#anyway i think charlie's silly i hope i captured his likeness

[safyresky]

Bernack! Fusion Lawyer

A late night treat for u all that I promised AGES ago, please enjoy the most unhinged instalment of Fusion AU: Bernack (have yet to think of a decent name for them u just cannot mix Jack/Bernard's names it just does not work. Jernard? BACK?!?!?!? BARACK? OBAMA?!?!?!?!!?!?!?), Fusion Lawyer.

I have barely edited these notes. I have only made them legible (3am Dani has bad spelling which is funny bc it's already atrocious with how fast I type) and I am NOT joking about the time this was originally written at:

Please note that these are like BARE BONES ideas. LORD KNOWS (now that I have reread it) if this is still the situation I'd have fucking bernACK appear in, but A TREAT FOR U ALL ANYWAY. I HOPE.

AHEM. Let's begin.

It starts with a dare to Jacqueline, with love, ur horrible friend Charlie

they're chatting about some odd and strange magical things, and Charlie cracks a joke about Leprechauns and gold

to which Jacqueline replies "dude. that's legit. And you know gnomes? garden gnomes? yeah they're accurate to size you see in stores and they constantly throw hands with the leprechauns about who owns the gold

Charlie is like. ur fucking me

Jacqueline's like I am NOT! I will even bring you over and SHOW U

Charlie's like BET!

And Jacqueline goes AIGHT CHOOSE A DAY

Anyway Charlie ends up being unavailable but he has activated his pal's trap card and Jacqueline, of course, hunts down Elle

"hey dude," she says, once she finds Elle. "wanna go stake out some gnomes and leprechauns so I can win a bet against Charlie?"

And Elle is like "It's March. OF FUCKING COURSE I DO. Nothing's happening round these parts rn let's fucking GO BESTIE

So off they fuck!

And after a very strange series of events, Elline is around, and she is fucking RUNNING from the leprechaun authorities bc they think she is stealing the gold

She fails and is captured by them

They think she is a gnome spy

Elline is like "I'm really not? I'm a sprelf, and I'm just tryin to prove a point to my horrible friend Charlie who constantly makes silly challenge bets with me and they end up like this

which is funny bc we're always like "wow our legends need to stop having silly contests that end with trouble"

"I'm half hypocrite on the sprite side"

ANYWAY

Elline is like really I'm not a spy. not a gnome spy. i swear. i dont even want the gold. i get paid v well and have so much pirate treasure it's fine honest

and the leprechauns are like THEN WHY ARE YA COMING OVER FROM THE GNOME FRONTIER?!@?!?!

GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT, they say, and LOCK ELLINE UP IN THE JAIL. TM.

Elline is like.

This is a goddamn bitch of an unsatisfactory situation dot jpeg

MEANWHILE, AT THE POLE...

Charlie runs into B, who's like, hey, have you seen Elle?

And Charlie's like maybe! I think she's out with Jacqueline. See, Jacquie and I were gonna do a thing, but I had another thing, but I finished the thing early and was going to call Jacqueline out on the gnome and leprechaun thing, but she's not around at all

and nor is Elle! So I'm guessing she took Elle with her instead!

Bernard, knowing full well how those two magibeans be: oh FUCK

Prior to this, Charlie ran into Jack who was like hey junior. you seen Jacqueline around

and he said the same thing to Jack!

Jack, also knowing full well how those two magibeans be: OH FUCK

are they talking about elle/jacquie or the gnomes/leprachauns? we'll never know (it's the latter but this works for the former too I am realizing)

SO. JACK AND BERNARD KNOW ALL ABOUT THE NONSENSE AND ARE LIKE AH SHIT

BOTH OF THEM CONTACT ELLINE (u know. telepathy/magical legend/legate link) LIKE "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU GO CANVAS THE GNOMES AND LEPRECHAUNS ????

And Elline is like I HAD A POINT TO PROVE

ANYWAY. I'M IN JAIL.

CAN YOU COME GET ME?

And so Jack and B go ALRIGHT GUESS WE'RE GOING TO BAIL OUR LOVED ONES OUT OF LEPRECHAUN JAIL

so off they fuck and go to post bail and the leprechauns go oh no no NO. THEY are getting a TRIAL. We can't let the gnomes think we don't know. They need to know. They need to know we know their TRICKS.

Jack and B are like OKAY FINE BUT WE DEMAND TO BE THERE

And the front desk leprechaun goes "oh NO you do NOT. closed court, only the plaintiff, defendant, lawyers, etc. no visitors. unless ur their lawyer which i KNOW ur not. so BYE."

Jack and B are FUMING

B: I'm head fucking ELF I know enough about magibean law to be a LAWYER.

Jack: I WENT TO LAW SCHOOL

B: you did-you-what? why?!

Jack: long story. got bored, needed to make the law work for me, went to law school.

so anyway. some kinda crazy discussion happens for sure that ends in ELLINE NEEDS A LAWYER

ELLINE. THE FUSION. NEEDS A LAWYER

WE BOTH HAVE THE KNOW HOW.

IF WE FUSED WE COULD LAWYER THE SHIT OUT OF THOSE GUYS AND GRAB ELLINE

They're like this is batshit insane. absolutely crazy

but you know, so is leprechaun court, and gnome court???? gods forbid

they have a brief discussion about concerns given that when jack fused with elle, they had to get separated by force courtesy of berline, v scaring and scarring, very jarring, do NOT want a repeat of that

but in the end they can put aside their differences/worries/concerns bc their loved ones are in TROUBLE.

so they do it. they fucking fuse.

Enter:

BERNACK! FUSION LAWYER

you know slannen the elf from ella enchanted? yeah. That's basically bernack

he appears, he looks SO normal. It's actually surprising.

he has a briefcase

he knows a LOT about LAWYER STUFF

he is READY TO KICK ASS IN THIS COURTROOM AND MARCHES THROUGH THE DOORS

they are the ULTIMATE lawyer

they have the boston accent

they shove over some leprechauns like IM WALKIN HERE

they got that DANK HETEROCHROMIA IN THE EYEBALLS!

they go BACK to the front desk, put their card down (which somehow they have an official business card???)

"I'm here to represent elline. it's non negotioable"

and BARGES into the courtroom

Elline is like. WHAT AM I SEEING. WHAT IS THIS

And Bernack is like this is me slash us getting your asses out of LEPRECHAUN jail. this was so stupid. why did you do this.

I HAD A POINT TO PROVE

Okay shut up, don't say ANYTHING. let me do the talking

Elline is like. I am concerned about this but also, intrigued

She like. does the thing where u zip ur lips and throw away the key

Bernack is like good choice. Also, keep an eye on me, if this goes south we'll need to pull a jackington

Elline (unzips lips) how would u like your death

Bernack: the less memes the better

Elline, the meme loving fuck: i make no promises (rezips lips, folds hands, sits and smiles)

Elline is basically ready to stab That Bitch at any given moment, but also, living for the chaos that is about to ensue

and chaos DOES ensue

the trial is stupid. it's rigged. bernack has to run loop holes around loop holes around loop holes. That's okay tho that's his specialty, loopholes and clauses

there is an ace attorney reference. multiple maybe even

this is SPARTA reference that ends with Elline kicking someone

U WANT THE TRUTH U CAN;T HANDLE THE TRUTH moment

but ANYWAY the trial is beyond frustrating because the leprechauns are STUBBORN and WANT to make a big move like showing the gnomes their spy apprehended, and so finally bernack is like I am AT my LIMIT and snaps their fingers or something and suddenly, fire!!

YEAH. BERNACK HAS FIRE POWER.

Of course, Bernack immediately thinks ARSON?????

