#jess hunt edit | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zepuckinghockey · 11 months

Text

It's NHL wedding season! I'm aware of 10 NHLers who got married over the July 7-8, 2023 weekend as well as two related weddings. As best as I can, I've listed them out including as many verified player guests as I could find. Shoutout to the server for helping me ID a lot of generic looking faces. I've got some teams listed for context.

Feel free to let me know of people I've missed! This list has been edited on September 9th. I'm pretty sure wedding season is over, but feel free to message me with someone I missed.

June 16th, 2023 Weddings:

Kyle Clague - Sabres Notable Guests: Nolan Patrick

July 4th, 2023 Weddings:

Colin Blackwell - Hawks Notable Guests: Alex Kerfoot

July 6th, 2023 Weddings:

Tyler Bertuzzi - Red Wings Notable Guests: Michael Rasumussen, Zach Nastasiuk

July 7th, 2023 Weddings:

Alex Nedeljkovic - currently Penguins (previously Canes, Red Wings) Notable Attendees: Scott Wedgewood

Jordan Binnington - Blues Notable Attendees: Jordan Kyrou, Marco Scandella, Sammy Blais, Faulk, Perron, Logan Brown, Joshua Leivo, Vince Dunn, Robby Fabbri, Joel Edmundson, Robert Thomas, Oskar Sundqvist, Colton Parayko, Jake Walman

July 8th, 2023 Weddings:

Tyson Barrie - currently on the Preds (previously: Oilers, Leafs, Avs) Notable Attendees: everyone. Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, Alex Kerfoot, John Tavares, Jack Campbell, Justin Holl, Evander Kane, Darnell Nurse, Mike Smith, Bayne Pettinger, Tyler Ennis, Colin Wilson, Michael Hutchinson, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Cody Ceci, Evan Bouchard, Luke Schenn, Devin Shore, Gabe Landeskog

Vinni Lettieri - currently on the Wild (previously Ducks) Notable Attendees: Trevor Zegras, Jake Bischoff, Tony DeAngelo, Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Brady Skjei, Kevin Shattenkirk, John Gibson, Zach Bogosian, Sam Carrick, Jake Gardiner, James van Riemsdyk

Sam Reinhart - currently on the Panthers (previously Sabres) Notable Attendees: Mason Marchment, Brandon Montour, Owen Tippett

Chandler Stephenson - currently on the Knights (previously Caps) Notable Attendees: Will Carrier, Reilley Smith, Mark Stone, Cody Eakin, Jack Eichel, Alex Tuch

Sam Girard - currently on the Avs (previously Preds) Notable Attendees: Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Ryan Graves

Dylan Gambrell - currently on the Leafs (previously Sharks, Sens) Notable Attendees: Mathieu Joseph, Austin Watson (thanks anon!)

Gustav Forsling - currently on the Panthers Notable Attendees: Alex Wennberg, Marcus Hogberg, Patric Hornquist, Lucas Carlsson, Erik Gustafsson

Tyler Motte - (Rangers, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Senators, Canucks) Notable Attendees: Brock Boesser

Brett Richie - (Yotes, Flames)

Emerance Maschmeyer & Genevieve Lacasse - WoHo Olympic gold medalists Notable Attendees: Sarah Nurse, Erin Ambrose, Laura Stacey, Marie-Philip Poulin, Haley Irwin, just like all the big woho names

Dominik Tiffels - German hockey player Notable Attendees: Leon Draisaitl

Frankie Borrelli - Barstool Sports and Fore Play Golf Notable Attendees: Brock Nelson, Matt Martin, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, Josh Bailey - info thanks to @barzyblogbabe

Morgan Reilly - Leafs Notable Attendees: his wife Tessa Virtue

July 13th, 2023 Weddings:

Dryden Hunt - Rangers Notable Guests: Kyle Burroughs

July 15th, 2023 Weddings:

Tyler Seguin - Stars (Bruins) Notable Guests: Jamie Benn, John Klingberg, Scott Wedgewood, Jesse Blacker, Mason Marchment, Ty Dellandrea, Justin Dowling

Luke Kunin - (Sharks, Wild) Notable Attendees: Colton Sissons, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, (Taryn Tkachuk)

AJ Greer - Bruins (Avs, Devils) Notable Attendees: Scott Kosmachuk

Andy Andreoff - (Kings, Flyers, Islanders) Notable Attendees: Sean Couturier, Scott Laughton, Shayne Gostibehere, Erik Gudbranson, Milan Lucic

Juuso Valimaki - Coyotes

July 16, 2023 Weddings:

Kevin Hayes - Blues (Flyers, Rangers, Jets) Notable Attendees: Johnny Gaudreau, Tony DeAngelo, Brady Skjei, Jimmy Vesey

July 20th, 2023 Weddings:

Lawson Crouse - Coyotes Notable Attendees: Phil Kessel, Shayne Gostibehere, Liam O'Brien, Nick Schmaltz, Darcy Kuemper, Taylor Hall, Jacob Bryson, Travis Konecny

July 21st, 2023 Weddings:

Nicolas Aube-Kubel - Caps (Avs) Notable Attendees: Anthony Mantha, Julien Gauthier

Brady Tkachuk - Sens Notable Attendees: Matthew Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot, Mark Stone, Mathieu Joseph, Luke Kunin, Christian Fischer, Ryan Donato, Robert Thomas, Alex Debrincat, Cam Talbot, Nick Holden, Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto, Dylan Gambrell, Colin White, Jacob Chychrun, Kevin Hayes

Juuse Saros - Predators Notable Attendees: Eeli Tolvanen, Kevin Lankinen

Tanner Jeannot - Lightning Notable Attendees: Brett Howden, Noah Gregor, Jayden Halbgewachs, Jeremy Lauzon, Alex Carrier

July 22nd, 2023 Weddings:

Alex Kerfoot - Coyotes (Maple Leafs) Notable Attendees: Justin Holl, Colin Blackwell, John Tavares, Morgan Reilly, Michael Bunting, Mitch Marner, Jake Muzzin

Nick Paul - Lightning (Senators) Notable Attendees: Chris Driedger, Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot, Anthony Cirelli, Alex Killorn

Keith Kinkaid - (Devils, Canadiens, Rangers, Bruins, Avs)

July 24th, 2023 Weddings:

Anthony Mantha - Capitals Notable Guests: Nicholas Aube-Kubel, Julien Gauthier, Nick Jensen, Jonathan Benier

July 27th, 2023 Weddings:

Pavel Zacha - Bruins (Devils) Notable Attendees: Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt

July 28th, 2023 Weddings:

Karson Kuhlman - Islanders (Kraken, Jets) Notable Guests: Kasimir Kaskiskuo

July 29th, 2023 Weddings:

Connor Murphy - Blackhawks (Coyotes) Notable Attendees: Sean Kuraly, Anthony Duclair, Dylan Strome, Jonathan Toews, Alex Debrincat, Taylor Raddysh, Mackenzie Entwistle, Brandon Hagel

Mitch Marner - Leafs Notable Attendees: Best Boy Zeus 🐶, Matt Martin, James Van Riemsdyk, Jake Gardiner, Tyler Bozak, Connor Brown, Justin Holl, Nazem Kadri, Willy Nylander, Zach Bogosian, Kyle Clifford, Jake Muzzin, Auston Matthews, Alex Kerfoot, Michael Bunting, Freddie Anderson, Rasmus Sandin, Morgan Reilly, Tyson Barrie, Connor Carrick, Joe Thorton, Patrick Marleau, Zach Hyman, Jack Campbell, TJ Brodie, Tyler Ennis, John Tavares, Timothy Liljegren

Ethan Bear - Canucks (Oilers, Hurricanes) Notable Attendees: Mat Barzal, Caleb Jones, Jujhar Khaira, Riley Stillman, Thatcher Demko, Austin Strand

Boone Jenner - Blue Jackets Notable Attendees: Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, Nick Blankenburg, Cole Sillinger, David Savard, Andrew Peeke, Scott Laughton, Elvis Merzlikins, Erik Gubranson

July 30th, 2023 Weddings:

Ryan Donato - Blackhawks (Kraken, Bruins) Notable Attendees: Jared McCann, Yanni Gourde, Matty Beniers, Adam Fox

August 3rd, 2023 Weddings:

Kevin Lankinen - Predators Notable Guests: Eeli Tolvanen

August 4th, 2023 Weddings:

Taylor Raddysh - Blackhawks (Lightning) Notable Guests: Dylan Strome, Connor Murphy, Anthony Cirelli

Kevin Hayes (2.0) - still Blues (Flyers, Rangers, Jets) Notable Guests: Keith Yandle, Scott Laughton, Shayne Gostibhere, Travis Sanheim, James van Riemsdyk, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, JT Miller, Zach Sanford, Tony DeAngelo, Brian Dumoulin, Brady Skjei, Paul Carey

August 5th, 2023 Weddings:

Conor Garland - Canucks (Coyotes) Notable Guests: Ryan Donato, Jakob Chychrun, Clayton Keller

Brendan Dillon - Jets (Capitals) Notable Guests: Tom Wilson, TJ Oshie, Jordie Benn, Jamie Benn, Trevor van Riemsdyke, Nic Dowd, Nick Jensen

Charlie McAvoy - Bruins Notable Guests: Hampus Lindholm, AJ Greer, Connor Clifton, Noel Acciari, Taylor Hall, Conor Sheary, Brad Marchand, Jake Debrusk, Matt Gryzeleyk, Derek Forbort, Brandon Carlo, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Jeremy Swayman, Charlie Coyle, Krug Torey, Matthew Tkachuk, Casey Fitzgerald, Colin White, Patrice Bergeron

Austin Watson - Senators Notable Guests: Cam Talbot, Anton Forsberg, Jarred Tinordi, Nick Paul, DJ Smith, Dylan Gambrell, Nick Holden, Thomas Chabot

Gage Quinney - Knights Notable Guests: Zach Whitecloud, Nicolas Roy, Jake Bischoff

Micke Rosell - player agent Notable Guests: William Nylander, Alex Nylander, Sam Ersson, Marcus Bjork

Joonas Johansson - Avs

August 6th, 2023 Weddings:

Dylan Larkin - Red Wings Notable Guests: Sam Gagner, Tyler Bertuzzi, Trevor Zegras, Kyle Connor, Troy Stecher, Marc Staal, Jeff Petry, Darren Helm, Zach Werenski, Mitchell Stephens, Riley Sheahan, Cole Caufield, Jack Hughes

August 11th, 2023 Weddings:

Shea Theodore - Knights Notable Guests: Ryan Reaves, Marc-Andre Fleury, Nick Holden, Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, Alex Tuch, Dylan Strome, Erik Haula, Jaycob Megna, Will Carrier, Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo

Ryan Hartman - Wild Notable Guests: Matt Dumba, Marcus Foligno, Jared Spurgeon, Cam Talbot, Kirill Kaprizov, Jordan Greenway, Jon Merrill, Alex Goligoski, Jake Middleton, Mason Shaw, Calen Addison, Nick Schmalt, Matthew Boldy, Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar, Luke Kunin

August 12th, 2023 Weddings:

Chris Kreider - Rangers Notable Guests: Mika Zibanejad

#tyson barrie #sidney crosby #connor mcdavid #chandler stephenson #leon draisaitl #mitch marner #trevor zegras #mark stone #brandon montour #sam reinhart #and so many more #text #wedding #jordan binnington #tony deangelo #evander kane

189 notes · View notes

raaorqtpbpdy · 4 months

Text

Have You Ever...

