#cockles is still thriving

[kel-b]

Beautiful photo of all three. 🥰

The hubbies look good. This is the only photo I’ve seen of them so far, but they appear to be very relaxed, refreshed and genuinely happy! 😇☺️😇

#spn dallas 2022 #photo ops #spn #jenmish #destiel #cockles #deancas #misha collins #jensen ackles #cockles is still thriving #spnfamily #trending on twitter

[castiel-left-his-mark-on-me]

Hi, Ary, very inactive ex-mutual(i think???) here. Good to see you thriving! ♥ It's been a while since I've dipped my head into cockles stuff. Could I perchance maybe ask uuuuum tf is going on??? lol I see Mish apparently confirmed he used to stay over at Jensen's in Van, and heard newbs were apparently freaking out about it and getting a bit messy, which I get that, business as usual. But I'm also seeing shit about spin-offs? And Jared getting in a twitter fight with Jensen, causing/resulting in stans to going feral and sending hate?? I know you're not as big a fan of Jar, but that's part of why I figured I'd ask you, you usually have a really level head about this kinda stuff. If you don't wanna answer publically, or at all, that's totally chill!

Hey, Rhi! We're still mutuals! Of course we're still mutuals! When I saw the notification of your ask, I was like "Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" and my husband was like "???" and I said "Tumblr" and he said "Oh."

It was a wild time haha.

In any case, welcome back to the dumpster fire! We are obviously still a mess. So to catch you up, I guess I will start by summarizing both before and after the finale (not sure where you left off so this might be redundant for you) ... basically, it became obvious as the end of the show neared that Jensen was not on board with the plan for the finale; although Jared never stopped singing its praises.

We got confirmation of this during a zoom interview where Jensen said that he actually went into the writers room as well as called Kripke to basically voice how he didn't agree with the direction the final season was going, but he was shot down on all fronts. In another interview, he was asked "What would you tell your younger self going into this career?" And Jensen responded with: "I would tell myself to just keep your head down and do the work" meaning, "Don't try to change things because you can't." I also think that this whole situation is what he wrote "Let Me Be" about for his first Radio Company album, but that is just my own speculation. All of his reluctance, even though he always followed it up with "But I eventually saw the value in the script" or "I came around in the end" (which never sounded sincere, and I don't think he was really trying to sound sincere) made us all very nervous about what was to come for 15x20; and of course, when the last two episodes aired, we saw just how badly they fucked it up.

After the awful finale, the entire fandom became aware of the CW's heavy handed role in the thing, basically squeezing all the life out of SPN to shape it into a ramp from which Walker could launch itself. They not only erased all the love and joy and representation that Cas's love confession gave us, they also tore apart the things that made sense about the bond between Sam and Dean, making it really just about Sam-- and therefore Jared, which of course, Jared seemed to be fine with ... even though no one else was. Misha barely said anything during the finale, and a few of the other actors talked about the show ending in various posts, but Jared tweeted up a storm ... and Jensen? Jensen just sat in sexy-silent resentment of the whole thing. He didn't tweet, he didn't post, he didn't say a word once he no longer had to, and I think that's because he was already going full-steam-ahead on his plans for redemption.

Which brings us to Chaos Machine-- Jensen and Danneel's new production company that is being run by a queer creative director and has a mantra of inclusivity and representation woven throughout it's fabric; and apparently, the first story that Jensen wanted to tell through this new platform is the origin story of Sam and Dean's parents; so last week (?) he announced the upcoming production of "The Winchesters" -- the untold love story of John and Mary. Obviously, John is not the most likable character from the show, so the idea was met with a lot of resentment when it was first announced, but Jensen has gone on to say that he is excited to take on the task of telling the "true" story behind these characters-- the one that makes sense with the pre-established canon and doesn't reject it. So, given that, the idea is being mulled over with a bit more optimism from the fandom.

Who isn't being optimistic though?

Jared Padalecki.

When Jensen made this announcement on Twitter, many of his friends and coworkers congratulated him, but not Jared. Jared responded with a passive aggressive: "I'm happy for you, man, but I wish I didn't hear about it through Twitter." This of course, sent all the die-hard Jared fans into a tizzy and they immediately began asking him if he was serious (hoping it was just a joke-- we all hoped it was because there would be fallout no matter what one's opinion on Jared is). Instead of leaving it there though or just deleting that tweet, Jared went on to tweet some more, saying that he was being serious that he didn't know about the plans for the prequel, and that he was "gutted" that Sam apparenlty wouldn't be included (mind you, this a prequel to SPN... meaning BEFORE Sam and Dean were even born, so how could Sam be included? But Dean is apparently narrating this story so maybe Jared thought Sam should be helping to narrate it? I don't know). But Jared being Jared couldn't just leave that there, he then went on to tweet at Robbie Thompson who was announced as a writer for "The Winchesters" so then Jared went off on him too, calling him "Brutus" and a "coward" acting like Robbie betrayed him (speculation is-- Robbie refused to write for Walker, so Jared is pissed that he essentially chose Jensen over him). He did fairly quickly, remove that tweet attacking Robbie, but of course the damage was done at that point. And it truly only took his first tweet calling out Jensen for some people to be like "Jared-- that sucks if you didn't know but why are you saying any of this publicly?"

As you might know, Jared has had issues in the past with posting hurtful things on social media, and has even used it as a tool for attack before-- calling out customer service agents and public workers that he felt have wronged him, which is bad enough ... but for him to then do the same thing to his best friend of well over a decade? Many people who had once liked him or at least gave him the benefit of the doubt (I used to ...) stopped after this latest twitter tantrum.

However, some people have suspected for some time that J2 had a falling out either shortly before the finale or just after. Their public/social media interactions have seemed awkward, stilted or even non-existent in moments that they normally wouldn't be. In the past year, when Walker premiered, Jensen didn't say much about his friend's new venture other than a "Congrats. buddy" here and there. Later, we learned that Jensen refused to work on the show ... Jared said he make him do it, drag Jensen to the set "kicking and screaming" which made many fans quirk up an eyebrow because, why would Jensen put up a fight unless the two weren't as close as they used to be? And then Jensen moved his family to Colorado (either permanently or for an extended period at least) which is notable considering how he moved to Texas seemingly to be closer to Jared, even buying a house that was near his. All this was just speculation though; but it wasn't until Jared's tweet complaining about not knowing about the prequel that the theories behind them falling out, became less theory and more fact.

The day after his twitter tantrum, Jared tweeted again-- not retracting his statements or apologizing, but instead saying that he and Jensen "talked" and were "all good". Jensen then tweeted too, parroting this statement to some degree, which only made the whole thing even more sour in the mouths of the fans. The fact that Jared didn't apologize for his outburst and throwing his friend under the bus, and also the fact that Jensen-- Mr. Sexy Silence, Mr. Never Tweets, Mr. Tech-Ignorant-and-Proud, actually had to POST SOMETHING saying that he and Jared made up, it just screamed OPTICS. It was obviously the work of agents and PR firms and lots of people going "Look, if you two keep beefing, that will mean the death of both of your projects. Even more people will stop watching Walker, and this SPN prequel will never get picked up due to the scandal." So, the two "made nice" publicly to quell the chaos, but in my opinion, it's all too little too late. Jared started a storm that he can't contain now with a little tweet, and it seems like he knows that too because before he talked about him and Jensen making up, he asked that people "not send threats". He could have just as easily said that he shouldn't have made this a public issue and that he's sorry, but instead, he continued to play the victim and stoke the flames by alerting us all to the damage he's done.

Now, like I said before-- I used to give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he's an awful human or that he deserves to be attacked or anything, but he is an adult man with very poor judgment and an obvious selfish-streak a mile wide. He should know better, and he should have more respect for his so-called "friends" and "brothers" than to make them targets to public ridicule. I have a hard time believing that Jensen still sees Jared the way he used to, and I wouldn't blame him a bit for wanting to pull away-- especially when he's moving on to so many new and exciting things. Jared certainly deserves happiness just as much as anyone else, but he went on twitter and basically asked for a scandal, and he got one.

The question is now-- was there a motive behind it? Was just looking for a reason to bring his and Jensen's falling out to light-- while making himself looking like the victim in the process? Or did he genuinely not know about the prequel and just decided to go about "not knowing" in the most toxic and hurtful way he could manage?

In any case, that is the drama ... that is the J2 insanity in a rather lengthy nutshell ... that is the tea ... and I hope it all makes sense.

