#jacks piece lives in my mind rent free
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They are avoiding the rain, poor guys!
this art is HEAVLY inspired by Jack T Cole's incredible "Through The Forest" so please go check it out!
#my art#miles tails prower#sonic the hedgehog#miles prower#tails the fox#sonic#sth#tails#ask to tag#jack t cole#jacks piece lives in my mind rent free#i have it as my desktop background even#its too gorgeous
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Wish review cause I've got stuff to say
Do not read if you have not seen the movie and don't want spoilers. Also you don't have to read if you uncared about my opinion I just have words to say about this movie but I am not saying anyone has to have the same opinions as me.
So first point. Storyline.
I felt it was to...rushed like everything happened so fast from Asha finding out the truth to her wishing on star, revolting and then the ending. It felt very rushed and it was hard to feel any stakes or tension, didn't even get a real feel for the characters. Like Enchanto gave us the slow stake of the house and the magic slowly fading and breaking. Same with coco and him finding his relative that will wish him home while letting him play music.
Even little mermaid did a better job of storyline of Showing Ariel and her interests, her meeting Eric, saving Erica, meeting Ursula and then the whole three days to make Eric fall for her.
A rushed storyline brings me to the second point. Characters. Now I liked Asha but I didn't really get to KNOW her. All I know of ashamed is she's caring, can draw and has alot of faith in people and their wishes. Which is wonderful...but that's all I got from her. With Miguel we know he's mischief, loves to play music, fast runner, overly friendly and stubborn. With rapunzel we learned she was innocent, naive, artistic, a jack of all trades, curious and anxious.
Asha kind of felt like snow white or Aurora, there just wasn't much to her.
I also felt magnifico revealed his true colours really quickly to a girl he didn't know very well and didn't trust. I mean she wasn't even his apprentice yet and he outright told her that not all the wishes got granted and majority of them float around. Like...why? Why did he tell her that when she didn't even work for him yet or show any reason for him to trust her with this information. Hell the whole movie wouldn't have happened if he HADNT said anything
Speaking of Magnifico, I didn't mind him as a villain. He reminded me of Ernesto from coco and maleficent. And I understood what he represented, at least in my eyes this movie showed alot of toxic relationship and toxic manipulation method and techniques. Such as magnifico telling and expecting the people to just listen and follow him blindly just because he does his duty as their king
'I let you live here for free and don't charge rent, I clean up your messes, I give and give and give and all I ask for is respect' sounds alot like how toxic parents manipulate their young children as well as toxic spouses.
Ashas friends were also not very flushed out as characters, I barely remember their names except for dahlia. The other friends I only remember from their main trait, guy who sneezes, the quiet girl, the chill out guy, the short angry one, sad Simon and one more girl I don't remember. The friends only showed up for short times and we just didn't learn much about them
And one more thing, the MUSIC. Like...Disney.. come on. I found none of those songs or music pieces as catching my attention. This is a company that gave us hellfire, part of your world, let it go, every song of coco, we don't talk about Bruno, we are the three caballeros, kiss the girl, be a man, son of man, two worlds!
Also, the ENDING! I took two morals from this movie. How to spot toxic relationships and when to leave (this from the people and especially the queen who once she realises he is no longer the man she loves and he won't change and is hurting people. Stands up to him even though she LOVES him) and the second being 'don't rely on others to make your dreams and wishes come true' wonderful! Yes accept help to make your dreams come true but don't rely on others or give up.
But then...THEY GIVE ASHA A WAND?!! so that SHE can grant wishes?!! WHAT DID WE JUST LEARN!!?! yes I know asha would do a fairer and better job but...but COME ON!!
But now the GOOD POINTS
I liked the animation at first it was odd but that's because I'm not used to the style. But it was still lovely and the effects with the magic especially the wishes and the forbidden magic was fantastic.
The concept. The idea of someone realising that their beloved King is actually misusing and betraying them is a very nice idea and I love the idea of showing kids how to spot this kind of manipulation from adults they are supposed to trust.
I also loved the concepts of Wishes. Of the people feeling joy and wonder and love when they got their wishes back into their hearts and them feeling a horrible feeling when the wishes were crushed.
All in all. I feel the movie was rushed, and they should have waited longer and put more time into it rather then rush it out for the 100 years of Disney.
But that's just my view, would love to hear yours ^.^ (but no hate on anyones views or ideas)
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Anyway, let me throw out some more things I liked about this chapter of Glass. I did 1 already so
2. Wilbur getting the tattoo, in general everything about it. But also the way it’s balanced against the present to make us wonder if he actually got it, and if so, where? Also, the constant fear of where or not it would get found.
3. Wilbur’s ‘escape’ is very well thought out and set up. Jumping out of a car is something they can do and have video evidence off without putting anyone in danger and it’s just plausible enough to work.
4. SCHLATT 10/10 I hate his ass. I hope Wilbur gets to give him a piece of his mind before they kill him off. “My Pythia” can I hit him? Can I please? There was no need to come for our throats like this. Not to mention him being generally more concerned about how to find the Deathlings than happy that his Pythia is back. Like he clearly does not give a shit (because he never listened anyway). But now he does realise the Deathlings are a threat (unlike at the ball) and he wants them gone.
5. That one priest(ess?) the tension of Wilbur needing to get to his room as fast as possible + not wanting to get checked out because then the tattoo will be found. The dehuminasation. What the hell! “I shall pray for the Vessel” you did not have to slap me in the face like that. I literally sat there staring at my screen for a full 30 seconds. What the fuck.
6. I love Wilbur immediately going to find the most normal, comfortable clothes he can find. He’s been introduced to nice sweaters and he’s never letting go. More importantly: he leaves the blindfold he had and cashes in on a bunch of other blindfolds. I’m sure there’s a methaphore in there somewhere. He leaves the blindfold that gave him and Tommy away, the one he took of to curse Tommy. The one that’s been with him all this time. And he grabs a bunch of new ones. He’s starting over. But more importantly. He’s going to stay with the Deathlings, that’s his plan. He’s still scared of the curse. Still believes in it. But he’s taking those blindfolds with him and leaving every other part of the Pythia behind.
7. Again we’ll thought out plan. Hide stuff in the shoes. It’s believable. And one is to let Tubbo hack in. The other is to help cause a distraction. And of course Tommy comes straight for Wilbur. Of course he comes and gets him himself. That’s literally his only priority. Get Wilbur back safely. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Wholesome Uber conversation and calling each other brothers is setting us up for heartbreak. Those boys are getting traumatised.
Speaking of which 8. The brother’s conversation in the flashback. I almost forgot about that one (I’m doing this all from the top of my head, so you can tell how much my writing lives in there rent free). They did actually claim each other as brothers. Oh I’m gonna have to reread that scene now.
And then there’s 9. The tattoo, Tommy’s one in this case. Which is more consequences kinda. Or lack thereof. Is a physical remind that Wilbur tried to kill Tommy. It shows how far they’ve grown. It’s permanent and can never be undone. It’s forgiving things that shouldn’t be forgiven because that’s how Tommy is (which now that I think about it, is also why he doesn’t get that Jack’s still mad at him, because Too y would probably have forgiven him if it was the other way around even though he shouldn’t).
That concludes my ramble. I kinda hope we get a Wilbur-Schlatt conversation. Wilbur screaming that his name is Wilbur at someone. And if Eret betrays them because they don’t want to let go of the advantage of having a Pythia (looking at [redacted] with the steel chair) I will scream. Same with Niki or Jack trying to kill Tommy as revenge. I will scream. I will stop reading to come scream at you Bee. I swear I will. Anyway, have fun laughing at me when you read this, I’ll go try and be productive now.
-🌲
yesss that was one of the reasons I really wanted to do the past/present flipping because I wanted to open up the question in the readers minds of 'did he actually get the tattoo?' so we can get that buildup to the moment when it happens for real
lol thank you ngl I knew the deathlings were going to fake an escape with wilbur but I didn't actually decide what that fake escape was going to be until i literally wrote that chapter and I was like yeah ok this makes sense
I have so much fun writing glass!schlatt he's such a bastard. the "my pythia" line was soooo bone chilling
the priest (I decided all acolytes of clara are just called priests regardless of gender, idk why) interaction was one i barely had planned and I really love how it turned out. she genuinely means well but she's so embedded in the pythian institution that she doesn't really how fucked up what she's saying is. and up until recently, wilbur didn't realize that either. now that he's grown to understand how fucked all that stuff is it hurts so much worse to hear things like that.
wilbur never even liked the super fancy clothes to begin with but now that he's been introduced to comfy sweaters and jeans and sweatpants he never wants to go back. and yeah for one thing I wanted him to finally replace that old worn out blindfold he's been wearing for months on end, but also him grabbing several does show his intent. he's not planning on coming back to the palace. he wants to stay with the deathlings and has already made that choice. he leaves behind the more opulent blindfold. the one that he was wearing at the ball, dressed up with all the frills and glamour of the pythian institution, and replaces it with a simpler one. it's still not exactly reflective of who he is, but it's closer.
very glad the whole hiding stuff in his shoes bit was believable i was trying sooo hard to make the whole thing feel like a realistic plan that could work and wasn't just a "don't think about it too hard" kind of thing.
of course tommy was going to be the one to get him. who else would it be? it's always been tommy. he's the one who got wilbur out of the palace the first time, and he's going to get him out of the palace again. so glad you enjoyed the uber conversation :) definitely nothing bad will happen from here :))
they claimed each other as brothers finally!! wilbur finally has family for the first time in his whole life <3
yuppp I knew from the start tommy was going to get a tattoo of wilbur's murder attempt. even though it's been forgiven, even though it shouldn't have been forgiven so easily, it can't be forgotten. it's there forever inked on tommy's skin. a reminder of who wilbur used to be. a reminder of what his desperate devotion to clara drove him to.
:) I think you're going to like the next chapter spruce
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2) What is your favorite fic of yours?
3) What fic of yours do you think is underrated?
6) Do you outline your fics? If so, how?
8) Do you take inspiration from real life? If so how do you incorporate it into your fics?
Oh hey anon!
2) So, while I don't really have any comfort fics, but one series that lives rent free in my head is Caged Robins by independent_variables. Here's the description:
Caged Robins don't sing, they beat their wings against the bars.
Or:
Jack Drake meets Robin.
And another favorite of mine is 16 November 1581 by DairyFarmer. If you like Good Dad Bruce fics and you like hurt/comfort, this is for you. It's just, a stellar fic all in all. Tw for child abuse, though. Description:
Bruce blacked out. He wasn’t sure what happened after those words left Jack’s mouth. All he knew was that the next thing he remembered was being pulled off of Jack Drake by several police officers.
----
Tim goes missing and there were times that Bruce wished he wasn’t such a good detective.
There's a lot more fics from a few different fandoms I could rec if people were interested, but these are ones I've remembered and read Recently. shoutouts to
the ENTIRE Where's My Goddamned Dinosaur series by njw (18+ yall)
Loading and Aspect Ratio by JUBE514
M&M by Impravidus
The Entirety of Liminal Spaces by Calamityjim
Worlds Finest Three by SuperRobinSmash (18+ yall)
Whatever Happened To Tim Drake? By TinHatFlash (READ THE FUCKING TAGS YALL). I frankly consider the best example of an honest to god Greek tragedy that I've ever seen in modern writing (and I WENT TO SCHOOL FOR THAT SHIT) because every "mistake" the characters make is an action that have no choice but to make because they are who they are and they're trying to do the next best thing in a horrible situation and it is an ever-evolving downward spiral. Seriously, I cannot sing enough praise for this fic.
