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itmighthavebeenintentional · 3 years

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We've Got Tonight - Ch 4

Summary: “It’s not your job to do this, Andy. You make people happy. I was in the diner all of ten minutes, and you knew exactly how to get me to smile. You do normal, real things like garden and sing karaoke. Saving the world is my job, Sam’s job. Sometimes it’s even Cas’s job, but it’s not yours.”

Inspired by Bob Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonight”

Warnings: Major Character Death, More Major Character Deaths (sort of?), higher than show level violence, blood, light smutting, language, demons, apocalypse, inferred suicide, cult activity.

18+ ONLY, MINORS DO NOT PROCEED

Author’s Note: This story is set hazily around season 8. Just squint a little, and it’ll settle in somewhere. I wrote this story after certain big revelations in the show, but before other big ones; you’ll most likely be able to tell which. I play with time a bit in the story itself, so if things seem out of order, they are. Hopefully, by the end, all the pieces will fit together.

What the hell, let’s give it a shot.

EXTRA WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS THE SOURCE OF MOST OF THE WARNINGS FOR THE STORY. Please don't kill me. THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER, I PROMISE. It's not over yet. I can't promise you won't hate me when it's over, but I will not leave you here. There's more.

Image and major edits by the incomparable @there-must-be-a-lock . Heavy editing and cheering by @thoughtslikeaminefield . Thank you both so much.

In case you missed it: Chapter 3 ItMightHaveBeenintentional’s Masterlist

...

We’ve Got Tonight

Ch 4

Pre-dawn is too damn cold, she decides. She has to visually check that her fingers are actually doing up the buttons to her ragged denim jacket. She lost sensation in her hands a while back, and it’s the only way to make sure they’re actually doing their job. Her jacket is utterly unsuitable for the current temperature, but she doesn’t expect to need it for much longer.

Just before sunrise, Crowley told her.

The sky is already lightening on the horizon, the medium gray more obvious than she would have thought against the stark black, but, then, she’s never had much occasion to be out quite this late before. She’s usually done at the diner by six, singing at the club by ten, and in bed by two at the latest. She hopes Crowley is punctual. She can’t decide if the waiting or the cold is worse.

Except that, yes, she really can. The waiting is definitely worse.

The sound of shifting gravel pulls her out of her thoughts, and she turns to find the King of Hell himself smiling beatifically at her. She shivers, not bothering to search out the source of her discomfort, as she is rather spoiled for choice at the moment. She’s out in the freezing dark, about to hand over her life and soul to a demon because deranged cultists got it into their heads that they should use her blood to start an apocalypse (and who knew there was more than one of those outside of Sunnydale, seriously).

Shivering is probably the most rational reaction she’s had in a while.

“Hello, darling. Pleasant evening with the boys?”

He’s got more sass in one off-the cuff remark than she has in her entire history, and for a moment she can only marvel at the affected innocence in his expression. It's almost convincing. She opts to remain silent rather than take his bait. He smirks, the expression natural and only a touch derisive.

“No surprises, then? No sidekicks to save you at the last minute from the bad, bad demon?”

“I thought the torture didn’t start until after you kill me,” she sighs, hugging her arms tighter around herself, a futile attempt to ward off the chill. Maybe she’s got a little spark in her, after all. He laughs, a friendly, personable chuckle that would set anyone else at ease, reassure them of his honorable, benign intentions.

“Come on, Crowley, what's the hold up? I was here on time. Can we just get this over with already? I could have gotten one more round in with Dean if we were just going to stand around, shootin’ the breeze.”

Even watching for it, she can only just see the tick in Crowley's jaw, the slightest tension that betrays...something. She doesn't know what or why, but Crowley has more than a little unhealthy obsession with the elder Winchester brother, and she is pleased she managed to crack his veneer even for the briefest moment.

At least I don't have to worry about Dean, Andy thinks, relief creeping into the sea of dread that is her stomach. Her deal with Crowley was not only about stopping the apocalypse but also keeping Sam and Dean and even Castiel safe.

“Once you're gone, I won’t harm a hair on their precious heads, nor any other part of them,” he swore to her a mere eighteen hours earlier.

“I’m hurt you don't find my company more pleasant, love,” he murmurs, taking a couple of steps closer. He slides his hands in his coat pockets, the very picture of nonchalance. “I do try my best to be cordial, even congenial, after all. But since you’re so very uncomfortable, I suppose you won't object, then, that I took the liberty of inviting a few friends whose company you seem to prefer. What a lovely party we’ll have when they get here.”

As if he’s summoned them, a pair of lights appear in the distance, growing larger with every passing moment. Headlights, she realizes; a second later, she hears the distinctive roaring of a very particular car engine, and before she can turn back to Crowley, the Impala leaps out of the darkness, skidding across the hard-packed dirt road, coming to a halt bare inches from the demon’s impeccably shined shoes.

Andy stumbles back, choking in the cloud of dust the car kicks up, only to hit something solid. Impossibly strong fingers dig into her chin, lifting her face out and away as cold, thin metal is pressed to the side of her neck, and only now does she freeze.

“Let her go, Crowley,” Dean growls, his gun drawn and aimed even before he exits the car. “This isn't her fight, and you know it!” On the other side, Sam and Castiel climb out, Sam drawing his gun and moving to flank the demon.

“I do heartily protest, sir,” Crowley says, his tone mild and conversational. The blade digs in ever so slightly under her ear, and a thin trickle of warmth slides down her skin to soak into her collar. Dean doesn't flinch, but his eyes narrow, and he readjusts his aim.

“Not only is the lady at the epicenter of this fight, she's gone and made herself the brightest star in the show. Ask her yourself, if you don’t believe me.”

“How-” she manages through fear-numbed vocal cords. Dean should be unconscious, snoring blissfully away in his bed where she left him. She made sure to leave no sort of trail they could follow, and she checked that they were all asleep or otherwise occupied before she took off.

“I wasn’t asleep, Andy,” Dean replies, leveling his gun at Crowley. “And I’ve been tracking since I was seven. Gimme some credit.”

“I wouldn't do that, if I were you, Moose.” Crowley’s words freeze Sam in his tracks, and the blade on Andy’s neck digs in a little deeper. The flow of warmth down her neck widens just a touch. The sheer smugness in Crowley’s tone sets her teeth on edge, breaking through her stupor, and she grabs the hand with the knife, pulling at it with all her might. She, of course, doesn’t make a dent in the demonic strength, but she’s got to try something.

If you asked her later, Andy would swear to you that the searing pain that drags along her neck parallel to her jaw line right then is pure Hellfire. Deep down in the darkest recesses of her mind where all the worst truths lurk, she knows she’s feeling the bite from Crowley’s knife, but in that instant all she is aware of is the agony of the wound, of Dean’s enraged roar, and the juxtaposition of Crowley’s gentle touch pressing her own fingers to something hot and slippery under her jaw.

“Hold pressure there, sweetheart, or you’ll bleed out too soon. Wouldn’t want you to miss the finale.”

Her knees buckle, and she drops, but somehow she stays upright long enough to see Crowley’s demons approach out of the darkness. She tries to warn the boys, but time moves with a dreamlike lethargy that betrays every one of her good intentions, and, anyway, her voice doesn’t seem to be working at the moment. The roar of gunfire all around her sounds faint in comparison to the rushing in her ears, and she is powerless to stop Crowley’s plans from reaching fruition.

“You...said...you wouldn’t...”

“Well, pet, you aren’t dead yet, are you? I’ve got, what, at least another three minutes before you snuff it, by my count. Plenty of time to conclude my business with the Winchesters and their featherbrained friend before you expire.”

Though he was right behind her only a moment ago, Crowley appears abruptly next to Castiel, who at the moment is distracted by two lesser demons both wielding machetes. She realizes as she watches Cas easily fend them off that they, just like Andy, are only a distraction, only bait to tempt the bigger players to overextend themselves.

Too late, she sees the perfection of Crowley’s plan. In all the confusion, she loses track of Sam, and she wrenches her eyes away from Dean’s staggering form only to watch as the angel blade in Crowley’s hand bursts through Castiel’s chest. Then her gentle, confused friend is gone in a flash. The demons vanish, and she can’t find Sam or Dean, can’t reach them, can’t make her voice work to call out.

The quiet is wrong, so out of place after the violent cacophony. The roaring is gone, the gunfire silenced, and all that’s left is a terrible wheezing, gurgling sound that takes her too long to recognize as her own labored breathing.

“Crow...ley…”

“I’m here, darling. What do you need?”

“Lying...bastard…”

“Now, now, sweetheart, are those really what you want your last words to be?” He lifts her easily from the ground, carrying her the few yards to where Dean lies sprawled in the dusty gravel. His shirt is stained black in the retreating darkness, and Andy can only be thankful that she won’t make it to sunrise to see what exact shade of red is spreading over him. Dean’s far hand scrabbles on the ground, stopping its frantic search only when it finds his brother’s.

Sam’s still form doesn’t return his brother’s grip.

“After all, I’ve done you a favor; I didn’t have to give you the opportunity to say good-bye. I can’t promise you adjoining cells, but I’m sure your torture will coincide with his occasionally,” Crowley continues conversationally, “so, really, the two of you should be thanking me that you’ll at least get occasional visiting privileges. It pays to be on good terms with the king, after all. And, who knows? After a couple hundred years of good behavior, I might even be persuaded to-”

“Why?” It’s all she can manage as he lays her on the ground. Dean reaches for her with his free hand, and she is just able to find his fingers. Their eyes meet, but her vision is blurring as breathing gets tougher, and she can’t see what he’s mouthing to her. Even his eyes, such a luminescent green only hours ago, are fading into the remaining dark of the night.

“The Winchesters, dear, it’s always been about the Winchesters. Oh, the fanatics and their doomsday ritual were real enough, as was your blood. I just simply took advantage of the situation, as any intelligent monarch would do. Settled things with the apocalypse groupies, rid myself of some major pains in my rear, and now I get you, to boot! I do love when a plan comes together.”

Dean’s fingers tighten in hers, and she tries to grip his back, but the harder she holds on, the less she can feel him.

She’s not really feeling much of anything but cold now.

“Shut...up...already.”

“Always ungrateful in the end, even after everything I do for them,” Crowley grumbles from above her. But then he does shut up, and she finally feels something besides the cold.

Relief. ...

Chapter 5

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septembersghost · 3 years

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i saw a post that said dean had to die and sam deserved to live not only because sam had to be "free" but because dean was responsible for every major death in the show. it listed john, bela, ellen and jo, kevin, charlie, mary, crowley, cas, etc as being his "fault." and i was like jess would HATE this. it's so wrong.

the most deranged, sick take in this entire fandom is the idea that Dean had to die to allow Sam to be free...as if he was some monstrous jailer holding sensitive, adjusted, normal person Sam back from having his apple pie life - the life Sam explicitly said multiple times that he no longer wanted, that he willingly had chosen to walk away from, that was never actually where he felt fulfillment or belonging. if anything, it was the other way around (and I do NOT say this as antagonism towards Sam) - Dean always chose Sam over everything, even as a child, even as a teenager, and continually as an adult. Are they mad at and shaming him for selling his soul in All Breaks Loose too? Do they think he should’ve simply allowed his brother’s murder and continued on without him there? Since we’re apparently villainizing him for rescuing Sam’s soul, and later doing whatever he could to save him after the Trials (which, as I’ve discussed here, was a flawed, difficult decision, and he hated it), I guess we should blame him for bringing Sam back and damning himself to hell too? He always put Sam ahead of himself, no matter the cost, and it’s not about morality, it merely is. (Having just seen Bad Boys, let’s take it as an example - you think Dean gives up his happiness, his newfound sense of normality, his achievements in school, his connection with Robin, his first dance, for John and hunting? No. It’s for Sam. The narrative makes it clear it’s for Sam. Sam HIMSELF knows and acknowledges this in the episode itself. And he acknowledges it many times in other situations). It’s a choice with multiple sources and multi-fold ramifications - yes, some of it stems from abuse, some of it stems from John encouraging and using Dean’s caring nature to his advantage, some of it stems from the unfair burden of responsibility that was forced upon him at the age of four, so formative and ingrained that it became a part of his identity, and that he was never allowed to let go. And if you want to look at it in that dark, cruel sense only, you could blame Sam, but it’s not his fault (it’s John’s). That said, it also stems from abiding, unwavering love and connection that is inherent to Dean, that is an essential part of Dean himself, and to take that away is to diminish who Dean is. His choices ARE made of his volition (let’s not deny his own agency when we talk about why he does things).

I say this because, conversely, the same is true of Sam. He’s not some hapless victim locked away by his overbearing brother, he very clearly makes decisions and stays and takes on what he takes on for a reason. As if Sam isn’t as obsessive and relentless when it’s Dean’s life on the line? We see it in Faith, all through S3 (and see especially Mystery Spot and Time Is On My Side), in flashback in S4 (I Know What You Did Last Summer), throughout S10 and S11, during the entire Michael arc in S14. They both take risks and chances and make terrible, fateful decisions for the other.

The idea that either one of them is nothing but some sad, captured soul unwillingly chained to the other (or that one of them is nothing but a sociopathic abuser) is so exhausting and I won’t have it.

This also assumes, somehow, that Dean’s entire raison d'être isn’t established as saving people. Which it is, literally from episode two. As if it isn’t emphasized and fundamental to the narrative that Dean takes action very often for reasons of love.

/breathes

The idea that Dean is to blame for “every” death...I can’t even broach that divide. HOW? How do you even make that work? It’s simply false, and to read the narrative that way...you have to be aiming to hate him. You have to want to hate him so much that you’re willing to erase the entire story and everyone’s characterization to get there. That’s the only answer? You have to be so vicious and so completely imperceptive and unseeing of the actual characters and the actual narrative that you make up a completely untrue one in your head that then twists the characters into cardboard cutouts that they most assuredly are NOT, taking away all complexity, all context, all responsibility and decision, all meaning, to make Dean into the unrecognizable phantom to blame. There were Sam and Cas and Jack stans advocating for suffering and violence and revenge to be perpetrated against Dean throughout S15 (and before), and not only does that do injustice to Dean, it’s also a gross misreading of the characters whom they pretend to be fans of and support. Dean dying and using his last words to comfort Sam and make sure he’s okay and raise him up however he can isn’t new or groundbreaking storytelling, it’s what he’s always done. They wanted him dead and they got what they wanted, and they will now justify it through any means possible, and it's repulsive to me, but honestly it also deeply hurts and I wish I could protect him from it, but I can’t save him from anything that the fandom or ultimately the writers did to him. So all I can do is post love for him every day that I’m on my silly little blog with my silly little words in my silly little corner of the internet for as long as I’m here, and I will. It doesn’t change anything, and it can’t protect him, and there are people with far more reach and influence than I have, I’m just this tiny voice in the massive forest expanse of the fandom, but it keeps some part of his essence aglow and alive, and we love him, and we carry his heart with us, and that matters and will always be true.

