#you can tell they were struggling to give sam things to do. hence why they tormented him for a few eps b4 getting rid of him

[totaldramayuri]

I see a lot of ppl arguing abt sams inclusion in all stars and tbh arguments that sam “isn’t an all star” aren’t as convincing to me as “most other roti characters have more unfinished business or untapped potential while sam had a satisfying ending which felt undermined by all stars using him as a punching bag”

[lol-jackles]

Hi. Your blog is still on alarm on my dash. Really enjoying your opinions.

If your time allows you, I’d like to know your opinion & reviews on SPN 9X13.

"The Purge" has Sam and Dean go undercover in a health spa after finding a link to deaths where the victims have lost their entire fat reserve. They discover the owners are a pair of Peruvian monsters, a sister and brother who parallel Sam and Dean; the sister wants to co-exist with humans and help them by siphoning off surplus unwanted fat for food, the other only want to feed and more he tries his sister's way, the hungrier he got until he succumbs to his nature and kills for food. This foreshadow Dean's struggle to live with the Mark of Cain until he couldn't, increasingly becoming "hungry" as the season went on. Sam have lived and adapted with his freakish, "unclean" nature for so long that he is fully functional even if he never makes peace with it.

One of the strengths of Supernatural is their stand-alone/MotW/filler episodes usually advance the season-long arcs and even get referenced or talked about in later episodes. Despite Sam and Dean’s church codependent commitment ceremony in season 8's finale, they still got baggage and hence Dean lying about the extreme, desperate measures he took to save Sam’s life in season 9's premiere and keeping him in the dark.  Once Sam found out, he is angry and bewildered by Dean’s actions that he sees as betrayal, and draws up boundaries as a way of saving his relationship with Dean. But from Dean’s pov the new boundaries were walls set to destroy what is between him and Sam. So Dean conflated saving Sam from the Peruvian monster in this episode to saving Sam in those 2 previous episodes in attempt to remove the wall between them that Sam set up.

Remember, Dean isn't going to learn the same lesson each season, which is why he made Sam's anger over the Gadreel possession about his (Dean) own issue and left Sam alone (with Cas in the bunker) to hunt down Gadreel... only to run into Cain got the Mark to, huh, kill Abaddon instead for some reason.

Understandably Sam is frustrated as the 3 incidents were not the same: in the church, Dean told Sam the truth that the ritual will cause his death and promised Sam not only will they find another way, that he would never put some one else before Sam. Dean wasn't hiding information from Sam. Dean saving Sam from the Peruvian monster was a straightforward action, no underhanded agenda. So Sam told Dean the unvarnished truth: Dean didn't want to be alone. This gets brought up again by Billie in season 11's "Red Meat", and in season 13','s "Advanced Thanatology" Dean tells Billie that he's dragging down Sam.

Sam's admission that he wouldn't save Dean under "same circumstances" means he wouldn't selfishly save Dean for personal gains, or without vital information. Back in season 3 he first sought Dean’s agreement to use the immortality serum instead of giving it to him without informing him ahead of time. Sam was ready to die in the hospital (season 9 premiere) and Dean essentially violated a do-not-resuscitate order (DNR). Nobody can really blame Dean for wanting to save Sam's life at any cost, but he fails to see things from Sam's pov that led to him needing boundaries in the first place.

I found the scene of Dean immediately recognizing roofies pretty on-the-nose. He said he didn't want to end up missing kidneys while traveling in little known places, which, yeah good idea, so why didn't Sam know what roofies look like? I took it as callback to when Sam didn't know he was being possessed by Gadreel under Dean's watch.

"The Purge" was one of the weaker MotW episodes but it still gets the job done of advancing the main storyline arcs. It started out as a lighter filler episode and ended with a "truth hurts" bite that leaves a deeply wounding mark that set off a fierce fandom debate.

[whatisthiswritingthing]

Nothing Changed - USWNT X Reader

Prompt: could you do a uswnt x enby reader where they come out to the team?

Note, keep in mind that everyone’s coming out is vastly different and this may not represent your experience or your preferences. 

“Hey, you alright?” Rose tilted her water bottle toward the younger player, squeezing it enough to squirt them.

“Hmm? Yea,” Y/N glanced up from the grass when they felt the water hit their arm.

“That was convincing,” the midfielder rolled her eyes, shuffling closer, nudging their shoulders together gently.

Y/N was sitting quietly in the grass, slowly plucking one blade of grass out one at a time. The team had noticed how withdrawn the younger player had been since camp had started. Really only speaking when spoken too, always seemingly unaware of their surroundings, anxiously fidgeting, leg bouncing constantly. Players had all attempted to speak with the younger player, only for the conversation to be interrupted or dismissed, Y/N doing their best to avoid everyone.

“Want to try again?” Rose pushed more, reaching over to wrap a hand around Y/N’s as they tore a larger piece of grass in their fingers. Y/N tugged their hand away, tossing the remaining grass down.

Y/N dug the heels of their cleats into the ground, bringing their knees to their chest, wrapping their arms around them and resting their chin on top. They let out a sigh, clenching and unclenching their jaw.

Sensing the other player was working through their thoughts, the midfielder let a hand drop to Y/N’s elbow. The muscle tensed under the contact, but wasn’t pulled away, allowing Rose to squeeze it once before soothingly running her thumb until the muscle began to relax slightly.

Y/N rolled their head to the side and released another long sigh, body deflating, “I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” Y/N briefly made eye contact with the brunette before looking forward again.

“Well, you’ve got a pretty brain,” Rose tapped the side of Y/N’s head, “so whatever has you so stuck in there must be pretty important,” she dipped her head to try and make eye contact. Seeing the small grin forming, Rose nudged them again, repeating the motion a couple times as Y/N’s grin grew.

Turning and tackling Y/N, Rose smiled from above them, tapping their forehead, “the only thing you need to think so hard about right now, is where we are going for lunch.”

Y/N crinkled their nose, swatting at the hand tapping them, “oh that’s easy, grilled cheese.”

Rose rolled her eyes and began to get off Y/N, “you chose that every time.”

Getting up themselves, Y/N giggled, “then why do you even bother asking?”

“You two done messing around? We want lunch!” Horan called to them as the pair approached the rest of the group.

“Simmer down, we’re coming,” Rose waved them off.

“Good, where are we going?”

“Take a wild guess,” Rose rolled her eyes, pushing Y/N away slightly.

“Grilled cheese,” the group said together.

“Grilled cheese!” Y/N repeated, smiling wide, giving a small hop, jumping onto Sam as she got close enough.

Y/N remained engaged and animated with the group while they were out for lunch, the friends doing their best to keep them distracted from whatever kept them in there head all camp.

Later that night, Y/N laid in bed, locking and unlocking their phone a few times. Letting out a big sigh, they tossed their phone to the side of the bed, continuing to stare at the ceiling.

The young player knew they needed to tell the team, but the idea of doing an official “coming out” just didn’t seem right. This was who they were, they shouldn’t have to come out, shouldn’t have to say anything. But Y/N also knew they would feel so much more comfortable hearing the correct words to describe them, would feel less like an imposter, feel comfortable in their own skin.

Y/N knew it wouldn’t change anything. That they were still them. That the only difference would be the words used around them. So, they struggled, battled with their mind all camp. It’s not that they felt like they needed to come out, but that they didn’t know how to ask the team to change their pronouns. Hence, the internal battle they had, wanting to tell the team, but not knowing how to ask without making a big deal out of it.

They considered just changing their pronouns on Instagram. But most people wouldn’t see it. And their close friends would be hurt Y/N hadn’t felt comfortable to them themselves.

Maybe slowly correct people? No, that would lead to more confusion.

Announce it at the end of the team meeting? No, that was way more attention than Y/N wanted on them.

Sighing again, Y/N roughly rolled over again in bed.

“You are going to sleep on the hallway soon if you don’t stop thinking so loud over there,” came the muffled voice of Pinoe in the bed next to Y/N.

“Sorry, I’ll stop,” Y/N apologized softly, shifting a little more to try and get comfortable one last time.

Megan rolled over in her bed to face the younger player, “what’s got you so in your head this camp, kiddo?”

Huffing out a breath, Y/N rolled onto their back, “I have something I need to do, well want to do, no, maybe need. I don’t know,” slamming their hands onto the mattress, frustrated, as they rambled.

“What do you need to do?” Pinoe propped herself up in her bed, just making out Y/N staring at the ceiling in the dark.  

“It’s not a need, definitely a want. And I really don’t want to have to do it, but it feels like a need to me. But I don’t want to make a big deal of it, but it needs to be done,” Y/N continued to ramble as is Megan hadn’t said anything, verbalizing everything to themselves.

Megan swung her legs over the side of the bed, working to get a better look at the distress individual. Sensing the younger player needed to work continue to work out their thoughts, she patiently waited while they rambled across from her, watching as Y/N ran a hand harshly through their hair before slamming it back on the mattress.

When Y/N didn’t continue, Megan shifted closer to the edge of the bed, leaning her elbows on her knees. Getting close to the distraught, but still giving them the space they clearly needed, “what do you need to do kiddo?”

The forward watched as Y/N clenched their jaw and unclenched it a few times, hands finding a loose string on the bed and wrapping it around their finger. Y/N finally let their head role to the to face Rapinoe, “I need to come out.”

“Y/N,” Megan stretched a hand out to unravel Y/N’s hand from the string on the sheet, “that’s something you never need to do. That is something you only do if you want to. If you don’t feel comfortable or ready, you don’t need to come out.”

Of course, Y/N already knew this. But to them, it wasn’t about being ready or not being ready. Or if she trusted the team to view them the same. It was that they hated the idea of having to come out at all. That they couldn’t just be themselves, that to fully feel comfortable and truly embrace who they were, they needed to come out, needed to tell everyone how they wanted, needed, to be referred to.

Y/N looked back to the ceiling, letting out a frustrated growl, “I know I don’t need to come out. And I am ready to come out. I just think the whole idea of it is stupid. Like, you didn’t have to go around telling everyone you were a girl. Why the fuck, do I have to go around tell everyone I’m not!”

Megan kept her hand on Y/N’s wrist, but leaned back, understanding what the real issue was. That Y/N wanted to come out but didn’t want to come out. Didn’t want the production of that seemed to come with it. The awkwardness of explaining themselves, answering questions, the feeling of having to defend themselves, justify who they were.

“I understand,” Megan nodded, Y/N rolled their head to face the forward, “what do you want to do kiddo?”

Y/N shifted, moving to fully sitting up in the bed, “that’s the problem,” they grunted out, “I want everyone to know, but I don’t know how to tell everyone. I don’t know what I want to do.”

“You’re right Y/N, it’s not fair that you have to formally come out to anyone. But this team is full of open minded, progressive people, they aren’t going judge you.”

“It’s not that. I know they won’t, I just don’t know how to do tell them. I just want to say it and move on with it,” Y/N explained. They weren’t worried that any of them wouldn’t accept them, they just knew how eccentric some of the team could be, and how many questions they might have.

“I got you kid, let’s get some sleep and worry about it tomorrow. This isn’t something you need to stress about. You’re still you, you’re just letting us understand you in a different way.”

Y/N released a slow breath, working to ease themselves to a reclined position in bed, some of the thoughts eased for the time being. Megan validating that they weren’t overthinking for no reason, that the thoughts they had been struggling with for the last week were normal.

“I guess you’re probably right.”

“Of course I’m right! Now go to sleep, we can figure this out tomorrow, but I need my beauty sleep,” Megan joked, flopping herself back in bed.

The next morning, the pair made their way to the banquet room for breakfast, most of the team already there. The split off, each going to their table.

Before Pinoe sat down though, she stood behind her chair and called out to the room, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Hey team! As most of you know, I am a girl, I have known this my entire life, but I feel that it is important to tell you. I would appreciate you all continuing to use she, her pronouns,” she moved her gaze around the room as she spoke, pausing to make eye contact with Y/N.

A majority of the players watched, confused, as the forward spoke. Some tilted their heads to the side, eyebrows furrowed.

“That’s great P, we can keep doing that,” Ashlyn nodded next to her at the table.

Pinoe remained standing at the table, looking around the room. Peoples faces remained neutral, no one reacting to the information.

“Why did you feel the need to tell us this now?” Christen spoke up across the room.

“I just realized I had never told you guys, and that it isn’t fair that some people have to come out and some don’t,” she made eye contact with Y/N, hoping she was saying the right thing, encouraging them to take the opening given.

Y/N rolled her fingers on the table, biting their lip. They understood what Megan was doing, was normalizing the coming out, normalizing announcing pronouns.

Pushing themselves up, Y/N let took a steadying breath, “I, umm, I’m,” they clenched their jaw, creasing their eye brows, attempting to work through their words, squaring their shoulders they continued, “I’m non-binary, I prefer they or them pronouns.”

Y/N kept it short, glancing around the room, eyes drifting across their closest friends. None of them holding any animosity, all soft and accepting. Several giving Y/N large smiles.

“Thank you for telling us Y/N,” Tierna spoke up next to the younger player, “we will all start using they, them pronouns for you,” she reached up and gripped Y/N’s tense fist.

“Of course, we can do that kiddo,” Megan smiled at them, still standing at her own table.

“And if we ever use any wording that you don’t feel comfortable with, please tell us so we can use the right words,” Ali smiled reassuringly.

Y/N nodded, mostly to themselves, taking another glance around the room, they sat back down at the table. Tierna gave them another squeeze, everyone else giving them a smile.

“Is this what had you so stuck in your head all week?” Rose asked softly.

Y/N gave a small, shy nod, “I wanted to tell you guys, but didn’t want to make a big deal about it.”

“We understand Y/N,” Lindsey nodded next to the brunette.

