got my heart right pierced by a pin!

[flintlock fortress is, as always, a collaboration with @dxppercxdxver]

The Avengers (Avengers Assemble)

So it took me a week to finish watching The Avengers.

It wasn't the movie's fault. It's a great film, especially if you are into the action-packed, fighting scenes. The dynamic between characters is great, and it has one of (if not my absolute) favorite quotes of the series.

But it is 2 hours and 23 minutes long and I had a weird week in terms of work, plus I wasn't actually feeling like watching a bunch of fight scenes. So it took a hot minute. Also, I had just finished season 2 of Loki not that long ago and going back to really bad Loki was a bit hard. He has few if any redeemable qualities in this one.

I'm not going to attempt a standard review given my less than standard watching procedure. I'm just going to call out things I liked.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow will forever be flipping incredible. In the Battle of New York where she's jumping on the flying Chitari and such- epic. But also her clear care for Barton and her emotional manipulation of both the criminals at the beginning and Loki later on- chef's kiss. I'm so glad she's the one to close the portal.

(Quick side note/small spoiler- there's a fan theory going around that her "feelings" for Banner in Ultron are all fake, just a method of control. I call bullshit. She is clearly fascinated by him throughout this film. If anyone's feelings are fake, it'd be Banner's, but Mark Ruffalo is too genuine for us to ever know.)

Erik Selvig and Barton both under Loki's control and then when they come out of it did incredible jobs. I particularly like the writing of Selvig under Loki's control- the science fascination unbridled, versus any actual desire for power. I think this hits the Tesseract's power and Loki's manipulation abilities dead on- they don't project what Loki would assume others would want onto them- they magnify the worst parts of anyone's desires and abilities. Barton is a master strategist and Selvig wants to understand every aspect of the cosmos. Generally these are traits they've put to good use. But under Loki, they're manipulated into awful acts.

Samuel L. Jackson's line "I recognize the council has made a decision, but as it is a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it" could be emblazoned on my tombstone and I'd be happy. The delivery was pitch perfect and always makes me laugh, while also being deadly serious.

Coulson- Clark Gregg's best role by far and the small amount of fanboying here just humanized his normally very stoic disposition so well. So glad they did opt to bring him back and in style.

I'm a huge Mark Ruffalo fan, both as an actor and just as a human being. It was incredibly difficult to come in after Edward Norton to fill this role but he nailed it. The moment when he tells about how he tried to commit suicide and the Hulk spat the bullet back out breaks my heart every time. There's obviously a lot of parable here about learning how to channel your anger. I personally think anger has gotten a bad rap, especially among women and activists. Righteous anger, as Starfire might say (yes, I know, I'm daring to mix DC and Marvel again, fight me later), is a powerful motivator. Anger can fuel us to change that which needs changing, but it has to be directed. Hulk shows that well enough. But I also appreciate the slow realization by Banner throughout the film that the Hulk is less crazed, destructive monster and more protector. We're not *there* just yet by the end, there's still some concern, but he's beginning that process of acceptance and understanding.

Captain America is mostly well written here, particularly in demonstrating he doesn't just follow the U.S. or orders blindly any more. He still sees himself as a soldier, but when Tony and Bruce alert him to the smell of fish in the air, he goes looking for answers. This is key character development for him as there was a time where he would have considered himself more bound to higher-ranking officials. However, I would wager Marvel regrets the one "God" comment they made in there as it doesn't really fit him overall.

Stark and Thor perform well, I just don't have a lot of commentary for either. Their rivalry is solid, though the idea that Thor would leave his brother unattended, even in remote mountains, seems unlikely.

I will also argue for more women sooner but that ship has sailed. I had forgotten about Thanos in the post- credits scene, so that was a good addition.

Note for me

Directed by: Joss Whedon

🍌  :    is my muse inclined to help others,  or will they only do it when it benefits them,  if at all?  what makes them this way?  has it ever gotten them into trouble,  or inconvenienced them? For Samson and Leader

@awkward-snake-girl

While Samson isn't a good person, he does try to be. I know it really doesn't come off that way in the stuff we've written but he does try his best to be a good person, but how well his efforts are received or how Samson presents his help can be recieved in various ways. Often he might do things that her perceives as best for someone else without consulting them or makes assumptions that what he will do will help them.

Samson genuinely wants to help people and often fails to consider the fact that some people might not want his help or simply need a diffrent type of help that he, a white cisgender man who grew up with a good deal of privilege, would understand.

As for Samuel, he is for the most part selfish. This is something born out of the fact that no one really helped him in the past and he widely believes in self gratification. A lot of the time when he was a villain, Samuel would often do favours with the expectation of being repaid or given something in return, but after he becomes a person who commits slightly less terrible crimes, Samuel does often do things for others without expecting anything back and giving gifts is his love language without having to openly confront any feelings.

