it's asking Silvia. Silvia seems receptive to the idea.

They're going to see if Bek, Magic and Owen have returned. Krow has been told what happened, and thinks it's kinda makes sense. Krow says it's like Beks to leave someone behind. I'm starting to see where Krow gets its ideologies from. It's trying to rationalize what happened, part of it believes it, part of it doesn't.

It is sure Magic would say goodbye if she planned to stay. Krow won't go after Magic, even if she would go after it, because it can't ba a hypocrite.

It's gone into the maze to "Observe how good they are". It's heading back because it won't get lost for Magic.

Ayngel has asked it if this is not what it wanted. Krow can't seem to explain. Krow asks why Bek isn't going with Owen and Gracie. Bek is holding a show. Krow doesn't seem amused, it is struggling to balance keeping everyone in the clearing safe while keeping in mind the fact it will leave anyone who falls behind. Krow thinks Bek is covering something up, Ayngel thinks Bek has a point and that it'll help lift spirits.

The show has started. Literally, only Ayngel and Krow were there, but then the cutscene happens and everyone shows up.

Krow seems hysterical. Krow never trusted Bek, but now it doesn't seem to trust anyone. Ayngel is telling Krow what Bek did to Magic. Magic is breaking up Bek's stage. No longer seems hysterical, but still very upset and balancing on a thin line between anger and sadness

It keeps referring to clearing B as home. Ow my heart

Krows been told Bek is the reason clearing 2 is dead. Krow is distraught, Magic thought Krow was laughing and hit it, and now Krow has walked off. Krow seems to think it should have figured that out sooner, but wants Bek dead nonetheless.

Krow has run into the maze, it says it's lost it. It has returned to the clearing, says it can't be a hypocrite, but it will be going back.

Krow is upset that Clearing 1 are talking politics, thinks they're selfish and don't care about Clearing B. it has finally confronted them. Krow has said they need to start killing people (I hate dramatic conversations like this, they give me such second hand embarrassment, so I keep stopping. Can I be allowed to skip them? Please, I can't handle it, even if I think Krow is right)

Krow says that everyone ignores what they don't want to hear. Guts says that Apo killing people would have meant the death penalty where she was from. Owen has called Krow a psychopath, Krow called Owen twisted (I believe). Magic is telling them all that Bek killed everyone. Ayngel is saying that everyone was mad at the fact Apo broke their trust rather than dooming a clearing. Krow thinks everyone was pitying them.

Magic says there is only 4 of them now, and they have to work together, she is upset that their first thought when she told them the truth was Apo. Krow says that there isn't a clearing A and B any more. Magic says that because Krow wants to kill them, Krow is just as bad as Bek. Krow is understandably upset about that comparison.

Krow and Magic are fighting. Krow is no longer being led by Magic, apparently.

Kyle doesn't believe in a lot of what Krow says, but he agrees with the need to get out of the maze. Kyle apparently disarmed traps. Krow says Kyle is like Ori, says only truths so you can't really disagree but acknowledges that Acho has to come with as well. Krow won't kill Acho for no reason, but asking helps it understand Kyle's loyalty. They've come back to the clearing, Magic and Gracie were waiting on them.

Magic wants to talk to Krow. Getting a weird sense of déjà vu right now. Krow thinks Magic is a bad leader. Magic insists Krow doesn't mean it when it says to kill off the weak people (Pretty sure weak just means those that killed people in this context), Krow insists it does.

Why do I feel like Krow is still grieving and is just regurgitating everything Bek said to hide behind and find some semblance of comfort in? It just seems like something Bek would say, especially if Krow didn't trust Bek, it's something that can be overlooked coming from someone you trust but because no one seems to trust Krow they actually pay attention to what it says. Krow seems the type to actually pay attention to what people say, even if it likes them, so should someone have said that it would have noticed while others might not have, especially if it was in a passing comment and not announced like Krow did. I don't know. Negative comments aren't easily forgettable, so obviously Krow would have remembered it, and if other people seemingly didn't care about what was said, Krow could be using it as some shield to hide behind while it grieves. It's very steady on anger in the grief stages, that and depression, so I don't doubt that in some way it's struggling through grief and just fumbling as no one other than Ayngel, and Magic, actually checked up on it. Do you get what I mean?

Krow and Magic are arguing again. Magic is kinda fumbling her point right now, she just complimented it for a minute and probably would have kept that up if Krow didn't interrupt. Krow really wants Magic to be selfish for once. Magic says she'll be there if Krow needs her, Krow doesn't want her to.

Right, that's it for this stream. That was an emotional ride. No more tonight. I'll try to do 2 tomorrow, as the next 2 stream are around an hour each. No promises though.

[just-antithings]

Clicked on a video even though I knew I probably wouldn't like it, cuz the booktuber has tried to be nuanced and has defended authors who wrote badwrong things before. The video was about CC writing Ron x Ginny fic and inserting incest into her books, plus her "clumsy" explanations to explain why she used incest as a theme. (Clumsy is in quotes, cuz I don't know if CC meant what she said about using incest as a theme or if she only wanted it in her book cuz it's her kink. I don't care one way or the other, but CC isn't exactly Shakespeare. I fully believe she would go into a book series with the intention of using incest as a symbol or theme and then not execute it well. I like brother/brother incest, but I also write it to use it as a theme about healing from toxic masculinity and/or about how thin the line between love and obsession can be. Writers can and do use things that make them horny to comment about society or whatever they want to comment on. Saying, "It's not deep, it's just their kink," stifles analysis. Sorry about the long aside.)

Cuz I can never stop myself, I looked at comments, and I noticed that the booktuber had pinned their own comment, saying something like, "The issue isn't her writing incest. It's her LYING."

Sorry, but then why bitch about all the incest in the video? And CC does admit she thinks it's hot, which you (the booktuber) point out, when CC said at a panel (tweet?) that she ships Stefan/Damon from Vampire Diaries.

Like, I don't even like CC. She's not a great person from what I hear, her writing ranges from mediocre to laughably bad with some good lines sprinkled here and there (but granted I've only read like 3 of her books and don't know if she's gotten better at all), and in the circles I hang out in, I'm glad I see more people talking about her plagiarism accusations more than the incest themes as "reason she's bad."

And one comment said it's one thing if incest as a theme is in adult work like ASOIAF, but not YA, but um... Okay, were do we keep drawing lines about what's "acceptable" for a teenage audience? How much do they need to be coddled? Do YA authors have to include those "Book Discussion" questions in the backs of their books, but instead it's a list of red flags the characters wave? (Though honestly, I do love book discussion questions in the back of books, for like book clubs and such. They're good for learning how to apply literature analysis but to books you (general you) are reading for fun, instead of for class. I vote we get more books with them. Maybe it'll help with so many people who seem to think if the author doesn't say something explicitly in an aside in text, they must then condone the thing.)

ugh yeah

[ruby-whistler]

I feel like if we really want to take a closer look at the topic of c!Dream’s obsession with c!Tommy, we have to look into both his reasons for it, and the tactics he employs to achieve his goals concerning it.

[ /dsmp /roleplay I did not tag this that way but this entire analysis is hugely c!Dream critical and focuses on the various facets of his manipulation, so if you’re not in the mood to read that, you have been warned not to. ]

Interestingly enough, before the SMP was actual heavy roleplay, back during the original disc war, the reason c!Dream listed for keeping the discs was to use them as bargaining chips, because he knew c!Tommy wanted them back, as they were hard items to get at the time, and knew he could use them for that purpose.

He had just gotten mugged and repeatedly killed by c!Tommy, who had also participated in a conflict beforehand, and only gave a half-hearted apology in the end. He had also seen him cause problems on the server before that. The discs were meant to be something he would threaten to destroy if c!Tommy started acting out of line, because he didn’t trust him to keep his word and wanted a guarantee. That was the reason he insisted on keeping the discs after getting his armor back, which is why he originally stole them.

And I feel like c!Dream’s train of thought, while skewed and twisted with irrational mindsets, is rather straightforward in essence. Conflict is what he actively stands against and what stops him from having a united server, hence in his mind, he needs to destroy things that bring conflict, and control what he can’t or doesn’t want to destroy. He thinks c!Tommy brings conflict, so he feels like he needs to find ways to control him.

Sure, we all know about the systematic abuse and isolation he employed to make c!Tommy believe he was his friend, but one of his major tactics since the beginning has also been intimidation, or a particular type of manipulation that leads to people fearing him or thinking that he has more power than he actually does. In his mind, if people are scared of him, they’re much more likely to listen to him. And the most fascinating thing is that it works.

During the initial exile conflict, despite him being just a single person with no official political power, he assures victory by aggressively, and very intelligently, threatening his way through the negotiations. c!Tubbo is scared of him, and that is not a coincidence. It’s purposeful.

Seeing as he planned to give L’Manberg technical independence either way - he said that there was no real way for him to stop them from pursuing that anyways, so that wasn’t the intention - even the war seems like a very likely ploy to make the revolutionaries fear him enough so that they wouldn’t start conflict after seceding. c!Wilbur is careful not to start anything with the Greater Dream SMP after this, because c!Dream has shown that he can and will ruin them if they do. c!Tubbo also knows exactly the lengths c!Dream will go to if he promises war thanks to this, and that if he says he’ll build a wall and keep them from leaving it with force, he’s going to do it. When c!Tubbo is faced with an ultimatum, seeing as his goal is to keep New L’Manberg safe and peaceful, he knows he has no option but to give in.

Another variation of this tactic is making himself seem more dangerous and unpredictable than he actually is and obscuring his motivation. If people don’t know what he wants, they are less able to devise effective tactics to stop him from getting it. The element of surprise is something that he utilizes constantly throughout warfare, and psychological battling is no different. For instance, during Doomsday he begins talking about how the server will “be at peace now” thanks to L’Manberg being gone, before c!Tommy barges in, and begins implying he did this all because he hates him.

DREAM Tommy… Look. In all destruction *looks at the falling TNT* there is a new beginning.

TOMMY You- you did this…! To all of us! Not just to me, but to everyone here…!

DREAM Beautiful. You know… the unfinished symphony, right?

…

TOMMY Why…?

DREAM The server will be at peace now.

TOMMY Why, Dream…?

DREAM Because I didn’t-

TOMMY Couldn’t you just- couldn’t you just burn the discs…? Couldn’t you just do it to me? Why did you have to…?

DREAM This is much more fun.

[ credits to @dsmptranscripts on twitter ]

Although c!Dream’s motivation for destroying L’Manberg was actually that, much like with c!Tommy, he thought that it bred conflict and division, he picks up on this and switches to saying how he did indeed do this all to hurt c!Tommy because he finds it fun.

He talks very inconsistently plenty of times, but it’s rather easy to spot a pattern of him being honest about his motives with his allies but straight up lying to his enemies. This makes sense, and it is usually employed as a deliberate tactic.

Intimidation is something he also uses to manipulate people during his time in prison. Ever since he got locked up, it became a mental fight. If people fully realized that he was powerless to stop them from hurting or killing him, his life only hanging by a thin strand on the concept of the revive book, he would’ve lost the control he needed to assure his survival.

The difference is that before then, c!Dream had actual physical power, however the manipulation gets harder to pull off when he has none, even with people he finds naive enough to fall for it. He still risks it because he’s desperate, and has nothing but his own life to lose, which is something he believes to be protected by his possession of the revival book. He had never been big on self-preservation besides staying alive to reach his goals.

He first tries this on c!Sam, who, rather unpredictably, begins to get morally corrupted by the power he has over c!Dream, on top of other factors. c!Dream talks to c!Sam about exile and about c!Tommy because logically, if he’s afraid of him, he’s less likely to try to hurt or kill him. This backfires because this new, unexpected version of c!Sam begins to fiercely hate c!Dream instead, hurting him further.