But the good news out of all of this is, Cockles is thriving-- they are happy and in love and Jensen calls Misha "Babe" and Misha misses waking up to see Jensen in the morning, and they are just as cute and wonderful as can be.

So, I will end that there. I am so glad to see you back, and I hope I answered all your questions in a way that made sense ... I tried anyway!

💖💖💖

#omg #I don't even know if this makes sense #this took way too long to write #j2 #cockles #long post #spn family #so glad you see you back again my dear #welcome to hell #it's hotter now

[theyarebothgunshot]

I’d be very interested in your thoughts on the JIB8 cockles panel. just a suggestion for your rewatch 👀

i’ve seen the jib8 panel so many times, because it’s honestly one of the wildest things i have ever seen and i just never get tired of it. 

first of all i want to give you my take on the overall vibe, and then second of all i will get into the details and link to certain timestamps in the video. 

disclaimer: i am not gonna be linking to every single thing i talk about, but i will try my best to link to the moments that stand out to me the most. i have read long posts about this panel before, so not everything in this post is gonna be original or said for the first time ever, simply because there is a good chance that information has stuck in my mind and has subconsciously formed my view of this panel. this is also in no way, shape or form gonna be coherent, unfortunately. i’m just gonna hope that the cockles hivemind will be able to make sense of this regardless. love and light. and lastly, this is all in good fun, so don’t come at me if you think this is too out there please and thank you.

fun fact: i was today years old when i found out that the airbnb story took place one day before this panel. what a sexually charged weekend that was for them dude (gn).

the vibe that i get from this panel is that their moods were off before they got on stage, and where misha kind of looks tired and not 100% enthusiastic about things, jensen apparently decided to get drunk and is trying to make it look like he is thriving. yet, a little while into the panel we learn that it has been an emotional rollercoaster of a day for him, which might have something to do with the overall mood. then again, it could be that something else happened in between the autographs and that panel, who is to say?

i have talked about the d/s subtones in their interactions before and this panel makes my radar ping like nobody’s business. if my interpretation of their dynamics is right, then one could assume that jensen was being very bratty on purpose, trying to stir up a reaction in misha, and i think he probably got what he wanted (more or less. maybe he thought misha would find it more amusing than he did, or but honestly, at that point they have already known each other for nearly 10 years so odds are he knew what he was doing and how misha would react to it. it would surprise me greatly if these two didn’t work out their mutual frustrations with the day and each other after this panel ended- in the bedroom.)

i genuinely think i have never seen jensen flirt more openly and aggressively with misha, ever, and i have never seen misha in the state he was in during this panel either: tired, a little annoyed about the fact that jensen was going off the deep end and that he was not able to stop him, to the point where he just gives up and says things like ‘when in rome’ etc. let’s get into it. 

the mood is set from the very first second: misha is kinda subdued, and jensen is being a bit of a clown, coaxing misha to join him in the madness, which he does to a certain extent. 

we are off to a great start with not just one [0m15s], but two [0m20s] moments in which i just know in my bones they wanted to hold hands. how do i know? because i have been there my fucking self. wanting to hold hands with your crush when you are drunk and acting silly is a love language okay.

as soon as they sit down, misha tries to make conversation and jensen just starts pushing him and pushing him, [1m11s] saying ‘shut up’ and ‘yeah it’s really stupid and it embarrasses me’, but misha tries to ignore it at first and just marches on through. which is probably why i never see people talk about that little comment. it embarrasses jensen when misha sits like that? why would he need to feel embarrassed by his friend’s actions? kinda weird tbh, sounds like husband behavior to me. i have a feeling that when misha said ‘by which he means it’s an innie’, jensen REALLY had to bite on his tongue not to go all ‘you weren’t complaining this morning’ or something like that. look at his face bro [1m55s]. 

and then jensen opens up his legs like the little tramp (affectionate) that he is and when misha tries to stop him he just TURNS to misha with said open legs like a mad man and goes ‘here’s the thing. pick a leg.’ [2m05s] LIKE? who DOES THAT? that is insane people behavior!!! admittedly i am a cis woman and i don’t have conversations with male friends about their bodily anatomy all that often, but i legit cannot phatom that this is a normal thing to talk about with your platonic buddy. pick a leg for me to rest my dick on, old buddy old pal. NOBODY DOES THAT. it’s not even something that i would consider flirting because even though i am into men, i would not find that arousing? so it’s either an action to provoke annoyance in misha or it’s something they have discussed before or both. because misha immediately understands what he means, starts shaking his head in frustration, and actually turns to jensen as if to say ‘are you fucking kidding me right now? really? you are really doing this?’ followed by a ‘this is making me feel so uncomfortable’ aka one of the phrases they both like to use even though they never mean it. 

then when jensen actually goes up to do his ridiculous mating dance and sits back down again, he automatically sits down with his body turned towards misha. 

quick side note: if anybody understands what the joke was about when they talked about ‘cas has big dolls’ i would love to hear it, because that has never made any sense to me, but it’s probably a me problem lmao. 

when misha goes ‘could you watch your language please’ i think that’s a sign that he is genuinely getting a bit frustrated [4m53s] with jensen even though he is obviously playing it off as a joke. right after he says that, jensen puts his fingers against his mouth, as if to shut himself up. i know that a lot of people don’t wanna read too much into body language but hey, i am writing an analysis here so work with me for a sec: i think that could be a subconscious decision to listen to what misha is telling him to do, which ties into the d/s dynamics i’ve mentioned earlier. 

i know people always go crazy when misha goes ‘what did i tell him’ [5m19s] and jensen whispers in his ear. i personally think misha probably told him about the fact that they booked kansas the band, but it’s still pretty telling that that is how misha would react to the question if something he told him is public knowledge. evidently that goes to show that there is enough that misha tells jensen that cannot be shared with the public, which i thought is interesting. 

now that i am watching it again, the ‘j*red would have just said it’ comment kind of stumbles around in my brain asking me to dissect it. let’s just say that i wouldn’t be surprised if they were both thinking back on the many, many times that j*red put his foot in his mouth and made a suggestive comment about jensen and misha’s relationship. 

god i just cringed [6m14s] watching jensen interact with that first girl who asked a question and he just goes off on her about how twins are cool and misha is shaking his head lord oh lord and that is the minute daniella decides that hey maybe they need even more alcohol lmfaoooo it’s a lot. poor misha i genuinely feel bad for him.

and then he goes ‘real men have twins’ and looks at misha and misha is still not having it so he goes ‘it’s just a shirt’ like girl (gn) pleASE that’s husband behavior, yet again, why else would he feel the need to clarify it. ‘look babe don’t be mad or jealous i don’t mean anything by it, it’s just a shirt’ i hate him. 

i just know misha would have wanted to take the apple juice away from jensen lmao. 

one of the moments [9m35s] that always stands out to me is when they go ‘that’s why we don’t bring steven’ ‘that’s right, that’s why he’s not allowed’ idk how to explain it but the way that just flows out of them so naturally feels very coupley for some reason.

i think we can all agree that jensen’s reaction [12m22s] to misha’s ‘i always wear orange underwear’ story is completely fake, right? because there is no way he didn’t know that, and his reaction was very exaggerated. plus, the little gesture to make misha show his underwear? bitch, please. whipped. there was also exactly zero reason for him to come that close to misha in order to inspect the color of his underwear.

the one thing that i wonder about, though, is why misha didn’t know jensen was wearing the famous underbear briefs? but as i am writing this i realise that even if they slept in the same hotel room, there are obviously a few different possible reasons why misha didn’t know what underwear jensen was wearing that day: either jensen showered and changed in the bathroom, so by the time he faced misha again he was fully dressed, or misha had to leave their hotel room earlier than jensen, or jensen changed while misha showered, etc etc. 

in any case……. jensen dropping trou in the middle of this fucking panel? absolutely batshit insane, 10/10 thank you for your service nesnej. 

this [13m54s] is where shit really starts to hit the fan. jensen is OUT OF CONTROL. the long stares??? the ‘rawr’s??? ‘you didn’t even get the full picture’??? (sidenote i would love to know what misha whispered to him right after).