Additional shoutouts to Heartslogos, Petra, and Teland, who's fics dragged me, joyfully, into this fandom, what with my then-limited-to-Teen-Titans-Cartoon knowledge of dc comics, and honestly so many others who's names I recognize, but can't pull from yhe top of my head right now.
Ok ok,
3) so, the first thing is I actually have irl friends who follow this account, so on the off chance they see this, I'm not gonna talk about my own works, *but*, I do think that one of my short-story/longfics is over-rated. It's got 2 chapters, is unfinished, hasn't updated in years, is full of mistakes and stilted sentences, is frankly a longfic i didnt commit to and need to seriously rework before i continue, and it has as many kudos as all my other works. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for all of them, and I'm really happy that the story made so many people happy! I just think it's definitely one of my rougher pieces, and hopefully now that my schedule is even-ing out i can finally dedicate some time to working on that.
6) yes and no, sometimes I get an idea and inspiration for a short fic and am writing whatever comes to mind in a matter of minutes, and finish it in a caffein induced haze within the week. Sometimes I write a full NotFic (a beat sheet, if you will) and never write a full story. Sometimes I write a notfic, edit it a couple of times, then write a fic. Sometimes I copy/paste the thing into a new doc and just restructure the sentences into the right perspectives, paragraphs, and descriptions, and Bam! Story. And sometimes I do an actual point by point outline of "these are the beats I want to hit, the how doesn't matter, just figure out the details as you go and Get To This Place, and that's the kind of thing that usually leads to my fics that deal more with emotional trauma than anything else, I want the characters to feel a certain way then interact with each other, and I ask myself how I can bring them to that point. The story usually builds itself after that.
8) Oh yeah, all the time. I started writing by writing poetry to express myself, and the media I consumed was, generally, along the same vein. As a kid I liked pieces that were both escapism, and something that tackled my day-to-day problems. So give me magic and dragons, but give me academic pressure and strained interpersonal relationships, too. To this day, that is still my taste in media. I use fiction-writing as a way to vent my own thoughts, emotions, and traumas. I'm always inspired by the world around me, in that sometimes i see a pretty dress and have to think "do I want to wear this dress, or do I want to see a pretty girl in this dress?" And then write both. Sometimes I go "man, that was fucked, Imagine if I made a fictional character go through that too?" And then make the character go through something infinitely worse, yet still come out on top. In that sometimes I find that I'm writing a lot of a trope I enjoy, and then I start examining what about the trope i like, and nine times out off ten some other long-forgotten trauma comes flying out of the woodwork. When I'm writing, I'm doing it to tell a story, yes, but also to examine some aspect of people. Their inner thoughts, the way we interact with each other, our wants and needs, how we treat each other in a society l, and why some normal human things are taboo when the same society allows atrocities. I don't necessarily think stories need to so much have a progression as they need to simply convey something to the reader, much like poetry, and I think that really impacts my writing.
Anyway, sorry that was so long! I have a lot of feelings about fanfic 😂 thanks for the ask nonny!!!
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Well guys The Spawn has officially turned shit up to 11 & has apparently lost her damn mind. Brace yourself because however bad you think this is going to be, dear readers, it is so very much worse.
My dad grabbed me after work yesterday so I could pick up more of my stuff from his place. My friend who lives next-door to him came over to hang & have her twin sons grab 2 pieces of furniture that I was giving her. We were in the living room talking about L's kids when I hear The Spawn in the dining room say to her bf, "I hear her talking fucking shit in there."
I popped around the corner so I could see her & said, "Actually I'm talking about the people I live with because despite your personal beliefs not everything is about you."
She pulled the sarcastic "yeah ok whatever." And I said "Ok, let's talk about not touching other people's stuff without asking. I live with a 4 yr old who can grasp that concept, yet when I arrived here today my expensive antique tea cups and drip candles were in jack-o-lanterns outside." She started going off about how I needed to talk to her bf because he did that but that of course I love him so I'm just going to yell at her. I explained that #1 I wasn't yelling & #2 I was speaking to both of them because he was standing right there and they BOTH use my stuff & trash my living room. She started screaming "fuck you" at me over and over, at which point I said "You asked Grandpa why I won't talk to you? Here it is. You are abusive & it was making me physically sick."
She screamed "Oh you wanna see abuse? I'll show you fucking abuse!" & ran over to get an inch from my face. Having been in abusive relationships before, I instinctively put my hands behind my back so no accusations could be made but didn't move or flinch. Then she screamed "Yeah that's what I thought you fucking bitch."
As she walked away, I calmly stated that while I had intended to be kind & leave some of my stuff behind, that was no longer happening since she wants to continue to be entitled and abusive, so they need to prepare because I own pretty much everything downstairs. She LOST IT. She ran over screaming about how she was going to beat my ass & "catch a domestic". She tore off my favorite necklace, tore at my shirt, and when her bf pulled her off me her hands were around my throat while she screamed "I'll fucking kill you, you bitch!" As he pulled her away she was still screaming about me 'abandoning my 18 yr old' at which point I calmly reminded her that I didn't kick her out, she still lives rent free, I can't abandon an adult, and everything that has happened is a direct consequence of her treatment of me.
She then continued to scream that she was going to beat my ass until she was literally pulled out of the house & shoved into her car by her bf.
For my part, I kept my hands behind my back & remained calm. My friend was in shock, as was my dad, because generally if people are around she behaves so that she can maintain the "my mom is an abusive monster" narrative. My friend immediately told me to let her know when I'm bringing a truck to get my stuff & she and her twins will help me & L get it all into boxes and into the truck.
I'm honestly heartbroken. I was able to maintain composure because I've experienced that sort of turn on a dime, accept no responsibility behavior before... from her sperm donor whose rights I had removed the moment she was born. And obviously I'm now deeply worried about my stuff that is still there because she's spiteful and cruel. So I'm trying to figure out how to move everything asap.
I'm so tired and so sad. I came home and just cried for like 2 hrs.
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New Life
I can’t believe I’m saying this...but I actually feel optimistic and hopeful about my life and future. This is the first time in a really long time I’ve felt happy. And not due to anyone else, it’s all completely from myself. I’m so so proud of me. The past 4 years of my life have been so absolutely shit. Give or take a few happy moments. I got into reading again, which I haven’t done in so long. I’m back to my stupid SMUT fantasy porn books. I missed them so much tbh. My mental fog is lifting. My energy is starting to come back. I’m so excited to be around my friends again. I’m excited to go out and meet new people. I think I’m gonna join a kickball league. LOL I had a little rebound fling with a 20 yr old HAHA he was so dumb, but hot so who cares. He keeps sending me videos of him jacking off, I’m just not into it...or him really. I basically have ghosted him because I think he might like me. He keeps trying to suggest taking me out to dinner..like no bro chill out. I am not looking for another serious relationship right now, fuck that shit. I need a god damn break. However, I am excited to start dating again. First dates are always interesting to say the least. Let’s hope this time, I don’t get the ever living hell love bombed out of me again..good riddance. I’ve been taking care of myself more what with personal grooming and healthy lifestyle changes and what not. There are a lot of good looking men at the gym. I love to sneak glances at them. Sweaty men can be so hot, idk why. I finally got my start date for my new job!! Super exciting. I’m gonna start on my birthday though, which kinda sucks, but I now have guaranteed employment which rocks, so idc. My friend Glenn got engaged and just bought a house with her fiance. It’s so nice. I went to her house warming party the other weekend. I’m really happy for them, but it was so weird being social around people again. It was also very weird being around so many married and engaged couples..HAHA I am so not ready for that life yet. I had so much anxiety when I first walked in. Once I recognized familiar faces though, it ended up being fine. It made me realize how unhappy and self-isolating I had been over the last year. I feel like all I did was work, cry, sleep, and throw up LOL. Oh well, I feel like it’s probably been a crappy past few years for most people, especially with COVID and all that. I think I’m gonna be a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding, which is super cool because her fiance is Indian, so it’s like a mix of American and Indian tradition. Pretty sure I’ll get to wear a sari and get henna done for it all. Plus It’s with some of my best friends. It’ll be the first time I’ve ever been a part of a wedding party before, that wasn’t the conventional “little flower girl.” My serving job at Wild Wings has gone to shit. I love my main people over there, but there’s this select group of bitches who love to give each other the “good shifts” and then act retarded all day. They’re so annoying I cannot wait to quit. I think my brother is gonna help me get a job at the Marietta Square though, they have a few breweries down there, so at least I’ll have that too. Mom’s apartment is okay, but I miss having my own space. It’s definitely a tight fit, but I’m more than willing to make it work for the free rent. Worth it to me. I also have decided I’m gonna get another tattoo. I haven’t exactly decided of what yet, but I have a general concept in mind and I know where I want to put it. IDK things are looking up in my life. I’ve realized how many good people I have around me in my life. I have amazing friends who are super supportive and a good family system and they all want to see me succeed. I’m trying to be better about putting my thoughts and desires into a positive light. I’m fed up with all the negativity. I’ve been drowning in it for the last 4 years. I just want to start enjoying my life again and making fun memories. All of the pieces are beginning to fall into place and I’m pleased with it.
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Warren and Sheridan have peak twin energy I mean throwing their phone with telekinesis and like the way Jenny is like they’re a lotTM but like they’re a package deal…as a twin like this is top tier 👌🏻👌🏻 And like I love how Jenny is like the braincell of the group like Warren and Sheridan are like no thoughts head empty but I’m here to have a good time.
Also Sheridan working at Starbucks is *chef kiss*! Another great chapter I can’t wait for the next one :)
obligatory link 2 the fic if u don’t already know but YES Thank You OMG 💕💞💕💞 here’s a fun fact 4 u bashful being name checked as one of the seven sins actually comes directly from my brother Because i had written this scene i had pride sloth gluttony and lust all listed as the first four sins bc those were the ones ft. in Sin Francisco with pride being first first bc that was the one their momma got and my friend who edits this is like okay but like r u considering the character implications of the order in which you say the sins and i was like kinda but it doesn’t really matter that i’m putting prue’s sin first bc pride is the primary sin anyways so and she was like WHat and i was like yeah that is like. the main sin. and my friend was like no that’s subjective that’s insanely subjective and it’s So Funny you think that go talk to ur therapist the point was i was so confident i was right (which is telling but i’m also Still Confident i’m right which is even more telling) that i polled my family like okay what is the Primary Sin (just for funsies my mom & brother both said green and my dad said envy) but i asked my brother he immediately said greed i asked him if he could even name any of the other sins he got greed envy lust pride gluttony and then said bashful. and then backtracked. he got wrath but couldn’t remember sloth. and he’s a hufflepuff if anyone wants to do a psychological breakdown of that but yes. ask ur friends and family if they can list the seven deadly sins. i promise it is a good time.