The same thing happens with c!Tommy - when he realizes that he can’t influence him through repeated visits anymore, he attempts to scare him into obedience again. He establishes himself as someone dangerous who has the power to escape and hurt c!Tommy as well as his friends, which he hopes will subconsciously sway him to not do things that he would disagree with. We can see him pretending to be the one in control throughout the stream after c!Tommy first got revived.

He also tells him that he can bring back the person who he’s afraid of the most and get him on his side, which is precisely the bit that ends up backfiring, but it doesn’t really matter, and trying was still the best thing he could’ve logically done.

If he hadn’t, at some point people would realize he actually has no power at all, and pay back the fear he’d instilled in them previously. This happens with c!Quackity, who began to take advantage of c!Dream’s lack of control as soon as he realized how easy it was to strip away the last bit of power he has, which is also keeping him alive.

Getting back on track, c!Dream essentially tries to control c!Tommy first by manipulating him into believing he is his friend, then believing he is a threat to him when that fails. We can see this from the way the Finale is prepared to be somewhat of a final showdown between the two, and also by him actually revealing the tactics he used to employ during exile, for example talking about taking away the invites to the party and not actually being his friend. This also proves he knew exactly what he was doing during that time, and he could easily switch between tactics because the end goal of controlling c!Tommy was more important to him than what c!Tommy thought of him.

And that’s it.

It’s all just a ploy to control him because he finds him one of the hardest people to stop from causing conflict.

Controlling him is as important to c!Dream as destroying L’Manberg and dethroning c!George and collecting people’s attachments, because what is important to him is achieving his goals through whatever means necessary, not the means themselves.

As for people, while he has no desire to actually kill them - or feels he cannot, because they could still be useful to his plans in the future - he treats them as either tools or obstacles he needs to deal with, especially if they ever get in the way of his plans, and he isn’t particularly attached to them. He does this to himself as well, and doesn’t seem to care about his own well-being or reputation as long as he achieves what he wants. While he’s focused on the ends to his means, that is the only thing that is important to him.

You could argue this does stem from thinking of the people he wants the server to be united for as important, since cc!Dream said his goals are for “everyone to get along”, but that doesn’t change the fact that the ways in which he works towards that goal doesn’t treat others’ or his own feelings as consequential at all. In the case of people who stand against him, their entire well-being is put to the side until what needs to be done in his mind gets done.

c!Dream isn’t “scared” of c!Tommy per se, nor does he seem to be obsessed with the guy himself, but he finds him something necessary to get out of the way to accomplish his goals, and he does so, ruthlessly as ever.

And even though the goal of eradicating conflict and uniting the server is something that he is so focused on that it could definitely be called an obsession, c!Tommy really isn’t that important within the equation at all.

This wasn’t a post to excuse or downplay any of his actions, nor do I agree with the “logical” thoughts I mentioned. There is a reason why I used phrases like “he finds” “in his eyes” “he thinks” “in his mind” “he feels like” a whole lot throughout this essay.

The character has an extremely flawed worldview that I in no way agree with (and although that should probably be pretty obvious, you really don’t know with this fandom). All this post is for is to analyse certain traits that are assigned to him, and figure out through logical reasoning whether they’re a mischaracterization or not.

And as far as the evidence goes; c!Dream isn't obsessed with c!Tommy, he is obsessed with his goal, and he sees Tommy as a big obstacle to achieving it, which makes him focus on him. These feelings he puts on display are an illusion to distract people from his real goal so they don't know how to get in his way - because, just like cc!Dream said, he “likes to withhold information; withhold plans; and withhold feelings” from everyone else.

[tobi-smp]

I hope some c!dream apologists get a wakeup call eventually due to the Sam clip, and I hope c!dream enthusiasts are thrilled with their fucked up man being confirmed to be more fucked up

the biggest issue with That Kind of c!dream apologist is the way that they blend c and cc together (it's always apparent but Even Here you can see it with how people are accusing cc!sam of being hurtful towards CC!Dream, as if sam is talking about The Man and not The Character).

they aren't going to listen to people like wilbur or sam (wilbur having said that c!dream is abusive in the past) because in their minds they're the Enemy. when c!sam called out c!dream the dream apologist response was that sam was gaslighting, that he's abusive, that he's Obviously evil and manipulative. and again with wilbur, dream apologists often argue that it was c!wilbur that caused dream's spiral. that wilbur manipulated him in pogtopia or that he hurt him somehow during the l'manberg war for independence.

wilbur and sam are scapegoat characters for them, and they cut the line between c and cc as thin as possible when it suits them. this is just more proof that they can't trust what sam says under Any context. they're not going to reflect, they're going to reflexively recoil away from sam even harder.

they're only going to take it from dream themselves, if they're going to take it from anyone.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Omg yes, Dial Tone. And along with that, the phone sex one with Lee. It’s so intimately creepy to have a stranger be so directly upsetting to you right up in your ear, where you think you’re safe, and the all of a sudden they show up in your life. Wanting it from you. Shudders. There aren’t enough facials in dark fic, too.

The other cabin one, Into the Woods. There’s not enough anal in dark fics, so that was hot. I love weirdo confused creepy Bucky lol

And the safe house one, which is kind of like a cabin lol, Thin Line, I think? Where he can’t stand reader and when Steve leaves, he antagonizes her and then teaches her a lesson, ‘In my day, women knew when to shut their mouths.’

Odd One Out was hot too. Not because he was old, but because it was set in a time where the reader was an adult but inexperienced, and he was like, ‘You have no business being here.’ I like it when him and Steve are balls out old fashioned about women, enough to be mad. The cop one was like that too, but modern day, because he blames her. If she wasn’t such a slut getting drunk every night, he wouldn’t have had to save her from herself.

Thank you for so much solid gold fics about Bucky🏅And I’m right there with you if you’re feeling the muse from those recent comiccon pics. I don’t know why, but he sometimes he hits me in my weak spot.

First, thanks! I loved seeing this ask!

And yes, not enough anal or facials in dark fic and hello, we should be depraved down here.

The Lee fic with the phone sex was great too, I love how we saw him shift back and forth between the friendly sheriff and his pervy old self. Plus I don't know what it is about a greasy pot belly--

The meaner Bucky, or any character is, the weaker I am. I really do wanna start going back to just the rudest cruelest SOBs. And the old fashionedness of them being complete tyrants is what I need in my life truly. Slut shame me, sir.

Thanks so much for reading! And those pics from CC, yum. I was kinda falling out with Seb for a hot minute but now I just wanna write all the greying pervy Bucky's I can.

[greaterawarness]

Arc Training Program Ch. 4 "Getting To Know The Cadets (Part Two)"

(Sorry for the long wait! Here is part two! Hope you enjoy it!)

The next stop on hunting down his cadets is the library. He scans the room seeing some odd number of clones and Kaminoans scattered about but none were one of his. He starts walking slowly around the room until he finds someone curled on the floor with stacks of books surrounding him. His face is hidden by a large book that he is completely entranced by. He reads the cover The Species of Gree. Alpha clears his throat, but the boy doesn’t hear him. Alpha walks forward and pulls the book down so CC-1004’s eye would finally register Alpha. The boy jumps surprised and scrambles to his feet.

“Sir! Sorry sir! I didn’t see you!” He says much to loudly for a library. He hears a few shh hissed at him and winces. “Sorry… sir.”

“What are you doing?” Alpha asks realizing all the books scattered around the boy are books on different types of species. The boy’s face turns a deep shade of red.

“Uh…” Is all he manages to get out. Alpha kneels down to look at the book he was reading.

“The species of Gree?” He says before giving a deep hm while flipping through the pages.

“The Gree species is one of the oldest civilizations in the galaxy. They even predate the Republic.” 1004 explains. Alpha gives another small hm. 1004 looks down while squeezing and unqueening has hands in and out of fists nervously. “I know this probably isn’t the best use of my time but… I think studying different species and their civilizations could benefit the Republic.”

Alpha stares at the boy. He looks like he’s about to be scolded but shows no regret.

“Just don’t let your other training fall through the cracks.” Alpha hands the book back to 1004. He takes the book with wide eyes.

“I wont sir!” He says with a big, excited smile on his face. Reading has never been a big priority when training the clones. Most bounty hunters wont even take their cadets into the library. Alpha might have been the first to not scold the boy for wanting to pursue reading for leisure. Unfortunately, he had nothing to offer like he did for 2224 and 7567. Alpha never felt he had the time or patience for reading unless it was a report.

“Seen any of the others around?” Alpha asks before the kid can get to lost in his books again.

“3636 was in here not too long ago… I think… I kind of lost track of time when I picked up this book.” 1004 admits.

“Understood.” Alpha starts to turn away before looking back at 1004. “Don’t slouch when you read. You’ll mess up your back.”

After walking around the entire library and seeing no sign of 3636, he leaves. He walks with his hands behind his back and head held high. Other’s salute or acknowledge him politely as they pass through the corridors. When he makes a turn towards the mess hall, he spots Shaak Ti. She speaks with two bounty hunters. When she notices him staring, she smiles softly with a slight nod of her head down a different corridor. Alpha nods his thanks and heads in that direction.

He finds himself walking above different training rooms where other batches perform practice battles. He spots 3636 staring down at one of the ongoing battles. Alpha quietly walks to his side to watch the batch below. The batch is slightly younger then his cadets and have sloppy movements. Alpha can predict the ending but looks to 3636 who barely flinched when he approached. 3636 lets out a tsk before pushing away from the railing. Alpha raises a brow at him as the batch below fails.

“Something wrong?” Alpha asks calmly. 3636 half turns with his lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes stare at the floor in tense frustration.

“Why is it so easy from here?” He asks finally. Alpha tilts his head slightly so he continues. “From here I can see their moves before they make them. But when I’m down there it’s like I have tunnel vision. And when I slow down to see the big picture its usually to late to do anything before I realize what’s happening.”

He shakes his head and turns away. Alpha feels the corner of his mouth turn into a grin.

“What did you do before?” Alpha crosses his arms before brining one hand up to his chin pondering with great curiosity.

“Before, my batch would move ahead and I could see it all. Not at first but with trail and error I eventually learned the different battle sequences my trainer had us practice. But the ones you have us run through seem to be random. Or its like the droids have a mind of their own. I can’t predict their moves and what the others will do.”

Alpha stiffens.

“CC-3636, there are thousands of battle scenarios. Are you saying you memorized all of them?”

“Yes?” He says it as if it were obvious. “There are 1,325 to be exact. Well, 1,326 but I think one was a glitch that combined 453 and 34.”

He’s living breathing protocol droid.

Alpha stares at the boy not sure if he should be amazed or terrified. Instead, he motions for him to follow. He takes 3636 to the part of Tipoca City that only the ARC Troopers were allowed. They passed many familiar faces who acknowledged Alpha in a head nod, smile, or even gesture. When they spot 3636 following behind him, they turn cold and watch suspiciously. He eventually turns into a break room currently occupied by two ARC Troopers, Hull and Raff.

“Leave us.” Alpha’s words were cold and blunt. They pause and exchange glances pondering if they should protest or not. They make the right choice and vacate the room. 3636 doesn’t look troubled or even scared to be surrounded by true ARC Troopers. The only thing Alpha can find in the cadet’s cold analyzing eyes is curiosity. Alpha sits on one side of the holochess board and gestures for 3636 to sit on the other side. He hesitates for the first time but eventually lowers himself down studying the board intently. When Alpha turns it on, he frowns.

“What is this?”

