#but still I'd like a cannon explanation

[disgruntleddemon]

I think I'm gonna watch the 13th ghost of scooby doo today. I'm not like the biggest fan of the original series, but the retcons of the movie are annoying. Def curious to see how they handle em. I don't think I'll consider this movie cannon to the show, which is a shame w it supposed to tie up the loose ends. Also rip Scrappy, you didn't deserve that buddy 😔✊

But ye, i suspect the movie will be interesting regardless lol

#like damn how're they gonna explain the very obvious supernatural shit?? #like stuff was happening outside of the main characters #why would the monsters just be totally on their own still plotting and acting?? #were the characters drugged or some shit?? #i think if i made a sequel decades later I'd probably have it as like a 45 minute special or something #and keep both the dark aesthetic and jovial tone of the show #I'd really like an explanation on Flim Flam's whole deal #who is this miscellaneous child??? #i mean i hc Vincent as his guardian #but still I'd like a cannon explanation #i think I'd really wanna focus on the show's group's dynamic cause it's so odd #ok rambling aside now lmao

[ivymarquis]

Hi loves 💕💕 I saw requests are open so I figured I'd send one in! I absolutely love your work you're so talented and I binge read all of your fics!!

I would like to request fem reader x soap where Soaps wife adopted a dog she found on the streets and keeps her even though he hates the idea.( he has a cannon fear of dogs which I find a little funny) slowly but surely he warms up to the dog but not fully. While he's out on a mission there's a robbery and the dog protects the reader and scares off the intruder. Soap hears about this and is instantly is best friends with the dog because even though he hates dogs he loves that the pup will protect his wife (I also hc that mabey it's not a street dog but a retired k9 reader adopted to feel safe while he was gone and she just didn't tell him until he comes home and sees a dog. it's up to you what you pick💓)

Hello anon I appreciate your patience!! I did pick and choose a wee bit to make the fic make sense for me, I hope you like it!

The Exception to the Rule

Pairing| Soap x Reader Rating| T Word Count| 1.9K Content/Warnings| Housekeeping first- this fic is SFW so if you find it in the tags I won’t be bothered about minors reading it but I am an MDNI blog and I will block any minors or ageless blogs who follow me. Got it? Cool. The author is an American attempting to write a Scottish accent, likely inaccuracies about how military dogs in general or bomb dogs in specific work. Allusions to prior animal injury, allusion to potential dog choking (in the context of choking off a working dog who won’t release its quarry), allusion to home invasion, dog bites, Johnny is not happy, the author does not condone getting animals you know your partner has issues with (but the plot necessitates it so on we go!)

Soap knows his wife well enough to know when she’s taken a “ask for forgiveness rather than permission” course of action. It’s written all over her face when she accepts his FaceTime call and answers his greeting of “What did ya dae, hen?“ with a “Please don’t be mad.”

Now certain men might have to worry about their brides stepping out on them on deployment. Soap knows her well enough to not even entertain that notion, so the wheels start turning for what exactly she could have done that has her looking this guilty out the gate.

The answer comes very suddenly in the form of a bark on the other end of the screen.

John Soap MacTavish sputters, something he is not often inclined to do, “Is that a fuckin’ dog?” And not just a dog. That wasn’t a little yappy fluffball who can be picked up with two fingers if need be. It sounds like one of the damn bomb dogs always yapping over in the kennels.

“Please don’t be mad!” She pleads again.

“Well a’m not happy, that’s for sure. Where and why did ye git that thing?”

This is completely out of character for her. Soap’s disdain for dogs (and why) is well known. She bloody well knows. So what the hell?

“It’s not permanent! You said this deployment would be a long one, and there’s been break ins in the neighborhood and I got nervous and my friend told me about this rescue group that helps rehome retired military dogs.” Her explanation is all in one breath. “They approved us” (Us??) ”as a foster family. He’s already got applications in for a permanent home. It just feels,” she pauses to catch her breath, and Soap can feel himself softening ever so minisculely to the dog- as long as he’s on the other side of the world, away from it, “safer here, with him here since you’re gone. The break ins have been really scary, they haven’t caught the guy yet.”

Fucking hell how is he supposed to argue with that? Especially if there’s some prick on the loose breaking into houses.

“Cujo better nae be oan th’ bed wi’ ye,” he grouses, acquiescing while still making his displeasure known.

“His name is Kabar and I’ll have the bed freshly stripped when you’re due back I promise.”

Soap is a god damn sucker for those pleading doe eyes, giving a big exasperated sigh to signal he’s letting her off the hook. “Fine. Bit he better be gaen by th’ time I pull intae th’ driveway. Let’s see th’ damn thing then,” Christ he hopes it’s not a Belgian Malinois. He knows they’re popular for military dogs but his darling is not built to handle a maligator, retired or not.

“Okay hang on,” she replies, notably cheerier as she taps the screen.

It’s a German Shepherd, thank fuck (Johnny must be having a stroke to be grateful for the sight of a German Shepherd in his bed)

He knows as well as anyone else they can be intense, but they’re a step down from the Malinois at least.

The coloring is traditional, but Soap’s brain starts nudging him that something is wrong with the dog. It takes a moment to click before he realizes the problem.

The damn dog only has three legs. “Is he a tripod?” The question is out before he can stop himself because no he is not inquiring about the damn dog. It was just a thought that escaped.

“He is a disabled veteran!” His bride corrects cheekily, before much more solemnly adding “He was a bomb dog.”

Oh Christ. He did not need to know that. Doesn’t need to think about the damn animal waking up one day with four legs and clocking in to work with his handler before boom.

“A’m only entertaining this because of the break ins, hen, am ah clear?”

Maybe having that booming bark rattling the windows will keep any would-be intruders at bay. This is the worst part of the job- being stuck on what might as well be the other side of the world when she’s got something to deal with.

“Absolutely crystal clear!” She’s all too agreeable, pleased as hell to have her cake (the dog) and eat it too (Johnny tolerating it).

Somehow this is going to blow up in his face and he’s going to permanently end up with a fucking military dog he doesn’t want, he just knows it.

But there’s no fucking way he can tell her No. Absolutely not. He goes back today, with a potential threat lurking around the neighborhood. He’d never forgive himself.

The rest of the conversation is much more in line with what he usually anticipates with their phone calls being- He doesn’t much like talking about work off the clock although lets her know of any interesting shenanigans around the base, and listening with baited breath as she regails him of tales both extraordinary and, well, extra ordinary.

Usually their phone calls end when she passes out in bed, and they’re perfectly poised to continue that habit tonight also.

“Ye made sure all th’ doors and windows are locked, hen?” He asks as she starts snuggling into the bedding underneath her.

“Yeah Johnny, I,” she cuts herself off with a big yawn “-I double checked them.”

It’s a few minutes later that the phone slips from her hand, camera pointing at the ceiling as she drifts off.

Johnny can almost imagine he’s at home laying on his back, watching the rhythmic movements of the ceiling fan in time with his lovely girl snoring slightly in his ear (despite her verbose protests that no she doesn’t snore- okay. Whatever you say, gorgeous.)

It’s an incredibly comforting moment that lets him feel a bit closer to home that is ruined by the sound of snuffling by the speaker.

The dog’s nose appears on screen, the angle making him look like an aardvark as he sniffs the phone before laying down, presumably relishing in the fact there’s not a damn thing Soap can do about this situation.

“Ye better keep an eye oan my girl, Cujo.” Soap grumbles as he begrudgingly hangs up the phone.

The mission ends quicker than expected- substantially quicker- and as content as Soap is with getting home he also is annoyed.

The mission got cut so short, and it’s so damn late by the time Soap is driving home that he knows the fucking dog is still there. The agreed upon date has not yet passed, which means that fuck is lazing about on his side of the bed.

Not to mention the mere obstacle of convincing a former military dog he’s never met, in the middle of the night, that yes this is his fucking house and he’s the one paying the bills around here and yes that actually is his spot on the bed so kindly fuck off.

At a point during his drive home, a police car flies by him. Then another. Then another.

Must be the fucker that’s been breaking into homes. Hopefully he gets caught and that’s one less thing to worry about when Johnny leaves again.

Except the red and blue lights seem to be fucking honed in from the spot that he’s steadily driving to, and Johnny’s convinving himself that he’s seeing things. There is no way that those lights and sirens are stemming from his house, thank you very much.

Even still, he feels himself driving faster. The sooner to quiet his anxiety that’s brewing.

The anxiety doesn’t dissipate as he makes each turn to his home. If anything it gets worse.

Because all that noise and the flashing lights are stemming from his own fucking home. Johnny can barely get the thing in park before he’s flying out of the vehicle. He can hear screams and specifically her crying and in an instant Johnny’s beyond being keyed up.

One of the officers attempts to intercept Johnny- thinks he’s just some nosy fuck from who knows where- and it takes everything in him not to blow his top entirely as he cuts the man off with a stern “This is mah house ‘n she’s mah wife!”

The sound of his voice booming into the night is enough to catch her attention and bring her running to him. Johnny embraces her as she flings herself at him, crying into his shirt as he strokes her back and soothes her.

He can piece together the general what happened, although he’s completely unaware of the details.

One piece begins to fit into place as he starts to hear what all the screaming is. His initial attention completely fixated on ensuring his wife is whole and hale, now he can check that off the mental list he now has the bandwidth to listen to the bellowing.

“Git it aff me! Och Jesus, someone git it aff o' me!”

“Cannae git th’ damn thing tae release him,” Johnny hears one of the officers comment dryly.

“Can always choke him off if the owners can’t git him tae let go,” the other one supplies.

“Eh, ah guess,” the first one responds in a bored tone that makes it clear he has a this guy fucked around and now he’s finding out, and I don’t see a reason to hurry- the dog looks happy anyway, stance to the situation.

On the side of the house, face down in the grass is the man who presumably broke inside.

He is so incredibly lucky there are witnesses and a sobbing wife to curtail the dark, angry thoughts swirling around in Johnny’s brain. Otherwise all it would take would be one phone call to Laswell and this prick disappears forever.

Attached to the calf of that man is Cujo, happily laying on the ground with his tail wagging slowly like his teeth aren’t sunk inside a man’s flesh. If the dog gets too annoyed with the man’s wiggling he shakes him like a chew toy, starting up a fresh round of someone git this fucking dog aff o’ me! until he lays still.

The mention of choking the dog off the would-be intruder doesn’t slip past his darling in the slightest, looking up at him with wet, pleading eyes.

Damn it all, he’s always a sucker for that look.

“Johnny, do you know how to make him let go? I don’t want him choked!”

He decides she’s probably better off not being told how often that ends up having to happen, and that Cujo will be just fine minus a few brain cells if push comes to shove.

But he has spent enough time (against his will, mind) around the dogs that he’s learned the basic commands over the years through repeated exposure.

“No promises, hen, bit we’ll see.” The dog has never met him a day in his life- there’s no guarantee he’s going to listen to a man that’s a stranger barking orders at him, but Johnny gives the sharp German command anyway.

To his surprise, the dog lets go immediately and turns towards them, giving the skipping lope that a 3 legged dog does before placing himself in a heel at Soap’s side, eyes wide and head tilted.

Johnny doesn’t want to think about what could have happened tonight if it wasn’t for Cujo- Kabar- taking such an involved roll in apprehending the man stupid enough to break into his home.

And he’s most assuredly not magically over his aversion to dogs- especially military dogs- but he might be able to tolerate an exception if it means having some peace of mind that his wife is safe at home.

#john soap mactavish x reader #soap x reader #john soap mactavish #cod x reader #my writing

[brainworms-all-night-long]

I bring forth the promissed Tails angst headcanons!!! cuz god forbid I go to sleep on time and stay asleep. Most of these (all of them actually I think) are stolen or derived from works of other people over the time I've spent in this fandom, so y'all are more than welcome to add your own!!

This one got way longer than anticipated

× Not in any particular order, but my favorite one is gotta be that those two brown foxes always seen bulling Tails are his older siblings. "Oh but they don't even look similar!!" Shh Tails has leucism, which brings its own share of problems and an extra mutation to get ostracized for. Buuut the crux of this headcannon is that irl fox family structures work like that. Unlike wolves who playfight with no real harm meant, fox kits engage in lethal baby fights, usually ganging up on the weaker and smaller ones of the litter, while the parents continue doing their best taking care of the ones that remain.