#yeah i could name six easy it took me like five minutes to come up with envy tho#so that's fun!#but yes there will probably be a new w&s chapter soon bc like.#these boys live rent free in my head#and for both the w&s piece + the dency one i backwrite so i wont publish a new chapter if i haven't started the next#so there's also a dency one coming soon i just gotta proofread & then backwrite a lil#but yes also more w&s Lore about starbucks Specifically i think jack for all his um. faults? dumbassery? bimbory?#i think he really instilled into his kids the concept of a work ethic & like money & jobs & Capitalism#and was very insistent on them both getting jobs and like earning their own money to have#he also did not give them an allowance but as a 16th birthday present he gave them a deal which was:#if they found a car he would pay for 1/2 of it but they would have to buy the rest also pay the insurance#bc like jack owned his own successful online auction in his 20s like you can't tell me that man doesn't like. like y'know. y'know??#newayz sheridan immediately got a job at a starbucks that he has had for like five years now#warren has worked multiple jobs but for the past three years or so he's worked at a boxing gym as like a janitor of sorts#and he's friends with the owner and he like gets a free membership blah blah blah but yeah they are both Employed Boyz#i also picked sbux bc No Idea if this is a common occurrence#but y'all know the specific genre of starbucks barista who you immediately fall in love with and they just live rent free in ur mind?#this might be very niche but i feel like it's not#anyway shout out to those two baristas in manhattan beach#i do not remember what they look like i have no idea what their names are#all i know is i will love them 4ever#wow it really is Oversharing Time on tumblr dot com but whatever i think these r all fun stories 🤪🤙
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Supernatural and the topic of found family — family don’t end in blood… or does it?
I know I’ve talked a great deal about the way the complete erasure of both Cas and Eileen from the two final episodes of SPN made my blood boil, but after careful consideration and a lot of talking with several very clever people (you know who you are), I think what hurt me the most on top of it all is the way Supernatural decided to essentially throw away an entire section of what made the show what it was for the best part of the last decade and a half: the topic of found family, and how they’ve carefully crafted so many important side characters and relationships only to throw them all away for the sake of having one last episode essentially disconnected from the rest of the story.
[Because I’ve talked about in great length over the course of the past week and a half, and although there are undoubtedly more issues with Supernatural’s series finale than just this (ie: the Destiel treatment and the queer erasure, along with the complete erasure of Eileen, the only disabled character this show has ever known), I’m going to concentrate solely on the treatment of found family, and why its erasure from the finale storyline is deeply upsetting on top of being utterly inexplicable. If you want to read an incredible article about this, I’d redirect you to @chill-legilimens article’s, The Trauma of Silence]
When Supernatural started airing in 2005, the show essentially focused on Sam and Dean and their relationship, with a dash of John Winchester and mending the broken pieces between a father and his sons into the mix. The first side character that gets introduced to the audience as some sort of surrogate father to both Winchesters is Bobby (1x22, Devil’s Trap), and he quickly became a fan favorite to the fandom. Interestingly enough, Bobby is also the one who comes up with the “Family don’t end with blood” line (if I’m not mistaken, the first time it’s said on the show is during 3x16, No Rest for the Wicked). Once this line gets said, it quickly became more than just a slogan within the fandom, and it’s often referenced as a motto for the show as well (Dean even uses it during his talk with Crowley in season 10 to explain what family means).
Over the years, so many characters got introduced and became fan favorites (off the top of my head, I can come up with half a dozen already) and have grown within the show, to the point where they’re introduced to the audience as some sort of found family to both Dean and Sam. The boys get invited to Jody Mills’ and her wayward daughter’s house for dinner, spend what can only be qualified as a slumber party watching Game of Thrones with Charlie Bradbury in the bunker, keep running around and bickering with Crowley, spends time in the bunker with Eileen (the margaritas and Sam and Eileen being hungover the morning after in the bunker’s kitchen lives rent-free in my head). Even the Ghostfacers keep popping in almost every season for a decade. The audience gets to learn who these characters are and connect with them on several levels, most of them also becoming fan favorites over time.
But if I had to pick only one side character to make a point, Castiel is undoubtedly the one that comes to mind first.
When Misha Collins came along during season 4, he was only supposed to be in for a couple of episodes and be done with it. But because of his masterful performance (and because the character of Anna, who gets introduced around the same time as Castiel, doesn’t seem to work as well as the writers thought it would), Misha stayed along for the whole ride, and ended his run on Supernatural 12 years and 144 episodes later, with a character that is so beloved by the fandom that it elevated him to the rank of third lead. Castiel is not only an angel of the Lord, he’s also Sam and Dean’s best friend who would do anything to protect them (and, well, has done so, multiple times). He’s grown within the show to the point where the audience directly refers to him as being one of the family, even though he’s not blood, because “Family don’t end with blood” after all.
Another example that is particularly telling over the course of the last couple of seasons is the treatment of Jack’s character, who’s quickly adopted by the boys and referred to as “their kid”, the three of them acting like surrogate dads even though in the end, Jack is Lucifer’s son. Once again, the show makes a point of showing the audience that although Jack is not related to Sam and Dean in any way (I’m guessing since Lucifer is basically Castiel’s brother, he is somewhat related to Cas, but since I don’t have a degree in angel DNA, I can’t 100% be sure), he’s still family, he still matters.
The story basically tells the audience that even though you might not have a blood-related family, that doesn’t prevent you to find people along your life’s journey that becomes intrinsically connected to your story, both on a deeply emotional and practical level. It tells you that you’re not required to have a blood family to be someone’s kid, or sister, or brother. It tells you that blood doesn’t define who you choose to share your life with, and most importantly, it tells you that you’re allowed to choose.
So why on Earth did anyone think that ending Supernatural’s 15-year run with an episode that essentially showcases Sam and Dean and sidelines the wide majority of the family they found along the way (with the exception of OG Bobby showing up in Heaven) was a good idea?
Don’t get me wrong, I love Bobby, I really do… But what was the excuse for not having either Misha back (the literal third lead of the show, who confessed to being in love with Dean, the second lead of the show, two episodes prior), or Alex (Jack being one of the main focus of the past two seasons at least)? I get that Covid made all of this difficult, but you can’t tell me you’ve been able to bring back Mark Pellegrino’s Lucifer for a two minutes and a half cameo in 15x19, but not Misha fucking Collins to end his character’s arc (and Dean’s, who’s arc is deeply wired with Castiel’s) after 12 years.
I’m gonna say it again, because I feel like it’s been used as an excuse for everything ever since the finale aired: Covid cannot be the sole excuse for everything. It cannot account for the absence of literally EVERYONE around the Winchesters.
At that point, I should probably add that although I was incredible baffled by the one-off mention of Cas (well, two, if you count Sam saying he misses him and Dean deflecting during the Pie Fest at the beginning of the episode), what probably set me off the most is the part of Dean’s death speech where he says “when it all came down to it, it was always you and me, it’s always been you and me”.
I’m sorry Dean, you know I love you to pieces, but what the actual fuck was that? What does it even mean? That single line essentially strips away any kind of meaningful contribution of any side characters… Including Castiel “always happy to bleed for the Winchesters”’s, and Jack’s who quite literally saved the whole world ONE EPISODE PRIOR.
Not to mention that the fact we don’t get to see Cas again leave Dean’s entire character’s arc incomplete. What was the point of season 15, which focused so deeply on Dean and Cas’ relationship, if in the end the entire character’s arc gets dropped?
So what’s the message being sent here?
“Found family was a myth, it’s always been sorely about the Winchesters”?
“Ha! Tricked ya!”?
Why did Supernatural, after a decade and a half spent consolidating the contribution of side characters, decided to essentially throw it all away?
Why did Supernatural, after a decade spent crafting meaningful relationships within the show, decided to light it all up on fire and end its run with an episode that basically tells the audience that none of it really mattered, it’s always been sorely about Dean and Sam.
I would’ve been fine with a Sam and Dean episode if Castiel had more than a one-off mention, if they didn’t give Sam a blurry wife, if Dean had the funeral he deserved (with a rock band, whisky, and all the fellow hunters and family he found along the way), if Sam didn’t spend the rest of his life mourning his brother. I would’ve been fine with only getting Jim Beaver on screen (because Covid) if we had been given something more than just Dean driving for his last 5 minutes on screen. It would have been FINE, if Supernatural hadn’t essentially forgotten about what made Supernatural, well, Supernatural.
Long story short, I feel tricked. And I know a lot of you feel tricked too, because this isn’t what we’ve been fed for the past 15 years. Supernatural was a show about finding your way through life and death and horror and trauma, with help from people you found along the way who became linked to your story because you cared for each other. And Supernatural ended by telling us that found family didn’t really matter, that Dean was always going to die on a random hunt, that Sam could never be truly happy without his brother by his side. Talk about a downgrade, uh?
I don’t know why they decided to throw their entire legacy to the wind. Truth be told, I don’t think we’ll ever get to know. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to stay pissed about it. That doesn’t mean I’m going to ever be okay with my favorite show deciding to end its run with a finale episode so deeply disconnected from their 15-year story that it felt utterly shallow.
They said “Family don’t end with blood”… But after all of this, doesn’t it, though?
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BNHA Chapter 327 Spoiler Analysis: Home Sweet Home
OH MY GOD, GUYS!!! DEKU GETS A BATH!!!! 🎉🛁 🧼 My broccoli boy finally gets squeaky clean, gets some sleep, and we finally get some R&R time with the Class 1-A kids. It’s not close to the happy-go-lucky days of old, but it’s some time with the kids nonetheless. I’m glad Horikoshi put some heart and humor in this chapter because god knows we needed it. But, let’s be real, this is the calm before the storm:
The chapter starts off with what everyone and Horikoshi has been wanting for Deku since he went on his mission: A motherfuckin’ bath 🛀 🧼🛁! Kaminiari and Kirishima lead the Class 1-A boys to carry Deku into their side of the UA Alliance bathhouse (looks real nice btw) and give him a good power-wash. The whole sequence is very comical! The boys are rushing in and poor Deku has this O_O face on him like “what is happening?” 😂 We also see some of the boys butt naked 😳 It’s clear that Horikoshi had fun drawing this thing and it was fun to read 💚
Bakugo is with them of course and you can actually see his scars from when Shigaraki stabbed him. He’s not bleeding, but you can see those scar patches on his skin. I’m curious of how fan artist are going to draw him from now on. I would like to see that fan art 👀
There’s also some bubble sfx coving Bakugo’s crotch and a translator said it might say dick or penis. I’m curious what the officials will say.
But, Bakugo being Bakugo is still aggressive towards his classmates. More playfully than before, but still. He reminds everyone that he still intends on being the best there is and that everyone is still his rivals (also friends, Bakugo). HE EVEN MAKES AN ATTEMPT TO CALL DEKU IZUKU! LIKE HE ALMOST SAID “DEKU” BUT HE CHANGED IT TO IZUKU AT THE LAST MINUTE! AND DEKU SAYS THAT CALLING HIM DEKU IS JUST FINE LIKE THAT ANGER THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE NICKNAME ISN’T THERE ANYMORE AND IT’S A FREINDLY NICKNAME BKDK FRIENDSHIP GROWTH YOU LOVE TO SEE IT 🧡💚
After Deku’s bath, he’s sitting in the commons talking to the rest of Class 1-A. Well, most of them. Mina tells Deku that Ochako and a few other students went to bed after everything became ok again. So, I definitely didn’t see Tsuyu, and it looks like Shoji, Aoyama, and Hagakare weren’t in this chapter either. Ochako I understand; her speech must’ve been emotionally taxing. Aoyama and Hagakare are the top suspects for being the traitor in the fandom and this isn’t helping their cases. I don’t know about Tsuyu and Shoji though. They’re both mutant-types, but characters like Ojiro or mutant-like people like Jiro, Mina or Tokoyami didn’t get outcasted. Horikoshi did hint that Shoji would be getting something soon. But, I really am just speculating here.
Now that Deku’s back, everyone has questions for him. Though I understand why, this has gotta be overwhelming for Deku. At least they’re not mad at him for hiding OFA. They seem very understanding actually.