“Dejarik. You have to use wit to win.” Alpha smiles with the holographic creatures buzzing in front of him. 3636 says nothing so Alpha does a quick run through of the rules. When he’s done, he begins. The first round Alpha goes easy on the kid letting him get a feel for the game and truly understand how it works. He still manages to win but the kid doesn’t look fazed. He merely leans back slightly with eyes narrowed on the board in deep thought. When they play their second playthrough Alpha thinks he might lose but comes through in the end. Still, 3636 doesn’t look deterred. On the third playthrough Alpha can tell there is a clear difference. The kid leans forward with eyes glued to the bored. Other ARC Troopers have begun to fill into the room to watch. Alpha has to choose each move carefully. Halfway through Alpha rubs the back of his neck wondering how he will pull the win when he lifts his eyes. He freezes when his eyes meet CC-3636’s. They stared at him like a wolf that just locked onto its prey. Alpha looks back down. He makes his move and leans back. The rest of the men in the room watch the kid, murmuring amongst themselves. Alpha wonders how many have placed bets. 3636 smiles while making his final move.

“Holy shit.” Alpha chuckles to himself. The room is in an uproar. Fordo leans against the doorway full body laughing. 3636 sits pleased with his victory. Alpha holds a handout, and they shake hands. He gets to his feet to lead the kid out of the rowdy room of ARC Troopers. No need to subject him to that horror. Fordo pats his shoulder as they pass. When they’re finally in the quiet corridor 3636 looks up at him.

“So, what was the point of that game?”

“There are very few troopers who have the strategy capabilities that you have CC-3636. Tell me, while playing the game did you win the first try? Or even the second?” Alpha places his hands behind his back and glances at the cadet as they walk.

“No.”

“Exactly. But on the third try you got the hang of it. Just like with all things it takes practice to be able to strategizes in the heat of combat. We’ll work on that. Soon you’ll be dominating on the battlefield as much as you do in holochess.” Alpha smiles at him. 3636 stares forward intrigued. He might have even smiled if Alpha wasn’t looking.

Alpha leaves 3636 to continue studying other batches so he can continue his hunt for his other cadets. He doesn’t have to go far it seems when he spots CC-1010 leaning against the windows overlooking the mess hall. Alpha frowns when he approaches. 1010 stands up straight when he notices Alpha.

“Sir.” He says plainly. Alpha gives a displeasing hm.

“What are you doing? I told you to be doing something productive not lean against a window and people watching.” Alpha crosses his arms. 1010 raises his eyebrows as if shocked but his eyes remain plain.

“Sir I assure you I am using my time wisely.” 1010 places a hand on his chest offering a small grin. Alpha frowns. “You see I am not people watching but studying. You would be surprised of what secrets you can learn from simply observing others.”

“Explain.”

Alpha decides to bite. Perhaps he’ll catch him in his own lie. 1010 gestures down to the people eating below. It’s mostly other clones but some Kaminoans and bounty hunters are mixed in.

“You see that bounty hunter there? She’s been fucking one of the Kaminoan scientists.”

Alpha frowns at 1010. “This is gossip cadet.”

“Patience, Sir, patience. I’m getting to the good part.” He assures him. Alpha settles again and looks to the female bounty hunter. “Now she is also fucking the bounty hunter over the Bravo Squad. Well, that or she wants to fuck him and is just working with him. I know this by watching their mannerisms. She acts the same around the city unless she is with the Kaminoan scientist or with the bounty hunter over Bravo Squad but there is a clear difference between the two. With the Kaminoan it’s very forced and overly flirty. Very out of her character. Almost like she’s trying to fool the Kaminoan. Then I compared that to when she is with the other bounty hunter. It’s more natural but much more secretive. Little whispers and glances here and there. A small hand gesture no one would notice you weren’t looking for it.”

“I’m failing to see the point of all this.” Alpha sighs starting to lose patience.

“I’m almost to the good part,” He assures him. “All of this intrigued me, so I followed her one day. It intrigued me because why force a romance she clearly didn’t want and hide one she clearly did. Didn’t seem right. After following her I found out that the Kaminoan scientist she’s interested in works in the genetics lab and she often convinces him to have meetings in the lab. Then after having a meeting, she would have an interaction with the other bounty hunter. One no one would notice if they weren’t looking for it.”

“Besides a serious health violation what are you getting at?” Alpha crosses his arms intrigued. He leans against the window with a smug grin.

“I believe our female bounty hunter is stealing from the genetics’ lab with the bounty hunter of Bravo Squad.”

“That’s a serious allegation. What proof do you have?” Alpha drops his arms. 1010 frowns while looking down at the mess hall at the female bounty hunter.

“Nothing but what I’ve seen.”

“Why haven’t you come forward yet?” Alpha shakes his head at the boy. CC-1010 turns to meet his eyes.

“I’m a cadet. Who’s going to believe me?”

They stare at each other for a moment as Alpha calms down. 1010 looks back out the window.

“I believe you.” Alpha says finally. 1010 stands up straight meeting his eyes again, confused.

“You do?”

“Yes,” Alpha nods confusing the boy more. “I’ll have others look into this matter.”

He looks down shocked for a moment.

“Thank you.” He says showing a genuine smile for the first time. Alpha leans against the window again prompting 1010 to mimic his stance.

“So, what made you start watching her?” Alpha asks now analyzing all bounty hunters in his site. When 1010 doesn’t answer immediately he glances over at him. He wears a grimace.

“Words often spoken are lies.” He says finally. Alpha waits for him to go on. “The bounty hunter over my batch was a master at manipulation. I learned very quickly I couldn’t take her words at face value. Instead, I learned to read her body. From there I was able to find the truth. Body language gives most liars away. When I started getting good with her, I started looking at others for practice. Our lunch lined up with the female bounty hunter’s and that’s when I noticed what was happening.”

Alpha nods while turning so his back was against the glass. He glances up at the ceiling remembering his time under Jango’s instruction.

“Jango would play mind tricks on us at times. He did it to try and push us mentally. Made most of us stronger. I know of bounty hunters like the one that taught you. They don’t use those tactics to help you but more to control you. But as long as you pass the simulations then the Jedi and Kaminoans are happy to let you graduate.”

1010 looks up at him.

“You don’t think those cadets should graduate?”

“I think those cadets will deal with more obstacles later down the road then most others.” Alpha says meeting his eyes again. The cadet nods but Alpha wonders if he really understood what he meant. Alpha clears his throat deciding to turn the conversation to a brighter note. “Do you watch everyone’s mannerisms then?”

“Yes, it’s become second nature now.” 1010 crosses his arms with his back to the glass now mirroring Alpha.

“So, what are mine?” Alpha arches a brow at him. CC-1010 pauses with eyes staring forward. At that moment Shaak Ti approaches making 1010 stand up straight.

“Sir, I see you and the General have business to discuss and I should really get back to blaster training.” He says before walking quickly down the corridor.

“Hey wa—never mind.” Alpha shakes his head with a chuckle. Shaak Ti gives him a look, but he just shakes his head.

“Something wrong?” She asks.

“No… well? Possibly. I have good reason to believe that two of the bounty hunters here are selling Kaminoan genetic secrets.” Alpha says pointing out the female bounty hunter below.

“That is quite a claim. And what reason do you have to support this?” she asks.

“I have on good authority that it is so. If it’s not, then I will personally apologize for any damage done.” Alpha insists. This surprises Shaak Ti.

“Alpha, you have never apologized for anything.” She says eyeing him slightly. He gives a nonchalant shrug.

“Times are changing.”

“It appears so.” She chuckles softly. Alpha notices a datapad in her hand.

“Did you need something?” He asks.

“Yes, I’m afraid there has been an incident with two of your cadets in hanger bay three.” She hands him the datapad. He reads the CC numbers and groans. He immediately takes off for the hanger bay.

When he arrives to the bay he finds CC-8826 and CC-1138 sitting handcuffed on the floor surrounded by a group of troopers.

“These are my cadets. What’s going on?” Alpha has to hold back his anger. 8826 and 1138 look nothing but bored while sitting at the feet of the troopers.

“Sir, we caught these two trying to steal a ship.” The trooper shoots a look at 1138 when he yawns. Alpha felt his anger boil in his chest.

“Sorry for any damages or inconveniences. I’ll take it from here.” Alpha squeezes his hands into tight fists already running through every exercise and drill he was about to make them run through and then he contemplated if he should just fail them and put them on sanitation duty. The cadets are uncuffed and follow behind Alpha.

“We weren’t trying to steal a ship.” 8826 says breaking the tension between them. Alpha whips around to face them. They still look unfazed by Alpha’s furious face.

“Then what pray tell were you doing?” Alpha shouts. His voice echoes through the corridor. He hears someone scurry out of the hall.

“I just…” 8826 starts but stops. Alpha shakes his head.

“No, go on. Explain yourself!”

“I just wanted to know how it works.” He says at last. Alpha shifts his weight taking in his words. He must not answer in time because 8826 goes on. “The ship. I’ve studied the design like everyone else but when it’s put together it looks nothing like the holograms. I wasn’t trying to steal the ship I just wanted to see what the inside looked like and how it all connected.”

Alpha felt his anger begin to simmer. He looks to 1138.

“He couldn’t lift one of the panels.” He shrugs. Alpha feels himself chuckle a laugh. He rubs above his eyebrows.

“You really weren’t trying to steal the ship?” Alpha feels like he just experienced a crash landing.

“No.” they both say. Alpha studies their faces. They didn’t appear to be lying but both boys have always been hard to read in the past. Of course, neither boys would be his first to suspect of desertion. Alpha lets out one final sigh releasing the anger he had only moments before.

“Very well.” He says turning away. He leads them away from the hanger by to one of the distant larger storage rooms near their barracks. He has to find 99 to open it for him. inside they cough and cover their noses from the dust collecting on all the items inside. Most were outdated gear and weapons with some obsolete spare parts here and there. 8826 and 1138 walk around taking in all the things while Alpha follows 99 to the back. He helps 99 pull a tarp off an old speeder bike. 8826 and 1138 stare at it intrigued.

“This is an old speeder bike left here by one of the Mandalorian bounty hunters. It’s rundown and needs a lot of work. You want to know how things work? Start by taking this apart and putting it back together.” Alpha places his hands on his hips watching 8826 squat in front of the bike inspecting it. He gets the same crazed look in his eye that he does when he’s in combat. Alpha leans against a crate glancing over at 1138.

“You interested in building the bike too?” He asks. 1138 has always been silent and calm. He only ever showed real anger when he lost and continued to fail at something. Every other time it’s the same blank expression. 1138 crosses his arms and nods. Alpha leaves it at that not forcing a conversation. 99 helps them clear a path to push the bike back to their barracks. Alpha didn’t want the kids let loose in this room to often. When they reach the barracks they walk in at the same time CC-4477 does. Alpha pauses. He had almost forgotten about the cadet.

“CC-4477,” he calls over while 99 leads 8826 and 1138 to the back wall with the bike. 4477 walks up to him. “Where have you been all day?”

“Sir? What do you mean? We passed each other in the corridor several times today.” He says plainly. Alpha frowns trying to think back. Did he really walk right past one of his cadets and never notice? He almost wants to ask more questions when the doors open and CC-1010 walks in with CC-1004. CC-4477 walks over to greet his brothers leaving Alpha feeling odd. He would have to keep a closer eye on 4477.

When the rest of the cadets return, the quiet barracks become loud with chatting cadets that prepare for the night. Alpha stays in the room helping 1138 and 8826 dismantle the bike and providing what wisdom he could all the while keeping an eye on the others. 1010 and 4477 sit on their extended racks chatting about their day and what they noticed while 7567 and 2224 sort through their gear. 99 shuffles around cleaning up here and there before getting pulled into a conversation with 3636 and 1004. Alpha feels a sense of peace wash over him. A feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time. If ever.