#anonymous #letterbox #i can't even properly discuss blaming him for some of those deaths #as if there weren't so many other sources and circumstances at work in the narrative #as if he didn't blame HIMSELF and carry the grief and guilt for each loss continually #like people think he just...caused things and didn't feel it or take responsibility for it? when all he did was feel everything #and ache over everything?#it makes no sense #i will lose it with rage or sorrow or both #dean feelings

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rhysismydaddy · 4 years

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The Librarian Ch.1 (Nessian fic)

Wowzers, it’s been a while since I posted! I’ve been writing though! I just have a problem where I start writing shit and never finish it haha.

I finished this one, and it’s 4 parts, they’re all written, and they’ll be becoming out this week!

Synopsis: Cassian Nezara is the King of Campus. He’s the star quarterback for the winning football team, he’s got a great personality, and he’s pretty good looking, too. But when he’s forced to volunteer at the campus library because of a fight, he meets Nesta Archeron, the mysterious and sarcastic librarian. Finding out her secret changes how he views his status on campus forever.

| Masterlist | Part 2 | Part 3 |

________________________________________________________________

~Cassian~

Cassian barreled through the sea of freshman in front of him, almost knocking one into the bookshelf next to her.

“Sorry,” he muttered, not slowing down.

Coach would kill him if he was late.

He practically ran up to the little desk in the corner of the first-floor lobby. “Hi, um excuse me,” he said to the woman sitting behind the desk. She had her back turned, feet propped on the desk in front of her without a care in the world. “Do you work here?”

She didn’t turn around. Maybe she didn’t work here. The back of her head looked a little young to be a librarian, anyway.

“Excuse me,” he said again to her back.

She still didn’t turn around. Cassian managed to put his temper on a tight leash before slamming his hand into the little bell on top of the desk.

With a heavy sigh, the woman snapped her book shut, whirling around.

Cassian froze. And stared.

He’d been right about the young part. She was probably his age, maybe a little younger. And fucking gorgeous. Crystal blue eyes, high cheekbones, lips that begged to be kissed. She was in an oversize sweatshirt and jeans, but he could tell she had a small figure that’d fit perfectly in his arms.

Why the hell was she in this dusty place?

“Books are organized by topic and last name, reference numbers are posted at the end of the columns,” she said drily, then made to turn back around.

He reached out and grabbed the edge of her chair.

“I’m not looking for a book.”

She glared at the hand clamped on her chair until he released it. “It’s a library. Surely even you noticed that.”

Jesus, what was this chick’s problem? Weren’t librarians supposed to be sweet old ladies with cats and a kink for romance novels?

“Yeah, I noticed,” he replied, equally as terse.

She just raised an eyebrow.

“I’m Cassian Nezara. I’m... a volunteer.”

The librarian looked him up and down. “Blood drive’s next week.”

“I’m not here for the blood drive. Coach Hampton should’ve sent an email-”

She’d been terse before, but her tone shifted even more toward something like hatred. “Coach Hampton.”

Cassian nodded, confused as hell. Everyone loved Coach.

I mean, he’d led the school to victory in the National Championship for eight years in a row. Football was practically a religion around here, and Ron Hampton was the god.

He supposed that made him and his teammates angels. He didn’t exactly hate the idea. It sure as hell matched with how the population of the school treated him.

Ever since his first game when he’d been subbed for the starting quarterback, he’d been revered on campus. And had started. Everyone around him loved football. Loved coach.

But the woman in front of him rose to her feet, jabbed a finger into his chest, and practically shoved him backwards, growling, “You tell Coach Hampton to find somewhere else to stick his delinquent players.”

His eyebrows shot to his hairline, and he would’ve retorted, asked why, but the look in her eyes told him not to. Plus, it’s not like he wanted to be stuck volunteering in the library every day.

So Cassian just shrugged, grabbed his phone as he walked out of the building, and called coach.

“What the hell did you do now,” the old bastard gruffed as soon as the line went through.

He huffed a laugh. “Actually, I think it might have been you this time. The receptionist, librarian, whatever she is told me to tell you to ‘find somewhere else to stick your delinquent players.’”

Coach paused at that. Then, “Who was it?”

“Didn’t get a name.”

He could tell coach was pinching the brim of his nose as he said, “In your twenty-two years of life, when have you ever not gotten a girl’s name?”

“Listen,” he explained, “This chick is seriously pissed off at the world. And possibly deranged.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

The line went dead.

Cassian groaned, resisting the urge to chuck his phone into a nearby fountain. The fact that he was being punished in the first place as stupid to him. But it was stupider that coach seemed it fit to make him suffer in a library of all places.

Plus, he was being punished for “fighting,” if you could even call it that. Cassian had landed one punch to the bastard’s face before his teammates pulled him back.

Plus, the idiot had deserved it. Captain of the rival football team and an all-around prick, Tamlin O’Connor had practically goaded him into a fight. And Cassian had been stupid enough to let him.

So stupid.

Coach usually didn’t care if they fought, but the prick was threatening to sue if the school didn’t “discipline” him. So library duty it was, apparently.

Coach’s car pulled up, and the stout man hopped out, already looking pissed off.

“Okay, you bonehead, I’m here. This has to work out, Cassian,” he scolded, that signature scowl of his deepening. “The library is the only place on campus you don’t have to have a record of working. Labs, working as a TA, the gym... they all record it. So if it goes in the system, it’s official, and I’ll have to bench you.”

Cassian rolled his eyes in annoyance, following coach back inside.

He pointed over to the desk where the receptionist sat, facing them this time, but still holding a book.

“Excuse me. I need to talk to someone about one of my player’s volunteering here,” Coach’s usually raspy voice was nicer, softer.

The woman sitting in front of them just looked up at Cassian as if to say, Ran to daddy?

Then flattened her gaze on coach. Waiting.

“The dean has ordered Mr. Nezara here,” he flung a hand in Cassian’s face, “to volunteer somewhere on campus as punishment for something, and we think the library would be a good fit.”

“Interesting. I don’t.”

She looked back down at her book.

Coach gritted his teeth. “Can I speak to your boss, young lady?”

Blue eyes flashed up at him, and a cruel smile twisted her mouth. “I don’t have a boss, old man.”

If Cassian had been anyone else, he’d have pulled up a chair and grabbed some popcorn. Coach was used to being listened to. Feared, even. And yet the woman lounging before them, looking at them as if they were filth... she didn’t seem the type to listen to anyone.

“Listen here-”

“No, you listen. I’m not one of your little preening ogres in a leotard you can boss around. I run this library. So I know about you’re little scheme.” She whispered the last part conspiratorially, “The one where one of your players does something stupid and you tell the dean he’ll “volunteer” somewhere, then let him nap in the library for an hour every day.”

Coach opened his mouth, but she held up a hand.

If he wasn’t being insulted every two seconds, he’d swear he was in love with her for that gesture alone.

“Mr. Nezara,” she spat, “will not be serving his sentence here. People who volunteer here want to volunteer.” She looked up at him. “And usually know how to read.”

With that, she simply opened her book again. Conversation over.

Cassian turned to leave, both annoyed and impressed, but Coach asked, “What will it take? For you to let him volunteer, and I mean actually volunteer, here?”

The librarian closed her book with a deep sigh. “Five percent of the annual earnings from football gets donated to my department,” she said as if she’d been waiting for the question.

Holy shit. That was insane. Coach would never-

“Two. Pre-season only.”

“Three. Regular season, no playoffs.”

“Deal,” Coach practically growled at the woman, turning to stomp out of the building. “He starts tomorrow.”

Casaian followed coach outside, and managed to contain his laughter at the man practically spitting fumes.

“You realize that if you don’t win the championship this year and make the money back, I’ll kick your ass, right?”

“Why the hell did you do that?” he asked instead. “Three percent of our regular season is still a good chunk of change.”

Coach shrugged, jaw tightening. “When I was your age, I made a similar mistake. And it went on my record and hurt my chances of going pro. I still made it happen, but it was harder. A lot harder. The school will still make millions from the season, and the majority of the cash comes from the playoffs anyway.”

Cassian usually didn’t run out of things to say, but he found himself struck dumb. Coach was a mean old bastard, but he cared about his players and would do just about anything for them. “Thank you.”

Coach spat on the ground. “Get your punkass to the stadium. And, for the love of God, don’t piss that woman off even more.”

~Nesta~

A cheap, cheap woman. That’s that Nesta was.

She’d sold herself out to the football team. For a chunk of money. Granted, it would probably be the biggest income for the library in years, but still. The thought of what she’d done made Nesta queasy.

And to Ron fucking Hampton out of all people. Her hatred for him and his entire team of stupid, muscled toddlers pretending to be good guys ran deep. And she’d agreed to spend an hour with one. Every day.

A cheap, cheap woman indeed.

Two years ago, she’d promised herself she would never again lay her fate in the hands of someone like Hampton. And yet, she’d just done exactly what he’d wanted her to do.

Granted, she didn’t roll over and take it like a good little young lady, but she ended up giving him what he wanted. Exactly like everyone else.

But, no. She wouldn’t let it be that easy. She’d punish Hampton the only way she could: through “Mr. Nezara.”

As Nesta walked into her apartment, locked all three deadbolts on her door, and took a steadying breath, she vowed to make her new volunteer’s life hell.

And smiled.

~Cassian~

Cassian hustled into the library once again the next day, sliding to a stop in front of the reception desk. He checked his watch, then smiled. A whole thirty seconds early.

The woman from yesterday just closed her book and jerked her chin to him. “Follow me.”

She walked through aisles of books, hips swaying in a way Cassian couldn’t help but watch. He’d thought about it after he’d left yesterday, but still had no idea why someone so young and beautiful would work in a boring, dead-end job like this. Or how she’d come to run the place, despite being the youngest librarian he’d ever seen.

He shook his head, continuing to follow her her down a set of stairs, a narrow hallway, and into the room at the end.

She strode on through, but Cassian paused in the doorway. The room was covered in dirt and dust and cobwebs, stacked floor to ceiling with boxes overflowing with books. Empty shelves stood along the walls, the middle space being taken up by the mountain of boxes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

She ignored him. “Books go on the shelves. Cleaning closet is across the hall.”

“What the hell’s the point? They obviously haven’t been touched in years.” The thought of going through all of them made him growl.

“They’re books that have been taken out of circulation. We don’t throw them away.”

Cassian muttered, “Pack rats.”

The librarian rolled her eyes, striding for the door and gesturing for him to move.

He shook his head. “What’s your name?”

“Move.”

“Nope.” He had no idea why he wanted to know, but calling her the librarian was getting old.

A flash of something in her eyes. It looked like panic, but it was too quick to read properly. “My name is Nesta. Now move.”

He just stuck out his hand, smiling. “So good to meet you, Nes-”

The vile woman grabbed his hand, twisted it so hard he almost fell to his knees, and pulled him out of the doorway. “Asshole,” she muttered, smacking the back of his head for emphasis as she strode by him.

By the time his breathing returned to normal and the ache in his now-sore wrist dulled, she was gone.

It seemed as if little miss Nesta was trying to make him miserable. Probably so he’d quit and she didn’t have to deal with him anymore.

He grinned, eyeing the monstrous stack of dusty books once more. You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that, Nesta, baby.

~Nesta~

Nesta smiled as she headed down to the basement fifty minutes later. She made her footsteps quiet, hoping to catch him sitting on his ass. If she was being honest, she couldn’t wait to see how miserable he was.

It made her a terrible person, but she didn’t fight it.

Nesta peered around the corner.

And lost every thought of malice in her head.

The room was pristine. And that was putting it lightly. The shelves were shining, filled with clean books, the floors still wet from being mopped. Hell, even the ceiling looked like it had been scrubbed down.

Cassian stood in the corner, the last box of books on his shoulder, and said to her, “You guys invest in way too many books on the Civil War.”

Nesta forced herself to sound unimpressed, bored even. “They’re the most requested. But new ones come out every year with different information, so we have to replace them.”

He hummed, turning around to face her, that stupid little smile on his lips.

Apparently done with the box, he took it between two hands and crushed it, the motion making the muscles in his arms bunch together.

She looked around the room again, and his smile widened proudly. So Nesta just sighed and said, “Put the boxes out back in recycling, and you’re free to go.”

He managed to only look a little disappointed as he grabbed the rest of the boxes, then walked in front of her up the stairs. She sat behind her desk as he went outside, taking a sip of her smoothie.

Which she almost spit everywhere as a smooth voice said from behind her ear, “That, by the way, is how you sneak up on someone. See you tomorrow, baby.”

She swirled around to strangle him, but he was already walking away, hands in the hair in mock surrender.

Oh, she was going to kill him. Or at least make his life miserable. Let the games begin, baby.

________________________________________________________________

PART 2 will be out Thursday :) I promise it gets a lot more interesting. Let me know in my asks if you want to be tagged!

@bamchickawowow

#cassian #nesta archeron #nessian #nessian fanfiction #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of wings and ruin #a court of frost and starlight #acomaf #acotar #acowar #acofas #cassian x nesta

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awsugar · 3 years

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have these children considered that maybe they’re boring or can’t hold a conversation themselves? it goes both ways and if they can’t start a conversation with something that allows you to build off of what are they expecting exactly? anyway how’s your supernatural rewatch going? what episode are you on now? what thoughts about the gay angel are currently causing derangement? ⚰️

i don’t want to make the person who sent that anon feel bad about themselves the way they made me feel bad about myself so i dont wanna be like ‘haha yea fuck em’ bc that would just prove their point that i’m not a nice person.

but as for the spn rewatch, my next episode will be 1x10. it’s going good i love the early seasons. i watched Home last night and that one really scares me like they do so many hauntings and ghosts and shit on that show but the way it’s handled in that episode gets me. i have to take out my headphones when the plumber is rooting around in the drain with his hand bc i know whats coming and the suspense is too much for me and for some reason if i don’t have my headphones in it’s better lmao. the earlier seasons in general are scarier than the bulk of the show. i don’t have AS MUCH gay angel derangement right now since i’m watching eps that he’s not in but a friend watched 8x17 goodbye stranger for the first time last night so i had a good time screaming about it with them. that episode makes me stupid. cas was lobotomized and forced to act out killing dean a thousand times to become a killing machine and in the end they couldn’t have recreated the real dean and the way he NEEDS him. i could scream. not to mention the scene at the beginning of the next ep where sam is like dean do you need to talk about your feelings. no one ever mentions that but that scene sticks out so clearly to me. like acknowledgment that sam pretty much knows whats going on between dean and cas. insane.