× While the topic of not so great family is up, Tails got his gambling habits from his dad. Before he ended up abandoned in the woods, that was the only way he heard was a "quick and easy" way to make money. And back in the day when Sonic was struggling to make the change, Tails offered to help in any way he could. (This is more wholesome than angst but remember!! Gambling is the ultimate evil of the world!!!) That is to say, speedrunning getting banned from every casino he visited (this is cannon actually)

× Besides many other not exactly ideal horrible things his parents done to him, one of the smaller ones was that they refused to read him bedtime stories. Absolutely fucking not. So he ignored the jealousy he felt towards his siblings and learned to read on his own very, very early on. He also cried the first time Sonic offhandedly offered to read him a story book.

× Tails is really good at hide and seek, specifically the hide part. He had to learn to be good at it if he wanted to avoid another bruise or broken bone. He doesn't really enjoy the role of seeker either, bro still hasn't found his parents (could've worded that more seriously but I'm in a silly goofy mood) as such he also doesn't like the game.

× And he feels the same about Tag. Not a big fan of being chased down for the sole purpose of than being faced with sudden physical contact. I'd say it gets better with time as most of his insecurities do, but he refuses the play as he ages up, he has no time for that!! He's a responsible adult now!! (He's 11)

× He's also really good at swimming cuz he had to learn how to swim, if he didn't want to get drowned multiple times over.

× He likes it best when he's sleeping on an elevated surface since thats where he felt the safest. Because no one would think to look for an animal who's most adapted to dig a burrow up between tree branches.

× Also one is really big fan of Tails' namesakes subconsciously twirling together into one when he's uncomfortable around someone. Even years later when he no longer feels any insecurity about them or his capability to defend himself, he kept the habit.

× Tails' fur coat is really thick and shiny now that he can properly take care of it. It hides a lot of scars and the visible ones are usually assumed to be from work accidents. Most of them are much older than his ability to tinker freely however.

× Now I bring to the table something sillier; Forever short king Tails. Listen I love older/adult Tails taller than Sonic as much as the other guy, mainly cuz I Understand that frustration of your younger siblings growing taller than you, but for today's angst purposes, he had (has) really poor nutrition and extremely stressful environment, which stunted his growth, so he shall be short forever.

× Tying into Tails not getting to eat as often when he was a literal toddler; while I generally don't feel the need to have explanations or extensive backstories for likes, dislikes and phobias of a character, someone said that when Tails was a tiny guy and starving, he learned that chewing on mint leaves helped satiate the hunger just a bit so mint remained as his comfort food and I hadn't been the same since

× And at last, way back when, all alone in a tiny cave he found and took refuge in from time to time, especially the days he felt not so well, he was almost sure he'd die of sickness once. Tails was no stranger to getting sick or wondering if hed make it through another day, but with this one he genuinely felt like he was dying. Since then, he has fully accepted that any night could be his last. For a kid not even in the double digits, he is pretty lax about the idea of suddenly facing death for good. Sonic is not a big fan of that.

#sonic the hedgehog #a low budge jumpscare to those that though tails exlusive angst is over >:) #these have been sitting in my head for a while and I at long last yelled them out into the void #*gently pats Tails' head* this little guy can fit so much trauma and worrysome habbits into him #love him sm #miles tails prower #tails the fox #sonic headcanons #silly brainworms

[underground-secret]

The Hunter and the Witch~ Dean Winchester x F! reader

Description: The boys and reader come to the aid of Sam's old college buddy after he is accused of a murder he swears he didn't commit. They discover a shapeshifter is adopting the likenesses of others and murdering people.

Warnings: cannon violence, not my GIF, shapeshifters, teasing, tension 🤭, choking, kidnapping, mentions and usage of guns, being tied up, murder

Tag list: @jesllianaquilesrolonsworld , @okayiamkassandra , @fablesrose, @ada--44

Word Count: roughly 8,000

(Not my GIF but we can still appreciate it)

Skin

(Master list, Previous Chapter, Next Chapter)

The Impala comes to a stop in front of a gas pump, the slightly warmer breeze of late February brushing through the car as Dean opens his door, half sitting out the door.

“Alright, I figure we’d hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight.” Dean announces. I hum in agreement with a little nod of my head, Dean looks back at me in acknowledgment and then at Sam, who has given no response or recognition.

He rolls his eyes, “Sam wears women’s underwear.”

“I’ve been listenin’, I’m just busy.” Sam shrugs his brother off, looking down at his PalmPilot.

“Busy doin’ what?” Dean shoots back.

“Reading e-mails.” Sam says simply, not even bothering to look up. Dean gets out of the car and rounds it, beginning to fill the tank with gas, “E-mails from who?”

“From my friends at Stanford” Sam replies.

“You’re kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?” Dean scuffs.

“Hey I don’t see anything wrong with that” I chime in truthfully.

“Well, what exactly does he tell ‘em?” Dean switches his gaze to Sam now, “You know, about where you’ve been, what you’ve been doin’?”

“Thank you Y/N.” Sam begins with before actually answering Dean's questions, “I tell ‘em I’m on a road trip with my big brother and best friend. I tell ‘em I needed some time off after Jess.”

“Oh, so you lie to ‘em.” Den acknowledges.

“That’s not technically lying, he's just not giving all the details” I point out.

“Yeah, that’s still called lying. I mean, hey, man, I get it, tellin’ the truth is far worse.” Dean responds.

“So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?” Sam asks, Dean shrugs, “You’re serious?” he adds.

“Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can’t get close to people, period.” Dean states.

“Okay well, what about Y/N? We’ve known her for a long time but she’s not blood related, and I'd say you’re pretty close to her.” Sam brings up smiling to himself as if he knows he won, before quickly adding, “No offense Y/N.”

“Non taken” I answer, curious to hear Dean's response.

Dean goes quiet, just staring at his younger brother with big eyes and a tight jaw as if to tell him to stop. Finally he answers, mumbling, “That’s different.”

Without missing a beat Sam immediately follows up with, “How so?”

This time Dean really doesn't answer, just kind of looks awkwardly around. Realizing he won’t get an answer Sam adds, “Exactly.”

Dean rolls his eyes, half turning away to check how much longer he has to be there for.

Suddenly Sam speaks up again, except this time without his cocky smile and sassy attitude, “God….”

Dean turns back ‘round quickly, “What?”

“In this e-mail from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine.” Sam begins.

“Is she hot?” Dean cuts in, getting a look from both Sam and I before going back to the real situation at hand.

Sam ignores him, continuing his explanation, “I went to school with her, and her brother, Zack. She says Zack’s been charged with murder. He’s been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn’t do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case.”

“Dude, what kind of people are you hangin’ out with?” Dean exclaims, putting the pump back in its place and closing the tank he rounds the car again.

“No, man, I know Zack. He’s no killer.” Sam assures as his brother gets back in the car.

“Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you.” Dean offers.

“They’re in St. Louis. We’re goin’.” Sam orders.

Dean chuckles, “Look, sorry ‘bout your buddy, okay? But this does not sound like our kind of problem.”

“It is our problem. They’re my friends.” Sam shoots back.

“St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam.” Dean says, looking through the rear view mirror. He meets my eyes and I give him a pleading, knowing look. He sighs as he pulls out of the gas station, he makes a U-turn now driving back the way we came.

“Oh my God, Sam!” Rebecca greets happily, the long haired blonde smiling brightly.

“Well, if it isn’t little Becky.” Sam jokes bending down slightly with his arms open for a hug. She wraps her arms around him tightly, “You know what you can do with that little Becky crap.”

It’s odd but endearing to see Sam like this, being able to have a peek into what his life was like when he was away at college. When he was happy, things were a little bit simpler.

They break away and Sam turns serious, “I got your e-mail.” Her smile falters, “I didn’t think that you would come here.”

Dean steps forward and extends his hand, “Dean. Older brother.” She shakes his hand looking at him with a hint of confusion, “Hi.”

“Hi.” Dean says back with his cocky smile.

Her eyes wander over to me, as if signaling it’s my turn to introduce myself with a little wave, “Hi! I’m Y/N a, uh, good friend of these two.”

“Nice to meet you” She smiles back.

Sam, rightfully, cuts in, “We’re here to help. Whatever we can do.”

“Come in.” She steps aside leading us further into the house, Dean being the one to close the door.

“Nice place.” Dean compliments looking around the cozy well loved home.

“It’s my parents’. I was just crashing here for the long weekend when everything happened. I decided to take the semester off. I’m gonna stay until Zack’s free.” She explains, as we follow her through the house.

“Where are your folks?” Sam asks.

“They lived in Paris for half the year, so they’re on their way home now for the trial.” She answers as we enter the kitchen, “ Do you guys want a beer or something?”

Dean smiles, “Hey—“

“No, thanks. So, tell us what happened.” Sam cuts him off, definitely for the better. This isn’t the time nor the place for drinks.

She leans against the island as she begins, “Well, um, Zack came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair. And she was beaten up and bloody, and she wasn’t breathing.” Her voice gets all crackly, tears freely flowing, “So, he called 911, and the police—they showed up, and they arrested him. But, the thing is, the only way that Zack could’ve killed Emily is if he was in two places at the same time. The police—they have a video. It’s from the security tape from across the street. And it shows Zack coming home at 10:30. Now, Emily was killed just after that, but I swear, he was here with me, having a few beers until at least after midnight.”

“You know, maybe we could see the crime scene. Zack’s house.” Sam offers.

“We could.” Dean adds

“Why? I mean, what could you do?” Rebecca asked.

“Well, me, not much. But Dean’s a cop.” Sam clarifies, nudging his brother.

Dean laughs, “Detective, actually.”

“Really? Where?” Rebecca gushes.

Easily Dean shrugs, “Bisbee, Arizona. But I’m off-duty now.” It always amazes me how easily these two lie, well mostly on Sam’s part.

“You guys, it’s so nice to offer, but I just—I don’t know” She stammers

“Bec, look, I know Zack didn’t do this. Now, we have to find a way to prove that he’s innocent.” Sam explains, eyebrows scrunched together in seriousness.

“Okay. I’m gonna go get the keys.” She leaves us alone in the kitchen, walking down the hall to get those keys.

“Oh, yeah, man, you’re a real straight shooter with your friends.” Dean comments, lightly shoving his brother.

“Look, Zack and Becky need our help” Sam pleads.

“I just don’t think this is our kind of problem.” Dean shrugs.

“Oh come on Dean, it's the right thing to do.” I add, joining the pleading party. “Yeah and two places at once? We’ve looked into less.” Sam points out. Dean sighs but remains silent in defeat, he won’t win this one especially when it’s the both of us pleading with him. He didn’t stand a chance.

The Impala pulls up across the street from Zack’s house, the white building in contrast with the yellow crime scene tape plastered on its outside.

We get out of the car, Rebecca having rode with me in the backseat, “You’re sure this is okay?” She asks Dean. “Yeah. I am an officer of the law.” Dean says all nonchalant as he leads us to the house.

Opening the door to this taped off house revealed a mess of blood. There was blood smeared on the walls and the furniture, a table cluttered with fruit, playing cards and newspapers as if a life was interrupted. And it was. One life physically gone and never coming back and another life, who is potentially innocent, sits rotting away in a jail cell. Rebecca remains strigid just outside the constraints of the police tape. Sam turns back to her, “Bec, you wanna wait outside?”

“No. I wanna help.” With tears in her eyes she ducks underneath the tape.

Dean and I walk slowly around the house, observing the messy crime scene. And although neither of us are actual police officers or forensic scientists it doesn't take a genius to figure out there was a struggle, based on the upturned furniture and the blood splatter alone.

Meanwhile Sam stays with his friend,“Tell us what else the police said.”

“Well, there’s no sign of a break-in. They say that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers—they’re already talking about plea bargain.” She looks around the room and begins to cry, “Oh, God…”

“Look, Bec, if Zack didn’t do this, it means someone else did. Any idea who?” Sam asks her, over the loud noise of a dog barking nearby.

She shakes her head, “Um, there was something, about a week before. Somebody broke in here and stole some clothes—Zack’s clothes. The police—they don’t think it’s anything. I mean, we’re not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed.”

Sam walks away from her with a nod. I then walk over to the half open front door, looking at the neighbors dog who hadn’t stopped barking the entire time we’ve been here.