OKAY so. when the girl mentions j*red and jensen goes all Knowing What’s Up and says ‘oh he has had a rough time today. misha kept us up way too late last night. *glances at misha* rrrrrrr’ listen. the only reason i am not reading too much into this is because i do not believe they had a threesome with j*red but also the way he said it was very sus and my mind can’t help but wonder if they were disgustingly flirty and way too touchy feely in front of j*red whilst drunk and honestly that’s probably the case.

of course this is followed [15m15s] by the insane man saying ‘by the way they go down to here’??? and the potentially whispered ‘i’ll show you later’?????? sir i have a lot of questions. number one: how dare you? 

bless this next person for this question, because she starts her sentence with: ‘people who have been together for a long time…’ i actually already made a post about this once so i implore you all to read that because i still stand by what i said in there.

it is of course followed by them both not being able to think about ANYTHING appropriate to say to the question if there is anything they only do in front of each other that doesn’t involve pants. and then misha goes ‘why don’t i just share a private moment that we had’ and jensen’s first instinct is to say ‘shit’. i mean. i am merely perceiving. 

this is the moment we realise that it has been quite The Day for them, but especially for jensen, because he has been emotional earlier in the day. which, again, could explain his demeanor during the panel. trying to distract himself. notice that he gets up and shakes his legs again and goes for a drink the second misha starts to tell the story: coping mechanisms aka distraction, just like he did at the start of the panel. 

the moment where he goes ‘it’s hitting me now. shit.’ really solidifies this theory for me, that he has been acting like a goofy drunken guy all panel, in order to drown out the emotions he felt that afternoon, but alas. once he started to talk about it, it still all came back to him. 

i will say this though: it kind of warms my heart that he was so touched by the fact that the fandom spawned something good. makes me feel slightly less dumb for forming parasocial relationships with that man. only slightly, but still. 

misha going ‘god he’s so grouchy’ [25m32s]? say it with me, folks: husband behavior. once again misha tries to talk jensen down and jensen listens (sort of). say it with me, folks: d/s behavior. and RIGHT after that jensen walks towards misha with this intense fucking stare in his eyes that makes me feel like i am intruding, and then after he gets another drink (nesnej, why?) he just. gently massages misha’s neck and shoulder before draping his arm around him? and his hand lingers when he goes to grab the keychain? okay. 

insert the famous ‘when in rome’ debacle lmao misha was so done with jensen by then it’s so hilarious. the funny thing is that misha says ‘what i mean is show each other our underwear, nothing weird. you can’t look at me like that, because of what you did’, while the question was ‘what would dean and cas do in rome’ and not ‘what would jensen and misha do in rome’ but clearly, once again, the actors cannot make a distinction between the two. interesting :) it also wouldn’t surprise me if jensen has told him to tone down the dean/cas answers but now that jensen decided to fully flash him on stage misha is like ‘sorry but i am not playing by your rules after what you did’ lmao. of course, jensen’s reaction is to go back to parting his legs for misha, like he is challenging him. i mean. you can’t make this shit up. 

am i the only one who thinks that jensen might be thinking dirty thoughts when misha repeats ‘what would dean and cas do’ [27m50s]? because like. that’s quite a face he is making.

when he says ‘i don’t know how to answer that’ and misha agrees, idk, for some reason i get the feeling that that’s in the sense of ‘i don’t know how to answer that in a way that won’t get our fans’s hopes up because we know what they would want and we know what we would answer but we can’t go there’. 

i really feel like the final straw for daniella was the way that jensen reacted to that last question like he was gonna have another breakdown lmao and that’s why the rest of the cast and crew were pushed onto the stage prematurely. because when you think about it, it’s a pretty rude thing to do when somebody is still answering a question? but okay. 

listen - the last 6 minutes of this panel are so chaotic sdjfhsjh the only thing i can conclude from it is that jensen is hella drunk but we’ve been knew. his mood changes by the fucking second. i love him and his little dance and how he sits down on the stage. i feel like i might be jensen coded when i am drunk. i too get slutty and unpredictable. 

so anyways long story short: jensen was hella drunk and wanted to provoke misha, it worked, they had hot sweaty sex after this panel, and the fact that jensen got drunk enough to entrust misha with taking care of shit during the panel makes me very emotional for some reason, and i just love them a lot. thank you for coming to my ted talk. 

#cockles #i am sorry this is such a mess lmao but enjoy i guess? #jib 8 #alsaurus-loves-dean #i edited in the timestamps because apparently the links dont work on mobile and just jump to the beginning of the vid. sigh

[cooloddball]

Is there a phase where Jensen is doing less Cockles and more J/2 inducing actions in SM to cover up the j2 fallout? I know SM doesn't mean everything but still it doesn't hurt to post something for Misha in public. He deserves it after all.

I don't think anything with cockles has changed. Jensen isn't doing anything lately with cockles that he wasn't doing before. I haven't been in the fandom that long but I understand people used to go for months without any content until there was may be a con or an interview. I hear that lately, more so since 2019 he has been doing too much cockles compared to the other years.

As for j/2, I think what he had]s been doing lately has been performative and people have actually sent me links to their fans blogs and they don't seem too happy with how Jensen treats Jared lately. Some have even stopped shipping them or believing n their friendship and have chosen either side in the fallout.

so, I 100% believe cockles are okay and thriving but something is definitely off with j/2.

#asks #anon #cockles #j2 fallout

[incarnateirony]

Omg I just discovered dreamwidth/spn gossip, whatever it's called...(insert the "good lord, what's happening in there" pic) wow how can so many people be so hateful and delusional for such a long time 😅😂 like I haven't laughed that much in a long time!

I feel like I should note that I don't ship cockles (but I have eyes! So good for them whatever they are to each other) and the last few days have been testing my "I do NOT ship rpf" rules...

But I've never seen the slightest appeal in j*2 (yes they are (were?) good friends but compared to jenmish chemistry?! I just don't get it)

So yeah my new hobby? Watching salty people on the internet... I'm thriving

Plus, I'd love to make a psychological study about those trolls 😂

I hope you're having a great day :) we've just moved about 3 weeks ago and we're still unpacking...

Ahhh. Inbox cleaning--Throwback to the days when goss was still around. Which was like. A week ago. And now it's nuked. Bless.

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

In your opinion, how fast do you think cockles fell for each other? Do you think Jensen had previously been aware/into polyamory? I know we have no way of knowing, just wondering your thoughts. :)

ah nonnie I will sadly impart upon you that while I am a cockles blog that perceives and celebrates, I am not really one well versed in the lore and receipts.

that being said, if we're speculating about Misha specifically, having met him ONLY over a computer he is still one of the most magnetic damn people I have ever interacted with. and Jensen likes fun weirdos (see: Plight of the Clownana). So I'm sure at the very least they clicked right away (which is great for both of them! It must be so nice to have this awesome connection at work, esp on SPN where you are on set for LONG and late hours - just having that support is amazing). I think the best part about cockles pour moi is seeing people interact who have genuine fondness for each other, and it's so refreshing and delightful to witness, especially in a culture that thrives on sexy animosity and belligerent sensationalism.

I truly don't know about the second part of your question, but I do hope that before, during, and now after spn Jensen lived his life in a way that made him feel free, happy, and understood - because we all deserve that :D

#you-cant-spell-subtext-without-asks #nonnie #cockles #rps for ts

[dimples-of-discontent]

How are you doing?

Hello anonymous friend,

First off, thanks for asking! It’s so easy to feel that you’re just reblogging content into the void, especially since the main kind I used to write myself--quick turnaround metas based on eps that had just aired, spec about the direction of the season, analysis and squee about Cockles antics at cons--have all been pretty much impossible since November. I miss content creation, but I also still really appreciate being on here as a community. I know it’s definitely changed in character since the finale, but that’s to be expected. I wave to all the new neighbors from my only middling-old rocking chair on a porch (hilarious that this is true in this fandom but 6 years is a relative newbie).

Also, I’m doing about as well as can be given all the still very tough world and life circumstances. Readers of this blog may know that I’ve been living with stage 4 breast cancer (that’s the type that has spread elsewhere--bones, lungs, and liver for me--and is treatable but incurable) for almost 2.5 years now. I have to go to chemo nearly every week, have lost every single hair on my body (including eyebrows, eyelashes, and NOSE HAIRS which is so much more fucking annoying than you can imagine, especially in allergy season), and feel mildly hungover without drinking like half the time from side effects. But, that said, the treatment I’ve been on since October has had good results at slowing the spread, so I’m cautiously optimistic.  I do have a cancer side-blog @pitiless-achilles-wept​ if you want to follow for updates. I don’t post a ton, but I do offer reflections on illness and disability too.