Then my ❄️🔥 boy, Shoto Todoroki, comes in all handsome right out of the baths 💙 He’s drying his right side while you can see a steam cloud on his left. So, it is canon that Shoto drys himself naturally with his heat. His entrance is so pretty that even Mineta’s questioning it (shut up, Mineta, you’ll never be as beautiful as him). And yes, I might be a Shoto simp, don’t judge me I see y’all too 👀
Anyway, Shoto asks everyone to let Deku sleep since that was pretty much the whole reason they brought him back. Problem is, Deku can’t because he really needs to apologize to All Might for abandoning him. AND AFTER HE SAYS THAT THERE’S A DETAILED PANEL OF SHOTO POINTING TO ALL MIGHT LIKE “UH, MIDORIYA? HE’S RIGHT THERE” AND ALL MIGHT LOOKING FROM THE WINDOW LIKE A HORROR VILLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE 😭
All Might comes in and apologizes to Deku for not being able to support him when he needed it, but Deku says that All Might support him more than enough. Mina also scolds All Might for not saying anything when he left. She wants All Might to apologize to everyone for that. Though I’m glad Deku and All Might have reconciled (I honestly thought that last convo between them was going to be THE LAST for a hot minute), Mina has a point. All Might did bail on all of them without any warning. Kinda messed up in general.
All Might apologizes and he is going to fight with everyone regardless of his physical state so that he can see that flame continue to shine. However, he warns the kids that they got info on the villains and that the final decisive battle is coming soon. If the whole “Final Arc” thing hasn’t been hammered into your head, there you go. I’m also glad that Stain’s speech did end up motivating All Might further. Who knew?
So, All Might is off to help Endeavor since he’s got unfinished business to take care of. But, the kids are wondering why Endeavor (and probably Hawks) isn’t entering UA entirely yet. Shot reminds them that Endeavor is still connected to Dabi and that his presence alone would cause more discourse. People’s minds can’t change that easily. Shoto of all people would know.
As Deku FINALLY SLEEPS 💤 and Shoto puts a blanket over him (possibly warmed by his left side 🔥) 💙💚 Shoto acknowledges how his presence might be making people anxious too even though it’s not his fault at all (thank you, Kirishima for doubling down on this btw ❤️🪨). But, things are different and Shoto’s going to show that so that everyone can be at ease like he wants as a hero. There’s even this sweet small smile on his beautiful face as he says this. He’s grown so much and he’s pretty to boot I love him so much *HANDS IN FACE* 💙❄️🔥
EVEN KIRISHIMA’S CRYING FROM HOW MANLY SHOTO IS I LOVE THESE KIDS!!!!
And now Jiro steps up and says her piece. That she knows how hard it is to convince everyone to change their minds for the better. Like with those two critics from the Culture Fest. Even so, they accomplished this before, so she thinks they can do it again. She even gathers all the band members to emphasize on this. I love how Jiro uses her earphone jacks to rally the band and how she literally drags Bakugo by the shirt for a cute group shot. None of these kids are afraid of Bakugo anymore LOL 😂! Also, Momo is the tallest out of all of them in this line up shot (except for Bakugo who’s still being dragged on the ground). I think she’s roughly 5ft 6-7 inches? She’s the tallest of the girls I know that, but damn. She towers all of them. Even me... She’s also very pretty in this shot and it’s her birthday as I’m posting this, so happy b-day Momo ❤️
And we get a beautiful panel of Jiro leading everyone to make sure that they’ll go beyond with making everything better than it was before. We get a nice group shot of the rest of the class agreeing with her with a smile including Shoto with a small one (did I mention that I love him?) 💙💙💙 And Deku’s in the center still sleeping away. I hope he has good dreams *kisses forehead*💚 And go Jiro for stepping up to the plate too 💜! All these kids have grown so much. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Finally, the last pages show Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist going somewhere, maybe Tartarus. They got info out of Dr. Ujiko via polygraph and the Nomu Research Group at Central Hospital. They predict that they have 2 months until Shigaraki’s ready to go again, so they’ll need 1 month of preparation. But, the info Stain gave All Might gave them more info. His letter ended up being a personal letter to All Might (Stain really is that nuts...), but there was a microchip in the blade Stain left containing the security records from Tartarus. It’s not stated how this info affected the mission at hand, but it sounds like it has to do something with the time frame. So, I’m curious if they have less time to prepare or more? Given how this is the Final Arc, Imma say less.
Finally, the teaser asks “How are the villains moving?” I wonder if that means we’re switching to the villain’s next week. I would love to hang out with the kids more, but I would also like to know what our villains are up to. Like, where the hell is Himiko Toga? Is Spinner still questioning shit? What happened to Mr. Compress after he mauled himself to help Shigaraki and the others escape? Also I think we need more info on this dude’s backstory given he’s the grandson of the famous Robin Hood villain who’s name definitely didn’t escape me... 😐 Is Dabi laughing his ass off from the utter chaos he started? Is AFO still smiling like the evil mastermind he is? Is Shigaraki as crispy as he was earlier? I was going to ask about Twice but... 😭
So, yeah! Love this chapter. Really good transition chapter into whatever happens next. I’m kinda sad we didn’t see Deku fight off more past villains during his vigilante days. We got Muscular and Overhaul and I think that’s it? Didn’t see any of Overhaul’s minions or that teeth-blade villain (Fish-something?; he broke out, but we haven’t seen him since) or Re-Destro or his goons. I don’t count as Gentle or LaBrava as villains anymore and they were never truly evil to begin with. Regardless, it was a really cool arc to see a more dark side of Deku. I’m really glad Horikoshi made great use of his bunny hood and metal mask finally. Deku really did look demonic for some time. Also, seeing Deku badass is always a plus. And seeing the deconstruction of hero society and the possible reconstruction of it was really good too. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows, unfortunately, but we can do our best to make it that way.
I’m also glad that we finally got our kids back in top form. Not just being heroes, but being teenagers too. They all had great moments especially Iida, Ochako, and now Shoto as they should. But, Bakugo’s apology was peak for me. Over 320 chapters of development and build-up lead to that moment and it really is one of the best in the series. It lives in my head rent free.
So, we got 1-2 months in-manga-time until what is probably the final battle of the series. God, I can’t believe we’re actually nearing the end of this series. I started reading it back in 2018 when shit was rough for me. I found this series after listening to the music and reading the hype around it. I watched the show then I read the manga and it really helped me. Saved me from a dark place actually. I will miss this series when it’s done and I will be greatly for the joy Horikoshi has gifted us. I’ll try to save the farewells for later. I’d say this series has at least 1-1 1/2 years to go.
Me @ the kids and All Might:
#my hero academia spoilers#boku no hero academia spoilers#mha spoilers#bnha spoilers#mha 327#bnha 327#Izuku Midoriya#Deku#Shoto Todoroki#Shouto Todoroki#Shoto#Shouto#Kiyoka Jiro#Earphone Jack#Mina Ashido#Pinky#All Might#Toshinori Yagi#Ejiro Kirishima#Red Riot#Deku is squeaky clean now#thank the gods#he's finally sleeping too#i love these kids#I'm also tired tho#imma sleep now
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This post from @crookedcryptid suggesting Dean and Castiel were canonically together from Dean's prayer confession on put a big stupid grin on my face, and then I went off and analyzed every episode that came afterward. So here you go?
Castiel’s in about every other episode from that point. And they are actually separated in the majority of the majority of the episodes, but the way they interact is just loving.
Episode by episode analysis under the cut.
At The Trap, Dean confesses to Castiel in his prayer how he really feels (but not like that at least not in Chuck's censured version that we see) while Eileen and Sam split up bc of Chuck. It's late revealed that Chuck sent Sam Eileen and Sent Cas & Dean to Purgatory so they'd lose hope. (Cas must have defied Chuck's plan yet again by stopping Dean from voicing his feelings bc that's the only explanation I have to make this make any sense. (x) )
After Dean's confession, the next episode immediately separates Cas & Dean but Dean pines after the domestic life like Garth has with his family, an alternative lifestyle Dean once saw as unacceptably evil. (x)
But then next episode Castiel goes and finds Jack and brings him home. Brings him home to Dean who does this. (See gif above that lives rent free in my mind /\)
He holds Jack’s face just like he did Ben’s. He looks into Jack’s eyes, one then the other, as if to verify that it’s really him. Then he looks from Jack to Castiel.
This dad moment. This neck hold and look to Castiel that simultaneously says, “you brought my son home to me” but also screams in Jensen’s headcanon that Dean used to look at Jack and see Lucifer but now he looks at him and sees Cas.
(Tho that shouldn’t be hard since they clearly cast their combined biological child.)
I’m obsessed with it. It haunt my dreams and inhabits my waking brain.
The fact that this is not before ‘The Trap’ but after is so important. They didn’t set it right between them artificially, by Cas bringing Jack home. Instead, they set it right between them and then they got their son back. Otherwise, it is the last piece of the puzzle to patch their relationship. Dean was envious of Garth’s family, and suddenly Dean has his back.
In Galaxy Brain Chuck’s screen shows a view of Dean and Cas sitting super closely huddled together at the kitchen table. (x) Is actually from an earlier episode. There’s also the dadliest dadstiel moment ever, with Castiel letting his god killing, resurrected, super powered, three-year-old win at connect four, which was not in the script, but added by Misha and Sp8. (x) When Sam and Cas disagree on Jack, Cas backs up Jack and Dean supports Cas over Sam. The husbands share a whiskey while reveling in how they brought Jack up right, “I knew it, Dean. When I was with Jack’s mother, she… You know, Kelly just had faith that Jack would be good for the world, and I felt it, too. I knew it. And then, when everything went wrong, and God took him from us… I was lost in a way I’ve never been before. Because I knew the story wasn’t over. I knew Jack wasn’t done. And I was right.” (Even if Dean’s a little too excited about using Jack as a weapon.) (Maybe this line explains what's been up with the Hellers these past 6 months yall.)
This is huge, because Dean was destroyed at the end of last season, imo, bc his idea of Jack was destroyed and he felt the need to cut himself off from all thoughts that he could have that family. (x)
Cas also wordlessly goes into Dean’s backpack in a moment of routine casual intimacy.
Destiny’s Child & Dean calling Cas an idiot for risking his life yet again- not knowing that Cas felt secure in the knowledge that he wouldn't die bc of his deal. Dean was legit scared to lose him again. (oh no my heart). With that extra knowledge Cas had it's exactly the kind of thing Dean would do. Dean's done this exact thing before both when he was, and was not, suicidal. (S13, S6) They get Jack’s soul back, but first the classic “oh no my child has ingested something”.
Last Holiday- No Cas. 😒
Gimme Shelter - Our boys are separated yet again - Castiel talks to Paster Sexy (recast doctor sexy) who says it’s okay to be gay. We get a lot of charming Cas with Jack moments. Something happens in this episode, it happens off-screen and it's something we've basically have never seen in this series. Jack tells Castiel that he expects to die to defeat Chuck and rather than fall into the pattern we've seen every single season, Castiel immediately tells Dean what is going on, immediately tells Dean everything he needs to know to protect Jack.
Drag me Away From You (ugh oh no and they will) - No Cas
Unity - end of the warm wuvy dov.
Dean lets Jack think he isn’t family. Sam discovers that if they let Jack kill Chuck that Billie will kill Eileen, anyone from another dimension or resurrected and Dean. Looks. At. Cas. (x) The fear in his eyes.