I feel her come up behind me, “You know, that used to be the sweetest dog.”

“Oh, what happened to him?” I ask her, still looking at the black dog who bared its teeth as it barked relentlessly. If she hadn’t said anything I would think this dog was always aggressive, mean even.

“He just changed” She replies, half shrugging.

“Do you know when that change occurred?” I half turn to her.

“I guess around the time of the murder.”

I nod in confirmation, making a mental note, walking away towards the boys, a comforting hand on Rebecca’s shoulder.

The brothers stand in the hallway looking at a framed photograph of Sam, Zack, and Rebecca all together, talking over something I couldn’t quite catch. It’s bittersweet to think that even after Sam left for his “road trip” that his friends hadn’t forgotten him, had even kept up a photo of them all together.

“Apparently the neighbors dog suddenly became all aggressive around the time of Zack’s girlfriend's murder.” I retell the information I just gained. “Animals can have a sharp sense of the paranormal.” Sam adds.

“I was thinking the same thing” I nod along.

Sam turns to his brother, “So, you think maybe this is our kind of problem?”

“No. Probably not. But we should look at the security tape, you know, just to make sure.” Dean answers simply.

“Yeah.” Sam says

“Yeah.” Dean says back just as Rebecca walks over to us, “So, the tape. The security footage—you think maybe your lawyers could get their hands on it, ‘cause I just don’t have that kind of jurisdiction.”

“I’ve already got it. I didn’t wanna say something in front of a cop.” She answers, causing Dean to laugh (a little uncomfortably), “I stole it off the lawyer’s desk. I just had to see it for myself.”

“All right.” Dean says with the slightest hint of a smirk, leading us out just as he led us in.

After seeing the crime scene, Rebecca’s home stood as a total contrast. The clean cozy vibe of the home being completely absent of blood and the act of murder.

“Here he comes.” Rebecca turns her laptop towards us, pointing to the tape of Zack entering his house.

“22:04, that’s just after ten. You said time of death was about 10:30.” Dean points out.

“Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert. He says the tape’s authentic. It wasn’t tampered with.” She explains.

“Hey, Bec, can we take those beers now?” Sam cuts in, and if I hadn’t known him. Hadn’t known it was probably because he’d seen something he couldn’t exactly say with her around then I’d say it was a jerkish move.

“Oh, sure.” She gets up from the couch.

“Hey.” He calls out, forcing her to turn around, “Maybe some sandwiches, too?”

“What do you think this is, Hooters?” She replies back as she leaves the room. If I hadn’t known if I liked her before this I definitely do now.

“I wish.” Dean muttered in a hushed tone. I lightly smack the back of his head in warning. His head snapped towards me, and his eyes widened with confusion. “Don’t give me that look; you know what that was for!” I whispered, my words sharp as I poked his chest. He seized my wrist, his grip tight enough to send a shiver down my spine. The room seemed to grow smaller as my mouth fell slightly agape, and I gazed up at him through my eyelashes. He peered down at me, his green eyes seemingly a couple shades darker, a cocky smile on his face.

"Guys!" Sam whisper-shouted, and the small moment between Dean and me shattered like fragile glass. Dean quickly dropped my wrist, the cocky smile vanishing as he was caught in the act. My head reluctantly turned towards the taller man, although all I wanted was to keep my eyes on Dean, to feel his attention solely on me, but now it was all disrupted.

"Check this out," Sam rewinds the tape, seemingly unfazed by what he just witnessed. I clear my throat, attempting to dispel the lingering, fuzzy feeling that Dean's touch had stirred within me. This wasn't the time or place for distractions. Shifting my focus back to the reality of the hunt at hand, I watch as Sam rewinds the tape once more. In one of the frames, Zack stares directly at the camera, his eyes an eerie shade of silver, far from anything normal. Sam pauses the tape once again.

“Well, maybe it’s just a camera flare.” Dean shrugs, skepticism lingering in his voice.

“That’s not like any camera flare I’ve ever seen. You know, a lot of cultures believe that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul.” Sam informs.

“Right.” Dean says, unamused.

“No! Sam’s right! The belief has deep rooted ties to certain Native American cultures, it stems from the idea that a photograph freezes a moment in time and can capture a person’s spirit or energy at that moment.” I explained with a beaming smile, happy to share the fact.

“Do I even want to know why you know that?” Dean asks me to which I just shrugged, “I love fun facts.”

“Anyway” Sam continued, “Remember that dog that was freakin’ out? Maybe he saw this thing. Maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zack’s, something that looks like him but isn’t him.”

“Like a Doppelganger.” Dean concluded.

“Yeah. It’d sure explain how he was two places at once.” Sam finished.

As dawn broke, the persistent nudge of the boys broke me from my slumber, rousing me from a deep, cozy dream. With a groggy sigh, I realized it was just 5 a.m., way too early for me. Regret gnawed at my bones as I recalled having given them the spare key to my motel room for precisely these sort of moments.

Reluctantly, I rolled out of bed and slipped into the comforting embrace of leggings, a sports bra, and a thick zip up sweater to fend off the early morning chill. As we piled into the car and set out for Zack's home once more, the chill weather and the steady movement of the car nearly brought me back to the darkness of sleep.

The car was now parked discreetly behind the house, and we stepped out, greeted by the morning's biting cold that nipped at our cheeks. "Alright, so why are we here at 5:30 in the morning?" Dean inquired, as he nursed a cup of coffee. "Mmm, yeah, it's way too early for all of this," I mumbled groggily in agreement.

"I realized something. The videotape shows the killer going in, but not coming out," Sam explained, gesturing toward the house behind him. "So, he came out the back door?" Dean pointed out, leaning against the hood of his car, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Right. So, there should be a trail to follow. A trail the police would never pursue," Sam clarified, walking up to a large red garbage can. "Because they think the killer never left. And they caught your friend Zack inside. I still don't know why we're here at 5:30 in the morning," Dean grumbled, taking another sip from his coffee.

Sam walked away to scour the area only to stop near a telephone pole, noting, "Blood. Somebody came this way." Dean and I exchanged a perplexed look before joining Sam near the smeared blood. "The trail just ends...?" I inquired, glancing around to confirm what we were all seeing.

Suddenly the loud blaring of an ambulance sped past us, the red, white, and blue lights illuminating on the houses it passed. Once again, we exchanged a glance that balanced on the edge of caution and curiosity. With that unspoken understanding, we swiftly returned to the car and pursued the blaring ambulance.

Upon our arrival, a slightly older Asian man was being forcibly guided into a police car, his wrists cuffed tightly. Exiting the vehicle, we approached a woman nearby, clad in running wear. I asked her softly, "What happened?"

"He tried to kill his wife. Tied her up and beat her," the woman explained, causing my eyes to widen and my eyebrows to shoot up in shock.

"Really?" Sam inquired.

"I used to see him heading to work in the morning. He'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy," the woman sighed, her gaze fixed on the man being taken away.

Moments later we had split up, Sam and I together to semi-explore the crime scene, meaning the surrounding area since the police and a sizable forensic team were diligently at work. We were on the side of the house, scouring for any clues. Oddly enough, Sam sifted through garbage cans only to come up empty-handed. All we discovered was another trail of blood that suddenly terminated. We rounded to the front of the house.

"Hey," Dean called out, causing us to turn around. "Remember when I said this wasn't our kind of problem?"

"Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"Definitely our kind of problem," Dean nodded, sort of throwing his arm into it for emphasis.

"What caused the change of heart?" I inquired, stuffing my hands into my pockets to ward off the chill.

"Well, I just spoke to the patrolman who was first on the scene, heard this guy, Alex's story. Apparently, the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked," Dean elaborated, nodding towards a burly police officer standing nearby.

"So, he was in two places at once," Sam stated rather than asked.

"Exactly. Then he sees himself in the house; the police think he's a nutjob," Dean shot back without missing a beat.

"Two evil doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way, how sweet," I remarked sarcastically.

"Could be the same thing doing it, too," Dean suggested. Sam looked up in thought, "Shapeshifter? Something that can make itself look like anyone?"

"Well, you know, every culture all over the world has shapeshifter lore. All sorts of creatures who can transform themselves into animals or the other way around or even into other men, like skinwalkers, werewolves, nanaue, etcetera," I reminded.

"We've got two attacks within blocks of each other. I'm guessing we've got a shapeshifter prowling the neighborhood," Dean added.

"Let me ask you this Y/N—in all this shapeshifter lore, can any of them fly?" Sam asked me.

"Uh…no?" I answered.

He turned to Dean, leading the way, "Well then we picked up a trail here. Someone ran out the back of this building and headed off this way."

"Just like your friend's house," Dean confirmed.

"Yeah. And, just like at Zack's house, the trail suddenly ends. I mean, whatever it is just disappeared," Sam explained as we followed the trail of blood all the way to an empty street at the back of the house.

"Well, there's another way to go—down," Dean replied. The three of us peered down at a manhole.

"How lovely," I mumbled, not particularly thrilled about having to go into the sewers.

Sam lifts the grate up, allowing Dean to go in first with a smile with me following next down. Surprisingly the ladder wasn’t sticky and full of muck like I thought it’d be, but still it was gross to be down here and I don’t think two showers would be enough after this.

The tunnels were dark and leaky, a constant dripping sound coming from somewhere. “I bet this runs right by Zack’s house, too. The shapeshifter could be using the sewer system to get around.” Sam says, looking around.

“I think you’re right. Look at this.” Dean answers bending down in front of a glossy slimy pile of blood and skin. He takes out his pocket knife, pulling some of the skin up the slime of it glistening in the dim lights. I had to stop myself from gagging.

“Is this from his victims?” Sam inquires, a scrunched look of disgust on his face.

“You know, I just had a sick thought. When the shapeshifter changes shape—maybe it sheds.” Dean pointed out, letting the goop of the skin fall back to the floor.

“Why would you say that?” I cringe, my question more rhetorical than anything.

Dean opens the trunk of the Impala, taking out some bullets and entering them into the slots of the gun. “Well, one thing I learned from Dad, is that no matter what kind of shapeshifter it is, there’s one sure way to kill it.”

“Silver bullet to the heart.” Sam smiles, dimples on display.

“That’s right.” And as if on cue Sam’s phone rings.

“This is Sam.” He answers walking to the front of the car, remaining just in hearing range. And just as much as I hate to admit it, Dean and I stayed quiet to eavesdrop.

“We’re near Zack’s, we’re just checkin’ some things out.

…

What are you talkin’ about?

…

Why would you do that?

…

Bec—

…

We’re tryin’ to help.

….

Bec, I’m sorry, but—“ His hand drops to his side, sighing as he looks down,

Dean walks over to his brother with a half frown, “I hate to say it, but that’s exactly what I’m talkin’ about.” He pauses before continuing, “You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they’d be freaked.” Again he pauses, “It’s just—it’d be easier if—“

“If I was like you.” Sam finished his sentence.

Dean breathes out looking around, “Hey, man, like it or not, we are not like other people.” He pauses for a third time, “But I’ll tell you one thing. This whole gig—it ain’t without perks.” He holds up a gun at hip level, Sam takes it with a sigh and begins tucking it into the back of his jeans. He begins to walk away leaving Dean and I behind.

Dean walks back over to me by the open trunk, he leans against the car as I hand him a flashlight. “What’s with that pout?” He asks me, tilting his head down to catch my eyes.

“I’m not pouting” I smile, nearly laughing. “I happen to know you quite well, you were definitely pouting sweetheart.” He smiles now too, “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

I closed the trunk, Dean taking another flashlight from me so I could tuck a small gun into the side of my leggings as I balanced my own flashlight. “I’m thinking that…this job is destructive” I look up at Dean who waits for me to continue, “Seeing Sammy with Rebecca and how happy he was just seeing a friend from college, or that photo with the three of them all together. It was bittersweet to see that really, knowing that he was and can be happy without all this” I motion to the flashlights and the guns neatly tucked away.

“I know” he sighs, “lasting relationships ain’t exactly part of the job description” he smiles sadly and I know he didn’t really know what to say to me.

I gave him a slow nod, giving his upper arm a squeeze as I walked past him, “We should go before Sam starts bugging us for taking so long.”

With guns and flashlights drawn, we cautiously treaded through the sewer, a squishy, unpleasant noise underfoot with each step. I’d definitely need to burn my shoes and clothes after this ordeal.