Danny gets invited to a hero convention as Danny Phantom, and his booth is next to none other than the legendary Ben 10, one of Danny's own favorite heroes. But when the two start playing a modified version of Never-Have-I-Ever to alleviate their boredom between handshakes with fans, they accidentally expose some things they didn't really mean to.

You can also read it on AO3

Written for X-over Danuary Week 2024, Day 1: Ben 10 | Prison Thanks @crossoverdanuary for running this!

I got a late start because I had DnD today, and I finished this at like 10pm, so I didn't have time to edit. I'm planning on editing it later this week, but until then, sorry for any mistakes. [Edit: it has now been edited]

[Warning for mentions of past traumatic experiences]

It was weird to see such a huge convention center so empty.

Well, it wasn't completely empty, but a few people carrying boxes and setting up displays was a significantly smaller crowd than Danny would normally expect to see in a place like this.

"Ah! Danny Phantom you're here!" A woman with a high ponytail and a convention staff t-shirt walked over to him. "Wow, I'm so excited that you actually came!"

Her voice was familiar.

"Sally, right?" he guessed. "Sally Braddock?"

"You remembered!" She said brightly.

Sally had been the one who'd convinced Danny to come to this convention. She'd offered him pretty substantial payment, but it was only when she told him he could have three free tickets to the convention as well that Tucker told him he had to agree or they wouldn't be friends anymore.

So here he was, at San Diego Hero Con, halfway across the country, to sit at a table and sign autographs for a few hours each day, and then do an hour-long panel with a bunch of other teen heroes, and another tomorrow on specifically ghost hunting. (He was still debating whether he should actually show up to that one, or if it would be too dangerous.) The worst part, though, was how early he had to wake up to set up his booth before the event started.

"Here's your presenter badge," Sally said, and handed him a bright yellow name tag clipped to a blue lanyard with the convention's logo on it. "Celebrity meet-and-greets are over there. I'll lead the way. We try not to put them too close to each other or the lines get out of control, but your booth is right next to Ben 10's."

Danny perked up at that. "The alien guy?"

"Yup!"

Oh, man, he hoped he'd get the chance to talk to him. Ben 10 was Danny's favorite superhero. He got to fight real life aliens, sometimes in actual space! And sure, Danny had been to space before that one time Technus had taken over a satellite, but it had still been a ghost fight. It wasn't the same.

"So, this is your table," Sally said, pointing to an empty, white folding table. "Do you have a tablecloth, or banners or headshots or anything?" she asked him with a tight smile.

"Uh.... I don't photograph well," he replied.

Sally sighed. "Well, I can bring over one of the convention tablecloths, but you really should get some kind of poster or cardboard cut-out or something that shows people who they're meeting. And you'll definitely need something to sign. Comic books, or T-shirts. Anything, really. There's a portrait artist in Artists Alley who works pretty fast, her name is Jess. If you get something from her, I can send a gopher to make copies for you to sign."

"Uh, okay? But, I can just call a friend to bring something."

"Whatever works." With that, Sally left to go organize something else.

Danny called up Sam, who was back at the hotel with Tucker—Tucker would no doubt still be sleeping—and asked her to find a nearby print shop and get a Danny Phantom Banner to hang up and a whole bunch of 8x10 illustrations of him. He let her pick the picture, but asked her to please not pick anything too embarrassing.

Right as he hung up, a pair of people approached the booth next to him carrying plastic tubs. It was none other than Ben 10 himself and a tall, furry, blue alien who was no doubt one of his allies. (That or a cosplayer, but since they were with Ben 10 himself, Danny felt safe in assuming that they really were an alien.) The two of them placed their tubs on the floor and opened them up to start unpacking their display.

"Woah, hi!" Danny said, louder than he meant to.

Ben 10 snapped his head around, muscles tensing. Danny recognized that response all too well, and tried not to let out a sympathetic wince.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said. "You're Ben 10, right? I know this is cringey to say, but I'm a huge fan."

"Uh, thanks? Just Ben is fine."

"I'm Danny Phantom, but you can just call me Danny."

"I can see that... uh... nice to meet you?" Ben replied. He seemed uncomfortable. Had Danny come on too strong.

"Something wrong?"

"What? No, of course not," Ben said, though it wasn't very convincing.

"I am Rook Blonko," Ben's companion said, offering Danny a handshake which he excitedly accepted. "It is an honor to meet another hero, though I will admit, it was only recently that I came to learn about you."

"Oh, yeah," Danny let out an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "My scope is a lot more regional and sometimes not very... in this dimension."

"That would be... the Ghost Zone, right?" Ben said casually. "What's it like? Anything like the Null Void?"

So he was at least somewhat familiar with Danny and his exploits. Danny tried not to let that go to his head, but he couldn't help feeling a little giddy nonetheless. Ben laid down a black tablecloth with his logo on it and spread it across his table. This definitely wasn't his first rodeo.

"I don't know about the Null Void," Danny said. "It's like the bottom side of this dimension. It's where ghosts live... or... not live. Reside. Almost everything is green because of all the ectoplasm there, and when humans go there, they can pass right through walls and objects just like ghosts can in this dimension."

"That does not sound like the Null Void at all," Rook observed, pulling rods and boards out of one of the boxes and assembling them into a small standing shelf.

"What's the Null Void like?" Danny asked.

"Mostly red," Ben said with a shrug. "Full of floating islands and enormous aliens. Used as a penal colony for this dimension's worst criminals."

"Oh... yeah, no. Aside from the floating islands, that doesn't sound anything like the Ghost Zone," Danny agreed. "Although it's kind of a cool coincidence that we both have experience with alternate dimensions."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ben looked over at Danny and his sad excuse for a booth—really looking for the first time. "First time at one of these things?"

"Oh yeah," Danny confirmed. "My friend is bailing me out at a print shop right now, but I was so unprepared."

Ben snorted. "Here," he said, digging through one of his boxes and pulling out a bright green swath of fabric. "You can use one of my tablecloths. I brought an extra, just in case. It has my logo on one side, but if you turn it around so the logo faces you no one will be the wiser. We have basically the same color scheme, so it works out."

"Thanks," Danny accepted the tablecloth, slightly surprised, and spread it out over his table. It was almost exactly ectoplasm green, just a shade or two darker. "Have you been to a lot of conventions?"

"A few," Ben said.

"This is your fourth," Rook said.

"That sounds right. If it hadn't been for Rook, I probably would've been just as lost as you at my first one. He's all about preparing in advance. But yeah, I've been a public hero for over a year now, and since my identity isn't a secret anymore, it's easier for the people who run these things to get a hold of me."

"About that... why don't you have a secret identity?"

"It wasn't exactly my choice," Ben replied. "Some kid found it out and exposed me on the internet. It turned out surprisingly well, though, for the most part. Must be nice for you though, not having an alternate identity—not that being dead is nice or anything like that—I mean, it's not a bad thing—or it is a bad thing? I uh... yeah, I don't know what I'm saying."

After taking a moment to parse that rambling sentence, Danny burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Is that why you're acting so uncomfortable around me? Because I'm dead? Ha! You don't have to worry about that. You're fine."

"Serious?"

"Dead serious," Danny replied with a smirk.

Ben shook his head with a soft laugh. "Alright, fine.... Actually, that's not the only reason. Back when I was ten and just starting out I had... a bad experience with a ghost-like alien of mine. Ever since, ghost stuff just puts me a little on edge."

"Oh... I see. Well, don't worry, I won't take it personally," Danny said. "Did you really start doing this when you were ten?"

"Yeah. Although I kinda retired for a few years when I was eleven, and started up again when I was fifteen."

Danny did some quick math in his head. "Oh, so altogether, you and me have been in this for about the same amount of time. 'Cause I got started a little over two years ago."

"Yeah?" Ben was silent for a few moments. He pulled out boxed figurines of his alien forms and lined them up on the shelf Rook had assembled. "So... when did you...."

"Die?" Danny finished for him. "I was fourteen. I'm almost seventeen now. In about three months, I mean."

"Do you still age?"

"Sort of?" Danny shrugged.

He and Jazz had come up with an answer to this question a little while ago, when people noticed that Danny Phantom was starting to look older, even though ghosts supposedly didn't age.

"A ghost's body is a reflection of their mental image of themself. In the Zone, ghosts don't really age or change unless something specific happens that makes them feel older or different. Because I spend so much time in the human world still, because I learn and grow with each fight, I still feel like I'm growing up, so I look like I'm growing up, too."

"That is fascinating," Rook said. "I would love to learn more about ghostly biology."

"I would love to tell you about it. Problem is, I really don't know that much," Danny told him apologetically. He shrugged. "Sorry. I'm a superhero, not a scientist."

"I'm here!" Sam called, her heavy combat boots tromping into the room. She was carrying a large cardboard box. "I would have been here sooner, but I had to put together a design for the banner. Luckily I found a printer that could make one for you on short notice like this, or you'd be screwed."

"You're a life saver!"

"You wish," she scoffed. "I got you a banner and three hundred head shots."

"That's not gonna be enough," Ben said immediately.

"Ya think?" Sam asked.

"Trust me."

She sighed heavily in annoyance. "Okay, I can go back and get some more, but you so owe me, Danny."

"Yeah, I know," Danny said, taking the box from Sam. "You're the best!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, taking one of the head shots off the top of the stack and leaving again.

"Is that your friend?" Ben asked.