In the meantime, I got a big promotion at work (b/c I still work full-time) and that’s really wonderful. As I and people I know get vaccinated it feels like things are looking up because (as I said back in January) it hardly seems like there’s any other way for them to go. 

I miss the more personal interactions I used to have on here when I had more time  and when the meta and spec communities were thriving, but I want to say that I see you all when you show up in my notes and my inbox and that it always makes my day better. I am genuinely the worst at answering asks these days (b/c treatment + work means a pretty low energy level) but I see you, and I am grateful to you. And hope you all are doing well too, here in this strange social world of tumblr dot com dot gov dot edu. 

Love, Bex

#asks #nice people #not dead yet #my life as a cancer patient #life update #sorta #tumblr friends #tumblr life #bex writes

[princesssarcastia]

Leverage International

Soooooo I just rewatched the leverage finale, and GOD what a wonderful sandbox to play in. I still want a season six or a movie tbh, there’s such a wonderful story there that I trust them to tell.  But in the meantime...

I think it was @smokeandsong who referred to leverage as “millennial revenge porn,” and they were ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. 

Step one: I know people have said this before, but obviously this is a dichotomous setup: we have the ot3 running cons and crossing evil rich dudes off their list on one side, and Nate and Sophie running around Europe, Most Definitely Retired, Yes Siree, on the other. 

(Nate could not retire if his life depended on it, let’s be real, and Sophie is absolutely willing to enable his robin hood tendencies)

Step two: Leverage International

See, in the finale the ot3 talked about how every crew in the world was gonna want a piece of that action. so I think it would be cool to see a whole range of thieves, hitters, hackers, grifters, all coming to Parker and hardison and Elliot for a piece of that action

some of them are in it for the money, sure.  but some of them want a piece of that millennial revenge.  Nate was right; the men and women on this list broke the world, and the only reason they got away with it was because they were rich.  they fucked a whole lotta people over.  I wanna see those people not just coming to leverage for help, but taking action themselves

There’s the bby!hacker who comes to them for help taking on the real estate mogul that got their family's house foreclosed back in ‘08

the lesbian couple that took to grifting to make ends meet, a la Debbie ocean, and get in over their heads with an awful banker dude 

the young disillusioned political activist who needs help hacking the government to ensure government workers get the pension funds they were promised by their state

and all of these thieves and hacker and grifters and hitters who join up with leverage for a heist, I want most of them to irrefutably ascribe to a post-modern sense of identity.  like, I’m talking every color of the literal rainbow and the LGBTQ+ rainbow, I want this to be the most blatantly diverse cast ever seen on TV, no doubt about it.  

 now they are absolutely going after rich bastards. as anyone can tell you, though, those bastards have some pretty suspicious links to the government.  and in some cases, they are the government! revolving door, anyone? (where’s that chart, about the percentage of millionaires in congress versus the percentage of the us pop that are millionaires) so as time goes on, their heists get closer and closer to the government, involve taking down more and more corrupt politicians.  

I mean, this wouldn't exactly be new ground for the show.  They’ve touched on shady corporate-government ties before, called people out about donations and voting and such.  but I want it to be a fucking pattern. 

Step Three: Sterling.

It seems to me that, no matter who he’s playing, all of Mark Sheppard’s characters fall firmly into the lawful column of the alignment chart. good, evil, whatever; he may be an opportunist, but in the blackened cockles of his heart he loves to thrive within a defined set of rules, and ensure that his enemies get trapped by the very same. 

So here is Jim “Lawful good/lawful neutral leaning” Sterling, agent of Interpol.  Sterling who, when we last saw him, was absolutely paying back his debt to Nate, but also said that justice is always easy. Who is maybe willing to bend the rules sometimes, but also kinda likes to play the righteous man, who probably imagines himself the Holmes to nate’s moriarty. 

Jim Sterling, who spends his time solving cases around the world and occasionally being harassed by Nate and Sophie (because why not), or being called to take out the trash when Nate and Sophie are done with someone (because really, these rich assholes make it so easy).  

Jim Sterling, who, as he spends more and more time with Interpol, finds himself running into people within his organization, within the governments of countries he’s operating in, within cooperating organizations, within suspect multinational corporations, that aren't even manipulating the system, they’r just flat-out ignoring it! Who really, truly just...use their money and influence to get away with some really awful shit.  And that bugs the shit out of his lawful little heart.

So maybe he kicks one or two people Nate and Sophie’s way.  Just a little bit.  Leaves them a name, lets them overhear a conversation, looks in the other direction...maaaayyybbeee leaves a door open once or twice.  Always with plausible deniability, of course, but he imagines that these corrupt rule-ignorers are getting their just desserts in the end.  Justice is always an easy choice.

Except, as Sterling spends more and more time at Interpol, he finds himself brushing up at the edges of...something.  People knowing each other who shouldn't, stonewalling from his superiors when they should be giving him a green light, loopholes in the system that shouldn't logically be there stopping him from bringing someone to justice.  It is incredibly frustrating. 

Step Four: The Paradise Papers

You know, that large, multi-continent-spanning, numerous-corporations-and-politicans-incriminating conspiracy uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists about tax havens and fraud, etc., that nobody gave a shit about?

Apparently, the whole thing was kicked off by an anonymous Reddit user dropping hints

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

It’s interesting, actually; one of the major U.S. official connected with these papers was Gary Cohen, former chief economic advisor to Trump, and former chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs during the 2008 financial crisis. 

EVERYTHIGN IS CONNECTED. WE COME FULL CIRCLE.

six months ago:

Sterling kept up with feeding people to Nate and Sophie to chew up and spit out, and started dropping hints about the weird conspiracy he was running up against 

Hardison, Parker, and Eliot have resorted to putting up a giant red-stringed conspiracy board in the back room of the pub because this shit is so complicated and difficult to keep track of.

Eventually, ot3 follows the money to someone sterling recently kicked Nate and Sophie’s way, except it’s way bigger than they thought it was. they’re gonna need a bigger boat

At this point, they call on the friends and allies they've made along the way taking down the smaller fish on the list, and together they uncover this MASSIVE CONSPIRACY involving LITERALLY EVERY RICH PERSON EVERY JESUS CHRIST

(behind every great fortune is a great crime.  the same crime, apparently, all these rich people are involved in the SAME FUCKING CONSPIRACY WHAT THE FUCK)

Hardison starts vaguebloggin on Reddit because Sterling tipped them off that once again, the governments of the world knew and shrugged it off, so they need to hang them in the court of public opinion.  what better way to do so than setting a league of journalists on them?

The Team, Serendipitously Reunited On The Job, work together to infiltrate the offshore law firm responsible for covering everything up which is definitely not called appleby and get ahold of the documents they need to incriminate everyone, paired with the stuff in the black book.  there’s a surprising amount of overlap between these documents and the black book, which was Definitely Not Part Of The Plan

(in this world of gratuitous millennial revenge porn, of course, people sit up and give a fuck, instead of what happened in the real world, which is nothing)

so what do we get? “Endless parades of bankers being led around in chains.”  except it’s not just bankers, its politicians, career government officials, heads of corporations, etc. 

The world makes the choice between justice and order, and they choose justice

#leverage #of course in my heart of hearts I really just want the team to take down a trump analog #but idk if that's gonna happen #so #I'll settle for every rich person on the planet instead #ot3 #Jim sterling #lgbt representation #diverse cast of characters #conspiracy theories #paradise papers #2008 economic crisis #interpol #corruption #future fic #fic idea #leverage international #god I really do love the line 'behind every great fortune is a great crime' #also #I love 'millennial revenge porn' #I love it #because its absolutely true! #thats what leverage is #and I wanna take it to the next level

[katlyn1948]

An Unexpected Journey: Part 5

Arya meet with Ser Rednick at dawn. Even with the dim twilight, the harbor of King's Landing was alive with working people. It took a good while for Arya to actually get to Nymeria because of the gathering crowds. She had wanted to get to the ship before the workers started their day, but she had an unfinished conversion with her sister that she needed to address before she left.

It was early, so Arya wasn't sure if Sansa would even be awake, but none the less, she knocked on her chamber doors. She heard a few shuffles and a grunt of what sound like someone hitting their foot on the bed post. After several minutes, Sansa opened the door. She was in her nightgown and a robe covering her round belly.