The sewer resembled a labyrinth, an intricate network of pipes and tunnels twisting and turning in every direction. Drips of who-knows-what fell from the ceiling. Despite our careful steps to avoid the puddles on the ground, I still felt utterly disgusted. There was not enough showering in the world to cleanse me of this event.

With Sam leading the way, his gun extended ahead of him, Dean broke the silence, "I think we're close to its lair."

"Why do you say that?" Sam murmured without turning back to acknowledge his brother. "Because there's another nauseating pile next to your face," Dean retorted, using his flashlight to reveal a slimy heap of skin clinging to a pipe. Sam leaped back, repulsed. "Oh, God!" He glanced down at his shoulder, which had been perilously close to the pile.

I moved my flashlight just past Sam, revealing a pile of discarded clothes. "I think it's lived here for a while."

"Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with," Sam added, turning to face us. "Dean!" He suddenly shouted. Both of us spun around to see the shapeshifter, still in its last victim's form, right behind us. The shapeshifter struck Dean, sending him crashing to the sewer floor, then sprinted away. Sam fired twice, the bullets whizzing just above my head. He missed.

I bent down to assist Dean, who clutched his left shoulder, grimacing. "Get that son of a bitch!" He grunted and nodded as Sam took off, leaning against the wall. Dean gestured for me to follow his brother.

Running in a sewer was just as challenging as walking, with overhead pipes requiring us to duck to avoid collision.

Sam reached a ladder and began ascending it, lifting himself up and out. I followed, feeling the cold night air surrounding me as I emerged. We stood in a park, a distance from where we had entered, scanning the surroundings. Dean struggled out of the manhole, still holding his shoulder.

"All right, let's split up," Sam suggested, concealing his gun within his jacket, out of sight from the passersby in the park. The fact that they hadn't noticed us emerging from a manhole was beyond me, but I didn't question it when it worked in our favor.

“All right, I’ll meet you guys around the other side.” Dean agreed.

“Copy” I answered in confirmation, I twirled to the left as Sam headed right, and Dean proceeded straight. Despite the cold air, I unzipped my thick sweater to conceal my gun while ensuring I could still draw it swiftly. Even though I was comfy I began to regret just wearing a sports bra beneath my sweater, my stomach and above my breasts open to the frigid air.

I walked cautiously, weaving through crowds, scanning both people and the shops that remained open. Yet, street after street, there was no sign of our quarry. No more than five to ten minutes passed before I spotted Sam standing by a crosswalk. I tucked my gun into my leggings, finally able to zip up my sweater. He must have caught sight of me approaching from the corner of his eye.

"Nothing?" he asked, even though he likely knew the answer. I nodded in confirmation.

"Hey," Dean's voice called out from behind us, prompting us to turn toward him. "Anything?" he inquired, arms outstretched. "No. He's gone," Sam replied as his brother approached.

"Alright, let's get back to the car," Dean ordered, and we complied, turning to cross the street.

“You think he found another way underground?” Sam asks, stopping at the side of the Impala.

“Yeah, probably. You got the keys?” Dean retorts.

“Hey, didn’t Dad once face a shapeshifter in San Antonio?” Sam turns around facing Dean.

“Oh, that was Austin. It turned out not to be a shapeshifter, it was a thought form. A psychic projection, remember?”

“Oh, right. Here ya go.” He throws Dean the keys who catches it with his…left hand, he opens the trunk of the car. Sam walks off towards the front of the car but I hang back, maybe I'm overthinking it but this isn’t something that I can just let slip by.

“Hey, Dean” I call out my gun trained carefully on his back, “Yeah sweetheart” He answers turning around. I fight the urge to cringe hearing the usual endearing pet name curl off the lips of someone who wasn’t Dean, even more so a being who looked like him.

Sam sees my movements and swiftly moves to the right side of his brother, “Y/N! What are you doing”

“Yeah, chill. It’s me, all right?” ‘Dean shoots back his arms raised in defense.

“Sammy, he caught the keys with his left hand” I explained through gritted teeth. In my peripheral vision I see Sam’s eyes widen in realization, he mumbles, “Your shoulder was hurt.” His hand moved to the back of his waistband, searching for his gun. But before he could reach it, the shapeshifter swung a crowbar from the trunk, striking Sam down. My gun went off twice, the first bullet missing entirely, allowing the shapeshifter to hit Sam once more.

The second bullet nearly finding its mark, grazing his shoulder. He turned his head slowly toward me, glaring up at me through his lashes. A bullet grazing his shoulder didn't seem to slow him down. He stalked toward me, like a predator closing in on its prey. But before I could pull the trigger for a third time, he used the same crowbar to knock the gun out of my hand. The sharp metal sent the weapon tumbling, 'Dean' kicking it behind him, it sliding beneath the car.

He grinned at me, and my eyes widened with a mix of fear and determination. As he swung his arm back, ready to strike me with the crowbar, I grabbed hold of it, both hands clenching the cold metal. He was undeniably stronger than me, so I braced my feet even harder against the ground, bending my knees for added leverage and pushing up against the weapon.

His feet swept under me, sending me crashing hard to the ground, my back absorbing the brunt of the impact. I grunted, pushing myself up on my elbows, preparing to rise. But he quickly knelt over me, a knee on each side of my hips. 'Dean's' large, veiny hand closed around my throat, gripping it tightly. I used my hands to try and push him off, but it was futile. With his free hand, he seized my wrists, pinning them to my chest. My head lolled back against the concrete street.

My chest began to burn with the desperate need for air, and tears welled up in my eyes from the pain. Black spots started to invade my vision as I gazed up at 'Dean' through half lidded eyes. “Come on, baby," he growled, his voice raspy as his grip tightened even further. It was the last thing I heard before everything faded to black.

In and out, voices sang in a disjointed melody. Dim lights blurred behind my closed eyes. Fragments of Sam's voice pierced through the darkness, the words struggling to piece together. "Where...he...?...Dean?"

I blinked slowly, my head swaying to the side and then back. With a deep breath, my eyes snapped open. We were in the sewer.

Sam sat directly across from me, tightly bound to a pole, a rope encircling his neck. Strangely, it wasn't a rope that constricted my neck but something cold. I lurched my shoulders forward, feeling the restrictive, itchy rope around my ankles, wrists bound behind my back, and right beneath my breasts. It was then that I noticed my sweatshirt was missing.

"I wouldn't worry about him. I'd worry about you," 'Dean' told Sam, seemingly unaware that I was also awake.

I attempted to move my bound hands, intending to use my magic to free myself from the ropes, but nothing happened. I couldn't sense my magic at all. Panic began to well up within me. I kicked my feet out in frustration, though beneath the surface, I was terrified. I couldn't feel my magic.

'Dean's' head snapped toward me, his gaze drawn to my soft whimpers of fear. "Are you wondering why you can't just...poof out of there?" I didn't answer. He crouched down in front of me, tapping the cold, constricting object around my neck, the sharp clicking of his nails against metal audible. "Iron," he whispered. He firmly grasped my chin, moving my face as though to savor what he'd done, offering me no chance to evade his touch. "From what I've learned from you guys, this has never happened to you," he murmured. He was right; while I was aware of what could inhibit a witch's powers, it had never been used against me

"Fuck you," I spat out, the curse word feeling alien on my tongue. I wasn't one to curse often.

"Oh, right back at you, sweetheart," he chuckled, rising from his crouched position and strolling over to a nearby table.

"What do you mean, 'learn'?" Sam asked him. The shapeshifter paused, gripping his head in pain and grimacing, then suddenly relaxed.

This time, he moved over to Sam, his voice laden with resentment. "He's got some serious issues with you. You went to college, and he had to stay home. I mean, I had to stay home with Dad." He corrected himself, "You don't think I had dreams of my own? But Dad needed me. Where the hell were you?"

Sam brushed aside his comment and pressed, "Where is my brother?"

The shapeshifter leaned in close to Sam, his words oozing with bitterness. "I am your brother. See, deep down, I'm just jealous. You have friends. You could have a life. Me? I know I'm a freak. Sooner or later, everybody's going to leave me." He retreated to another table, this time picking up a knife.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"You left. Hell, I did everything Dad asked me to, and he ditched me, too. No explanation, nothing, just poof. Left me with your sorry ass. But, still, this life? It's not without its perks," he laughed darkly. "I meet the nicest people. Like little Becky."

His gaze shifted to me now, his head tilted to the side in a taunt "You know, Dean would bang her if he had the chance." I strained against my restraints, and he turned back to Sam. "Let's see what happens." He walked away, grabbing a bag on his way out.

As soon as the shapeshifter was out of sight, Sam and I began struggling against our restraints. "Damn it," Sam grunted.

I mirrored his efforts, but anxiety washed over me, and my breathing became rapid and shallow. Panic coursed through my veins, I couldn’t feel my magic. The unfamiliar absence of my powers only added to my distress. Leaning my head back against the pole, I hoped that somehow, it would rid me of the constricting iron collar around my neck.

"Y/N, you've got to breathe," Sam urged through gritted teeth as he continued to struggle against the bindings. I tried to listen to him, taking a deep breath that got caught in my throat as I attempted to swallow a sob, releasing a low whimper.

Suddenly, Sam ceased his struggles, and we both listened. We heard movement and coughing coming from somewhere behind him.

"That better be you, Sam, and not that freak of nature," Dean's voice called out from a corner his, also tied to a pole.

"Yeah, it's me," Sam chuckled. "He went to Rebecca's, looking like you," Sam added as he continued to struggle against his ropes.

"Well, he's not stupid. He picked the handsome one," Dean joked as he continued working on his own ropes. “Yeah, that’s the thing. He didn’t just look like you, he was you. Or he was becoming you.” Sam explains further.

“What do you mean?” Dean asks.

“I don’t know, it was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories.” Sam shrugs as well as he can in his confinement.

“You mean, like the Vulcan mind meld?” Dean references, escaping his ropes. “Yeah, somethin’ like that. I mean, maybe that’s why he doesn’t just kill us.” Sam suggests.

Dean walks over to us, standing between the two of us. I urged him to release Sam first, my voice trembling. He nodded and moved behind Sam to undo the ropes. “Maybe he needs to keep us alive. Psychic connection.” Sam was quickly freed and stood up to stretch his neck and flex his hands. "Go see if you can find a drill or something for that," Dean ordered, pointing at the metal collar around my neck. Sam nodded and began searching the nearby tables.

Dean crouched next to me, undoing my restraints as he inquired, "What is that thing?"

"Iron," I mumbled, and his eyes widened in realization. He pulled out a pocket knife, I assume he picked up from the nearby table. I flinched slightly, even though I knew this was Dean, the real Dean who would never harm me.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm just using it for the ropes," he reassured me, raising his hands in defense and displaying the knife. He glanced at his brother across the room, and I couldn't decipher their exchanged looks. I felt silly.

Sam approached with the drill in hand, "I got it," he said, kneeling on the other side of me to begin unscrewing the collar. It seemed to be a rectangular piece of iron cut from a sheet and then drilled into the pole around me, creating this confining device. The whirring of the drill close to my ear did little to ease my anxiety.

The rope around which had rested just below my breasts, fell free. Dean quickly moved on to the one binding my wrists, which came apart more easily, and then to my ankles. I placed my hands on my lap, my wrists slightly bruised from the rope, and finger imprints marked into my skin. I now dreaded seeing what my neck looked like.

Dean's large hands cupped my wrists, gently massaging my sore skin. His movements faltered when he realized his hands and fingers matched perfectly with the bruises. The whirring of the drill stopped as Sam shifted the metal slightly, allowing me to slip free. I shuffled away from the collar, standing up quickly, nearly stumbling over myself. The sensation of my abilities returning enveloped me, offering a sense of comfort.

Both brothers stood up from their crouched positions, and Sam walked away to place the drill somewhere.

Dean approached me slowly, as if I were a frightened animal. He paused just inches in front of me, his eyebrows furrowing as he scrutinized my bruised form. His hand reached up slowly, giving me the chance to evade him, but I didn't. I allowed him to cup my cheek, his touch gentle and in stark contrast to the shapeshifter. I reminded myself that the shapeshifter wasn't him.

His gaze was soft as he observed me, carefully tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. He'd already seen the bruises, but his eyes dipped to my neck again, a touch of sorrow evident in his gaze. Just like my wrists, if he put his hand to my neck, it would match perfectly. I knew he would blame himself for this later.