"One of them," Danny confirmed, setting the box down on the table. "That's Sam. She and Tucker have been with me since the beginning. He's probably still asleep at the hotel."

He pulled out a stack of head shots for the table and slid the box with the rest underneath. She'd picked a good picture. It was a poster illustration for a local ghost awareness presentation he'd done a while back, and he nearly sighed with relief when he saw it. He'd been half afraid she'd pick one of the grainy newspaper photos of him in his underwear.

"That's cool," Ben said. "Yeah, I don't think anyone could do this job without allies. When I first started, I had my Grandpa and my cousin, then my cousin and my best friend, and now I have Rook as my partner."

"We have been together for a year," Rook added.

"Like... together together or...?"

"Working partners," Ben clarified insistently. "It's not like that."

"Oh, okay, my bad."

Hoping to alleviate his embarrassment, Danny unfurled his new banner and flew up to hang it on the wall behind his booth. It looked cool, but not too complicated. Just his name and logo and a little bit of ghost designs around the edges. Sam had done a good job with it.

"You are not the first to think that," Rook consoled. "It is a more common assumption than one might think."

They continued chatting idly while they set up their booths. Danny got to ask Rook what kind of alien he was, and what his home planet was like. Sam showed up with a whole bunch more photos and then immediately abandoned them to get a sneak preview of artist alley before she came back as an attendee.

Just before the convention center officially opened, Danny worked up the courage to ask Ben for an autograph, and Ben obliged him with a smile, offering an exchange, rather than asking for payment. Danny eagerly accepted, signing one of his own pictures and trading it for Ben's. Ben's looked far more professional than his own. He hoped people wouldn't be disappointed.

As people started trickling in past the security checkpoint up front, both heroes only got a few people in the beginning. After only about twenty minutes of boredom, Ben suggested they play a game.

"Sure," Danny agreed. "What game?"

"My buddy Kevin calls it Reverse-Never-Have-I-Ever, and my cousin calls it Have-You-Ever." Ben said. "See, we could never play regular Never-Have-I-Ever, because we all knew all the weird stuff we'd done and we'd target each other mercilessly. With this version, You say something you have done, and anyone who hasn't done it loses a point. If everyone's done it, no one loses a point."

"Okay... I think I get the idea, but why don't you start? Five fingers or ten?"

"Let's start with five," Ben said. "Rook, you playing?"

"I will pass," Rook said. "I always lose this game."

"Alright, if that's what you want." Ben shrugged. "Alright, Danny, have you ever... transformed into a different species?"

"Yes."

"You have?!"

"Uh, yeah. I went from human to ghost. Duh."

"Oh... right, duh," Ben agreed, shaking his head at how foolish he'd been to blow his first question like that. "Wow, I can't believe I didn't even think about that...."

"My turn, right?" Danny said. "Have you ever fought an evil alternate version of yourself?"

"Yeah, like six of 'em."

"Okay, well, now you're just showing off."

Ben smirked. "Oh, I never get to use this one on my friends. Have you ever been to space?"

Danny smirked right back. "One of my rogues possessed an orbital satellite."

"Damn it!"

Someone walked over to Danny's table and he smiled at her, pointedly ignored the way she shivered when he shook her hand, and signed a photo for her.

"Okay," he said, shifting his attention back to the game, "have you ever... been cut in two."

"I regenerated, but yeah."

"How?" Danny demanded.

"Plant alien."

"I should've guessed. Stupid plant creatures with their stupid regenerative powers. Undergrowth-ass alien. Lame."

Ben laughed at him while he signed a figurine for a fan who came to his table. "How about this. Have you ever fought a medieval-style knight?"

"A knight? Hold on." Danny considered that for a moment. Had he? He'd rescued Sam from Dora's realm that one time, and yeah, he'd definitely had to fight the ghosts of knights then. Oh! Also Fright Knight. How could he forget about him. "Yes, I have definitely fought knights on several occasions. Ghost knights, obviously."

"Ugh! I really thought I had you with that one. Why do ghosts who died a thousand years ago have to stick around for so long?"

"Nope!" Danny teased. "Okay, how about this one. Have you ever fought a ghost?"

"Define ghost?" Ben asked.

"The law defines a ghost as any creature which produces ectoplasm, is composed of ectoplasm, or requires ectoplasm to survive," Danny recited.

There was no need to say which law—that would be the anti-ecto acts. It was stupid that those stupid acts were still even law when public support of ghosts had never been higher. Although, they hadn't been as heavily enforced the last year or so, since the G.I.W. lost a lot of funding after repeatedly failing to catch their most wanted, Danny.

"Then yes, I have," Ben said. "Have you ever fought an alien?"

"Define alien."

"A creature originating from a planet or plane other than Earth."

"Then yes, ghosts."

"Ah ah ah!" Ben argued. "Ghosts are the spirits of dead humans, which means they originate on Earth."

"Except that not all ghosts are the spirits of dead humans," Danny countered right back. "Many ghosts originally formed inside the Ghost Zone, which makes them, by your definition, aliens, and I have fought them, too. Also I fought off some Incurseans back when they invaded the Earth a little while back. It was awesome."

Ben groaned.

"Haha! Gotcha!"

"Just go already."

"Have you ever died?"

"Ha! Yes, I have," Ben said, as if dying was some huge victory. "You probably thought you had me, but you were wrong. I may have been brought back through alien magic and/or time travel, but yes, I have died. Speaking of which, have you ever time-traveled."

"Psh, have I time traveled?" Danny scoffed. "I have literally met the Ancient, omniscient Master of Time. He's a huge pain in the neck."

It was at this point that more people started accumulating at the two heroes' tables. Some got in line for autographs, though both Ben and Danny were too engrossed in their game at this point to give their full attention. Others just stood, watching, and listening to the two of them. A few even started filming their little game.

"Alright, my turn," Danny said. "Have you ever... oh, I have a good one! Have you ever had to fight your best friend after he copied your powers which then caused him to lose his mind and become evil?"

"Literally how?!" Ben shouted.

"Is that a no?"

"No, I meant 'literally how' as in how has something that specific happened to both of us?"

"No way!"

"Yes way! That's happened to Kevin more than once."

"What?!"

"I know, right?"

"It is also strange for this game to go so long without any of the participants losing a point," Rook said. "I believe it is at this point that I would have lost, had I been participating."

"You put up a good fight, Rook," Ben joked.

"But... I was not playing?"

"I was teasing, Rook."

"Ah, yes."

"Whose turn is it now?" Ben asked. "Mine, right?"

"Yeah," Danny confirmed.

"Have you ever had a limb severed?"

"Yes, but I'm a ghost, so I reattached it pretty easily. Have you ever altered the fabric of reality?"

"I once had to recreate the entire universe after it got destroyed, and then went on intergalactic trial for doing it. And the worst part is, ever since then, grape smoothies just don't taste the same. It's so frustrating. I did get this super comfortable hoodie out of it, though."

"Ew, smoothies?" Danny grimaced. "What are you a yoga mom?"

Ben stood up, slamming a hand on his table and with the other, he pointed accusingly at Danny. "Smoothies are delicious, screw you!"

"You're just frustrated because I'm winning."

"You're not winning, neither of us have lost a single point! But you will!" Ben declared. "Have you ever saved the whole entire universe."

"Yes."

"What?" Ben fell back into his chair, deflated.

"A while back, this one group, the G.I.W. tried to destroy the Ghost Zone with a special anti-ghost nuke, and I stopped them. The Ghost Zone is the flip side of our dimension, so if it had been destroyed, it would have taken our universe along with it. Hence, I saved the universe. I just didn't let it get all over international news first."

"Boo!"

"Isn't that my line?" Danny said.

Ben threw a sharpie at him and he turned intangible and let it pass right through him while he laughed at his own joke.

"Anyway, have you ever visited an alternate timeline where the entire earth is barren and desolate and the alternate version of you rules supreme?"

"Yes, I call it the Mad Universe, because it looked like Mad Max, you know?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I can see it. But really? You have?"

"Yup. The alternate version of Rook was a jerk."

Rook frowned but didn't have the chance to say anything before Ben kept talking.

"Have you ever... I don't know... every time I go weirder, you just match me. Have you ever had a family member be friends with one of you enemies?"

"Yeah, my dad considers my archenemy his best friend in the world," Danny said. "The feeling is not mutual, though. Have you ever been imprisoned by one of your enemies?"

"More times than I can count. Have you ever asexually reproduced?"

"Do clones count?"

"No!" Ben refused.

"Yes," Rook argued, possibly still upset about Ben's jerk comment. "Technically, cloning is a form of asexual reproduction."

"But could they fly?"

"I don't see how that's relevant to asexual reproduction, but yes," Danny said. "They were ghosts. They could fly. Most of them were too unstable to survive though. There's only one left." He frowned.

"Oh... sorry."

"It's... fine." It wasn't fine. He still found himself lying awake at night thinking about them sometimes. Danny shook his head and plastered on a determined grin. "I really think I've got you this time, though."

"Do you?" Ben did not sound convinced.

"Have you ever had to fight sentient food that was not still alive?"

"Y—wait...." Ben frowned as he thought about it for a long moment. "No... I haven't."

"Yes!" Danny cheered and Ben buried his head in his hands, humiliated. "This puts me in the lead."

"Not for long," Ben said. "Have you ever eaten food from another planet?"

"Wha—noooo...."

"Ha!"

"We're dead even again."

Their game continued.

"Have you ever fought a cult's subject of worship?"

"Have you ever had a Christmas-themed battle?"

"Have you ever fought on the same side as one of your enemies?"

"Have you ever been called upon to end a war?"

"Have you ever unexpectedly developed a new power that caused you trouble?"

"Have you ever used your powers to get out of other responsibilities?"

"Have you ever had to skip out on something you were really looking forward to and save the day?"

"Have you ever been blamed for property damage your enemies caused just because you happened to be there at the time?"

"Have you ever been mind controlled?"

"Have you ever fought an evil circus?"

The game kept going on and on, while they absently shook hands and signed autographs, with neither of them giving up another point. Until Sally showed up to tell them it was time to go to the teen hero panel they were on.

It was only then that they looked up and saw all the cameras that had been recording their game. How long had they been recording? How much had they gotten?

"Uh... right," Ben said. "Sorry everyone. You can come back for autographs after the panel. And Danny, I think we're gonna have to call it a draw."

"We'll have to have a rematch some other time," Danny said, trying to keep his tone light, despite his sudden anxiety.