However, Samuel has a similar issue where often he will just...disregard boundaries if he deems it good enough. I've had threads where he's killed people for my partner's muse (WITH OOC consent of course!) Or done something else horrific purely for that other person's benefit. A good example of this is that Samuel WOULD kill Lana and choose to never tell Mattie about it or if a situation was dire enough, Samuel would choose to mutate Mattie and take the risk of her dying on an experiment than simply never trying at all. Its almost like abandonment issues give you weird boundaries. Hm.

SPN has so much spinoff potential and so much canon to work with, it's such a waste that none of it's getting used. This post is just all of my spinoff ideas, I'll apologize in advance because it is VERY long.

Wayward Sisters, obviously. There are so many possible storylines to work with, so many stories to tell. I'd really love to see some Charlie, Eileen, or Krissy Chambers cameos. I think that Charlie and Claire would get along really well (just read this post). Rowena is another character that I think could easily be worked into the canon. She could teach the girls all kinds of magic and be the fun wine aunt that spoils the girls on their birthdays. I don't think that Claire would like her very much, but, Rowena and Alex would probably get along just fine. How much I need this in my life: 1000000000000000000000000/10 when I heard that this idea had been tossed out I was so angry. Why doesn't this exist?

Men of Letters prequel that's mostly set in the bunker. This show could really expand on the canon lore and give us some more background on the Men of Letters, as well as any other similar/rival organizations that were around before the main show's time. The Men of Letters have so much story potential for a spin-off; corrupt leadership, new monsters, other organizations, expanding the MoL to outside the U.S. Episodes could be in a monster-of-the-week (MOTW) format, starting and ending with the Man of Letters the case is assigned to making notes in his journal or case file or talking about the case, as well as the overall season arcs. Episodes would be titled by their case number, i.e S1 E1 Case No. 1925-4, etc How much I need this in my life: 1000000/10, the supernatural/historical drama combo would be absolutely stunning.

A series focusing on all of the alternate timelines and universes, both the ones mentioned in the main show and ones just randomly created for an episode. There are infinite possibilities. Each episode would be in a MOTW format, but with different versions of Sam and Dean. The HunterCorp universe, Jared and Jensen from the French Mistake, a universe where their names are switched, a universe where Dean went to college and was the one with the demon blood powers, a universe where they drive a Mustang instead of the Impala, a universe where Sam isn't scared of clowns. I could go on, but I'm going to stop myself here. How much I need this in my life: 9/10 I think it would be pretty funny, but it's not my best idea.

A Bobby and Rufus spin-off where they talk about cases they worked on together or with other hunters, but the stories are told similarly to Tall Tales. It's the same story but told from different points of view depending on who's talking. I wish we'd gotten to see more of Bobby and Rufus because I think those two are hilarious and really think that this could be funny, even if it was just a web series with twenty-minute episodes. How much I need this in my life: 10/10, I love Bobby and Rufus and I think that they have a lot of interesting hunting stories to tell.

GHOSTFACERS GHOSTFACERS GHOSTFACERS. How much I need this in my life: 100000000000000000000000/10, I love the Ghostfacers. That's my whole idea.

A Jack-centric show that's almost a political drama. Jack is the ruler of heaven and is constantly being manipulated by angels, demons, and Death herself. He just wants to make an afterlife paradise, but power-hungry angels won't leave him alone. Remember that Jack is very young and trusting by nature, so there is a lot of potential for disaster if he gets goaded into doing something, like making new universes or ending existing ones. Cas is a main character and he does his best to protect Jack, but he has to be careful to not seem overprotective/like another manipulator or Jack won't trust him either. I have no idea if I'm making any sense, but shoutout to me if I am. For some reason, I've always thought that heaven would be an interesting setting for a spin-off, and those angels are pretty similar to power-hungry politicians. How much I need this in my life: 800/10, I would totally watch this.

A very short series that just destroys the canon finale. Twelve episodes, detailing the storylines that were ignored or destroyed by Carry On. E1: Rescuing Cas from the Empty and he and Dean have a long talk about their ~feelings~. They kiss, and for the first time, Dean’s mind is free of doubt about whether or not anyone could ever love all of him. E2: Eileen returns. She says nothing when she sees Dean and Cas holding hands, just raises her eyebrow and smiles knowingly. Some excellent movie night content. E3: 1 year later. Sam and Eileen’s wedding. Dean and Cas aren’t legally married, but their matching gold rings are very prominently shown. It isn’t mentioned. The wedding is almost canceled because of the rain, but with a wave of Jack’s hand the clouds disappear and the birds start to sing. E4: Sam and Eileen have moved out of the Bunker. Cas finally convinces Dean to downsize, so they find a little house in Lawrence and settle down. Cas works as a special ed teacher. Dean works as a mechanic. Miracle loves the backyard but makes sure to stay away from the beehives in the back corner. E5: Sam and Eileen’s twins, Mary and Maura, are born. Dean and Cas love their nieces, and Jack loves them too. He doesn’t know what to call himself, so they settle on Uncle and call it good. E6: Deaths. They all die old. Cas’s vessel has aged, but he can’t die, so when Dean finally passes away in his sleep, Cas scatters his ashes in the woods and disappears, ascending to heaven, to spend eternity with Dean. The closing scene is a dark screen, with the whoosh of wings and a soft “Hello, Dean.” OK. That was a long one. My apologies. How much I need this in my life: 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000/10. I would reach nerdvana thirty seconds into episode one.