"Arya? What in seven hells? You are aware that the sun hasn't even broken the horizon. What are you doing up?" Her sister said with a sleepy voice.

"I wanted to bid you a farewell. I'm leaving in just few short hours and I wanted to apologize for my behavior as last night's supper." Arya said.

Sansa eased a bit and small smile grew on her face. "You do not have to apologize. I should not have pushed you. You are a woman grown and you do not have to explain yourself. Just promise you'll be back."

Arya quickly embraced her sister, "Of course I will be back. I cannot miss the birth of this babe."

Sansa gave her sister a tight squeeze. She normally didn't cry, but with the babe in her belly, it made every little thing emotional. "Be safe." She said to her sister before she shut the door behind her.

Arya made haste after her goodbye to her sister. She wanted to get on the sea and be at Storm's End before the the morrow drew to a close. She was anxious and ready to take the voyage south.

Ser Rednick was waiting at the dock where Nymeria was stationed when Arya arrived. He had the sails hoisted and the crew ready for sailing. Arya was truly greatful for the old navigator. He took the reigns when she could not. He had taught her the proper way to sail and run a ship. Without him she would have been truly lost.

"Ser Rednick, how was your stay?" she asked as she boarded the ship.

"Quite well, Lady Stark. I was able to send a raven to my son and let him know of my journey to Storm's End."

"So he is aware of our impending arrival?" Her eyes were quizzical.

He nodded, "Aye, he'll be joinin' us as we dock. He said the weathers ought to be good for an easy sailing." Ser Rednick looked up to the skys. "And I will have to agree with him."

Arya's eyes followed. The skys were clear with not a cloud in sight. The winds were steady and sails were eager.

"Well then, Ser Rednick, let us not waste anymore time. Lift the anchor and set sail for Storm's End."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took two days for them to reach the port of Storm’s End. Two days on her ship did nothing to ease the nerves that she had been feeling ever since she docked at King’s Landing.

She hadn’t seen him in five years. Had not sent a raven to ask about his well-being nor even asked her siblings when she did write. She had absolutely no idea what he had been up to or if he was still the same man she left all those years ago.

Ser Rednick hardly talked about Storm’s End unless it was about his son and she had purposefully avoided talk about the damned place if it was ever brought in conversation.

But standing on the dock with the light drizzle that had ascended upon them she couldn’t be more ecstatic. Her nerves were high, but her excitement was higher and she could scarcely believe that she was finally here.

She has never been to Storm’s End, but she could remember her father’s stories of the seas side castle and how it over looked ocean. The impregnable keep and it’s ability to weather any storm. It truly was a glorious castle. She even dared to think that it was more beautiful than Winterfell.

Ser Rednick had mentioned of it’s magnificent beauty, but one could not truly understand until they looked upon it with their own eyes.

It was slightly shocking to Arya that she never took the time to visit this place. Perhaps if she did, she may have never left Westeros.

The harbor of Storm’s End was just as busy as the one in King’s Landing. The fisherman were reeling in their morning catch and vendors were out and about selling their oysters, clams, and cockles. It was like any other bustling town thriving with common folk and Arya couldn’t help but smile.

When she left Westeros, Storm’s End had been on the brink of mutiny. The locals and bannermen alike were starving and unorganized and she heard that if it wasn’t for the new Lord and his trusted advisor, there would be no more Storm’s End. Perhaps, she thought, he isn’t a stupid bull after all.

Arya’s thoughts were quickly disrupted by sounds of joyous laughter. To her left she could see Ser Rednick and young man that could pass as Ser Rednick’s former self, embrace in a bearly hug. No doubt it was his son that he could not stop talking about.

“Lady Arya,” Ser Rednick motioned her to come. “This is my son, Archibald Rednick III.”

Arya lifted her brow to the navigator. “The third? Your name is Archibald? I thought you said it was Roger.”

“Aye it is. My second name is Roger. I hate Archibald.”

Arya glanced at the young man the back at Ser Rednick. “Then why did you name him that?”

“I have asked him that same question everyday of my life since I could talk.” The young man spoke. He quickly bowed to Arya.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Arya. I’ve heard all I can about you from the few letters my father has sent.”

Arya retuned the bow, “Likewise, Lord Archibald. And please do just call me Arya.”

The young man smiled, “Of course, Arya. But I must also ask you to please call me Archie. I may be a Lord, but the title is new and I do hate all the formalities. However, I cannot say the same for my wife.”

“Ah yes! How is that daughter-in-law of mine doing?” Ser Rednick asked his son.

Archie grabbed a hold of his fathers shoulder and lead him towards the seaside town. Arya was in step with them both as they made their way through the people.

“She is always well, father. She taking quite nicely to being a Lady, although she does not wish to do typical lady things.”

This tickled Arya’s ear. “What do you mean, Archie?”

“Well...she cannot sew to save her life. She hates the way some of the other ladies speak about common folk and she’d much rather spend her times in the stables than to gossip around in a circle. Although, now a days, she is tending to our young children.” Archie spoke freely.

“The stables?” Asked Arya. She was becoming more curious about this Lady Rednick.

“Aye. Her father was the former stable master before he passed. Her brother took up the job, but she does most of the work. Teaches our daughter how to properly care for the horses. Our son is only 4 moons, so all he is interested in is his next meal.” Archie says with a chuckle.

“And you do not mind her working in the stables? With her being a Lady?”

Archie shook his head, “No, not at all. But I wouldn’t be able to stop her if I tried. She gut me like a fish, that one. Her uncle is the swords master and taught her how to properly defend herself if necessary.”

Arya shook her head. She would have to meet this Lady Rednick, for she believed they could be fast friends.

They talked more on their walk through the town. Archie has mentioned that the bannermen of Storm’s End had taken a liking to their new Lord and that he truly cared for his people. Ser Rednick would tell his son about the adventures of the sea and how they encountered more than just islands.

Arya enjoyed seeing the father and son talk. They were close, she could tell and she enjoyed seeing the familiarity between the two. They may been apart for five years, but they conversed as if they had seen each other the day before. It was a familiarity that Arya could not wait to experience. She can only hope that is how it would be once she sees Gendry again. Old friends, picking up where they left off.

They had finally reached the gates of Storm’s End after walking for what seemed like ages. It hadn’t been a difficult trek, but for someone who had been on a boat for the last five years, climbing the hills and rocky terrain had winded Arya. She as glad when they finally saw the guards because that meant they had reached the top.

“Halt! State your business.” One guard said.

“Aye! It is I, Lord Rednick, Of House Rednick. Newly appointed bannerman of House Baratheon.” Archie spoke clearly. “I am here with guests of House Baratheon that have arrived from a long journey.”

The guard nodded to his fellow guardsman and they let the trio pass.

Inside the grounds of Storm’s End was just as busy as the harbor. People were running around doing their daily tasks. The kennel master was training new pups, the swords master was teaching new guards the art of sword play, and the ringing of metal against metal echoed from the forge. It was an all to familiar sound for Arya and she was anxious to see if he’d be in the smithy. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as they were guiding her into the direction of the smithy. But is he in there? Would the Lord of Storm’s End be along side his fellow smiths? She thought. But it would not matter, for a familiar voice broke her thoughts.

“Is that Arya Stark of Winterfell?”

Arya turned to the voice and immediately recognized the old smuggler.

“Aye it is, Ser Davos.” She smiled as she approached him.

She welcomed his embrace, taking in another memory of home.

Her and Ser Davos had not been close, but she would be eternally grateful for the old man, for without him she believed her brother would be dead.

Ser Davos released her from the embrace and she was able to truly see his aging face. Being an advisor to a lord had taken its toll on the smuggler, but he seemed to remain his eager old self.

“How have ye been, my dear?” He asked her.

“Well. I’ve just returned from my travels west and was hoping to see an old friend. Where is our Lord Gendry?” She asked with sudden realization that this was the first time she said his name aloud since she’s gotten back to Westeros.

“He’s out collecting monthly rents. He should be back before supper.” The old smuggler answered. “In the mean time, I’ll have rooms drawn for you lot.”

“No need for us, Ser Davos. My father will be staying with me. As you know, my keep is just a few minutes ride outside of Storm’s End. We will be leaving right after supper.” Archie said.

Ser Davos nodded. “Very well. Please Lady Arya, if you follow me, I can show you to your temporary chambers. Where are your belongings?”