Sally led the two of them to a large room with rows upon rows of empty seats, right down the aisle to the stage up front where a man in his thirties was already standing, and a masked teenage girl with glowing pink hair and eyes was sitting behind the table.

"Hello, I'm John and I'll be moderating this panel," the man introduced. "This is Lucky Girl, another teen hero we invited. Lucky Girl, this is Ben 10 and Danny Phantom."

"Nice to meet you," Danny said.

"I can't believe they roped you into this," Ben said, smiling at the girl like he knew her.

"Shut up," the girl barked back. "We can't all gain international fame overnight, and I have to pay for student housing."

"You two already know each other?" John asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah, we've known each other for a long time," Ben said. "All our lives, in fact."

"Ben, I swear if you give me away I will hex you so bad your children's children's children will travel for miles just to spit on your grave."

Ben put up his hands in surrender, and took his seat without another word. Danny followed his lead. This Lucky Girl didn't seem like the kind of person he wanted to mess with.

Once they were all in their seats, John gave them a quick run down of how the panel would go. He would ask a few questions. They would answer. He would open it up to questions from the audience, and they would answer those too. After an hour, the panel would be over, and they would return to their booths, or in Lucky Girl's case, simply leave, as she apparently didn't have a booth.

"She uses her powers to disguise herself, but she can't keep that up for more than an hour and a half," Ben whispered to Danny, clearly sensing his confusion. "She'll probably hang around for a little while after to greet fans, but she'll have to leave when her mana's drained."

"Oh, okay, that makes sense," Danny whispered back, nodding. "I was worried it might be like a sexism thing."

"As if she'd stand for something like that," Ben scoffed.

Soon enough, the doors opened, and people started trickling in. The seats filled up with mostly teens and young adults, with a few parents and older adults sprinkled in. Danny noticed Sam and Tucker come in and sit in the back row and waved at them. Rook was also sitting in the back row, trying not to draw attention to himself. Although, it seemed like most people thought he was a cosplayer, so he didn't really have to bother hiding.

When the doors closed, John started the panel.

The first part was easy.

John asked questions like: "How do you balance being a hero with the other responsibilities you have as an adolescent?"

"Honestly, not well. You know how people say 'you can sleep when you're dead'? Yeah, that's a lie."

"I'm lucky enough to have a good memory so I don't have to study much, otherwise my grades in school would tank. For me, the real struggle is finding time to do chores."

"I prioritize my other responsibilities. I don't usually face world-ending, city-destroying threats like these two, which allows me the luxury of saving hero work for after my homework is finished."

And: "Where do you go when you want to de-stress after saving the day?"

"I usually go over to my friends' and play video games. I feel safe around them."

"If the sun's still up, Mr. Smoothie. But if it's late, I like to go out for chili fries."

"The library. I know it makes me sound like a nerd, but whatever. I am a nerd. Who cares."

And: "How do your parents figure in to you heroic activities?"

"They... don't know. They don't exactly have a great opinion of ghosts, and they don't recognize me when... I mean, they don't recognize me anymore. So I guess they don't figure in." That wasn't entirely true, but Danny wasn't about to say they shot at him in front of a crowd of hundreds of people.

"My parents are actually very supportive. At first, they wanted me to quit, because they were worried about my safety, but I changed their minds. They raised me to know right from wrong, and to help others whenever I can, and they're proud of me."

"My parents don't know either, and I don't live with them right now because I live on my school campus, so I guess, like Phantom, my parents don't really figure in either."

They were easy questions to answer, even if Danny didn't always tell the whole truth. John kept things light, focusing mostly on them being teenagers, and how being a hero affected that aspect of their life, rather than the other way around. There were a couple questions about battles and enemies, but for the most part, they avoided the heavy stuff.

Then, about halfway into the panel, John opened it up to the audience to ask questions.

They didn't shy away from the heavy stuff.

"Hi, I'm Mandy, big fan," said a girl with curly brown hair. "I have two questions for Ben, first is, are you dating anyone?"

Ben chuckled, trying to sound amused, even though, up close, Danny could tell the question made him uncomfortable.

"No, I'm not dating right now."

The girl giggled for a moment before asking her next question. "My next question is: when you're fighting an alien invasion basically by yourself, do you ever feel afraid?"

Ben didn't answer right away. He took a breath, and nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I know I'm strong, and there's a lot that I can do and have done, but when I'm outnumbered a thousand to one, yeah, I'm a little afraid."

"Not that you were ever actually by yourself," Lucky Girl pointed out.

"Heh," Ben rubbed his neck awkwardly. "That's true. Even if there weren't many, I've always had people in my corner."

The next person who stepped up was a guy in a Danny Phantom T-shirt which read 'it's not gay if he's dead.'

Danny immediately groaned and Ben grinned hugely. "Before you ask your question, I have a question for you. Where did you get that shirt?"

"I got it at a souvenir shop when I went to Amity Park, but I think you can buy them online, too," they guy said.

"I'm getting one."

Danny groaned even more insistently.

"My question is for Phantom. If you hadn't died, do you think you still would have become a hero, and protected your home from ghosts?"

"Honestly? I don't know," Danny admitted. "Amity Park does have other ghost hunters, the Fentons and Red Huntress, for example. If I hadn't d... if I didn't have my powers, I wouldn't really have the ability to protect anybody. I'd probably leave it to the ghost hunters who were better equipped."

"And for Lucky Girl, are you single?"

"Ha ha no," she said flatly. "I have a boyfriend."

"Figures."

Next up was a girl in some pretty fantastic Lucky Girl cosplay. Her wig even lit up. Although she looked like she was quite a bit taller than the real thing.

"Lucky Girl, do your periods ever interfere with fighting crime?"

"Uh... that's a bit personal," Lucky Girl said instantly, as if the answer was instinctive.

But when she saw the way the girl reacted like she'd been slapped, hunching in on herself with shame, Lucky Girl bit her lip and answered anyway.

"Actually... the life of a superhero is really stressful. The kind of stress that has... biological effects. When I first started fighting crime as, like, a regular thing, I didn't have a period for months. When I finally did again it was... you know what, I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say, it was really bad. Like, my doctor prescribed me pills to stop me from menstruating bad. So... I guess the answer to your question is 'not anymore' and also sorry for the TMI." She finished with a short grimace.

"Thank you for answering," the girl said before going to sit back down.

Ben covered his mic and turned to her. "How come I never knew about that?"

"Are you kidding?" Lucky Girl muttered back. "Like I'm gonna discuss my cycle with a fifteen-year-old boy."

Ben didn't even attempt to argue with that.

As... much as those questions were, it was the next one that really stopped everything in its tracks.

"Hi, I'm Michael. I don't know if you know about this video that's going around. It was only posted, like, less than an hour ago, but it's really blown up in fan circles already," the young man said. "The video shows Phantom and Ben 10... I guess playing a game or something? Where you guys are asking each other if you'd done certain things and basically comparing experiences with each other? Do you know it?"

Ben and Danny shot each other anxious looks.

"Uh... I haven't seen it, but I think we know what you're talking about," Ben answered cautiously. "Is that your question?"

"No, my question is... well, in the video you guys are talking about alternate timelines, and fighting evil versions of yourselves, and getting mind-controlled, and changing reality. I guess my question is. Did all that stuff really happen to you guys?"

Neither Ben nor Danny wanted to answer. They didn't look at each other, or the crowd. They deeply regretted playing a game that revealed such personal secrets in a public space.

Finally, Ben cleared his throat. "Yes, all that happened." Danny nodded his own confirmation. "The life we lead is a dangerous one, and it demands sacrifices, and it takes a lot from you, and it puts you in a lot of strange situations that few others can understand. It's... not for everyone."

The next fan stepped up to the mic. "Follow up questions. First, how are you guys like... functional? Because I mean, if I'd gone through the kind of stuff you were talking about in that video, I think I'd have a mental breakdown. Second, why would you put yourselves through all that?"

"Well, first off, bold of you to assume I've never had a mental breakdown," Danny said. "And secondly, if we don't do it, who will?" he asked. "We're not just random ordinary high schoolers who up and decided to subject ourselves to unspeakable trauma just for the fun of it.

"We do this because we have the power to do things others can't, to fight enemies other people can't fight. We do this because if we don't... if we don't, people die. Or worse. People experience the kind of things we do trying to protect them. So I guess the answer to both of your questions is, what other choice do we have?"

"Yeah, exactly what Danny said," Ben agreed. "I tried to give up my powers, and my responsibilities once, and people got hurt because of it. My grandpa.... Because I wanted to live a normal life, to take it easy, there was no one else to protect them. It is every individual's responsibility to do what they can to help others. It just so happens that we can do more than most, and that comes with drawbacks.

"Lucky Girl, care to weigh in? You weren't in the video, but I know you've had your share of superhero related trauma."

"I think you guys pretty much covered it," she replied. "I don't think I've been through quite as much as you two, but I definitely know about the sacrifices we make for this life. I also know that it's worth it to know that the people and places you love are safe and protected because of you."

The boy's both nodded in agreement.

The questions didn't really lighten up after that. "What's the worst experience you've ever had as a hero?" "Have you ever failed to protect someone?" "We heard Ben 10 say so already, but have you ever wanted to quit, or wished you never had powers in the first place?"

After a point, John noticed how uncomfortable they were getting and had to step in and ask that the next few questions not be so dark.

A younger girl, maybe even a middle schooler, hand mercy on them at last, and asked, "What was the funniest thing that ever happened to you while you were saving the day?" and from there the questions finally eased up.

It felt like it had been far longer than an hour when the session ended, and they left the stage and returned to their booths to sign autographs and shake hands and listen to dozens of people gushing, "I'm you're biggest fan!"

They didn't pick up their game again, even when things got slow. Evidently they'd learned their lesson. And they kept learning it as more and more of the people who came to visit them asked about that video. Each time Danny had to smile and laugh it off, the regret deepened.

It had been a while since he felt like such a complete idiot. Since he'd done something so thoughtless. He'd gotten a lot better at keeping secrets over the years, but he'd just been so excited to talk with someone he had so much in common with—and yeah, he'd probably gotten a little too competitive also. He should have known better.

"So uh... I was at your panel earlier," said a girl who placed a science magazine on the table for him to sign. The cover touted an article about 10 Things You Didn't Know About Ghosts (they have their own culture!). Danny remembered doing that interview.

"That's nice, thanks for coming," Danny said, his smile tensing. "Do you want me to sign the cover, or the page with the article."

"The cover please," the girl said. "For Marnie. And um... I was too nervous to stand up and ask before, but... I was really curious."