By this point Dean is unhinged. He’s back to the beginning of the season when he was afraid that all of this was Chuck’s control rather than a real relationship between them. This should have been an ‘absolution’ moment for Jack, the one Castiel says here that Jack doesn’t need from anyone but himself. The closest we get to confirmation that Cas has learned that lesson himself. (x) Dean was so destroyed after his idea of Jack died that it split up his marriage … I mean…. Dean already chose Jack’s life once, even after Mary. Dean is choosing him over using him as a weapon to kill Chuck is huge considering how spun out Dean was by this point. I’m convinced that without Cas being there Dean would not have stopped, and might have let Jack sacrifice himself, might have shot Sam giving Chuck his ending.
I’m also convinced that Chuck designed The Trap to have Cas die 8 episodes ago. (x) That Dean was never supposed to have this post trap period with him. So that he would be hopeless just like he was in episode 19. That was in the version Chuck wrote back in episode 4. Without Cas, Chuck would have gotten his ending. (x) Woof there is a sentence that hurts in 15x20
18 - skipping this winchester main pain for the mo-
So this all got me thinking about Dean’s face after Cas says he loves him, the little choked up headshake, like maybe that’s just verbal confirmation of something he, on some level, already knew. (x)
I haven’t hit 15 in my rewatch yet and I’m sure I will find new a different things to piss me tf off when I do.
Morning erybody?
#deancas meta#destiel season 15#season 15 breakdown#dean was always bi#deancas#spn rewatch#destiel#dean winchester#dragging dean winchester out of the closet#spn#spn meta#original content#spn feels#15x09#15x11#15x12#15x13#15x15
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masterpost ☀️ main masterlist ☀️ taglist
previously on...
Chapter 5. We have stucky, we have stevesambucky friendship, we have a new place to live and strange being a good guy because tony definitely ranted at him. Also, we're beginning the creepy part of the plot. I have decided that sam will be one of the main platonic characters in this story because I love sam.
fun fact: I used to be a creepypasta writer! Going back to my roots here, hehe.
Things had stated changing, for better or worse, much sooner than I had been prepared for - but was anyone, ever, really ready for the next big step? Certainly not me - the view that greeted me after I'd finished my shift at Jeremy's was peculiar and unexpected, so I froze, eyebrows high at the two super-soldiers parked, once again, illegally, right in front of the entrance door.
"Hi, doll," Bucky was reclined against his boyfriend comfortably, his bike standing a pace behind Steve's, who nodded companionably, a sheepish grin on his face.
"G'day," I nodded, eyeing them warily. "I think I know where this is going..."
"No, no, nothing like that," both men frantically waved their hands around, Steve coming up close to approach me slowly. "You're not in trouble. I came out here to say thanks," giving a sappy look to the grouch that was his boyfriend, Steve reached into his pocket and handed me a slip of paper. "Just, uh..."
"Those are our phone numbers. Don't hesitate to give either one of us a call if someone bothers you," Bucky took over the stammering blonde, shaking his head at the soft blush that blossomed on the good captain's face. The brunette wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders with a shy smile of his own. "Or if you, I don't know, need someone to carry your groceries or something," he snorted. "The punk wouldn't leave it alone until we came out personally to thank you, the sap."
The laughter bubbled up from my chest as I grabbed and pocketed the paper, throughly amused and at the endearing gesture. "Sure, thanks."
"And, uh," Bucky's eyes briefly looked to the side. "We'd appreciate if you keep the status of our relationship to yourself for now. We're not, like, officially out yet."
I froze in place, mouth falling open. Surely they were aware that anybody with a functional pair of eyes could see that they were much more than 'good, lifelong friends'. "No problem, guys. Lemme know if anyone gives you shit about it though, this place," I gestured to the café behind me, "is strictly paparazzi and homophobe-free."
Steve's grin grew even more genuine. "Yeah, we heard all about it from Tony and Stephen. Said 'twas the only place they go these days."
I wasn't aware of that. "It's the paps, isn't it?" I remembered Tony's remarks.
Bucky shook his head, the metals of his prosthetic arm whirring as it recalibrated. "Not only. The public hasn't had the best reaction to a man goin' out with a man," the brunette looked away to the side, where Steve's face had fallen considerably. "And Tony's an eccentric rich man. We're jus' two soldiers. The US Army won't be too happy if we... Came out," both men were crestfallen yet determined.
I had a hunch nothing would be able to separate the two - seeing as not even seventy-odd years and brainwashing and ice couldn't keep the captain and his sarge apart, I doubted that a few government weasels could successfully do the job. Even so, it was unpleasant, to say the least, to see them deny themselves something that technically was perfectly fine in the 21st century.
I chewed on my lip, gathering my wits. "I've clocked out, I can tell you this as a friend- as a person. You don't owe the army jack shit. They do not own you, you are your own person that they experimented their German knockoff steroids on. Respectfully, fuck that shit." I firmly stated my opinion, figuring that there should have been at least someone that told Steve that he is more than his star-spangled uniform and giant metal frisbee.
The blonde scrunched his eyebrows together, fingers gripping onto his belt until the knuckles went white, the hard line of his jaw set firm.
Bucky laugh took me by surprise. "Agreed, doll. I'm too old to be hiding in back alleys and shit," he clapped on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Although I'm happy enough with just not going to prison for bein' in love with this idiot."
"Jerk," Steve's responding pout was downright adorable now that I knew the circumstances surrounding their relationship.
Which wasn't exactly surprising. As a barista, I knew my fair share about my regulars' love lives, their jobs, their kids. The tea was almost always piping hot. "Bye, boys," I smiled at them warmly, throwing a glance at the time, adjusting the strap of my bag for comfort. "Stay outta trouble!"
Steve scrambled for his bike, having noticed my pointed gesture. "Sorry, didn't mean to hold you back. There, I have a spare helmet," he gestured behind him. "I'll give you a ride."
"There's no way in Hell I'm getting on that death trap!" I shouted cheerfully, walking briskly towards my second job, hiding a laugh in the warmth of my scarf as two very offended motorcycle-loving gay fossils sped past me, making truly incredible amounts of noise. Good for them.
Odette was content to let me rummage around the bodega without showing herself more than necessary, taking her appointments and doing- well, witch stuff, I guess, only coming out to poke at the various jars for ingredients.
"Star, I have a proposition for you," right before closing time, Odette's voice filled out the store with its low drawl. "A good friend of mine owns an apartment building, not far from here actually, and one tenant recently moved out. It's a safe space for those who are different," she enunciated the last word, fixing it with a pointed stare. "She's not overly fond of total strangers coming to live there. The rent is reduced and the apartment itself is slightly bigger and more fashionable than yours..."
"Where's the catch?" I found myself interrupting her. I wouldn't lie: the reduced rent and increased size of the apartment did interest me, as well as the probability of a kinder, more involved landlord. My current one was - not the best, but such was life in the NYC.
"There are a few rules to follow, rules that might seem strange at first but they'll make sense in time. And your neighbors might be also a little... Unusual," Odette carefully studied my face for any signs of displeasure.
I sighed.
And then I sighed some more as I was signing my new lease in a few days' time, having spoken with Porter, my new landlord, and his boyfriend who had claws and fangs- after so much time spent around Odette's, I didn't even blink. The couple liked me enough to extend a secure but flexible offer and some furniture to choose from the attic where they kept the spares.
I quite liked the large, vintage couch I placed next to the wide bow windows in the living room. The floors were hardboard and well-kept, the walls a nice, homely shade of green and Porter didn't mind any new holes in them that might arise from hanging up decorations. I scheduled a thrift crawl at the next possible opportunity, happy with the "good employee" bonus Odette had given me after I sealed the deal.
My stuff was boxed up, a sleepless night and a call to a begrudging Jeremy to have a couple of days off to move; I was, thankfully, not late on my schedule and all that I had left was to rent a car to move the boxes of my things and the few pieces of furniture I had decided to keep - my haul in Porter's attic had been incredibly rewarding and my new apartment had all the basics to make it look like a warm, inviting bohemian home in a while.
My phone rang suddenly, startling interruption to the romcom I was watching as I ate my last lunch in my old apartment. "Hello?" I answered the number without looking.
"Hi, doll," Bucky's voice rang out cheerful. "A little witch told me you were moving. I thought you might need a hand?"
I blanked momentarily, the thought of enlisting two very busy super-soldiers to haul ten boxes and two endtables worth of stuff not having crossed my mind at all. "Is this the moment when you stop by my house just to unattach and put your prosthetic arm somewhere and leave?" I asked, hearing distinctive snickering - several more people were with him.
The cheer in his voice blossomed into a full belly laugh. "You're funny," he teased me. "And thanks for the idea. But no, I have a room full of men that have nothing better to do but get on my nerves. Might as well make 'em useful," his accented drawl thickened the more we spoke. Muted cheers rang out in the background.
"Uh, sure," who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth? I rattled off my address and warned them I didn't have a car, after which Bucky assured me it will be taken care of. The last remaining knick-knacks packed away, I went down to take out the trash, and returned to four people standing in front of my apartment building, all except one unrecognisable in their civilian clothes. "Hello," I waved at them, side-eyeing the tallest, grumpiest man of the bunch.
Stephen Strange was there, looking around curiously, hands in the pockets of his plain grey hoodie. I had already forgotten how normal he looked without his robes, and, frankly speaking, I preferred him like that. His title and the attire that came with it were quite intimidating.
"Hey there," a dark-skinned man who I recognised to be the Falcon, raised his hand. I had not met him yet. "I'm Sam, Sam Wilson. You must be the Star we're helping?" His quick once-over and the tilt to his lips; the ease with which he flirted had me brandishing smirks of my own. I led them all upstairs, Stephen's silence being just so loud. Sam, however, had no such reservations. "So, you're a witch, right?" Wow, subtlety was his middle name.
"Yes, I'll show you my broomstick," I deadpanned, wiggling my eyebrows at him with a grim look.
"Woah woah," Sam raised his hands as the three men behind us snickered loudly. "What happened to 'how are you? let's have dinner sometime'?"
I did my best imitation of an evil cackle as I let them through my front door. The four newcomers looked around my nearly empty apartment with muted interest before zeroing in on the pile of things in the corner: a few pieces of furniture and nearly taped boxes. Should be a walk in the park for four men.
A hand on my arm pulled me from the stupor of observing Sam, Bucky and Steve act like a well-oiled trio, bantering and teasing each other as they discussed how to best move the things.
"Look," Stephen Strange had all the appearance of a chastised puppy. "I wanted to apologize for my behaviour that day. I was out of line," the low notes in his voice made the appearance of the apology being somewhat reluctant. Tony probably put him to it after our little burger run.
Irregardless, I wasn't looking to make any enemies. "Me too, I was under stress - not that I'm using it as an excuse," to give where it's due, I nodded at the sorcerer, immediately awestruck by the easy, boyish smile that stretched on his lips.
"You are strong," he added. "If you would like to learn our ways, we would welcome you." There was a spark in his eyes, something belonging to man that respected and collected knowledge. My own respect for him grew immensely just from that one thing.
"I'll think about it," I offered amicably, however, I still leaned heavily towards a negative answer to that particular proposition. I liked my current way of life.
Strange's grin made a momentary second appearance, until Sam's voice rang loudly: "Fire in the hole, Wizard-man," causing the former to groan loudly and look at me.
"Think about your new place for a second," he spoke, briefly touching out fingertips. As soon as that was over, a golden circle with my new living room on the other side of it appeared quietly, Strange's hands immediately going back into his pockets after that. I sighed and pointed the men into it, stepping in a second after. The sorcerer wasn't far behind. "You could learn that, too, you know," he added wryly, having seen my look of mild envy directed at him.