Another spinoff of that idea is just...Dean and Cas living a normal life. Short episodes. Cas goes to the grocery store. Dean drags Cas to a horror movie fan convention. Cas meets a roomba. How much I need this in my life: I can’t type enough zeroes to express it.

Campbell prequel that focuses on Mary and her childhood. Mary being raised as a hunter but not being allowed on hunts. Mary rushing home to finish her chemistry homework so she can help her dad track a nest of vampires moving east. Mary missing her prom to help Samuel on a hunt. Mary trying to keep her real life secret from John, a man she knows loves the parts of her he knows about. Mary always being an outsider, the kindest and most beautiful girl in her class, but so slow to trust and quick to speak that everyone is afraid to be her friend. Mary is a character that has the potential a lot more development, for twelve seasons she’s the burning martyr in every Winchester’s imagined paradise. She deserves more. How much I need this in my life: 11/10, Mary isn’t my favorite character but I would die for her.

Gabriel spin-off. That’s it, that’s the idea. How much I need this in my life: 10000000/10, Gabriel is a character that we don’t know a lot about so there are so many possible directions for a story about him to go.

Show set in the SPN universe that doesn’t really interact with the main show’s canon. It’s about two cops in the 30s that become hunters by accident. After investigating the apparent suicide of a hunter in their small town, they become enthralled by her library, filled with books about ghosts and vampires. They pour over her journals on their own time, fascinated by what they’re reading. They get to know the hunter through her writings, her accounts of her hunts and travels. Eventually, a nest of vampires settles in the town and the two put their newfound knowledge to the test. This show would just be based on canon lore, there wouldn’t be any mention of the Winchesters or other main characters, although a few MoL team-ups is definitely a possibility. The two become quite a team, tracking werewolf backs on bulletin boards in their basements and hoarding rock salt. How much I need this in my life: 89/10, I think this could be really interesting and I am a sucker for historical hunters.

Speaking of historical hunters-Samuel Colt prequel. Cowboys, vampires, cowpires. Hunting in the wild west, galloping across the prairie chasing a pack of werewolves. This show could also tell us a lot about how different types of monsters spread across the U.S. Ghosts will go anywhere people go, but what about vampires? Shapeshifters? Ghouls? What was it like to hunt without technology to help with research? The hunters in this series would be the authors of the journals that modern hunters use every day. They’re the ones that tested tracking and trapping methods. Again, no idea if this is making sense, but I think that a supernatural western would be really awesome and would expand/substantiate the canon lore. How much I need this in my life: 1000000000000000000000000000000/10, I love cowboys and I love Supernatural. This is literally the best thing that could ever happen to me.

Crowley. I want to know more about him. A series that tells us all about Fergus Roderick MacLeod, starting with when he was born in Scotland and ending with his death in All Along the Watchtower. We know that Rowena was his mother, that he was a tailor, that he sold his soul for an extra three inches ~down there~, and that he was a terrible dad. I want to know more about his childhood, about the people he made deals with, about how he became king of the crossroads and of Hell. Crowley was a very interesting character that was abused by the story. I want to know more about him. How much I need this in my life: 10000000000000000000000000000000000000/10, I really do love Crowley and I would watch this a thousand times over.

Final idea: MOTW only. No season arc, no overall storyline. New hunters every episode, from all different times, from over the world. All kinds of monsters. One episode in Victorian England, the next in 1990s Los Angeles. Very few recurring characters, if any. The recurring characters would be the Bobby Singers of the world; the lore guys that you call when you need help. Each new character has their own style, own car, own music, own personality. The show could have some a m a z i n g guest stars because they’d only appear in a few episodes. There are so many possibilities for episodes, even if they weren’t full length. How much I need this in my life: 100000/10, I love MOTW episodes and would really like to get to know the characters. It would be very easy to write one-off fanfics for this show, and also very easy to introduce this show’s characters into Supernatural’s canon.

You made it to the end!!!!!!!! That’s all I have for now. Sorry for writing so much, I just can’t stop thinking about SPN and all of the wasted stories.

A story, I've never finished. (Fae! Anti's backstory.)

(A story began by the lovely @lavenderamy )

My name is Anti well, that’s the title I gave myself after the accident that changed my life forever. I died and I still am very much dead, the is no real way to escape that fact anymore no matter how much I want to hide it. The day “it” killed me and left this hellish scar across my neck as a reminder to what I once was, what I am now, and what I will always be. My life was so wonderful before that happened, I was a regular fae, growing up with my protectors, well what you humans call mother’s and father’s, they were so lovely and yet thinking about them hurts. My older sister Niamh and older brother Samuel were just peachy towards me, every day I loved it and loved them. My childhood was fucking amazing, it was just the only time where I was truly happy and didn’t hate myself for who I am today.