When the night drags on he leaves the cadets to bathe and get to bed. He walks back to his room to find Shaak Ti watching one of the cadets practice battles. He walks over to join her at his table. She smiles at him while sliding a data pad his way.

“What’s this?” He asks while examining it.

“It seems you were correct about that bounty hunter. She and her accomplice have been detained. It seems the Kaminoan she manipulated had no idea. Still, he will face his own punishment from the Kaminoans.” She leans back in her chair.

“That fox.” Alpha says softly to himself. He puts the datapad down wearing a proud smile.

“It seems taking an off day was good for you.” She smiles warmly at him. He rubs the back of his neck.

“What can I say? You were right. Each boy is very different and has their own set of skills.”

“Now you must find a way to utilize those skills to get them to work together.” She rests her arms on the table leaning forward slightly. Alpha nods before reaching over to turn the holovid off. The sit in silence enjoying the peace.

“Thank you.” He says suddenly. She tilts her head. “For helping me.” “Your success is all of our success.” She says making him roll his eyes slightly. After a pause she adds. “You have changed Alpha.”

“I believe you’re right.” He nods with eyes falling on the table where his hand rests. He looks up to meet her eyes. “You have changed as well. From the first time we met.”

“That is the nature of time. It changes us. For better or for worse.”

His eyes drop to the table again this time staring at her hand resting on the table.

“Do you think it’s for the better?” he asks staring at her hand resting loosely on the white table. She takes this time to stand, pulling his eyes towards her face again. Before she walks out of his room she pauses and says.

“I hope, Alpha. I hope.”

Read full story HERE on AO3

[aleksh-loves-linling]

im in a mood to question c!philza's logic thus i will start my observation about his character. okay more less of an observation and more so pointing out the red flags. also this is a c!phil neg post, not cc phil neg. so take this as a disclaimer.

let's start with the reason why he hated l'manburg, him killing c!wilbur, his son. it's obvious that c!phil was lied to by c!wilbur based on the lore streams months ago where c!fundy told his grandfather the correct history of the dsmp. what pisses me off next about c!phil is his selective justice.

he got mad at c!tubbo for trying to execute his best friend when said best friend also executed the president, a close friend of his son. it's basically karma to c!techno for following an order of a dictator (the irony of this one) and executing c!tubbo. nonetheless, it's still bad that c!techno doesn't have a trial for his crimes but to say that he doesn't deserve the justice that c!tubbo sought for himself and his country is really hypocritical man. not only that, c!phil thought that it was c!tubbo who pushed c!wilbur to insanity when in actuality, it was c!wilbur who placed the boy as president when c!phil arrived. now i don't know if i remember it correctly but during his stalling, c!wilbur told his father that c!tubbo just became the president of l'manburg, implying that he recently assigned the kid as head of the nation so i don't know how people or c!phil caught up on this quote :shrugs:. anyways, he didn't apologized to c!tubbo about the misconceptions unless someone can tell me when he apologized cuz im fairly certain he hasn't said sorry to c!tubbo.

next, he got mad at l'manburg for thinking it's the reason why c!wilbur was dead. now this is where we draw the line of l'manburg and manberg. it wasn't l'manburg's fault but it was manberg. it was manberg who caused c!wilbur's spiral, it was the reason why he thought he can't have the control of his nation, it was the country under schlatt administration. l'manburg died back in the elections arc and was then revived by c!tubbo but it was only hanging by a thin thread. it fully died when the c!tubbo followed c!dream's orders. and when doomsday came along, c!phil became the exact same person c!wilbur became back in the 16th, he became a terrorist and destroyed so many bonds between people. he didn't save anyone from l'manburg, in fact, he hurt them even more and c!ranboo being a proof of that when he learned that the people he lived with before had hurt his husband the same way thus he became more wary of the flightless angel and the blood warrior.

finally, easily forgiving his revived son's crimes pissed me the fuck off the most. c! wilbur hurt so many people in the server, including c!niki who is part of their syndicate yet easily moved passed his mistakes without at least a scolding or saying that he should make up for it. yes, he killed his son, have grieved for him, was trying to find ways to bring him back and was then elated to see him alive once again. but c!wilbur stood everything he was against for, a dictator (he proclaimed himself as president and even planned to rig the elections), a tyrant (he focused more on the country than the people), and a murderer (he didn't care that someone would die to his explosions and he let c!tubbo die by holding c!tommy back from saving his best friend). not only that, c!wilbur lied to him the entire time thus leading to what's happening right now should ring at least a dozen alarm bells but c!phil obliviously trusted him and that's something i can't pass by.

additionally, he also allied himself with a man who is so obviously a tyrant that everyone and even their mothers know he's a dictator. so imagine an anarchist and a tyrant teaming up in destroying a country that was based on the idea of freedom from tyranny. lmao

anyways that's all. i have to sleep cuz I have school tomorrow kekw.

[anarmorofwords]

The last anon said "he is in a bad place right now and I can't love the person he is right now" people don't see how "takes" like this can harm others who struggles with addiction and depression (because the CLS Matthew already had signs of mental ilness)? This is horrible because it can be basically translate to

"people with mental ilness and addiction are unloveble" And there are others who always dismiss feelings that Matthew showed and was vocal about like his feelings for Cordelia because people "in a bad state" can't love either. And they do this because of a shop that isn't even remottelly in danger. I hate Cassandra for being irresponsable and do a poor job writing this important issues and I hate this fandom that doesn't give a shit for people with a mental ilness and addiction.

I totally understand criticazing Matthew for his actions but say that you don't like him Because he's a drunk and depressed is so terrible...

Oh absolutely!!!

Thank you for bringing this up! I hope I'll be able to properly address everything here, because this is something that bothers me so much, but I forgot to include that. I put it under the cut bc long

It doesn't apply to all of them, but many antis/people who hate Math really push this narrative that mentally ill people are ultimately unhealthy and toxic and should have no friends or other relationships, and that's just... Not true and terribly hurtful, not just to a character, but because of the implications it gives to real people seeing such takes.

I absolutely hate when people suggest Matthew will only be loveable - to his friends, a potential love interest, or even readers - once he heals. I hate this so so much. Yes, I think romantic relationship shouldn't be a priority for him atm, but it doesn't mean he shouldn't be allowed to fall in love (especially when, other than his treatment of Alastair, which is kind of a seperate issue, and more complex, he's been nothing but respectful towards Cordelia). Not to mention other kinds of love from other people in his life - you stay with people you love through thick and thin, not ditch them the moment it's not fun anymore.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying his loved ones can't have boundaries or all of his behaviour should be excused because of his mental state, but people don't even take it into consideration when analysing his actions. Like, it doesn't obviously apply to all of his behaviour, but very often what he does is indeed illogical or insensitive etc., but he's in a terribly bad place, which I think should be considered, especially when we're talking about his treatment of Alastair.

Then again, when people pin all of the issues between TMT on him?! Sure, we won't blame any of them for not noticing/helping with Matthew's addiction (I'm not saying they should have been responsible for that, just pointing out that people don't expect them to and don't drag them for that), but a mentally ill teen who's drunk most of the time is a monster for neglecting his friends?

Matthew gets hate for not noticing Thomas's feelings and his interest in Alastair, but it's okay Thomas (and the others) didn't notice his depression and addiction?! Matthew gets hate for not seeing past the "kind" facade Thomas purposefully creates, but Thomas doesn't for not seeing past Matthew's "charm"? Make it make sense. This isn't to hate on Thomas, or any other Merry Thief, is just to point out how people's argumentation is very... selective

People always go on about Math's "supportive and loving environment", but what has his environment done for him? How was it supportive? Neither this family nor friends noticed his problems, not to mention did something to help with them. I think it's mostly CC's fault, again - a convenient reason to add more drama - but it doesn't change the fact that it's shitty.

One more thing that bothers me in regards to the Academy - while I don't think Matthew's behaviour was ok either - is how people brush off what he suffered because "he had friends"? Or is rich? Like babe, i thought we established that long ago: Mental illness doesn't choose people based on their circumstances, and you can't forbid people from reacting in a certain way - to bullying, to trauma etc. So saying Matthew didn't have the right to be hurt, or he "overreacted" or anything along those lines is like saying people are only allowed to suffer from mental illness on certain conditions and for certain "reasons", and that's bullshit.

I love that Alastair was able to move on and is such a compassionate and amazing person despite what he's been through, but comparing them is pointless, when they're clearly at different "stages", so to say. As I pointed out lately, Alastair's always known what he was doing wasn't alright, while Matthew, for the most part, doesn't realize. Matthew still has time to change and make up for his mistakes, but some people act as if, if Alastair's already done that, it's too late for Matthew to do that. Which is just a little bizzare to me.

Just like you said, I don't mind people critizing him, or even being antis, if that's what they wish to spend their time on, but not for being mentally ill, or "a drunk". Please.

I hope I'm making some sense here, please feel free to add more or point out if I wrote something nonsensical, thank you again for bringing this up <3

[fagtainsparklez]

it's nothing unusual, it's just bias and almost everyone's got that but shows in your critique that you dont fully get some of what you talk about bc youre not in those parts of the fandom. its normal lmao

yeah yeah totally! i’ve actually spoken before about how it’s physically impossible to not form a bias in the dream smp fandom especially, bc of all the multiple povs and sometimes-thin line between c and cc. i am not immune in any way ^_^

but that still doesn’t help me in any way. what parts of the fandom? what critique? i cover a lot on here, from fanon sbi to the treatment of female ccs. i’m ASSUMING you probably mean the ctommy stuff, but that’s still quite a wide area to toss your net into. is it my critique of his characterization individually? the treatment of the characters around him? the mistagging of characters in fanfiction? the trauma porn? really, i need much more clarification than that to understand where you’re coming from

[mj1343]

Thinking a bit about dream smp which I haven’t done in a long time but like. Idk if y’all realize how thin of a line between the characters and creators are

Obviously wilbur soot isn’t a criminal and a ghost irl and ranboo isn’t an endermen whatever irl but like. A lot of the regular streams are just them talking. And like. Playing minecraft. When they aren’t trying to make things more dramatic and depressing for their audience of easily depressed preteens they’re just like talking

You can put !c and /rp all you want but it isn’t tommy!c joking around with tubbo!c that’s just like. Them being friends. And being friendly. Irl. So like. Idk don’t be fuckin wierd about them. Keep dream smp stuff in dream smp we don’t need !c about series’s where tommy shows up for half an episode or when him and his friends are just joking around like regular people. I know people like applying “cute gay” or “my head canon is this character is bi” or whatever but like. The line between !c and !cc is so thin don’t be wierd about it let them have their own privacy snd sexualities and relationships and shit they’re real people just putting on a show I’ve been on the internet I’ve seen this fandom shit happen before and often it does not go super well when people start trying to get into cc’s lives like this

[shotgunningtheuniverse]

i'm aroace so i don't think anything is hot, but despite the way it's impossible for me to relate, i do think i understand why so many people find c!dream attractive

part of it is like. how thin the barrier is between the ccs and their characters. obviously i don't think dream is anything like his character irl, i just mean there's not the same level of separation as there is with professional actors and their audience. so all of the people who think c!dream is hot already think dream himself is hot, so the lines get blurred

other than that, it's c!dream's demeanor they find attractive, not his actual actions. yk. confident, powerful, dominating, cunning, gives no fucks attitude, ect.. i bet if dream was the "hero" of the dsmp and still had the same demeanor, they would be just as attracted to him as they are now

Demeanor, the presentation of a character. What determines if someone likes this character or not. People like smooth and confident characters especially in villains. Or clumsy and a bit of a realistic and relatable villain. Two types.