"Oh?" Danny asked, keeping his eyes on his hand as he signed the cover 'To Marnie, stay spooky'.

"Why would you make it a game?" she asked. "Wouldn't it be better to try to forget all those things?"

"Easier said than done," Danny said. "Things like that stay with you. Turning them into a joke or a game takes the power away from those bad memories. When you're laughing at your fears, what can they do to you? That's the way I see it. Ben might have another reason, and technically, it was his game. He came up with it."

"So... what you're saying is, laughter is the best medicine?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Danny agreed. He slid the magazine back to her. "Thanks for coming by."

Finally, Danny's shift was over, and Ben's ended at the same time. Just in time, too, because Danny was just about out of photos. He'd have to get more for tomorrow. He signed his last picture with a sigh of relief, thankful that the convention staff had come by to cut off the line when it was about time for him to be finished.

"You finished too, Danny?" Ben asked.

"Yup."

"You wanna go get lunch with us? Wait... do ghosts eat?"

"We do, but I was gonna meet up with my friends for lunch today, and then explore the convention a little." Danny said. "Are you gonna be here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm here for the whole con," Ben said. "Here, let me give you my number. We should keep in touch."

"Totally!" Danny agreed. "It'll be nice to have an actual superhero friend. I love Sam and Tucker, but there are some things...."

"Yeah, I get what you mean."

After swapping numbers the two of them headed off to their separate engagements. Danny transformed and got to experience what else Hero Con had to offer without getting swarmed by fans like he saw happening to Ben that afternoon.

They met up again the next day. Chatted at their booths, had lunch together, checked out the fan artists, just hung out for a while. This time around, Danny didn't have his human form to protect him from the crowds.

That video of their game haunted them both for the rest of the convention. People kept bringing it up until it became almost more annoying than mortifying.

When Hero Con finally ended, they both breathed sighs of relief. The convention was over, but Ben and Danny kept in touch. They never did have that rematch though. In fact, they were both pretty much done with 'Have-You-Ever'.

#dp #danny phantom #danny fenton #ben 10 #ben tennyson #gwen tennyson #fic #things i wrote #crossover danuary week #crossover danuary week 2024 #crossover #party games #past trauma #humor #dp x ben 10 #dp crossover #dialogue heavy

66 notes · View notes

theconstantsidekick · 1 year

Text

no because, supernatural is absolutely a train wreck. it's a colossal accident that is happening in front of you that you can't look away from. it is homophobic and non-sensical and downright laughable at times but you know what? I love it. I absolute love it.

season 1 was absolutely beautiful. you don't understand, really, you don't. they had a piss poor budget, you can see that in every frame. but does that stop it from being fucking beautiful? no. it is stylised and ambitious and a fucking visual treat.

and this is like the first fucking episode. the shots have so much character! and that's nothing to say of the characters themselves. from the first fucking scene you can clearly distinguish sam and dean's character clear as day. their motivations, their dreams, their hopes, all of it. it's established so well. their dynamic is unmatched. does it also have a lot of garbage? yes for sure. because what in the name of hell was that episode with bugs? what glue were they sniffing when they green lit that one? no seriously... I wanna try some.

but then they recovered, cause they did faith. my god, what an episode. WHAT AN EPISODE. that motherfucking reaper haunts my every waking hour

like yeah, I love me some baby dean and baby sam going on their small scale ghost hunts while learning deep lessons about who they are as people and what they want from life.

also that 'laugh I nearly died' needle drop? where sam sees jess? god tier editing, GOD TIER.

then they came back with season 2. and here is my most controversial opinion that should not be controversial at all, season 2 is the best season of supernatural to ever supernatural.

what is and what should never be, hollywood babylon, heart, nightshifter, and the whole fucking season actually. not a single miss in my humble opinion. and that finale? THAT FINALE. beautiful, magnificent. ground breaking character writing, everything comes full circle while simultaneously opening up new plot lines to explore.

and my god, yellow eyes is an epic villain. he is a very viciously written villain like, he's... my god. it ain't a walk in the park writing villains, believe you me patient readers, villains are harder to write than the protagonists, always. well, at least the compelling ones are.

now season 3 suffered because of the writer's strike, but didn't miss much either. like yeah some of the hits don't hit as hard as the season 2, but hey, mystery spot, time is on my side, ghostfacers, bedtime stories are nothing to laugh about. those episodes are fucking solid, like most of the season. and there is so much raw emotion is sam's need to save dean, it just makes my weak winchester brothers loving heart throb a little too hard. also...

need I say more?

does the show did look little more washed out and boring? yes. but it's cool, cause we're moving on to season 4.

listen, I kinda just wanna leave all my season's critique at this. i mean, yeah this. this is it. this is the long and short of it; castiel. i don't think i need to get anymore into it

so season 5 is just—

i'm kidding. obviously i'm gonna talk about season 4, at length.

listen, being able to introduce angels this late in the game and then have them be a such perfectly hidden players is a masterstroke of genius. it just is. i am a writer guys... apart from the relentless fanfic as well lol. and when i tell you, introducing a new big player which is also (not so) secretly the next big bad and playing it off as smoothly as they did in season 4, is beyond hard. but the biggest home run these fuckers hit is castiel and the best part is they weren't aiming for a one lol. and oh oh, the way they use their very VERY limited budget to show wings with just flashing the fucking light? CINEMA! that's fucking cinema right there man. i work on film sets, i am telling you, this is the smartest filmmaking choice they make on the entire show. it adds so much visual intrigue while being so awfully easy to execute. BRILLIANt.

now i cannot talk about supernatural without talking about the deancas romance of it all, which i understand not everyone can see or wants to, which is fine. to each their own. you consume art the way you want to, i don't care much as long as you can acknowledge that castiel and dean's friendship was just some of the best written television that mankind has ever seen. is that too grand a statement? yes. does that make it any less true? no.

they even brought back the moody lighting.

and then there's the episodes this season, most of which are home runs in their own regard. just like beautiful writing, the character development for cas, for dean, for sam, even the late john winchester is wild. anna is a wonderful addition, so is uriel, and alastair? they don't make villains like him anymore, they just fucking don't. AND THAT GODDAMN PLOT TWIST AT THE END? man! the finale was just... too good. Chuck's introduction is absolutely wonderful, even if they ruin him by the end but that happens a decade later so wtv, who cares? But,,,, Jimmy. Fucking. Novak. That's all. that's the tweet. yeah. i'm gonna end the season 4 fan fair with jimmy.

moving to season 5.

subjectively speaking, this is my fucking favorite. this season is a writer's dream while also being their goddamn nightmare. so many WONDERFUL characters to play with and such a grand plot but you get to see it all on a very small, consumable scale which is just... it's too smart for me to not mention. i won't start naming the plot points and neither will i name my favourite episodes because what even is the point? all of it was fucking perfect. you don't understand how hard it is to develop characters to such an extent that they become so familiar to the audience that they know their next move before you even put it on the screen. and supernatural had that. they tied everything together with so much care and consideration, just... AAAH so good.

a special shoutout goes to endverse!cas, crowley and death this season. you all know it in your bones that those three were just the absolute scene stealers. especially death's introduction... immaculate.

they did lose a few points for not being as aesthetically pleasing as the past few seasons but hey, gabriel was enough to make a smooth recovery.

but this... this is the end of the road for me people. season 5 is where it should have ended. in no way shape or form am i saying that there aren't a few good episodes here and there after this, because there are. i think season 5 was so fucking solid, tied up so many goddamn lose ends and then just put a cute little hell shaped bow on top and i just... yeah. this was and should have been the end of the road. do not get me wrong, i love me some jack kline, charlie bradbury, kevin tran, rowena macleod and eileen lahey but were they worth the bullshit ending i had to sit through? not really.

i absolutely think if there weren't more episodes of supernatural I would never have become a destiel fan, because i started shipping them when dean made cas a mixtape in season TWELVE! but my god, the good times were so scattered amongst the horseshit that even when i found those hidden gems, they were so fucking drenched in the stink that they lost their value.

the worst of it all is that, i cannot explain to you what supernatural means to me in a million words, because it is a part of me, heart and soul. i fucking AM castiel. i am a gay little angel you hear me? i love this show. i do. i'm glad it went on for however long it did but i feel like once in a while i need to write shit like this or read shit like this to remind myself of the show that it used to be. of it's beautiful cinematography, of it's clever little storytelling techniques. of it's wonderful cast. of how epic their song choices used to be.

FUcking RENEGADE? iconic. wanted, dead or alive? cannot hear the song without hearing sam's off tune goat bleating that he called singing along.

i need to remind myself of how afraid i used to be of lucifer. of how much i cried while watching dark side of the moon; when dean and sam burst the crackers, and how i learnt the lyrics to knocking on heaven's door just because of that scene.

sometimes i just have to walk through memory lane and look back at gabriel's death, the good one, the only one. it was so fucking meaningful. i have to think of "we are making it up as we go" to be able to breathe properly because those moments were so fucking beautiful.

fuck the big ones, i even remind myself of the small ones, of dean's handwriting being in all caps, just like him. of sam's fucking huge laptop with that weird blue black sticker in the middle. of castiel's tie, that just was the right shade of blue, and hung all wrong but just naturally enough to add so much more to his character than any fucking dialogue could. every small little detail of supernatural that made it so damn supernatural. i miss it all.

idk. i'm rambling. whatever.

#superntural #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #deancas #destiel #spn #spn season 1 #spn season 2 #spn season 3 #spn season 4 #spn season 5 #dean #cas #sam #dean and sam #i think it'll add onto this post later #as i think of more things #because you best believe i will

235 notes · View notes

gifpacklove · 6 months

Text

PUBLIC COMMISSION / by clicking the source link found below , you will be redirected to #500 medium sized gifs (268 x 151) of Jesse Williams in Grey's Anatomy (S15). all made by me from scratch. don’t repost / claim as your own ! please do not edit these or turn these into gif icons without my consent. don’t include these gifs in any other gif hunts, use them in crackships. a like/reblog would be very appreciated if you found these gifs useful! / and if you’d be interested in commissioning me , feel free to check out my blog !

tw: sensuality, drinks, food, flashing lights.