He's perturbed but also. Intrigued. And also, burning the courtroom sounds great at this point it's been HOURS

And Elline thinks back, thrice as loud, ARSON! BURN IT DOWN! DO IT! LET'S BUST OUR ASSES OUT OF HERE. AHHHH

You'll never guess what they do

FIRE. That's what

And they trash the courthouse and book it

They win the case by default

Bernack's like TOLD YA I'D GET YOU OUT OF THERE as something explodes

Elline's like DON'T LOOK BACK AT THE EXPLOSION

Bernack's like COOL GUYS DONT LOOK BACK AT EXPLOSIONS as he pulls out shades and rushes away without looking behind him

I don't THINK they'd need to be forced apart. Pretty sure Jack and Bernard would be like "I've had enough of this guy" and just like. poof back to themselves

But not before giving Elline a piece of their mind

ELLINE YOU FUCKED UP ALL THE SHIT

SO DID YOU

BUT IT WAS AWESOME

YEAH IT WAS!

they high five and get iced cream or something.

idk man.

I feel like these are the most chaotic fusions that could exist. Chaotic in positive???? ways?????

BUT YEAH

Anyway back at the NP Elline kicks down the door to Charlie's room like GOT UR PROOF BUCKO, AND WE GOT TO DESTROY A COURTHOUSE!

And Charlie's like ): NOT because he was proven wrong but bc he did not get to destroy things with them ):

and that's the story of BERNACK! FUSION LAWYER!

#dani speaks #fusion au #crystal springs #BERNACK! fusion lawyer #bernack #i hope u guys enjoy this snacky treaty #took me an hour to transcribe it #ANYWAY love the idea still #but concerned about stereotypes via leprechauns? #i cannot elaborate idk where it came from but man do i have to do some gd RESEARCH on lore and court rooms #and lawyering lol #BUT YEAH. Now any time a fusion gets in trouble bernack represents them #unless one half of bernack is involved in the shenanigans #which happens quite frequently tbh. jackie is notorious for shenanigans

[artofapeach]

I kinda want a specific episode for a Helluva Boss season finale. I know it might not happen, but it would be awesome if it did. It would start with fizz and Octavia being captured by a rogue Goetia that is some kind of freedom fighter. Stolas, Stella and Ozzie can’t save them, because they are under the impression that one of the seven deadly sin kidnapped Fizz and Octavia for some unknown reason.

We cut to a scene where all the important leaders in hell are arguing what really happened. Everyone is convinced that it all relates to a series of attacks that have been happening against the nobility, but no one can agree how. Most of the demons present seem to believe that Stolas and Ozzie caused this insanity to happen. Some theorize Stolas and Ozzie to be working together in some sort of coup.

As all these important leaders are arguing, there is one person who is watching it all unfold. She has an idea what who could be behind all of this, but no one wants to listen to her. She isn’t even able to say a word. We do not get to see the face of this mystery figure or hear her voice. However, from looking at her clothes and design, we can guess who it is. She finally leaves the meeting, deciding to take matters in her own hands.

Meanwhile, the imp gang trying to find the rogue Goetia hideout, hoping to save Stolas. They find the hideout and a fight ensues. However, the rogue Goetia and his henchmen gets the upper hand. When all hope seems lost, she comes in. The mystery woman from earlier enters the hideout. The camera pans up to reveal that the mystery woman is Charlie Morningstar.

With a sad expression, she walks closer to the fight. The rogue Goetia taunts the princess, thinking he can overpower her easily and use her as a hostage. However, Charlie manges to effortlessly defeat the rogue Goetia and his henchmen. The imp gang watch in horror as the princess breaks each limb of the powerful Goetia.

Once the bad guys finally fall, she simply walks over to where fizz and Octavia are being held.

( By the way, throughout the episode, their is a running gag where everyone is always interrupting Charlie and not letting her actually speak. The reason would be that Charlie’s voice actor couldn’t be use for an episode of Helluva Boss.)

Charlie releases Octavia and Fizz, completely ignoring the imp gang. They return to the royal castle to clear up the situation and save Stolas and Ozzie.

As they ride, we notice the Charlie’s limo passing several Hazbin hotel characters. Fizz starts annoying Charlie ( I headcannon them having a brother and sister type of relationship.) . He asks her, “ Are you still working that silly project? What is it called?”

Then, we get the logo of Hazbin Hotel and a release date.

Anyway, this was an idea that has been in my head for days. I know that it is really dumb and weird. I just had to share it. What do you think?

I happily gasped at the ending, that would be the PERFECT way to reveal the release date goddddddd

The idea itself is super interesting! It does seem kinda Charlie focused for a Helluva episode, though. Maybe if she and Blitz teamed up, or he needed help finding Stolas and the others and she approached him?

I do like the interruption gag, though! A *very* clever way to avoid using Charlie’s voice actor.

Although, even if it’s not possible, I also love the option of Charlie being interrupted until the end, when Fizz asks about her project, and we hear Charlie’s voice reveal as she says “The Hazbin Hotel!”

Or Happy Hotel. Is she aware that Alastor changed its name? Eh that’s a question for another day.

But yeah, all in all, this was super charming and cool to read 🤩

#hey an ask #not art #helluva boss #hazbin hotel

[synapseretro]

hello tumblr dot com 

#havent drawn anything in like two months but iasip was the One thing that finally motivated me 2 pick up a pen n paper huh #anyway i think charlie's silly i hope i captured his likeness #charlie kelly #iasip #its always sunny in philadelphia #papus art

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

Any chance of getting something maybe set in the future or smthng where percy is telling either his kids or young demigods about how good and powerful jason was or just recalling some of their old adventures and its Percy's way of getting closure for jason? Can be angsty can be fluff whatever floats yah boat:)

I am not afraid to admit I teared up writing this. I am an emotional bitch. Anyway I hope you enjoy Anon!

Masterlist

"Come on boys, your sister's already in bed." Percy got up from the couch to pick up the stray toys and blankets still littered around the room.

"Can we get a story tonight Pops?" Charles looked up at him with big brown eyes.

"Sure baby, what about?"

"About," Lee looked to his twin and then back at his father, "About daddy?"

He released a soft breath, crouching down so he was at eye level with them.

"Of course, I'm always happy to tell you about your dad."

"Thanks Pops!" They beamed and then raced off to get ready for bed.

Percy stood up to lean against the wall, letting the ache of missing his husband wash over him. It pressed against his ribs, made breathing an impossibility. Blue eyes, bright with laughter flashed through his mind. He blinked the tears away, now was not the time to break down.

"Zoe, you want to come listen to the story?"

"What's the story?" She scrunched her nose, "I don't want to hear about the princess and the dragon. Everyone knows she should have made friends with the dragon and gone on amazing adventures."

He struggled to hold in a laugh as she rolled her pale green eyes, "You don't have to worry tonight, it's a story about dad."

She lit up then, smile as bright as the sun, "You're gonna tell us about dad? Yes let's go!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him to her brothers' room.

He didn't bother to keep his laugh in this time, letting her drag him through the house.

In a matter of moments the boys were tucked into their beds. Zoe was climbing onto his lap as he tried to get comfy on the bean bag sat in the middle of the room.

"Okay you want to hear about a time we killed a monster or time at camp or something else?"

"Monster!" Zoe and Charles cheered.

"Camp," Lee said softly.

"Okay you little gremlins how about both? I'll tell you the story about how your dad accidentally stabbed me."

They nodded, smuggling deeper into their beds and looked at him expectantly.

"It was around the middle of summer, actually your dad's birthday. And I had planned to have a picnic in the strawberry fields. We only had the day to be together because it was Capture the Flag that night and you know your Aunt Annabeth was a tyrant when it came to camp games," He winked, making them giggle.

Lee furrowed his little brow. "Why were you going to the strawberry fields?"

"Yea why not the woods, or the beach?" Charles asked.

"Your dad never really liked the beach. He says there's too much sand and too much water," He laughed softly, "And the woods aren't really that safe. It's better to stay well within camp boarders."

"But why—" Charles started up again.

"Charlie," Zoe scolded, "Let Pops finish the story. You can ask questions later."

"Nobody asked you Zoe," He stuck his tongue out.