#spn /#coffin anon #Anonymous

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new-sandrafilter · 4 years

Link

- full speech :

I’m here to give the award for Best Original Screenplay to the Safdie brothers and Ronnie Bronstein. It was challenging for me to write these remarks, not only because of the incredible and intimidating talent in this room tonight, but because what the Safdies do for me as filmmakers is so revolutionary, it’s hard to limit the remarks to just the screenplay. Also, because I’m a dumb 24-year-old actor, I’ve never written anything. I stand on a mark, I say what people tell me to say.

I don’t know what insight I have about screenwriting, but here’s my go. Trying to describe their approach to writing, it’s to know exactly what they want in a pre-production process going into filming, and then on the day, finding those jewels and gems in the rough of collaboration and the day to day adrenaline of filmmaking. A frenetic stylistic approach to filmmaking that can be interpreted as improvisational and unplanned, but make no mistake, with the Safdies and with Ronnie, it’s not. This task is made easier when the actors you’re working with are of the caliber of Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, and Keith Richard Williams. That’s not Keith Richards, that’s Keith Richard Williams. If you’ve never heard of him, that’s because the Safdies literally found him on the street in New York and cast him, like half of the characters in their movies, which sucks for actors like myself with résumés.

Their 2017 film Good Time was a straight shot about a bank robbery gone wrong, and a deranged young man’s relentless and untiring attempt to free his brother from custody. The movie follows Robert Pattinson’s descent into moral-less madness. If Good Time was a shot of tequila, then Uncut Gems plays like cocaine and mushrooms with a little sprinkle of Alka-Seltzer on top. Adam Sandler gives a truly awe-inspiring performance. It’s like Adam Sandler watched Punch-Drunk Love and was like ‘I’m going to do exactly that again, except the exact opposite.’ And Josh and Benny and Ronnie created a tornado of stress, swag, fucked-up intrigue and unapologetic, raw, truthful filmmaking. These are movies people my age can actually not get bored as fuck watching.

Let me end on this anecdote, and I apologize for personalizing it. About a month ago I texted the guy I look up the most to in the business, inviting him to a premiere. He said he couldn’t come, but he invited me to a dinner with Martin Scorsese that would be happening 30 minutes later that night. I was literally on the toilet when I got that text. So I did Google Maps check, I was uptown within 30 minutes. I hope not to embarrass you if you’re here tonight, but at the dinner I was shocked by Mr. Scorsese’s self-depreciation, his razor sharp wit, and his good humor. I was the young guy at the table but I was having trouble keeping up with the pace of conversation and the sophistication of movies being referenced.

I made a joke about how if The Irishman was successful, I’d never work again, because from now on I’d be auditioning against James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Charlie Chaplin. He very calmly and humbly said it was now time for a new generation of filmmakers to take over. He pointed out, for example, the Safdie brothers. I didn’t know in that moment, but he actually executive produced Uncut Gems. The comparisons are obvious: They’re both truly New York filmmakers in their blood, they both explore the psyche of devilish and morally ambiguous protagonists. In many ways, Adam Sandler Howard Ratner parallels Ray Liotta’s strung out Henry Hill in Goodfellas. This is high praise. I know it. Who am I to dole it out? And yet this is no longer the golden age of cinema. It’s no one’s fault — except maybe Ronald Reagan, no just kidding.

It seems every expression of art has its great moment in time. And yet this is why we need the Safdie brothers right now. This is why we need Barry Jenkins, and Greta Gerwig, and Mati Diop, and Ari Aster, Lulu Wang — not to reignite the golden age party that is definitively over. The world is on fire as we speak. [We need them] to make the art that is truthful to the times and a true mirror of our times. And, in the Safdies’ case, really unapologetic too. Maybe it won’t be as big of a party, but it will be unique as fuck.

#timothee chalamet #uncut gems #timmy #nbrawards

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confrontthefamiliar · 3 years

Quote

A married lady I used to sleep with once wrote me, “We are spoiled, we know too much. We are overly critical of our parents because we think they have narrow experiences and dreams. We are sedated and we are stuck. We can never be happy because we know too much. But what do we understand? We are selfish, but we are right.” Which always struck me as a good summary of the Millennial condition. Today our dreams can come true as never before but they must really be our dreams. We have to keep hold of our dreams, to resist the lures of the influencers and podcast hosts, the Substack writers, discover page snake charmers, algorithmic telepaths, blue checks, OnlyFans sex objects, venture capitalists, journalists, columnists, artists, friends and relatives warping our desires. Everybody’s in the advertising game now. They’re selling themselves. But I preferred when advertising was just corporate lies, pornography, and songs, rather than deranged brand sentience, personal journeys, meaningless political propaganda, banks telling me I belong inside of them, and friends trying to convince me of their worldviews, and their value. Life has become about influence, temptation, and selling ideas. But I don’t think any of it’s really working. For all the talk of bubbles and echo chambers, I’m not convinced anyone really agrees with one another. I’ve spent the last couple years in a small group chat of close friends around the world (washed-up thirty-something art-adjacent straight guys in various stages of crises) and we never agreed on anything. Every day I’d feel completely infuriated with some of them for different reasons. Consensus is something of a myth. Atomisation is as deep as the sea. I think most of us exist in a bubble of one. I don’t think most of us have coherent, consistent views even on the individual level. Anyway, I’ve been feeling happier and more productive since my conversation with friends collapsed under the weight of a moral panic around a sex scandal. Although, we had some times …

Dean Kisseck in “The Downward Spiral: Centrist Dad Ouroboros” from Spike Magazine

https://www.spikeartmagazine.com/articles/downward-spiral-centrist-dad-ouroboros

#spike art #spike art magazine #mag #culture #dean kisseck #ouroboros #spike #centrist #millenials #millenial quotes

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analyzingdestiel · 5 years

Text

DESTIEL REVIEW FOR 7X23: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

So in this episode, Castiel is still mentally unwell. Most of his scenes seem to be used for comedic effect. He is very focused on protecting and saving animals and seems to truly enjoy them. Most of these scenes aren't really Destiel related, even those that they share.

To start, Dean informs us that the last time he called Castiel, Castiel appeared to him naked on his Impala covered in bees. I had imagined at first that Castiel removed his clothing due to being "attacked" by bees. But Castiel is an angel so being stung would not hurt him. Which means he appeared naked with bees on him for other reasons. Aside from the obvious insanity. I feel he was perhaps trying to be "one" with the bees. Or it could have been some deranged fantasy of his that he was partaking in; it's hard to say. Perhaps in a deep part of his mind, there is an erotic reason for this related to Dean though I feel for the most part it was meant to be viewed as a random act of insanity. I'm honestly not reading too much into it because Castiel is not himself and has been acting out of character. I want to determine how believable the pairing is based on regular Castiel and regular Dean, not the warped versions of either character. Because when they are warped, they are not themselves, and so are quite simply different. _______________________________________________

SCENE 1

_______________________________________________

MEG You deal with him. I can't anymore.

DEAN You might want to be more specific.

MEG I was laying low halfway across the world when emo boy pops up out of nowhere and zaps me right back here.

DEAN Why?

MEG Go ask him. He was your boyfriend first.

_______________________________________________

I find it interesting how often outsiders tease about their relationship and Castiel’s feelings for Dean. Though this is not a literal statement coming from Meg, it does show how she feels about the two of them and their relationship.

Dean’s reaction shows discomfort and irritation though this isn’t proof against anything. Dean not only realizes she is trying to irk him, but he also dislikes Meg entirely. One could even say Dean was irritated over the fact that Meg labeled Castiel as being her boyfriend. He might have tensed his jaw out of discomfort over his own feelings that he’s trying to repress. It’s hard to say, though this is neither proof for or against Destiel because it is not a literal statement but also shows us that yet another person looks at Dean and Castiel’s relationship in a romantic light.

_______________________________________________

SCENE 2

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CROWLEY [to MEG] Stay, won't you. There's really nowhere to run.

MEG runs for the door, but CROWLEY appears in front of her, blocking her exit.

CROWLEY Don't even think of smoking out, pussycat. I've got eyes all over the place.

CASTIEL Leave her be. _______________________________________________

CROWLEY Certainly. Oh, bonus. Meg, I'm gonna scoop you up, take you home, and roast you till you're jerky. [CASTIEL starts to move towards CROWLEY.] But not... yet. Cas can have you for now. Hilariously, it seems he'd be upset at losing you. And the boys need Cas to get Dick. Don't they, Cas? _______________________________________________

We are still being shown that Castiel is protective of and cares for Meg at this point, though I still don't consider this proof against or for anything because Castiel is currently unlike himself. If I am to really analyze what he feels for Meg, I would need for him to be regular Castiel. I feel the same way about how he is behaving with Dean currently. Anything he does during episodes where he isn't the true Castiel, I don't consider entirely relevant. How Dean reacts and feels during these episodes I feel is most important because Dean is still himself. _______________________________________________

Later Castiel makes Dean and Sam a sandwich made of only natural ingredients. It shows that he does still care for them and wishes to assist them. _______________________________________________

SCENE 3

_______________________________________________

DEAN You got anything to say on the topic of Dicks? Crowley was pretty sure that you could help.

CASTIEL I can't help. You understand? I can't. I destroyed... everything, and I will destroy everything again. Can we please just leave it at that?

DEAN No. [He gets up.] No, we can't. _______________________________________________

The choice of wording is deliberate, here. It's been deliberate most times through the show with Dick. Dean asking Castiel if he has anything to say on "the topic of dicks" and saying "Crowley was pretty sure that you could help" most certainly seemed to be deliberate. Saying "on the topic of Dicks" is not how it would usually be stated. It would be said "do you have anything to say on the topic of Dick", whether there are two of him or not. It was done on purpose.

So the hidden, yet not so hidden, message was this:

"Do you like dick/men? Crowley's pretty sure you do."

At this point, the joke may be done with and the writers may have intended for us to drop it and move on. Though there's also the chance that the writers were hiding a secret conversation here as well. The secret message of asking if Castiel likes men can be compared to Dean asking if Castiel likes HIM. And Castiel's response is that he doesn't want to because he feels he'll just ruin everything (their relationship) like he did last time.

I won't say this is absolute and can't even consider if proof towards anything though it is at the least, subtext. _______________________________________________

SAM Dean...

DEAN We can't leave it. You let these friggin' things in. So you don't get to make a sandwich. You don't get a damned cat. Nobody cares that you're broken, Cas. Clean up your mess!

CASTIEL puts down the dish he is holding and walks over to DEAN.

CASTIEL You know... we should play Twister.

SAM and DEAN look at each other. CASTIEL disappears. _______________________________________________

I find it interesting that whenever Dean gets angry with him, Castiel turns toward playing games with him. When he first went to confront Castiel, Castiel wanted to play "sorry". It made sense to want to play this game because he was feeling apologetic. I feel that there is some sort of subtext going on with the games even; I feel that there are a lot of hidden meanings the past few episodes, especially where Castiel is concerned, though some are not very clear. There's just this sense that what we're seeing on screen, what's being said, is not all there is to it. Wanting to play Twister with Dean after Dean having attacked him is interesting. I wonder what it is that Twister is supposed to be equivalent to. Obviously the game "Sorry" would be Castiel feeling sorry. What would the game "Twister" mean he feels? Perhaps it means he feels he is confused, "twisted up" - unsure. It's hard to say. It could honestly be random but I just have this sort of feeling that there's more to this than is being made clear. _______________________________________________

SCENE 4

_______________________________________________

CASTIEL is playing Uno at the table. DEAN walks over to him.

DEAN Cas, I need a wingman.

CASTIEL Dean...

DEAN

You don't want to jump into the jaws of death, that's... fine. How about we run a little errand?

_______________________________________________

Now Castiel is alone, and so what does he play? Uno. Which means "one". Perhaps he was lonely and so this is why he decided to play Uno. This can't be mere coincidence. _______________________________________________

SCENE 5

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youtube

Inside the barn we can see a boat and a vehicle is covered with a tarp. We hear the sound of angel wings and then see DEAN and CASTIEL standing near the covered vehicle.

DEAN Thanks for the lift.

CASTIEL My pleasure. [DEAN starts towards the vehicle.] Dean...

DEAN [turning back to CASTIEL] Cas, we've been over it. I get it – you can't help.

CASTIEL If we attack Dick and fail, then you and Sam die heroically, correct?

DEAN I don't know. I guess.

CASTIEL And at best, I die trying to fix my own stupid mistake. Or... I don't die – I'm brought back again. I see now. It's a punishment resurrection. It's worse every time.

DEAN I'm sorry. Uh, we're talking about God crap, right?

CASTIEL I'm not good luck, Dean. _______________________________________________

Castiel is showing us that he feels he will only make things worse. He is still apologetic and there's this sense of self-loathing. He makes it clear that he feels he is inferior to Dean and that he is not helpful, but instead, a hindrance. Perhaps this is why we've felt this sort of separation between the two; not only is Castiel currently insane but he feels he is a hindrance. _______________________________________________ DEAN Yeah, but you know what? Bottom of the ninth, and you're the only guy left on the bench... Sorry, but I'd rather have you, cursed or not. And anyway, nut up, all right? We're all cursed. I seem like good luck to you?

[CASTIEL stares at DEAN.]

DEAN

What?

CASTIEL Well, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I detect a note of forgiveness.

DEAN Yeah, well, I'm probably gonna die tomorrow, so...

CASTIEL Well, I'll go with you. And I'll do my best.

DEAN smiles slightly and nods.

DEAN Thanks. _______________________________________________

I watched this episode with another person and I felt I would state what they had said during this scene. They are not a Destiel shipper but during this scene, they thought after Dean asks "What?" and Castiel looks at him, that Castiel was going to say "you love me".

They thought the conversation was going to go like this: [Castiel stares at Dean] Dean: What? Castiel: You love me.

Honestly during that scene, I had felt similarly to the way the other viewer was feeling. There was obvious love on Castiel's face and in his eyes, his smile was sincere and genuine and Castiel in this scene is the most like regular Castiel we've seen thus far since he's woke from the catatonic state. It seems as if, that for a moment, Dean pulled him back.

I also wanted to mention just how happy Castiel is that Dean has forgiven him; you can nearly feel the relief and the sheer joy in realizing that Dean has finally forgiven him.

Also the fact that Castiel sensed Dean's discomfort with the sentimentality is interesting. Castiel knows Dean doesn't like talking about these sort of things and it helps you to realize that if Castiel senses this discomfort, that he would sense other discomforts as well. Take, for example, Dean's discomfort over Castiel invading his "personal space" in . Dean's looking from Castiel's eyes to his lips repeatedly showed us that Dean was thinking of kissing Castiel and that this was most likely his reason for feeling uncomfortable. One could say Dean is fearful of his own desires and it's why he reacts with such discomfort, and Castiel would be able to pick up on this. And he doesn't like making Dean feel uncomfortable. Just as a guardian angel wouldn't - they try very hard in fact not to cause you discomfort and to selflessly guide and help you through your life. Guardian angels never force their own desires upon the humans they assist and so even if Castiel is in love with Dean, if he senses Dean isn't ready to be with him in any romantic sense, Castiel wouldn't push it.