#jesse williams gif pack #jesse williams gif hunt #gif pack #gif hunt #gifpacknetwork #userdevon #gifsociety #gifpackshq #fcxdirectory #gmcentral #gifhunthub

84 notes · View notes

wickedgifs · 7 months

Text

— JESSE HUTCH IN DREAM WEDDING

CLICK THE SOURCE LINK BELOW to be redirected to +170 gifs of jesse hutch as andy swenson in dream wedding (2023). all of these gifs were made from scratch so we would appreciate if they aren’t edited, redistributed in other gif hunts/posts, or stolen. feel free to write whatever you want with them but i would really appreciate it if you liked & reblogged this post!

triggers kissing

tasksweekly 003, 016

#jesse hutch gif pack #jesse hutch gif hunt #gifsociety #olderfcs #tasksweekly #gifpacknetwork #gifpacksgalore #gifpacksociety #gifpackshq #gifhunthub #thegifpackreblogs #fcxdirectory #underused fc #gif hunt #gif pack #rph #made by harrison.#userkei #userdevon

58 notes · View notes

shieldofiron · 9 months

Text

All My Stickers (Me when I lie)

Stickers are my number one Fandom Merch weakness, and some discord friends mentioned that I should show some of them in action and where to get them. LONG POST INCOMING, in no particular order, and this isn't even all of them.

Let's start with JessRadIllustration aka @dreaminginpencil on Etsy. Unfortunately the Harringrove one was Limited Edition but Jess makes the prettiest Steve. I just love to look at him. (I have no info about the demogorgon sticker lol he was a free gift.)

I should not have gone to @avalonlights Etsy shop because they have new stickers so I may be getting something new... oops.

And you can also see Poison Ivy Steve there next to Billy's licence plate which leads me to @adelacreations Big Cartel shop. Look at these gorgeous Stickers. Add is running a sale right now hugely recommend their prints as well. This one below is in my bullet journal, so I can see it daily.

Next we go to my current journal:

These are from Illusbyliz on Etsy as well, it looks like they're taking a break. But these are sooooo adorable especially the heckfire club.

This is my latest sticker purchase, possibly the only Harringrove and Munver sticker in existence from @friendoftheknife on Inprnt. They also have the most soft and lovely Jargyle prints. The Inprnt stickers are large opaque and glossy for anyone wondering, and they aren't kiss cut to the image so be prepared for that.

These are from Mr. Hall on Society 6 and they're SO GORGEOUS!! Sorry they're on a blue background it's just the way the cookie crumbled but I love that with the transparent stickers.

I had to get some Pocket Babies from @wrecked-fuse also on Inprnt. Since I got this Fox added pocket Jason, Chrissy and Eddie so again, I'm going to have to get some more.

These are from @lazybakerart on Redbubble. I highly recommend the glossy or transparent stickers from redbubble not the matte. The matte is sometimes cut incorrectly, but the transparent and glossy are awesome. Look how opaque crying Billy looks! You need a good sticker to show off Sara's colors so pick wisely.

These are both from redbubble too, from @zayacv. The Mini Billy and Steve set is sooo much fun, I'd have to hunt through this notebook to find all of them.

The sailor Billy is from @kelpie-earnest on Redbubble (He's so saucy, look at him).

I may have to reorder this @gabbia design from Redbubble on a tshirt. They look so bitchin'.

The Billy's tattoo is no longer available from the redbubble artist I got mine from, but this Demoleven is SO AWESOME, from NotCoolCo on Etsy.

I know what you're thinking. Is this all my harringrove and stranger things stickers? NO. Will I be getting more? YES. Let me know if you want to see a part 2.

#ShieldofIron #Sticker Collection #Harringrove #Munver #Royalfire #Hellcheer #Stranger Things #billy hargrove #look at these talented artists fr!

107 notes · View notes

lgbtqreads · 2 months

Note

Sorry if this is too specific, but do you know any queer fantasy (or historical) romcoms? Preferably adult, kind of like Our Flag Means Death in book form (but not necessarily with pirates)?

I think the closest thing you're gonna find* with actual pirates is Peter Darling by Austin Chant, which I wouldn't actually call a rom-com (I mean, it's pretty rare for anything in these genres to be rom-coms, but I feel like this is more the "lighter romance with wit" usage of rom-com, so I'm gonna go ahead and answer that way), but if you haven't yet read KJ Charles, Cat Sebastian, or Alexis Hall, they're the authors you're gonna wanna know. Maybe start with The Queer Principles of Kit Webb or Something Fabulous or The Gentlemen's Book of Vices by Jess Everlee or The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting or Olivia Waite's The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics?

ETA: Freya Marske! I should've mentioned Freya Marske for sure, especially if you're looking for more fantastical: https://amzn.to/4arez7m

*I meant to go back and edit this because I knew it wasn't correct when I wrote it and I posted too fast. There are definitely more things out there with pirates and I definitely should've shared this post and I bet the real closest fit in Adult is the Thorne: https://lgbtqreads.com/2024/02/12/fave-five-books-for-fans-of-our-flag-means-death/

#LGBTQReads #Booklr

24 notes · View notes

rosyzhaorph · 7 months

Text

In the source link, you’ll find 114 HQ textless all under 5MB 268x151 gifs of Candice Patton as Iris West in 1x11 - 1x13 of The Flash. These gifs were ALL made by me. I don’t mind if you use them in crackships or edit them into icons as long as you credit/tag me. But DO NOT put these into other gif hunts or repost them into gif sets! DO NOT use my gifs to roleplay characters that are minors or in smut threads. DO NOT use my gifs to roleplay real life people/celebrities, or in any taboo situations! If any clarification is needed, please feel free to ask! Please like or reblog if you find this helpful and don’t claim them as your own! If you’re a fan of my work and have a few dollars to spare, please consider buying me a coffee! (paypal available upon request) Credits: PSDs: @magicalbewitchedbynight & myself TASKS WEEKLY: #021 - Black ETHNICITY: African American (Unspecified) so please cast her accordingly! TRIGGER WARNINGS: Drinking (non-alcoholic, food, and flashing gifs. FEATURING: Grant Gustin, Jesse R. Martin, Rick Cosnett. Tag List: @malafvma @supportcontentcreators @tasksweekly

#candice patton gif pack #candice patton gif hunt #candice patton #gif pack #gif hunt #rph #rpc #dearindies #thaywrites #usermina #userkass #userdevon #userduckie #supportcontentcreators #the psds I used aren't mine obviously!#except the one's that are lol #tailored for me

39 notes · View notes

ellies-little-thing · 5 months

Text

Life goes on (e.w.) part 5

*not my images, but i edited them

My masterlist <3

pairing: ellie williams / fem!reader

Warnings: fluf; reader is referred to as she/her; mentions of trauma; angst; mentions of violence, homofobia, killing, death; ptsd; Kind of proofread, English is not my first language.

Author's notes: Hi! This was a request but im having a blast writing it! I hope you like it, I really liked writing it! Feedback is always welcome and likes and reblogs are always encouraged! Thank you! Enjoy! This is the last part of this series. I hope you liked it!

word count: 1.1k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

18 years old - Part 5

One year later you were still together as an official couple. You've never felt so happy. And neither did Ellie. She wasn't alone anymore. You started to sleep at her place most nights and spend most of your time together. You would never be away from her again. Nothing could break you apart.

Ellie started to paint canvases and you were still her favorite subject. You had found a stray cat one day and you both decided to adopt her. You gave her the name Laika. The same name of the first dog to go to space and come back alive since Ellie loved space so much. You loved the name and she used to always get into your lap when you were reading. It was really cute actually. She always purred when she was with you, but she liked to sleep with Ellie. She always cuddled her before falling asleep every night.

Life was beautiful with Ellie by your side. Everything felt easier somehow and she was always there for you even in your worst moments. Your father didn't accept that you were queer and had a really nasty argument with you about it and about Ellie. Your mother tried to reason with him but there was nothing she could do. Your mother grew to like Ellie very much and supported your relationship, but you didn't feel comfortable in your house anymore. Ellie never left your side and was there when you came out to your parents holding your hand. She defended you like any good partner would. You were grateful for her.

You did all sorts of things together. Went for hikes, went hunting together, went to all the movie nights in town and Ellie was able to become friends with Dina and Jesse eventually too. You went out on double dates a lot of times together, the four of you. You were happy. Happier than you had ever been. Ellie never felt alone or unwanted. You were there for her during the good and bad times.

She told you she was immune and why she didn't talk to Joel anymore. At first you didn't believe her but one day you saw her breathing in spores and you couldn't believe your eyes. Eventually she told you everything. All the things she had done before coming to Jacson for good and you just held her as she cried. You never once judged her, never once thought badly of her or her actions. Now you understood why she was the way she was, and it all finally made sense. Ellie felt so light after telling you everything. She never wanted to hide anything from you ever again.

Ellie had never told these things to anyone before. But to you, she told you everything. From her days in the Boston Q.Z. where she grew up as an orphan; and how she got bit with Reiley; the Fireflies; Joel and Tess; all the nasty things she had to do through their journey to Wyoming; the man she had to kill because of the unspeakable things he wanted to do to her, while Joel was sick and she had to take care of him through the winter, she thought he wouldn't make it, but he did; all the people Joel killed in the hospital; all the close calls she had with infected; all the trauma she had made sense now. All her fears, you finally understood them.

You loved her. All of her. Good and bad. Some days she felt like she didn't deserve you, but you stayed with her through all her hard times just like she stayed for yours. You felt like you were soulmates. You never wanted to not have her by your side. You couldn't imagine your life without her anymore.

You lived your days calmly and enjoyed life together. Some folk in town didn't like the two of you two being together but they were afraid of Ellie after one tried to hurt you and she intervened. She missed Joel very much but wasn't able to forgive him. At least not yet. She wrote a lot of songs, some for you, some for her, mostly to stop thinking of the bad things. To keep her demons away.

She had constant nightmares but you held her all night long if she needed you to. She wasn't the best cook in the world but enjoyed helping you in the kitchen and stealing some kisses here and there. Life wasnt perfect but with Ellie by your side it was so much better. She started patrols before you and was almost all she did because of her skills. You liked teaching the kids and were training to be a teacher. You tended to her wounds when she returned from patrol, she always told you you didn't need to but you helped her anyway.

Some days her PTSD was so bad that she would dissociate completely from her body and you would take care of her. Make sure she ate, and that she slept. You even gave her baths when she couldn't do it herself. She was so grateful to have you. She had never known so much kindness was possible in such a world.