”They are back on my ship at the harbor. I can send for them on the morrow.” Arya hesitated. “And Ser Davos, if it is alright with you, I’d like to explore the castle grounds. Make myself aquatinted.”

”I don’t see why not. I’ll have on of the maids fetch you once supper is ready.” With that Ser Davos turned and headed off to the armory.

Arya smiled and turned to the father/son duo.

“I had no idea you knew the Lord.” Ser Rednick said.

“Yes, he’s an old friend.” She let the old man know.

“Old friend, you say? Is that why you so eagerly agreed to come with me?” He questioned with knowing eyes.

“Mayhaps.” A small smile had creeped onto Arya’s face.

Archie hadn’t acknowledged the interaction between his father and Arya, for he had an eagerness of his own.

“Come father, let us go meet your grandchildren.” And with that, Archie dragged his father in the opposite direction.

Arya was left standing there in the middle of the castle grounds. She didn’t know which direction to go in first. On one side there was the armory, along with the training grounds and stable. The other side looked like it had housed the smithy and the kennels, while straight a head were the kitchens. Everything seemed surreal to Arya. She was actually here and couldn’t quite believe it.

When she was a little girl and her father told her the stories about Storm’s End she always thought that she would hate it but standing here in the middle of the grounds surrounded by hard working, dedicated people that were loyal to their Lord, she came to realize that maybe it wasn’t such a bad place after all, even if it was wet all the time.

Arya decided to take a left and head towards the training groups. It had been a while since she has sparred with anyone of decent skills. Perhaps she could find someone in the stormlands that could take her on. As she made her way to the training grounds a young girl of maybe three namedays ran into her.

The little girl had land on the ground with a thud and tears began to well in her eyes. Arya knelt beside her to make sure she was alright.

“I’m sorry little one, I’ve must have not seen you. Are you alright?” Arya asked. It felt strange to her, to be kind. She hasn’t had much interaction with children, so she wasn’t sure if she was being kind enough. Although this would be good practice she thought.

The little girl hesitated when she looked up at Arya, but nodded.

Arya smiled at her and helped the little girl on her feet. “Well that’s good. What’s your name? Maybe we can find your mother?”

The little girl sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I no have a mother.”

Arya’s heart squeezed with sadness. She, of all people, knew what it felt like not to have a mother.

“Do you have a father?” Arya asked.

The little girl’s eyes lit up in excitement. Her mop brown curls bobbed up and down.

“Really? Where is he then?” She asked. Arya was trying to maintain her patience with the young lass, but trying to get answers out of a child her age was next to impossible.

The child looked around the courtyard frantically, but couldn’t quite place her stare. Perhaps she is to small to see, thought Arya. With one quick movement she lifted the girl into her arms. She had nestled perfectly onto Arya’s hip and held on to her for dear life. Arya began walking around the courtyard for the little girl to see. For several minutes the girl was silent, that is until they made their way to the castle entrance.

“There is papa.” The girl said as she pointed towards the castle gates.

Arya turned and her breath had caught in her throat. Coming into the castle on a brown horse was a man with the most beautiful ocean eyes that she had ever seen. Ocean eyes that she never thought she would see again.

But that is impossible. The little girl she had in her arms looked nothing like him. Her hair was a muddied brown and her eyes were an undeniable hazel.

“What is your name?” She asked the little girl in her arms.

She looked up at Arya and smiled, “I am Lyra Baratheon. My papa calls me the little Lady of Storm’s End.”

Arya’s mind begins to get fuzzy. She was trying to put pieces of an impossible puzzle together. Had she really expected him to wait all this time for her? And what about the child’s mother? Why did she not look like him? How could she have been so stupid? Of corse he would move on. She gave him reasons to. But that didn’t mean that it still didn’t hurt.

Arya looked up one more time, this time those ocean blue eyes were staring right at her.

Only one thing could come to his mind, “Arya?”

#gendrya #arya stark #gendry waters #jonerys #got #gotspoilers #jon snow #daenerys targaryen #d&d #arya x gendry

[go-diane-winchester]

If Misha and Jensen are not close friends, then how come Jensen enjoys the Jib panel so much.

I am having a quizzical conversation with a kid who ships destiel.  And even though the conversation is going nowhere, she asked me the following:

''This is a video editing by angel dove. They do not ship Destiel but love making edits for it and for the community. This is simply showing the friendship of Jensen and Misha

https://youtu.be/eF5kDrJBBYc

And please tell me, why the hell would Jensen go and and check kiss Misha if they didn’t feel comfortable around each other. Or basically laugh at everything Misha says. Jensen May get annoyed with Misha, but I still feel they are comfortable around each other. And also the fact that they get really close to whisper to each other. I’m not implying that they like each other romantically, I am simply saying that if I was not comfortable, there is no way in hell that I would be that open and happy around them.''

Now I can tell you genuinely, that this is making me smile, because this kid doesn't actually watch panels because she is busy with school work and extracurricular activities.  So what she is giving me as proof of a deep friendship and affection between Jensen and Misha, is a fan video.  I did a generational overview of Misha's fanbase and hypothecized that most of them are Gen Z or Gen Next.  An adult would never use a fan video to make a point.  Especially when I have seen the original videos this video was spliced from.  Anyone with editing skills can put together a video.  Heck, I could put together a video showing how Jensen hates Misha.  And I can use all kinds of footage to do that.  And some people might actually believe me.  Bad people thrive on their target's gullibility.  I am going to try to break this question down to the most minute detail, as I can.

Jibcon is generally the only panel that Jensen and Misha share.  In other words, they do a panel only once a year.  It is an event that they are paid to attend, and it is only one of three international events.  They tried Germany but that flopped.  Jibcon is financially the most successful international event.  From its inception till last year, it was seen as the destiel con.  That is how it was packaged, even thought Daniella [the organizer] changed her mind recently.  From the Hitch reading to the fake orgasm, everything was done to please the destiel fans.  Suddenly all that changed.  It had something to do with Jensen's breakdown in 2017.  I think Jared told Daniella off, because the next year, there was no Cockles panel and shipping questions got banned.  Daniella took to SM to lash out at hellers for attacking her because of the no shipping question rule. 

All that whispering and unicorn laughing that Jensen was doing all these years, was to quieten down the online abusers.  And then, he got threatened after Jaxcon, and flipped out during Jib 2017.  After that, for last years Jib panel, Jared joined.  Before you crash panels you plan it out.  People don't just do what they want during panels.  When one artist is on stage, the other is doing ops etc.  This time things changed.  Unless that is how the lineup has always been, where Jared does nothing back stage during the last panel.  Will someone notify me of this? 

Once upon a time, Jensen was Misha's friend.  Jensen is friends with a lot of people.  There was nothing deep or meaningful about their interaction.  In fact, despite the fact that Misha made a fool out of the guys during Minncon by lying that he had been mugged, there was still a friendship.  Jensen, not wanting to be perceived as a bigot, did the Jib panels all these years.  After the death threat, I noticed a change in his demeanor on stage.  The unicorn laughter is scarce.  Do you know what that means?  He was forcing and faking it.  Whenever Misha says something shippy like sharing shirts, Jensen outdoes him by talking about sharing underwear with Jared.  When they do Honocon, Jared takes his own time leaving the stage during the Cockles panel.  If anything, Jensen is starting to sense that Misha eggs his fans on.  This latest Bacchus king announcement might be an indicator too. 

Now either you can be shippy and say that Jared is obsessing over Jensen and jealous over Misha because obviously Misha is just the person, to make Jared feel ''inadequate'' right?  Realistically, I think Jensen is asking Jared to be a buffer.  And its not because of Misha personally, but that is because Jensen doesn't know everything.  It is because of Misha's fans and their online behavior.  Your side cant threaten to kill someone, and your only response is, ''but we are not all like that''.  It is an unoriginal dismissive response.  And we don't respect it anymore.  Police your side.  Write posts asking them to correct their behavior.  And stop asking for canon destiel, because other than sexually harassing Jensen, it achieves nothing else. 

Like most kids, you are not leaving destiel in fandom where it belongs.  You are not watching the show without reading meta and headcanon.  You are not watching the panels.  You are watching fan vids.  Fan vides are visual equivalents of meta and headcanon posts.  You do the show and the stars a great disservice when you don't respect the canon of the work that they do.  Meta writers are not part of SPN.  They are part of fandom.  They have, therefore, no authority to say something about an episode or scene.  All they are doing is giving their opinion.  And the younger lot just latches onto it, because they like how it sounds.  There is no endgame destiel.  The show is not queer baiting you.  Its called fan service.  They did the same thing with the wincest fans.  Sam and Dean are canonically soul mates.  Notice how the wincest fans ask for nothing.  The person who spoke about endgame destiel first, was fandom biggest meta liar.  And I wish I knew who that person was. 