"I think I'll be good with having the 'pissed off the sorcerer Supreme and lived' pass for now," I retorted with an eyeroll, turning around to stare him down.
He had the decency to look somewhat sheepish, at least. "I'm not like my predecessor," his words were chosen carefully. "And, to be honest, I have no clue as to why your... Boss is so hostile towards me- us," Strange looked around the room before unceremoniously beelining for the couch and plopping down on it.
"Not to be a gossip," I started, slightly intrigued. "But Odette and some lady she called ancient had mad beef," I slipped into casual language easily, trying to recall the details of Odette's, quite often jumbled, stories. "Sounded almost like territorial disputes," I shrugged. "And the apprentices Odette took on before me found themselves in all kinds of compromising situations," I chewed on my lip. "Like the Arctic."
Strange rubbed his face with a noisy groan, large hands doing nothing to mask the resignation and slight embarrassment.
I focused on the thin, red scars on his hands - they had to have been something serious, the way slight tremors betrayed the deteriorating state of the nerves in his fingers. I frowned, quickly averting my gaze before he could catch me ogling him. The fact thag Stephen kept his hands in his pockets or covered by gloves at all times didn't go over my head.
He muttered something to himself, something that sounded like he was often forced to clean up his predecessor's mess. "I see," was the only thing he'd offered me, looking slightly pitiful and apologetic.
"Well," I started, noting the last of my stuff was about to be in its rightful place, "as long as you don't toss me into the ocean, I think we can coexist peacefully."
"Tony would kill me if I'd tried," Stephen groused.
"Probably," I agreed. "Considering the fact he hit on me, for you, it would make one hell of a lover's quarrel," my hand pointed towards the kitchen as Steve and Sam carried in the boxes aptly labeled "kitchen", looking around a place to put them down.
"Tony did what now?" Stephen's tone dropped, a wry smirk decorating his lips as he eyed me through his lashes.
"Don't ask me," I raised my palms, feeling my eyes widen. "He's chaos personified and Satan only knows what he's got on his mind."
That squeezed a laugh out of the tall man, followed by a fond, sappy smile as he looked out of my large, panoramic window, probably thinking of Tony himself. There was no doubt, Stephen Strange was utterly and throughly head over heels in love with Tony Stark. Good for them, good for them.
"A-and that's it," Bucky walked in, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel I'd provided them earlier. "I took some liberties and assembled the furniture, Steve is stacking the dishes as we speak," the brunette noisily plopped down next to me, arm carelessly thrown behind me on the back of the couch.
"Oh, um," I stammered, unused to such random gestures of kindness. "Thanks a lot, you saved me a day's worth of time and a backache," I smiled, scooting over to make some room for Sam.
"No problem, not like we had anything better to do than argue which part of the Lord of the Rings is the best," Wilson rolled his eyes, elbowing Bucky none-too-gently.
Bucky elbowed back, thus starting a horsing war between the two, causing me to scoot closer to Stephen as I attempted to avoid any flailing limbs; the sorcerer and I shared an identical, perplexed sigh as to how two grown men could easily bait each other into such juvenile behaviour.
Whatever. It was kind of endearing.
Steve emerged from the kitchen dusty but smiling, having heard the commotion, and quickly herded his guys into a semblance of decent behaviour before all of three of them left, leaving me and Stephen to go back to my old apartment and give the keys to it to the guard. That was done, too, and a portal from an alley behind my old building straight into my living room had me and Strange awkwardly hovering, saying out goodbyes and waving to each other as the golden circle rapidly shrunk in size and disappeared, golden sparks scattering across my living room carpet for a short second before they fizzled out, too.
I used the brief moment of respite to find the small piece of paper containing the rules Porter had insisted I read and take seriously; figuring it might be a good idea to give them a read before beginning to unpack, I popped open a bottle of soda, holding the itemized list written in neat cursive to my face.
The further I read, the further my eyebrows rose:
"1. Keep your door locked at all times.
2. If a person knocks on your door claiming to be the mail man, do not open the door under any circumstances. You are free to ignore the knocking - it only lasts a minute or so. After the person has left, you may open the door and check for any packages.
3. If Samantha from 3B visits you and asks you to babysit, you may do so at your personal discretion. Her twins are a handful and their daily habits are not for the ones with a weak stomach, however, they mean nothin ill and will not harm you in any way.
4. Do not use the elevator between the hours of 1 and 4 AM.
5. There are no apartments under number "7". If someone claiming to be from those apartments knocks on your door and requests entry, come up with a polite excuse to decline and send me a text message. I will take care of it.
6. There is no garden on the premises of this building. If a man approaches you, claiming to be a gardener, don't interact with him and simply walk away. He will leave you alone.
7. You may meet a girl in a polka-dot dress playing in the hallways or in the stairwell. This is Lucy. Always be polite to Lucy - you won't like what will happen if you're rude to her. She does not talk but she knows limited ASL and may request to visit you. Allow her in ONLY if you have fresh meat in your fridge (beef or mutton, preferably bloody). You might want to avoid seeing her eat, however, it might be very beneficial to make friends with Lucy. She knows a lot of things.
8. If, when taking the stairs, you encounter inconsistent numeration of the floors, such as floor 2 followed by floor 5 and etc, simply walk a flight back. It will sort itself out. The building is old and sometimes it gets confused.
Important notice: these rules apply to your guests as well. Please make sure to introduce and educate them on these matters. We will help as much as we can should a situation arise but ultimately, there are fates far worse than an untimely, however swift, death.
- Porter and Lance."
A slow, creeping dread began to gnaw at my nape, curling on like a cold snake deep in chest. As if laughing at me, the warm, welcoming embrace of the green walls and the toothy, wide smiles my landlords had given me encouraged my recently found sense of adventure, all of it mixing into a cacophony of exhilaration and unease, equally steadily driving my running brain insane.
I sighed again, immediately going to the box containing my altar and the rest of the protective items. So much for peace.
Taglist: @couldntbedamned @mikariell95 @letsby @sleep-i-ness @toomanyrobins @mostly-marvel-musings @persephonehemingway @schemefrenzy @lillsxd @bluecrazedandbeautiful @slothspaghettiwrites @xoxabs88xox
#practical alchemy#bun writes#tony stark x reader x stephen strange#stephen strange x reader x tony stark#ironstrange x reader#stephen strange x reader#tony stark x reader#stephen strange x y/n#tony stark x y/n#Stephen Strange x you#tony stark x you
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Night shift - Chapter 2 (Rocketshipping)
Chapter 2:
The whip already raised for use, Jessiebelle reared up in front of James, who was cowering on the floor all intimidated. “Where have you been? Do you realize how worried I was?” She swung the whip and gave James a blow. James cried out in pain, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He knew that this little excursion into freedom would have consequences. Today Jessiebelle carried out the punishment with her favourite tool and throttled her fiancé without batting an eye.
“You have to be chastised, otherwise you might get ideas and leave me, and we both don’t want that, right James?”
The young man was trembling with pain. He grabbed his arm with the gaping wound. Sometimes he wanted to die, sometimes he wanted to leave this world, thoughts that had plagued him since he was a child. But the urge to be free and to be able to live his own life had prevented him from doing anything stupid until then and thinking of the waitress Jessie gave him new hope. Another lash!
“Please, Jessiebelle, stop!” he pleaded. “I’ve learned my lesson, I’ll never sneak away again, but please, have mercy!” Tears streamed down his face. Jessiebelle knelt beside her fiancé and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
“This is the only way you will learn to be obedient and please your future wife. Sometimes you have to take harsher measures to open someone’s eyes to how much love is involved here. I love you, James,” she breathed into his ear. James cried bitter tears. If this is love, what does abysmal hatred feel like?
She left him crouching on the floor, alone in his pain and thick tears of despair. James was breathing heavily, he could barely move, but he had a mission and nothing and no one, certainly not Jessiebelle’s abuse would stop him. With the last of his strength, he tried to get to his feet, left the torture cellar and sank into his pillow, tired and exhausted. Tomorrow night he would see her again, Jessie. He imagined her smile, her sapphire blue eyes, and slipped into a fitful sleep.
The day dragged on endlessly. James counted the hours until he could sneak out through the service exit. When evening came, he waited for the right moment to dismiss the property. The servants covered him, they were on his side and could no longer watch this tragedy of a relationship.
“I hope the wound heals quickly, James. This tincture is a recipe from my grandmother, it is supposed to work wonders. Look how Jessiebelle is ruining you. You are a shadow of your former self.” Maria became quite emotional at the sight of those deep cuts. She had cared for James since he was a little boy every time his parents were traveling the world again. Seeing him like this, abused, beaten and mistreated, broke her heart. James put a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry about me, Maria. There’s someone worth living for,” he put on a weak smile.
“And I really need to see her,” he pressed on the tourniquet and disappeared into the night.
As James walked along the Strip, he noticed the many carnies and performers. Some were painting portraits of the tourists; others were juggling ten balls at once. Others sang and played music and thrilled the guests with little show acts. It wasn’t long before James spotted Ash, who was holding the crowd spellbound with his Pikachu. He had many tricks up his sleeve and his little Pokémon was exceptionally well trained. They were a welded team and impressed the audience with a fantastic interlude consisting of various electric attacks that Pikachu was capable of. The crowd went wild, applauded and cheered. The coins were already jingling, the bills flowing. James wanted to do more than one good deed today and secretly put a hundred-Pokédollar bill in Ash’s hat. With it, he and his friends could enjoy a delicious dinner at the Diner. Ash could hardly believe his eyes when he fished the large bill out of his hat. His mouth was open, never had he received so much tip before. His gaze wandered through the audience and stuck to James.
“Hey! Aren’t you the guy who was at the Diner last night?” he asked him. James nodded his head. “Wow! What happened to your face? Where did you get that black eye?” Ash wondered. Should James tell him a tall tale or come clean with the truth? He didn’t know this boy at all and honestly, he didn’t want to hang his private life on the big bell.
“Work accident,” James replied. Ash nodded his understanding and stowed the big money in his pocket. He had no idea that his sponsor was standing right in front of him.
“Are you coming by today? Fridays are fish day, you’ll miss out on the tastiest salmon and sea food if you don’t show up later.”
That’s when it slipped out of James’ mouth. “Is Jessie having a night shift tonight?” It was so foolish, he felt pretty stupid. What kind of impression did this make on young Ash? The boy grinned maliciously.
“Jessie is at the Diner every single night, trying to keep herself and that place afloat, it takes hard work, but she’s up to any problem. So yeah, she’ll be there. Why?”
James blushed to the roots of his hair. “Oh nothing, she just served me very well.” James shrugged it off, but one question still burned on his mind. “This man, who works with her at the Diner. Is that her boyfriend?” Ash laughed out loud.
“You mean Eddy? He’s ace. All he wants are close and deep friendships, but nothing more. A hug is still in, but not a step further. You don’t have to worry about him but let me give you some good advice. Give Jessie some space and don’t press her. Life wasn’t always easy for her.” Ash packed up his paraphernalia and disappeared down a dark side street.
Late in the evening, James hardly dared to show up at the Diner. He was visibly nervous and couldn’t quite explain to himself why. Of course, he was happy to see Jessie again and to enjoy her first-class service, to feel her warm smile on his skin. On the other hand, he didn’t want her to see him maltreated like that. But when he entered the restaurant, the atmosphere was really tense. He discovered the large bouquet of flowers that he had secretly sent her, but Jessie seemed to be anything but pleased about it. He approached the waitress and overheard snippets of conversation that made him shudder.