With his hand still cradling my cheek, he brought my face closer to his. His lips pressed to the crown of my head, lingering there for a moment, and I melted against him. The urge to cry washed over me again, though this time it wasn't from fear, but rather from the overwhelming relief.

"Sorry to ruin the moment, but we've got to go," Sam's voice broke the silence from across the room. Dean didn't jump back or withdraw, instead his lips left my head as his hand slid from my face gently. His hand sought mine, and we followed Sam as he led us out.

Sam kicks open a grate, going out first into an alleyway. I crawl out after him, Dean following closely behind. The cold air nipped at us, our jackets nowhere in sight, and though that mixed with my bruising wasn’t the greatest fun in the world I at least got to see Dean in a tight light gray shirt. This probably shouldn’t have been on my mind at this moment but it was a nice distraction.

“Come on. We gotta find a phone, call the police.” Sam orders.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re gonna put an APB out on me.” Dean exclaims.

Sam shrugs, “Sorry.”

“This way.” Dean runs off down the street.

We stood in front of a store window, a bunch of little tvs broadcasting the same news channel.

The reporter announces, “An anonymous tip led police to a home in the Central West End, where a S.W.A.T team discovered a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacker, a white male, approximately twenty-four to thirty years of age, was discovered hiding in her home.” A sketch of Dean appearing on screen, “

“Man! That’s not even a good picture.” Dean throws up his arms.

“It’s good enough” I answer, looking around at the passerby, “We should move somewhere more out of sight.”

“Agreed” Sam says walking off. “Man!” Dean complains following after his brother.

"Come on," Sam paused in the alleyway. "They said attempted murder. At least we know—"

"I didn't kill her," Dean cut him off.

"We'll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she's all right," Sam suggested. But I couldn't picture her wanting to see us.

"Alright, but first, I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him," Dean declared.

"We have no weapons. No silver bullets," Sam pointed out.

"Sam, the guy's walking around with my face. It's personal. I want to find him," Dean argued, crossing his arms.

"Okay. Where do we look?" Sam asked.

"Well, we could start with the sewers," Dean suggested.

"We have no weapons. He stole our guns. We need more," Sam reasoned.

"Oh," I laughed. "You want guns. I'll give you guns." I flicked my wrist, and a gray revolver appeared in my hand, just like when I produced the flare gun back during the wendigo hunt.

I handed the gun to Sam, adding, "How many do you want?"

“I don’t think I can wait, I'm gonna go check on Rebecca now.” Sam said as we walked around some back streets, near the person in question's house.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? No offense” I ask him.

“Yeah. You guys just wait for me don’t go into the sewers alone” Sam orders

“Sorry Sammy but do you really think i’ll be able to listen to that” Dean responds chuckling.

“Alright, fair point. Go, i’ll stay with Becca just don’t split up” Sam comprises, turning away to go to Rebecca’s.

Guns raised, Dean leads us across a ‘room’ in the sewer. The chamber filled candles and chains, more piles of disgusting skin and blood on the floor.

A muffling noise echoes through the halls, Dean and I share a look gripping our guns tighter as we approach a figure covered with a sheet.

Dean bends down to the figure, removing the sheet to see Rebecca beneath it. Her hands and feet were bound.

“Rebecca?” Dean and I ask at the same time.

“What happened?” I ask as Dean begins to undue her binds.

Rebecca begins to cry, “ I was walking home, and everything just went white. Someone hit me over the head, and I wound up here just in time to see that thing turn into me. I don’t know, how is that even possible?”

“Okay, okay. It’s okay.” Dean finishes untying her, “Come on. Can you walk?” She nods, “Okay, we’ve gotta hurry. Sam went to see you.”

Even from outside her house you could hear the commotion and most likely fighting that happened inside. Dean crept the door open, gun drawn as he snuck in. I mimicked his movement falling after him into the living room.

The shapeshifter was on top of Sam, pinning him down.

“Hey!” Dean calls out to the shapeshifter. He gets off of Sam turning to the voice that beckoned it. Two shots ring out, through the heart and down the shapeshifter went.

Rebecca enters running over to her friend, “Sam!”

Meanwhile Dean went over to the shapeshifter that looked like him yanking back his necklace that was stolen, and it was probably bad that I hadn’t known it was gone till now.

I sat in my usual spot in the back seat of the Impala, cozied up with my halloween blanket regardless of the fact it was early March. It’s my favorite and I won’t accept any criticism.

The early morning sun shone through the windows, we hadn’t slept last night, spending the entire time busy with the hunt and by the time it was over morning was already breaking and we had to leave to avoid the police. We stopped at the motel for our bags but that was it, we were going to bid our goodbyes and then head to the next state over to rest up. I wasn’t even able to shower, which was okay in retrospect, I'd feel cleaner mentally once we drove away from here. I’d thrown a random t-shirt I had over the sports bra I had been running around in for hours. We eventually did find our coats but I hadn’t taken mine with me, memories I hadn’t wanted to keep sewn into its fabric.

Dean leaned on the outside of the car looking at a map while Sam talked to his friend. Neither boy bothered me or had talked to me much in the couple of hours since the end of our hunt, perhaps too afraid to ask if I was okay or maybe they didn’t know what to say.

I looked out the window watching the trees dance slowly in the wind after waving bye to Rebecca, listening to the boys talk in front of the car.

“So, what about your friend, Zack?” Dean asks now ignoring the map.

“ Cops are blamin’ this Dean Winchester guy for Emily’s murder.” Sam jokes smiling, “They found the murder weapon in the guy’s lair, Zack’s clothes stained with her blood. Now they’re thinking maybe the surveillance tape was tampered with. Yeah, Becca says Zack will be released soon.”

Dean rolls his eyes, scuffing, before getting into the car.

We’ve only driven for a couple minutes before Dean brings back the subject of the hunt and everything that had unfolded, “Sorry, man.” Dean suddenly began.

“About what?” Sam responds.

“ I really wish things could be different, you know? I wish you could just be….Joe College.” Dean confesses.

“No, that’s okay. You know, the truth is, even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in.” Sam admits too.

“Well, that’s ‘cause you’re a freak.” Dean smiles that charming sweet smile.

“Yeah, thanks.” Sam laughs.

“Well, I’m a freak, too.” Dean adds

“You already know I'm one!” I topple on.

“See, we’re right there with ya, all the way.” Dean chuckles. “Yeah, I know you are.” Sam looks between Dean and I as he speaks.

“Those who freak together, stay together?” I offer with a smile, the car falling into laughter. The kind of laughter that lasts in the air even after it was over with, it was stupid of course but it left a warmth in my heart that blanketed me with just enough comfort to last me till the next state over where I'd be safe.

The car fell silent, big smiles on all our faces, “You know, I gotta say—I’m sorry I’m gonna miss it.” Dean announces randomly.

“Miss what?” Sam laughs lightly.

“How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?”

#dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #fanfiction #sam winchester #supernatural #john winchester #slow burn #witchcraft #series #mystery #winchester x reader #witch reader #romance #dean winchester x witch reader #dean winchester x female!reader #the hunter and the witch

[short-and-ugly]

Really normal length Skoodge analysis

Gonna just start with the simple things. Things you can get from watching one time alone. Maybe. Probably not I don't think you people think about him enough to gather any of this. No. I'm sorry I love you all. I'm just a specific level of detached from average not-Skoodge viewers and don't know what all is expected. It's that one meme "Even when compensating, experts in any field will overestimate the average person's knowledge."

It's rough. Let's get into it.

Speech is probably an easy one! Yeah? Yeah.

A lot of the things he says are very literal... there's a lot of tacting things that are currently happening. A lot of stating the obvious.

Admittedly... this is probably a byproduct of him not being a "main character." His dialogue is a lot less important than that of characters like Zim and Dib. But it's still worth talking about! I'd like to think it's genuinely just his personality to be obvious and talk about things as if people aren't already aware of them. Maybe even have him be a bit tone-deaf. That's more headcanon territory though! So let's walk on past that before I confuse myself and all of you.

DOUBLE NEGATIVES...!

... only happen once. In the background. While he's being talked over by a bunch of teammates.

("Yeah; really that's actually good and more logical cause I don't really wanna make a chain or nothing like that.")

His speech is a lot more casual and, in transcripts for unfinished episode(s)(?) almost innocent!

frothing at the mouth at this one actually i dont like it. not good. this is just exposition. he would not fucking say that (probably wrong) (this was written by the shows writers) (it still makes me angry)

This one I just wanted to add because it's silly. Look at how silly he is. He's just a fun loving guy. Why does his mind go to dancing straight away? We'll never know... the inner machinations of his mind are an enigma.

Skoodge reads as... more impulsive than anything (and maybe a little anxiety-riddled but that might also just be me projecting). He doesn't strike me as a critical thinker who really tries to like... weigh the consequences of his actions. He just does shit and when it doesn't work out he does more. I imagine that's what most irkens are like, actually, now that I think about it...

His gut instinct must be controlling him because if it isn't then I honestly can't find any good explanation as to how he's survived for so long.

Which perfectly segways me into something a little more analyzing-like:

Skoodge is a cockroach.

He got shot out of a cannon and still comes back to the Empire. He... really does seem to believe that being here will help him out somehow. As if it hasn't already been proven that nothing he will do will satisfy the society he hails from.

Desperation can make you do desperate things; and Skoodge's entire character just reeks of desperation.

From apparently being considered to eat his own skin (before being deemed too much by the network) [no screenshot available because I don't even know how I'd begin to look for it] to the more canonical screaming-like-a-baby whenever something happens to him, it kinda makes you wonder how the hell he even got to where he is in the first place.

Now, this is more speculation than actual evidence, but I think it's a fair enough bet to say that Skoodge earned his title as an invader. He has no height to propel him forward in society, so whatever he did would've had to've involved sheer tenacity and an inclination for survival.

He is almost definitely, genuinely, afraid of death. And because of that, he just... doesn't die.

I know at an objective view, he doesn't die because it's funnier that way, and helps with jokes and gags, but like... c'mon. This is a deep analysis post. I'm allowed to get a little indulgent with it.

Treading into more theorization-territory here.

Irkens are raging Xenophobes.

And Zim fits this bill perfectly! He's slotted himself into this mindset without any issue, making up... unique slurs for humans and other things he comes by. Because he tries too hard to be a perfect irken. Maybe. That's a topic for someone that's insane about Zim, not me. This is about my guy.

If Zim is the perfect representation of an irken soldier (on a purely superficial level), then Skoodge is an outlier. Not in that he's good at his job; he's supposed to be! No, rather, his differences lie in his temperance. His composure, whatever you call it. He is far too complacent and even possibly a bit meek, if you wanna go ahead and call him that.

You see that? That right there is respect for a... honestly almost certainly, by irken standards, inferior species.

Now, this could either mean one of three things.

Either A) Skoodge is not space racist (best case scenario)

or B) Skoodge lacks self-confidence; not seeing himself as superior, and thus being compliant and respectful to the obvious figure of authority in front of him.

or C) Skoodge does not have respect for his Empire (very unlikely, seeing as the only reason he's still here is because he's trying to gain a promotion from said Empire)

Shooting down option A immediately with this dialogue here (Battle Of The Planets)

Sorry folks... he is very much so still space racist.

As for option B...

I'm going to be completely honest here. I think I've been interpreting this wrong in my series. I have a whole lot of complex reasons explaining why Skoodge doesn't have much confidence, but honestly, he reads as more... chill. And down-to-earth, than he does as self-loathing.

There is possibly evidence of him having a more quiet and subdued personality, instead of just him not being a xenophobe; and it comes from the very first episode!

Crying in front of the tallest at the Assigning. Admittedly, Larb cried too; but he at least had enough push in him to say something.

Skoodge doesn't. He's even disheartened by the Tallest's initial jeering of him! Which admittedly, might not be the best example of low self-esteem, because those are the literal Leaders of his fucking Empire... but it is definitely a shift from him being the proud, confident, short-and-ugly invader that he's shown to be in Battle Of The Planets. Invading Blorch must've really (rightfully) inflated his ego.

Which he normally lacks.

He lacks ego, but that doesn't mean he lacks confidence. He knows that he's good at things in spite of his flaws, and takes pride in it! Even though that pride ends up shooting him in his own foot. Sad.