Lee untucked his arm and held it off the bed expectantly. His twin sighed and clasped their hands together.

"Later Charlie,"

Percy's heart skipped a beat, as it always did when the twins acted like this. It was Jason's favourite thing about them—that silent understanding, that unspoken bond.

"Carry on Pops," Lee nodded solemnly.

"We had a little party for dad in the dining hall with a silly lightning bolt shaped cake and cloud cupcakes." He didn't tell them that all the drinks were same shade of green as his eyes because that was his husband's favourite colour. Or that Jason had pulled him in and kissed him so hard they had almost started a hurricane right there.

"I had asked my friends to help me set up a picnic blanket and a basket in the fields so we could go after breakfast. But when we got there everything had been trampled and broken."

Zoe gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth.

"Oh no," Lee's face pulled in horror.

"Who did it Pops? What happened?" Charles was sitting up now, his hand still firmly holding his twin's.

He gave them a wide eyed look, struggling to hold back his laugh at their intent expressions.

"Well we were both very confused and quickly took our swords out but then we heard a rustle from behind us. We turned around and sitting on a rock was this huge serpent. It was brown and swampy green with two giant horns on its head. And it was just staring at us."

"Your dad tried to get closer but before he could strike his sword this thing was moving towards us. It jumped on me and I fell to the ground."

They all let out a comically loud gasp.

"My sword fell out of my hand. But your dad was there and he sliced his sword down on it. Except he missed the monster because it moves so fast and his sword hit me instead."

Charles groaned, falling back onto his pillow.

"Come on Pops what happened?" Zoe bounced, looking up at him.

"So I'm injured, the monster is still slithering everywhere and your dad is trying to make sure I'm not gonna die. Before he could get me some ambrosia the serpent is back and striking at him. That's when I finally grab all the water from the strawberries and throw it at the monster. And then it crumbled to dust. Guess it wasn't thirsty huh?"

He didn't tell them he choked that creature till it didn't know the difference between blood and water, didn't tell them he nearly died trying to control so much with an injury. Didn't tell them the fury he felt when it had tried to attack his boyfriend.

"Uncle Grover was not happy with me because all the strawberries died but your dad and i made it back to the infirmary and we got all better. Which was great because Aunt Annabeth and Aunt Clarisse would have killed us if we couldn't participate in Capture the Flag." He laughed.

"What was the monster Pops?" Lee asked, earthy eyes wide.

Zoe frowned, "Yea and how did it get in? I thought camp was protected. "

"And who won capture the flag?" Charles waved his hands impatiently.

"We found out the monster was called Cerastes and it probably dug itself up under the borders. There was a whole maze running under camp, but it collapsed after Aunt Annabeth and I helped the creator out."

Zoe squealed, "Can we hear that story next?"

"Maybe another night, princess. And to answer your question Charlie," He smiled at his son, "Clarisse's team won capture the flag. Your dad and and Aunt Clarisse made us clean toilets for a week because we lost."

"Aw daddy," Lee scrunched his nose.

"Yes Annabeth was very unimpressed with them. Alright, time to sleep now."

"Pops," Zoe hugged his neck, "I miss dad."

He wrapped his arms around her little body, "Me too princess. But someday we will all see each other again."

Lee looked at him curiously, "How do you know?"

"Because your dad is in a very special place and if you guys continue to be brave and kind you will also go to that special place and you will see him again."

"And will you be there?" Charles tugged at his hand.

"I hope so. I think if you all give me kisses I'll be able to trade them in when the time comes."

They pounced on him, dissolving into giggles as he kissed them back and tickled their little feet.

"I love you guys, and your dad loved you more than all the stars in the sky." He looked at each of them, green eyes bright with love and sorrow.

"We love you too Pops." Charles let out a yawn.

"Yea, love you Pops." Lee climbed back into bed, "Are we getting pancakes tomorrow?"

"It is birthday tradition," He grinned at them, "And especially since you're becoming old men. Pancakes are soft so you don't have to chew when your teeth start falling out."

"Our teeth fall out?" Charles gave him an appalled look.

"Only if you don't brush your teeth Charlie." Zoe said matter of factly.

"Thats right," He held in a laugh at her serious expression.

"Goodnight little ones." He picked his daughter up, switching off the lights and closing the door halfway.

"You ready for bed princess?"

"Mhm Pops," She blinked slowly, "Can I help you make pancakes tomorrow?"

"Yes please," He laid her down gently, "You're the best sous chef ever."

Her answering beam made his chest tighten.

"I love you Pops. Thank you for the story."

"Was it to your satisfaction?" He flicked her nose softly.

"I like when you and dad save each other," She burrowed into her blankets, "It's much better when you do things together, instead of those silly princes who want to save the princess but don't let her help."

He shook his head in amusement, "When you go on your own adventures remember to do things together."

"We're gonna be a team." She gave him a determined look and then yawned.

He kissed her forehead and pulled up the blankets before leaving the room.

With a sigh he escaped to his own bed, sitting down with the heaviness of longing.

Jason and him weren't just a team; they were the question and answer, the sun and the moon, the beginning, middle and end.

He picked up the framed picture of them on their wedding day, Jason's blue eyes bright with happiness, and Percy looking at his husband like he hung the stars in the sky just so their glow could shine onto this love.

"I miss you my Saving Grace," He whispered.

And then laughed, as he felt the soft caress of wind brushing over his damp cheeks and dancing between his fingers.

"I love you."

#Guys they aren't allowed to die #My heart can't handle this shit #Jercy #Jercy fic #Jason grace #Percy Jackson #Jercy AU #PJO #HOO #Baby fanfic #Baby fanfic series #PJSSG asks #She speaks #Ciara's Convos #Not edited

[darknessisafriend]

can i request an imagine where joaquin wants to try for a baby with you, it can be smutty or fluffy 💗ty x

It’s finally here! Sorry it took me so long to answer your request, I had a little burnout ^^’ Anyway, I hope you will enjoy it ^^ 

 Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction inspired by what we see of these people, I do not claim to know them nor to establish this work as the truth about their personal lives, the realities might be completely different. 

Our own little family

You were comfortably settled in the sofa, lying down, legs crossed, reading a book. It was a peaceful afternoon, where you had nothing to do but relax. Joaquin had gone out to buy cigarettes and walk Oskar. He was working on a new role at the moment, which enabled him to stay at home with you most of the time, to his great pleasure.

You turned your head as you heard the click of the door. Oskar eagerly bursting inside and coming to you for a few caresses.

“Hey” said your boyfriend as he entered. You watched him as he took off his sunglasses and shoes. You smiled as he came towards you; however, you didn’t expect him to fully lean on you, kissing you passionately, his tongue caressing yours, his hand slipping under your shirt to caress the warm skin of your belly.

“Wow what’s all that for?” you grinned kissing his lips again. He smiled, one of those happy dimple smiles, resting his chin on your chest.

“I was thinking about something, I mean I’ve thinking about it for a while now…” he started, you could feel how unsure he suddenly felt; it was so much like him, even in private with you and the rest of his family, he always doubted himself.

“Well, come on tell me!” you tickled his side and you knew how ticklish he was, he giggled wiggling out of your grasp. He had a little grin now; he took a deep breath and licked his lips as he thought of how to formulate his thoughts.

“Well, we’ve been together for a while now and I love you and-and I was thinking…what if we had a kid?” He asked, scratching his beard. You slightly opened your mouth; you didn’t expect such a serious question.

“As in our own baby?” He hummed and nodded, pinching his lips together in anticipation, looking at your face to see your reaction. Your hand came up to play with his curls, a happy smile, slowly forming on your lips.

“What an amazing adventure that would be…” you grinned; his heart fluttered as he kissed your lips once again.

“Without forgetting that my mom and the sis would stop asking me about it.” He joked, planting a kiss under your jaw, making you giggle even more.  

“How can say ‘no’ to such a strong argument.” You replied on the same tone, wrapping your arms around him to hold him close.