Some of that footage is from YANA.  Honey, you don't want me opening that can of worms.  Believe me.  By the way, using campaign footage to prove a frivolous point is kind of not cool.

Stay in school, keep your nose clean, and enjoy your ship without expectations.

Excuse the typos that are going to inevitably make a guest appearance. 

#misha #jensen ackles #destiel #cockles #jenmish #jensen and misha #deancas #casdean #dean x castiel #castiel #cas #bi dean #dean is bi #dean and cas #jenmisheel #dean winchester #destiel headcanon #jdvm #misha collins #sam winchester #sam and dean #jensen and jared #wincest #supernatural #jared padalecki #padackles #performing dean #sabriel #sammy winchester #j2

[fortuners]

As I Lay in the Sand

Two summers ago, my family and I took a trip down the east coast and spent a day at Myrtle Beach. As the sun kissed the horizon of the vast ocean, I enticed my younger sister, Ray, to make a chair out of the sand with me. The tide was falling and seashells began to peek out of the shore as the soft waves rolled over. I love to pick Atlantic triton, cockle, and clamshells, but I had amassed a fair amount earlier in the day. I put my obsession on hold and Ray and I ran off, our feet sinking in the grains.

Now, my sister and I are master builders (me being better, of course). We lacked buckets and tools but hands were all we needed. We got as close to the shore as the integrity of a sand chair would permit. Seeping our fingers into the ground, we started to shovel the gloop, making a depression to rest our feet in. While we dug, we strategically shaped the excess into the form of a seat and its back. Armrests and cup holders were vital, too. Our spines begged us to stop, creepily reminding us of our inevitable aging, but we were on a laughter high, tossing sloppy wet globs at each other while pretending to be furniture designers. Perhaps the reason we never finished our projects at the beach was that the process of creating them was more enjoyable than the result. Nevertheless, when my mother asked if we were ready to go, Ray and I chimed “no” in unison. We were nearing the end, and as nightfall came we wanted to watch the sky from our posh love seat.

Ray and I stayed on our knees until the project was complete. Finally content with our structure, we sat back, wet sand pressing against our skin. We listened to the music of the waves gently crashing while the burning amber sky turned into a deep purple and an ultimate midnight black. That was one of the aspects of Myrtle Beach that shocked me; through gleaming lights from ferris wheels, boardwalks, and mansions behind us, the Atlantic Ocean ahead was still backdropped by one of the darkest skies I had ever seen. The moon did not steal the show that night. The sea glistened from the reflection of stars—thousands of them. Stars I had never seen before; stars I didn’t know existed. My imagination was incapable of creating such a scene.

As I scanned the view, I could not differentiate the end of the ocean from the start of the heavens. I wondered which of the stars were presently burnt out but still illuminating us as their light traveled from eons away. I knew that eventually, our sun would give out... and our species... and our planet. It dawned on me just how insignificant we are in the timeline of the universe. We are but a speck in the midst of its expansion. For some reason, we get to be a part of something so much more than us: this beautifully incomprehensible experience called life. Sometimes, the universe’s immenseness and our teeny roles in it discourage me, but I remember what makes me happy to be alive—people. Being a social species, we thrive off of the connections we make with others. In this little world, I choose how to influence the people I meet. I choose how to apply the knowledge I hold. I choose the laughter, kindness, and generosity I share. If that is all I can do, then that is what I will do best. In the universe, we may be nothing but a glitch; but to each other, we are everything.

#story #writing #ocean #beach #night #stars #myrtle beach #stories #short story #prompt #sky #sea #sea shells #golden mile #writers #college #essay #existential #dread #existential dread #crisis

[kel-b]

J2 are closer then ever now and their families were together over holidays. But you guys keep believing your cockles delusion that Misha was there when they haven’t interacted since the last con.

WOW… It must be a full moon or something, my word! Ugh!!! 🙄

Anon that’s a very strong claim your making. Before you go running your mouth like that, be sure you can back up your claims with actual evidence and not just your word. Otherwise, I’m gonna leave you with this. May I suggest taking a break from social media and getting some fresh air.

Poor Jackles. He’s about ready to go boom! He even looks to his hubby (Misha) behind the camera, wanting to know what the idiot next to him is doing. We feel your pain Jackles.

#anon ask #j2 shipper asks I should say #kel b answers #cockles #jenmish #spn #misha collins #jensen ackles #cockles is still thriving #misha #jackles

[aylesfordfarmersmarket]

What to buy in October at Aylesford Farmers Market It’s a perfect time to visit the farmers’ market where tomatoes, chillies and aubergines are still available. Stallholders’ tables will be tempting shoppers with fresh produce and some of the more unusual vegetables such as salsify and Jerusalem artichokes. Look out for the brassicas, a group of vegetables that thrive at this time of year including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi. October sees fresh, seasonal sweet corn and Cox apples taking up space on the farmers’ market stall. Pumpkins are also available for soups or roasting with herbs, while butternut squash is also in season. They’re and are great roasted and stirred into a rice dish, or made into a warming Autumnal soup. And don’t forget to save the seeds for gentle roasting with a little coarse sea salt. Great as a snack alternative to shops bought crisps. So, while the choice of fruit is diminishing, there are still plenty of apples, pears, blackberries and cobnuts to buy and create a delicious range of home-cooked meals. To make sure you get the best from your visit and spend your budget wisely, be sure to plan ahead and do a bit of research. Sit down a few days before the market and make lists of what you want from your trip. For example, make sure to bring some carrier bags and on warm days perhaps a light cooler bag for things that need to stay out of the sun, such as cheese fish. Aside from fresh produce, other great finds can include freshly picked herbs, homemade sauces marmalades and infused oils and loose leaf tea and coffee beans. Eggs sold on the market are fresh, often laid within the last day ahead of the market. October 1 sees the game season opening into early and running into the new year for pheasant and partridge. Venison is also available. It’s always worth asking the stallholder for their recommendations about how to prepare and cook your choice of meat. Fish and shellfish are still plentiful although amounts available do vary as stocks are affected by stormy Autumnal offshore weather conditions and many species are beginning to migrate from British waters. Clams, cockles, crab, grey mullet, h (at Aylesford Farmers Market) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGR-2UaFyrj/?igshid=p6cg1t5tvgnt

[theyarebothgunshot]

Hey sorry but My point was that rps happen to be just imaginations sometimes. But when things go silent, fans start to believe there was nothing in the first place forgetting everything that happened in the time period it was thriving. Right now Spn is in the same era Merlin was in 2012. Still in the heat.. But when the heat goes down, and when you see less of Cockles, you might believe there was nothing there in the first place. Cockles will always be there it is just..they are taking a bit of vacation and keeping things to themselves, which is good I think relationship wise.

Brolin might have been a sham or not, they never denied it. And trust me Cockles is so much more than Brolin ever was..

Merlin was a good show when you are younger. Bad cgi but good camaraderie.

Have a look in the brolin and merthur blogs if you would like to see what it was like back in the day. Very messy but wonderful too. No one is left in the Brolin ship anymore I think. It literally sank.

You can call me Merthur anon btw.

ahhhh i gotcha, thanks for clearing that up!! i think you are right, there are probably a lot of newish fans who will get bored/start to think that maybe there was nothing there all along (because there are already loads of people who think that jensen and misha broke things off just because it has been more silent recently, while i think that the silence was to be expected now that they are both doing their own projects). 

#merthur anon #yay a new nicknamed anon!! <3 #Anonymous

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

SPN 14x10, Nihilism -- Thoughts (spoilers)

I've finally gotten around to watching the episode. Normally, I watch the episode sooner than this but work kept on getting in the way...work, I tell you, my job may pay my bills but trust me, my job is a cruel and selfish mistress. But alas, I have watched the episode which means my blacklisted tags can now be un-blacklisted and I can see everyone's wonderful posts about the episode.

I honestly don't know what I can say about this episode that probably hasn't already been said. That's a drawback with not being able to watch these episodes live. You're always behind on the discussions and then you have to contemplate whether you really should discuss it at all, "will it just seem like you're copying off of other people?" That's the internal monologue that goes off in my head.