One is kinnable and relatable, the other is maybe someone you want to date.

I’m on the aroace spec so this might have something to do with it as well as my personal hard separation between character and person.

Although realistically both are characters in a way. Just very different characters, played by the same person.

Subjectively to me, I don’t find C!Dream attractive, but I don’t find CC!Dream attractive either. So maybe that has something to do with it as well.

Perception bias is such an interesting thing huh? Bias. Of course that would be apart of it. The bigger picture. The influences that make C!Dream attractive.

[ruby-whistler]

Am I the only one annoyed by the overall attitude in this fandom and the way it's become normalized to invalidate other people's feelings about certain characters just because you don't feel the same way?

The fact that someone else feels a certain way about or is biased towards a character is fine.

It's none of your business!

Feel free to point out logical errors in people's analyses! Feel free to be critical of a character you don't like, and express your opinion! Feel free to be concerned about many people misinterpreting things!

But I feel like whenever someone says they like or dislike a fictional character from the Dream SMP, they are immediately expected to explain themselves and defend their stance, as if their feelings were any less valid because other people disagree with them. And you know what? I'm gonna say it.

You don't get to decide whether someone else's emotions are justified or not!

You can't even scroll through the character tags without them being filled with untagged hate towards a character you might relate to or like on a personal level; and to top it all off, people constantly make posts mocking people's "justification" or whatever for simply liking someone!

It's tiring, being expected to provide objective and rational indisputable evidence to be allowed by the fandom to like a character. It's also just extremely stupid.

You don't owe anyone an explanation, and no one owes you one! Of course, you can respectfully ask someone to talk about why they like a character if you're confused, I'm sure most fans would enjoy talking about them - but don't attack people because you think they're "wrong" for literally being emotional over a fictional storyline that is meant to induce emotions towards the characters?

Getting attached to the cast is a sign of something being well-written! Being sad about someone's mistreatment by others despite their bad actions is normal, it's called being empathetic!

None of us are the same, and so we're not all going to like the same characters, but don't invalidate other people's feelings because of it!

Apologist discourse wouldn't be so bad for people's mental health, hell, it probably wouldn't exist if people didn't feel forced to apologize for feeling a certain way in the first place!

c!Dream, c!Tommy, c!Sam- every single character on the SMP has had struggles and has been through a lot, and sometimes people may relate to those things! I do! Just because you don't, that doesn't make it ok for you to say that someone else isn't "right" in doing so.

Everyone is allowed to have opinions and discuss opinions. But I feel like apologists often forget the people who they're talking with have emotions and attachment towards their favourite characters.

And I think mocking that is not only hypocritical and stupid, but also extremely harmful?

You shouldn't have to feel like you're in the "wrong" for feeling the way you do just because you don't have "logical proof" that would make it "justified" in the eyes of the rest. I can't believe I have to say this, but here we are.

And not to speak on behalf of the CCs, but no author would want this to happen in their community!

Art and storylines are all about having emotions and opinions. People having strong feelings because of their story is the end goal of every writer! Someone might perceive the story differently, watch from a different perspective, or focus on different characters more for one reason or another, and that's just fine!

The fans of literally every character are absolutely valid in liking them. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, and DON'T INVALIDATE OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU THINK THEY DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT "REASONS" IN YOUR EYES.

We're biased and that's alright! We're biased and that's how it should be! Spreading misinformation based on said bias is what is concerning and we should try to avoid, as well as being a prick to people who don't agree, but that doesn't make the bias itself wrong?

The Dream SMP fandom threads a very thin line between not wanting to understand the other side at all and then condemning them for opinions they don't even fully understand.

If you want to understand and to learn more about the SMP from different POVs, good on you! If you come onto someone's post expecting to change their opinions or simply to tell them how "wrong" they are in liking a character, piss off!

Just accept the fact that other people have different opinions about a Minecraft roleplay. And you- feel the way you want to, make art, make analyses, have fun with it, because it's entertainment and NO ONE gets to tell you you're wrong for enjoying it the way you do.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Sagittarius serpentarius

By Ikiwaner, GFDL 1.2

Etymology: Archer

First Described By: Hermann, 1783

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Accipitrimorphae, Accipitriformes, Sagittariidae

Status: Extant, Vulnerable

Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years, in the Holocene of the Quaternary 

The Secretarybird is known from a variety of arid (re: non-dense tropical rainforests) across sub-Saharan Africa 

Physical Description: Secretarybirds are among the most visually distinctive of living dinosaurs, and one of the species usually pointed to by people attempting to prove the dinosaur nature of birds via visual evidence. These are large raptors, with extremely long and thin legs like those of storks. They have sharp talons on their feet, and they are truly living the “Velociraptor is my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great auntie and I’m here to kick your ass” life. 

They still have the ability to fly, with large wings and elongated bodies - including long, stiffened tail feathers just to add to the whole “wait if I squint maybe it has a bony tail like a Velociraptor” appearance it has going on. It has a medium-length neck, with a small head and a distinctive crest of thin feathers off the back of its head. It also has a downward-curved, sharp beak. 

By Lip Kee Yap, CC BY-SA 2.0 

In terms of color, the Secretarybirds have orange patches over their eyes, and mainly white heads besides; the ends of their crest feathers are black. Their leg feathers are black too, as are some of their rump feathers, the tips of their wings, their backs, and the ends of their tails. The males and females look roughly the same, with the females somewhat smaller than the males. In general, they range between 125 and 150 centimeters in length. Juveniles are very similar to the adults, but with shorter crests and tails. In short, these are raptors that aren’t actually mistaken for other raptors - but might be mistaken for cranes!

The Secretarybird is interesting on the inside as well - it has a very short digestive tract, and a foregut highly specialized for digesting large quantities of meat very quickly. They don’t have a muscular gizzard like other birds, and they don’t have any fermentation agents since they don’t eat plants at all! 

By Biran Ralphs, CC BY 2.0 

Diet: Though it can fly, the Secretarybird does the entirety of its hunting on the ground, stalking through the grass to catch a variety of meat prey including mammals as big as mongooses, lizards, snakes, tortoises, other birds, eggs, crabs, and insects. They do kill even bigger mammals like young gazelles and cheetah cubs. In short, they’re making their ancestors proud.

Behavior: Secretarybirds have a lot of very distinctive behaviors that make them iconic, bird-wise, among the masses. Most especially, they engage in very fast kicking with their long legs in order to grab prey - evoking images of dinosaurs gone by. These kicks are fast, powerful, and terrifying - and then on top of that insanity, they swallow their food whole with their large, gaping beaks! To get their food out of hiding, they even stomp incessantly on the ground in order to flush it out. They usually only tear up their food with their toes while holding it down, not bothering to chop it up with their beaks. Sometimes they’ll even jump down onto food, using a little bit of raptor-prey-restraint or lift with their wings to get the jump on their prey. These birds usually hunt alone, or with their mate nearby. 

These birds do not migrate much, but they can be nomadic in response to rainfall and fires. The juveniles especially travel far in search of areas unoccupied by mated pairs. They make high pitched, “ko-ko-ko-ko-ko-ka” calls to one another, in addition to more “kowaaaaaaa kowaaaaaaaa” and “kurrk-urr-kurrk-urr” calls back and forth. They aren’t actually that good at running, despite their long legs - they instead are really only good for the stomp-strike they use for hunting. 

By Donald Macauley, CC BY-SA 2.0 

These birds form monogamous pairs, that stay together for most of their lives. They have an elaborate courtship display for one another that involves soaring high and flying in an undulated fashion around each other, and croaking at each other. Sometimes they also will court each other on the ground, chasing each other with their wings up like how they chase prey. They will nest any time of the year, usually corresponding to abundance of food. They especially raise chicks in the rainy system. Their nests are made fairly high up in Acacia trees, made out of sticks with dense grass and wool lining, usually made in the shape of a saucer. THey lay between 1 and 3 eggs in a nest, which are incubated by both parents for about a month and a half. The chicks are pale grey and fluffy with short, straight bills; they moult twice before reaching a juvenile plumage at six weeks. They are dependent on their parents for over three months; their parents will eat insects and then regurgitate them back into the young’s mouths. The parents teach their young how to hunt extensively, in order for them to be independent by the end of their rearing period. 

By Kore, CC BY-SA 3.0 

Ecosystem: Secretarybirds live in steppes and savanna, especially enjoying short grasses with scattered trees for roosting and nesting. They rarely go anywhere with more trees. They can be found at a variety of elevations. Here they live with a wide variety of animals, especially venomous snakes, which they are famous for eating. However, their own young are fed upon by crows, ravens, hornbills, kites, and owls.

Other: Secretarybirds are considered vulnerable to extinction, mainly due to extensive habitat loss and rising CO2 levels. These birds are still widespread across Africa and are becoming adapted to more arid, desert-like habitats, but despite this common nature of the species they are still listed as vulnerable due to a recent rapid decline across the entirety of their range. They are a very revered bird in Africa, used as the emblem of Sudan and a motif on postage stamps - though they are also called the Devil’s Horse! 

By Yoky, CC BY-SA 3.0 

As to the peculiar name, some think it is because the crest feathers look like quill feathers for a pen, leading to the association with a secretary - but this hypothesis has fallen out of favor. Some may think it is a mishearing of the French “Saqr-et-tair”, aka, hunter bird. Either way, the quills also look like a quiver of arrows - and it is a skilled hunter - leading to its genus name being Sagittarius, aka, Archer!

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

Allan, D.G.; Harrison, J.A.; Navarro, R.A.; van Wilgen, B.W.; Thompson, M.W. (1997). "The Impact of Commercial Afforestation on Bird Population in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa – Insights from Bird-Atlas Data". Biological Conservation. 79 (2–3): 173–185.

Jobling, J. A. 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Christopher Helm Publishing, A&C Black Publishers Ltd, London.

Kemp, A.C. (2019). Secretarybird (Sagittariidae). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Kemp, A.C., Kirwan, G.M., Christie, D.A. & Marks, J.S. (2019). Secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Maloiy, G. M. O.; Alexander, R. M. C. N.; Njau, R.; Jayes, A. S. (1979). "Allometry of the legs of running birds". Journal of Zoology. 187 (2): 161–167.

Mayr, G.; Clarke, J. (2003). "The deep divergences of neornithine birds: a phylogenetic analysis of morphological characters". Cladistics. 19 (6): 527–553.

Scharning, Kjell. "Secretary Bird Sagittarius serpentarius". Theme Birds on Stamps. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018.

Sherman, Patrick (2007). "Sagittarius serpentarius : secretary bird". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

Simmons, R.E. (2015). "Secretarybird – Sagittarius serpentarius". In R.E. Simmons; C.J. Brown; J. Kemper (eds.). Bird to watch in Namibia – red, rare and endangered species. Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and the Namibia Nature Foundation.

Todd, William T. (1988). "Hand-Rearing the Secretary Bird Sagitarius Serpentarius at Oklahoma City Zoo". International Zoo Yearbook. 27 (1): 258–263.

[stusbunker]

Featuring: MoC!Dean x Demon!reader, Original Female Character, Castiel, Charlie, Crowley, Rowena

Summary: Our reader’s back and there’s gonna be trouble! Charlie brings back the Book of the Damned and CC asks Castiel for something he doesn’t want to give.

Warnings: This is super long, possession, show level violence, rough sex, face fucking, oral sex (male and female), hair pulling, dirty talk, dub!con smut.