Turning to Eddy, she showed her best friend the small note James had enclosed. “He’s trying to suck up again, that lousy guy! Signs it with a friggin J. Like I wouldn’t guess it’s that assface of Jack’s who’s supposedly trying to make up with me. Throw this bouquet in the trash can right now, Eddy! Get it out of my sight!” she commanded. This action had gone completely wrong. But how could James have known that Jessie’s ex-boyfriend’s name started with a J, too? He put a hand on her shoulder and Jessie immediately winced. “Oh, it’s you. Sorry, I didn’t see anyone enter de Diner. I’ll come right over and take your order.” She heaved a deep sigh, gave way to her anger, and kicked the trash can with all her might.
James had probably hit the wrong nerve. Now he felt all the more pathetic. He wanted to please Jessie with the bouquet and show his gratitude for the nice service, but this action was a shot in the foot.
The waitress was beside herself when she reached James’ table. Her hair was mussed, she rummaged in her apron for her tiny notebook to write down the incoming orders and could not concentrate on her guests. Something had to have happened, and James was trying to figure out how to help Jessie. It was his turn to ask her about her day.
“Miserable, James. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong! But I don’t want to burden you with my stuff, I’m sure you have other things to worry about, judging by your eye…” James’ hand shot up. “I’ll get you cooling pads”, Jessie was overly attentive and James liked that feeling of being cared for by someone. There was no emotion in his relationship with Jessiebelle, except for pain and hatred. There could never be any question of love. It was an arranged engagement, and his parents didn’t care how much James suffered from Jessiebelle’s mannerisms. James wanted to offer Jessie all his attention in return, he wanted to listen to her, ask her how her day had been and talk for hours about trivial things that made him forget for a short time the strains of a botched relation.
“Here’s your coke and a turkey sandwich. Enjoy!” she forced herself to smile, but the day’s toil was gnawing away at her. James had to take the initiative.
“Please, sit down for a minute. There aren’t many guests, you can certainly take a short break”, he offered her the seat next to him. She looked around, nodded wearily, and let herself sink into the chair.
“What a day,” Jessie grabbed the menu card and fanned herself. He turned to her, eyeing her beautiful face, and straining to take in her every word.
“Maybe you’ve already noticed, but the Strip is no place for rich snobs. Drunks and homeless people hang out here. Most of the guys who come to my Diner can’t even pay, so they charge me. Unfortunately, at the end of the month there is barely enough for the rent…and food must also be purchased. We work to the limit, staying open late to make a few Pokédollars, but it just doesn’t pay. Cassidy paid us a visit today. You remember? That broad from the newspaper? She threatened to kick us out, said she was going take the Diner away from us piece by piece. I just don’t know what to do, we barley make ends meet and we have far too few guests. What should I do? Oh, why am I talking to you, you have enough problems,” she buried her face in her hands and sighed.
James stroked her cheek. He could have bought the Diner at the push of a button, but he didn’t want to be liked for his money, he wanted to be liked for who he was, the real him.
“Don’t hang your head, I could help you out after all. I don’t want a salary, a roof over my head and a warm sandwich in the evening is perfectly fine”, he smiled encouragingly at her. ‘And I can be closer to you,’ he didn’t say it out loud. She raised her head and looked at him questioningly.
“What do you want in this shabby place? I’m sure you have better places to stay and besides, I really can’t pay you anything, we’re almost broke…”
James felt embarrassed. If only Jessie knew how much he wanted to escape the shackles of this terrible relationship. He wanted to be free, no matter what the cost. He wanted to have air to breathe, he wanted to laugh and have a zest for life, and that’s what he hoped to find at the Diner. With people who could show compassion, who responded to the needs of others, without batting an eye, were willing to offer a helping hand to even the most down-and-out creatures on the Strip.
“You know, I have some idea about advertising and marketing. With just a piece of cardboard and my loud blabbermouth, I can double your customer base. Trust me,” he held out his hand to her and she took it. What tender, soft skin. So fragile. What have these hands had to endure? Cleaning, washing, cooking, tidying up. Such delicate hands must be protected, and James already knew how. He wished this handshake would never stop. For the first time he felt the perky waitress and it was overwhelming. A slight tug in his heart area told him where this journey would lead, and he hoped Jessie would be the destination. He had never felt so attracted to a woman before. She was different, she was a fighter that not even the worst news could wear out. For a brief moment, they looked at each other, smiling. No words were needed to describe the attraction between these two. They lost themselves in their gazes, even if it was only for a split second. Something blossomed between them, a tiny flame of hope, of forgetting and of new beginnings.
“I’m about to get out my violin and serve them a plate of spaghetti with meatballs,” Eddy murmured to one of their guests. “Yes, yes, our Jessie has sworn off love, but she seems to make a big and fat exception with James…”
“Let there be fish for everyone! Let’s celebrate, my friends!” Ash rumbled into the Diner, followed by his two best mates, Misty and Brock. They immediately destroyed the intimate moment between Jessie and her new co-worker James. They both jumped up and tried to hide their blushes. Jessie cleared her throat. “Get to work, James! We don’t want to keep our guests waiting!”
#rocketshipping#pokemon#kojimusa#kojiro#musashi#rocketshipper#fanfiction#update#newchapter#nightshift#fanfic#story#lovestory#friendship#ace#Jessie#jessie team rocket#teamrocket#james#jamesteamrocket#lovely#read
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brokeback mountain has been ROTTING my brain recently and I wanted to talk about ennis being autistic so. here I am.
- firstly, he’s often nonverbal. On the mountain, ennis says a piece about what he’s going to do after brokeback. Jack comments that “thats the most you’ve said in two weeks”, and ennis responds with “thats the most ive said in a year”. He also says nothing to his employer, or later in the movie, the people he works with (I THINK he might have selective mutism but im hyperverbal myself so idk)
- secondly, he’s v touch averse when it’s not on his own terms. at one point, jack tries to tend to a gash on his temple, and ennis takes the washcloth from him, insisting he do it himself. Another time is when jack tries to hug him a second time when they first reunite, ennis shoves him off, but still touches their foreheads.
a few other things i couldn’t turn into paragraphs is that chewing his thumb seems to b a nervous stim for him, same with fidgeting with his hat
he lives in my mind rent free your honor
!!!!! I love this! Thank you so much!
This is very incredible! I love it!!! I’ve now accepted it as canon!
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happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time
a day late on getting this here but!!! some bday jalex i wrote for @reveriesofawriter‘s bday! sticking to our all taylor is jalex brand, it’s a 22 fic :)
kinda fits within the marble mansion wus writing universe that my pretty venom fic is in if you want more of these boys (they’re quite sweet i think)
here this is on ao3 if that’s more ur jam x
Alex is a planner.
Early on, being a frontman meant he was the first person anyone trying to coordinate band things reached out to, and as time went on, he embraced the role. He likes organizing and keeping track of the who and when and where of it all. He likes the sticky notes and his planner and the dry-erase board he keeps on his fridge for lists. He likes knowing what is coming next.
Alex never meant to fall in love with his best friend. He never planned on Jack.
They’ve reached the point where they should probably have an adult conversation about whatever it is that’s going on between them. Honestly they probably reached that point half a decade ago, but Alex knows neither of them was ready for it then. He wonders if they’re really both ready now. He knows he is. But it scares him a little to think about what happens if the other involved party isn’t.
That conversation and what it might sound like is what Alex is thinking about as he watches the end of the sunset over the desert from the edge of the pool at the house they’re renting. He lets a wine glass dangle from his fingers, the last few sips of his pink wine swirling around the bottom. His feet slowly swing in the warm water to avoid splashing over the edge. For someone whose job it is to come up with words for feelings, he finds himself struggling with where to even begin. He wonders if that should feel significant.
He’s draining the last of his wine when he hears the back door slide open and feet pad over the stone in his direction. Just as he’s about to question who’s come to join him, the visitor sits behind him and legs drop to frame his body. Alex leans back into Jack’s chest and breathes in the scent of his cologne mixing with the nighttime air. Jack’s arms wrap around Alex and the mess of thoughts trying to piece together the conversation to be had word by word fades off to the back of Alex’s mind.
“What are you doing out here?” Jack asks, his lips brushing against Alex’s neck. Probably against his tattoo. Jack’s always particularly fond of pressing his lips there.
“Just finishing my wine,” Alex says, and lifts the empty glass as evidence. “Wanted to watch the sunset, too. Don’t think I’m ever going to want to say goodbye to this view.”
“You should get a house out here someday,” Jack says as he rocks them back and forth a little. Alex leans further into his chest. “This place has your vibes and the stars look really sick out here.”
Alex smiles at Jack thinking of his astronomy habits. “I like the way you think,” he agrees before turning to stand. “Is it time we go in and join the pregame?”
Jack lifts a hand to be helped up and elects to keep holding Alex’s hand as they head in the direction of the door. “Why do you think I came out to find you?”
“I’m sorry,” Alex says as they approach the door, a blush painting across his cheeks. “Was just a little bit stuck in my head, trying to figure something out. Didn’t mean to leave the birthday boy waiting.”
Jack smiles and drops Alex’s hand before he reaches for the door handle. They’re in the desert in June, but Alex immediately misses the warmth. The two of them so easily gravitate physically toward one another when they’re together but they don’t hold hands in group settings. The way Alex wishes they did starts the spiral of words again. “Let me know if you need any help figuring whatever it is out?” Jack says as a worried look takes over his features.
Alex never wants to worry him, so he drops a hand to Jack’s back to guide him inside. He lets his answer to Jack’s question mix into a smile. Others in the living room grab Jack for shots. He shoots Alex a look as a lime is placed between his fingers; Alex points in the direction of the stairs and mouths need to change as he heads off. A smaller smile pulls at Jack’s lips as he nods and turns the rest of the group whining for him to join in.
Alex takes a deep breath before making his way out of the room and only lifts his brows to acknowledge the knowing look from Rian as he climbs the stairs.
*
The club is loud. Alex isn’t sure why he always expects them not to be, but the sounds in his environment accompanied by the buzzing in his mind is almost overwhelming.
He’s just grabbed another drink and when he gets back to the table their group has claimed for the night, Jack is sitting on the tabletop, his legs swinging as he talks to a couple of girls. Alex smirks as he watches Jack lift up the birthday sash someone had shown up with for him before they left the house (it’s pink and says I’m 21 Today! in sequins). The girls laugh before they wave and disappear into the crowd. Jack turns and his eyes brighten when they fall to Alex.
He scoots closer to where Alex sits and leans in. “What’s that?” he asks, pointing at the cup Alex has just come back with.
Alex raises the drink in front of his face and frowns as his tipsy mind forgets whatever the drink was called. “Uh, pink?”
“Lemme try,” Jack says and plucks the cup from between Alex’s fingers. Alex hadn’t planned to argue with the request but he can practically hear Jack’s voice reciting the statement Alex has heard probably hundreds of times over the years: You can’t say no during birthweek.
Jack takes a sip and then leaves the cup beside him on the table. He nods thoughtfully for a moment before leaning back in so Alex can hear him. “You’re right, it tastes very pink.”
Alex laughs but before he can respond Jack is moving to sink into the seat beside him and his head drops to Alex’s shoulder. “Are clubs busier than they used to be? Feel like I can’t breathe in here,” he whines. Alex agrees, though he was ready to just blame it on their age. “Where are Rian and Zack?”