I grew up in Ireland, we lived underground in old fairy mounds, across the western sea, in an invisible world that coexists with the world of humans. I was adopted by my protector Maeve, she was my world after my father left and my human mother died, I lived with her for years learning as much as I could about the aes sídhe. I was a Gancanagh, which means ‘love-talker’, I was a male fairy being of the same tribe as the leprechaun, but, unlike them, we personated love and idleness, it was considered very unlucky to meet us, and whoever was known to have ruined his fortune by devotion to the fair sex was said to have met a gancanagh. I was just a baby when Maeve found me, being held tight by my dying mother who held on just long enough to ask this of her. “Please take care of my baby, I know not where his father went but I know that he mustn’t stay in this world, would you grant me the wish of keeping my baby alive?” Maeve accepted and lay my mother to rest, every time she tells that story it makes me wonder what my mother was like, and who my dad really was. Niamh and Samuel always treated me like family even if they knew I was not, we grew up together and they would always be so nice to me, hell every one of them was nice to me even though I was different.

I spent most of my time outside talking to the animals who understood me and I them, listening to the trees tell me how they felt about Maeve’s gardening, (she apparently was terrible at it), no matter what it always made me smile. The sounds of the forest was my lullaby, nothing was more calming to me than rain, the soft pitter-patter or even the heavy thunderous sounds and lightning flashes. Everything about this place was so perfect, just to be able to sit down in the grass, play with the horses, sheep, cows, and chickens, plant vegetables and fruits to have as a snack or for supper. I loved to help Maeve and Niamh out, with the instructions of the trees, by the way, they would always mock them for being terrible at everything when it came to being outside, in their eyes, they even breathed wrong. I loved the way they kinda hated everyone but me, that made me feel so warm and happy inside, even the animals loved me, I would really be the only one who talked to them, brush them, feed them, and play with them, we had a sheepdog that somehow wandered into our world, the truth about our dog was that it was a shapeshifter and came here to be protected by us. My infancy wasn’t something that was memorable, when I was four I let the dog in through the window to feed him and then go to bed. His name was Kylee and man was he fun, we were best friends, we ate together, played together, slept together, and bathed together, even if Maeve didn’t approve of the last one, we would go to splash around in the local river just for fun! At five I had just learned that he could talk and we would whisper until Maeve yelled at us to go to bed. I was six when I finally was allowed out by myself, I always let Kylee tag along with me, I made him a seashell and vine bracelet that he kept.

When I was seven Maeve left us. She was gone for days and neither Niamh nor Samuel knew where she had gone. I kept asking every single day, even during most of the night I couldn’t sleep, cause I was worried about her. I wanted her home. I didn’t want to be alone anymore. I wanted my Ma to come back. Some days I became unresponsive, I wouldn’t eat, I wouldn’t go outside, I couldn’t sleep and I refused to talk to anyone. I just wanted to see her again, I didn’t want her to leave me again… She kept so many secrets from us but whenever she came back, she would act like nothing happened. I needed to know what she was keeping from us, so one night while everyone was sleeping, I snuck into her room. I knew that it was wrong but I needed to know what she was doing, who she talked to, why she got so many letters from the same person, why they would make her leave us…

Leave me…

I twisted her doorknob slightly to check if it was locked. A soft click was heard as the door creaked open and I walked in, letting it slowly creak closed behind me. Why would she leave her door open? That’s stupid but at the same time, good since it wouldn’t draw suspicion to everyone else, but to me that makes it worse. No one ever questioned her or her actions and even still, we couldn’t place why she wouldn’t tell us anything about where she would go. I was a very curious child and though I had a strong head on my shoulders, I couldn’t help but want to make sure she wasn’t involved in something she shouldn’t be. I carefully walked around her room, making sure not to make any kind of noise. I looked around the contents of her room and walked over to her bed, slowly setting myself down onto it, with a minuscule creak. I felt something stab my leg making me jerk in the other direction, only to hit the wall with a soft thud noise. “Fuck that hurt…” I whispered and covered my mouth immediately afterward. I didn’t want Kylee to hear me or find me in here alone, let alone risk waking Niamh up from her beauty sleep. If I woke her, man that would not end well for me. She got extremely cranky when she hasn’t gotten enough sleep and though Sam would wake himself up, he still would never be as bad as she was when she didn’t want to be awake. I turned around to find the sharp object and pulled it out of the bed slowly, my eyes widened as I realized what it was.

A knife…

Why would she have a knife in her bed?