One day you and her were on patrol together, as you pass by the abandoned town Where you found that comic book all those years ago. As you saw the bench where you read it together. You get off of your horse, Gem., you walk up to it and sit down looking at the view. Ellie stops and looks at you as she realizes where you were, and gets off of her horse Shimmer as well ,and sits next to you. As she sits she holds your hand. “It's been a long time since we were here last, hum..” She says in a sweet and soft voice. “It really has…” You say as you lean your head on Ellie’s shoulder. You admire the view over the valley together for a few minutes. Then Ellie gets an idea. She takes her switchblade out of her pocket and walks up to the tree on the right of the bench you were sitting on. She craves yours and her initials inside a heart. “There.” She smiles as she finishes and admires her work. You get up and walk to her. “What's that for?” You ask her sweetly as you smile. “So the world never forgets about us. Our love shall never be forgotten.” She says as she hugs you. “I love you so much, Ells.” You say to her as you're still hugging. “And I love you Y/N, more than anything.” She looks into your eyes and kisses you gently as she smiles slightly. You kiss her back, getting on the tips of your toes to reach her. You then sat down and watched the sunset together. Everything was alright in the world as long as you have each other.

#ellie tlou #ellie williams #ellie the last of us #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams the last of us #ellie williams x you #ellie williams x female reader #ellie williams fanfiction

28 notes · View notes

aylacavebear · 4 months

Text

She Thought She was Normal

Last one I have edited right now. I'll post more another day.

Story Summary: Maria really thought she was normal, for most of her life. It was normal for people to have natural talent, she would tell herself the older she got. Many things came easy for her, and that was probably how their rivalry began when she was five and he was seven and she met the Winchesters. Little did either of them know that it wouldn't stay like that forever, both having a far larger destiny than they could imagine

Word Count: 4363

Please don't take my work. I'll post warnings for each chapter. Will eventually be 18+!

Warnings: Grief, Detoxing, Some Angst, crush

----------------------------------------- Chapter 10

Her thoughts were on Sam and how happy he was now, going to college and having Jess by his side, plus they had a really nice apartment. She thought about October and his invitation before she pulled onto the side of the road, the flood of emotions overwhelming her. It was a back road, and it was late at night, so there was no traffic.

She’d spent so much time running, more from herself and the pain she had buried for far too many years. Everything flooded back to her. It was as if a damn had broken inside her and there was no stopping it.

Maria had never felt lonely but that had been more due to drinking as often and as much as she had but now, she felt more alone than she had the day her father died. Part of her wanted to go back to Sam’s, just cry in his arms for hours and feel some semblance of normal. Before she knew it, she’d cried herself to sleep in the front seat of her truck.

She woke the following morning to her phone vibrating in her pocket, “Hello?” she asked groggily.

“Sis, you okay?” Sam asked her, concerned.

“Yeah, just woke up,” she replied as she shielded her eyes from the sun as she sat up.

“Hey, why don’t you come back, stay with me and Jess for a while? Take a break from hunting for a while,” he told her, sounding hopeful.

“I can’t do that to the two of you. I’d feel like a mooch,” she replied, still sleepy, but managed a chuckle at the thought.

“So hustle pool at the bar. Come on, it’ll be fun. I’m not saying to give up hunting. Just… hang out for a while. Jess and I already talked it over and she adores you. Please?” he was begging at this point.

She rolled her eyes but was smiling. She never had been able to tell him no, “Alright. I’ll be there in a bit. I’m actually not far,” she replied softly.

Sam was ecstatic, plus Jess had already set her up a space she could call her own while she stayed. She laughed in the background when she saw how happy Sam was, knowing Maria had said yes. He had that look on his face that said, I told you she’d say yes, which only made Jess chuckle at him.

Maria sat there on the side of the road a bit longer, thinking about what she had just agreed to. Her thoughts and emotions were spinning again but she started her truck up anyway and headed back to Sam’s place. She wasn’t ready to deal with it all, not while she was driving at least. When she parked in front of his place though, she moved slowly as she grabbed her bag. Sam was smiling as he headed out to help her but he stopped, his smile fading when he saw the look on her face. There was no happiness there. Her entire demeanor screamed at how much pain she was in, emotionally. He took a deep breath before he walked over to her, gently pulling the bag from her shoulder. When she looked up at him, the tears had already started falling again.

“Sis,” he whispered, trying to sound comforting as he put his arm over her shoulders.

She leaned into his side and the tears fell as he walked her into the place, barely noticing her surroundings. Jess had been smiling until she saw how sad and hurt Maria was, turning instantly concerned. Sam waved her off though, knowing that the last thing Maria needed was too many people fussing over her. He figured that would just drive her right back out the door and she’d only end up worse off than she was at the moment.

He handed her bag to Jess who set it on the bed that had been set up for her as Sam sat down on the couch, his arm still around Maria’s shoulders. She too, sat down, burying her face in his chest, and cried again. It felt like years worth of tears fell while Sam did his best to comfort her. Jess made some coffee and brought over a cup for each of them when it finished, along with a box of tissues.

When the tears did finally stop, all she could do was apologize to both of them, “I didn’t mean to come here and break down.”

“Sis,” Sam began quietly, softly, “We’re family. I’ve been worried sick about you since you left that night. I even heard about when you stopped at Bobby’s a while back.”

She looked up at him before looking away and using the tissues that Jess had brought earlier, “I never… I just…” the words kept getting stuck and she had to fight back the tears which fell anyway, “I never grieved Sam…”

He felt for her but all he could do was pull her back close to him and hold her as she cried again, “You’re safe. Take all the time you need. You don’t have to run anymore.”

Maria never made it to the coffee Jess had brought her, falling asleep almost an hour later before Sam carried her to the bed they had set up for her, “I’m worried about her, Jess.”

“She’s with family now. She’ll be okay,” Jess tried to reassure him.

That evening she went to the bar, finding comfort in a bottle of whiskey, drowning the pain she’d been feeling all day. She even hustled a couple of games of pool, winning around five hundred dollars between the two games. Sam only let that go on for a week before he found her at the bar for the eighth night in a row.

“This isn’t helping and you know it,” he argued with her while she sipped her almost empty bottle of whiskey.

“It is in a way,” she shrugged.

Sam thought for a moment, frustrated, before he picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and left the bar. It was a short walk back to his place and she protested the entire time but he wasn’t phased by it at all. He plopped her down on her bed before he sat next to her.

“Look. I want you to stay but I want you to sober up,” he told her.

“Why?” she asked, slightly buzzed.

“Do you really want to spend your entire life running?” he asked.

She looked away from him, hating his question and how it made her feel something. Numb was easy for her, “It doesn’t hurt… when I am,” she confessed quietly.

His expression softened as he placed his hand under her chin, gently turning her so that she’d look at him, “You’re safe here, Sis. Even if you spend months grieving. I’ll always be here for you,” he told her softly.

With that, the tears fell again. She felt like the worst big sister ever when he said that to her, wondering what kind of example she was setting. Maria wrapped her arms around him and cried again, apologizing to him again.

“I’m not asking you to go cold turkey, just… ease up, that’s all,” he said soothingly as he held her close.

He and Jess shared a look, both of them wanting to be there for her but Maria wasn’t quite ready to open up to her or let anyone else get close to her. She’d kept everyone further than arm’s length, not wanting to feel attached to anyone she would miss if she lost them.

The next month was hard on Maria as she went through detoxing from the amount of whiskey she had gotten used to having in her system nearly every night. Sam and Jess had been there for her, helping however they could. She was having a hard time sleeping at night without the whiskey to keep the nightmares away, waking up screaming most nights. Sam or Jess or both had been there at her side quickly. It hurt at first, the two of them tending to her like they did. However, after the second week, she felt comforted by it.

By the time her birthday rolled around in mid-March, she no longer had the painful withdrawals of the whiskey and the nightmares had only happened a couple nights a week. It had been hard, on all three of them, but they’d all grown closer in that time. Maria and Jess were like sisters and Jess did everything she could to get Maria to be a bit more girly. The three of them had a small party at home for Maria’s twenty-fourth birthday. Jess and Sam gave her a small coin with a one on it and she looked at it, somewhat puzzled.

“You haven’t had any withdrawals in a month. Thought that might help you remember what you fought through and won,” Sam told her, smiling.

Maria smiled as she rubbed her thumb over the coin, “Thanks guys. This means a lot to me,” she said softly, this time feeling happy tears as a couple fell down her cheek.

“This one’s from me,” Jess said smiling as she handed her a gift box with a dark blue ribbon wrapped around it, a bow in the center.

Maria eyed Jess for a moment as she took the box, “Should I be worried?” she chuckled.

“Just open it,” Jess told her playfully.

Maria rolled her eyes as she carefully untied the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a dark blue dress that was nearly the same color as her eyes. She was surprised, in a good way as she slowly pulled the dress out of the box to look at it. It was velvety soft and had spaghetti straps. Maria held it up against herself, noticing it went down just past mid-thigh, “Where would I even wear this?” she asked, looking up at the two of them.

“Wherever you want,” Jess answered, giggling a little.

“Seriously though. Where would I wear this?” Maria asked again as she tucked the dress back in the box.

“Yeah, seriously. Wear it out anywhere. It’s not a fancy dress. You don’t always have to wear jeans,” Jess replied, laughing a little.

Again Maria rolled her eyes. She had never owned a dress before. They weren’t functional to hunt in. Jess didn’t know about that stuff though, as Sam had kept that part of his life from her, so Maria had respected that and never brought it up. She agreed to try the dress on though, taking the box to the bathroom and changing into it. For a moment she just stared at her reflection in the mirror, not entirely sure what to think of what she saw.

“I feel stupid in this,” she said from the bathroom, knowing they could hear her.

“Come on, I wanna see,” Jess begged playfully.

Maria groaned a bit before she walked out into the living room where they were sitting. Sam was probably more surprised than Jess was, “You look like a girl,” Sam told her.

Jess glared at him and smacked him on the shoulder, “You look amazing Maria. Now to get you some shoes to go with that dress and any others you might get,” she said happily.

“I have shoes,” Maria protested, feeling somewhat silly.

Sam chuckled, doing his best to keep himself from smiling, but it was Jess who spoke up, “Those shoes of yours, don’t go with a dress,” she told her.

“I’m putting my pajamas back on,” Maria stated before returning to the bathroom to do just that.

She carefully tucked the dress back into the box and looked in the mirror again, sighing. What was the point of looking girly or wearing dresses, she thought to herself, I’ll be going back to hunting eventually and don’t want to get soft. Maria joined them in the living room again where they had cake and ice cream, sharing laughter that night.