“So, that’s a yes?” he asked with a big smile, his nose touching yours.

“Of course, I want to build a family with you, silly boy.” You confirmed, a happy smile was on your face, and your eyes were wet with emotion; he was finally asking you. He chuckled with excitement, peppering your face with small, thankful kisses.

“Good thing I don’t have to leave home for the next month…” he purred with a smirk, capturing your lips, his tongue teasing yours, you sighed in pleasure and buried your fingers in his silver locks “we could start tonight…” he breathed against your lips between kisses.  

“Why wait? Might as well start now…” you replied on the same tone as his hands continued to caress the skin of your belly and up to your breast.

“No need to ask me twice.” He grinned before sealing his lips with yours once again.

Joaquin protection squad: @arcticmonkais @amourtiara @sirianfromsixties @sweetness-doesnt-touch-my-face @live-love-loki @lyoongx @skaravile @jaylovesbats @niniitah-ah @cumberbitching @dirrtyginger @valentina15 @charlie-sisters @lovesickforjoaqvin @ohcarlesmycarles @rajacero 

#Joaquin Phoenix #joaquin phoenix imagine #joaquin phoenix x reader

[carrotsofavonlea]

If it's possible to ask for a prompt: during season 3 Gilbert gets really jealous over a boy flirting with Anne (trying to court her). So jealous that he confronts her and ends up confessing his feelings for her. I just love passionate fights and happy endings so I'd be so happy if you could write this. Thank you very much and happy Valentine's Day!

(Thank you for waiting, I know this took a while! I went on holiday literally the day after valentine’s so I had no time to write, not to mention being stuck at the airport because my plane home was cancelled :/ but I’m glad to be back and writing!)

/////////

Gilbert wasn’t one to get jealous, he tried to be happy with the cards he was dealt - no matter how rough they had been in recent years. But lately he felt an odd sinking feeling in his chest whenever Charlie Sloane brought up Anne. 

It had started innocently enough, so innocently that Gilbert had barely registered Anne’s name in the conversation, smiling politely to his friend as he focused on his studies. All Charlie had said was, “Have you ever noticed Anne’s hair has gotten darker?”

Gilbert shrugged, glancing briefly at Anne before returning to his books. “It looks the same to me.”

But that was a lie. He certainly had noticed, although a part of him wished he hadn’t. He denied he ever did, but in the first few months of knowing her he had been drawn to her hair in class, always staring at it in awe of how it could capture the light so well it looked like she was on fire. Something he couldn’t touch but wanted to. Now he had “grown up” he wasn’t focused on silly school boy infatuations. He was focused on his studies, in denial that those same red braids would creep into the back of his mind when he was unawares.

Yet those innocent words from Charlie buried in him, deep down at first but slowly rising to the surface with every passing day.

Gilbert found more than once when he looked up from his studies, Charlie was glancing in the direction of Anne. He tried not to let it bother him. After all, why should he care who looked at Anne? But time after time this kept happening, and Gilbert found himself having to relax his jaw, not even realising he had clenched it in the first place.

***

The whole “take notice board” thing had never interested Gilbert. Being almost 2 years older than his other classmates never really felt different to Gilbert, but lately he was starting to feel it. He had better things to do than partake in these childish games. This bitterness certainly didn’t come from when Anne tried to get him to write about Ruby….not at all. As if he would ever write a note. If he was going to tell someone how he felt, he would want to tell her to her face. (He refused to acknowledge the brief moment of hope when Anne talked about the future.)

While his classmates hovered around the board, be preferred to spend time reading the papers with Miss Stacy. She’d recently just enlightened him on her doctor friend in Toronto, and lately Toronto sounded a lot better than Avonlea. He still found himself wondering at times why he even came back. A foolish part of him had said he missed his friends (but deep down he knew it had something to do with Anne whether or not he wanted to consciously admit it).

“A female doctor? How marvelous!” Anne’s voice came from behind him, clearly having eavesdropped on their conversation.

But he found himself relaxing around her, once again not realising he’d been tense before she appeared. Something about Anne’s presence just made him feel…safe. He didn’t feel like he had to pretend or be something he wasn’t. He could be just Gilbert. 

But before he could open his mouth Diana had burst through the door, “Anne! You’re on the board! The take notice board! Charlie! He noticed you!”

Gilbert’s eyes met Anne’s; he wasn’t sure what he was feeling inside, but his stomach dropped at the mention of Anne being noticed. She had an apologetic look on her face as Diana grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

Gilbert sighed, sitting down in the chair perhaps too aggressively as Miss Stacy seemed to notice.

“I don’t mean to pry where I don’t belong,” Miss Stacy glanced over the top of her paper, “but I don’t agree with this take notice board.”

“That makes two of us.” Gilbert’s forehead creased, trying not to think about what could possibly be written about Anne on that board.

“But,” Miss Stacy continued, “telling someone how you feel may not be the worst thing in the world.”

Gilbert shifted uncomfortably in his seat, “When I find the right person, I’ll know.”

Miss Stacy lowered her paper to look at Gilbert, “I hope so.”

****

He didn’t know what had come over him, but here Gilbert was hand in hand with Anne as they danced in a circle in the middle of the school house. Moments ago he had been opposite her, but his hands had a mind of their own and had grabbed hold of Anne’s pulling her to stand beside him. He felt giddy, the feel of her hand in his so natural, everything he had imagined it would be. (Not that he had ever imagined it before…nope, not at all…) 

Maybe he had been urged on by the words he had overheard yesterday:

“So Anne, are you going to dance with Charlie tomorrow?”

Something about the way the girls had giggled, as if dancing even meant anything romantic, had stuck in Gilbert’s mind all the way home. He’d been in a slightly sour mood at the thought of Anne dancing with Charlie, but once again he pushed the blame onto something else like merely feeling stressed about his studies and that was why he was in a bad mood. But when he got to school and saw how Charlie was calculating where to stand in order to dance with Anne (the only time he ever got a calculation correct), Gilbert had cringed. 

Charlie Sloane was far from the romance that Anne deserved. Gilbert knew her well enough to know that she deserves someone who was her equal, who could match her not overpower her. He also knew Charlie well enough to know he was certainly not looking for a wife as outspoken as Anne, he wouldn’t understand her. The whole match just wouldn’t work. 

He couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous his friend was acting, and somehow he turned that energy into playfulness. There was something about Anne and the music that made him forget who he was for a moment, stealing Anne away from Charlie before he even got the chance to dance with her properly.

When it was all over, Gilbert found himself unable to move from that place. Something had taken over him, reawoken some feelings he had tried to push deep down. Anne held his gaze, the same amused but also uncertain look on her face before she smiled and stepped back from him.

This was all wrong, Anne was his friend and he couldn’t have feelings for his friend. They wouldn’t work, they’d just argue. But lately they had been on such good terms, and any arguments had stemmed out of a place of passion for doing the right thing. Lately it hadn’t been Anne vs Gilbert, but rather Anne and Gilbert vs the world. They knew that whenever they fought it was because they cared, not because they wanted to hurt each other. 

All these confusing thoughts kept running around Gilbert’s mind. Was Anne truly the one for him? When he tried to picture the future he couldn’t imagine one where Anne didn’t play some role in his life. But what was that role? 

He’d been so deep in thought he had almost bumped into the girl in question, their eyes locked in a terrified gaze. She turned from him before he could even think of anything to say, running out the door.

He went to follow but then hung back, suddenly unsure. There was something he needed to say to her but he couldn’t figure out what, only that he knew he wanted to talk. Instead he paced up and down, stuck between the two paths: either follow Anne or return home alone.

With a deep breath he decided he would talk to her, just to say sorry for how he had acted during dance. Maybe he’d scared her off with his spontaneity, he had certainly scared himself a little, forgetting how he used to be before everything in his life had made him grow up far too fast. 