It didn’t cut me, luckily enough I was fine but even though I was okay that doesn’t mean I won’t be asking her about it later or keeping this pretty knife. I slipped off the bed and landed on my left hand, sliding the knife into the pocket on my right side and set myself down on my legs. A soft creak escaped the floor as I made my way towards her desk, pulling at each one, the top drawer was full of trash and pictures that I made when I was younger, just stupid scribbles but I was happy that she at least kept them. The second drawer was filled with writing equipment, there was this really pretty fountain pen that Niamh and I made for her, I closed the drawer then made my way to the last one. The third drawer was filled to the brim with letters from “The Fairy Queen”? Who the hell was that? I haven’t heard of her but still, she sounded important, I guess. I put the letter back and closed up the drawer only to jump when I heard a soft knock on her door.

Oh shit! I need to hide but where?

I hastily searched around until I spotted her closet and ran inside of it, closing it before her door was opened. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I didn’t close that drawer! No! Fuck, I’m such an idiot, shit! Please don’t find me!

Eight through eleven weren’t very fun for me, I was still trying to find my place as an adopted child and everyone was trying to keep an open mind but there were these boys who just hated me for no reason.

When I talked to Maeve about how she happened to meet my mother, she would always tell me that she was on a mission to find a runaway Fae in the name of The Fairy Queen. Though she never told me who she was looking for before she found me, I always wanted to ask but never found the courage to do so. Throughout the time I lived with them she would always disappear and leave Samuel in charge; Niamh took care of me as best as she could and even now we get along quite well. Samuel kept to himself most of the time, he would go outside and sit under trees to draw or practice the flute, something that Niamh made him after coming in contact with some things that washed up on shore. She loved to tinker with random things and make Sam, Ma, herself and I things; my favorite would have to be the pearl necklace she would always wear, same went for Ma, she would wear the gold and sapphire earrings that Niamh made. Kylee spent most of his time with me and I never understood why he loved hanging out with me, though no matter what everyone would always look at him weirdly. I never understood why they wouldn’t talk about most things whenever he was around but I just brushed it off as it was inappropriate for me to hear.

I was 12 at the time when Niamh called out for me, to come into the mound but once again I didn’t want to because me and Kylee were having fun. It was early May and close to my birthday, though late in the afternoon and I was just soaking up the light rain and crisp air with him. “Anlon! Anlon Caoimhe O'Keeffe! Come here ya crazy lad! Ma wants to talk ta you!” I ran over towards her and gave her a big hug, Kylee licked all over her and my face. “What’s the craic, Niamh?” I asked but was muffled by her breasts, she laughed as I pulled away with blush against my face. I have always had a crush on her, even though I knew it was strange, she was 7 years older than me, but nowhere near related to me. I loved her but hated her partner, he was just the worst in my eyes but that was only because of jealousy, I felt she deserved better even if it meant younger, I was willing to do anything for her but she just laughed and kissed my cheeks. She treated me like I was a child like I didn’t know what I was talking about, I was a quick-witted lad but what she needed was a man and that was all me, baby!

“I don’t know, Ma just wanted me to get ya! Go ask her that questions, Anlon. You cheeky lad, now Kylee come and get yer supper.” Kylee followed her so quickly, you would have sworn she had put him under a spell. “Ma! Where are ya at?” Maeve answered me from afar. “In the sitting room lad, come here!” Great, what did I do now? I haven’t been bad in weeks, at least I hope not, maybe it was because of Kylee and I playing in the river without her permission? I never got in trouble for it now so what changed, maybe I should have told her before we left but she never asks anyway. I walk into the sitting room and cozy up next to Maeve. “What’s the craic, Ma?” She looked over at me and ran her hands through my soft brown curls, gently and very slowly. “Anlon, I know you understand what it means when you’re adopted, right?” I nodded slowly with a smile. “Good, now you understand how it may feel for Niamh ta have to know ya have an American term 'crush’ on her. She doesn’t feel it’s right, because we basically raised you after the passing of your mother.” I push her hand out of my hair and frowned. “Really! That’s all ya called me for?! Ta tell me that I have a crush on someone who’s been there for me, my entire life and has loved me unconditionally! Ma why you know that was really a private matter that you blurted out in front of Samuel and the person this matter concerns!” I got carried away, I didn’t mean to yell it just came out that way. “Calm down, Anlon I know this is hard for ya, but you still have ta consider yer sister’s side of the tale.” I didn’t care what Niamh wanted to say right now, I just wanted to go sit in my room and talk to Kylee. “Fine what’s up, Niamh?” I asked with a frown, I was so fucking pissed at her. “Anlon, I’m sorry for telling Ma about this, but ya know it’s weird for you ta like me in that way, right? Because no matter what laddie, I’m your sister and I don’t want you ta get any ideas once yer older. I will only see you as my beautiful baby brother, nothing more, nothing less.” She calmly stated and went to hug me, I punched her in the gut and screamed at her. “I don’t want a fucking hug, you stupid bitch! You betray me then think I’ll forgive ya in three seconds! No! That’s not how this shit works, I’m going upstairs with Kylee, don’t fucking bother ta come get me for supper, I’m not hungry…” Everyone looked at me with concerned but surprised faces. “Anlon, I’m sorry-”

“No Niamh, don’t you fucking dare try ta apologize ta me! I don’t want ta hear it, just leave me alone! I hate you so much right now, no little apology will change that!” I ran up to my room, well the little space where I slept.