Either way, this is a touching scene, and we're being shown that Dean finally forgives Castiel after all this time. And just after Castiel realizes that Dean forgives him, he decides he will go with Dean. That separation I've been feeling between them seems gone now. There is that sense of togetherness once again. The scene with the trench coat was stage one towards forgiveness, but this feels to me to have sealed the deal. Dean forgives Castiel.

Castiel is still somewhat out of character but this scene showed us a bit of the Castiel we’re used to seeing.

_______________________________________________

SCENE 6

_______________________________________________

DEAN We're in Purgatory? How do we get out?

CASTIEL I'm afraid we're much more likely to be ripped to shreds.

DEAN turns and sees two large creatures with red eyes watching him.

DEAN Cas, I think we better –

CASTIEL has disappeared.

DEAN Cas? _______________________________________________

I feel we're supposed to have taken this as Castiel abandoning Dean though I realize at this point that that is not the case. Castiel seems even more like himself now and I wonder if he’s going to be “regular Castiel” from here on out. _______________________________________________

The rating doesn't go up or down with this one. And that concludes season 7.

DESTIEL RATING AFTER EPISODE (BASED ON HOW BELIEVABLE): 4.7/10

#destiel #dean winchester #castiel #deancas #deanstiel #supernatural #7x23 #i detect a note of forgiveness #analyze

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huntertales · 6 years

Text

Part One: Do As I Say, Not As I Do. (Let it Bleed S06E21)

Episode Summary: Sam and Dean Winchester’s worst nightmares come true when the reader is taken hostage by Crowley after her demon side is freed. But things only grow worse when Lisa and Ben Braden are kidnapped as well, forcing the brothers to work with an unlikely alley to save the people they love. Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader Warning: Mentions of violence. (Cause I have no chill) Word Count: 6,050.

Previous Part | Supernatural Rewrite Masterlist

Dean Winchester wasn't sure what was worst; hearing the chilling voice belonging to a woman he was expecting to hear from under different circumstances. Or the fact that Lisa and Ben were in trouble. He knew from how this situation was playing out this had Crowley’s name written all over it. That demon must have gotten his hands on you, making you not in control of yourself anymore. You were a prisoner in your own skin because of that demon. Crowley had to have done something to you in order to switch personalities into the one he wanted present.

All he knew for sure was that nightmares do come true. And they were unraveling all at once into one big, horrifying mess.

"Y/N" Dean was trying his hardest to remain calm as he spoke to the woman on the other line. Sam gave his brother a confused expression as to why he was speaking your name. Dean didn't pay any attention to the stares, he knew you had to still be in there. He tried his hardest to reach you. It worked once before. And he would do it again if he had to. "Are you still in there, sweetheart?"

"Hello, Dean." Crowley’s voice came from the other line, stopping you from answering the man’s question. The older Winchester felt his grip around the phone tighten. The sound of that cheerful accent made his blood boil. "God, how long's it been? Since my so-called demise, yes?”

"Crowley, I should’ve known your grubby little hands were all over this. Let them go, now." Dean ordered the demon to follow his instructions as he pushed himself up from the couch he was sitting on. Sam and Bobby exchanged worried looks to each other as they continued to listen in on the one sided conversation they could hear. "Or I swear—"

"Right, right. You'll rip me a cornucopia of orifices. Let's get to the bit where I tell you how this goes." Crowley said. "Your chocolate's been in my peanut butter for too long."

“I’m going to kill you.” Dean threatened the demon in an eerily too calm of a voice.

“Oh, Dean. Ever the wit. Don't worry, your little girlfriend isn't responsible for all of this. You're talking to the...new and improved Y/N. The one you thought you could get rid of so easily. Now I've got my own body I can use however the hell I want. Imagine the things I can do." You spoke up again, giving a piece of information that was bittersweet for all the reasons that made him feel horrible for feeling relieved. even the slightest bit relieved. It was like a breath he had been holding in for years was finally let go. But he knew that came with consequences. "Crowley and I have got your—what were they to you? Your ex-lady friend and your not-child? And we’re keeping them until we’re satisfied until you back the hell off.”

“What about Y/N? What did you to her?” Dean questioned the two demons he was speaking to. He could feel himself growing even more agitated when he heard you let out a chuckle from how you were getting him even more furious. “Crowley, I swear...If you killed her I will hunt you down like a dog. I will turn you inside out and torture you in ways until your sorry ass begs for me to kill you. And that's just for Y/N. Think of what I'll do if you don't let Lisa and Ben go."

“You're adorable when you get all threatening. Don’t worry, Fido. Your darling is safe...for now. I don't know for how much longer. I do get bored easily. And I wouldn't want to get rusty on my torturing skills. Do you know how satisfying it would be to slice up a bitch who looks exactly like you?” Your tone of voice was too casual for his liking. He rubbed his face with his hand at what was unraveling all at once. “I’ll give you a proposition. We won't hurt Lisa and Ben. Provided you and Jolly Green stand down. And maybe, if you're on your best behavior, I won't send your sweetheart back limb by limb to Bobby's doorstep."

“And if you and Moose decide to play hero, I'm one step ahead of you two morons. I made sure your family and Y/N are being held in two separate locations. Far, far away from each other. Gotta keep the fun alive somehow. Wouldn’t want to make it too easy for you.” Crowley said, adding one more crucial detail that the older Winchester should have seen coming. But it only crushed the plan he was forming in his head while his conversation dragged on. He should have known better. "Got it? If so, splendid. Kisses."

Dean heard the dial tone after the call ended, making him realize the situation unraveling all at once was very much real. He shut his eyes for a moment and inhaled a deep breath. There was so much to unpack and digest, but he didn't know what to start with. Dean dropped his arm to his side and let it dangle for a moment. He let out a heavy sigh and stared down at the ground, wanting to ignore the worried looks from Sam and Bobby.

"What's the story?" Bobby cautiously asked, but the older Winchester could hear the fear in his voice as he prepared himself for the worst case scenario his mind could come up with while the conversation dragged on between Dean and the demon.

“You want the good news or the bad news first?” Dean’s question made the two other men stare at him with a slightly bewildered look. He decided to start off with something good before delivering the sucker punch to drive this situation home. "Good news, I'm pretty sure Y/N is fully human. Bad news, that demon bitch is working with Crowley. They said Y/N, Lisa and Ben keep breathing as long as we sit on our thumbs."

Sam let out a heavy sigh from how this situation turned into one that he wouldn't have imagined, turning into something far worse. “You think Cas knows about this? He's the only one who could pull something heavy duty like that for Y/N."

“The way that he’s been acting, I don't think he popped in last night just to apologize or steal that journal. And there's no way he fixed his mistake out of the kindness of own heart. We gotta assume Cas does." Dean said. He started looking at this from a logical standpoint of what a deranged king of hell and an angel would do to keep a couple of hunters cornered. Take people they love and put them at opposite ends. If you reach for one, another one suffers the consequences. “More leverage against us.”

"So, what are we gonna do?" Sam asked his older brother.

“I’ll tell you what we’re not gonna do. Sit here. I’m going after them.” Dean said. He was thinking out of pure adrenaline and rage from what was unfolding out of his control. Whenever things like this happened, Dean went for a way to solve the problem without thinking about things logically. Sam offered to go with him, his brother shot down the idea. “No, Sam. You and Bobby stay on the Lovecraft thing, okay? Cas is way ahead of us.”

"I heard Crowley, Dean. There’s no way you can go after the both of them. You know the second you go after one, they're gonna kill the other." Sam reminded his brother of an outcome that he seemed to have forgotten. "You're not Superman. There's no way in hell I'm letting you go alone. Bobby can take care of the case."

"No, guys—" Bobby pushed himself up from his seat to put himself into this fight. He knew the brothers needed all hands on deck with this situation. And there was no way in hell he was just going to sit back while you were out there all alone, having God knows what done to you. Bobby viewed all of you like the children he didn’t have. He couldn’t stomach the idea of stepping back, but sometimes all of them had to do things they didn’t want.

“Bobby...this is a big ball, okay?” Dean reminded the man about what was at stake here. “We can’t drop it now.”

The older hunter looked defeated at what was being asked of him to do. But he knew it was the right thing. The boys were capable hunters, they stopped enough messes on their own. However there was one problem before they could figure out their next plan of action. "Fine. How are you two gonna find out where Y/N and Lisa are?"

While the question lingered in the air with the three hunters of what to do, things only seemed to grow more stranger when they heard a sudden knock on the door. Dean turned his head to the doorway as the knocks quickly escalated to banging. He looked over at his brother and gave him a subtle nod of the head, deciding to see who was here. Dean made sure to grab his loaded pistol that he never went anywhere without as his brother followed behind with the demon knife in his grip. As they approached the door, the banging continued on, along with a muffled voice belonging to someone they thought was long gone by now.

Dean furrowed his brow as he heard the panicked voice of none other than Josh Carver come from outside, asking for someone to let him in. The older Winchester opened up the front door to see your other good friend standing on the porch with a nervous expression. However a hunter couldn't be too safe. Dean swiftly stepped forward and grabbed Josh by the collar of his shirt, all before roughly throwing him against a wall. Sam crept up from behind and splashed a flask of holy water in the man’s face. Dean narrowed his eyes as he waited to see if there was any sort of signs of demon possession. Josh coughed as he struggled to catch his breath from the sneak attack. Dean noticed the poor bastard looked like he went a few rounds with someone from the bruises around his eyes and cheeks.

"I'm not a demon! I swear, I'm not!" Josh declared his innocence. Dean didn't show that he was in the mood for playing around when he roughly shoved the man against the wall, questioning him why the hell he was here in the first place. Josh stared at the man with an apologetic look for what he did. "I didn't know. I swear...Just let me explain."

Josh Carver was an...interesting man. The Winchesters first met them when your house got broken into, right around the same time Sam ran off to California to help hunt Azazel, but ended up meeting a woman named Meg. Things for you three always happened with a reason why. It turned out the Josh they met had been possessed by a demon who was working for Azazel, and following a few months after the break in, you had met up with Josh under even more strange circumstances that you didn’t realize at the time.

You met him again one night while you were out with Sam at a bar while Dean spent a night with an old fling. Then there was the time such a short while alter that he showed up in the bar a victim of yours worked in while you investigated her murder. You stumbled upon the sight of Josh speaking to Meg, who he claimed to have bumped into, the both chatting away like they were old friends. Only come to find out they were much more than that. Josh ended up being freed from the demon after you threatened to kill Meg, who you didn't know at the time was a demon as well.

You and the boys didn't see Josh again until the car accident that nearly took your and Dean's lives. He delivered a haunting message before disappearing again for a short while until he asked you to work a case for him. And then he was silent...until you got freed from hell for the first time. You were alone, scared and guilty of what you had done, you called Josh and told him everything. For two weeks you spent at home with him at your side until Dean showed up at your door. While the reunion was sweet, that little punk thought Dean was one of those monsters. He didn't know a monster if it went and kicked him where it hurt. Him and Dean bumped heads a few times before you managed to calm them both down.

Dean always had a weird feeling about the guy. But he kept his mouth shut because he wasn't going to be that guy. The one who forbid his girlfriend in having friends of the opposite gender. Now...Dean was regretting punching that dick in the face when he had the chance. He should have never let you talk him into adding a stranger in this situation. Because Josh didn't know the difference between right and wrong. He had went and made all the wrong decisions to supposedly help you. Only he did the complete opposite, he put your life in danger.

Josh sat on the couch as he nursed the glass of whiskey Bobby offered him to calm his nerves after drying up the holy water from his face. He didn't say anything for a good moment or so. he just sat there, scratching his beard and tracing the bruises on his face. Dean stared down at the man with a cold expression, trying to keep his temper under control and resisting the urge to shake the information out of him. Sam was trying his hardest to remain calm as he asked him what exactly happened that lead all of them here to this point.

Josh told them about his tragic childhood growing up, about how his parents died when he was a teenager and sent to go live with his grandparents that lived next door to you. But this all started when he was in the hospital church while his grandmother laid in a bed, barely clinging to life. He knew she was getting older and things like this happened. And from hearing all about the supernatural, despite all the bad things, he prayed for some kind of miracle to happen. He knew it was useful as talking to the air, but he thought he might as well try. What happened was something he didn’t expect at all. His prayers had been answered. Not by God, but by an angel and a demon.

“They told me about Y/N and what was wrong with her. Crowley said there was a way to get her back to normal, along with making sure my grandparents would be okay for a little while longer." Josh explained the deal he made with the two supernatural beings. He shook his head as he silently reflected on the mistake he made. "I didn't know what else to do."

"So you sold your soul to him." Sam suspected, Josh looked up from his glass.

"What? No. We had this exchange." Josh said. "I'd find a way to make Y/N human, they would make my grandparents live for a little longer. That's the deal we had."

Dean slipped a scoff underneath his breath as he shook his head from hearing possibly the most flimsiest excuse he heard for someone to jump both feet into a situation like this. Josh stared at the older Winchester with a type of look that wondered what he found so funny. The man decided to answer that question if he wanted to hear it so badly. “People die everyday, pal. You're lucky to have gotten this far in life with your family. So what if gramps is halfway in the grave? You don't make deals with the devil with situations you know nothing about."

"What did I need to know? The fact that you have done nothing for years about this situation? Or maybe how you and...and you sons of bitches just sit around while Y/N puts her life on the line for you time and time again? And don't get me started on the hell part." Josh pushed himself up to his feet, abandoning his whiskey on the couch. He wasn’t in the mood for the temper that Dean was trying to play against him. “She went to me about this problem she’s been having. Not you. Why? I bet it's because all of you would rather sit around with your thumbs up your ass worrying about yourselves than her. Unlike you, I helped fix her! You’re both bunch of selfish—”

Josh didn't have a chance to finish his insult against the Winchester brothers. He felt himself spinning back slightly when a punch directed at him. Dean found himself blinded by rage when he heard this smug son of a bitch going on about a situation he thought he knew so much about. He didn't realize he had sucker punched Josh in the face and tried to pummel his face in with his bare hands. Dean managed to get another swing in before Josh could recover from the last one. However the man was faster. He swung back an arm and directed a punch, however that would be the last one either one of them would do. Sam went after his brother as Bobby pulled back Josh, the both of them trying their hardest to keep from killing each other.

“You really think you know what’s good for Y/N, don’t you? All because she told you a couple of stories. You don’t even know half of the things she went through. I admit, none of us do. We’ve been having enough trouble trying to keep our damn heads above water. We might not have done a lot to save her, but at least we’re not dumb enough to trust the king of hell. Thanks to your plan, she is human. But she’s also having God knows what being done to her. And that's not even mentioning the fact that Crowley—your buddy—took two people I cared about, too." Dean told the man the cold, hard truth about his actions. He watched as Josh's face fell when he heard. "If they get hurt, their blood is on your hands. And if they do...you won't be burying your family. They'll be burying you."