“And you can tell us anything you want, anything you need us to do or change,” Sam encouraged too.

“I don’t want anything to change. It was just something I needed to tell you guys. I just needed you guys to understand that girl just didn’t fit with me.”

“Alright dude, everyone stays the same, we’ll just change our wording,” Sonnett smiled too.

Y/N looked around the table, and then the room. Everyone had gone back to eating breakfast. Nothing changed, nothing needed to change. Y/N had been able to everyone what they needed to tell them, and everyone just accepted it. No intrusive questions, no unneeded drawn-out explanation, exactly how they wanted it to be; just said what they needed to say and that was it.

[dragon-kazansky]

Til death do us part | Helmut Zemo

Bodyguard AU! 🕶

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

[Next chapter]

Part 1

You drive into the parking lot for Stark Industries. You had worked here for the last three years. Hiring out bodyguards was just a small service he provided among other things these says, but you guys had a whole floor to yourselves, so you weren't about to complain.

You parked, got out, and needed straight indoors. You greeted the receptionists at the front desk and made your way up to the elevator.

Over the past few years you had been working as a bodyguard. You had done many little jobs, providing security for celebrities at award shows, or being hired out to watch over parties and events here and there.

The pay was good and you loved your job. Granted, not every job is exciting and action filled, but you have met lots of wonderful, crazy, and questionable people over the years. You have kicked people out of parties, prevented crazy fans from getting too close, and one time had secure a lockdown for a client whose life was considered in danger one time.

You had plenty of stories to tell.

Today you were on your way in to receive your next assignment. Apparently this was a big job and Stark had put your name on the list. He needed the best he had, and you were one of them.

No doubt he had put Natasha down too.

You took the elevator up your floor and walked out. You headed into the changing rooms to put your suit on. It was important you looked smart for the job.

Once you were ready, you met up with the others in the meeting room at the time they asked you to be there.

Steve Rogers was the first one to greet you.

Steve was the head of the group. He, and his buddy James Barnes, were professionals at this job. They had been bodyguards much longer than you had and had secured the rest of the team over the years. It was Steve who trained you in the beginning.

"Glad you could make it," he says, smiling at you.

"I was told it was important."

"You're right about that. This is probably the biggest job yet, and could be quite time consuming too."

"Well, I'm ready to hear it out."

You take a seat. Bucky joins you. Steve slides a file across to you and you open it. You are presented with a photo and a document.

"This is Baron Helmut Zemo. Sokovian royalty. We've been requested to send bodyguards over while he travels through Europe to better his connections or something. We're not privy to all the details. Sam and Nat are already out there, flew put three days ago. You'll be flown over with Bucky and I'll join you in a couple of days. This is going to be a time consuming job, so keep your wits about you."

"Alright. I'm ready whenever," you say, looking at the photo.

He was handsome, that much you could tell. Brown hair, combed away from his face. Dark brown eyes and a confident aura surrounding him.

"A Baron, you said?"

"Yeah. You'll be situated as Castle Zemo. They'll provide rooms. You'll receive your schedule from Natasha when you arrive."

"Alright."

"You can keep hold of the file," he nods at it. You close it and pull it closer to you.

"When do we fly?"

"First thing in the morning," Bucky replies.

"See you tomorrow."

Steve dismisses you and Bucky. You both leave together. You tuck the file under your arm and walk in sync with your dear friend.

"Royalty. That's a new one."

Bucky chuckles.

"It's definitely going to be a job for the books."

"What's he like, this Baron?" You ask, glancing up at him.

"I don't know much. We're not suppose to."

"Yeah, I know. Aren't you a little curious though?"

"Yeah, I am," Bucky laughs, "but I'm a professional, and I'll keep it that way."

"You say that now."

You both knew you would both look him up because you always did. You both just liked to know a little about the person you were hired to protect. You never let anything you knew get out though. You were both professionals.

"I'll see you later, go eat and I'll be round in the morning."

"See you, Bucky."

You part ways and you go home, picking up some food on the way. When you get home you pull out your laptop and sit down in your living room. You lay out the file beside you and look him up.

Baron Helmut Zemo.

His picture popped up again. Yeah, he was definitely handsome. He lived in Castle Zemo in Novi Grad, Sokovia. That's where you would be stationed tomorrow before he flies out.

There wasn't a whole lot of information online. Just a little backstory on his family line and where Castle Zemo was located. Being a Baron, he was only a low form of royalty. Most of the news was about the decline of Sokovia. The country was struggling, hence why Baron Zemo was making a trip to strengthen connections here and there.

You felt like you understood him a little better, not that you were going to let this affect your job.

You close the laptop and finish your meal.

You wake up to constant buzzing on your phone. You reach out and grab it, answering the call and bringing it your ear.

"Hello?"

"Finally, I'll be there in ten," you hear Bucky say.

"Ten?"

"Ten minutes, get up!"

You sit up and check the time on your phone, its5later than you anticipated. You give a hurried 'see you later' down the phone and hang up, scrambling to get dressed and make some coffee to start your day.

By the time Bucky arrived at your door, you're ready and have a coffee in hand. Even have an extra for him.

Bucky actually looks impressed.

"Let's go."

You both hop into the car and he drives you to the airport, sipping your coffees as you went.

"We'll be spending the night in his home tonight, neither of us are on night duty, we'll be swapping out with Nat and Sam when we get there. We fly out for Paris tomorrow."

You listened to Bucky explain.

"What will happen in Paris?"

"The Baron will be escorted to the hotel, all guards will be present on that floor. Steve will meet us there with the last of the group and the Baron will be taken to his meeting spot."

"Just follow the routine, got it."

"You nervous? This is a big job after all," Bucky glances your way.

"A bit, but I'm going to prove to you all that I have what it takes. Nat trained me herself."

"Hey, we know you're capable. For what it's worth, none of us have ever done a job this big before. It's a first for us all," he smiles at you.

"Then we can do this together."

You both nod at each other.

You settle in for the rest of the ride. At the airport, you both quickly manoeuvre through the building. Bucky has the passports and boarding passes on him. You're both at the gate in time and board the plane with ease.

This was your first time to Sokovia. Your first time in the presence of royalty.

You were beyond nervous.

Bucky places a hand over yours and smiles at you. You smile back. It's all the reassurance you needed.

The plane takes off without delay.

This was going to be the biggest job of your life, and perhaps, just perhaps, your life would change too. You just didn't know what to expect when you got there.

@thesuitkovian @justfangirlthingies @belle82devart @zemosimp420 @anteroom-of-death @silverlambcaptain @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @lieutenantn @daniielbruhl @awesomesauce-abbie @latenightartist-author @lazygurl05 @rumblelibrary @nonamec0s @shura-gorl @ginger-abreu @caligrl1992 @livvyshmiv @luciadiosa @vverliebt @tatooineisdry @charistory @somethingthatsaysbubbles

[roanniee]

SO.

Let's try this again🤸🏻

Also Idil vibes strong on this one. I can't say Gil bc Gil calls Ate Sel smth specific like she does with me.

Ship the @mythos-blogs Crew

ps. here's the server <3

@admiringlove

Baby Sam is very hard working and focused on whatever she's doing that sometimes, she forgets to take care of herself. So, I see Sugawara Koushi with her perfectly, someone caring and understanding, but knows better than to let her overwork and tells her when enough is enough. The both of you do struggle with a few things, and when you fight or have insecure moments, you sit down to talk about it instead of shouting at each other. Overall, a really good match I say.

Baby Sam also kins Oikawa and I ship Oikawa hardcore with Suga LMAO

@ninjamomo

Me. That's my wife <333

Okay but for realsies. I ship Idil with Bokuto Koutarou. Bokuto and Idil would be just... soft love. I see dancing in the rain, bathtub relaxation hours together and cuddling in bed. Idil knows that Bokuto is a busy man, and Bokuto knows he is a busy man. But that doesn't mean that they were gonna let the relationship go. Oh no. Those two will hold on like a cat with his claws on the couch. A really really soft, supportive and strong love.

@tooru-luvs

I actually had a hard time with Ms. Zizi. See, I haven't interacted with her much. But, based on the interactions of hers that I see on my tl, I can see that she is very playful but also can be serious. Hence, why I say that she'd be amazing with Kuroo Tetsurou. Kuroo is playful and an overall gremlin, but he's very caring ang knows exactly when to be serious and how serious. He'll help her with anything he can help her with, but he also knows when no to because it's something Zizi needs to do for herself. Likewise, Zizi knows when to be cheery to make Kuroo smile, but also when to sit and talk to Kuroo about a delicate matter. They'd both ground each other, while matching the same playful energy.

@rokudaddie

HEY I CAN TAG HER NOW KSKSKS

ME ME ME ME ME

anyways hehe. Gly. Lovely, sweet, Gly. She's very caring, but my god does she also enjoy chaos. Hence, I'm putting her with Hoshiumi Korai. We all know Hoshiumi is a little gremlin with a heart of gold. The way these two are together would be immaculate. They're chaos together, but even with all the chaos, they have time to look at the other to make sure they're okay. PLUSSS! Hoshiumi will always unconsciously be touching Gly, just to make sure that she's there. Gly would unconsciously make sure that Hoshiumi is in her peripheral vision too.

@moonlit-island

Ooooh Raya! Raya is so damn sweet and caring and uplifting. I love her sm. Hehehe anyway I ship her with Tsukishima Kei. The Tarot cards said so, and so did the zodiac signs. SKSKS Anyway! Yes, a really good match. Raya's got a really good head on her shoulders, but I see her watching all the chaos from the sidelines, much like Tsukishima. When they're together, they'd start the chaos and then sit back and eat popcorn as they watch the world burn.

@laineeey00

Ate Laine? Some will definitely say Kita, because it's Ate Laine, but I say Hirugami Sachiro. Hirugami would be such a good man for Ate Laine. I imagine them sitting down in the living room, books spread out on the table. Just silence while studying, but every now and then, one of them would look up to look at the other, smile and then return back to what they were doing. Ate Laine makes sure that Hirugami takes breaks and Hirugami makes sure that Ate Laine isn't stressing so much. Just so cute honestly.

@betheydocrimewrites

Ah, Adult Sam. Hmmm. Adult Sam is a whirlwind of chaos and sweet, sweet angst. I definitely see them with darling Yamaguchi Tadashi. I see them in bed, Sam on his laptop, and him just hugging them tight when something they were writing was choking them up. But, Sam is just overall an amazing person that they deserve someone so sweet and caring like Yamaguchi. Obvi, it is reciprocated, and I see such a sweet love in the works.

@melsun

Oooh. Alice.

Melian and Matsukawa Issei would make a very interesting pairing. Both independent yet still co-dependent on each other. Melian knows how to calm Matsukawa after a tough day at work, and Matsukawa knows how to keep Melian from stressing. Matsukawa would also hype Melian up so much?? Like any outfit Melian wears, Matsukawa's right there telling them how good and amazing they look and how well they matched the outfit up. Honestly, just a very functional household and I love that.

@lovemeian

oh oof Lavi. I want to say Meian but for reasons I cannot disclose, I won't say that for now. I will say though, that she will be so good with Dabi. Lavi has a few things she needs to work on, and Dabi is always there for her. Actually lbr, they both have issues to work on, but I feel like together, they'd overcome that. I feel like they'd?? Actually be so understanding of each other that it shocks and confuses others bc?? hello it's Dabi?? but yes, a really good match.

@writewithmarites

Me <3

Severus Snape. Ate Tes is chaotic. I'm sorry but her default in the server is chaos, especially with the bot around HAHAHAHA but anyway! Severus would be so good to ground Ate Tes, keep her from getting a little too chaotic BUT ALSO, he can help her when she's not taking care of herself. She also helpes him with his potions, and it makes the job easier on him. But of course, Severus is a slytherin, and most of the time he'd be the one inciting the chaos and we just don't know it. Anyway, Ate Tes is honestly so wonderful and I love her sm and she deserves someone to tame like the serious, bratty, angsty Severus Snape. <333

@saudade-mayari

ME. AGAIN LMAO. <3

ANYWAY

Nozel Silva. Nozel and Ate Sel. Oh gosh what a thought. Nozel is....arrogant, prideful, and he sees himself as someone more important than others. But, the man does know respect and he does care for people, especially Ate Sel. I have no doubts that Ate Sel can make that man kneel and follow her wishes, but I also know that Ate Sel would not let this man get away with his arrogance and pride. Nozel cares for her a lot. She's his partner, the carrier of the future of House Silva, and the only one that has caught his attention. He loves her, and that man would drop nearly everything for her.

@risumu

Eris! Eribabe and Ojiro Aran. Idek why. But the vibes would be so immaculate. I see road trips and early morning dancing in the kitchen to an indie song one of them is hyperfixated on. I also see late night walks to the convenience store, holding hands and just silence? Basking in each other's prescence. Eris definitely steals Aran's sweaters to the point that Aran buys two of his sizes so he can interchange them. One to give to Eris when the one she took doesn't smell like him anymore. Love all over the place.

@sunarent

Mel. That's it.

Okay but also, I see Iwaizumi Hajime. I was thinking about Suna but the more I think back about the things I know about Ali and our interactions, I see Iwa. I feel like they'd understand each other so much. And the love isn't seen much, not because they don't love each other, but because it's something they need to say really. It's more shown in the touches and kisses and cuddling. They know that they love each each other, and that's enough for them.

@tetsvhoe

Honestly I want to say Kuroo but.

Kozume Kenma. Gwennie works so hard and stresses so much. Her sleeping sched is unavailable lmao. Kenma would be so good for her because he knows how it is, to be stressed and not have an actual sleeping sched. I feel like they'd be good together. In all honesty, they'd probably take care of each other more than they would themselves but no one is complaining really.