But as he started in her direction, he felt lighter, holding himself higher. It was in that moment he realised Anne made him feel different but in a good way. She made him feel free, made him feel like he could be himself, someone who understood him. No one else could make him feel this way. It was a way he always wanted to feel. 

His feet had picked up into a run, no clue what his mouth was supposed to say when he got there. But he never got the chance, his feet stopping himself just as quickly as they had started. 

Charlie. He was talking to Anne. Walking with her. So that was it. Whatever had happened between them during dance had obviously been unrequited. He thought maybe she had felt that tension between them, the jolt when their hands touched, how alive it made him feel. But here she was walking home with Charlie Sloane….

****

Gilbert had been avoiding Anne, trying not to look at her during class or responding to her questions in monosyllabic sentences. It felt like they’d gone back a step, everything they’d worked for in the past year just gone. Back to square one where they barely interacted. He told himself he was better off focusing on his studies, it had been foolish of him to get distracted anyway.

But Anne clearly didn’t see it that way.

“What is your problem?” She stormed up to him after class one day after he barely acknowledged her goodbye.

Diana and the other girls had slowly formed a group behind her, Gilbert awkwardly looking between them and Anne. 

“Uh, nothing?” He furrowed his brows, trying his best to act nonchalant but failing.

Anne turned to face her friends and a moment later they were slowly being led away by Diana, leaving just Anne and Gilbert.

“I just noticed you weren’t joining in with everyone as much this week. I thought… something had happened.”

Gilbert adjusted his bag strap, not making eye contact with Anne. He didn’t want her feeling bad about him. “All everyone seems to talk about anymore is who likes who and who walked who home. I have other things to worry about than courting that’s what everyone else seems to be occupied with…this waste of time.”

Anne scoffed, folding her arms. “Not everyone is talking about courting.”

Gilbert couldn’t help himself, “Oh please I’ve seen you and Charlie Sloane making eyes.”

“Making eyes? Is this what this is about? Why do you care anyway?”

“I don’t.” Gilbert shrugged and began to walk away, getting out before he said something else he’ll regret.

But Anne wasn’t leaving it alone. “What? Is it because someone is actually showing interest in me? I’m so repulsive that it’s a joke to you? That the whole idea is absurd?”

“What? Of course not.” Gilbert stopped walking, turning to face her again.

“Then what’s the problem?” Anne threw her hands in the air.

“I… forget it.” He shook his head.

“Are you….jealous?”

“No. I don’t care who you walk home with.”

Anne almost laughed, “You are! You’re jealous!” She pointed her finger at him, anger in her voice. “I can’t believe you.”

“Why would I be jealous?”

“I don’t know. One of your mind tricks to make me distracted so you can beat me in class?”

Gilbert’s shoulders deflated, “You think I’d stoop that low, mess with your feelings? Is that really what you think of me?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know…”

“Anne…” he whispered.

They held each other’s gaze for a while, and Gilbert couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t take the silence. He had to do something or Anne would think he hates her when right now that’s the furthest thing from the truth. 

Without thinking his hand cupped her cheek, before he leaned in a kissed her.

But suddenly he pulled back, realising what he’d done. Anne stared up at him, eyes wide. He couldn’t tell what she was feeling, if he’d just ruined everything.

 "I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I understand if you never want to see me again-“

His words were interrupted by Anne pressing her lips against his in return, her hands linking around his neck. It took a moment to react, before he kissed her back again, holding on to her waist trying to pull her closer.

They finally broke apart, Gilbert lightly touching his forehead to Anne’s.

"Anne… I don’t know why it took me so long to realise. But it’s you. It always has been.”

“For the record, I don’t like Charlie Sloane like that.”

“No?” Gilbert smiled, feeling Anne touch their noses together as she shook her head.

“No. Did you know he told me women who think too much can’t have children?”

“That’s… scientifically inaccurate.” He laughed, but there was a sour feeling in his chest that someone had the audacity to say something like that to Anne.

“Turns out he’s not a prince charming type.”

“Am I?” Gilbert playfully raised an eyebrow, and Anne rolled her eyes.

“We’ll have to see.”

“I hope I am." 

"Me too.” She smiled, leaning in to kiss him once again.

#awae #shirbert #anne shirley #gilbert blythe #i've got loads of uni work coming up so i might take a short break from writing after this x

[chellesbellesart]

Hazbin Review

I watched the pilot the second it came out and I really enjoyed it 😊 The animation is phenomenal, the concept is interesting, and the character designs are astounding, but there were some flaws that I want to address. I know that this is just a pilot and the purpose of a pilot is to test the waters and see if it’ll be interesting enough to grab people’s attention so there is room for mistakes here and there, but I hope that Vivzie takes these critiques to heart and improve on them in future episodes 😊

Pacing-The pacing in this pilot is way too fast as if the whole pilot is on fast forward. I understand that the characters are supposed to give off a chaotic, wacky atmosphere but there should be some scenes where the viewer gets to breathe and observe what’s going on. Like the one quiet scene we got was when Charlie was calling her mother. I wish we had more scenes like that.

Sound Effects-There are WAAYYY too many sound effects in this show. Once again, I get that the sound effects play a role to give off a sense of silliness, but it was really distracting. When I first watched the pilot, the whole time I was thinking “...what is with the sound effects?” I enjoyed it at first, but it got old really fast. It would’ve been better if they used very little of it so it wouldn’t be incredibly distracting.

Use of Profanity/Slutty jokes- Don’t get me wrong! I love cartoons that are raunchy but this show tries way too hard to be adult. All of the characters swear in every other sentence and I feel like that that’s all there is to their character. I know that they’re in Hell so OF COURSE that they are gonna swear like sailors, but there has to be more to their character than just swearing. Also Angel Dust just seems like his character is just being a slut. Like there’s nothing more than that. I know some people have pointed out that he does care about his friends. For example when he saved Cherri Bomb from being captured and how he thinks about comforting Charlie, but that’s about it. Another thing about the swearing is Charlie. Charlie is the nicest one of the characters but hearing her swear seems kind of...off....and they should’ve used that to their advantage! Like when Charlie is at her breaking point and she just breaks down and swears. That would’ve been off-putting but it would be powerful. It kind of doesn’t work if she swears all the time.

And now for my last point...

Nothing happened- I know that this is a tricky point to discuss because literally everything happened in this pilot but to be honest nothing really happened in this show. There wasn’t really any conflict. It was just Charlie pitching an idea to the news reporter, sulking that it failed, Alastor shows up and that’s pretty much it. I guess Sir Pentious was an antagonist but he wasn’t really in it that much. Plus I felt like he was kinda shoe horned in at the end. Also the plot needs to have a standard 3-act structure or the Rising Action/Falling Action pyramid chart such as the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution. There wasn’t really anything like that in the show. Everything that happened in this pilot was kind of just a bunch of introductions all at once. Also it feels like the pilot was just a bunch of the clips stitched together with a few extra scenes in between. When I first watched the clips, I thought it was going to be a small portion of it but it turns out it was the majority of it. If you fast forward the clips you’ve already seen, then there’s not much else to the pilot. Just a few extra scenes here and there.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say about that! Don’t take this as an attack on Vivziepop, this is just honest criticism. I love Hazbin Hotel and its characters! I just want to see it reach its full potential! I just hope that they fix these things in future episodes( if they plan to make more episodes) Thanks for reading! ❤️

#hazbin hotel #vivziepop #vivienne medrano #cartoon #review #opinion

[magickmoons]

famous!Dean part 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Dean looked up at the sound of the bell -- as he had every time someone had walked in during the half-hour he'd been waiting. He kept reminding himself that he'd gotten there insanely early, but with the arrival of each person who wasn't Cas, he became more and more discouraged. Why had Cas agreed to meet with him? The overly dramatic part of his mind wondered if Cas was planning to stand him up and alert the press -- get some nice pics of jilted Dean Winchester.