Dean forced his brother's grip off of him as he headed for the front door, leaving a shocked Josh to stand in the middle of the library, thinking about what he had done. Josh stood there in complete and total silence as he found himself stumbling backwards to the couch. He didn’t realize the glass he had balanced tipped over, the whiskey he barely took a sip of spilled into the fabric as it reached for his jeans. Josh found himself plagued with terrifying imagines all while he sat there muttering, “I was only trying to help” underneath his breath.

+ + +

Bobby packed up an overnight bag for the trip ahead of him and headed out after darkness fell to hit town tomorrow morning. The boys didn't see Josh slip out and head back to the motel he had been staying at. Dean didn't really care anymore about what happened to him. All he knew was that he needed to stop this mess before someone got hurt. While they might have been out an angel friend to trust, there was another one they knew that played no part in this. But might have a shred of decency in him to help out in a time of need.

The boys set up the proper materials they would need in order to summon an angel outside in the scrapyard on an abandoned hood of a car. Dean did the honors of lighting the match and throwing it into the mix of herbs Sam put together. Sparks and smoke ignited from the fire after making contact with the supplies needed to conduct the ritual before they fizzled out into nothing more than fog disappearing into the night air. The boys waited a moment before things started to happen. Streetlights began to flicker on and off before a chain reaction of light bulbs exploding set off, each of them going out before leaving the two men in almost darkness.

“I’m sorry, boys. Do I look like a manservant to you?” Balthazar, in all of his arrogant glory, stood on top of the hood of a car not too far from where the Winchesters stood. He didn’t seem all that happy to be summoned to have this chat in such an unwelcoming place of Bobby's scrap yard. “No? No. Then quit ringing for me, please.”

“This is important, Balthazar.” Dean said to the angel.

“I was drinking ‘75 Dom out of a Soprano’s navel. That was important.” Balthazar told the boys of what he had been doing before he was wrongfully summoned here. He gave the brothers an annoyed look as he looked at the both of them. He found himself thrown off by the even number he was getting. “Aren’t there usually three of you? Where's that darling friend of yours?”

“That’s why we called you here.” Sam said. “Crowley’s alive.”

Balthazar fell silent for a moment at hearing the the fake resurrection of a foe he didn't have the pleasure of having the go around with you and the Winchesters had. The angel shrugged his shoulders as he stepped down to the ground. "Well,you've been scooped. Cas already told me.” Balthazar said. "Along with a scandalous piece of information about Y/N. Turns out she's not all human, after all. Been helping our friends. Who would have seen that twist coming."

“Did Cas tell you that he is Crowley’s butt buddy? Along with the fact that the both of them have been using Y/N for their own personal benefit over this past year. Did he tell you that,” Dean casually asked the angel as he stepped forward. “you smug little dick?”

Balthazar stared at the hunter with a slightly confused expression, "Excuse me?"

"Handshake deal. Go halfsies on all the souls of purgatory. But they needed some help on trying to accomplish that goal. Y/N was solely pulled out as a half demon again so she could help find purgatory. as made sure she didn't know what she was doing." Sam explained the situation. “But I’m sure he filled you in on that.”

The boys watched as Balthazar fell silent for a moment as he processed the piece of information that came out as a surprise to him. Cas wasn't the type of angel who would do such a thing as to make someone do a job against their will. Along with stooping low and becoming friends with a thing like a demon. However, Balthazar wasn’t going to trust a few humans, so he decided to lie straight through his teeth until he got to the bottom of this. “Well, yes. Yes, of course he did. Yes.”

"Oh, yes, of course." Sam nodded his head, smiling slightly at the angel's reaction. "We can read it all over your face."

“Look, Crowley and Cas pulled in one of Y/N's friends to find a way to undo the crap they did. She's human, but they took her. Along with two other people who are very important to me." Dean said, explaining the real reason why they had pulled the angel away from his night. Balthazar stared at the older Winchester with a slightly bored look, wondering why he should care. "Because maybe there is a shred of decency underneath this snarky crap. Now, Y/N's not here to help swoon you into doing the right thing so you’re stuck with me. They're innocent people and I'm asking for your help.”

"Hmm. I see. You know, I always liked Y/N over you two. She's the perfect balance of feisty and yet kind in the eyes. I can appreciate who can handle her own. God knows she has to deal enough with the two of you." Balthazar said, thinking about it for a moment as he finished the last of his champagne he brought along. "Fair enough."

Balthazar disappeared from their sight after parting ways with two words that could mean an assortment of things. Dean looked around the scrapyard to see if he could find a trace of that smug angel, but Balthazar was nowhere to be seen. "Son of a bitch!" He yelled on the top of his lungs in frustration as he began slowly pacing forward.

"Dean, let's just call Cas." Sam said, attempting to persuade his older brother into getting some reliable help. "Maybe he doesn't know anything—"

"You're not call Cas." Dean cut off his brother, telling him how it was going to be. Sam tried again to try and defend the angel, Dean snapped at him, having had enough of this argument already. "We're not calling Cas."

"So, what then?" Sam normally didn't question his brother's choices of what to do. But tonight he was on edge much as the older man. He stared at Dean for a moment, wondering what the both of them were going to do. If Dean had to be honest...he wasn't sure. All he knew was that time was running out until Crowley decided to give up his end of the bargain.

+ + +

Your mother used to say you could pick your friends, but not your family. You remembered she would always remind you when you would ask her to do something all your high school friends were allowed to do, but you couldn't. She said that your friends were an extension that loved you very much, but sometimes, they didn't always know what was best for you. "If all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it?" In true teenage fashion, you would roll your eyes. She didn't like a lot of your friends, too. But she always doted on Josh whenever he was around. She always would say how much of a gentleman and smart he was. She wanted you to hang around with people like him. A decade and a half later you took her advice, but you had a feeling she was wrong about him being smart. He hung around you for far too long, and you tainted him into making a choice that he regretted a little too late.

You tried to figure out what happened last night after your conversation with Cas that ended up with you drinking with Josh until the middle of the night. All you could remember was stumbling your way home after having a little too much alcohol and then being jumped by Crowley and his group of demons. You thought Josh had been one of the only people you could count on for not being apart of this lifestyle, but it turns out, he was sucked in for all the wrong reasons. The king of hell and the angel of the Lord persuaded him into doing their dirty work so they could fix a little problem. You don’t think this was part of their deal where it ended up with you stuck in an abandoned looking building, unsure of how much time had passed since you woke up here. You sat on the concrete ground with your back pressed against a metal bar that sat in the middle of the room as you nursed a pounding headache. Maybe it was from a hangover, maybe it was the blow to the head you took from the dried and crusty blood that matted down your hair. You tried to look for a way out of here, but the heavy metal door that you tried to open wouldn’t budge and the window that showed another building was too high for you to reach. You were left in the complete darkness, wondering if the boys knew where you were. And if Cas had something to do with this. You bit your bottom lip, contemplating why he would do such a thing to you. He was the one who made you human in the first place, that you remembered before slipping out of consciousness.This had Crowley’s name written all over it. He was keeping you for security. Or maybe since he got what he truly wanted...you were waiting around until he had one of his goons come in here to kill you.

The troublesome thought came at the wrong time when you suddenly found yourself overwhelmed with the sight of a light from the outside hall illuminate the room, causing you to shield your eyes. You heard a few voices and a shuffle of feet, among those voices there was a feminine one that you recognized. You put your hand down to see a pair of faces you weren’t expecting to see. A sense of fear washed over you as you quickly pushed yourself up to your feet when you saw Lisa and her son, Ben, being shoved inside the room along with you. Quick as you could, you pushed yourself up to your feet, wondering why the hell they were here. You looked away from the demon's to see Lisa was staring at you with a slightly nervous look.

“What the hell is going on here?” You demanded to know. “Where the hell is your boss?”

“Conducting some important business, but we’ll let Crowley know you wanted to speak to him.” One of the demons said, acknowledging your questions with a simple answer with a voice dripping with sarcasm. He looked over at his partner as the both of them let out a low, dark chuckle. Both of them were silent for a moment as they moved their gaze from Lisa and to you. An uneasy feeling settled in your stomach when you saw him coming in your direction, and from that familiar look in his eye that you saw before in hell, you attempted to back away from him. But it wasn’t like you had anywhere to hide. You winced in pain when you felt his had wrap around your arm, roughly yanking you forward to the entrance without much of a choice. “Come on, sweetheart. Someone’s been waiting an awful long time to meet you.”

When you made it to the outside hallway, you were forced to watch as the door was shut on the Braden family, trapping the alone in the dark as they were left with questions you couldn’t answer. While one of them had their back turned to you and the other standing guard, you made your move when you thought you had the chance, knowing it might be your only way. You roughly elbowed the demon who was holding you, knocking him back as he released his grip, his partner stopped what he was doing and turned around, wondering what kind of trouble you were causing. You swung back your arm and attempted to punch him, but you didn’t take into consideration the other demon wasn’t going to stand down with a simple elbow to the gut. You felt him grab a fistful of your hair and shove you forward to the wall, banging your head against the concrete, making you get a taste of your own medicine. You groaned in pain at the way your head was feeling like it was going to explode. It was enough of a distraction for one demon to finish locking up the family as the other swiftly threw you over his shoulder, leaving all the blood to rush to your head as you watched the dizzy figure of his partner follow behind. You tried your hardest to wiggle out of his grip, but he had a solid grip around your waist. You were stuck like this until you made it to the end of the hall and stepped into another room. You were dropped into an uncomfortable feeling chair and barely given a second to get yourself composed before you felt your wrists being pinned to the arm rests, handcuffing you to the chair. You let out a low noise as you tried your hardest to somehow get free, but you were stuck. You were about to open your mouth and ask what kind of sick game they were trying to play with you. But a voice stopped you from speaking first. “That’ll be all, boys.” yours. But you didn’t say anything. You furrowed your brow as you looked around the room, wondering if you were starting to lose your mind from the concussion you had, only you stumbled upon someone that was almost like looking into a mirror. You could feel your mouth open slightly as you stared at the woman who approached you. She had the same exact...well, everything. She must have noticed your gawking stares as she broke into a grin. “I know. And to think, you lost all of this forever.”

"You..." You didn’t know what to call the doppelganger that stood in front of you. She stood above you with all the same details that you shared with her. You kept wondering if this was what they had planned all along. Create some kind of Y/N clone that held all the worst things about you, the demon side that you tried so hard to get rid of. And while you accomplished that goal, you were left with consequences and at her mercy. All you could call her was, “Bitch.”

“I know what you are. What am I?” She mocked you in a childish voice as she stepped over to a rolling table you didn’t notice was there until she stood there for a moment. She waved her fingers over the things you couldn’t see before she broke out into another smile, picking up what appeared to be a knife. You nervously swallowed as she gestured a finger for someone to come forward. “Remember that time we went into that fake universe where you pretended to be someone else? You got to live up the lap of luxury while you sat on your ass drinking champagne and ogling at a ring you could never afford, dreaming of wedding bells. That was fun, wasn’t it? But you do need a finger for that, right? It’s the...” You suddenly realized what she was doing when you saw her come forward and placed the knife dangerously close to your hand. You could only lift your hand far as you could before the cuffs, stopped you. But a demon she hithered forward pinned the left hand to the arm rest, giving you no chance to get free. “Don’t do this.” You were trying your hardest to sound brave as you felt the blade of the knife dig into your skin. “You’re only—” “Hurting myself? Yeah, that’s the point, idiot. Now, hold her still.” She instructed the demon as she got ready. “I need something to bring to the boys when I visit them tomorrow. And what better than the ring finger of their beloved? Just a reminder there’s not gonna be a happily ever after for you or Dean. Not after I get done with you, bitch.” She went in for it as you felt the knife dig deeper into your skin. You tried your hardest not to let out any sort of sound to give the demon satisfaction you knew she wanted to hear. While you bit your bottom lip hard as you could, your teeth sank into your skin, drawing up blood as she continued to moved the knife back and forth. hitting the bone until you felt a part of you go loose. She broke into a grin when you let out a piercing scream of pain at what she had done, letting the noise echo through the halls, traumatizing the poor family that was left, wondering what might be waiting for them next.

[Next Part]

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michaelreaderreblog · 7 years

Text

Captured pt7 (final)

Word Count: 1,040

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Its been months since Dean and Michael saved you and Sam from the demons. Now that everything is some what back to normal, you have been back to hunting with your brothers and Michael comes along as well. When he can anyway.

“How do you feel being back hunting?” Michael asks as he holds you in his arms

“You know I feel great being out there” you reply with a wide smile

It was rough at first, your brothers were there to get through most of it while Michael had to leave for a while when he really wanted to stay with you. Dean reassured him that he and Sam had things under control and would pray for him if anything ever happened.

“Y/n Im” you cut him off knowing what he was going to say next

“Its ok. I understand and my brothers told me. I knew you would come back when you were done with heaven business”

Michael stills feels regret by leaving for so long and he can see it in your eyes that you meant every word. He is just glad your brothers never left your side.

“Im gonna shower” is all you say and disappear into the bathroom

Michael leaves your room, walks down the hall and turns into the library where your brothers are sitting and having scotch.

“Celebration drinks?” he asks sitting at the other side of where your brothers were sitting

“Yeah. Want one?” Dean asks getting a glass for Michael and pouring the liquor for Michael

He is about to protest but once the glass is in front of him is when he decided one drink couldnt hurt. Or will it?

He raises the glass to his mouth and sips the liquid. He swirls it around his mouth and finally swallows.

“Alright, that isnt so bad” he says looking into his glass

“Can you literally taste everything?” Dean asks out of curiosity and remembered the time when Cas got his grace back. All he tasted were molecules.

“Normally yes. Right now, all I could taste is the corn, wheat, and smoke. Im guessing that this was aged 12 years when this was first purchased” he replies while taking another sip

Dean and Sam are impressed while Michael describes the scotch and now Dean knows why he gets drunk faster.

“Ooh the good scotch” you sad as you enter the library from your room.

You take the glass from Michaels hand and take a sip as well. Just like Michael, you also swirled the liquid around your mouth to get the full taste of the fine scotch.

“Always hits the spot” you say while looking between your brothers and finally looking to Michael

“Michael may I have a word with you?” Dean asks looking to him and getting up from where he is seated.

Michael looks to you wondering what your brother would need to speak to him about. You shrug your shoulders as you watch Michael walk away from you and Sam.

“Whats that about?” You ask looking to Sam

“I honestly have no idea” he replies as he shrugs his shoulders as well

“Dean, what did you need to speak to me about?” Michael asks looking to Dean in a puzzled expression.

“You and my sister” he replies as he looks to Michael and back at you.