@slutbench

MY BABYYYY. MY DAUGHTER. I LOVE YOU SM AND I SWEAR I'M NOT MAD.

I ship you with...

Azumane Asahi. Why? Because you remind me of Noya sometimes. Very energetic, a little bit of low moments and just a ball of sunshine in general. Asahi is perfect for you, Mija. He'd be able to just connect with her in ways others just don't understand. People would say that Asahi is too...soft? They'd say someone like Daicho or maybe Bokuto would be better for you, Mija, but really, he's perfect. Asahi and Gil. He balances her out in so many ways, even if no one else can see it.

@ushisrever

NIA!

Ushijima Wakatoshi. Really, the two of them are perfect. Stoic, quiet, can be chaotic. Very protective, even if the two deny it. Nia, you and Ushi are like...pillars? Support? Quiet, unmovable, but still, everyone knows you're both there, and you don't really leave people's minds. I see the two feeding off of each other's energy, especially when it comes to protecting others that they care about. (Looking at you, Lavi) I see hours where it's just her watching him playing in the background and he just looks at her, smiles, and then goes back to playing. It's really cute.

@sumebreaks

MAIA! HI! We haven't interacted much, I'm so sorry for that sweets. bUT BUT BUT!!!!

You're so sweet and caring and loving??? I really see you with Miya Atsumu! I see Tsumu bugging you to take a break and give him attention. BUT! I also see you?? Bugging him, telling him to get off the court or he's sleeping on the couch HAHAHA I feel like you two really just? Connect. Both playful, both caring, both are busy with their own things so there's not too much expectations that cannot be met for now. Idk I really see a love that's always there, no matter how busy they get.

@vindictivtsumu

AAAAAH DEVON HUN!

I love Devon and their writing so much??? Omg. Yknow who would be amazing with them? Akaashi Keiji. Akaashi is very articulate and just overall book smart in my opinion, and I see that him and Devon would fit so well. He is Devon's personal beta reader HAHAHAH BUT!!!!! Devon also watches Akaashi edit and points out anything that he missed. I see days when they're just sitting there, talking softly to each other that the sound of typing was louder. But that's okay bc you both are content and happy and in love.

@ricflairdrip20

I just met you not even 24 hours ago hehehe HIIII

I will not lie.

I asked for help from Ate Sel HAHAHHAHA

But!!!! She says Ukai Keishin, and honestly I see it. The nsfw-rp channel is the reason why and I'm not saying more HAHAHAHA I see nights when it's Keishin and her just? Idk having fun and being kids bc lbr that man can be a kid sometimes. I also see them taking care of each other in unconventional ways, ways that would not be okay for others, but it's her love language with him. V v v domestic.

I HOPE Y'ALL MYTHOS CREW LIKED THAT MATCHING UP BYE

[fixitforever]

Old wounds and familiar faces (5)

Y/N’s eyes rapidly move around the room as she takes in her surroundings. It’s her first mission outside of the Hydra base where she’s being kept and her senses are overwhelmed at the number of people and the amount of noise. The world looks different then when she was last outside and it’s unsettling, but that’s not the main reason that everything is so overwhelming. It’s the first time that she has been out in the world with her new abilities and it’s proving to be far too much for her to handle. She tries to focus on the Soldier’s back as she walks behind him. It’s better to call him the Soldier when he’s out on a mission; it makes it easier for her to separate the violence he portrays now from who he really is.

He can sense her unease. He hears her breathing and her heart rate pick up and when he glances at her over his shoulder he sees her look around nervously, her eyes moving much faster than those of the average person. Y/N’s unease causes James to push to the surface and it takes everything in the Soldier to keep him at bay. He has a mission; he needs to focus. She’s just a tool he needs to finish his mission. It’s what he keeps telling himself, but James’ voice in the back of his mind is telling him to stop and make sure she feels safe.

Behind him Y/N is completely unaware of the internal battle the Soldier is having, so she’s surprised when he suddenly reaches back to grab her hand. “One thing at a time, Red.” His voice sounds gruff and he keeps looking forward to where they’re going, but it instantly soothes her. She tightly holds onto his hand and focuses on his broad shoulders as they keep moving forward.

“Y/N!” The sound of her name being called rather loudly by Sam manages to pull her from the memory she just sunk into and back to the present. “You okay?” Sam asks when he sees the daze disappear from her eyes. It reminds him of the veterans he worked with when they experienced flashbacks to traumatic events.

She nods and glances down where she finds hers and Bucky’s hands still intertwined. Y/N is quick to let go of the super soldier and she clears her throat before she focuses on Sam. “Yeah, sorry.” She says softly as she forces herself to focus on the task at hand instead of the man standing next to her.

Bucky can tell she’s still on edge and he feels the urge to reach out again but doesn’t think she wants him to, so he quickly shoves his metal hand into his pocket and focuses on Sam. “What is this?” Sam asks once again as he points at the picture Bucky is still holding.

“Right.” Y/N mutters as her eyes move to the picture for a moment before she looks back at Sam. “That is what they used to turn me into-“ She stops for a moment as she searches for a word to describe what she is, but she can’t come up with anything. “Well, into whatever it is that I am now.”

Sam and Bucky exchange a worried look at her words. If someone out there is giving more people the abilities Y/N has, they have a serious problem on their hands. “Are you sure?” Sam asks. “Because so far the lab hasn’t been able to get anything out of it and if what you’re saying is true it might be better to destroy it before they find out what it is.”

“I’m sure.” Y/N tells him as she turns back to the table they’re still standing by to see if she can find any clues of who is behind this. “I thought all the information on how to make it was deleted by Hydra when the Avengers attacked the base. At least that’s what Fury told me.” She says as she pulls off her gloves to reach for something on the table. “But from what Steve told me it wouldn’t be the first time Fury keeps something to himself.”

“No it definitely wouldn’t.” Sam mutters as he contemplates reaching out to Fury to find out what he knows and if he could help, but he decides that he needs to get to the lab first. “I should get to the lab to make sure that thing doesn’t get into the wrong hands.” He tells Bucky and Y/N, who nod in response.

“It’s a capsule with a liquid inside.” Y/N tells him as he’s about to walk away. “If they’ve opened it you have to make sure no one touches it.” She warns him. “It causes pretty bad burns when it comes into contact with your skin.”

Sam nods as he takes in he words before he walks out of the room, leaving Bucky and Y/N alone for the first time. Bucky stays silent for a while as he watches her go through the things on the table. She lets her fingers move over every object and it once again spikes his curiosity about her gloves. “Why do you wear gloves?” The question leaves his lips before he fully registers his words and he’s slightly embarrassed about his own bluntness, but it’s out there now. “I mean, I wear them to hide my arm but your hands look pretty normal to me.”

Y/N’s eyes move away from the table and find his. She studies him for a moment before she speaks up. “You don’t have all your memories back then.” She states, which causes him to frown. “Hydra basically enhanced all my senses. I see, hear, taste, smell and feel more than anyone else. On top of that my mind moves a lot faster than the average human so I can process all the extra information my senses give me.” She explains. “To stop myself from getting sensory overload I can wear gloves or sunglasses or earmuffs. I’m still working on controlling it, you know better than anyone that Hydra didn’t exactly focus on that part of our abilities. I’ve mastered sight, hearing and smell, but still struggle with touch and taste.” She goes on as her eyes move back to the table. “With taste it’s easy to limit the impulses, but with touch it’s a bit more difficult.”

Bucky nods as he listens to her. “Hence the gloves.” He mutters and she nods in return. “Since we met I’ve regained a lot of memories.” He says as he watches her lift up a piece of rubble. “Memories of our time together at Hydra. We seemed close.” His words come out more vulnerable than he wants them to and it causes Y/N to stop looking through the stuff on the table and face him again. The look in his eyes pulls at her heartstrings and she momentarily lets her own guard down.

“We were.” She says softly and Bucky is taken aback by the emotion in her eyes as she looks at him. “We looked out for each other and if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have survived in there.” She admits, her voice still soft and almost as vulnerable as Bucky’s was just a moment ago but after taking a deep breath she pulls her wall back up. “I hope I can still count on that if I help you and Sam with this.”

Bucky stares at her for a moment before he regains his composure as well. “Of course.”

Taglist: @valhalla-kristin vicmc624 sltwins ginger-swag-rapunzel 

[jwnchstr]

THE CURSED OMEGA

PAIRING: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader

SUMMARY: Omega!Reader wanted to live by herself so she went to her pack Alpha to allow her stand on her own feet. Her pack Alpha agreed but on one condition and that is if Omega!Reader wears a cursed silver bracelet to protect her. But to break the silver bracelet and the curse, she has to find a mate and get pregnant.

***

You and Dean are rivals. Dean being stubborn, arrogant, egoistical hunter, he doesn't appreciate a help from a stranger especially from a genius one. Not like you want to get involved with the cases that Sam and Dean are working on, but you’re already in the middle of the case when you bumped into the Winchester brothers. You can’t back off.

You truthfully do not understand what's wrong being a genius. Didn’t Sam a genius too and he helped him? And why is it a big deal every time you help them they're lost? Those times when Dean was paralysed or something, and you saved him from getting killed by monsters.

After hunts, after saying goodbye to Sam, you'd drive yourself far, far away from the Winchester brothers. Well, more like far away from Dean. But still, it’s like fate is bringing you back together no matter how far you run.

Sam and Dean knows you're an omega. They know a scent of an omega who puts on too much suppressants to hide themselves from drawing unwanted alphas. Neither of the Winchesters are bothered with your scent, good thing. Plus, they have worked with a few others omega hunters and they have worked with you on tons of cases, to know you. One of the reasons that you stayed with them once in a while is because they have never approached you the way other alphas did... That’s comforting enough for you as an omega.

Though being a hunter as an omega is not easy. You had to ask permission from your pack Alpha to let you wander around by yourself most of the time. Your pack Alpha cares about you a lot. When he finally decided to approve your request, he did put one condition: that is to wear a silver bracelet that your pack Alpha asked magician to put a spell on. The silver bracelet won’t harm you, but will protect you. You cannot take it off until you found a mate and get pregnant.

It was heavy, but being an independent woman, you've never thought of finding a mate to yourself let alone get pregnant. Hence, you agreed to your Alpha's condition and started to wear the bracelet. It's been 7 years since the time you put it on.

You do not have a problem for the first few years until you met the Winchester brothers. After a few times of accidentally solving cases together, Dean had to accept that you're a good hunting partner so you often follow them go back to their bunker. Despite being cold towards you, Dean let you sleep at a pretty nice guest room they have in the bunker. But you believed Sam talked Dean to it.

Often every night, you, Sam and Dean would sit together at the table and read through the books to find answers about mythical creatures that aren't myth; or about angels and gods and demigods and whatnot. One night, your bracelet gleamed, catching Dean’s attention, in which, it sparked his interest.

“Hey, nice bracelet," he said while looking at your wrist.

You quickly retreated your hand, hiding it from his view. You looked at him warily.

"Wait, is that silver?" he continued. His eyebrows furrows.

"N-No," you answered doubtfully. You did not know why you're defensive about your bracelet as if Dean is going to steal it from you.

Dean smirked. "Come on!" he said. "I know I'm not the smartest person in the room, but I'm not a fool." He laughed. "Where did you get that? It seems powerful enough not to weaken you. Is it fake silver or something? I suddenly want one."

"Uhm." You gulped. But then you faked yawn. "I'm going to sleep now. It's been a long day," you said while stretching up before standing up to retreat yourself to your room.

"What? Hey, we're not done yet!"

"Later, loser!" You gave Dean a peace sign while your back is facing him.

You really don't want to tell him about the bracelet. Now that you're older, it felt funny to talk about the spell your Alpha put on your bracelet. Because now that you're older, you realise that you want a family. You want an Alpha to yourself. You want to get pregnant. You’re suddenly mad at your pack Alpha for putting that stupid curse on your bracelet.

You locked your room door, just in case. This bunker is full of alphas and one omega. If anything happens, you're on you own.

Neither Sam nor Dean asked you about your bracelet again after that night. Sam respects you, but Dean is another story. To Dean, he knows that you won't be around all the time and he figured that if he is important enough, you'd tell. But if he’s not....so he ignored about your bracelet even though he is still curious.

***

Three nights at the bunker without going out because all three of you were busy solving a case, you finally found an answer. Once you and Sam found out how to kill a demon and Dean showed the strategy, three of you began moving. According to plan, you will be on the look out, fight and kill demons who get in your way, and be a backup. Meanwhile Sam and Dean go in and kill. You argued with Dean how it is dangerous for him and Sam to fight possibly 20 demons alone, but he insisted. At least, if they died, they do not have anyone to go back to. You clearly have your Alpha and your pack.

After 2 three hours on the look out, you managed to kill 3 demons with your custom made holy water bullets. You rogered Sam and Dean. You got feedback for a few times, until one moment where everyone is silent. The surrounding isn’t helping either because it suddenly went creepily quiet.

"Sam?" you spoke through your earbuds calling for one of the brothers. "Are you okay there? Do you need me to go in?"

Sam didn’t reply, unfortunately.

You started to feel edgy.

"Dean? Dean, can you hear me? Do you guys need me in there?"

The silence continued.

While you're worrying about Sam and Dean, while focusing on communicating with them, feeling edgy and frustrated, one thing you didn't realise is how you transmitted your scent and it become sharp. After years of knowing Dean, there's a different kind of worry you had towards him. It came from your heart. Maybe that triggers it.

Suddenly, you heard a loud growl behind you. You gasped. Your heart drummed inside your ears as the fast footsteps approaching you like lightning. In the dark, you saw a pair of angry bright yellow eyes preying you.