And why is it that he lacks ego? Every other irken thus far (sans maybe Sizz-lorr) has demonstrated just how... important. It is for them to have one. How almost ingrained into their nature their egos are. Why does Skoodge not go on to boast about his glory when any other irken in his situation would? Again, it's going to be another one of those things that I just can't be too sure about, but I'm going to hazard to say that it's because he's so physically flawed. Short and ugly. (Probably the reason why his uniform is stained. Why put forth the effort to make your uniform look good if it's impossible for the rest of you?)

There is. Almost no doubt in my mind, that he's had to fight tooth and nail to get to where he is, claw his way to the top. And if he's done that, he knows the struggle of being lower? He knows because no matter how high he gets, he'll still always be that "lower"? augh. what the fuck.

Skoodge has been humbled by this because he's been reminded of it at almost every point in his life. He doesn't boast to inferiors because he knows that there is nothing to boast, that he is technically one of those inferiors. Because even despite his successes, someone will always go on to point out his flaws.

Which really brings attention to Battle Of The Planets, to the Tallest pointing out his flaws. He just had his greatest success. Purple gave him one flaw, he gave another. And he gave it proudly.

... SECRET FOURTH OPTION D YEAHHHH BABY!!!!

FAWN RESPONSE.

With his inclination towards survival it would make sense to reason that he's only polite in front of potentially-threatening company because it means that he's less likely to get pummeled for being. Anything else.

Being polite is just as credible a survival technique as anything else! We just don't get to see any other irkens using it.

Skoodge is. Competent. He conquered his planet first!

He's a good invader. And that's probably because he knows when to run.

He's very vocal about it, if he knows (or thinks) that there's someone around to assist him. Silent with his impending doom (ha) at the Assigning, but very very loud when being chased down in the canyon by the hogulus in Hobo 13.

Now, I don't know about you, but irkens don't really strike me as the kind of species to back down from anything. To me, they read as more of a "do it or die" kinda group. Again, this whole trait kiiiinda almost begging to be pegged as outlier. The only thing that makes me on the fence about this one is, again, the fact that it's a cartoon and Skoodge's fear might be for the sake of gags.

That doesn't really explain this though. He has literally no reason to be scared here. In this specific scenario (Day Of Da Spookies! unfinished episode) he's disguised as a human. Every person there is none the wiser to him and his alien nature. He's just... like this...? All the time? Apparently? Maybe?

Or maybe! There's other things at play here!

Skoodge is competent...

... but.

A friend put it into better words than I could:

His brain turns to mush whenever he's around Zim.

(Honestly, the volunteer line might actually add on to his possible lack of self-respect? Hard to say if it's that, or if he's just that desperate to give respect at the sign of any spare bit of authority, even if that authority comes from an irken shorter than him.)

It makes me wonder if most of what we've seen of him is just Zim's influence on him. Scared at the Assigning? He didn't know Zim was there, so that had to have been genuine. Saluting to an inferior species? He had to have known that Zim was there, because Zim introduced himself first (and very loudly at that), but I think it was also genuine because Zim wasn't directly influencing him?

Screaming because of the hogulus and running like a child from some humans? Those are almost definitely Zim's doing. I just. Don't know How.

Screaming is a weakness, I think; at least it should be (in the eyes of irkens), and when Skoodge does it he does it because he seems convinced that Zim will help him. And yet Zim never does! Skoodge has no reason to believe this!

But still, believe he does.

They had to have been... kind of close? At one point in their lives.

Potentially. I don't know how close a person can get to Zim, but Skoodge has just barely managed to do it, by virtue of the fact that he is quite possibly the only living thing in the universe that can tolerate being around Zim for more than five seconds.

And his cockroach-itude. That definitely helps. You can't be killed by Zim's passive destructive radius if you genuinely just can't fucking die at all.

But that explains nothing of his weird eagerness to do things for Zim. It borders on obsessive. It might actually be obsessive, since he's apparently been living in Zim's vents ever since the events of Hobo 13. Without telling him.

Skoodge is fucking deranged. Skoodge doesn't even register as a blip on Zim's radar of people-to-acknowledge, but he will still always just do things for him, and be excited to, too!

I don't know what's wrong with him. The less easy and definitely one too many steps detached from canon explanation would be that he views Zim as the ideal irken and strives to be like him. The easiest explanation would be that he just really likes Zim.

Gosh. Even that still raises the question of how or why he would. Zim is fucking terrible to not just him, but everyone. He is unbiased in whose life he ruins.

And Skoodge is perfectly content with just letting Zim ruin his.

man. i hate him. i really really do.

#gerry stop ranting and raving you look like a lunatic #izrot #iz analysis #skoodge rant #i think that was the tag for that #i hope i didnt miss any points but i honestly probably did so i might end up going back and editing this

[leveragehunters]

Worldbuilding for Werewolves in the Workplace

I actually typed out a bunch of my worldbuilding for Werewolves in the Workplace, instead of my usual cryptic scribbles on random bits of paper, so I thought I'd pop it into a Tumblr post in case anyone's interested.

Disclaimer: Here be spoilers for Werewolves in the Workplace, and these are my working notes, which means they're not all fully fleshed out explanations, because I knew what I meant :)

Under the cut cause long plus spoilers.

Vampire abilities

If it's the vampire acting on the world or the ability just affects the vampire, it's fair game; if it requires the world to change, no. Much of the stuff in Dracula that marks him as explicitly different (appearance, not healing) and could be used by someone to identify a vampire if it was accurate is propaganda, baby!

Off the table are things like: not reflecting in mirrors, can't enter a home uninvited (because that creates a physical barrier they can't pass), can't cross running water (because either some property in the water would have to change to create a barrier, or all vampires would have to be hydrophobic), afraid of/are stopped/burned by religious symbols (since it doesn't require the vampire to be a believer, there'd need to be some inherent vampire-repelling property in all religious symbols, or all vampires would have to be religiophobic).

Things that ride the line, eg enthralling, are yes with caveats, eg the person has consented, is impaired in some way, or believes they can be influenced without consent. They can phase (turn into vapour) because that's how they escape wherever they were entombed as dead after the change, since a lot of human cultures put their dead in inescapable situations. (That's how Nat escaped her grave, not that she's told anyone that). It's an instinctual ability that only some vampires retain the ability to use consciously.

A stake through the heart doesn't end them, you have to sever the spine, but they still turn to ash/dust. 

Werewolf legal status

Werewolves were given legal recognition in the UK and the US in World War One so they could be drafted. It started in the UK, quickly followed by many Commonwealth countries, and then the US. Their legal status in other countries at that point varied; in some Nordic countries, they'd been recognised since the mid-1800s.

In WW1 in the UK, a werewolf tried to enlist in the Army, was denied on the grounds that he was a werewolf, and fought the decision through the courts, but the refusal was upheld. (This was amazing PR for werewolves and garnered a lot of public support: brave and patriotic werewolf wants to fight for his country and is denied etc.) However, the government realised werewolves were a fantastic source of near unkillable bodies they could throw at the Hun and pushed through legislation recognising werewolves as having the same legal status as humans and then promptly drafted the fuck out of them. Similar legislation was quickly introduced in Canada, New Zealand and some other Commonwealth countries, as well as Australia and India, where they was no draft but they were soon being turned away due to the sheer numbers of volunteers. The US quickly followed suit, because the military knows a good source of cannon fodder when it sees one.

Makin' werewolves

Werewolves and humans can interbreed but the offspring will only be a werewolf if the pregnant parent is the werewolf and they shift during the pregnancy. Pregnant werewolves pass the werewolf potential through the placental barrier; shifting while pregnant activates it and the baby shifts, too. If the pregnant parent is human, or the werewolf parent carrying the baby never shifts, the baby will be human. The same is true for werewolf x werewolf parents; the pregnant werewolf still has to shift during pregnancy for the baby to be born a werewolf, but it would be very unusual for them not to.

A human can only be made into a werewolf by being bitten with intent, which activates special salivary glands that produce the werewolf 'infection'—and it must be introduced into the body by a deep bite from a werewolf in wolf form; injecting it or swallowing it has zero impact—or because the werewolf parent that carried them shifted during pregnancy.

Vampire legal status

Vampires were given legal recognition in the early 1980s in the US and UK (with a similar knock-on effect to some other Commonwealth countries) under Regan and Thatcher respectively, because they were both approached by rich vampires who'd been passing as human with the money, power, and attitude to appeal to those fucks. Both Regan and Thatcher were hoping/expecting to get turned but even the most amoral vampire has more class and respect for the world than to inflict those fuckers on eternity.

The UK/US weren't the first. There were already a few countries that gave legal recognition to vampires, primarily in Europe, but even after the US and the UK picked it up, it was much slower to spread than werewolf recognition and a few countries passed laws that did the opposite—explicitly stated that vampires, being dead, had no more standing at law than a corpse and no one committed an offense if they disposed of one.

Random trivia: In order to make ending a vampire a criminal offence criminal codes/laws had to be amended, because homicide (murder, manslaughter et al) requires killing, ie taking a life, and vampires aren't alive. Some extremely conservative US states simply failed to amend their criminal laws, which means someone who ends a vampire there does not commit a criminal offence.

There were also a whole lot of interesting lawsuits after vampires gained legal status around whether life insurance policies had be paid out and whether wills were binding, given the person was still walking around (with insurance policies and succession legislation being amended quick smart).

Lyc-C or Lycanthropic Cancer (warning for discussion of terminal cancer, suicide)

Lyc-C is a cancer that only affects werewolves. It hijacks werewolf healing, which makes it basically impossible to treat. If a werewolf with Lyc-C gets an injury or any kind of damage that activates their healing, that feeds the growth of Lyc-C. This means surgery (or chemo) is rarely a good solution unless it's guaranteed the surgery will get all of it—and surgery on a werewolf is incredibly difficult—because both those things activate werewolf healing, which cause the Lyc-C to grow faster.

Werewolves with Lyc-C in a benign location can live with it for several years if they're extremely careful, don’t get injured, don't do anything to activate their healing, and never shift. If they manage that, Lyc-C will grow very slowly, but it's only a temporary solution. If it appears in a non-benign place - the lymph system, an organ, the brain etc - it will kill them fast.

Once the Lyc-C starts to seriously grow the end is inevitable. The damage it does activates their healing, which causes it to grow faster and spread in a vicious unstoppable cycle until the damage is enough to kill the werewolf. A lot of werewolves choose to suicide (or opt for assisted dying if that's an option where they live) when they know it's going to reach that point.

Vampire blood does end up being the key to a finding a cure. The team using Steve and Dr Erskine's blood have almost cracked it by the time Werewolves in the Workplace starts.

Dr Erskine's symbiosis speculation

Bucky thinks Steve was making things up to throw Shark-eyes off, but Dr Erskine genuinely speculates that vampires started out in a symbiotic relationship with humans. That thousands and thousands of years ago, they were a core part of some human cultures, taking on the role of protector after death. As the world changed and cultures changed, they were no longer wanted or needed, and ended up as predators.

#my fic #werewolves in the workplace

[unfortunate--moth]

Master Detectives: Milgram AU (part 1???)

So I made a post about this earlier but here I am putting my two interests together in a blender.

for milgram fans that don't know what rain code is, brief explanation: Rain Code is a mystery solving video game where you play as an amnesiac detective who has made a contract with a death god to solve mysteries. He's part of the World Detective Organization and many others that are part of it become Master Detectives by having these powers called Fortes that are very useful for mystery solving.

With that out of the way, I shall now begin rambling.

So obviously Es is the protagonist and Jackalope is our fucked up little death god. Es doesn't know why they're a detective and sure as hell doesn't know why the fuck they made a contract with an annoying little rabbit thing. So they also don't know their forte- if they even have one. but they meet the other master detectives and begrudgingly have to work with them even though they seriously don't want to.

Yuno | Forte: Glamour With her ability, anyone who looks at her will see their ideal partner. Romantic, platonic, or otherwise. She can only use it for a short period of time, but she uses it to draw information out of suspects. She doesn't take her job too seriously, and she rarely ever takes on jobs that could be dangerous. She excels with interrogation and information gathering, but when it comes to investigating, she isn't the best at it. Still, she's very observant.