Kylee followed behind me, walking into my room and closed the door with his nose. “Kylee why is everyone so stupid?” He licked my face and rolled onto his back, panting and barking softly for me to rub and scratch his belly. “Fine you silly dog, one tummy rub then yer gonna answer that question.” I scooted over to him and rubbed his tummy, making his tail wag and his ears perk up. “Anlon, that’s enough, now to the question. I believe your sister was just trying to protect your feelings, instead of just outright telling you no, she chose to involve Maeve who she thought could break the news to you easily but in the end, it did not go as planned. Understand this Anlon, she’s not stupid, just concerned about you likeing her and you could have dealt with the panic better than that, you hurt Niamh and called her a bitch. How do you think she feels now?” I looked at him and kissed his nose. “You always know what to say Kylee, but I shouldn’t have ta apologize to her! She hurt me before I even got the chance ta, maybe even explain why I liked her, I could’ve at least tried to make it not seem weird between us. Thank you for listening to me Kylee, now who wants more belly rubs?!” I rubbed his tummy and giggled as he kissed me all over my face. “You’re nasty, Kylee stop it!” He sat down and looked at me with wide puppy dog eyes. “Sorry Anlon, wanna take another bath?” I hugged him and he hugged me back. “Yeah, but how do I sneak passed Ma?” He ran towards the door and scratched it. “You wanna leave?” He barked happily and continues to scratch the door, I opened the door and let him out. He dashed down the hallway and I followed behind without hesitation, watching him jump up and lick all over my Maeve’s face.

I snuck passed him but bumped into Samuel and quietly begged for him to let me pass, thankfully he doesn’t really care about arguments. “Anlon where do you think you’re going?” Niamh called out from the living room and Maeve finally calmed Kylee down. “To tha river ta clean myself off, Kylee licked all over me and it feels nasty.” She gave me a bewildered face and looked over to Kylee, who was rolling around in the floor. “Kylee show yourself before I skin ya alive!” His ears twitched and he stopped moving completely, slowly raising up onto his hind legs and becoming more human-like. Once his fur and animalistic features were almost gone, Maeve wrapped his lower half in a towel, cause dogs are usually naked and she wasn’t sure if he would be too. He was just wearing a pair of black shorts and the bracelet I made him when I was six. “Yes Niamh what is it that you need of me?” She walked over calmly and slapped him, I have no idea what he did wrong but hey as long as she didn’t slap me I was cool with it. She turned towards me, I may have spoken too soon, but she didn’t lay a hand on me, she just went back into the living room. “I understand why you lay your hand on me, young Niamh. I will do everything in my power to right this wrong. Come now Anlon, let’s take a bath and then maybe enjoy some supper once we’ve completely cleaned ourselves.” What the fuck does he mean by 'righting this wrong’? What did he do wrong? I have so many questions that my head hurts, but I’ll ask them when we’re far away from the mound where they can’t hear us.

I opened the door and walked out quickly, dragging Kylee along with me, he stayed in his human form the entire time we ran away. “Anlon, what’s the matter?” He asked and I stopped to look at him. “Pick me up so I can kiss it to make you feel better.” Now, Kylee was an adult and much taller than I was, but he treated me like I was an adult even if I wasn’t at all. “Yes of course Anlon.” He picked me up and looked into my eyes and I looked into his as well, he was so pretty and strong. I loved how soft his hair was, how quiet his breathing was, his embrace was calming and his bare chest was warm, his smile was inviting and yet mischievous, but best of all he let me kiss away his boo-boo. “What are you thinking about, Anlon?” I looked at him and blushed, staying silent and finished kissing his cheek to make him feel better. “Nothing Kylee, let’s get cleaned up alright?” He put me down and grabbed my hand gently, just to make sure I didn’t run off. It was okay to love him, he’s my best friend, we grew up together, technically we did.

He was already a teenager when we met and I was four years old, he would keep me warm at night even if Maeve didn’t know he was in the house, I would let him in through the window and feed him, then go to bed. “Anlon, once we get to the river I have to tell you something.” I looked up at him with a small smile and pinched his side. “I know that, I was gonna ask you about what happened anyways. When we get there can we dive and swim together?” He pinched my cheek and picked me up by the arm, lifting me up into his arms and kissed my forehead. “Of course we can. We can do whatever you want to do, just ask me and your wish is my command, young Anlon.” We made our way down towards the river and noticed some other kids were splashing around in the water, not that I minded but I just wanted it to be me and Kylee this time. I wanted to just be alone to talk about what the fuck just happened, I mean I could shoo my friends away but they would just try to pick on me like they always did, I was shorter than them, more feminine, and always hung out with Kylee, like I depended on the dog, which I kinda did. I needed him more than anything sometimes, the thoughts that I would have were worrisome and Maeve would always ask him to help me sort them out. Even though I never understood why she would always turn to him when I had those kinds of thoughts but I’m not complaining, he had a way around words that I could never wrap my head around. It sounded so sweet and persuasive, I wanted to sound like that especially whenever Niamh would bother me, I could sweet talk her into making me some porridge or giving me some honey.