But it was Cas -- alone -- this time. Dean's heart pounded double-time as Cas walked over. Holy hell, the picture on the University website came nowhere close to capturing how drop-dead sexy adult Cas was. Dean had worked with some of the best looking Hollywood had to offer -- including at least 2 winners of the Sexiest Man Alive award -- and they didn't hold a candle to Cas, who was now taking his seat, staring at Dean intently.

"Hello, Dean."

"Cas ... tiel," he stammered, unsure if the familiar nickname would still be welcome. He nodded at the cup in front of Cas's seat. "I hope you still take it black."

"Thank you," Cas replied stiffly, lifting the cup and taking an experimental sip, fingers playing with the lid when he put it back down.

They sat in silence. Damn it, why had he thought this would be a good idea? Some misguided notion of giving Cas closure wrapped around the selfish hope of forgiveness.

The silence was getting to him and if one of them didn't speak soon, it was going to become fairly insurmountable.

"Cas, um ... Castiel, I --"

"Cas is fine, Dean."

"Okay, cool, yeah ... So, Cas ..."

Cas looked at him expectantly.

"Yeah, that's all I got so far." Dean grimaced sheepishly as Cas laughed.

"Well, we have at least established that we remember each other's names."

Dean tapped his temple. "Like a steel trap."

"Well," Cas started with a deep breath. "How are you?"

"How am I?' Dean repeated incredulously.

Cas shrugged. "I'm really not sure what we're supposed to talk about, Dean."

"Yeah, me neither. I thought this would flow a little better."

Cas frowned at him. "How so?"

"Well, I figured you would come in and just start yelling, we'd get everything out on the table, and go from there."

Cas shook his head. "Yelling is not on the agenda. I don't --"

"You're Dean Winchester!"

They both jumped slightly as a twenty-ish woman appeared next to the table, nearly vibrating with excitement. Dean reluctantly slid in P.R. mode (heaving a dramatic internal sigh at the interruption), wondering if he'd get the chance to figure out what Cas was going to say -- he didn't care? He didn't yell in public? Didn't -- what?

"I sure am!" She flushed scarlet he answered with a bright smile.

"Oh god. I'm so stupid. Of course you know that. It's just... I'm such a big fan. I've seen all your movies."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry about that. There are some real stinkers in that list."

"Oh no. They're always worth it to see you."

"Well, thank you." She was already opening her mouth to say something else, but he really wanted 1) to get back to Cas and 2) to get her away before she recognized Cas. "Hey, you got a phone with you? Want a selfie?"

Cas winced noticeably at her squeal of delight. The photo was quick and done and Dean squeezed her shoulder in farewell. "It was great meeting you."

She looked somewhat disappointed, but took the dismissal gracefully.

"That happen a lot?" Cas asked once the girl was back at her own table, fingers flying over her phone's screen.

Dean shrugged. "Define 'a lot.'" He winced inwardly and tried to tell from Cas's face if that had come off as humble or asshole. Unfortunately, Cas had had years to perfect his stoic expression.

"Is it worth it?"

"Wow, so just skipping right over the small talk, huh?"

Cas raised an eyebrow. "We were failing dismally at "small talk." So... fame -- is it worth it? Everything you thought it would be?"

"It has its good and bad, like anything, I guess. The past few weeks have actually turned out to be pretty awesome. Charlie keeps forwarding me messages from kids thanking me for coming out -- or not hiding from it, I guess really, since coming out wasn't exactly my idea."

A warm smile lit Cas's face. "That's great though. That this whole situation is having a positive impact."

It really was. Dean had expected much more negative fallout -- and of course there was plenty of that -- but for all the studio had worried, the paying public seemed to have very little problem with recent revelations. And the emails and posts from people -- both in the biz and not -- were enough to make Dean wish he had done this years before.

"But generally, I try to keep my life pretty quiet," Dean continued, wincing as Cas's barely restrained look of disbelief.

"Listen, man, what you saw -- that whole thing -- the, the drugs, the parties, the ..."

"Random sex with multiple people?" Cas filled in drily.

"Yeah. That's not part of the package for me anymore."

Cas took a slow breath; his eyes were filled with hurt when he spoke. "I didn't know it was ever supposed to be -- when you talked about going to California, that was never ... it was always about the acting."

Dean wished this were one of his movies so they could skip over the exposition part and just get to Cas either storming out or forgiving him. But no, this was how life had to happen.

"I barely even know where to start. It wasn't like that at first, not until after I signed with Alastair."

"Alastair Halling?" Cas interrupted.

A chill settled over Dean. "How do you know that name, Cas? He didn't .... You didn't ..." Alastair's threats echoed in Dean's head.

Cas spoke slowly, his brow furrowed in thought. "He was the one who made the final arrangements for my trip out there. He contacted me and said you need to see a friendly face from home."

Cas's words didn't make any sense at first. Alastair hadn't given a shit if anyone was happy or comfortable or anything that wasn't of direct use to him.

"Son of a bitch! He set us up."

He felt sick as the entirety of Alastair's plan settled over him, just another in the string of twisted mind games he had played back then.

Cas just looked confused when Dean made himself look at him. "I don't understand. What do you mean 'set us up'?"

Dean nodded to show Cas he'd heard him, trying to sort out his thoughts. He hadn't thought they'd be getting into this territory today. Alastair was a rough subject anytime, but to share it with Cas -- especially now that he knew Alastair's machinations had affected Cas even more directly that he had thought ...

Dean hadn't even realized he was shaking until Cas's hand covered his on the table. He leaned forward with an earnest look. "Dean, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"No, Cas. No. You deserve to know this."

Cas studied him for a minute then sat back with a nod. Dean's hand felt cold and he wrapped it around the now lukewarm cup.

"So, up front -- what I'm going to tell you is not an excuse. No matter what was going on around me, I'm responsible for my own choices -- and I made a whole buncha bad ones those first years. This is just .... explanation, I guess."

"I understand," Cas replied with a soft, encouraging smile.

"When I first went out there -- California -- I was just a kid from Nowheresville, USA, a fact that was driven home pretty quickly. I thought I was ready, but -- this business is really rough. And I wasn't doing as well as I think I kind of let everyone back home believe." He rubbed a hand over his face. "It's silly, but I felt like I'd be letting everyone down if I didn't make it big.

"On top of that, it was so much more expensive than I had anticipated. I blew through my savings almost right away, even living in some little fleabag shithole and working two restaurant jobs. After a couple of months, I was just about ready to head home."

It had been crushingly disappointing to even consider that, but Dean wasn't about to ask his parents for more money and he wasn't going to get involved with any of the fast-money options that abounded in the area (and that all seemed to end with someone naked or bloody).

"I --" Cas started to speak, then quieted.

"What, Cas?"

"I wish I'd known, Dean. I feel like I could've been more supportive."

"Yeah, sometimes I wonder I wonder what would've happened if I'd told you, anyone ... I guess I was just too embarrassed. But you did help, man. I felt so much better every time we talked -- you believed in me so much, and to hear that after another shitty day of not being good enough ...

"Anyway, one of the guys I workshopped with told me about Alastair. He said the guy was like a miracle worker, almost guaranteed to get you a job -- if he liked you. He had a reputation for being really picky. I almost didn't even try; I mean, what was I going to have that he didn't already see dozens of times a week?"

Alastair had been his last attempt. He'd sent off a headshot, requesting a meeting. He had been so convinced that it was another dead end that he'd done zero research on the guy, didn't even ask what happened to Alastair's clients after the initial burst of success.

"I heard back from him almost immediately. We met, and he said he'd take me on -- teach me, 'mold' me." Dean still felt nauseous whenever he remembered the dark look in Alastair's eyes, the raspy sound of his voice. "Nobody else was interested in repping me, so I signed with him. Alastair was effective, yeah, and things just started happening. I got a couple of high profile guest spots, a movie role, every talk show wanted to have me on. It was like someone flipped a switch, and I went from struggling nobody to ultra-hot commodity overnight. None of it was really challenging acting, or even that interesting; I was pretty much just the new 'pretty face.'