Series Masterlist

*^*

March 30, 2015

Munich, Germany

           The city was old, streets wrapping around buildings at harsh angles and in varying stone. But that was what you needed, age, wisdom, answers. At your sendoff, Crowley had given you a name, occupation, and a proverbial pat on the head. You didn’t know why you complied so easily; until you heard the first peal of laughter from a stranger on the sidewalk. Humanity. To be surrounded by life was worth the mission. Language and social niceties came back quickly, adjusting from vessel to vessel as you navigated the foreign byways.

           It was easy to forget your time with Dean here; to imagine yourself something newly minted in this different world. The power you found during your initial escape in that lonesome field painted with bull’s blood, was nothing compared to the possibility of redemption. It taunted and teased you with that naïve hope only Crowley’s goading could coax from your battered mind. He hadn’t mentioned your previous time running his errands, nor the Winchesters, but he didn’t have to. He had your number, and once you started stacking the clues together; you had his.

           The shop was warded to the nines, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t watch from the café across the street. You handed the server a fifty Euro banknote and asked to be left alone, freeing your table for the lunch hour and beyond. Hell, the teacher of eternal patience had left you with nothing to do but absorb and endure. So, you did what you knew; you waited. Eventually, the shopkeepers eased from the side door, their business hours long faded into the setting sun.

           They each cast a hasty glamour once they spotted you. Too late; you had their scent now. Carefully you rounded the building the opposite way they had headed, the alleys were dark and narrow so much more inconvenient for the humans you tailed. Their hurried footfalls remained unmasked, up and over the next embankment. You didn’t flinch as they separated, trying to confuse you further. They only managed to spread their magic too thin and soon you had gained on the rasping breaths of the one that had decided to go north.

“I’m not after you, you know. I’m looking for someone else,” you said in blunt German.

“I know who you work for,” the rough voice answered in accented English.

“Then you know it is easier to give me the information than wait for the consequences.”

His middle-aged face appeared as he dropped his last barrier from your shining black eyes. He pushed off the brick wall and squared his stance, hands dangling and fingers working in distracting movements. You pulled the handgun from your waistband and met his bluff. No one expects a cowboy duel in the Fatherland, but nothing about your afterlife made sense.

“You want to draw a little more attention to yourself there? Bullets don’t scare me, demon,” he spat out the last word as if he was some holy man, some saint worthy of a judgement.

“Witch killing bullets might slow you down a tick though, yeah? Witch.” You said it how it felt best on your tongue. You spoke over your shoulder to the one who had rounded back, failing to trap you, “thanks for joining us. All I need is for one of you to talk and then we can all go home. Easy peasy.”

“What does it want?” The one still hidden from sight demanded from the one staring down the barrel of your gun.

“Information,” you answered evenly.

“On who?”

The man shook his head at his partner; the name in your head reaped more fear in the witch than Crowley. The silent conversation dragged between them and you decided incentive was necessary at this point. If Crowley’s reputation wasn’t enough, enforcement needed to make up for it. You pulled the hammer back and aimed.

“Alright, alright, what do you need to know?”

“Give me everything you have on Rowena MacLeod.”

*^*^*^*^

April 1, 2015

Inside Man

           If Dean was avoiding CC, then he was. If CC was avoiding him, he had no idea. It was almost too easy to be with her in the quiet library or even the cavernous garage, now. Maybe it was the non-human thing, but Dean didn’t really notice her anymore. A chameleon in any room, there, only when she wanted to make her presence known, otherwise she had become as peripheral as furniture. So, it was with the same regard as to a bookcase that Dean called Rudy, begging to be his back up on a case. Sam had his mime movie thing and Dean had his cabin fever. Bupkis it was.

           He slipped into the driver’s seat and headed to nowhere in particular, the purples and greens of twilight kept at bay with Baby’s headlights. Dean needed something normal, something expected, something as easy as his hands on the wheel and his cassettes in the deck. This was where he belonged, where he was himself and how he could make sense of things. Now with what the Mark and the world had done to him, he needed it more than ever. Without Sam’s constant vigilance and CC’s over accommodating methods; Dean needed to feel like Dean again, even if it was just for the forty-mile drive to a douche filled sports’ bar.

           He switched to the radio about twenty minutes down the road, letting a familiar snare walk and bass line fill the car. He started singing along, drumming his fingers on the downbeats. Dean let himself sink into the music, the carefree joy of belting out crescendo after crescendo. His voice cracked on a lyric and he stopped to swallow as it all hit him. He missed her. He fucking missed the demon. He finished the song, words hitting him harder on the other side. He ignored the tightness in his chest and the shake to his hands. Thinking it made it real and the reality of longing for something, someone like that made his stomach pitch. But it wasn’t disgust, it was grief.

           Dean yanked his thoughts out of the depths and brought them back to surface survival as he pulled into the parking lot. The faux neon signs reflected on the Impala’s freshly waxed hood. The meager groups were congregated around the pool tables and Dean decided to try his luck.

           A few beers and a pool hustle later; Dean realized he should have stayed in for the night. Rowena had set a pack of rabid frat boys on him and he had to reign in every ounce of his control to stop from gutting them all.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dean had the tiny woman pinned to the bar after her spell failed to even give him a nosebleed.

“Saving my son!”

Dean’s confusion was dwarfed only by his surprise. “Your son?”

“Crowley,” she challenged him, adding another shock to the moment.

“Crowley Crowley?!”

“My son is a king! A god, or he would be if you didn’t—You snap your fingers and he comes running like a wee lapdog.”

Dean started to back away, missing whatever blame he held in this scenario. “Lady I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re a good influence on him. That’s why you need to die!”

“Well, sorry your little light show didn’t work,” Dean held her fast, he wasn’t going to underestimate her now.

“Oh, I’ll try again,” she whispered the promise that sent a chill down his spine.

“What, you think I’m just gonna let you walk outta here?” Dean matched her menacing smirk.

“I think, you’re a hero. You could have killed those men, but you didn’t. Because they’re innocent.” She winks at him then, taunting him even with the knife to her very pale throat. “Cuz, you’re the good guy and you want them to live. But the spell I cast will DEVOUR them from the inside out, just like it did that girl.” She knew exactly how to use her powers and wiles against him. “I’m the only that can save them. What’s it going to be, HERO?”

Dean recoiled, releasing Rowena as he stepped back to allow her the chance to reverse the damage she had caused. “Fix ‘em up and go.”

“So civil, aren’t you?”

“Lady, I think I’m being the, bigger person here? You did just try and kill me.”

“Well, bigger isn’t always stronger, is it? Brains are a muscle you might want to, strengthen?”

Dean rolled his eyes behind her back. Lithely, Rowena whispered into each of the dude bro’s ears, pulling hexbags from their pockets.

Another bar, another drink with another MacLeod

           “Who’s the liar now?” Crowley looked at Dean a little too knowingly. Dean scoffed and took a drink. “She says I’ve gone soft.”

           Dean chuckled, because damn if the red head isn’t right, “you have. What? Yeah, maybe it’s all the human blood that Sammy pumped into you, you know? Maybe it’s, uh, I don’t know. I don’t know. But the old Crowley, he would have come in here with hell hounds and demons and he would have blown the roof off the joint. Now? You didn’t want to fight. You wanted to talk. And maybe I’ve changed too. Here I am playing Dr. Phil to the King of Hell. Never saw that coming.”

           “Maybe we’re getting old,” Crowley waxed mortally.

           “Never saw that coming either,” Dean agreed.

           Dean let go with Crowley, explaining the backbone of who he is and how he had made it this far. Family. Then he shoved the piss poor example of a mother Crowley was clinging to, back into the demon’s face. “Does that sound like your mother?”

           Crowley knew better, but he was feeling generous. Dean had become his Achilles’ heel after all. “You know I may have seen it coming. Might have had someone digging up all her years of indiscretions since I’d last seen her.”

           “Well, good, can’t be too careful,” Dean takes the last pull from his glass, smacking his lips together.

           “She’s kind of a wildcard, but I think she’ll get the job done. Who knows, maybe it’s just me getting soft. But I do love an underdog,” Crowley’s eye sparkled back at Dean as the suspicion creeped through the man’s features.

           “What’s that supposed to mean?”

           “Dunno,” Crowley stood. “Just, uh, let me know if you want her number? Might be worth the dime.” With little segue, he vanished. Dean groaned and slid Crowley’s drink over, holding back the fruit and ice before taking the leftovers as payment for not offing the guy’s mom.

April 16, 2015

Book of the Damned

The Bunker after the Cabin

           “Whoa,” CC muttered just as she felt Castiel arrive. She looked across the War Room table to Sam who just walked in from whatever he had stashed in his room. “We’ve got company.”

           “Hello, Sam, CC.” Castiel joined them, filling in the details of their plan to get information out of Metatron on the Mark behind Dean’s back. Castiel explained in guilt-laden detail how his original grace had been restored. CC felt an ease in the Angel’s eyes that she hadn’t noticed before. Sam did his best to placate Cas, while CC started guessing how a being like Metatron on the loose was going to come back to bite them all in the ass. A stone started to worry in her gut over the words of a never forgotten dream.

           “You did the right thing. That book needed to be destroyed,” Castiel’s reassurance brought CC back to the present. “We will find another way, Sam.”

           The creaking of the entry door turned everyone’s head skyward.

“We’re back bitches!” Charlie’s spunky return continued to brighten the mood as the evening moved forward with genuine ease in the air. CC never saw Dean smile as much as he did when the red head was around. Something about her tenacity and unabashed nerdiness brought out the teddy bear in him, which CC liked to see, even from a distance. The hacker had become part of the family in a way she never had, despite living with them for this long. Thoughts of a lonely childhood and her looming solitary eternity caused CC to call an early night, leaving only a weary Sam to notice her exit.

April 18, 2015

Manhattan, KS

A summons.

Though the hope had betrayingly crossed your mind, more than once, you never thought he would actually do it. Now that you stood before Dean Winchester once more, you weren’t sure if it was to kill you properly or to fuck you senseless. His glare was that gloriously intense. You welcomed either outcome, if it was at his hand.

“You rang?” You smirked in greeting, hoping the vessel was moderately appealing. The timing of the spell didn’t really give you many options, she was a petite Latina in her early forties, though her genetics hid her age well. You weren’t in the Bunker, but what appeared to be the storage area of an old basement. Mildew and old masonry evident as you gathered any detail that held potential of his intentions. Secrecy abound; you were very much alone.

“Y/N?” Dean didn’t break eye contact, his voice cracking as your eyes misted at his acknowledgement. You only nodded, the emotion of seeing him again began to break through.

“I wasn’t sure you remembered,” a whispered confession.

Dean looked down, shame falling over his usually steadfast features, “Yeah, well I had to do some digging.”

“So, you still don’t know who I am?” Realization knocking you down a peg once more. Geez, drag a girl across the world and you still can’t put the pieces together, some great love he was. And yet he was, damnit.

“I don’t think I know anyone the way I know you.” Dean chided himself, biting at his lip and tsking his tongue. He stepped closer, eyes searching yours. You unconsciously mirrored his movements, taking you to the rim of the red spray paint on the cellar floor.

“I suppose that is the best I could ask for.” Your arms longed to be around him, to feel the weight of him against you, to feel his heart beat. You didn’t know what he wanted from you, but you knew it was your last chance at honesty. You answered his call and raised him with your shared history.

A heavy breath escaped your chest and you let your eyes go black. “I first met you, centuries ago. Before I was a Demon and before you were the infamous Dean Winchester. When you were just some kid who sold his soul for his much more promising brother. Before you knew of your destinies and long before you gave Heaven and Hell the finger.”

Dean’s shoulders straightened, one hand in his pocket as his head cocked with mild amusement.