Instinctively, you run. You run as fast as you can from your chaser. From his scent, you know that he's an alpha. A familiar one, but through the daze, you cannot figure out whose scent it is. You did not know where he came from, but you're genuinely scared of him. All these times, you being a hunter, didn't even faze with other alphas, but tonight changed. He scared you to death.

The Alpha growled louder. "Stop!" he shouted. "(Y/n), stop running!"

Wait, do I know him? You wondered.

"Stop, (y/n)! It's me! It's Dean!" he said.

"No!" you shouted back. Seriously? When you're being chased by an alpha without warning, even though he claimed that he is someone you knew, you won't stop to believe.

You heard another frustrating growl from behind you before he jumped and launch towards you causing you both to fall, entangled on the ground with him on top of your back.

"Stop it, please!" he cried.

"NO!" you said through your greeted teeth, struggling to free yourself from his firm grip. "I won't!"

"Don't! My- inner- alpha- gets excited- if you run! (Y/N)!" he shouted your name at your ear causing you to startle to a stop. "I'm Dean. Please trust me."

You're panting on the ground. You felt the person's hot breath behind your neck and you shivered. After a while, when he didn't feel you struggling, he slowly lose his grip on you. He let you free, taking a space from you. You got up as well.

You slowly turned to look at the person as if a sudden move will cause you get be pinned again. His height. His hair. The shadow of his eyes. "Dean?"

"I'm sorry," he quickly apologised. "I don't know what triggered me. I- uh- Your scent. It’s.... it's driving me mad." He shook his head. His nose flared as he smells you from the distance you put between you and Dean. His heart raced in his chest.

"Maybe you've got the wrong person," you said, trying to deny Dean. You're on suppressants. Both the pill and the spray blockers. You were told that after years of taking them, your body might be immune with it that you won't give out your original sweet omega scent (although you're still taking them now for precautions).

"No. I believe I don't." Dean was so sure of himself.

You went quiet, do not know what to say or do. For the time ever, Dean is not yelling at you or arguing with you or complaining about you. He looks almost like he is admitting to you. That surprised you. You do not have any words to say.

Dean stared at you. "I-I hope this isn't so much to ask, but can I scent you?"

You quickly shook your head.

"Please, (y/n). Help me calm down. Please," he begged.

Yes, you can see that Dean is struggling. After a quick thinking, you agreed. You let Dean approached you and let him scented you.

"Haa." Dean sighed, putting him at ease.

***

It's been a few days of finding out that you're Dean's mate. You seriously do not know how it happened because you honestly didn't smell different on Dean. It's like the suppressants work opposite on you rather than on other omegas who can smell their mate, but not their mate to theirs. You're not comfortable sleeping with Dean, but that's the least you can do for him to calm himself down. It seems that every night he gets nightmares.

Good thing Dean didn't push you as well. Oh, except one thing.

"So, care to tell me how that bracelet of yours work?" he asked. "It doesn't hurt you at all, but it hurt me and Sam. And I believe it hurt many shifters, too."

You looked down to your bracelet, contemplating.

"Come on, (y/n). What's there to hide from me?"

"Well, if you want to know," you started.

You began telling Dean about it. How you wanted to be an independent omega and that your pack Alpha made you wear that cursed bracelet. You told him you weren't thinking properly back then. You wanted to be on your own so bad that you agreed to his term, but now, it started to feel funny.

"I need to breed you to break the curse," Dean more likely to state rather than asking. "You clearly made the wrong decision because you make me feel challenged, (y/n)."

You shivered. You didn't like to ear that from Dean. Somehow, it sounded scary because you know how an alpha could act when challenged.

“Did your pack Alpha mark you?”

You gasped sharply. “NO!” You glared at Dean. “I’m not marked. And I’ve never- never did that....that thing.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Your heats?”

“Suppressants. Pills. Everything that could help me get distracted.”

“No wonder,” Dean said.

"(Y/n)?" Dean called softly, getting you out of the trance. He sighed, sensing your stress. "Look, don't worry about it, okay? I won't go rough on you. We'll try to break it from time to time, alright?"

You nodded your head weakly, understood.

***

6 years later

It has been 6 years since you and Dean mated. You stopped taking your meds. You decided that it’s time to let your body work naturally. Of course, there were uneven heats, falling sick, imbalance hormones, you hated Dean without a reason and Dean ignored you for a few weeks, not understanding your emotions. Good thing you have Sam to talk to.

You and Dean continued to try to break your cursed silver bracelet. Dean would knot you when you're in heat. You'd let him knot you when he's in rut. Hell, you both even tried when you're in heat and Dean's in rut. However, it's still not working.

You started to feel down and giving up, sometimes. Not only because you can't break the curse but because you cannot get pregnant and give Dean an heir. You've talked to your pack Alpha to break the spell, but he said he cannot do anything. A curse is a curse. It's like it's promised and you have to fulfill it to break the curse.

You and Dean tried again last night since you're on your heat. Like always, you will wake quite later than Dean after having sex. Dean is already in the kitchen with Sam to prepare for lunch when you entered with your hair still a mess. You took a seat beside Dean and leaned into him.

Dean sighed in contempt, feeling your body against his. "Are you okay there, sweetheart? Did I go too hard on you last night?"

Hearing that, Sam snorted. He really didn't want to hear his brother's sex life.

"No. I'm just tired. Thinking too much," you mumbled through his neck. "Wish I could cuddle with you all day."

"I wish the same," Dean said. "But I gotta work, baby. Sam and I had that negotiation thing going on this afternoon. You want to join us?" It's not that you don't know that they're on a case.

You shook your head. "I feel like my body is changing from the inside for some reason." You sighed and you stretched your back and your neck. "It hurts everywhere and no, it's not because of you."

"Okay, then. You should get some rest. You've been working hard these days," Dean said softly as he caressed your back, knowing that helps you to soothe the pain.

***

You really do not know what's happening to your body. Neither sitting nor standing nor stretching nor even laying down on your back, soothed the pain. Every where hurts including your head. You felt dizzy and nausea from time to time, but didn't make you vomit, though.

You didn't have any appetite. You only make yourself a cup of hot green tea just to take down the nausea a little. Sometimes, you take the protein bar. You only ate them half way before putting it back inside the fridge. Then, you ate Dean's bacon. And still, you only ate two strips before putting the rest back to where it belonged.

You spend your time alone in Dean's room. Cuddling with his clothes while watching the TV. His clothes doesn't do much, but enough to make yourself calm and less dizzy. The nausea also slim down. Somewhere in the middle of watching a kid chasing a dog, you fell asleep and only to be woken up by Dean shaking you hours later.

"(Y/n)? Hey." Dean scratched the back of his head. His forehead is in million wrinkles, but his lips. They're a form of a smile.

"Dean. Hey, you're back." Your throw yourself at Dean and he quickly caught you and hugged you. You scented Dean, feeling your heartbeat calming down. "Ah. This is nice." Dean knows that that is your way of telling him that you missed you.

"Feeling better?"

You sighed with your eye closed. Now that you can scent Dean rather than his clone.

"Uhm, (y/n)?"

"Mhm?"

“Open your eyes.”

Slowly, Dean brought your broken cursed silver bracelet to your eyes, showing it to you. You frowned, didn't understand. You looked up at Dean with a questioning look. Seems that you're still in daze from your nap and your sickness.

"Sweetheart, your bracelet is detached from your wrist."

"Huh?" was your first reaction. But then, "Wait! My- wrist is free?" You beamed. "Oh my God! Yes! I'm free!" You cheered, laughing and giggling to yourself over the fact that you're no longer bound a magic spell - a decision that reminded you how stupid you were.

You turned to look at Dean, but he is not celebrating with you. "Dean? What's wrong?"

"No. I-I just-"

"Hey, what's wrong?" You asked Dean softly, looking at him in the eyes, worried. Did I say something wrong?

That's when you felt Dean's hand, the one that is hugging you from behind, rested on your stomach. "Oh!"

"Yeap!" Dean slowly smiled.

"Oh my God, Dean! I'm-" Your hands ran over Dean's hand that's on your stomach.

Dean grinned when he saw you excited as well. "Yeap!" Dean chuckled. "Yes, baby, you're pregnant! We're having a pup!"

"Oh, Dean!" Your eyes started to water as you cupped Dean's face. "I'm really sorry I didn't- I was too happy with that bracelet, but then you-"

"Hey, hey, shh, it's okay," Dean said softly. His free hand thumbed your lips. Your silver bracelet is somewhere in the room, forgotten. "I love you."

You smiled before kissing Dean.

***

More supernatural one-shots

[baroquebucky]

baking

a/n: this fic is for the sweetest person @broken-hearted-barnes !!! you deserve the world and more and you’re so amazing and ilysm !!! i hope you enjoy it :~) <3 also im trying out a new format (???) for my fics, let me know what you guys think !

in which you and bucky bake together

masterlist

Baking. Your escape from the world, your muse, and best of all, delicious food. You baked all the time at the tower when you had a chance. Everyone would beg you on the way back from a mission to make some cookies, a pie, a cake or anything at all, they adored your baking. You tried teaching them so they could learn themselves but it was way too much of a shitshow. Tony tried to eat the batter, Steve got confused half way through, Nat didn’t even try, Clint shook his head as soon as you extended an apron his way, Thor tried the most, but it just wasn’t for him. Sam looked at you, laughed, and turned back around. Bucky blushed deeply, eyes going wide before looking down. And Bruce kept getting distracted by Tony messing with his batter. You even tried teaching Peter, who nailed it but was terrified as soon as he presented his pastries to the team, almost getting ran over as they all scrambled to get some. Safe to say he wouldn’t bake in the tower anytime soon.

So for the time being it was just you baking. You were okay with that, you didn’t have to share your supplies or your kitchen, you could just blast your music and enjoy the sweet, sweet smells of the food you made. Then you realized that someone had been using your ingredients, your utensils were slightly misplaced to the right and the over smelled slightly like raspberries. Strange. You shrugged it off and continued about your day, training and following your own routine. Then you heard the mention of the red fruit you smelled before and your ears perked up.

“those raspberry scones you made were amazing barnes! You’ve been holding back on us” sam spoke loudly, you rounded the corner and you could see a very red bucky, rolling his eyes at his friend. “wait until y/n finds out you can bake, she’s gonna freak out” Bucky’s blush deepened and Steve nudged his shoulder.

“you know if you asked her out she’d say yes” he looked at him pointedly, and Buckys smile faltered a bit. He shook his head slightly, his long hair falling into his face. “i don’t think I’m her type, she likes all those celebrities with curly hair” he spoke, looking at the other two men in the room. As Steve was gonna speak your you entered the room, ready to give an earful to bucky.

Then he looked at you and any anger you had melted away, you were left with fondness and the want to kiss him all over. “uh hi” you spoke, a bashful smile on your face as he gave you a grin. “hi” he replied, a giant smile on his face as his eyes darted between you and the floor. “Do you guys know who baked earlier? It smelled really good in the kitchen, like raspberries.” You looked ag Bucky, he knew that he was caught.

With a laugh Steve and Sam both yelled out “it was Bucky!” Before darting out of the room, leaving the two of you together. Your eyes landed on the super soldier in question, chills running down your body as your eyes locked. You felt goosebumps rise on your arms, you rarely ever got cold, the tower was always the perfect temperature, what the hell was going on. From down the hall Sam and Steve told FRIDAY to lower the temperature in the room the two of you were in, they knew bucky would give you his sweater in an instant.

“So you like to bake huh” you smiled, sitting close to bucky, unintentionally scooting closed so you could feel his body heat. Bucky looked at you and noticed how cold you were, instantly taking off his bomber jacket and sliding it over your shoulders. “sorry i hate the cold” you smiled sheepishly as you held the jacket closer to your body. “Don’t worry about it doll, looks better on you anyway.” He smiled, eyes going wide as he realized what he had just said. You blushed deeply, suddenly growing very warm at his words.

“you can’t avoid my question barnes, you like to bake?” You held eye contact with him and he smiled, looking down at the ground before nodding and looking back up at you. “I didn’t want to take that from you, I always thought baking was your thing so why intrude on it” he shrugged his shoulder, looking at his finger while you studied his side profile.

“i really want to stab you right now buck” you sighed, laughing as his eyes went wide for a second, “it could’ve been our thing this whole time! I love having someone else baking with me, hence why i gave everyone baking lessons.” He smiled at you and moved ever so slightly so that both of you were pressed up against each other.

“you’d really want me in there with you?” He turned to look at you, butterflies in your stomach as the two of you grew closer. You nodded, not trusting your voice. The two of you glanced at the others lips, too scared to make a move first. You both stayed like that for a while, just trying to memorize every small feature on the others face. Then you pushed forward, your lips landing on his softly, kissing him gently. He smiled into the kiss, immediately reciprocating your movements as giggles left your mouth.

Days passed and you and bucky were almost always in the kitchen when you weren’t busy. The team was more than happy, getting many pastries in return for dealing with how sickeningly cute you and bucky acted all the time. You had realized yesterday after baking a cake for the team that you were low on supplies, so you made a mental note to go tomorrow to buy some more so you didn’t run out.

When you woke up early the next morning you got dressed, not bothering to tell anyone you were heading out. You calmly went through the aisles of the grocery store, leaning on your shopping cart and walking slowly to try and spot the brand of flour you use. You hummed along to the song softly playing over the speakers, putting the bag of flour in your cart before heading to get the sugar.

Bucky woke up nervous. He barely slept last night because of a nightmare he had of you. He knew it wasn’t real but he had to make sure you were okay. You never woke up early so he immediately went to your room and softly opened the door, expecting you to be sleeping soundly under your too many blankets. Bucky’s heart dropped when he saw how messy your sheets were. Signs of a struggle.

Yeah there was a struggle; a struggle to get out of bed so you could keep to your schedule.