“Kylee is there anyway you could ask them to maybe move just a tad, so we can talk about this and not be interrupted?” He let me down and walked over to my friends, soon they moved over to the other side of the river. “Anlon! You may now bathe!” He called out and I ran towards him, and jumped into the river, clothes and all. “Maybe you should have taken off your clothing first, that would have been smarter.” He sat down on the moist ground and watched me, not like stalking me but more caring, like a parent making sure their kids didn’t run off to find the fountain of youth and get lost. “Come in with me! We still need ta talk about this Kylee! You said we could swim and dive together anyway!” I looked at him with wide eyes and a pouty face, with the quivering bottom lip, it gets him everytime. “Yes I do recall saying that I will be doing that with you, however if you wish to have me explain why young Niamh slapped me, I must refrain from jumping in so quickly. Do not fret Anlon, I will join you shortly.” He ran his hand through my hair and smiled at me, those mercury eyes always scared me but at the same time they intrigued me. What secrets lie behind those beautiful eyes, I would love to know everything there was to know about him.

“Anlon, the reason why Niamh slapped me was because I was helping you get out of the mound once again, she dislikes that I always help you out of any situation, no matter how childish it may be. I treat you as if we are father and son, all I want for you is to be happy and have fun and experience a childhood instead of dwelling on your past, as to how you never had a real mother or father. I enjoy your company as you do mine, Samuel and Maeve may not care as much but Niamh seems to want to make sure you have more discipline than you already possess and I find her to be very conceited even if she doesn’t want to admit it. Now I will dive in with you but do tell me your opinion on the matter at hand.” I grabbed his hand and tugged at it. “C'mon Kylee!” I knew that I wasn’t strong enough to pull him into the river but I will try my hardest no matter what. “Alright Anlon, I’ll join you.” He got up and walked into the river with me, he never winced at the sudden cold or even extreme heat, it’s like he didn’t feel the change whatsoever. I hugged him and he hugged back, he was so warm and calm, I could take a nap on him right now. “Don’t get too comfortable, we still have to enjoy Maeve’s supper. Once we are done, then you may rest with me.” I drew little circles against his chest and pinched his nipple. “Mwuhaha! I’m evil and you can’t stop me!” I let him go and swam away as fast as possible, creating a distance between us before he completely caught me off guard.

I bumped into him even though he was behind me a few seconds ago, I looked at him with a wry smile and dove under the water quickly. He grabbed my ankles and lifted me out of the water with the silliest grin on his face. “You forgot that I can teleport, didn’t you?” I tried to punch him but my arms were too short and I hated him for having long arms! “Fuck you and your long arms! That’s so unfair! I want teleportation!” It seemed like such a cool power to have, all you have to do is imagine where you want to go and you can just go there! I want that power so much, it looked so fun! “If you want to learn how to hone in on your own powers then I can help you.” My eyes widened with excitement, and I almost vibrated out his hands. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Please Kylee, teach me!!!” I blurted out and got a loud laugh out of him. “Calm down Anlon, your friends are looking at you very strangely, but I will help you with those powers of yours. Especially your ability to phase through objects, still haven’t the fainted clue as to how you gained that ability.” He released my ankles and I fell back into water, landing on my hands and flipped onto my feet. I looked at him with a cheeky grin and laughed before answering him.

“Maeve said my Ma had this power! I don’t know how she knew about it but I feel like I’m closer to her just by using this power and embracing my humanity! Also yeah Niamh and I have always had a very awkward relationship, though we both love each other, it got very weird when I began ta see her as someone aside from my sister, I began to feel warm inside whenever I was around her, not in a good way either. The feeling was more like I wanted to kiss her on the lips, not on the cheeks like we usually do, I don’t like this feeling that I have but there is also some jealousy towards her partner and I just want ta make it all stop. I don’t want to feel this way about her, I hate it so much, why does she have be so fucking hot, it’s driving me mad! The way her beautiful golden eyes with chartreuse-lime speckles light up whenever she finds something on the beach or in the woods that she can tinker with, her deliciously chubby pear-shaped body and those ta die for hazelnut freckles, fuck me! Her wings, damn I can’t even try to describe her wings they’re just too gorgeous! Her fair vanilla skin, round eyes, beautiful pink lips, her smile is like a breath of spring, and her voice is soft like summer rain whenever she talks or sees me, the way the beauty mark above her lips moves when she smiles as well as her teeth that shimmered like ivory, her beautiful long curly ginger hair with gold and white strands, I would love to brush through all of it… Her ginger hair and sparkling eyes flashed like the morning sun on the horizon. The long elegant red and green dress that she favors, tickles my fancy as well, those are two of my favorite colors and she rocks them with all the confidence in the world! Niamh Zinovia O'Keeffe! Why do you make me hurt and yet feel so good at the same time?” I covered my eyes and curled into a ball, slowly sinking in the water, before someone pulled me out of water.