“I remember the first day Alastair strapped you to his table, the way you screamed and challenged him. I still heard it some nights back home: your voice in agony and me powerless to stop him just outside the door to his favorite torture room.” You began to pace inside the trap, working through the memories both cherished and painful.

“How long did he leave you there?” Dean asked, arms crossed over his chest now, brow furrowed.

“I was left outside your sessions until the day you took the deal,” you stepped forward as he shook his head in disbelief. “I heard him, every day, ask you and I heard you every day, even after hours of anguish, refuse. I begged him for the same opportunity, but I wasn’t special. I wasn’t you. And then I finally saw you face-to-face.”

“The First Seal.” Dean closed his eyes as it all came crashing back and into focus.

“I never blamed you,” your voice fell, hand raised trying to comfort him. He stood just beyond the barrier of his own devising. “Of course, I would have done the same, had I been given the chance. But it wasn’t until your Castiel rescued you, did I feel Alastair’s final torment.”

“Just stop, okay?!” Dean pleaded suddenly; he thumbed the Mark of Cain which seemed to be throbbing over all of the blood he had shed in Hell. The hunger that threatened his humanity once more. You flinched at his words, your stories had brought you back to that vulnerable human soul who had witnessed her schoolgirl crush and torturer ripped from her plane of existence. “You’ve only ever seen the worst of me. Why didn’t you just kill me?”

He kept his eyes down, but you saw how perplexed he felt; you were not a predictable demon and bless him for trying to understand. Your face softened, the endearment you felt catching him off guard. “I was just getting to that part, dumbass. Love. Alastair’s final torment for me was an unwavering and unrequited love, for you.”

“We had very different experiences with Alastair.” Dean’s face broke into a smile, the slight blush on his features. He was such a dork, it hurt to watch him like this.

“Yeah, well, according to Crowley, it wasn’t Alastair at all. He wasn’t ‘that sophisticated with the emotional aspects of the job’.” You shrugged.

“He has a point,” Dean relaxed, walking a bit as you continued to speak.

“Where’s Chloe?” You asked nervously, “And Sam?”

“Chloe? She’s still kicking ‘round the Bunker, but, well, too much water under the bridge.”

“That’s our girl.” You knew she would move beyond this ordeal better than most, yet somehow you still worried for her wellbeing, even after she extradited you. Fucking symbiotic relationships.

“And Sam’s fine. Ornery and trying too hard to make me listen to reason–”

“A lost cause if there ever was one.” You teased, Dean smirked, toeing the line that separated you.

“I’m done fighting the Mark, Y/N.” Dean let out a heavy sigh. “I’m not strong enough, either I go hermit-style like Cain for as long as I can, and people die. Or I just give in.”

“That seems a very narrow list of solutions to a very new problem.”

Dean’s whole torso twitched at your candor, “Well, the Book of the Damned was our last lead and that’s toast. Anything you’d like to share with the class?”

You stepped closer; tips of your pointed shoes frozen against the magical wall of the Devil’s Trap. “I’m what you would call an ‘entry-level demon’. I got out on sheer dumb luck the first time, Dean. They don’t share the great mysteries with the cesspool. Honestly, I think Crowley has been honest with you about the Mark since you became his trusty Knight in Shining Plaid.”

“Yeah, well, worth a shot.” Dean tried and fell just below gracious. He was truly desperate. It carved at you to see him so defeated.

“Is that the only thing you wanted from me?” The pain you couldn’t hide from your words, returned to you in his aching glance.

“It’s not like that.” Dean swallowed. “You know it’s—”

“It’s better left unsaid.” You nodded, trying for the stiff upper lip, sniffling against his stubbornness. “But tell me something else?”

Dean head shot up, waiting for your next question.

“If you’re done, if you’re giving in to the Mark. Why the trap? Afraid I’d get out or just afraid I’d touch you? And you’d really turn? If there’s really nothing to lose, why don’t you—”

Then he was kissing you, Dean Winchester had stepped inside your cage and welcomed your darkness as if it was his only salvation. Though you couldn’t save him; you needed to show him everything words were unable to convey. How you wished he could see how perfect in his imperfection he was, how his self-sacrifice never ceased to take your breath away, how with just the sound of his voice you could withstand a hundred years in the Pit. How much he was loved and needed and how he deserved so much more than a worthless hell-spawned wretch could offer him.

The height difference sent you spinning, he was everywhere, broad shoulders and strong hands, clutching at your now smaller body. The danger Dean accepted by stepping into the circle gave you a rush, your core tightening as he deepened the kiss. Suddenly, you were weightless, he lifted you up, your legs quickly opening to lock around his waist and before you knew it you had tugged open half the buttons of his shirt. When you pulled the tee shirt up from where your thighs had pinned it to his sides, Dean broke the kiss, with heavy breaths he rested his forehead against yours. It had been years since you had tasted him and never with this tongue, but somehow, he still knew how to kiss you.

*^*

Dean could have stayed in that moment forever; the oasis of Y/N’s arms was something he hadn’t known he had missed until he found his way back home. Her hands were now delicate and soft, her legs shorter and waist impossibly narrow, but she still moved the same, with Y/N it felt right. His cock twitched against both his jeans and her impossibly sheer leggings. She rolled her hips against the movement, causing him to groan before leaving a fierce trail of nibbles down her jaw, her skin spiced and smooth beneath his chapped lips.

*^*

The heat growing in your belly intensified as Dean’s mouth wandered lower, his teeth tearing at the lowcut top, you pulled down the shirt and lace covered bra, freeing your aching nipples for his hungered mouth. Balancing one hand tightly on your back, Dean’s free hand kneaded your left breast before teasing the puckered flesh with the warmth of his tongue. You clamped down against the emptiness inside, overwhelmed with each affection Dean gave you.

You grinded harder against him, whimpering, letting your hands snake through his hair, your fake nails digging in as he switched to the opposite tit, pulling that nipple between his straight teeth. He watched you grow needier beneath his every touch, the desire in his eyes making you more desperate. You pulled yourself up, flush against him as you worked off his shirt. The anti-possession tattoo utterly elementary compared to the ancient curse on his arm.

You took over, your kiss demanding his submission as he backed you against the invisible concave wall. The barrier, though intangible was strong, and you used it to rest against as you slid down Dean’s body to remove the clothing restricting you from taking him fully. You wiggled the trim hips from the thin material, tossing the drenched lace to the side among the bunched pant legs. Dean had kicked off his boots, thumbing his shorts and jeans off with a swift dip. He was simply gorgeous, solid and bowlegged, but stunning all the same. Lust battled the emotional appreciation of his nudity and all too soon you were sinking to your knees. Tiny fingers raked up his calves and over his sturdy quads, heavy lashes fluttering over your cheeks as you waited for his impatience to get the best of him. Your face so close you could smell the tang of his heavy balls, eyes lingering on the drop of want leaking from his menacing tip.

Every inch of him seemed larger than before, perspective was in the eye of the beholder and for this vessel Dean’s cock was downright intimidating. The trim legs held you up, the abundant chest brushed against his leg as you silently dared him to make the next move. His hand came down hard on the crown of your head, thick fingers lacing in the dense black locks, he slid through until yanking at the nape of your neck. As he snapped your head up your mouth opened automatically from the jarring tug. In his other hand Dean fisted himself, “You don’t get to tease me, or I’ll send you back. You understand?”

You nodded, tears forming from the intensity of his grip on the base of your neck.

“Sorry?” Dean tilted his head, dramatically inviting you to speak up.

“Yes. Yes, Dean, I understand.”

He sucked air through his teeth, green eyes darkening as he released his hold on your hair, his rough thumb dragged down your jaw to circle lazily around your pouting lips. Instinctively, you licked them before he paused. “No teeth, Y/N. I know that was you and I mean it.”

“Whatever, you liked it,” you hissed before taking him into your smart mouth. Dean’s hand fell away from the base of his shaft as you worked him deeper and deeper with each test of this mouth. The lips were fuller, plush against the veiny length of him. He repeatedly tucked your hair back, keeping your face on full display as you sucked and mewled over him. As your tongue lapped from underneath, your core clenched, once again, over nothing. The gagging girth of him quickly made you lightheaded.

“You want it so bad you’re gonna choke on it, aren’t cha?” Dean crooned down at you as you looked back up at him, his fat bottom lip clenched between his perfectly white teeth. You slid back to lock eyes with him completely, delicate fingers massaged his balls as he called out into the night. ��That’s it, that’s my dirty little demon slut. Hmmm,” Dean huffed and suddenly the Mark took over. His massive hands planted themselves on either side of your fragile skull and suddenly he was thrusting back into you. His dick deepened to puncturing your throat, your stomach rolled, saliva building as he growled with the fierce snap of his hips.

The pressure on your temples increased alongside his speed, delicious and terrifying. Then you began to cough, Dean finally slowed, which allowed you to swallow against the thick mucus that had gathered in your esophagus, tender and stretched wide. You dragged her nails back down his legs before letting him go with an audible pop. Then Dean did the hottest thing you had ever seen, he crouched with those damned bowlegs, lowering his pulsing cock to the generous cleavage in front of you. In a frantic whimper, you tugged your breasts apart for him, tips of your fingers teasing the dark areolas before holding the fleshy globes tight against his spit-slicked cock. Once again, his strong digits weaved into your hair as he fucked your tits. His every muscle worked to dominate you, the Mark of Cain ragged against his pale forearm, his abdomen tense behind the soft layer his other vices supplied, all overloading your senses with his power, his lust for you and just how far you would push each other.

You teased the ruddy head of his cock with the tip of your tongue, his salty juices seeping out to aid in the rough friction. Your nipples ached as your pussy sopped with emptiness.

“On you back, Y/N. I need to eat some of that before I am done with you.” Dean growled, tugging as his cock as he tried to step back from the brink. “Fucking smell you from here, you know that?” ­­

You didn’t reply, just slowly sat back on your bare ass, the cold floor sent shockwaves through your overheated thighs and straight to your folds. Your nipples puckered impossibly smaller. Dean spread out his large shirt behind you, before leaving a tantalizing kiss on your shoulder. Then his lips took over, he sucked and nibbled and decimated the teak colored skin. When his hot breath hovered over your nipples you thought you were going to cum on the spot. Each sensation barreled into the next, your legs were shaking by the time Dean spread your knees wide.

“Now this view, Y/N? I have got to hand it to you, hmmmm, nice choice,” Dean’s eyes glinted as his thick tongue found your swollen bud. It gave a dizzying jostle before licking broad strokes up and down your lips. Spreading you wide, Dean gathered your juices with his skilled fingers. You half laughed and half moaned when, at long last, your trembling cunt earned its fill. Dean’s fingers worked into you as he sucked gently on your bursting clit.

“Is it sweet enough,” you teased back, watching him lavish you, drunk on your sex. His scruff shown with your arousal, his whiskers adding roughness along your tender apex, further blurring the lines of pain and pleasure.

“You know what’s the most messed up part?” Dean whispered, sliding back to watch his fingers disappear inside you. “I don’t know this chick and I don’t care. I am just fucking you. Not Chloe, not anyone else. Right now, it’s only us. And I should care and I’m sure I am going to hate myself tomorrow. But that feeling of not caring?”

“I’d call it freedom. Best kind of bittersweet.” You sighed, reaching up to stroke his temple. His closed his eyes and you finally saw how bone-tired he was.

“I hate being this scared, Y/N. It’s not who I am.” His fingers never stopped; his mouth ghosted over every sensitive crease as if the act alone was penance for his confession.

“Dean?” Your voice hitched.

“Yeah?” Dean placed tiny pecks along the inside of your thigh, his voice impressively soft.