Bucky ran back to his room, grabbing his phone and calling you, texting you and even leaving a fucking voicemail. You didn’t answer.

As you cruises down the shopping aisles, getting some peach lifesavers to make bucky try, you wondered if you should stop by the coffee shop you loved and get something really quickly. You smiled to yourself and headed to checkout, forgetting you never took your phone off Do Not Disturb.

Bucky ran all over the tower looking for you, asking FRIDAY and every living being if they had seen you. Everyone was both shocked and amused that Barnes was losing his mind over you not being in your room, they assumed you went for a walk but Bucky didn’t want to believe them, he was too paranoid.

You decided against getting the drink, heading straight home instead, your heart fluttering at the thought of bucky missing you. You smiled to yourself and tapped on the steering wheel to the beat of the your music.

Bucky slipped on his boots and fixed the knife near his ankle, he was gonna find you no matter what. It wouldn’t be that hard considering you were already pulling into the tower and trying your best to carry all the bags at once.

Bucky rushes out the tower, a menacing look on his face, searching everywhere for your face. You locked the car door and immediately booked it for the doors, not wanting to risk dropping a bag and having to make two trips.

As you ran towards the doors, Bucky game out of them, his menacing expression fading away as he ran towards you arms open and smile on his face.

“don’t hug me! Get a damn bag and help me dammit” you laughed, pushing him softly as he took all your bags and you sighed in relief. “okay I get it you’re strong” you giggled, noticing how stressed out he looked you furrowed your brows.

“bucky are you okay? you look stressed” you noted, he smiled sheepishly at the ground before turning to you when you entered the kitchen. “I’m not- well anymore at least” he chuckled and you cocked your head, urging him to continue.

“i- well when i woke up you weren’t here and so i freaked out and” he pulled the knife from beside his ankle and the gun he had behind his back, “i was gonna go look for you to make sure you were okay.” He blushed and you felt your heart explode into a million pieces, a giant smile spreading on your face as you jumped into his arms. He held you up with ease and buried his face in your neck, your legs wrapping around his waist.

“you are too much james” you whispered, smiling as he set you down softly. “I went to go get more baking supplies, we were running low, and i just realized my phone was on do not disturb, so sorry for missing your” you glanced down at your phone and you choked on your spit, “36 missed calls” you bursted our laughing and he frowned at you. You gave him a small kiss on the cheek before jumping up on the counter next to him, swinging your legs.

“well? if you were so worried then put the things away or else im really gonna be distressed because i hate putting groceries away” you smiled at him and he rolled his eyes, giving you a kiss on your lips before moving to put everything away.

“im only doing this so you can teach me how you made the scones the other day” bucky smiled at you from behind a cabinet and you laughed. “secret recipe” you piped up, sliding off the counter and hugging him from behind.

The kitchen was your guys’ safe place, a place where you could mess around and be disgustingly cute. A place to kiss between tasting batter and have one too many flour fights. Baking in the kitchen with your Bucky was your safe place. 

[baebywendy]

Favorite Albums of 2020

After Hours - The Weeknd

After hours is hands down my favorite album that came out in 2020. Nothing could top the masterpiece that this album is or can even try in my eyes. This album from start to finish tells a story about what I saw to be his downfall in love and the toxicity around him and within him. Not only did this story captures you with lyrics but visually in his music videos. The Weeknd has this touch within all his albums that tells a chapter of his life and this album is no different. With the retro trend coming in full force, The Weeknd had one of the best retro albums this year and not only that; the best album. This album showed his voice and the melancholy tone that he can produce is beautiful and pulls you in for the wild ride that is After Hours. Grammys can’t see.

Favorite tracks: Heartless and In Your Eyes

Ungodly Hour- Chloe x Halle

Ungodly Hour has one of the best vocal performance in a album that came out in 2020. Ungodly Hour touches on the topics of sex, cheating and making drunk mistakes that most young adults can relate to. The tracks of the song touches on being with someone and doing not so nice things to them with a beautiful melody that makes you not notice the bad things they’re saying. The album is the equivalent to driving to the beach to watch the sun set, it’s such a easy to listen to album that anyone could have it playing in the background. It shows two sides to a female in as relationship they can be loving but once you do them wrong they will make sure everyone knows the kind of person they are. Ungodly Hour is truly heavenly.

Favorite tracks: Wonder What She Thinks of Me and Busy Boy

Love goes - Sam Smith

Love Goes is the ending of a relationship and the confusions you feel when your alone for the first time. This album does a deep dive in relationships from cheating to someones own insecurities being in a relationship. Something that most can relate to, finding someone and wanting to be with them without complications is something that most crave for. Having the fear that one day that person that you are in love with can leave is something heartbreaking but also creates fear of being in love fully. This album shows the melancholy of relationships but unlike other songs that have a happy beat to make a playful songs in an album, the instrumentals showcases the sadness and loneliness that one feels. Love goes is something that we all experience and sometimes the best thing you can do is watch it go.

Favorite tracks: To Die For and My Oasis (feat. Burna Boy)

Good News - Megan thee stallion

Good News was indeed good news to me when I saw it dropping and the first album that isn’t so melancholy on this list. This album touches on topics that Megan went through this year such as body confidence and as well the public attacking her. The album teaches people to be the baddest bitch in the game and to gain confidence that most may not have. This album is unapologetic confident and loving yourself. Instead of using ballads of expressing self love, the album demands the confidence to flow through them and let everyone know that they’re word will not change them. It also touches on the topic of sex, showing females can be comfortable with their sexual needs and experiences. Good News is the embodiment of confidence and being comfortable in your own skin, something we all can learn from.

Favorite tracks: Body and circles

Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa

Future Nostalgia takes the nostalgia to the next level with the retro inspiration and as well as the Madonna touches through the album. It makes you feel like your in another decade but somehow it still gives you nostalgia of the past at the same time. The album is a good feeling album and makes you want to dance with your friends with the disco ball above you. This album is one of the best retro albums that came out this year and it wasn’t something I expected for the next step in Dua Lipa’s career but it was a good step. Within this album, Dua Lipa’s voice takes center stage and fits the retro tune so well that it feels like she’s found her tune. Future Nostalgia makes you feel like your in the future but with the past in your back pocket.

Favorite Tracks: Physical and Break my Heart

Rare - Selena Gomez

Rare is the self love and worth with melancholy beats but as well as a happy beat making the sadness into a playful tune. It showcases what a person needs to do in order to fully love themselves and makes it known the hardships was just another push to become happy. The album touches on self worth and no matter what the person that you want to be with needs to treat you right because anyone can say I love you but do they mean it. It was Selena’s long awaiting album after five years of her last album but its a beautiful set of songs that showcases her progress as a person. Rare is truly rare when you realize how beautiful you are inside and out.

Favorite Tracks: Rare and Look At Her Now

Confetti - Little Mix

Confetti was the celebration of finally being free from control that somehow turned into a heartbreak in a matter of seconds. The thought that this is the last album that will have four voices harmonizing hurts especially when you been there since the beginning. This album continues Little Mix’s theme of female empowerment, break ups and sisterhood. Little Mix has this talent that they are a group with four strong voices but none of them outshines each other but at the same time they allow each other shine with high notes. This group means a lot to me and without them I wouldn’t have the confidence that I have now. Little Mix created songs that even though sadness happened there will always be a celebration afterwards. Confetti is what you will see when the tears are finally gone and always remember that mental health is the most important thing and take care of it.

Favorite tracks: My Love Won’t Let You Down and Sweet Melody

All About Luv - MonstaX

All About Luv is a cute collection of love songs ( hence the title and the day it was released ) that makes you giddy and warm on the inside. The album touches on all of the spectrum of what love is physical, emotionally, and mentally. It shows the love between two people and how beautiful that love is between them but at the same time it touches on the topic of wanting to be in love. Two ends of the spectrum but somehow it doesn’t feel out of place on the album but tells the story of love. This album could’ve been in Korean and I would still feel the same about it. Having the album fully in English was something I wasn’t expecting but it didn’t bother me because the collection was just that good. All About Luv makes you feel giddy about falling in love again or thinking of being in love with someone.

Favorite tracks: She’s the one and Someone’s Someone

Breath of Love: Last Piece - Got7

Breath of Love: Last Piece was a long awaiting album where JYP didn’t touch and Got7 had full control of it and boy did it pay off. I honestly think this is Got7’s best album and the fact they had creative control say in shows how talented they are. The album itself has a refreshing listen to and it’s different then most of the songs that came out in Kpop during this period making them stand out to me. The first song Breath was the most refreshing song we could’ve gotten this year and it showcased the vocals that got7 has. Last piece was something that was different for Got7 and its something that fits them so well as well. I hope Got7 will be able to continue this and make more songs for their albums, the songs that they made were so good. This album made others who weren’t in Got7’s fandom see the vocal talent and the dances that they do are beautiful. It feels good that they got the recognition for their talents instead of being just funny. Breath of Love: Last Piece is Got7’s best album and its the start of Got7 having creative choices for their albums in the future.

Favorite tracks: I Mean It and Born Ready

Maria - Hwasa

Maria is Hwasa’s first EP and the collection of songs are showing her struggles and what she tells herself through these hardships. This EP is one of the most beautiful things I have heard in awhile, it made me cry and it made me understand Hwasa a little more through it. Maria is the first song and its actually her baptismal name making the song already very personal to her. If you listen to the song itself and not look into the lyrics and the meaning then the song sounds like a very well crafted Kpop song. However, when you read the lyrics does it change that. “Maria, Maria I’m saying this for you. It’s a shining night, don’t torture yourself. Oh Maria, I’m saying this for you. Why are you trying so hard, you’re already beautiful.” The whole song is her trying to convince herself that everything is okay and to not listen to the people that want to send hate. The song shows the darkness of being in the limelight but it shows her taking control of It towards the end of the song. The rest of the songs on the EP expressing things that Hwasa been through and it makes her fans more connected to her. Maria is a beautiful collection that shows the struggles of being in the limelight and how you can take control to make yourself happy.

Favorite tracks: Maria and LMM

Honorable mentions:

Monster - Irene and Seulgi

1 billion Viewa - Exo-SC

Dystopia: the tree of language - Dreamcatcher

Self-Portrait - Suho

EP 9 - Qveen Herby

DYE - Got7

Chilombo - Jhene Aiko

[lol-jackles]

My best is that it was Jared who wanted the show to end at season 15 so that he could move on to other projects (such as Walker). Jensen seems like he didn’t want it to end yet hence why he didn’t like the shows ending at first. He wanted it to be open ended so that there was a possibility for a reboot or movie in the future. Jared likes the ending because it was closure for him and permanent. Ever since SPN has ended and Jared has started filming Walker, he’s glowing and looking happy. Way happier than when he was doing SPN and that speaks volumes. Jared wanted to put SPN behind him.

Agree for the most part.  Jared was ready to leave SPN regardless, he used to tell stories that he was going to retire from acting after SPN because statistically the odds are heavily against actors landing regular gigs again.  Think of it this way, acting in movies is like going to summer camp while acting in tv series is like going to college.  You remember what college was like, you never stop being a student even in your "free" time.  Now imagine going to college for 15 years.  This is why movie actors loathe the tv filming schedule but stay because the money is too good.  This may give you an inkling why movie producers like Daniel Lin try to score themselves successful tv series projects.  

When you leave college you expect to land a job and advance your career.  That's kind of what it's like for Jared now.  He looks "happier" on the Walker set because he's finally left college and things are new and shiny again.  But that doesn't mean that one day Jared won't re-visit the old stomping ground out of nostelgia.  I think most of us like going to high school and college reunions because we didn't peak, we've moved on and can look back with new appreciation without the struggles. 

I agree that Jensen probably didn't want the show to end, at least not so resolutely, I've speculated here a few times that was why he initially had a hard time with the finale because it was so final with no open ending.  While Jared didn't get a Thelma and Louise ending, "Carry On' was better  because the Winchester legacy lives on and a spinoff is still possible, just not with Sam and Dean.   Well, I shouldn't say that, Dean II could resurrect Dean I, anything is possible in Supernatural.

Edit to Add:

@believeinrollinsreignsambrose I think your yellow car confirmation bias may be showing.  IMO Cas hasn’t overshadowed the show because I can’t remember what he does most of the time because plot device.  The side characters this season was just as unmemorable because they were (or trying to) be about Dean.  I’m cool with a movie or limited series on the events between 15x19 and 15x20.

@missjackil agreed, it would be silly for either Jared or Jensen to say no to reunion/reboot/movie/limited series, never close the door.

[swiftlymoniquesblog]

A Tribute to Supernatural (LONG post ahead)

Well, today is the day. The day I have struggled with for the past year or so, the inevitable. The day the last episode of Supernatural was going to air on television. I never thought I’d be writing about this, about how much this show has meant to me, but with today being the day another chapter in all our lives comes to a close, I feel like I owe it to the cast and crew and to all of you, to make this post. So here it goes.

I haven’t been in the fandom for too long, about two-and-a-half years now. I’ll never forget my anniversary date: May 20th. That was the day that changed my life forever. I know, sounds pretty cliché but it’s the truth. I remember that day very vividly, too. I had gone on a bus trip with my family, out to stay at a casino about an eight-hour drive with my family. It was rather a fun time and I remember on our way back home; I was searching through Netflix for a new series to start, and Supernatural had popped up. I hesitated trying it again, because I had previously watched the first episode of the first season, and it absolutely freaked me out. I had tried to watch the second episode after that but couldn’t make it halfway through. After much deliberation with my friends on Facebook, who had been fans for quite a long time at that point, had told me to just push through and keep watching because it got better. So, with an eight-hour drive ahead of me, I figured I’d start it again and really give it time. Little did I know, that was the day that I would hold close to my heart forever. And of course, my friends were pleased to have heard I was giving it another chance because they knew I’d love it; they were right.