Fuuta | Forte: Technology Manipulation He can manipulate technology. To be specific, he can take control over other devices, transfer data from one device to another, see things a person has deleted or hidden, and things of that nature. It comes with limitations, of course. There's a range limit to his ability, not being able to take control of other devices outside of it. A bit of a loose cannon as a detective. While is ability is useful, he tends to jump to conclusions and usually has to pair up with someone so he doesn't convict the wrong person. He is smart, and has solved many cases before, but he tends to work by his own rules rather than the WDO's.

Shidou | Forte: Instant Examination With his forte, Shidou is able to see the state of any living or dead body. He'll be able to see the state any body is in, what injuries there could be, if anything is in their system, and so on. He can't use it on bodies that are already decomposed. With his ability, he's most useful in murder cases. As a doctor, he's also helpful if anyone has been injured. However, his ability doesn't include healing. He can see everything, but he would have to fix things in the traditional way. So even with this ability, he's still managed to lose some people.

Amane | Forte: Divination With her ability, she can gain insight on the future of things. However, her forte is a bit fickle, and she can't control what she'll see. Sometimes it's incredibly useful, but other times it may show her completely unrelated things. Using it too much at once has negative consequences, often leading to her fainting or hallucinating. She didn't join of her own volition. Rather, she was scouted for it. She doesn't really have a interest in mysteries or solving them, but she's come to see them more as a test rather than anything else.

Thats it for now. As you can see, I only wrote down 4 characters mainly because I'm having a very hard time coming up with abilities for everyone else. It's a bit harder than I thought to come up with mystery solving abilities. but yeah anyways!! i may make another post about this if I come up with more, or I might just ramble about other ideas I may have in the future. if you have any ideas you'd like to share I'd love to hear :]

#milgram #yuno kashiki #fuuta kajiyama #shidou kirisaki #amane momose #moth speaks #master detectives milgram au #es forcing themselves to ask one of these bitches for help #they act like they have a gun pointed to their head #jackalope is laughing at them the entire time #“ok es its time to go to the mystery labyrinth” #he says after es finds a corpse

[mercifulbutbroken]

I do like your Alex & hope you show xem & xeir lovers off more. But Nav and their story is just something that honestly needs a hard reboot. The Toppats have never been shown to be abusive ( the most evil Toppat shown was TRNK ) & portraying Reginald & RHM as OOC evil torturous bastards for your uwu Stickvin makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Just hope a certain popular ceo of Copperright doesn't find this lore because you won't recover from that.

TL:DR If you or others are uncomfortable with reading my work, then I politely ask you not to read it.

Now for a longer explanation.

While I do understand that you dislike some aspects of my story for Nav, it is my story. I didn't want the toppats to be all nice in my AU, so I have them harsh and darker. They're criminals in a clan after all. Nav himself is not ' uwu ' either. While he is a wholesome man, he is still healing from his trauma. Charles too! They just found joy in eachother, and they heal together after the events of Feather Falling.

The toppats may not have had glaringly obvious examples of the usual examples of abuse, but I point your attention to Dave. Dave has been stuck in the brig, in a tiny room, for god knows how long in that airship. You could argue since you don't see a bed, sink, or bathroom drawn in that scene within the games, you could argue the toppats are very clearly placing him in an extreme form of solitary confinement. Which is considered torture. (One source linked, you can look up more resources on your own.)

And it's an AU! Characters CAN be ooc because it's not cannon! That's the beauty of it! Do you remember RHM:G ? That was a great change to the usual formula, and it was DELIGHTFULLY dark. I love dark AUs and when done right, it can really be an interesting read. and a "certain popular ceo of copperright" ? Why would I be afraid of anyone finding my lore? Not everything has to be sunshine and rainbows. If someone that got the name ceo of copperright, and they saw my work, I'd ask what they thought of it and how to improve.

While I DO want to rewrite Feather Falling one day so it's better quality, I'm not changing my lore. If you or others are uncomfortable with reading my work, then I politely ask you not to read it.

thank you for reading.

#abuse mention #torture mention #thsc #nav stickmin #I'm answering this ask because you didn't come out of the gates cursing #you seem like someone who wants to state their opinion without (much) conflict #message answered #asks #Anonymous

[ra-archives]

Okay ramble time about lore I came up with for my world and also something something Witchcraft Scott and the effects of necromancy here we go

So I was looking at some Head Cannons for Witchcraft Scott and it brought up an old Idea I forgot I had so now I want to share it. A couple of years ago, I had the idea for something I call 'Death Walkers'

Essentially Death Walkers are dead people who have been brought back to life unconventionally. This could be through Necromancy, some other evil dark magic, or some kind of paranormal fuckery. Point is, a dead person is walking around, but whatever brought them back is fucking with them via a form of rot.

The rot starts as a dull black, small patches on the skin that slowly expand and get darker. Once the spots reach the darkest black possible, they start to go transparent, like tinted glass. You start to be able to see through the body, you can see all of the nerves and bones. The rot turns the flesh into a jelly like substance, and it gets worse to the point parts of 'flesh' might begin to drip off the person. This all happens while it's still spreading outward, eventually corrupting the whole body until it is nothing but see-through black, and then just bones.

I mentioned the fact that Necromancy is one of the ways someone can be turned into a Death Walker, but I suppose it could turn the caster as well. I mean, they are also using Necromancy Magic, they're being effected by the spells they've casted.

I'm not fully caught up on Witchcraft smp, but I know Scott Smajor has become a powerful necromancer. I also know that one of his future skins for Witchcraft SMP might have hints of some form of corruption or rot on it. I've seen several people talk about the idea of Scott being able to see his bones because of his necromancy, so I figured I'd throw in my two cents for a head cannon on what could be happening to him

I might reblog this with a better explanation of Death Walkers and pictures of my ideas for the rot tomorrow, but for now it is late and I would like to go to bed.

#mcyt #witchcraft smp #witchcraft scott #witchcraft smajor #necromancy #headcannons from a person who is not caught up on the series they're making headcannons for #lore #worldbuilding #rambles

[ivysangel]

drop the mean girls review! my friend wants to go see it and i need to know how much to mentally prepare myself

sunnie (@fic-over-cannon)

Okay, so I need to preface this by saying I'm a huge Mean Girls fan. I've seen the movie dozens of times. I've seen the show on Broadway once and left the theater begging my mom to take me again, and then I cried when the show closed before I could see it again. I've also seen the Mean Girls sequel on multiple occasions (unfortunately). I'm also a fashion lover, music lover, and the enjoyer of some tasteful political incorrectness in a movie like...Mean Girls (2004). I'm not a movie buff or an expert critic, but I am a girl who has spent hours putting Rachel McAdams’ Regina George on mood boards and listening to Taylor Louderman's performance of 'Someone Gets Hurt' from the Mean Girls Original Broadway Cast Recording. With all of that being said, here's my review.

(proceed with caution: spoilers and supreme level hating, cw: mentions of weight)

First of all, the pacing just felt kind of off? I think it's because there were so few scenes set outside of the high school, and I think that has something to do with them cutting 9 songs from the original soundtrack and even the ones they kept; some were still cut short. Which took away some of the best parts of the movie. For instance, Gretchen's part in 'Meet the Plastics' was one of the most memorable parts of the soundtrack, and it was cut down to the one introductory line that wasn't even delivered by her, Karen's part, too. How are you going to call the song 'Meet the Plastics' and only have Regina sing it? I'd also like to mention that in the original song, there's a line that Regina sings, she says, "I never weigh more than 115," and they change it to "that filter you use looks just like me." now, there are two explanations for this, first, they wanted to keep it going with the social media theme which runs rampant throughout the entire movie or they wanted to be mindful of what they put in the movie considering the audience consists heavily of women and young girls. However, there is so so so much emphasis on Regina's weight during the entire rest of the movie (like, I honestly feel more than normal, but I'm not sure) that if it is the latter, it just completely defeats the purpose of removing that line, so I'm really hoping it's the former.

Cady can't sing, or at least I just found her voice, so...not good? Something about it just wasn't giving nuh uh. She also wasn't a convincing mean girl, a convincing socially awkward, not-aware teen girl who had been homeschooled her whole life? Yeah, she nailed that, but a MEAN girl, nope, not convincing at all. This is also where the pacing was off to me. I felt like she was a mean girl for 0.5 minutes, and that, paired with the fact that she just wasn't convincingly mean? Didn't really do it for me.

They also made most of the insults more palatable? Which was fine at times. Like yeah, you should probably refrain from saying slurs in the big year of 2024, but trading social suicide for "socially ruinous," What the hell? How old are we? I just think it's a little funny bc the word suicide isn't okay (apparently), but Kevin G performing a song where he talks about how he basically uses geometry to be good at sex is more appropriate? Like, I don't know what the thought process was, how they decided on what was getting put on the chopping block and what wasn't.

Also, Gretchen gets a solo, and ik it's in the musical, but it feels so incredibly out of place in the movie, like SO out of place. Also, Gretchen is Latina, apparently? Which isn't a problem in the slightest, but it's just mentioned once and never referenced again ever...like at all...not even in passing. They threw in the "this was a gift from my abuelito" for brownie points and called it a day.

Cristopher Briney is one of the most unattractive men I've seen in a while, which is why it's so hard to see so many close-up shots of his face since he's supposed to be the super heart throbby Aaron Samuels that these girls are fighting over. "Cady, tell him his hair looks sexy pushed back." he has a prematurely receding hairline; let's keep the hair down while he still has it. Also, he has no singing lines in the movie, which is so...bc he has them in the original musical. The ending of the original version of 'Someone Gets Hurt' is sung by both him and Regina. Like you hired an ugly man who can't sing to play the sexy heartthrob in a musical? Oh ok.

The fashion was so genuinely terrible. I was mortified. MORTIFIED, I TELL YOU. Regina making fun of other people while she was walking around in #those outfits. I can't even begin to describe what she was wearing half the time, but it was so bad. Ironically, the outfit she wore when she was shunned was like??? one of the more palatable ones, along with her prom dress and the outfit she wore during the burn book scene, which was a nod to Rachel McAdams' Regina George (that was cute). But the outfit she was first shown in...those ugly fucking shoes???? The furry black sweater and highlighter green pants???? What the fuck is going on!!! Everyone was dressed head to toe in shein and cider, and it was obvious. I think the problem with a lot of remakes these days is they develop costumes using trends from a specific era of social media, but those trends so quickly go out of style. Micro trends are the reason why shows and movies set in high school almost never hit the nail on the head, that and the fact that they use influencers as guidelines for how teenagers act when most of us are normalish? idk that's a whole different convo.

i kinda tuned in and out after the gym scene, like idk man i was just mad at that point. I guess I should list some redeeming qualities now?

Tim Meadows reprising his role as Principal Duvall was amazing ofc; his comedic timing is great, and kudos to him for acting through one classic, one flop, and one box office banger that should've been kept in the drafts. Avantika is beautiful, stunning, amazing!! There was nothing about her acting as Karen that really did it for me, but I love her so bad I can't hate on her. Reneé Papp is a fantastic singer like who's surprised? No one? Exactly. They also got Megan Thee Stallion and Chris Olsen to make cameos in tiktoks during the movie, which was funny. It had its good moments, but I really just think for me personally, as an enjoyer of both the original movie and the original musical adaptation, this fell so so so flat. Of course, my opinion doesn't reflect the opinions of everyone, and you may very well love it!! I do definitely urge you to listen to the original versions of 'Meet the Plastics' and 'Someone Gets Hurt' because those are so very good; also, Auli'i Cravalho's rendition of 'Revenge Party' was very good, and I really like Jaquel Spivey as Damian.

Anyway, that's it!

update: forgot to mention the extremely obvious product placement and the way they changed one of the lines in revenge party from “what’s regina doing, what’s regina wearing, is she dating aaron” to “what’s regina doing, what’s regina wearing, is she texting aaron” which is totally harmless but it irked me so bad bc they’re trying sooooo hard to be with the times or whatever and it just ??? like !!! they’re trying TOO hard bc dating was perfectly fine in the context of the plot that’s why it was put there in the first place!!!!

another update: more pros, principal duvall still has a hand injury (funny i like it) AND TINA FEY REPRISING HER ROLE!!! BIG PRO!!! also there’s literally a whole song in the og musical dedicated to the plastics realizing they’re sentient beings that don’t have to rely on regina…and they just cut that out lol? also listen to the og revenge party bc there’s a whole bit where regina cheats on aaron and it’s wildly different in that version (it was better and funnier too) but like i said…they made the movie more palatable.