But anyway, spoiler thoughts on 14x10, Nihilism, ready? Go!

I really liked this episode. Its not like the fun type of spn episode but it was just really interesting to watch. I like it when my entertainment goes and delves into a character's head. There were so many call backs, interesting conversations between characters, it even explained components of the lore. It was really great.

I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get an epic battle in Kansas City (I think that's the city they were in, or was it Wichita? I honestly can't remember) but anyways, the midseason finale totally left off that episode with you thinking "oh man, shit's going down" but instead, they somewhat easily bind au!Michael, take him back to the bunker and end up chilling in Dean's Rocky Adventure dream for the rest of the episode. I'm not really complaining though, it was still fun. Just as someone who loves battle scenes, I was a little bit let-down for something that was being alluded to and then never happened. But it's all good in the hood. The scenes in the bar were super enjoyable.

Can we talk real quick about how in Dean's mind, its Sam and Cas that go off hunting together? I don't know why but I really like that. I like the idea of Sam and Cas being hunting partners. And then there's an interesting idea here in play that Dean stays at the bar because he's spent his whole life as a hunter, moving around, to reach his contentment, he wants to be stationary, in his mind, he's pushing this as his surrogate home. I always want the show to do more with the Sam and Cas dynamic. It's super fun and I love the type of chemistry Jared and Misha have. Cockles panels are pretty fun and I like them but Mishalecki panels I end up loving way more. But anyway, I like to imagine that in Dean's mind, he sends Cas and Sam off hunting this imaginary ghoul because he sees Cas and Sam as compatible in their hunter abilities. That's what I like to think but in reality I'm pretty sure the fact that in this dream, they were sent to go hunt a ghoul to serve as a representation that there's a part of Dean that does see them as a responsibility and a part of him just wants to cut them loose and for once, be on his own. We all know that's not what Dean really wants, but au!Michael was most likely giving them a kernel of truth to really hurt them. After all, the best lies told are the ones with a grain of truth in them, that's what makes people want to believe the lies.

I also really like how the dream was depicted here. How the dream kind of is chopped off in weird intervals. It'll start in one scene and then immediately jump into a different scene and then come back to the first scene. The subconscious is a weird place and in dreams, time doesn't necessarily flow linear. Dreams have their own rules, something you can do in your subconscious that you can't do in your consciousness and vice versa. Like in dreams, supposedly you're not able to read or turn a light switch on and off. It has rules and I'm glad this dream was written in a way that depicted the non-linear element of the subconscious. Also, super happy to see Pamela Barnes again, she's great. And continuing with dream rambling, I also liked that as Dean was remembering everything that happened to her, her appearence kept changing until she disappeared when he remembered she was dead. Because dreams don't focus on what you remember. They focus on what you're thinking of in the moment, that's why you can have two or three dreams in a single night even if you don't wake up between those dreams.

I'm still not really a big fan of au!Michael as a villain. I can see the show is trying but honestly, he just feels like an amalgamation of Amara and Lucifer. His motives are basically the same as theirs. "God's a douche and I'm angry he didn't love me." The difference being that Amara actually underwent character development as did Lucifer (pre season 12, after that he kind of regressed but oh well) but the thing is, I'm not getting any kind of feel for au!Michael. He never seems to develop in any way, he's always just stagnant. Like it's been 10 episodes in season 14, and I still feel like he's the season 13 guy. I thrive on villains being unpredictable but since this guy is still basically his season 13 iteration, there's nothing about him that keeps me on the edge of my seat. But maybe that's the point, maybe he's supposed to be stagnant. Also, is au!Michael okay with not existing after he kills God? Because didn't we already go through this with Amara? If one of them dies, the balance gets thrown off. Or is he going to kill Amara too?

And holy crapola! That ending...with Dean's future changing and all his possible futures end with au!Michael breaking out and burning everything to the ground. All except one. But come on, we know that book is going to be a double-edged sword. It's basically a life path to avoid au!Michael succeeding but what will Dean have to give up in exchange for ensuring au!Michael's failure. Maybe by au!Michael never breaking free it allows Cas to find his true happiness and then the Empty takes Cas. But if au!Michael does break free, then the world's going to crap but at least Cas never gets taken by the Empty. And that's just one of a gazillion possible scenarios. But I'm really excited to see how this all plays out.

I'd probably give this episode a B+. There was a lot of fun character stuff but I also like a little bit of action in my spn episodes, and this one was a little lacking in that department. I still really love this episode, it flowed extremely well, that was just a minor grievance.

#spn 14.10 spoilers #spn 14x10 spoilers

[immedtech]

How to get fired in the tech industry

Step 1: Decide you'd like to write a memo.

The topic is completely up to you. But, remember, you want the title to be both alarming and relevant to current social conversations. (#SEO #Content)

For example, we'll use a memo called "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber." Its title plays off the widespread hand-wringing over filter bubbles on social media, reminding readers of their enemies and immediately placing everyone on edge. That sucker's gonna get a lot of clicks.

Step 2: Do some light, one-sided research.

Emphasis on light. Have you always known, deep in your gut, that women have a lot of inconvenient feelings? That they're too nice to negotiate for a higher salary, and too neurotic to work in leadership positions? Do you believe, in the cockles of your golden heart, that men are inherently more driven and fit than women to climb the corporate ladder? Eh, you're probably right. Just list out all of those thoughts as if they were fact.

If you feel the need to support any of your claims with research (pfft), Wikipedia is fine.

Here's a stellar example of a gut-fact in Google's Ideological Echo Chamber:

"On average, men and women biologically differ in many ways. These differences aren't just socially constructed because: They're universal across human cultures; they often have clear biological causes and links to prenatal testosterone; biological males that were castrated at birth and raised as females often still identify and act like males; the underlying traits are highly heritable."

This claim is ideal because it reduces an immensely complex issue -- the myriad factors that keep many women out of STEM fields -- into simple biological differences that apply to humans universally. Everyone took biology in high school. They'll totally get it. Throwing in a term like "prenatal testosterone" certainly makes your statement sound more scientific, even if it has no bearing on the actual conversation. Ignore things that don't sound science-y enough, like the idea that social pressures and norms can dramatically impact our future trajectories.

If you accidentally do so much research that you find heaps of evidence contradicting your gut feelings, stop. Academia and the mainstream media are trying to indoctrinate you. Clear your cookies and go play a round of ping pong in the company's third-floor lounge to calm down.

Step 3: Remind readers that you are actually not a bad person.

The very first thing people need to know is what a good, open human being you are. Conversations about the myriad ways women are inherently, physiologically weaker than men tend to go better if you begin the memo with, "I value diversity and inclusion, am not denying that sexism exists, and don't endorse using stereotypes." Bonus points if, at the end of the memo, you say stereotypes are actually pretty useful in training.

Step 4: Offer solutions.

They don't have to actually solve any problems. In fact, it's better to use this space to simply reiterate your own gut-facts and explain why women really just aren't biologically capable of thriving in the technology industry.

Examples:

"Women on average show a higher interest in people and men in things. We can make software engineering more people-oriented with pair programming and more collaboration. Unfortunately, there may be limits to how people-oriented certain roles at Google can be and we shouldn't deceive ourselves or students into thinking otherwise."

Express your frustration that biology -- damn you, biology! -- restricts women's ability to show interest in things, which of course keeps them out of software engineering jobs. It's just a sad fact of life.

"Women on average look for more work-life balance while men have a higher drive for status on average. Unfortunately, as long as tech and leadership remain high status, lucrative careers, men may disproportionately want to be in them. Allowing and truly endorsing (as part of our culture) part time work though can keep more women in tech."

This one is particularly brilliant in that the solution actually makes the problem at hand -- too few women in tech leadership positions -- worse. I can hear the boardroom conversation now:

Bob: "Apparently we don't have enough women in leadership positions."

Chad: "I know! We'll give them all low-rung part-time jobs."

Tom: "Perfect. Let's just hope they can handle the stress of being away from their kids a few hours a day without having an anxiety attack at the company picnic next week."

Step 5: Circulate the memo throughout your entire company.

Yep, the whole company. Even if it's a multi-billion-dollar tech-industry titan with 70,000 employees. Everyone needs to see this.

Step 6: Find a new job.

- Repost from: engadget Post

#ITlive #engadget #How to get fired in the tech industry