"Knowing what I know now, I figure Alastair must've had dirt on at least a third of the casting agents -- not to mention the rest of Hollywood. They hired who he told them to. And those days, he wanted them to hire me."

He looked down to see that he'd bent the little plastic coffee stirrer into an accordion, and tossed it on the table.

"So I was running around non-stop day after day. It started wearing on me, and Alastair was there. He started slowly -- a pick-me-up here or there, something to help me sleep the night before an interview, something to pep me up for a shoot. Then there were a couple of strongly worded requests to show my face at this or that party."

He fell silent. Cas waited, his eyes tight, jaw tense. Dean sipped his coffee while he gathered his thoughts.

"He liked power. He had a whole little harem or entourage or whatever of wannabes that followed him around, did whatever he said, but he needed the guys like me -- success stories -- to keep them hopeful."

The coffee soured in his stomach at the memory of some of the things he'd seen. He'd spent years of therapy dealing with his own actions and how Alastair had impacted him, but the memories of those kids debasing themselves so willingly, so eagerly, while he sat and did nothing -- or worse, enjoyed the results -- still made him physically sick.

"A con man needs to be able to present some results," Cas murmured, "to keep his marks interested and pliable."

"Yeah, but even my success wasn't real. Or at least I hadn't earned it on merit. But none of us knew that then. I'm honestly not sure how many of them would have cared, either." He huffed a dispirited laugh.

"I knew something was wrong -- none of it felt like I'd always imagined, y'know? And the drugs and the sex and the parties, they were so easy to lose myself in, to push back that feeling of wrongness.

"I tried to fight it at first -- putting in appearances and heading out early. After the third time I did that, Alastair called and told me I'd been dropped from consideration for a lead in a series. They'd as much as told me I had the role in the room. But if I wasn't playing his game, I wasn't gonna get the prize. He didn't say it in so many words, but I'm sure he turned them down.

"So I just ... I played ball. And I took the pills he handed me and I threw the parties when he told me to ..."

Dean's throat ached. He looked at Cas, sitting with concern and compassion on his face. "I cheated on you, Cas. It was only ever just sex. I never, ever felt about anyone like I feel about you, but -- God that's even worse. To throw away what we had for something so empty, so superficial. And after that day, I never dreamed I'd get the change to apologize, so..."

He licked suddenly dry lips and and took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry, Cas. You deserved so much better. I would never ask you to forgive me, but please know that I hated that you got hurt. That I was the one who hurt you."

He trailed off, unable to truly express the regret that he felt. Cas's face was nearly blank, his eyes trained on Dean's as he processed his words. Dean bit back the urge to keep explaining, to force Cas to understand. It wasn't enough, Dean knew that; some paltry words could never fix what he had broken, but they were the truth. And if it wasn't enough for Cas, Dean would just find a way to live with it.

Cas drew in a deep breath and leaned forward, taking one of Dean's hands in his own. He shook his head.

"Thank you for the apology. I admit that everything being brought up again after all this time threw me for a loop, but I forgave you a long time ago, Dean."

Dean stared at him, flummoxed. He had betrayed the one person who had meant more to him than anyone outside his family; there had never been anyone since who had been as close to Dean as Cas had been. How was that forgivable?

"We were kids, Dean." Cas smiled gently. "I know we felt so damn grown-up, but I see it every day in my classes. They're 18, 19, even in their twenties, and they think they know everything, that they have it all figured out. But they don't. Nowhere near. And neither did we."

His face hardened as he continued, in contrast to his thumb softly stroking along Dean's wrist. "Add to that what you endured with that Alastair person .... "

"I could've walked away, Cas. I --"

"And we're back to 'you were just a kid.' Yes, you made some bad decisions, things got out of hand," he swallowed, "and people got hurt. But you got out, Dean." Cas smiled widely at him. "Look at you -- even with all that, look at the successes you've had. How did that happen anyway?"

Dean sighed. "It was Sam, actually. He was the real catalyst," he said slowly. It was weird, but even after what he'd done to Cas, what Cas had seen in person, he felt reticent to share the rest of the story with him.

Cas just waited patiently.

"After what happened, what I did ... well, after that night, I kind of threw myself into that whole scene. I just wanted to forget, to not think about it, to prove to myself what an awesome time I was having, that I didn't need you."

It had been a hollow attempt at best, but at least with other people around, he looked like he was having fun.

"It was, I don't know, maybe a year, year and a half later, that Sammy came out for a visit. Nobody had come out before that, except you. I was actually kind of surprised you hadn't told anyone about everything."

"I ... it didn't feel right. Your folks didn't even know I was going then. So, I just told everyone we'd broken up and left it at that. Then I chose a school out of town and ran."

A stab of regret at what could've been left Dean aching to soothe Cas, but he had forfeited that right a long time ago.

"Anyway, Sam came out and well, to put it bluntly, it was a disaster. It all came to a head when I took him to set with me. I was actually stone-cold sober -- he'd been so disapproving of the partying the first couple of days -- I couldn't even get through the scene. Two-eighths of a page and I was ..."

He scoffed, remembering how he'd stumbled over the simple lines, kept missing his mark. Everything had felt so wrong.

"We took five and I found a corner, popped some pills to get my mind straight, and looked up to see Sammy just staring at me. That look in his eyes -- almost the same as yours, and I just..." He blew out a harsh breath. No matter how far he'd come since then, it still crushed him to think how he'd let his little brother down.

"I got through the scene, took Sam out to some shitty diner, and the whole thing just spilled out. I promised him I would stop. I could see in his eyes that he didn't believe me, but that was the beginning."

"The beginning?"

"With Alastair -- getting out from under his thumb, I had to move carefully. It wasn't even what he could do to me or my career; he'd threatened to hurt you, or Sammy. By that point, he wasn't even pretending to be doing anything for me. I started looking for another agent, real quietly; started trying to see if I could get enough dirt on him to, I dunno, blackmail him, or have him arrested.

"I met this guy, another agent, named Crowley. Almost as devious as Alastair, but more upfront about it. He was none too happy about Alastair's schemes and already had enough on him to put him away for a long time. He just needed someone to stand up."

"You?" Cas looked equal parts concerned and impressed.

"Yeah," Dean acknowledged. "I figured it was the least I could do. Screw my career, whatever. I'd go back to Lawrence and work as a mechanic if I had to, but this guy needed taking down and no one else was gonna do it."

"That's amazing, Dean. But I never heard about any of this." He flushed as he continued. "And I kind of followed your career kinda closely."

"Yeah, well, you didn't hear about it 'cause the guy had dirt on everyone and no one wanted him talking in open court. He was arrested, indicted, released on bail... and murdered."

Cas opened his mouth, closed it, almost literally biting back the question.

"It wasn't me, Cas. I don't know who it was; the list of people who wanted him dead is a mile long, at least. But that was that.

"With Crowley's help, I got in a very private rehab, got my career back in a direction that I wanted to go. Haven't touched any non-medically prescribed drugs since.

"I thought about reaching out to you to apologize, but I thought it would just be more painful for you. Or maybe I was just too scared."

Cas squeezed his hand.

"So, that's the whole sordid story."

"Thank you for telling me."

Dean shook his head to clear away the baggage and looked around, trying to escape the raw emotion in Cas's eyes. His fan was still sitting at her table, still tapping vigorously at her phone. A friend had joined her -- a friend whose phone was angled suspiciously in their direction.

He kept his gaze moving, finished looking around the small shop and then back to Cas.

"So, not a big deal, but I think that girl is filming us. Don't look!" he added a Cas inevitably started to turn his head.

"Okay, and ... ?" He followed Dean's lead and started tidying up.

"Well, best case, she and her friend just want some candid footage of me for their personal use. Less great would be if they're planning to share it out publicly."

"Is there a worst case here?"

"If they recognized you and are attaching your name to a livestream video."

"Why would they --?"