Fast forward to today, and this show is way more than just a show to me. It’s become a way for me to connect with people, complete strangers in most cases, but it’s become a safe place. Sure, I’ve had my share of negative people or “bullies” if you want to call them that, but none of that would stop me from talking or sharing anything about the show. Then, I got more invested in the cast and who they were outside of the show. I never realized how important they would become to me too, but they really have and they’ve become like a distant family. Granted, I’ve only met a lot of the cast just once, but the connection they give us, whether through the characters of the show, or the small glimpse into their personal lives they give us, just makes you feel like you’re apart of something bigger. And they never let you think that they don’t care. Of course, they don’t really know me, just like I really don’t know them, yet they have a way to make all of us feel like we’re tied together somehow, and it’s beautiful.

Like I’ve previously stated, I have met quite a few members of the cast (see photos above). My first Supernatural convention was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. It had been several years since a convention was set up in Texas but when they announced there was going to be one in the Dallas area, I knew I had to be there. The show had already made that much of a difference to me, under a year. 2019 was the year I graduated from university and I wanted to do something really special to celebrate such a big accomplishment. What did I choose to do? Celebrate with the Supernatural family of course! When I began buying tickets, it was scary yet exciting. I, unfortunately, didn’t get a photo with Jensen because they had sold out already, three months before the event was going to take place (hence the photo with a poster of Jensen). I bought the photo with Jared and was extremely nervous about that photo more than any others. I still really don’t have a solid answer as to why I was so scared to meet him but I usually say because he’s so freaking tall, it’s kind of intimidating, and the fact that I had built such a high pedestal for Sam in my mind, that I was afraid I would disappoint myself seeing Jared, but none of that happened.

Getting to go to a Supernatural convention is extremely difficult. It’s so unbelievably expensive, I still can’t believe I’m trying to go a second time (if COVID would just CHILL) but the experience as a whole, is what does it for me. If you go as I did, I went for the entire weekend because I didn’t want to miss a single minute of all the excitement that was building from Creation Entertainment or the fans who were going to. Actually, it turns out, that a few of the friends I made via social media, were going to be there that weekend too, so we made plans to meet up in person; and we did! The fans are what really makes the convention's special. Because we all have one thing in common and we all can share our experiences and laugh or cry with each other. It’s a community I’ve never been apart of before, but that’s what makes it so special. The fandom has, mostly, been very generous to me. Offering up advice on what to expect when going to the convention and advice on meeting everyone. Most of the advice came about meeting Jared and it turned out everyone was right.

Jared Tristan Padalecki is one GIANT teddy bear! So many people described him that way to me but once you get to see him up close, it’s nothing like you imagine. He is HUGE and it is kind of scary with that floating over your head, but when you walk up to him, he smiles so wide at you and is so happy to see you. For me, I went right in for a hug, wrapping my arms around his waist and his around my back or so. It was brief but I felt so safe just being that close to him for that small amount of time. And then my op, is my friend is supposed to be sad that I’m hugging Jared and not her. We weren’t prepared too much on how we were going to pose, but I remember Jared had reached out for my friend to be closer to him in the photo but she said that she was supposed to be over here for the pose. I remember too, Jared grabbing me and wrapping his arm around me, right under my neck, somewhat close to my boobs (no, he didn’t touch them, even by accident) and I responded by bringing my arms up to hold onto him too, then the photo was taken. I made sure I was smiling and had no idea how Jared looked, but I think he looks absolutely adorable smiling like he was. And when I went to walk away, I looked up at him, looked into those beautiful eyes, and thanked him for the photo and being there that weekend. He smiled at me and rubbed my back just briefly, but I felt heat rise in the place he touched. Other fans too, commented how happy he looked, when I went to pick up my photo on the table that held all the freshly printed photos. I was really happy with how it turned out but I kind of wished we planned it better. This second con, if I get to go, will be a lot better because I’ll have a photo with Jensen and two with Jared, and I’ve already come up with the poses for those three ops.

Ultimately, this show and the community of fans, has really gotten me through a lot. Recently too, life has been pretty difficult for me, but I always just look at my phone to see my wallpaper of me and Jared, and that makes me feel a lot better. I’ve invested so much time and effort into this show, that I can’t imagine a world where it no longer exists. I don’t believe everything we’ve built as a fandom is going away, it’s just going to look a lot different.

I’ve had my own fears for how this day was supposed to come. And it was supposed to originally end much earlier in this year but because it got delayed, the final filming, it brought me a small bit of relief because it meant I got to hold on to Sam and Dean just a little longer. But now that this day is here, I am grateful for all it’s brought me; happiness and a sense of family. I’ve worried too much about how we are all going to carry on without new episodes coming on. Will everyone end up forgetting the show? Will it still be as important to people as it is right now? Will all the merchandise disappear? Will conventions still be going, if they get picked up again? How will people see Jensen and Jared now that they have separate plans? Will they lose fans after the last episode ends? Will we still mean as much to them now as we did at the start of it all? What is the future going to hold for Sam and Dean? So many questions plague my thoughts and have ever since Jensen, Jared and Misha announced season 15 was going to be the last one. But I guess that’s all just a part of the life cycle of a show. And maybe all of these questions will have answers tonight, maybe they won’t. Only time will tell.

All in all, I am so incredibly proud of everyone who was involved in that show. They worked incredibly hard to bring these characters to life every week and they gave us a wonderful fifteen-year run. A lot can happen in fifteen years, and it has, for all of us. No one is the same person they were fifteen years ago; I know I was a child and now I’m all grown up. To try and put into words what this show has meant to me, wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but my level of gratitude to everyone isn’t as easy. I feel like thank you, just isn’t enough. The cast and crew deserve way more than just a thank you and that’s why I’m writing this. But the biggest debt I owe is to Jensen and Jared and everyone who was at the sets from the very beginning. I know it must’ve been difficult, being away from family members as often as you were, but it doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you to Eric for creating this show and this community. For sharing an insight into the thoughts that roam around your head and bringing them to life. For gifting us with Sam and Dean Winchester, two of the most beloved characters I think anyone has ever seen. I can just see years from now, people talking about the ‘greatest television shows of all time’ and I imagine that Supernatural will be on that list, if not at the top. I hope someone not only talks about the show itself but about the fans and the dedication we have to a storyline so unique as this one. To all the writers, y’all have made me laugh and cry and cheer for the good guys. There have been breathtaking highs and heartbreaking lows throughout the years but what a ride! Never have I been this invested in a tv show before, but as my Supernatural Day 2019 shirt says “possessed and obsessed.”

Finally, to the Supernatural fans, I love you all so much. There isn’t another group of people I would want to have as friends to cope with this ending. I know it’s been hard on all of us, having to accept the end, but we’ve gotten this far, so let’s bring it home. Let us be the ones to carry on the “family business.” We can carry the lessons that the Winchesters taught us and we can be the ones who won’t ever let them be forgotten. It is a privilege to have walked this journey this far and I hope to walk through to the end, together as a family. I want this to hold a special place in your heart years from now, as it will mine. Never forget what this show, this family, the cast and crew have meant to you. It can be easy to forget something that is no longer right in your face but keep the memories close to your heart, forever.

Let’s kick this ending in the ass and come together to support each other in this difficult time. And, as a few people have mentioned, carry on wayward son (and daughters) there will be peace when you are done.

[orionsangel86]

Some people think Cas is non-binary, others think he identifies himself as a man. What is your interpretation? And what does Dean think? Does he think Cas is male or Cas is genderless?

So first of all I will say that whatever anyones interpretation of Cas is, its totally valid and Cas can be anything you want him to be. My specific opinion should not take away from anyone elses. Whether you wanna see Cas as non-binary, genderfluid, trans, or anything. That is all totally valid.

My opinion on Cas and gender, will always be the same as my opinion on Cas and sexuality - in that he is not human, and therefore human labels don’t really apply. We have so many different labels to define us, but why try to define the undefineable? Let Cas be Cas. Arguably the only thing we CAN canonically confirm 100% without a doubt is that Castiel is not a heterosexual CIS man. Everything else is kind of a free pass so if you really want to put a label on him go nuts, you technically wouldn’t be wrong so long as you didn’t call him straight or CIS.

(This is such a Neil Gaiman answer lmao)

I do think that canon gives us some interesting ponder points, even if all the above still stands. For instance, Cas was once asked this question in the show about another angel:

DEAN: Wait. So Benjamin's a woman? CAS: Benjamin is an angel. His vessel is a woman.

This was in 12x10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets, the episode where we also found out that Cas used to have a female vessel.

When Dean asked Cas if Benjamin was a woman, Cas answered that he was an angel, as if angel alone is itself an answer for the question of gender (Hence the very Neil Gaiman style answer above). Does this mean angels do not have gender? Not exactly, as they do have preferred pronouns. Cas’s preferred pronouns are obviously he/him, same as Benjamin. Unfortunately, we never get to see the other angels refer to Cas by his pronouns when he was using a female vessel so we don’t know if his pronouns have ALWAYS been he/him, just that he uses those pronouns now. Angels also use the terms “brother” and “sister” in relation to each other, and usually those terms relate to the angels vessel so we can wonder whether angels do have preferred pronouns, and therefore like to choose human vessels that match their preferences.

The other examples of where the pronouns didn’t match the vessel were for Raphael, who started in a male vessel and then used a female vessel, but still preferred male pronouns, and Hannah, who started in a female vessel, and then used a male vessel but still preferred female pronouns. Unfortunately I don’t think we have seen any angels who prefer They/Them pronouns (though please correct me if I’m wrong here as I’m relying mainly on memory).

I think that Cas specifically, would also answer the question of his gender with the answer “I am an angel”. I don’t think he would elaborate - but would probably find your confused frown amusing. Whether he now sees himself as closer to the human male end of the spectrum remains a mystery, though he never seemed to struggle accepting his status as a male human when he lost his grace, even then, canon has provided us with very little to go on, so I don’t feel right claiming that Cas is a man/male or anything. I can picture him shrugging and saying “I am what I am” and leaving it as that.

When it comes to Dean, I think he thinks that Cas is Cas. But canonically we know that he see’s Cas’s vessel as his body because of his argument with Sam in 11.18.

Sam: Dean, it's a strong vessel. It's held Cas for years, and we know what he's been through. I'm guessing it can hold Lucifer.

Dean: "It"? It's not an "it," Sam. It's Cas!

Sam saw Cas as separate from his human body, but Dean saw the body as Cas. So it is possible that Dean may have some difficulty separating Cas in the form he knows, a human man, from Cas the angelic genderless (but still with preferred pronouns) creature made of celestial light. It’s one of the reasons I really wished that the boys could actually visit themselves in an AU where Cas kept his old female vessel, just so we could get canon Dean’s reaction to that version of Cas. It was a huge missed opportunity to have an interesting conversation between them that could have furthered that brief discussion in 12x10.

As a matter of fact Dean never met Hannah in her male vessel either, so we didn’t even get his reaction to that. Missed opportunities all around (a continuous trend for Supernatural sadly).

That’s my very long kinda rambled answer on the topic anyway. If you take away just one point from this post, take away the fact that the only wrong answer when it comes to Cas, is to have the audacity to call him a straight CIS man. This, I can tell you with 100% confidence and canon to back me up, he most definitely is not.

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi! I'm happy to find you reblogging something about Death Stranding. I love this game especially the story. It conveys the importance of the connection between people. I'm curious about who you like most in this game and your thoughts about the story.

Hello anon!

Thank you very much for this ask! I have recently watched the game’s cutscenes and I love the story and the characters!

In this answer I won’t be able to touch on every aspect of the story, but I will talk of some things I liked and of my two favourite characters:

I am fond of Fragile and love her with all my heart, while I like how complex Amelie is as a character and the perfect equilibrium they managed to obtain with her characterization and story. Basically I love the first with my heart and I like the second with my head.

Both women are representative of different aspects of society and to be more precise Fragile represents society’s positive traits, while Amelie society’s ambivalence.

This ambivalence of society is well represented by the cuff links. As their name implies they both connect (links) and control (cuffs) people.

This same ambivalence is conveyed through the entirety of Amelie/Bridget’s story and character.

Amelie’s name, as it is explained in the game itself, has multiple meanings:

On one hand it means “a soul that is a lie” because Amelie is nothing more than a part of Bridget and not her own person. To be more precise she is Bridget’s Ka:

This works for the wordplay Amelie-Ka aka America:

“Have I ever told you my real name? It’s Amerigo, after Amerigo Vespucci, the man who discovered the continent”

“I thought it was Columbus?”

“Except Amerigo was full of it. He lied. America is a lie”.

So America (aka society) is a lie just like Amelie is. However, things are not so simple:

This is highlighted also by Amelie’s final speech to Sam. In this speech she keeps contradicting herself to the point that it is not even clear what her true objective and motivations were.

On one hand she claims that as an EE she has realized extinction is impossible to avoid and that she has done her best to try and make it faster, so that she won’t be stuck alone on the Beach.

On the other hand she claims that all her experiments as Bridget were an attempt to find a way out using the knowledge of the universe to stop the Death Stranding.

Basically, Amelie came up and implemented a plan which worked both to save humanity and to destroy it and she herself is probably not sure of what she was hoping for.

This is made clear also by her act of saving Sam:

When she is the one narrating the story the whole scene is portrayed as sweet and as Amelie being able to feel sympathy and warmth for another life hence her resurrecting Sam and developing a bond with him.