“They were talking to some girls at the bar, I think,” Alex explains. “Rian told one of them he’s a drummer and she basically melted, it was hilarious.”
“You think anyone in here has even heard an All Time Low song before?” Jack asks, his tone indicating he’s reached the kind of happy drunk where every thought that comes to mind has to leave his lips.
“Maybe ‘Dear Maria’?” Alex offers as he drops his arm to rest against Jack’s back. His fingers trace lazy patterns against the soft fabric of his t-shirt. Jack hums but he doesn’t sound convinced.
Jack nuzzles his face into Alex’s neck and Alex hears him sigh. “Hey Alex?”
“Yeah?” Alex replies while his eyes track one of the bright lights circling around the room over the crowd on a dance floor.
Jack lifts his head up and throws Alex big brown puppy eyes. He can tell Jack’s about to ask him something and before he’s even heard the question he already knows his answer will be yes. He’s never been able to say no to Jack.
“Can we leave?”
Alex laughs. “Thought birthweek had no time for quitters?” he jokingly asks, recalling something Jack yelled across the room at Zack when he tried turning down shots the night before.
“Please?” Jack asks. “It’s loud and I want a snack.”
“Anything for the birthday boy,” Alex replies with a nod. Jack smiles again at the response. “Thought I saw a diner down the road. Late night breakfast?”
“God, you’re the best.”
Jack slides out of the booth as Alex reaches for the jacket he shed shortly after they arrived. While they head toward the doors that lead out to the street, Alex sends a message to the group text (The BoyDay Boys) to let the crew know they’re headed off.
The nighttime air is cool when they step out onto the street. Alex can’t remember which direction they’re meant to head so he pauses once they’re out of the way of the entrance to the club and pulls out his phone again to figure out where they’re going.
Another cool breeze blows down the street and Jack leans in closer to Alex’s side in response. It’s a frequent habit of his, the way he’s always trying to share Alex’s warmth. If Alex were a little more tipsy he probably would just wrap his arms around Jack’s waist as he leads them in the direction of the diner he’s successfully located. But he’s a little bit too self-aware for that at the moment so he elects to let Jack continue to lean into his side as they head down the street.
They pass couples walking in the opposite direction, their fingers tangled or lips pressing together without a care in the world. Alex finds he feels something in the realm of jealousy, though he’s not sure that’s the right thing to call it. Loneliness, maybe? He knows he should just say something, just see if there’s any chance at all that Jack feels the same way about figuring out what the hell they are. But it’s been so easy to just teeter the line of something for as long as they have. Alex doesn’t want to scare him away by considering the idea of throwing a label on it. Every time he explains it to Rian like that when he asks, Alex is told he’s being ridiculous and have you seen the way he looks at you, Alex?, but the fear in the back of his mind won’t budge.
The line they tightrope across is confusing, Alex thinks. But even so, he’s not unhappy. Maybe this is just the way they’re meant to be. Confusing but happy. Alex could be okay with that.
It’s a short walk to the diner and Jack chats to Alex most of the way there about some party he went to the previous week. There had been a petting zoo for some unknown reason. Alex listens to Jack describe the animals he got to pet and the kitten that tried stealing some of his White Claw. Soon enough they reach the door and push through to inside, a tiny bell jingling over their heads as they enter.
Someone behind the counter tells them they can seat themselves, that they’ll come find them in a minute for their drink orders. Jack wanders to a booth in the back of the room and Alex follows him. He waits to let Jack pick a side and slides into the one opposite him. A clock on the wall tells Alex it’s just past midnight, meaning Jack’s actual birthday has just finished. The celebrations should continue for another day or two.
A waitress comes to take their drink orders and they ask for a couple waters and a couple coffees and then they’re alone again. Jack squints his eyes down at the menu while Alex glances around the diner, ignoring the butterflies stirring whenever their knees knock together below the table and neither of them make any effort to move.
The entire scene has waves of nostalgia crashing all around Alex. It’s a pretty regular event during Jack’s birthday celebrations that he and Alex slip away from the rest of the group to catch a moment of something more tranquil during all the crazy of the week-long party.
It had become something Alex looked forward to every year. Usually when Jack’s birthday fell during a break from touring or between cycles, they would just go for a drive. Jack would find whatever couch or bed Alex had passed out on and pull him from sleep to go watch the sunrise or the sunset (his body clock was always thrown completely off balance during birthweek).
He’d usually want to go to the beach. Jack would play navigator and call out directions to whichever beach involved the least amount of traffic to get to, in a voice rough both from sleep and from screaming along to Top 40 hits in karaoke bars and clubs around LA. Once there, they would walk all the way out to the water and let little waves splash against their ankles as the sun rose higher and higher or sunk lower and lower. Eventually Jack would smile and nod toward the Pacific and sigh a deep breath of salty air and that would be the cue that he was satisfied with the experience. They usually would end up at a diner like the one they’re at right now, sipping coffee with tired eyes and laughing over pancakes.
It’s probably a two hour drive to the coast from where they currently sit but if Jack had asked to go to the beach, Alex would have gotten him there without a second thought.
Jack moves so their long legs are all tangled together below the table, and it breaks Alex out of the nostalgic place he’d been transported to for a moment. He looks up to meet Jack’s tired, happy gaze. Alex raises his eyebrows in a silent question and a gleeful smile pulls across Jack’s cheeks.
“Do you think they’d put sprinkles in my pancakes if I tell them it’s my birthday?”
That’s when it hits Alex head on, like a dart hitting the bullseye. They walk a tightrope but there’s always been a net to catch them if need be just below their feet the whole time. The look Rian’s been trying to convince him to see for years is staring back from the other side of the booth, and it says everything in the most plain but beautiful way possible. It’s the same smile Jack would give to the Pacific just after the sun had set over the city of stars. Alex breaks into a quiet laugh and wonders if he’s ever not been in love with this sunshine of a boy sitting in front of him.
(They do put sprinkles in the pancakes. Rainbow ones. And add whipped cream and a candle too.)
*
It’s close to 1AM by the time they pay the check and head back out into the early morning desert air. They had enough water and coffee that they’re pretty much sober now. The moon shines bright down onto them as they stand in front of the diner, unsure of where to head next.
“Want to take a walk?” Alex asks while pointing down a more quiet part of the street in the opposite direction they came from.
“Sounds nice,” Jack agrees, and motions for Alex to lead the way.
They start down the sidewalk and let the nighttime noises play as their soundtrack for a few minutes. Jack breaks the silence to tell the story of something his mom told him about when he called her a couple days ago and at some point in the middle of the tale, he reaches for Alex’s hand and threads their fingers together so their joined hands swing between them. Alex continues listening as he looks down, and there’s some tiny part of his brain that tries to start making another set of pros and cons lists, but then he shakes the thought away and stops walking.
Jack glances back with a confused look when he feels the pull on his arm. “What is it, Al?”
Alex lets out a sigh as he looks back and forth between their hands and the look on Jack’s face. The words fall from his lips before he can even process them fully. “Jack, I really like you.”
The look of confusion fades into something more stunned as Jack takes a step closer to him. “What?” he asks in a quiet voice, like he’s worried that speaking too loudly might shatter the moment that Alex’s confession just created.
“I really like you,” Alex says and reaches over to pull Jack in at the waist. “I like you in the want to show you off and kiss you until our friends groan and introduce you as my boyfriend at parties kind of way. I want to hold your hand when we walk back inside after watching the sunset like the cheesy idiots we are.”
For a moment he just watches Jack nod before a smile brighter than the full moon overhead pulls across Jack's face. He lets his arms wrap around Alex's neck and pulls him close enough that their foreheads touch. “I like you, too. So much. I might love you, I think, but that feels like a really big word,” Jack says back, in a voice still just above a whisper. “I could never come up with the words to say that until right now.”
Alex doesn’t realize he’s tearing up until Jack moves to cup Alex’s cheek, his thumb running across his cheekbone just in time to swipe away a tear. “God, we’re stupid. You’d think we of all people would know to just let the words come to us.”
Jack shakes his head and pouts. “Hey, you’re the veteran songwriter here. I'm still new enough to this that I have an excuse.”
“Shut up,” Alex laughs, and then he leans closer to press their lips together. Jack adjusts to cup his hand around Alex's other cheek as Alex's grip on his waist tightens. It’s not even fireworks and confetti like Alex had imagined it would be. They laugh against each other’s lips between kisses and it’s just them. When Alex pulls away and tucks his face into Jack's neck, his lips pressing lazily against the triangles inked into Jack's skin, he feels peace. Holding Jack feels like coming home or a deep breath of the cool ocean air just after sunset. He feels like what Alex always imagined love to feel like.
*
Somehow they still beat everyone else back to the house. Their giggles echo off the halls as they kick their shoes off before heading up the stairs, one of them stopping the other every so often for another kiss.
They make it up the stairs eventually and Alex drags Jack in the direction of his room. Alex only whines for a moment when Jack pulls away because Well, you want me to brush my teeth, don’t you? When Jack returns Alex is changed and going through his own routine in the bathroom. When he glances out through the open door to the bedroom, Jack has already claimed his side of the bed and is looking at him across the room, a lazy smile pulling across his face.
“What?” Alex asks as he turns off the tap and shuffles over to lean against the doorway.
Jack shrugs. “Nothing.”
“What’s that look for then?” Alex asks. Jack sits facing towards him, his temple resting against the headboard. He’s changed into sweats and a tank Alex is pretty sure was swiped from his own closet. It’s stretched and worn enough that it’s falling off of Jack’s tattooed shoulder. If Alex could pick one image to look at for the rest of his life, this one would certainly be in the running.
“I think I’m just glad we kind of figured this out a bit,” Jack replies.
“Well, I’m pretty sure if I went another day without saying something, Rian would have threatened to tell you himself and I think we’re just a little bit too old to be having our friends communicate our feelings for us.”
“Yeah, maybe a little bit,” Jack laughs as he slides beneath the sheets. Alex hits the light in the bathroom and pads across the room. He hears the front door open and close downstairs followed by laughter, signalling the rest of their crew has arrived home. As he listens to the quiet conversations happening on the first floor, he crawls into bed and drops his head on the pillow beside where Jack rests with his hand holding up his head. Alex drops an arm around Jack’s waist and pulls him closer.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to sleep when I feel like I’m dreaming,” Alex says while Jack turns to shut the lamp off.
“Alex, I adore you, but that was the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said and your exhaustion is showing,” Jack says with a laugh before pressing his lips to Alex’s temple. “I’ll still be right here in the morning.”
“Will you remind me of all of the cheesy things I said tonight?”
“For as long as you’ll let me,” Jack replies. He drops his head against the pillow and smiles up at Alex.
“I’m holding you to that,” Alex says. He presses a kiss to the tattoos on Jack’s shoulder he’d been admiring from the doorway before moving to settle his head against his chest.
As he lets his tired eyes fall shut while settling against Jack, Alex is surprised that the swirling mix of words in his head he’s become accustomed to isn’t there. He’s used to his mind still trying desperately to plan out whatever needs to come next even as he falls asleep. But as Jack tucks an arm around his waist and drifts closer to sleep, Alex decides maybe he’s alright with not knowing what comes next so long as they stay like this.
*
#jalex#jalex fic#atl fic#fun fact i had a whole crisis over whether or not to allow this to fit into this universe at first#bc they def were not in the desert yet during jack's bday in 2019#but then i thought this would be fun so we ignored that sdklfjsldf
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