He settles his gaze upon you and begins to reflect to those times he has watched you grow up

“For the past few months you have proved me wrong and I was wrong about you” he says while looking back to Michael

“Now that I can see how you feel about my sister and seeing how you were when we couldnt find her. That showed me how much you care for her, how you would do just about anything for her and most of all. How much you love her” he adds while still holding his gaze on Michael

“I have always had strong feelings for your sister. The very first time I saw her, I knew that she is the person whom I have been longing for” Michaels turn to state his true feelings for you.

Even though he has never had that opportunity to tell you himself but he thought he would need the practise by telling Dean. Since he is your older brother and have been acting father, why not tell him.

“I love y/n” He adds as he looks to Dean. He realizes that he isnt looking at him either, Dean is looking past him as a smile begins to form on his face.

Michael should have known you were hiding behind him, eavesdropping on their conversation but he didnt.

You get up from the place you are hiding while Sam does the same, your brothers are smiling amongst each other as they slowly back away.

“You love me?” you ask in a hushed tone, standing in front of him as tears begin to form.

“Yes I do” he replies as he comes closer to you

“When Im around you, my grace it always reacts to you. Like as if its trying to pull me towards you” he adds as you wraps his arms around your torso and brings you closer to him

“When I dont have you in my sight, I get completely deranged, irrational, idiotic” he continues as he holds you closer to him

You feel weak in the knees as he holds you, your knees begin to shake as he declares his love for you. You couldnt believe he finally tells you about his feelings after so long. You wanted to come out first with your love but that never happened. After everything, you realized how much he means to you.

“Its about time you said something” you reply as you kiss him.

The way your lips molded together is like as if a missing piece is finally put together. Being with Michael has never made you feel insecure. It always felt right being with him and like as if it was meant to be. You couldnt be any happier.

Michael knew he should have told you from the start when he started to develop feelings for you. Everything about being with you is always perfect.

#michael x reader #michael #supernatural!michael #captured #reader insert #supernatural #dean winchester #sam winchester #supernatural x reader #spn x reader #angel x reader #arch angel x reader #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fic #supernatural oneshot #fanfic #final

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little-red-and-his-wolves · 7 years

Note

Honestly, I love your writing and I'd happily read any of it so I couldn't chose my favourite prompt, but if you could do: 4, 14, 23 or 26 with Sam Winchester and Stiles it would be awesome! Thank you so much for all of the writing you do!

Aw, thank you! When I was in my college prep program I had an SAT writing course where we were given probably 50-60 SAT words per week to define and every Friday we had to write a little short story using a certain number of words. This annoyed me and my response was to write stories using every single word which my teacher found quite amusing. I tried to do the same here and use all the prompts, but I only managed 14, 23, and 26. Oh well.

Lemme just say, writing Stiles and Sam was fun as hell, and I can’t wait to get to the two of them in LRAHW.

Also, for reference: 4. “We’re designed to be disposable.”14. “You’re supposed to talk me out of this.”23. “So much for not getting involved.”26. “I didn’t intend to kiss you.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re supposed totalk me out of this,” Sam said.

“On thecontrary,” Stiles replied dropping his own duffle on the table with a heavy thud.“I’m coming with you.”

Sam raised hiseyebrows, a faint look of surprise on his face as he said, “So much for notgetting involved.”

Stiles shruggedand pulled a machete from his bag inspecting the tip critically. “Well, I’vealways been a bit of a joiner,” he said with a grin.

Sam, unlikeDean would have, didn’t question him anymore after that. At least not untilthey’re crouched together outside the vampires’ lair. Stiles was only slightlydisappointed that it turned out to be an abandoned barn rather than a good oldfashioned cave like in Lost Boys.

“Why are youdoing this?”

Stiles blinkedturning to glance briefly at Sam. Apparently asking odd questions atinopportune moments was a family trait. “Is now really the time for thisconversation?”

“I just want toknow what you’re getting out of this.”

“Can’t I justbe helping out to be nice?” Stiles whispered back unwilling to get into hismotivation. Most of it was tied up in Dean which Stiles had a feeling Sam wouldunderstand on the surface, but it would probably only bring more questions onwhy Stiles felt like he owed the other man so much.

“In my experiencehunters generally aren’t that big on charity.”

“Good thing I’mnot a hunter then,” Stiles replied peering around the corner once more. Thecoast was still clear.

“Stiles,” Samsaid, and Stiles drew back leaning against the wall to leveling Sam with a consideringlook.

“Dean’s myfriend,” he said. “I don’t need another reason.”

Sam’s gaze wascalculating, that big brain of his Dean always talked about working to assessthe validity of Stiles’ words. It was a bit intimidating, reminded Stiles a bitof Derek and they way he just silently weighed and measured a person, buteventually Sam’s expression smoothed out.

“You know, Deantalks about you a lot.”

Stiles furrowedhis brows. “That’s nice,” he remarked not really understanding Sam’s point insaying so. Dean talked a lot in general so it wasn’t that surprising.

“He didn’t atfirst,” Sam continued. “Not until I met you in Nebraska.”

“What are youreally asking me, Sam?” Stiles said. “Because this is starting to sound likethe beginnings of a shovel talk and, if so, now really is not the time.”

Sam flushed abit and glanced away. “That’s not—”

The vampirereaching through the rotting wall to grab Sam cut the hunter off before Stileseven had the chance. He spent one second gaping at the empty spot where Samused to be before ducking into the barn. Inside was pure chaos. For such asmall coven they were putting up quite the fight. Unsurprising since they werefeeding regularly and probably quite old, according to Bobby anyway becauseStiles was no vampire expert. He had his hands full enough with werewolves.Thanks, but no thanks, universe, for the addition of vampires no matter howshort lived.

Stiles gaspedas he was tossed yet again into one of the support posts. He’d lost sight ofSam not long after coming inside; decided he had his hands full just withkeeping himself alive. He took out two on his own. Managed to roll the one likeDean had taught him, get the upper hand, and sever his spine before he reallyeven realized what Stiles was trying to do. The lady vamp proved a littleharder, pinning Stiles to the wall and hissing in his face like a deranged catbefore Stiles slammed a hand in the center of her chest, forcing her back witha pulse from his spark and slipping free from her hold. He ducked beneath herarm and lobbed her head off with a sickening crunch while she was still tryingto recover from the blow.

The thirdbarreled into him from behind, caught Stiles’ machete to his stomach whenStiles twisted as they fell to the ground. It didn’t do much harm to thevampire, obviously, which may have been his intention because it left Stilesbasically unarmed with his head ringing from the impact. Stiles reacted oninstinct reaching out to try and force the vampire’s head away. His fingersslipped through slick blood and the vampire was suddenly close. Far too close.

His sparkboiled beneath his skin, burning hot and fervent, but in the next second thevampire was gone. Wrenched away and taken care of with a frightening andsquelchy thud.

It took Stilesa moment to comprehend he wasn’t dead which was a thrilling realization. Samgrabbed his arms hauling him easily to his feet where he could fully survey theremains of the small but violent vampire clan that had been terrorizing thenearby towns for the past weeks. Sam was nearly as drenched in blood as Stiles,a thought that had his stomach rolling and head feeling faint.

“We’re notdead,” he said and Sam nodded something like concern playing across hisfeatures. “Thank fuck.”

That prompted astartled laugh from Sam, and Stiles had a fleeting thought that he had areally, really nice laugh before he was grabbing Sam’s coat and kissing him.

That prompted an adorable muffledprotest and Stiles eased back swallowing down what was probably hystericallaughter at how wide Sam’s eyes were while he gaped like a fish.

“Uh, Stiles,I’m not,” Sam started flushing and fumbling for words. “I just mean, there’snothing wrong with, I’m just, uh, I’m not gay.”

Stiles noddedsuddenly realizing he was still holding on to Sam’s coat and quickly lettinggo. “Yeah, no, I mean, I know. I didn’t intend to kiss you.”

“Right,” Samsaid with a sharp nod of his own.

“I just, I’mhappy were not, you know, dead or anything.”

“Right,” Samrepeated still beat red and Stiles couldn’t help but laugh. “Me too.”

Once they wereback at Bobby’s and Sam inevitably spilled the story under Dean’s glare, quiteimpressive in spite of the fact that he was still incapable of so much asstanding for more than a few minutes, Stiles laughed even harder at Sam’spanicked look of confusion in response to Dean’s cry of, “You’ve got to bekidding me. You kissed him too?”

Stiles’ replyof, “Don’t worry, Dean, you’re still special,” did little to help clarify.

Send me a prompt

#ask #anon #stiles stilinski #teen wolf #sam winchester #supernatural #prompts #lrahw #thank you!

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untoten1 · 7 years

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‘Walking Dead’ Turns 100: A Glimpse Into the Future From the Atlanta Set

[Warning: This story contains spoilers for the comic books on which AMC’s The Walking Deadis based.]

Something’s stumbling upstairs — an oddly foreign but familiar figure.

It’s not a new sensation in the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead, in which humans become monsters in the blink of an eye, or, more accurately, in the bite of an arm. But when it comes to the being hobbling through the top floor of a quaint Georgia household with a haunting but humble shuffle, there’s an unmistakable feeling that we’re in the midst of something new, even if it comes in the form of someone old: Rick Grimes, the hero of this tale, eyes slowly opening, body slowly rising as if from the dead. Instead, he’s simply rising from the bed.

On this early May afternoon on the show’s Atlanta set, the lithe Andrew Lincoln looks worse for wear as he wanders the Walking Dead set, and it’s not just because he’s physically weary — though it’s understandable if he is, given that he’s in the middle of shooting the 100th episode of the AMC zombie drama, airing Oct. 22. Instead, it’s because he’s trying on a different version of Rick than ever before: bearded and broken, at least more bearded and broken than usual.

It’s an image that first appeared in the Comic-Con trailer for the upcoming eighth season of the post-apocalypse series, and one that’s very familiar to readers of the comic books from Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard on which the show is based. In those comics, the story eventually jumps forward in time, a few years into the future, following a brutal war between Rick’s Alexandrians and the Saviors, led by the nefarious Negan, played with an ever-present cruel charisma by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

For his part, elsewhere on the set, Morgan’s (Lennie James) menacing mannerisms remain alive and well. The same might not be said for the reformed coward Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), at least not for much longer, based on the nightmarish nature of the scene being filmed. In the depths of an overly warm soundstage, on a dimly lit set fashioned as a grungy corridor, Morgan as Negan stalks toward a cornered Gabriel, delivering a Neganism that’s already been featured in previews for the season.

"I hope you’re wearing your shitting pants," Negan tells Gabriel, talking and walking slow, his barbed-wired baseball bat Lucille never far behind. "Because you, are about to shit your pants."

Never mind that Negan apparently believes people in the apocalypse have the luxury of owning a pair of "shitting pants," let alone believes in the very concept of "shitting pants" at all. The point is, the arch-villain of Alexandria is exactly as we left him at the end of season seven: deeply dangerous and at least a little bit deranged, ready to emotionally and physically break apart anyone who crosses his path.

The sameness of Negan stands in sharp contrast with the future glimpse of Rick Grimes, hair cropped short, except for the beard, impressive in its heft, wise in its graying hue. In person, it’s easy to see through the fiction, even if the aged Rick reads fine on camera. What’s most jarring about this look at Rick, however, isn’t the uncanny valley quality of the makeup, but the fact that The Walking Dead is moving into this valley at all. In the comics, the time jump doesn’t occur until the immediate aftermath of "All Out War," the arc in which Rick and Negan’s forces break out into — that’s right — all out war. It should come as no surprise to people who haven’t read the comics that Rick’s side wins the fight, albeit with casualties, some more devastating than others. But the fact that the outcome is being lobbed up here in the season eight premiere, the 100th episode of the series, is certainly an unexpected outcome.

Most fans would have pegged the time jump to take place in the season finale, or even further down the line, given the way Walking Dead often paces out. The second season’s focus on the Greene family farm, for instance, was a fairly significant expansion of the location’s appearance in the comic books, which lasted no more than a small handful of issues early in the run. Similarly, the first half of season six (as well as the midseason premiere) unfurled over the course of little more than a day. The Walking Dead likes to take its time, in other words, slowly stalking forward like the walkers at the heart of the tale, not to mention Old Man Rick in his Alexandria home.

What’s with the glimpse into the future, then? Mum’s the word when poking and prodding around Senoia, Georgia, which stands in for the Alexandria Safe-Zone, and serves as the site of Grandpa Grimes’ new household. But the fact that the series is already willing to move into that far-future territory stands as a testament to an idea the Walking Dead crew will happily engage: season eight, on a structural level alone, is designed to be unlike anything that’s come before, which means a swifter story momentum than ever before.

"It’s funny — in some ways, I was trying to make it a little smaller and more intimate," showrunner and executive Scott M. Gimple told The Hollywood Reporter and other press about the script for the 100th episode of The Walking Dead, during a conversation in a screening room on the set. "I made the mistake of telling that to [executive producers Greg Nicotero and Tom Luse], and when they got the script, they were horrified to not see small and intimate. Instead, it was, ‘How are we going to [shoot] this in nine days?’ I was trying to counter the pressure and go in a different direction, but there’s a certain pull to the story and to the characters. It got very big, very quickly, but in a different way."

Nicotero, the legendary horror effects mastermind chiefly responsible for the show’s zombie design, also serves as one of the most seasoned directors on The Walking Dead, and with that in mind, he’s the man stepping behind the lens for the 100th episode. In terms of the pace of the season, he fully backs Gimple’s claim: "The show is going to have a tremendous amount of momentum this year."

"We left season seven with Negan standing in front of the Sanctuary and saying, ‘We’re going to war!’ Everyone was there, ready to go to war, and I would say this is by far the most propulsive season premiere we’ve ever done in terms of setting the stage for knowing we’re in the war," says Nicotero, sitting in the living room of the same house where an older Rick Grimes stirs in bed one floor above. "That’s fun and exciting, and just the idea of knowing our story arcs that tend to play out over different episodes, where people sometimes disappear … we’re accelerating our pace this season a little bit, with some of those moments concluding a little sooner as opposed to maybe dragging them out over long periods of time."

For many of the people involved with the series, the incoming season’s sense of forward momentum isn’t anything new, of only on a practical level. Take Norman Reedus, for instance, who has starred on The Walking Dead as the rugged Daryl Dixon since the very first season. He sits in the middle of a different Alexandria living room, speaking with gathered reporters, wearing a Walking Dead hat emblazoned with the number 100, designed to honor the milestone episode. To hear him tell it, he’s as surprised as anyone that the series has reached its current place at the edge of war: "I never knew the show was going to be around this long, to be honest."

"We fight really hard for the show to be what it is," says Reedus. "It could have gone south so easily in the beginning, with zombies and crossbows and samurai swords and all of that shit. We fought really hard to keep it as real as possible. Every year, we see a new guard of people come in and join the show. Some of us old-schoolers work really hard to keep this train on the tracks."