Dean almost laughed at the confusion on Cas's face. He stood up as he said, "You're news now, Cas. Just another way for me to screw your life up, I guess. We'd better get going any which way."

Cas stood as well and halted Dean with a hand to his shoulder. Dean turned, stepping to the side to make sure he was between the camera and Cas.

"Dean, the past few weeks have been interesting, and sometimes inconvenient, but it hasn't 'screwed up' anything for me."

"If it gets out that we've seen each other again, it's a whole new ballgame, Cas. Let's go."

He let Cas lead the way to the door, trying to keep him as hidden as possible, and wishing he was a big enough man not to be mentally drooling over Cas's ass.

The bell rang as Cas opened the door and stepped through. Dean was close enough on his heels that he nearly slammed his nose into Cas's skull when he stopped abruptly. Dean looked around as Cas murmured, "I guess it was a live feed after all."

"Well, well, if it isn't Dr. Castiel Novak. And who's he with? Oh, it's the famous Dean Winchester."

From the small crowd of fans and photographers stepped the last person Dean wanted to see at that moment.

"Bela."

(now concluded in Part 6)

Author’s Note: So there was a version where this was the last part -- they met, talked, came to some kind of agreement, and end happily ever after. Then the fan had a friend who had a phone, and Bela just couldn’t stay away, and now I’m not entirely sure where it goes next, so.... fingers crossed that inspiration strikes! Also, I need to work on the next part of my AO3 WIP -- that’s been sitting for months :(

#spn #fanfic #destiel #castiel #dean winchester #discussions of infidelity #alastair #sam winchester #alastair's mind games #bela talbot #ani's fanfic #s:fdff

[dustydreamsanddirtyscars]

Things about 13x08 “The Scorpion and the Frog”

Alright, since I am awfully late with watching the episode and I don’t think anyone really needs a ton of my rambles on my live watch, I figured - also since I didn’t find much noteworthy to meta or talk about while watching - I’d just make one bigger “impression” post on the episode.

Overall, I have to say - while this wasn’t one of the best episodes ever written - I did not mind the episode. I can’t say I adored it or liked it massively, but I certainly didn’t dislike it as I did with the previous two. I actually found the episode entertaining somewhat. The pacing was alright and I did enjoy the characters introduced in the episode - even though they felt too close to certain other beloved already deceased characters, which kind of left a bad aftertaste imo. In general though and despite it’s silliness, I think the episode worked as a true one off and filler (and I usually tend to say fillers don’t exist, but with this one to me it truly felt like filler - and yes, despite the fact some of the big themes were worked into the episode - but I’ll go into that in a bit).

Alright, here are some aspects I feel like commenting on a bit more.

First of all there is the title - one I think worked pretty well in relation to the context of the episode, because the fable the title is inspired by, I suppose, is explored directly within the episode by the characters and all their “deal making with the natural enemy” that like Dean said right in the beginning usually never works out for them. And of course we saw that ending up being the case with Alice (though in the end she was freed), but most of all Barthamus (who I did enjoy - he was kind of cross between Balthazar and Crowley to me - though tbh seeing him just made me miss Crowley so much more than anything else) and Luthor Shrike as well. More than how the title related to the episode’s arc however it is important to see it in relation to the overarching theme of the season of “nature vs. nurture” especially considering it was the lead up episode to the mid season finale which features Jack heavily, who is the main character through with the whole “fighting against your ~nature”-theme is explored by. If the fable is anything to go by and it’s dark moral then it would allude to Jack going dark side (even though he has been taught and socialized differently) as this is simply part of his “nature” as Lucifer’s son. In this regard it feels also noteworthy that Aesop (which Dean has read) wrote a similar tale about a “Farmer and a viper” where a farmer finds a snake freezing to death and takes pity on it and warms it in his coat - revitalized by that the snake ends up biting the farmer and kills him), which feels even more fitting in relation to SPN lore and how Lucifer is seen as the “serpent”.

Then there is the whole talk on Solomon and him keeping tabs on the Queen of Sheba, which reminded me that earlier this season we had a scene featuring the “Song of Solomon”, which makes interesting, if Solomon ends up popping up a third time this season I’‘d call it a pattern and it’s probably interesing to di into all of that history a bit further.

As for the episode’s characters. I actually liked Grab, he was a kind of “one off”-demon - he wasn’t plain stupid or over the top cringeworthy evil like demons (and angels as well tbh) have been portrayed a lot on SPN the past seasons. I wouldn’t have needed to see him again as a character, but he was enjoyable for the time of the episode. I also liked Barthamus and how the actor played him, but in general to me just no one can in any way replace Mark Sheppard and Crowley so that’s that. And lastly there’s Alice. She was alright (the actress did an okay job), though tbh, to me she felt too much like a clichè and too much like Charlie 3.0 (seriously, they even had to give her a line featuring “Charlie”? Sorry, but… meeeh, I’m not a fan). Hell, they even sent her off with a bus scene and her showing the “victory”-sign. I mean…. how much more blatant can you be?

Now let’s move on to Luthor Shrike. I personally felt reminded of Magnus/Cuthbert Sinclair a bit with his collection of artifacts and such (forever disappointed they never picked Magnus as a big bad, that guy would have worked as that imo). Especially as he was described as “doing anything and everything to add to his collection”. Tbh though I did find him a bit stupid tbh. I fully believe he has his entrance video trapped (he just seemed like that kind of guy) so he must have seen Sam walking in an out of the devil’s trap and then when he hands Sam a shot of gin he hadn’t mixed holy water into that to test him? Seriously? That just seems to me awfully stupid for a 200 year old immortal being. Which brings me to the other character I had to think of aside from Magnus with how he lived secludedly: Cain. Like Cain, Luthor also seems to have drawn away from socitey after losing a loved one. And yes, of course the parallel to John giving his life for Dean and Dean then later dying was prettyy apparent, but I suppose it was alos meant as a possible moment of foreshadowing for Lucifer and Jack’s story. Will Lucifer in the end maybe sacrifice himself to save his son? While I really don’t need or want a Lucifer redemption arc, I’d take it if that meant we’d finally be rid of that character lol. In visuals also to me Luthor was aligned with Cain who was also immortal and got stabbed by the demon killing knife and then later died like Magnus by beheading.

And last but not least on to the Winchesters. I have to admit if Jensen wasn’t as good as an actor as he is the “compass hand thing” as well as the “paw thing” would not have worked. They were silly yes and once more Dean was used as comic relief, but Jensen delivered it. So I didn’t mind those a lot. What made me a bit moody was when the “Nerve damage”-scene rolled around, because it captured so much with nothing much said, but only “I lived off of that stuff when I was a kid, What is it like 10 times the legal amount of caffeine?”. Yeah, nice callback there to how Dean never was a child from 4 onwards and literally ran on coffeine to make it through. Like… how is that not yet another example of how friggin awful Dean’s life was and how much he had to shoulder at a way too young age? Aside from that I found it rather interesting that Grab called Dean a “hand puppet” - of course that as due to the spell he had cast on him, but I can’t help but rather think of that comment in a much broader sense with Dean as a vessel - yes, I am still stupidly hoping that someday Dean as Michael’s vessel will be rendered of import by the narrative again. Silly me…

And now truly lastly, the ending scene with the burning of Bart’s bones and the spell and how slow the Winchesters were there and how Bart just stands watching in slow mo almost when Alice patiently picks up the lighter after he just said he is sooooo quick was just… eye roll worthy imo. Also, lol, Bart saying Sam is the smart one? Apparently not when it comes to keep something from burning. ;P I mean, come on Sam, you blew on that? Really??? Bahaha.

Anyway… So yeah, that’s kind of all I have to say. Not much stuff for meta, but a few very pretty eye candy moments, so maybe I’ll try some editing. Anyway overall verdict: Alrightish irrelevant episode. Score: 6 out of 10.

#SPN spoilers #SPN Meta #Supernatural Meta #13x08 #The scorpion and the frog #Possible unpopular opinions #Things about 13x08