However, later on, when we see what actually happened in Cliff’s past, we are shown this:

It was Bridget who killed Sam and Amelie’s resurrecting him ends up acquiring a more utilitaristic spin since Bridget was interested in Sam because of her experiments. That said, Bridget decided to bring Sam up even if he can’t be useful anymore in the BB experiments suggests a genuine attachment on her part. In the end, it is through this redemptive action and through her bond with Sam that the Last Stranding is postponed since Amelie chooses to believe in him.

In short, Bridget/Amelie is an extremely ambiguous character, just like society is and this is why what Sam tells Die-Hardman in the end is so important:

As Sam implies, Die-Hardman unwillingly represents the old ways which need to be overcome if there must be hope for the future. He is a character as ambiguous as Amelie is since he too appears thorn and to be more specific he is thorn between his loyalty for Cliff and his loyalty for Bridget. In this he is similar to Sam and in his last speech to him, Die-Hardman tries to reconcile these two loyalties, but this reconciliation is only partly possible for both him and Sam. In the end, Die-Hardman did not actively kill Cliff, but he did so thanks to his passivity and at the end of the game he is shown encouraging the narrative depicting Amelie and Bridget as heroes and concealing everything negative she did. In other words, he is still telling and spreading lies.

In short, the ambiguity of society is conveyed through characters like Amelie and Die-Hardman who have sacrificed babies (aka the symbols of the future) to a plan which could have potentially both saved and destroyed the world. Despite this, society is still the only chance humanity has to survive.

And society still has beautiful things and these things are embodied by Fragile who is   clearly a very important character thematically:

Fragile is a person whose time has been taken away from her and this is why her body has aged prematurely. However, she has never given up and has kept trying to do the best she can with the little time she has left. This is literally what all humanity must currently do as it was stated by Amelie as well:

The only thing humanity can do is to try to evolve and to survive. After all life itself is:

Life is fragile, but not that fragile. It fights to survive and Fragile embodies exactly this. This is why she is a porter just like Sam and she is specialized in taking care of frail cargo. She protects fragility and makes sure it survives. This is something symbolized also by her powers which let her teleport through the beaches of people she knows and understands. In other words, her ability is a physical embodiment of the ability of becoming connected with another person.

Of course, because of society being a double edged sword she too has been used to create damage and in particular Higgs used her to destroy a city. However, even if she was betrayed in such a way she did not give up and managed to save another town in exchange of a high personal sacrifice.

So Fragile is the life which struggles under adversities and her arc in the game is symbolic of this. After all, she starts the game in a similar place as Sam:

She too does not care about America and she is simply motivated by the loyalty towards her father and her feelings of revenge against Higgs just like Sam is motivated by her bond with Amelie. However, by the end of the game she has changed:

She has decided to implement her father vision and as Sam says she is “going on with the world”. She is evolving and has found a new place within society through her newly found connections.

However, this is specifically why her path diverges from Sam who, like her, finds a new purpose through his father’s words. That said, this purpose is different from Fragile’s:

Thematically speaking Fragile is the good about society and it is not by chance that she is the one that, since their first encounter, offers Sam the possibility to be part of a group aka to be part of something bigger. And she repeats her offer to Sam at the end of the game.

However, by that point Sam has two problems. The first is what he himself states:

He is still grieving and is scared of creating bonds or to better say to enjoy his bonds since by that point he has clearly created strong bonds with the other members of Bridges. As a matter of fact his whole speech about how he still has no bonds is clearly false considering that in the end it was his bonds with the others which saved him from a lonely existence on the Beach. However, it is true that he has gone through a highly traumatizing experience.

What is more, this experience has casted a shadow on the way Sam sees society. This is made even clearer by the fact that society still plans to use and dispose of BB. This is something Sam can’t accept and his wish to try and save Lou is what motivates him to leave the others.

The fact that the last scene between Sam and Fragile is so sad is probably because she represents his chance to go back to be a part of society, but by that point Sam has already chosen to escape society hence him pushing her away.

Basically, while Fragile has found new bridges to put society back together and will keep working to obtain this result, Sam has found a different kind of bridge:

It is a bridge to the future aka a child and as Cliff stated:

Louise has become Sam’s bridge to the future. She has become a link he must accept and take care of because Lou is completely dependant on him, so he does not have the luxury of leaving her behind. In conclusion, Sam himself has become the Cliff which needs to be connected to the future and given courage by a little bridge. This is why babies are bridges. It is not because they are connected to death, but it is because they are connected to hope and the future.

So, Death Stranding is a story which explores the beauty of living even in desperate situations and the beauty of different kinds of bonds both in the present (among peers) and in the future (parent-child relationships).

I loved basically all characters. Cliff’s story is heartbreaking, but his last moments with Sam are beautiful and I loved Deadman, Mama and Heartman. Their stories were all interesting and were used to explore different aspects of the worldbuilding and of the themes and foreshadowed different plot-points (like Amelie being Bridget’s Ka in Mama’s story and Cliff using the Beach to search for his lost son like Heartman using it to look for his family).

Thank you for the ask, I am sure I did not do justice to the complexity of the story, but I hope my thoughts were interesting! Feel free to ask something more specific and have a great day!

[midnight-hotel]

Can I ask for a scenario where Angel heard his crush singing "Not That Way" by Sam Smith? When Angel heard it, he confronted them immediately when they're done singing and ask who was it. They obviously are reluctant to tell considering its him. He tried guessing who it is until they finally blurted it out. He was stunned and then he started telling all the times he flirted with them. They replied that you do that to everyone. He realised why they wouldn't get it & ask them out. They accept

//I had a hard time writing this as a full fic, so I ended up doing this. I hope that’s okay.

It wasn’t something he paid very much attention to at first.

The first time Angel Dust heard you softly singing to yourself, he smiled a little and continued on his way, planning on meeting up with Cherri to go shopping.

The second time he heard you singing that song was that same afternoon. Your voice was still so soft as you focused on your cleaning on the hotel. You’d been hired to fix things up around the hotel, such as furniture and all that to keep some of the original items that came with the old place. You’d just offered to clean up as you went, hence why he found you scrubbing out stains in the floorboards so they could be re-stained later. He leaned against the doorway this time and listened for a moment before walking off again, leaving you unaware of his presence- as far as he knew at least.

You were very much aware that Angel had been standing at the door but since he never came inside or bothered to speak with you, you continued to softly sing to yourself and focus on your task. It just brought more truth to the lyrics that passed your lips.

After a couple of days, Angel kept hearing you singing the same song over and over again and just figured it was something that had gotten stuck in your head. Since day one however, he had invited you into his very pink hotel room and had listened to some music with you, so surely, you’d at least have something else stuck in your head by now. Despite this fact though, you only seemed to sing the one song, cuing him to pay attention to try figure out exactly what it was you were singing.

The next time he caught you singing, he hung around, keeping his lips sealed tight as he paid closer to the attention to the lyrics. He wasn’t a fan, that’s one of the first thought he had. Your voice was nice and all- he actually loved your voice, he could listen to you talk all day as long as you weren’t being boring about it, but he didn’t like the song very much, it just sounded depressing.

After leaving you alone once again, he made his way to the bar and sat down, trying to convince Husk to give him a drink, who simply grumbled and told him to ‘fuck off’, knowing that giving him a drink would make him hang around longer. Then he would have to deal with the princess scolding him for giving a guest alcohol when he’s supposed to be going clean. Man, the things she was not aware of.

It was after leaving Husk with a huff that he finally realised the meaning behind the song you had been singing. He didn’t think much of it of course, to him it was just a sad song about not being able to confess to someone because they clearly didn’t hold any feelings for them.

It took about a week of this crap before Angel’s thought started to get on his nerves. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. The more he heard you sing, the more he began to wonder if there was someone in your life who had left you like this. Were you in love with someone? Who was it? Who the fuck wouldn’t love you? Frustration got the better of him one day.

He was walking down the hallway when he heard that damned song again. “Fuck this shit,” he grumbled to himself, storming into the room and slamming the door behind him. This caused you to drop your paint roller onto the plastic covered floor.

Before you could possibly ask him, what was wrong, you found two of his hands on your shoulders, shaking you a little with a tight grip. “Who is it? You gotta tell me Sugar, it’s driving me insane!”

“What are you talking about Angel?”

“This demon you’ve been ravin’ about! You keep singin’ the same damned song ova and ova again and there is no way you’re not hung up on someone.”

You spent a good five minutes trying to convince him there was no demon. You were just singing a song, nothing more to it. Why did it matter to him anyway?

“Stop lyin’ to me, I can see it in yer eyes!”

“Fuck- Fine, it’s you Angel! It’s fucking you, and I wasn’t going to say anything because there is no way you feel the same way.”

The spider’s eyes widened a fraction, hands coming off your shoulders in shock. He did not see that one coming. But he did like you, so what the hell were you talking about.

“The hell you talking about? I’m always flirting with ya babe. We’re always goin out, I’m always staring at your ass, checkin’ you out and shit-“

“You do that to everyone Angel.”

Oh

It took him a moment to put his thoughts together. You had a point there and while he didn’t want to admit it, he needed to be the one to right this. The longer he took however, the more anxious the both of you became.

“Look, I know I don’t exactly make it easy but- I like ya toots. Like, a lot. I’ve been trying to hook up with you for ages now and not as one of my normal hook ups either. I want ya to stick around. Y’know?”

He wasn’t great at explaining himself, but it was easy enough to get the idea now. He set his hands on your shoulders again while another pair set themselves on your hips. He looked like he wanted to say more, but you weren’t about to put him through the struggle, so you wrapped your arms around him and hugged him close.

“That’s all I wanted to hear Angel.”

[wizardofahz]

Supergirl SG-1

Kara: I had to take the dog to the vet. Alex: You don’t have a dog. Me: Oh yeah, my Supergirl / Stargate SG-1 crossover fic...

Basically most things in both Stargate SG-1 and Supergirl are canon in this crossover, except the DEO replaces the NID in the Stargate universe.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

“Wormhole X-treme is real?” 

As Alex snickers at Winn’s surprise, J’onn thinks to himself that he really should’ve known that Winn had watched that ridiculous show. He doesn’t bother reining Alex in as she begins to tease Winn. His next words will turn the tables anyway.

“Alex, General Carter will be arriving within the hour. I’d like you to be her liaison.”

As expected, Alex splutters. “I--” She points at herself as words seemed to fail her. “I’m meeting General Ca--” She swallows and tries again. “General Carter as in General Samantha Carter of Stargate Command, one of the founding members of SG-1?” 

“Unless you’re too nervous”, Kara teases, clearly relishing the opportunity to get back at her sister for teasing her for her pre-meeting President Marsdin jitters.

“What? No! Me? Nervous?” Alex protests in a futile attempt to play it cool before letting her genuine feelings come to the fore. “Yes, yes, I’m nervous. She’s so badass and so smart. She blew up a sun. How many people can say they’ve blown up a sun? I’ve never blown up a sun. Even Supergirl hasn’t blown up a sun. She’s so cool,” Alex concludes almost dreamily.

J’onn holds back a sigh--H'ronmeer help him if Alex also asks if she should get a blow out--and says, “I trust you will handle this with appropriate poise?”

“What? Pssh,” Alex says with a nervous laugh. “I got this.”

When General Carter and her group arrive, it takes Alex some time to “get this”.

Watching her around General Carter is truly something, and J’onn has to step in before Alex can give her slack-jawed, starstruck introduction of, “Hi, General Danvers, I’m Agent Carter.”

Luckily, Alex’s hero worship takes a backseat when the science discussion comes around, and J’onn can leave her to it.

… 

“While Agent Danvers fills Sam--” Cassandra Fraiser stops to correct herself. “--General Carter in on the scientific side of things, I’d like to talk to you about the more human side--” Fraiser stops again with a wry smile. “--wrong terminology, about the more personal side of things.”

Cassandra Fraiser is one of the civilians working with Stargate Command. She doesn’t look that much older than Kara, and apparently her specific role is helping settle displaced aliens on other habitable planets.

The case that she’s currently handling is somewhat similar to Kara’s. A race of aliens from a red sun orbiting planet are facing a crisis and need relocation. Preliminary tests have shown that if they move to a yellow sun orbiting planet, which they’re likely to, they may begin exhibiting lower levels of powers similar to Supergirl’s. 

Hence coming to Supergirl and the DEO for help.

“I appreciate that you’re coming to me for help with adjusting to new powers,” Kara says, “but your priority should be helping them face the trauma of losing their planet.”

“That part I’ve got,” Fraiser answers easily. “It’s the new superpowers part that I’d like to understand better if we’re going to help them deal with it.”

Kara leans forward. “No, you don’t understand. Losing their world is, it’s beyond devastating.”

The wry smile returns to Fraiser’s face. “And I’m saying this as a fellow alien who is the last of my people, that part I understand.”

Kara observes Fraiser more carefully now and asks, “You’re an alien?”

Fraiser nods. “I’m from a planet called Hanka. My people were slaughtered by one of the Goa’uld System Lords. I was twelve when Sam and her team brought me to Earth.” 

“I’m sorry,” Kara says, and she means it. No one looking at her would assume she is an alien, much less one shouldering such an emotional weight. Now she’s gone and assumed the same of Fraiser.

“I’m sorry about your planet too,” Fraiser offers. Then she bows her head as if embarrassed. “I actually have you to thank for me being here. I saw you on the news, and I-- I struggled a lot to adjust on this planet. It felt like death kept following me, so I kept running. Seeing you out there, knowing how much you’ve been through and how much you’re still willing to give, it inspired me.”

“I’m glad you seem to have found your calling. I’m sure you’re great at it,” Kara says, truly glad to have found another kindred spirit. 

This time Fraiser blushes. “Not sure about that. This is actually my first case.”

“Oh, well, I’m sure you will be great at it then,” Kara says confidently. Then she switches gears, which Fraiser seems grateful for, “So based on what you said earlier, I guess you didn’t have to deal with new superpowers when you got here?”