The new-schoolers work hard, too, at maintaining their guard in all corners of the zombie apocalypse. For example, there’s Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter, the brilliant but often cowardly survivor who stands on the wrong side of the battlefield, firmly one with Negan. McDermitt, who joined the series in season four, says he’s in awe at not only what’s ahead in this season of The Walking Dead, but at the sheer volume of story the series has already accumulated over the years.

"Not a lot of shows get to episode 100, so this is exciting," he says, sitting in the same screening room as Gimple. "And the last show I was on [the TV Land sitcom Retired at 35] only got to episode 20, so this is even more exciting. Five times the fun! Getting to episode 100 on a show that isn’t 22 episodes every season is a feat. The fact that people are still coming back and watching it? It’s exciting. I was a huge fan of the show before I started working on it. Being a part of it at this milestone, it’s really special. I’m blessed, man. It’s kind of awesome."

Even as the series reaches its 100th episode, and even as it starts showing signs of the future, the cast and crew are clear about their desire for the milestone installment to keep one eye firmly on the past. In that regard, Nicotero says: "One of the things that’s most exciting about the episode is every once in a while we like to remember where the show came from. It’s an opportunity to thank our fans and thank our viewers for staying with us for so long. We can pay tribute to what makes the show so great. That’s what’s most exciting to me about where we are on the show, and this episode especially."

"That’s just a straight yes, and even in the whole season," says Gimple, when asked if the 100th episode of The Walking Dead will pay knowing homage to moments from the show’s past. "In a lot of ways, this whole season pays direct references to the past stories. Some visuals are carbon copies of earlier visuals. It very much has to do with the cumulative nature of the story. Where the story is now, the history of the show is weighing upon each character. In some ways, it’s made them who they are. In other ways, some of them are fighting that history. The history of the show in general is very much in the first episode [of season eight], and even in the whole season."

"Episode 100 is huge in itself," adds McDermitt. "It’s massive. We always say that for whatever premiere or finale, whether it’s midseason or otherwise, that it’s big. After a while — and I don’t know how the fans take it, or how you take it — but it just sounds like we’re saying the same thing over and over again. But as I read this script, I’m thinking, ‘God, I have to read that again to comprehend everything.’"

Indeed, McDermitt’s feelings toward the 100th episode’s script — the need to read it again, in order to properly process its events — certainly extend to the sensation of watching a post-war Rick walking through the set, at a time where this version of the character by all rights shouldn’t exist. For now, there are no answers to this glimpse into the future. Instead, here’s a suggestion from someone who watched Old Man Rick rise from the bed: when the eighth season premieres, perhaps its wise to heed the words of warning from Negan to Gabriel, at least in terms of your viewing attire.

Follow THR.com/WalkingDead for more stories from our visit to the set, plus continuing coverage as we approach the milestone 100th episode of the series, premiering Oct. 22.

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trentteti · 7 years

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The Logical Rose-ning Section: Your Recap of The Bachelorette, Episode 4

Rachel Lindsay is a practicing attorney who once took the LSAT. And you, dear reader, are an aspiring attorney who will soon take the LSAT, Rachel Lindsay is also an aspiring married person, serving as the Bachelorette on this season of The Bachelorette, the love story these depraved times deserve. And you, dear reader, may also be an aspiring married person? Either way, you definitely have at least a few things in common with Rachel. So every Tuesday, we’re going to be tracking Rachel’s romantic journey on The Bachelorette, and see what we can learn about love, loss, and the LSAT. Welcome back to the Logical Rose-ning Section.

Last time: Well, we’ve been deprived of quality Bachelorette time these last two weeks as lesser competitions like the NBA Finals dominated the airwaves. In the meantime, we learned about how Rachel actually dated NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant in college … and that the producers may have committed gross negligence during the filming of spin-off Bachelor in Paradise, which allegedly led to a situation that is in no way humorous or romantic or anything these shows attempt to be. This resulted in legal action and the cancelation of BIP. With this distance and the intervening news stories, it’s tough to remember, say … the men grinding on the unwitting audience of The Ellen Degeneres Show or professional wrestler Pretty Boy Pitbull Kenny losing a wrestling match or Lee leaning into that Richard Spencer haircut of his.

Lee the Racist Leatherfaced Snake Person

We immediately pick up from last week, with Lee attempting to cut down Eric, Kenny, and Josiah. What do these three guys have in common that might not jibe with noted racist Lee? No idea. Anyway, as Lee attempts to manipulate these guys, he becomes increasingly desperate and volatile.

When Kenny attempts to have some one-on-one time with Rachel, Lee purposefully misunderstands Kenny’s request for “60 more seconds” with Rachel as a request for “16 more seconds” with Rachel, a duration of time no one has ever asked for, ever. Lee, upon pulling this “trick,” looks child who just tricked his parents into letting him go to bed at 9:30.

Dean and Brady pick up on Lee’s treachery. If Rachel doesn’t already pick up on Lee’s increasingly sweaty appearance and deranged actions, or the contestant’s growing antipathy for him, or his racist beliefs, then hopefully she realized she’s dealing with a horrible person once he gifted her a Manson-sque carving of “ENCHANTING” on a wood block.

That looks like it was a made by deranged serial killer who drank two pots of coffee and then used his left hand to engrave. It looks like it was made by a person trying to accurately replicate how he wrote as a kindergartner. It looks the last thing you see in a slasher film before Lee the Racist Leatherfaced Snake crashes through a window to slay himself a wife.

Lee absolutely dominates this episode as the editors set him up as this season’s villain. It’s really too bad that Rachel, who is among the smartest, most successful, and self-assured Bachelorettes this show has ever had, doesn’t get the typical villain who, like, gets a little too confident and drunk and flirty. She has to deal with this bigoted sweat gland of a human as her season’s villain, who views the manipulation of the non-white contestants as his right.

Rachel, of course is very perceptive, and seems to sense that Lee might not have the most enlightened beliefs or people skills. At this thought, she gets emotional—for the first time, she is a loss of words—about the pressures she faces as the first black Bachelorette. She mentions the harsh judgment she’ll receive for the decisions she has to make on the show. She also says she alone will face this judgment. Later, at the rose ceremony, Lee gets a rose. It’s hard not to see this sequence and think that she broke down at the producers’ insistence that she keep the Lee on to continue to fill the show’s drama quotient. Again, after the producers showed really bad judgment during Bachelor in Paradise, it’s hard to not assume they’re acting with the worst of intentions here.

Chris Harrison, scratching and crawling his way back onto the camera after being an afterthought this entire season, promises to “facilitate anything” that Rachel wants. He then does the only thing that seems to be within his powers as the nominal host of this show, which is to cut the cocktail party short and go straight to the rose ceremony.

Rose Ceremony

Smash cut to the rose ceremony, where Will, Dean, Jonathan the Tickle Predator, Piggo Mortensen, Adam (still don’t know who this is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), Bryan, Matt (don’t know this dude either), Josiah, Jack Stone, Iggy, Pretty Boy Pitbull Kenny, and Lee get the red rose of continued camera time. They join Eric and Peter, who already received date roses. This means that the elfin Bryce, the similar but slightly less elfin Brady, and Diggy must say goodbye. These contestants bid adieu to Rachel, and then walk solemnly to the cannon where Chris Harrison fires them in the general direction of their hometowns.

One-on-one date with Dean

This week’s episode was brought to us by the tourism board of Hilton Head, an island off the coast of South Carolina. The contestants travel to the island, which steadfastly kept its name despite the disreputable associations it conjured during the Paris Hilton sex tape scandal of the early aughts. Once on Hilton Head Island, do we learn about the island’s strategic importance during the Civil War? The rich culture and history of its Gullah inhabitants? The island’s lowcountry cuisine? Nope! We learn about blimps.

Dean, who looks like a laboratory-engineered contestant for this show, gets the one-on-one date with Rachel. They drink champagne on the hood a jeep when the Goodyear blimp, in all of its old-timey, slow-moving glory, approaches them with a message that their “ride is here.” 36 hours later, the blimp lands and they hop aboard.

Rachel, adorably, had a childhood fascination with blimps, which she referred to as “b’imps.” Dean, afraid of heights, struggles to repress images of the Hindenburg.

Rachel, doing the last thing someone who has a fear of blimps would want her to do, takes the wheel (Joystick? Old-fashioned lever and pulley operation?) of the blimp and manages to not immediately imperil the passengers. The pilot then lets Dean pretend that he’s controlling the blimp like a big boy. Dean and Rachel then step three feet away from the pilot in the back of the cockpit to enjoy a quasi-intimate moment.

The blimp then flies by the hotel the other contestants are staying at with the message “Ice Cube’s a pimp” “Dean and Rachel 4 ever.” The last thing these insecure knuckleheads need is an airborne advertisement of Rachel’s intimacy with another guy. They try to reassure themselves that Dean is younger and handsomer than they are … which in their warped minds is a bad thing.

Dean gets the date rose. Rachel and Dean then go to concert by something called Russell Dickerson. These live performances by D-level musicians are a staple of one-on-one dates, but who are they for? The musician looks like he is just trying to get through a contractually-obligated performance that will maybe net him $14.73 of new spins on Spotify. The Bachelorette and contestant look uncomfortable as props in a live show. And the crowd of 37 Craigslist extras look just as confused about what a Russell Dickerson is as the rest of us. Anyway, successful date!

Group Date

Afterwards, we move onto the group date, featuring Alex, Anthony, Piggo Mortensen, Bryan, Jonathan, Adam, Matt, Kenny, Lee, Iggy, Eric, Will, Josiah. This leaves Jack Stone with the one-on-one date, which is shelved for another episode.

This massive gaggle of guys are invited to a boat to see Hilton Head Island. The dudes bring out their best boat attire, but none better than Josiah, who wears flood pants high enough that his cuffs would stay bone dry even if their boat sunk to the bottom of the Port Royal Sound.

On the boat, the dudes have a dance off, a rap off, and eventually a shirt off competition. During the rap battle, Piggo calls Rachel a “girl from the hood” keeping with the theme of racist nonsense in this episode. Dude, her dad has been a federal judge for like 20 years.

The guys then are compelled to do a spelling bee. Josiah brags about his vocabulary, but can’t immediately think of a word to describe the vastness of his lexicon. My favorite words are wordy words that describe wordy words, so let me help you out Josiah: brag about your vocabulary full of recondite, grandiloquent, abstruse, recherché, and arcane words next time.

Some guys get easy words like “passion” and “façade.” Other guys get words that are literally impossible to spell, like “boutonniere.” Josiah, as promised, wins the spelling bee. The only thing higher than his IQ is the hem of his drawers.

What these dudes would have scored on the LSAT

This episode really focused on these dudes’ smarts, which allows us to surmise what they would have scored on their LSAT. Here are a few educated guesses:

Dean is perceptive, picks up on Lee’s lack of respect right away, and is able to calmly articulate that into the producer without saying anything regrettable himself. He seems like he is able to absorb information and make the proper deductions. 168.

Jack Stone stumbled into a conversation and thought Dean was referring to the other contestants’ “corks,” not “quirks.” 143.

Bryan, in response to Rachel’s query that Bryan’s charm seems too good to be true: “It’s a fairy tale.” Bryan, in response to Rachel’s retort that it is not a fairy tale: “It’s real, it’s 1000% real. I promise you.” 138.

Iggy, during the spelling bee, mixes up “boudoir” with “Bordeaux” (which he also spells incorrectly), which leads me to believe he is prone to equivocation fallacies and sloppy mistakes. 141.

Eric misses four out of the six words in “façade.” Missing four out of six questions on the December 2016 LSAT would net Eric a 136.

Back to the Group Date

During the cocktail portion of the group date, Piggo establishes pole position in this group, as he and Rachel start to discuss living arrangements. Rachel is apparently licensed to practice in Wisconsin, allowing her to move to Piggo’s hometown of Madison. This surprises Piggo Mortensen, but Wisconsin lets experienced attorneys from every other jurisdiction practice there, so basically every attorney is licensed to practice cheese curd law or whatever the main legal industry in Wisconsin is.

Meanwhile, the other dudes use their time with Rachel to question the motives of other guys in the house. Iggy brings up doubts about Josiah. Josiah brings up how Iggy admitted to shooting steroids into his testicles.

Lee brings up Kenny. Kenny brings up Lee. Things get heated between an increasingly frustrated Kenny (who, embracing the hottest term of January 2017, calls Lee “an alternative facts piece of garbage”) and an increasingly inebriated Lee. It looks like everything is about to come to a head until … duh duh duh … they hit us with the third consecutive “TO BE CONTINUED …”

What we learned about love

The journey to find love is a perilous journey best traveled via outdated and dangerous airships from the 1920s.

What we learned about loss

There’s no shame in losing a spelling bee, provided you get most of the letters of your word correct.

What we learned about the LSAT

These dudes would not do well on the LSAT, but Rachel? Probably very well, although the exact score is still undetermined.

The Logical Rose-ning Section: Your Recap of The Bachelorette, Episode 4 was originally published on LSAT Blog

#LSAT #The Bachelorette #The Logical Rose-ning Section #trent teti #lsat

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danielle-interactivemediaproject · 7 years

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Are You a Helicopter Parent?

Do you take over your child’s responsibilities? Invade their personal and private affairs? Does your child rely on you too much?

If you mentally checked yes to any of those questions, you might be a helicopter parent.

Similar to how helicopters hover above in the sky, a helicopter parent hovers above their children. Jill Weber labels them as “overly intrusive parents [who] take on far too much responsibility for their child’s choices, behaviors, success, and defeats.” Such parents are often overly involved with their child’s educational choices (i.e., enrolling with the best teacher, signing up for extracurricular activities, or checking and completing assignments), but they can also get involved with their social matters too (i.e., starting conversations, dictating interactions, or initiating and ending social relationships).

Where does helicopter parenting come from?

In “The Seven Myths of Helicopter Parenting”, Katie Roiphe attempts to debunk the myth: “helicopter parents are bad or pathetic people with deranged values.” Roiphe, however, believes they are none of these things, and their parenting styles come from a place of genuine love and concern. She sums, potentially too simply, that this style of over-parenting is a reaction to “natural parental fears”.

Could such fears stem from their own emotional needs?

Hara Estroff Marano of Psychology Today seems to think so; she argues that helicopter parents place their needs before those of their child. Their emotional needs--the fear of aging, unhappiness in their marriage, reconnecting with their child--blind them to their child’s developmental needs. In doing so, these parents create an adult child who potentially struggles with mistakes, setbacks, and failures.

To avoid helicoptering their child, Former Stanford dean, Julie Lythcott-Haims asks parents the following questions and warns them to reconsider:

1. Do you use the word “we” to refer to you and your child as singular unit?

2. Are you too invested with your child’s teachers and other adult-like mentors?

3. Do you still do their homework?

Most parents want to raise a child who will become an independent and self-sufficient adult. These parents will likely get involved with the child’s life, but not to the point of over-parenting--becoming a helicopter parent is not the answer.