The months ahead passed both slowly and quickly, for all of them. Maria had even worn the dress out, once, just to make Jess happy more than anything. Jess teased her about all the looks she was getting, making Maria roll her eyes. The two had gotten the summer off of school which led to several nights out at the bar. Maria had learned how to drink to enjoy it and not drown her sorrows, choosing beer over whiskey, and keeping it to only a couple. Several guys had gotten used to seeing her with Jess and Sam and even got bold enough to flirt with her, but she turned them all down. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in men, she just wasn’t interested in losing her virginity to a one-night stand that she wasn’t all that into.

When school started back up again, Maria found herself in their home alone during the day, which left her to her thoughts again. She’d finally made it past grief, even if some of the memories made her cry still. She also felt bad for staying alone for so many years and began wondering how her Uncle was doing. She’d lost track of time as to how long it had been since she’d spoken to him last.

On Halloween, Jess was beyond excited, “Come on, you two have to dress up,” she pouted at the two of them.

Maria and Sam both rolled their eyes, “Fine, I’ll wear that dress you got me, with those shoes and I’ll be a high-class lady,” she teased Jess.

“Only if I get to do your makeup,” Jess quickly came back with.

Sam chuckled at the two of them and Maria groaned, “Why do I have to wear makeup though?”

“Because you look nice when you do,” Jess told her, emphatically.

Maria agreed before she changed into the dress and shoes. She even let Jess do her hair and makeup for that night. It was more than just a Halloween party. They were celebrating Sam’s LSAT score of 174. The bar was packed, mostly because it was Halloween. Several of their friends came over and chatted off and on. Maria even allowed herself one shot of whiskey that night, a toast to Sam and the full ride he could get with his score. The whole bar was done up with Halloween decorations, which had only added to the atmosphere. There was music and a lot of laughter. She had loved watching Sam and Jess together and at times, wondered if she would ever find that kind of thing with anyone.

One of their friends, who was dressed up as some sort of zombie-looking creature had come over to their table. He had flirted with Maria before but tonight she allowed herself a dance with him, although made it clear that nothing was going to happen between the two of them. He was cute and adorable, especially when he pleaded playfully with her about a date. With her still having plans of getting back on the road soon, she wasn’t about to get close to anyone.

The trio headed home late that night, still laughing when they got inside. The two lovebirds went to their room while Maria headed to the bathroom and changed into a comfortable pair of pajamas, brushed out her hair, and removed the makeup before she crawled into her own bed. Sleep found her quickly but when she heard what sounded like someone picking the lock on the front door, she was wide awake.

Maria eyed the door from her bed as someone came inside, almost silently. She could tell it was a guy, figuring he was only a couple of inches taller than her. With him being in the shadows, she couldn’t make out any of his features. Once he moved past her though, she slipped from her bed, almost silently, as she was barefoot. She knew she’d have to use his body weight and strength against him since it was a guy.

Instead of going high, she went low, sweeping his feet out from under him. The moment he was on his back, she attempted to put him in a sleeper hold, but he quickly turned it around on her. The two tossed each other around a bit, blocking and dodging most of the hits that the other threw. It wasn’t until he put her down on her back with his hand on her throat that they finally saw each other.

“Dean?” she asked, surprised and confused.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked.

“Dean? What the hell,” Sam said from the doorway.

He didn’t let her go though, still not quite sure who she was. There was only moonlight shining in through the window, “Dean, let Maria go,” Sam sighed, annoyed, as he walked over to the two of them.

Maria smirked, seeing Dean’s distraction, and quickly turned the whole thing around, now pinning him to the ground in a hold he couldn’t get out of.

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes, “Maria, let Dean go.”

She chuckled, but did let him go before helping him up, “When did you start pulling your punches?” she asked him, keeping her eyes on him, studying him, just like he was studying her.

He was in shock more than anything. First, a girl had kicked his ass and now he finds out that it’s Maria. His first thought was how hot she looked in her pajamas, which were a tank top and bed shorts, which made him smirk. For a moment, that Thanksgiving morning came back to his mind. Too many thoughts went through his mind at that moment and the comment that came out was probably the wrong one.

“Damn…,” he said quietly.

She couldn’t quite tell how he meant that and didn’t want to ask either, although was somewhat happy she could still beat him. Sam moved so that he was standing between the two, in the dark.

“Dean, what the hell are you doing here?” Sam asked him, not amused.

“Well, I was lookin’ for a beer,” he joked, but neither of them laughed.

Sam then repeated his question, a bit more seriously than before while Maria crossed her arms, watching Dean.

“Okay, alright,” Dean began, nodding a little, “We gotta talk.”

“Ah, the phone,” Sam suggested.

“If I had called would you have picked up,” Dean asked.

“Sam?” Jess asked, confused, switching on the light in the room.

All three of them looked over at her. Dean was somewhat impressed with his younger brother, living with two hot women. Jess was in a half top with the smurfs on it and bed shorts as well.

“Jess. Hey,” Sam began before he turned to his brother, “Dean, this is my girlfriend, Jessica.” Dean was smirking and nodding as he stared at her, Maria just rolled her eyes as Jess put the pieces together, “Wait, your brother Dean?” she asked with a small smile.

Dean motioned to her shirt, “I love the smurfs,” he said with a slightly flirtatious tone, and a smirk to match, which Sam did not find amusing at all, “You know, I gotta tell you,” he continued as he walked a little closer to her, “You are completely out of my brother’s league.” “Just, let me put something on,” she said, looking more at Sam now, noticing what Dean was insinuating.

“Oh, no, no, no. I wouldn’t dream of it. Seriously,” Dean told her, mesmerized by her looks. He then turned toward his brother again, “Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here. Talk about some private family business. But, uh, nice meeting you,” he said as he smirked again while pointing at her for a moment.

That caught Maria’s attention as she leaned her back against the wall, just watching them. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what would have pushed Dean to go as far as coming to his brother for help, especially after she’d heard what had happened between Sam and their father.

Sam thought for a moment before he responded, “No,” Sam told him as he walked over to Jess, “No, whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her,” he finished, putting his arm around her waist.

Dean looked slightly amused as he turned toward the two before he glanced at Maria, “Okay,” he began plainly, “Um, Dad hasn’t been home in a few days.”

“So, he’s working overtime on a Miler-time shift. He’ll stumble back in sooner or later,” Sam answered casually.

Dean just nodded his head, noticing what was happening, then smirked a little, “Dad’s on a hunting trip. And he hasn’t been home in a few days,” Dean said with a straight face.

That not only got Sam’s attention but also Maria’s. John had been like an Uncle during her childhood, at least when she saw him. He had also been the one to bring her father’s body back for a hunter’s funeral.

“Jess, excuse us,” Sam said, slightly worried, but very serious now, “We have to go outside.”

Maria pushed off the wall and followed the two of them, if only to listen. Dean glanced at her again and couldn’t keep that smirk off his face, which was only annoying her further. She found out that John had still been hunting the yellow-eyed demon, following every lead he could, the same as she had. Only this time, he hadn’t checked in with the Dean in longer than they liked, and he was worried about him. She listened to the two of them argue, poking some painful jabs at each other as they made it downstairs and outside. Maria listened to the details of the case their father had been working on, and then Dean said he hadn’t heard from him in three weeks, and that worried her more.

She stepped outside and looked down at the papers that Dean had been holding, “It’s a woman in white,” she told Dean, not looking up at him.

He looked at her, in a slight bit of surprise at what she had said, “And how would you know that?” he asked in disbelief.

“Don’t you read?” she replied sarcastically, causing Sam to chuckle, “With the odds of what you described, the consistency of disappearances and the pattern. It’s a ghost, and it all fits the lore on what’s called, The Woman in White. Pick up a book from time to time Dean,” she added, crossing her arms as she looked at him.

She’d gotten sassy over the years and it only made Dean smirk more, “Alright smartass, you want to tag along too?” he asked, straightening himself up to look at her.

She rolled her eyes, “Just take the woman home,” she replied, rolling her eyes again.

Dean looked over at Sam who was doing his best not to laugh, “How long you been dealing with that?” he asked.

“I’m pretty sure only you can bring that side of her out Dean,” Sam chuckled.

“Great,” Dean replied, slightly frustrated before he looked over at her, “Nevermind, you’re not going,” he said with a mild attitude.

“I never said I wanted to go,” she told him, with her own attitude, slightly enjoying getting under his skin, “I’m gonna go back inside with Jess,” she told Sam before she left the two of them out there.

Maria returned inside reassuring Jess once she made it to the living room. Sam arrived shortly afterward, “You’re going aren’t you?” Maria asked him as she looked up at him.

“It’s my Dad, I have to,” he replied with a sigh as he went to his room to pack what he’d need.

“Don’t worry Jess, he’ll be back. I’m sure everything is fine,” Maria told her with a soft smile.

Sam headed out shortly after, hugging them both and kissing Jess, promising to be back by Monday morning. The girls eventually found sleep shortly after that, although Maria was worried about John now, but her dreams had other ideas.

She hadn’t dreamt about it in years, nor had she even thought about it, but that box was there again, a slight blue and white glow coming from it under her truck seat. She saw her parents and Bobby sitting in a living room next, but that didn’t last long either. Then, she was driving somewhere on a paved road through a forest. It wasn’t like a backroad or even a highway. It was a one-lane road and she wasn’t going very fast. In the distance, she could see what looked like an abandoned building. Before she could get close to inspect it, the dream shifted again. Her Uncle was at home, sitting behind his desk, drinking, only there was a small box in front of him. “Damnit, kid, you promised,” Bobby said sadly as he stared at the box.

Maria felt a pain in her heart before she woke up with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. The promise she’d made to him almost four years ago came flooding back and she felt horrible. It was just after dawn, so she got up, made some coffee before changing, and then began packing her belongings.

“What’s going on?” Jess asked her as she came into the living room.

“I have to go see my Uncle. I… I broke a promise to him, and I have to make it right,” Maria told her, “But I’ll be back. I just need to make this right.”

Jess smiled at her, “I understand, and I’ll be fine. It’s not like I haven’t been here alone before. Family’s important,” she reassured her, which made Maria smile a little.

An hour later, she loaded her belongings into her truck and took a deep breath. She had a lot of explaining to do, and she knew it. Maria texted Sam to let him know where she’d be, as a just in case before she finally started the engine and got on the road. She wasn’t ready to pull that box out from under her seat just yet. She needed to make things right with her uncle first.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 11 - So much for being normal

Tag List: @deans-spinster-witch @kazsrm67

Link to the master list for this story.

12 notes · View notes