“I really need to cum. You make me feel so good, but I can’t—” you broke off into a gasp as he added a third finger inside you, his tongue pressed wide and forceful against you. You didn’t know if it was his admission or the added effort once you begged for it, but less than two minutes later and your climax overcame you. Waves of heat flooded your system as everything contracted. Then the break and you fell: unwinding with the stuttering pulses. Dean pulled you through it, his fingers’ pace slowed in calculated increments. Just as he slipped from your clutches, he made sure to nuzzle your mound before easing up to his knees.

With a tempered swat at your knee, you caught his drift, rolling completely over you rocked back to give him another angle to admire. You arched your back and shimmied your shoulders to stretch out the tension that had settled as you braced for your orgasm. You couldn’t see him, but you knew Dean was centering himself behind you, his damp fingers coating his length as it returned to its full glory. You squared yourself, knees below hips and shoulders over splayed palms, ready for whatever he would give you.

Dean nudged your knees farther apart, causing your upper half to lower onto your elbows, the cold stone floor stiff beneath your thin joints. Ass bared and ready. “I want you to tell me, who I am.”

“Deeeeeeeeannnnnnn.” You keened as he stretched you open, even his fingers couldn’t prepare you for the heavy steel of his cock.

“And?” he slowly rolled his hips, barely hitting that secret spot, as if by accident. He was fucking vindictive.

“Dean fucking Winchester.”

“That’s more like it, Y/N.” Dean built up his rhythm.

“Hunter.” You mewed.

“What else?”

“Mark Bearer?”

“And?” His teeth were clenched now, the words strained and menacing.

“Knight of Hell!” You screamed as he smacked your ass, pounding into you with constant shallow thrusts.

“Who am I?”

“The Righteous Man!”

Dean growled at the old title, the darkness of the Mark at war with his true nature: protector of the innocent. As his other hand connected with the opposite cheek you tensed, unsure of what else he wanted to hear.

“Michael’s Sword!” your voice was high and whiny as everything that was holding you upright began to weaken. He took both of your hips in his palms now, dragging out of you slowly before popping his pelvis back in, forcing you to press back into him or crash to the floor. He hummed in appreciation as he spread you wider from behind, his thumb pressed against your puckered hole, adding to the building pressure throughout your core.

“That’s mine, just like this pussy is mine. You hear that, Y/N? You’re mine.”

“Always have been,” you replied plainly without even registering what it all meant. “My Seal Breaker.”

Dean liked that one, because he raised one knee up and began to work you over again. You tossed your head back to watch him over your shoulder, bending nearly in half. He was breath-taking, his mouth open and panting, skin dewy and tense, uncountable scars and freckles randomly yet perfectly placed to outline this impossible man.

“Come on, baby, let me see you,” Dean coaxed, your eyes burst open, the inkwell pools staring back at him as he thrust harder into your luscious depths. “Hmmm, Y/N, you know how good you feel? So. Fucking. Sweet.”

“Better than her?” You half-whispered, half-begged.

“Every ti–.” Dean broke off on a moan, your body pulling him as deep as it could, and suddenly you crested again, muscles spasming as a howl escaped your mouth. Dean gave you only two beats before slamming back into you with wild abandon, reveling in the tightness and the added slick. The slap of his balls against your clit and his strong hips against your firm ass an erotic symphony.

“Fuck! I’m gonna cum so hard in that borrowed pussy, you want that?”

“God, yes, Dean. Fill this tiny little thing up,” You whined, tugging at your nipple as Dean began to add an extra roll of his hips between his thrusts. Damn, he knew just how to move, your channel quaked against him, another orgasm looming just out of reach. Dean slid one hand from your waist to palm the small bubble of one ass cheek, fingertips digging so deeply they’d leave marks in the morning. He brushed your g-spot over and over again, everything was vibrating, but it grew too loud. As soon as you felt the next wave approaching Dean froze, spilling inside your wanton cunt. Hot, thick and delicious Dean’s cum slipped from your lower lips as he eased his spent cock from your shaking walls.

He wouldn’t stop touching you, his hand on your hip as you slid down to curl on your side. He let his breathing regulate as he perched back on his heels, his well-built body on full display, the base of his multicolored pleasure trail glistened with both of your juices. His mouth a perfect pink “O” as he blew out a chilling stream against your lolling breasts. You groaned and rolled back up to all fours, biting his delicious thigh as you snaked up his body to steal another kiss. His arms encased you, pulling you in a painfully tight squeeze, the Mark of Cain, hotter than the rest of him, pressed against the lower curve of your ribcage.

He nestled his nose against yours with a satisfied hum, “Now, THAT, was not something I never thought I would do.” Gesturing to the sigils beneath your bodies.

You laughed, “Come on, not even when you were the demon?”

“Okay, maybe once, but Sam was in the room, no way he was getting a free show.” Dean winked down at you, which you eye-rolled away, letting the black slip away for effect. This was it: you felt the inevitable end approaching like a derailed train. You couldn’t look away or sidestep the onslaught, you just had to let it happen. If Dean would let go of the brakes, it would all be over soon.

“Do you know what you’re going to do?” You asked softly, letting your hand rest just below his tattoo, head against his collar bone.

He shook his head, “Not a clue, but I had to see you again, in whatever way I could.”

“Well, you could have come to me,” you teased, “I’m pretty sure Knights get all access passes.”

“I’d much rather come in or on you, sweetheart.” He grinned, what an ass. You shoved him away playfully, setting these carefree moments to memory. Even if you were both shit at coping, but professional at bullshit, at slapping on a mask for everyone else’s benefit. Well, Dean the later at least. You didn’t care much for anyone other than yourself, him and CC, if you were being honest. Which you weren’t.

“I don’t think I could handle if you went back, you deserve better than Crowley’s crap-dom.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I can’t die then.” He kissed you gently. “And won’t be going on another karaoke tour anytime soon.” There were so many things you wanted to say and none of them sounded like what he needed to hear. So, you sat there in silence, naked and blissed out upon the grimy floor of a forgotten warehouse in Dean’s arms.

***

He had fallen asleep, with his flannel as a pillow and his jeans thrown back on, unzipped and rumpled, he snored lazily at your side. It was some surrealist painting unraveled, he was raw and clammy with every spare patch of skin reaching across fictitious distance between you. He grumbled senselessly as you watched him, the vessel’s pleas growing with each passing minute. You kept your exploits from her, but she still knew she wasn’t safe there. The wrongness of losing perspective fostered the alarm churning inside your shared head. You savored every second you spent watching Dean dream, which was all the more precious because it was brief. Fleeting as a heartbeat, gone as quick as a wink. Nothing gold can stay.

Once the awe of it all wore down into undeserved contentment, she pushed harder and your willingness to ignore her thinned. You had work to do, a King to please and a vessel to free. You may have been a demon, but you weren’t cruel. CC had taught you how to be honest, even when it cost you everything. You wouldn’t look him in the eye and offer a true goodbye. You didn’t want to hurt him, and you couldn’t bear it if he wasn’t as pained as you.

Which is why you left like a thief in the night. The trap meticulously scratched through with the switchblade Dean always kept on him. Hastily, you left a note, prying a strip of vellum from the spell book he had used. Sam would have a bitchfit about it later, that you were certain. You couldn’t just disappear after experiencing an ecstasy of his choosing. Dean deserved more than you could offer, but you muddled through. With an air of melancholy that would make a Victorian widow proud, you staggered away on feet too swollen to be shoved back into her tiny boots.

*^*^*

When Dean woke up, everything hurt: his pride especially.

He hadn’t planned beyond summoning and facing her, but once he was inside her vessel with her; Dean had found what had been missing all those months. Dean saw his mirrored half: damned and deceitful, surely, but beautiful and blossoming all the same. He started to laugh when he fully came to, a deep belly laugh that brought tears to his eyes. Here he was, left half naked in a devil’s trap and somehow felt like he was the one doing the walk of shame. Either way, they both were. Figured.

He started gathering his spell materials as his phone went off.

           “Dude, where are you?!”

           “I had an errand, Sam. I’ll be home before noon.” Dean plucked a folded piece of paper from the middle of the old grimoire he had stolen from the Bunker’s collection.

           “Everything alright?”

           “I haven’t killed anybody, if that’s what you mean.” Dean read the note carefully before tucking it into his breast pocket, phone pinched between his shoulder and ear.

           “That’s not what I— You know what, forget it. I’ll see you when you get back.”

           “Not if I see you first,” Dean replied ad nauseum.

           Sam barked a forced laugh. “Nice.”

           “Yeah, well, you too.” The brothers both hung up, allowing Dean to finish clearing the basement of everything but the mangled sigils ringed in red. Before Dean started the Impala’s engine, he pulled out the thin scrap and reread the words she had left him.

           Dean-

                       I’m sorry to do this like this, but this one needs to get back to her life. I’m still on a job in Europe for the time being, but thanks for the one-night vacation. You were, as always, incredible. I hope you know you can call me; whichever way works best, anytime. Just, don’t do anything stupid. O.k.?

           Always yours,

                       Me

May 1, 2015

After Angel Heart

If Castiel had known Chloe Collins her entire life, perhaps he wouldn’t have been surprised by her request. Maybe, if he had known her without a demon’s influencing their entire history; she would have built up to this massive deceit with more finesse. Though angels were known best for being direct, unless one considered Lucifer and Gabriel, of course. Every way he regretted their tumultuous past; it still didn’t make answering her any easier.

“No.” Castiel glared at CC like she had suggested he trade the trench coat for Bermuda shorts.

“Castiel, please? This is really important and now that you’re fully you, you can show me how.” CC hated asking for favors, especially of the Angel, but this had gone too far.

“I don’t understand why you think I would do such a thing.”

“Because it is for their safety, Castiel. Sam and Dean are in danger with this hanging over us. We ALL are in danger from the truth getting out.” CC moved further from the backdoor of the Impala, drawing Cas out of earshot.

“Why?”

“Because, ‘Heaven’s eyes will never be far from you now and the minions of Hell will seek you out as a fortress against the light.’” She huffed in exasperation, eyes locking onto his impossible blues as the warning resonated between them.

“Whose words are those?”

“Mine, or my granddad’s, I don’t know. I had to make a choice to comeback from being comatose, Cas. I chose to live with the knowledge of my birth, of what and who I am. So now; I am a target. Dean doesn’t need another cross to bear, his plate is full. And Sam? Sam’s already walking on thin ice.” She stopped before she could expose every dirty secret she had learned from her months of hiding.

“Why are you only telling me this now?”

“Claire. You did the right thing, even if it hurt like a sonofabitch.” CC gave him an impressed eyebrow as he took what she said as the compliment she intended.

“You trust me?” Cas looked at his hands then back to CC, who’s own were tucked into her back pockets.

“Us Heaven rejects need to stick together, right?” Her smile pulled one out of him.

“If I agree to this, when would we even be able to do it?”

“As soon as possible. I need to get back at it, especially with the Steins still out there.”

“And you’re sure this is the only way to ensure Sam and Dean’s safety?”

“Fuck no. This is the only way to ensure Sam and Dean’s blood isn’t on my hands. Those assholes don’t do safe, you know that.”

Castiel nodded into a shrug, still playing at considering her offer.

She stepped forward, dropping a heavy hand onto his shoulder. “I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t care about them, Cas.”

He noted her repeated use of his nickname from Dean and the physical contact that they had never shared before. “Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll erase the knowledge of your lineage from Sam and Dean’s memories.”

“And Charlie’s,” CC added.

“And Charlie’s, of course.”

“I can’t thank you enough.” CC reached her opposite hand out and shook Castiel’s hand, solidifying their agreement. Cas took her hand and her anxiety in his, sensing she needed the peace of mind as much as she needed the escape.

*^*^*^*

Next Chapter: Finale: Just One of the Many