“Don’t let Niamh hear you talk about her like that or she’ll avoid you.” Samuel looked at me, those scarlet-cherry eyes with arctic blue speckles and a small grin on his face. “Hey Sam, what’re ya doing out here?” I asked sheepishly as he carries me to land and just drops me. “Mom wanted me to come and get you for supper. Dry off and get your glad eyed self in the fucking mound.” He walked off not even checking to see if I was okay, though he did laugh quietly to himself. I hope he didn’t hear all of that, I would fucking slit my throat if he heard all of that shit. He dropped towels on Kylee, when did he have time to do that? Kylee handed me the towels and a change of clothes, that I didn’t even see Sam give to him. “Come now and get dried off Anlon, we mustn’t be late for supper. Maeve would have our heads if we don’t show up on time, if we’re late again for what was it? The 7th time, I believe? I’m happy that she is very forgiving of our absence but this time she refuses to overlook it.” He hands me the towels and the spare clothing, ushering me into the woods to change while he stands guard. “Her supper isn’t even that good sometimes, that’s why I skip it!” I laughed and he joined in shortly, eventually we both calmed down just as I finished drying off and getting dressed. “I’m supposed to be the dog and even I don’t like her cooking. She doesn’t know how to season properly, so it all just comes out bland.”  We both laughed extremely loud and hard that I started to wheeze and snort. “Calm down, Anlon. Do not exasperate your condition, do you want me to carry you into the mound, so that you may catch your breath?” My long black lashes were slack with tears, as I nodded my head and coughed. He gently picked me up by my waist and held me against his chest. His breathing was quiet and calm, even as he sped towards the mound. “Kylee, can I ask you something?” I whispered. “Yes well technically you just did ask me a question, but what is it that you wish to ask of me?” He replied sweetly even if he was being an ass at first.

“Can I you be my dad, since I don’t have one?” He slowed down to a stop right in front of the mound and looked at with a shocked expression. “What brought on this? I mean yes, of course I would love to but this will only be between us, Niamh, Samuel, and Maeve cannot know about this. Do I make myself clear?” His eyes lit up and grew darker just as he finished his sentence. “Crystal, but can you put me down before we go in?” He set me down and opened the door. “Anlon! You both are just in time, Kylee would you like to join us at the table?” Maeve asked and he bowed, which for some reason he always did towards her and Niamh. “Yes Maeve, I would love to join you at the table. Thank you for your generous offer and I wholeheartedly apologize for being late those other seven times, yet you forgave our tardiness with you endless generosity.” He kissed the back of her hand and sat down next to me. “Kylee what was that about?” He placed a finger over his lips and smiled softly, giving me the signal to be quiet and wait until later. We sat there and ate our dinner, this time the porridge was sweet, flavored with vanilla, orange, and honey. “Ma! This tastes so good!” I said with my mouth full, taking large gluttonous spoonfuls and shoveling them into my mouth. “I didn’t make it, Niamh did. She came up with the flavors and just the right consistency it should be.” I stopped and glared at her, coughing a bit.

“Well then, it tastes like shit. I’ve lost my appetite, c'mon Kylee let’s go.” I got up and went to my room, opening the door just long enough for Kylee to come in, then I slammed the door behind me. “That was uncalled for, she went out of her way to cook for you and you basically spit it in her face! Do you know how sad she looked once you said that!?” I looked at him with blush across my face. “I like that you care about this silly fight we’re having. Niamh is my sister and I’ll have ta accept that fact for now, I’ll say sorry tomorrow, but for right now I’m tired.” He grabbed my lotion and passed it to me. “You did just finish a bath and the smell always helped you sleep.” I took it from him and used it on my arms, legs, face, tummy and chest, that was all I could reach. Kylee grabbed my lotion and took some out, slowly lifting my shirt and putting the lotion on my back, rubbing small circles as he massaged my back. He pressed my face against his chest and picked me up, slowly laying down on the bed with me on top of him. “Anlon, I bid you a good night’s rest.” I laughed a little bit but got quiet as he covered us up and rubbed larger circles into my back. “Nighty-night Daidí.” I listened to him yawn as my mouth did the same, I rested my head. Right before I fully drifted of to sleep, I felt a soft kiss placed atop my head. “Sweet dreams, my son.” I smiled softly as I finally went to sleep wrapped in warm scents, very thick covers and my best friends arms.