“Not unless you count growing a bomb in my chest,” Fraiser responds casually. At Kara’s aghast look, she adds, “Long story and thankfully not a recurring thing.” Then she remembers, “Actually, when I was a teenager I developed magnetic powers, but they almost killed me, and that’s also a long story. At this point, all I’ve got is that I can sense Naquadah and theoretically use Goa’uld devices.”

Kara finds herself wanting to hear all the stories but tells herself that now isn’t the time. Instead she says, “We never encountered the Goa’uld on Krypton.”

“They never really expanded that far outside the Milky Way galaxy. Nasty snakes. Good riddance.” Fraiser shudders. After a moment of quiet reminiscence, she suddenly perks up. “Oh, good thing about coming to Earth though: getting a dog.”

That also causes Kara to perk up. “You got a dog?”

“It’s an Earth rule. Every kid has to have a dog.”

“What?!”

… 

“These are the sun grenades that I mentioned,” Alex says as she holds one out to General Carter for closer inspection. 

Now that she’s calmed down, interacting with General Carter isn’t that intimidating, and as long as she concentrates on science, her mind doesn’t get the chance to freak out.

“These are fascinating,” General Carter says, and Alex smiles at the compliment.

“I figured that we can bring some to their home planet,” Alex says, referring to the aliens in need of relocation. “We can set one off in a controlled setting and see how they react.”

Before General Carter can respond, Kara storms into the room, Cassandra Fraiser close behind. 

“Why didn’t I get a dog?” Kara demands.

As Alex turns around, it takes her brain a while to register what Kara said. “What?”

“When I came to Earth, why didn’t I get a dog?” Kara repeats. “It’s an Earth rule. Every kid has to have a dog.”

“What?” Now Alex feels even more confused. “That’s not a thing.”

She seems to be the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on because General Carter and Cassandra Fraiser are both smiling knowingly. 

“It’s not an Earth thing. It’s a General O’Neill thing,” General Carter explains.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t really clarify things for Alex, but it does a semi-decent job of placating Kara. Despite the pout, she settles against one of the lab benches. “Well it should be an Earth thing.” 

“Even I didn’t get a dog,” Alex points out. “Besides, you had Streaky.”

Kara crosses her arms. “Doesn’t mean I couldn’t have had a dog too.”

… 

“Do you want me to come along?” General Carter asks Cassandra Fraiser in the gateroom as she double checks the younger woman’s gear. “I can ask Walter to clear my meetings.”

Alex perks up at that, almost salivating at the prospect of seeing General Carter in action. She and Kara will be the only DEO members joining the Stargate Command contingent, but J’onn has come to see them off.

“No,” Fraiser responds immediately, and Alex deflates. “Stop worrying. And I thought Jack was bad.”

“Yes, well, speaking of,” General Carter says with an amused smile. "Please don’t use any of his diplomacy techniques.”

Fraiser rolls her eyes. “Oh, sure, I’ll just stick with Daniel’s. He only dies every few years.”

J’onn holds back a snort. He’s seen the file of one Dr. Daniel Jackson, and that is not a hyperbole. 

“Not helping,” General Carter says.

“You brought Teal’c out of retirement to go with me. I’ll be fine.”

As if on cue, a large black man--no, another alien, J’onn corrects himself, a Jaffa--enters the gateroom. “I give you my word that no harm will come to Cassandra Fraiser.”

“I have no doubt,” General Carter says as she hugs Teal’c.

“J’onn J’onzz,” J’onn introduces himself to Teal’c. “I hear you’re a PI now,” 

“Indeed,” Teal’c says, tilting his head as they shake hands.

“If you have time after the mission, I’d love to hear more about it,” J’onn says. He’s brought the DEO a long way, but he’s been weighing his options for some time now.

“It would be my pleasure.”

As the team walks up the ramp, General Carter and J’onn say at the same time,  “Be careful.”

Alex, Kara, and Fraiser all exchange exasperated looks. 

“We will.”

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 63

Happy Tuesday, and Happy November Everyone!

This week I hit 467 followers, so thank you to everyone who is following this story (except the porn bots, y’all can go porn yourselves).

A special shout out to everyone who interacts: sending me messages, commenting, reblogging, and liking the chapters as they post.  Every week, this story goes up at 2pm Eastern Time, and by 2:30pm I always have 15-20 notes.  You are the ones who keep me going when I start to struggle or get discouraged.

When Antoine eventually woke up and stood to stretch – I scowled at the freedom I was explicitly not given – Grey staggered over to the still-warm berth and collapsed into a heap of rambling nonsense.  Antoine eyebrows shot up in curiosity as he tried to pat his hair down, glancing at me and my sister for answers.

We both shrugged, with Tyche clarifying “We were talking about food, then Grey shot off after a comment about a cast iron stomach and hasn’t said a single logical thing since then.”

With a Gallic shrug, he replied “It is what it is. Why were you talking about metal stomachs?”

“Phaal curry from Soph’s kitchen, balut, and other weird foods my sister has tried.”

“Ah. That would do it.” He tossed his version of a cheeky grin at me before leaning toward my sister.

Before his face could get anywhere in her vicinity, she shoved him playfully. “You stink. Go take a shower.”  Without pressing the matter, he winked – actually winked – and sauntered toward the door, more relaxed than I had ever seen him.

All I could do was blink at the display. “Is he always like this when he wakes up?”

She nodded, unperturbed. “He doesn’t have his professional face on yet.”

Huh. “I had no idea.”

A sudden silence fell on the room, the lack of snoring indicating that the other two occupants of the room were awake. “This is not what I imagined a grown-up sleepover to turn out like,” Maverick groaned while scowling at the tube in his arm. “There was a lot less blood, for one thing.  And more pizza.  Definitely more pizza.”

I smiled fondly at him and glanced on his other side, where Conor was doing his best impression of a grizzly bear just woken involuntarily from hibernation: stretch, grunt, scratch beard, stomp, kiss Maverick, stomp, grunt, kiss me, stomp to find hot water.  It was a routine thing, and actually calming in the present circumstances.

Tyche, however, stared after him with an expression like a cat who just had water flicked in her face. “Wow. Grouchy much?”

“Not a morning person,” Maverick yawned.  It only then occurred to me that this was the first time either had seen the other’s partner/partners first thing in the morning.

“But the stomping? That’s unnecessary.”

“Tyche, he is over two-hundred pounds. He’s going to stomp by default when he isn’t being careful. Maverick stomps, too. That’s why he didn’t get up.”

“And the blood,” he pointed out, scowling down again.

“Okay, yeah, and the blood. Don’t feel bad, love. Me, too. Constantly….”  It was true, too.  Noah had given up on removing the equipment from my arms and just transfused me as needed.  Hence why I wasn’t allowed to get up and stretch.

I wasn’t even going to think about how they were keeping me from needing to use to bathroom.  It was apparently need to know, and I Did. Not. Need. To. Know. Thank. You.

Tyche, the only one who could get up and walk around at will, checked over the most recent scans. “Well, the good news is that it looks like you’ve stabilized, Soph. Maverick, you’ll be out of the danger zone for a bit after that round, and we can talk to Miys about taking the needles out. Conor and Antoine are going to need to be hooked up today, though.”

“What about you?”

“I’m still okay for the time being, if I’m reading this right.” She tipped her head up toward the ceiling, a habit that exactly none of us had ever gotten out of. “Miys, can you confirm the results I’m seeing, make sure I read them correctly?”

“You are correct, Tyche. And as I am sure Wisdom will ask the same question she has asked every Terran hour she has been conscious, Derek, Zach, and Sam are doing well, as are Charly, Coffey, Sebastian, and everyone else. Nixe has deteriorated no further.”

I sighed. It was the best I could have hoped for, realistically.

“What exactly happened to the mermaid?” Maverick asked.  He had been fascinated with her ever since I bet Alistair swimming lessons with her. “Why is she in worse shape than everyone else?”

Considering almost the whole ship was being transfused with whole blood as fast as Miys could produce it, it wasn’t a huge margin. “She actually isn’t in bad shape as a direct result of whatever ‘Else’ is doing to us. But it did make her weaker than usual, and she was in the middle of a diving session when her nanotech failed…”

When I suddenly paled and went silent, Maverick reached out with his good hand and shook me, but I blocked it out.  I felt like I had been struck by a bolt of lightning and set on fire at the same time.  Her nanotech tail failed.

”Cast-iron stomach and the tail failed,too.” I announced, whipping my head toward my sister.

She looked horrified. “Oh gods, now you’re barmy, too.”

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed her forearm. “No, Tyche. We said I have a ‘cast-iron’ stomach. That’s what set Grey off, not the illness. Whatever bacteria or virus or whatever is making us sick is taking up all the nutritive iron in our bodies, right?”  The door hissed as Antoine walked in, drying his hair, followed by Noah. “And they said nutritive iron does have actual elemental iron in the molecules, or whatever. And the tail failed, too. They weren’t talking out of their head – Grey meant Nixe’s nanotech tail!”

Antoine stopped dead in his tracks, towel forgotten. “Sophia, what are you talking about?”  I repeated everything I had just told Tyche and Maverick. “What else did Grey say before I woke up?”

“Something about segregating them for no reason, pyronasal RNA, evil instead of dexterous, bacteria is bacteria?”

“Pyranosyl,” he corrected absentminded, eyes focusing on something the rest of us couldn’t see. “Sinister instead of dexter, so our bodies would not see it as a pathogen. No immune response.”

Tyche threw her hands up in exasperation. “Great. Crazy is contagious. It’s killing us, of course it’s sinister.”

“Sinister instead of dexter,” I told her emphatically, nodding my head for emphasis.

Her eyes widened. “Left instead of right?”

“Oh! I know this one!” Maverick sat up, giddy despite the situation. “RNA is single-helix instead of double-helix like DNA, right?” Miys ‘nodded’ with one liw, so he continued. “I think he’s saying that DNA and RNA usually have a right-handed twist, but this stuff has RNA with a left-handed twist?” Another ‘nod’. He grinned with excitement before his face fell practically off his skull. “That’s why we’re malnourished instead of sick,” he whispered. “Our bodies aren’t even trying to fight it off, are they?”

Okay, fuck it. Despite Tyche’s attempts to stop me, I unhooked the transfusion equipment, dotting the floor with red as I made my way over to Maverick’s berth to hold him. “Are we going to die?” he asked in the smallest voice imaginable.

“Not if we can help it,” I promised. “We’re tough stuff, remember? The end of the world didn’t kill us. We’ll figure this out. Right?” I turned toward Antoine hopefully.

His eyes widened slightly, but he nodded. “I believe that Grey started to make a connection with something. You said they said we should not segregate the two, correct?” I nodded tentatively. “What are we thinking of as separate from this situation?”

“Nutritive iron and elemental iron?” I asked hopefully.

Tyche jumped out of her seat just as Conor entered.  He startled, sloshing coffee on his shirt and groaning. Ignoring him, she started snapping her fingers. “Else is absorbing all the iron from our bodies, so we sorta know what that part means. The elemental iron must mean the diving platforms.”

Crash! We all turned toward Conor, who stood gaping at us, coffee cup shattered at his feet. “That is what’s in our bodies?”

“Conor – “

“No, Sophie. You didn’t see what it did to those platforms. Four tons of metal, reduced to twisted and flaking wrecks.  We would be falling apart like lepers if that was in us.”

I felt Maverick shake his head just as I saw Antoine to the same thing. “There is not enough iron in a human body to cause that level of catastrophic failure – “

“Oh yeah? Tell that to the fucking mermaid on life support!”

In an instant, Tyche interposed herself between her partner and mine. One hand struck Conor’s chest flatly, the other pointing a finger like it was loaded. “She almost drowned. Yes, it was because she was weak and the iron in her tail caused it to fail and give her even more dead weight.  But if she had passed out on land, she would be fine.  Right now, your boyfriend is scared to death, your girlfriend – my sister – is bleeding everywhere trying to comfort him instead of taking care of herself, and Antoine is trying to figure this out even though he is not a doctor.  So, stop. Fucking. Yelling.”  With a huff, she shoved both hands through her hair.  “Everyone, calm down for five damn minutes.” With a glance at the ceiling, she pitched her voice slightly. “Miys, can you test everyone in this room for any bacteria matching those found in BioLab 2 recently?”

“Councilor Hodenson already requested this test run, to be given the results when they wake.”

“Give them to me now, please?” she asked tiredly, at the limits of her manners and pushing further.

“All scans requested show the bacteria to be present.”

Oh. Fuck.

But my sister was on a roll. “Okay, so we already knew we were all suffering from the same thing.  Good news? It’s not cancer, it’s not radiation sickness, or some other thing that will definitely kill us, right?”

“Cancer would not kill you,” Miys pointed out, falling on deaf ears.

“But this isn’t a Terran bacteria,” Conor ground out from where he was crouched on the floor picking up what was left of his coffee mug. “How are we supposed to get rid of it if we can’t even fight it off?”

A quiet, exhausted voice drifted from the collapsed heap of person in the farthest berth. “Maybe we can just ask nicely.”

For what felt like an eternity, all we could hear were the air scrubbers as we all gaped at the half-conscious Grey.

“You have to be kidding.” Heads snapped toward me, and only then did I realize I was the one who spoke. Swallowing nervously, I soldiered on. “You want us to cure a plague by asking nicely?”

A pale hand popped up from the berth, gesturing dismissively. I didn’t even know Grey knew that gesture. “You talk to it, it talks to you. So, talk. Ask. You people for a living. Go people.”

“When did they learn Reid-ish?” Conor whispered in horror.

Antoine, equally appalled, turned wide eyes toward his not-quite attacker. “I have no idea, mon ami. I have no idea.”

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