Node: Effects of “Helicopter Parents”

Works Cited

Brown, Emma. “Former Stanford dean explains why helicopter parenting is ruining a generation of children.” The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2015/10/16/former-stanford-dean-explains-why-helicopter-parenting-is-ruining-a-generation-of-children/?utm_term=.ef0024875767. Accessed 24 May 2017.

Marano, Hara E. “Helicopter Parenting--It’s Worse Than You Think.” Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/nation-wimps/201401/helicopter-parenting-its-worse-you-think. Accessed 24 May 2017.

Roiphe, Katie. “The Seven Myths of Helicopter Parenting.” Slate, http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/roiphe/2012/07/madeline_levine_s_teach_your_children_well_we_are_all_helicopter_parents.html. Accessed 24 May 2017.

Weber, Jill. “Helicopter Parenting.” HealthyLivinG Magazine, http://www.healthylivingmagazine.us/Articles/641/. Accessed 24 May 2017.

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mdye · 7 years

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“I don’t think [Trump is] an honest person — but I do think he’s an authentic person. I think that that’s what the Democratic Party needs.”

Seth Meyers is one of television’s best political comics.

As host of NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, he is persuasive because as well as being very funny, he is sincere and empathetic. As critical as he is of Trumpism, he has tried hard to understand Trump voters’ perspectives, as on the night after Trump’s election.

“I felt a lot of emotions last night and into today,” Meyers said in an emotional speech that went viral.

He held back tears as he discussed his and his mother’s disappointment: “Some sadness, some anger, some fear. But I’m also aware that those are the same emotions a lot of Trump supporters felt, emotions that led them to make their choice, and it would be wrong for me to think my emotions are somehow more authentic than their emotions.”

He went on to say that he hoped Trump would drop his worst campaign trail policies, characteristically sharpening his point with humor. “Because when you’re courting someone, you’re always willing to pretend you’re something you’re not. For example, when you first start dating someone, you’ll agree to go apple picking.”

But Meyers, not naïve, finished with a steely promise. “Donald Trump made a lot of promises as to what he’s going to do in the next four years, and now we get to see if he can fulfill them. And so, I’d just like to make one promise to him: We here at Late Night will be watching you.”

Throughout the turbulent first 100 days of the Trump administration, Meyers has been a thorough, incisive critic of Trumpism, especially with his oft-trending A Closer Look feature. Meyers’s weeknight show hits the Trump administration hard across the board: from immigration to health care to corruption.

During a hectic mid-afternoon last week — as the Republicans in the House repealed Obamacare — the 43-year-old joined me over the phone from his office in Manhattan’s 30 Rock. Our discussion, which has been lightly edited and condensed, covered the impact of political news comedy, learnings from Tina Fey and Bernie Sanders, the role of big companies in opposing Trumpism, and his advice for liberals.

Alexander Bisley

My contention is that Trump is a Marxist, as in (Chico as) Groucho Marx’s line: “Who are you going to believe, me or your own lying eyes?” As you’ve repeatedly covered on Late Night, Trump contradicts things millions of people saw him say, such as his lies about health care.

Seth Meyers

Yeah. It’s been fascinating for us how inexhaustible his contradictions are. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. I think one thing that’s really important and has been true throughout history is that 70-year-old men don’t tend to change or go through any sort of metamorphosis into a different kind of person. So I think it was a false hope that many had that somehow the presidency would change the man. But more often than not I think the man changes the presidency, and that’s certainly what we’ve seen thus far.

Alexander Bisley

“[Trump] believes truly insane, deranged, and delusional things,” Chris Hayes told me. “It’s very much an Infowars presidency in many ways. The president is a conspiracy theorist.” What do you think?

Seth Meyers

Well, I have a sense that for someone like [Infowars founder] Alex Jones, there’s a great amount of theater to it, and he probably has far more understanding of how insane the things he is saying are. His reason for saying that is not at its core insane, he’s saying insane things for the purpose of theater. There’s some craft behind it; there’s some thought behind it.

I don’t know if Donald Trump thinks to himself: “I’m gonna say something insane.” I think he doesn’t think much at all. But he’ll see something or read something, and without backing it up or reading a second source, he’ll tweet basically that he was surveilled by Barack Obama. Which then, because he’s the president, becomes this incredible story with this very long tail that we’re sort of still dealing with today. But it didn’t start because he thought, “Oh, this will be helpful for me if I say something that I know not to be true.” I think he just did it without thinking.

Alexander Bisley

Trumpism has been a boon for political comedians. What is something about a competitor that impresses you?

Seth Meyers

John Oliver laid out in a really wonderful way that audiences have an attention span for longer-form stuff. When we started this show we didn’t think 10, 12-minute pieces on current events would be what our show would be known for. But John was somebody who showed if you get out a lot of information, people have a better attention span for it. And then if you can get enough jokes in there to also make it funny, you have a pretty nice recipe.

Alexander Bisley

Any criticism you’d make of your competition?

Seth Meyers

Oh, God, no. I feel as though this is a really nice time for late night across the board and I’m happy to be one of the people that has the luxury of having one of these shows. I think for all of us, it’s a little strange when people say it’s a good time for you, because it doesn’t particularly feel like a good time. But there are certainly work advantages versus having a president, be they Democrat or Republican, who is conventional. When you have an unconventional president, it creates an incredible volume of material to go through on any given day.

Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Alexander Bisley

How do you see the role of political news comedy versus traditional media?

Seth Meyers

One of the nice things about traditional media is that they do have a rule book. Now, I think looking back on the past couple of years, they’ve maybe stepped outside of the lines here or there. But at its core, there are journalistic ethics and journalism is better when people follow it. Comedians are not known for having ethics [laughs], and that’s what makes us better at being able to process information that comes from someone else who doesn’t have ethics. We don’t have to have gloves on and couch anything in the language of journalists. If we think someone’s telling a lie we’re just very happy to come out and say, “As of today, this person is a liar.”

I think I should stress, we can’t do our jobs without journalism; journalists who are doing the hard work and actually getting the information that we use for our comedy.

Alexander Bisley

Can comedy swing swing voters?

Seth Meyers

My takeaway from the last election would be we’re not great at it. And I should say in 2008 when I was at SNL, I feel like SNL got a lot of credit for its impact on that election. But I made sure never to puff my chest out about that either because I feel there are a lot of reasons that people vote. Even in all the data and all the people that have been doing the excellent data work as far as what happened in the most recent election, I think that they said, “Look, there were a lot of different reasons that people voted.” But certainly, nothing is showing up in the data that says “Late Night” on it.

Alexander Bisley

Do you hope for any kind of impact beyond entertaining?

Seth Meyers

Well, the impact is this. I feel as though our show feels a bit more vital and a show that you want to make sure you see, either the night of or the next morning, because it’s about what’s happening in the world. So that allows us to choose the things that we think are important. And hopefully the people who watch our show think they’re important, and that’s why they keep coming back. Ultimately, if you can start conversations or inform people about things that they maybe otherwise might miss over the course of their busy day, that’s about as high as we aim as far as effect, is just getting that information out there.

Alexander Bisley

When you first got into comedy, did you think you’d become a political public intellectual?

Seth Meyers

No I did not. I had no sense of that, and I think if you’d seen my early improv show work you would also have agreed with me [laughs]. I always had an interest in politics; I grew up in New Hampshire so every four years we would have that be a big part of where we lived. But it wasn’t really until I found my way to SNL and the long history of political comedy on that show, I got to be up close to that and I feel I had on the job training. Again it was very interesting for me to do, but it wasn’t where I started from.

Alexander Bisley

Your Documentary Now! and Late Night bandleader colleague Fred Armisen has criticized the humorless Portlandian left. Anything you’d add in that vein?

Seth Meyers

I think that both sides of the political spectrum have some humorless elements to them. But I think as far as criticizing them, it seems rather pointless, because it’s very humorless.

Alexander Bisley

“Reality has a well-known liberal bias,” Stephen Colbert once said. It’s important to be fair, right?

Seth Meyers

Yeah, “fair” is a word we talk about. We talk about “fair” when we talk about “even.” I feel as though “even” can sometimes lead to false equivalents, whereas “fair” is, is this how you’d like to be treated if somebody disagreed with you? We all have bias, we all have a point of view. I think the best you can do is try to be aware of it and try to make sure that the bias doesn’t make you treat someone else unfairly.

Alexander Bisley

Bill Maher told me recently Trump is the Republicans’ “chickens coming home to roost.” Howard Dean added, “I think that’s very accurate. When you feed your base anger and lies, eventually it’ll catch up with the feeder.” What are your thoughts?

Seth Meyers

Certainly I don’t think that Republicans can say, “We could’ve never seen something like this coming.” There was always a bit of realization amongst Republicans — especially Republicans in Congress and other elected officials leading up to the election — of the thing they can’t say that they would like to.

I certainly believe that no matter how badly he behaved they prefer him to Hilary Clinton. And they probably don’t ultimately have any regrets. If they have any regrets it’s probably, “Aw man, it’d be easier to deal with Ted Cruz right now. He understands how the Senate works.” So I think they just hold their noses and try to get as much of their agenda done as possible and hope that he doesn’t press any of the buttons he’s not supposed to press.

Alexander Bisley

Is there a danger in avoiding wider Republican responsibility for Trump and Trumpism?

Seth Meyers

I certainly think there’s a danger in the left not examining the role they played in this election as far as maybe misunderstanding where the rest of America was, as far as what they wanted, come Election Day. I think that things like [now-former FBI Director James] Comey, and I think things like misogyny, I think those all played a role in the election. But ultimately in the next election for all you know something crazy’s going to happen 10 days out that’s not your fault. But how can you control and change the things that were your fault? How can you be better at the things within your control?

I just hope that the Democratic Party looks at that. Because again, some very insane things happened over the course of this election. And I get that when you’re upset about the outcome, it’s very easy to look at things that were unfair and wrong and try to pin it all on that. But if you don’t look again, this is just basic self-improvement, you have to control the things you can control.

Alexander Bisley

America’s a great, big, complicated country. As you have mentioned, there are all sorts of reasons why people might’ve voted for Trump, some of them legitimate. You’ve tried hard to make a distinction between Trump and his supporters. But if Trump supporters keep supporting him, given his disqualifying first 100 days, should you go after them?

Seth Meyers

That’s something we’re keeping our eye on. I think we wanted to give it at least 100 days to see what kind of president he was and see if it had any effect on his supporters. I will say, I think health care will be the most interesting because this now starts to have an effect on Trump voters. I can understand how Trump voters whose lives didn’t improve under Barack Obama could consider voting for Trump.

Hillary Clinton was in a difficult position because she couldn’t really criticize Barack Obama. It was tricky for her to argue how she was going to be different than Barack Obama. It was a very hard thing to do because he was pretty popular when he left. So she was in a tricky box there. I guess my question is for those Trump people — 100 days, 200 days, 300 days in — is if Trump’s not doing anything to help them, will they change their mind?

Alexander Bisley

In 2008, you led the writing of those hilarious and iconic Tina Fey as Sarah Palin SNL segments. What did you learn from working with her?

Seth Meyers

In the very beginning of my time at SNL in 2001, Tina was a head writer. I had been a fan of hers even before then. Tina’s the kind of writer that is never satisfied with the current draft. Always believes that if there’s another 10 minutes before we have to have the final script in, that you can find a better joke. I never saw her without a script in her hand. I think that taught me that writing is not easy and that it’s never really done and you should always be fine-tuning it until the last possible second.

Alexander Bisley

You’re a very savvy interviewer too, unlike some brilliant comedians. Anyone else you’d love to interview?

Seth Meyers

I’ve been saying this recently, that I would really like to talk to Sean Spicer. I think he has the most interesting job in the world right now and I can’t imagine what the approach to it is every day. I can’t imagine that he will ever find the time to come on my show. But I would really like to — at the very least not even for TV — sit down and have a drink with Sean Spicer and ask him a million questions about how his day works from when he wakes up to when he has to go stand in front of the press.

Alexander Bisley

You did well with Kellyanne Conway. She’s one of the most slippery interviewees, isn’t she?

Seth Meyers

Oh yeah, she is. That was a case where I certainly watched a lot of tape leading up to it to try and prepare myself for her many, almost MMA-type escape moves that she has. But I was glad she came, and I really respect that. Because there aren’t a lot of people in the Trump administration who are willing to go somewhere that they know will be — not enemy territory — but let’s just say an away game. So I was glad she showed up.

Alexander Bisley

Does anything spring to mind that you’d like to ask the commander in chief?

Seth Meyers

I don’t think that there’s a good interview to be had with President Trump. I’m glad people interview him because every time they do, he says things that are outlandish and that’s good for business for us. But as far as a Late Night talk show interview, I can’t imagine one ever being satisfying. It’s not as though you’re going to say anything to him that’s going to make him reassess where he stands on the world or admit fault.

One of the things I would like to ask him is about why he thought it would be easier than what he was doing before this. What led him to think this? No one in history has ever said it was an easy job.

Alexander Bisley

“I think the moral leadership in the business community has fallen apart for the most part,” Howard Dean said, during my last Vox interview. “We need large corporations to use their influence.” Should big companies play more of a role in opposing Trumpism?

Seth Meyers

Absolutely. You certainly look at what happened in North Carolina, where I feel a lot of companies have stood by their morals in doing business there. It’s always nice to see companies take a stand. I think that companies have a real appreciation for the people that work there, and they could always do better, but look it’s a tricky business when you also have shareholders. The problem with business is it’s not built to be ethical; I think we’re lucky anytime we end up with a business leader who decides to make that a priority.

Alexander Bisley

Is there any further advice you’d give to Democrats or progressives?

Seth Meyers

Here’s what I think. This is also true for comedians these days — there’s an audience of people, and maybe it’s because of the way we’ve all lived on social media or the way that we have less and less of us that’s in private — people are very aware, both audiences and voters, they have a real strong sense of authenticity and they can immediately tell when something is inauthentic.

I think moving forward, the Democratic Party would just be really wise, and hopefully those people exist in their ranks, to have the kind of candidates who both represent the people who are more likely to vote for them and feel authentic. Because that is the one thing about Donald Trump. I know it’s a contradiction — because I don’t think he’s an honest person — but I do think he’s an authentic person. I think that that’s what the Democratic Party needs.

Alexander Bisley

Bernie Sanders, a repeat interviewee on your show, is both honest and authentic.

Seth Meyers

Yeah. Also, Bernie Sanders is likable just by being a grump [laughs]. To me, the magic trick every time Bernie Sanders comes on, people are so happy to see him, but he pretty much just talks about things he’s upset about. Even when he talks about the things he’s optimistic about, he seems really cranky.

Alexander Bisley is a regular Vox contributor and self-employed journalist. His favorite comedian is Chris Rock.

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