#★ messages from friends ★ #★ sunnie ★

[thycheshirecat]

Raptors, Crocs, and Questions. Oh my!

Got a second update for everyone real quick, I've got a poll at the end of this, so make sure to read up to that!

This little critter is a P-Raptor (The name may make some assume it's a Pyroraptor, but as the grassy colouring and bushy tail may give away to some, this is actually its smaller relative Pamparaptor!). Small and nimble, this vivosaur is even more of a glass cannon than other raptors, but makes up for this by bringing a much larger array of status effects in its attacks that can give its enemies a word of trouble.

And this slightly larger but still not that big in the grand scheme of things critter is Desmato (Desmatosuchus). Pseudosuchians were previously unheard of as far as vivosaurs are concerned, but a few have been recently unearthed for the first time. Desmato is a highly defensive ally, who serves both to inflict status and hamper any AZ attacker's potency with its support effects. The 'Amethyst Dragon' boasts one of the highest defenses of all Non-SE vivosaurs, even rivalling the likes of Nodo.

EXTRA

Going to start adding more polls to the end of some of these in order to see what the fanbase thinks of certain things, and what better topic to start with than one I've already touched on before, SEs! Now my current story plan for this concept does involve SEs in a later portion, giving them an explanation and expanding on them, while also being an excuse to give them much needed balancing (half of them are either busted or completely useless compared to their original counterparts in FFC), however, I wanted to see what other people thought about the base concept and their existence as a whole before making anything final. So that begs the question...

(Some of you may remember that I had previously made 'remakes' for Bulgon and Marple, and intended to make a second drawing series where I'd redraw every SE, and give touchups/redesigns to ones that IMO could do with resembling the base vivosaur more, I'm still going to do this absolutely, but I want to see what other people think before making that a part of THIS project, as well as how much should be incorporated into it.) So yeah, that's all for this post, got some more stuff cooking up in the near future though, so expect more goodies soon!

#fossil fighters #fossil fighters champions #vivosaur #vivosaurs #dinosaur #desmatosuchus #aetosaur #pamparaptor #unenlagidae

[isfjmel-phleg]

A major arc in Young Justice 1998 is Sins of Youth, which was a crossover in which, due to shenanigans, all the adult heroes were aged down into children or teenagers, and all the young heroes were aged into adults, and from there they all had to figure out how to solve the problem and revert to their proper ages. This allowed for some interesting character exploration in how each individual handled the age change, and there's a lot there, but I'd like to specifically look at the brief glimpse we get of an aged-up Grant Emerson, and how that compares with how his actual adulthood goes later on.

This is during Grant's second time with the Titans, during the 1999 series. For some reason, not all of his team experiences an age change, but he's one of several who do.

And it turns out that grown-up Grant, whom the team knows as a self-doubting, emotionally driven teenager who's still struggling to control his dangerous powers...well, he's a lot different now.

(Sins of Youth Secret Files #1)

He's a decisive, principled leader, intent on solving the problem at hand.

And his team is shocked, but impressed.

Grant loves being an adult. It gives him a sense of control that he's always been frustrated not to have. He has such a mastery of his biokinetic energy powers now that he can even use them to fly, something he's never done before.

He's in no hurry to revert back to being a teenager.

After all, everything goes so much better! His recklessness has become an ability to take calculated risks.

And he's able to avoid causing the extreme levels of damage and harm to others that has brought him so much guilt since the time his first explosion destroyed his school.

But of course everything returns to normal. We don't get Grant's reaction to becoming a teenager again. But I find it interesting that the writer of this story chose to depict the Titans' loose cannon as growing up to be self-controlled, thoughtful, and an excellent leader--not to mention happy! Grant's usually a mess, but this interpretation of his possible future provides a refreshingly hopeful outlook for him.

And then there's what actually happens to him:

After leaving the Titans, he joins another team. They get attacked, and most of them die. Grant is left severely scarred.

He isn't equipped to handle this well, spirals into anger and self-loathing, and starts wearing a mask constantly.

He joins a new team, gets taken under the wing of a teammate who's also kind of his sister genetically, but continues to struggle. Makes a few friends. Stands up for a new hero, keeps her from getting arrested, and develops a crush on her.

Someone who turns out to be a villain restores his face. He's happy for the first time in a long time! He joins the villain's cult, becomes more and more obnoxious as they brainwash him, gets into a fight with his late father's godson who tries to talk some sense into him, and in a fit of rage destroys first his father's letters and then his father's entire house.

The restored face doesn't last. He tries to hide the scars from the girl he likes. She takes a long look at his face...and kisses him.

He joins his team in a huge battle against...what basically amounts to zombies and gets to meet his father for the first time. As a zombie. Who says awful things to him. He escapes, only to have his heart literally ripped out by another zombie.

This makes him a Black Lantern, another murderous zombie. But he has enough of himself left to fight against this and saves his JSA teammates by creating one last explosion that destroys all the Black Lanterns in the vicinity--including himself.

His girlfriend gives the eulogy at his funeral and decides to use money taken from an assassin she turned in to donate, in memory of Grant, to the victims of his accidental Atlanta explosion, who still have medical bills.

And that's it. He dies.

Except the new continuity has brought him back to life with no explanation and done practically nothing with him. But a panel in the recently released Justice Society of America 2022 #6 briefly shows him in a new situation:

A lot of Golden Age child sidekicks have been brought back into the continuity, and Grant is here accompanied by Dan the Dyno-Mite, former sidekick to the now deceased hero TNT--both of whom have/had explosive powers relatable to Grant's.

Is this his future now? Getting handed the care or mentorship of an explosive child? That might do him some good. At the very least, it's a path that might give him opportunity to become something more like the adult he got to be during Sins of Youth--a leader, an inspirer of others. His happiest self.

#comicsposting again #GE: what I do is who I am

[welcometomyfloor]

Ridonculous Race Season 2, Team: The Jocks

I finished the picture!

Also, quick sketch-ies of their swimsuits because I wanted to.

Notes on the Original and Modified Character Designs:

Brick-

I made his crew-cut fluffier because the floof keeps him looking young and not like a grown-ass man. (I also got rid of that stupid maple leaf widows peak whatever the fuck his hair line is because I fucking hate it.)

I never realized how stupid the shorts where until I saw him drawn in other styles. Dawn didn't even need to look at his aura, she just saw the shorts and said "that's some bottom shit chief". And, as you can see, I did not change it, because I love that for him.

And now, I present a "rant" about Brick's tank top: one thing people seem to forget about Brick is that he's kind-of a show boat. Like, his first confessional was spent flexing his arms and talking about how "strong and capable" he is. That being said, he's the only other TD boy to ever wear a shirt with their bathing suit (the only other one being Mike and we all know why he wears one.) And, as much as I love the theory that he's wearing a tank top because Lighting felt threatened by Brick's six-pack, I will instead posit another explanation. Brick's tank top is white, and what, may I ask, happens when white fabric gets wet? It becomes See-through, pretty much eliminating any intended point of modesty. So why the fuck not just go shirtless or wear any other fucking color? Because Brick McArthur wants to slutty in the most convoluted and indirect way possible to maintain humility and show people his tits. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Going off my previous over-analysis on the clothing choices of an animated 16 year old from show that came out 10 years ago, I kept the white tank top. :) I just changed his jean shorts to camo-trunks for the swim outfit because who would swim in fucking Levi's? Also, ixnay on the socks and boots because what the fuck where the animators doing when they did "Backstabbers Ahoy"? Like, did he just want to feel taller? It's not like he's short.

[corrected] To elaborate on the height thing, I'm pretty sure Total Drama doesn't have cannon heights for anyone but Alejandro (6ft, mentioned in "Rapa Phooey!"). On top of that, TD doesn't maintain that good of a scale throughout it, an example of this between Brick and Jo is how in "Truth or Laser Shark" Brick towers over his whole team on their way to the Obsta-Kill Course but is seen as being around the same height as Jo in other episodes and scenes. That being said, I'm going to head-cannon him as being around 6'0"-6'1" without boots. I'd imagine the heels of his boots are 1-2 inches tall so he'd been 6'1" at the shortest and 6'3" at the tallest with boots on. (Height thing to be continued in Jo's portion.)

Jo-

Jo wearing a red-toned and blue-toned gray together makes me irrationally upset. Like, girl, either pick and stick with an undertone or wear more black, it's not that hard.

The way her hair is drawn in TD makes me this it's greasy as shit, like, bitch, shampoo exists. I sketched it as being fluffier but then I was like "nah, looking like a grease rat is apart of Jo's charm".

I hate the color of her shoes, artificial and natural mint have no right to be this close to each other. Even if they're meant to be grass-stained or some shit, I still fucking hate it. Again, Jo, ma'am, you don't understand colors, just wear black.

First three points aside, I do think character design should reflect who the character is and, in my humble opinion, Jo's design (as frustrating as her color combinations and greasy hair are) does exactly that. She's a rough-around-the-edges tomboy that doesn't give a fuck, at least, that's the image she's trying to put out. So yeah, that's why I gave her main design no significant changes despite my complaints about it.

But, I did change her swimsuit because her original one is soo fucking bad and it makes me uncomfortable. Like, you're really trying to tell me that Jo wears a one piece? No, no, no. She wears boys trunks and a baggy t-shirt, don't try and tell me otherwise.

Back to the height thing. I don't know where this number comes from, but I personally head-cannon Jo as being 5'10"-5'11". Yeah, I know that would make her a tall girl but she is the tallest Revenge girl (excluding Dakotazoid for obvious reasons) and would help explain Lightning's miss-identification of Jo as a boy. I also just feel like making her tall makes sense for her character. She doesn't fit in with really any one group, let alone the girls her age, so making her stature distinct from the other girls exemplifies her estrangement from what other's consider traditionally feminine. (Of course, I don't personally agree with this. Femininity and masculinity are social constructs but Total Drama is meant to take place in modern day Canada, therefore Jo's character and design is affected by contemporary gender roles.)

One thing that bugged me in Revenge is that Jo's whistle literally only shows up around her neck for one episode for plot reasons. So, for the sake of my own sanity, I'm just gonna say it's always under neither her hoodie and overtop her undershirt. (It's not important but it's just something I wanted to establish for myself.)

Okay, so onto the shit that actually matters for this project-

Team Dynamic and Background Information for Ridonculous Race Season 2:

If you've seen my original post on these two being a RR team, know that I've made some conceptual changes since then. Still feel free to check out that post if you want, some things will stay the same. Stay tuned to figure out what will and won't change.

One thing I didn't realize was that the Flush of Shame took the contestants to different parts of the world. (I don't remember watching All Stars on cable and I definitely didn't stick around for end credits as a child, so that's my justification for not knowing about the extras.) So, it wasn't until I read "The Egypt Trip" on AO3 that I realized it was a common theory that past contestants picked up the eliminated from their flushed locations. Just know that Egypt will be mentioned in their Ridonculous Race plotline as I am now working off of the head-cannon that Brick brought Jo back to Canada after her elimination in All Stars.

As this is Ridonculous Race Season 2, Brick and Jo haven't shared the screen for three seasons (All Stars, Pahkitew and RR S1). All Stars and Pahkitew canonically take place one year after Revenge. We know RR happens after Pahkitew, but we don't know how much time has passed, so I'm just gonna have to fudge some numbers on how many years after Pahkitew this hypothetical Ridonculous Race Season 2 would take place. Shit happens pretty fast in the TD universe so let's just say it's been around 2 years since Revenge happened. Making Brick and Jo, assuming they are 16 in ROTI, around the age of 18 in RR season 2. (Again, this isn't that important for the story. It was mainly just something I personally needed to establish for my own timeline.) Just keep in mind that these two haven't seen each other in about a year. They are reuniting for the purpose of doing the race (this will be explained in the story).

I am also head-cannoning Brick and Jo as both being from Manitoba. Like Egypt, them living in the same province will be brought up during their plotline. My choice of province was also inspired by CactusPot ("hello" to Leslie if she's reading this. It's like my 3rd or 4th time I've brought her up on my blog, but I just wanted to make sure I'm giving her credit on the ideas I took from her fanfictions.)

Despite the fact that these two haven't seen each other in a year, neither Brick nor Jo have changed very much. Brick still has his military thing (thought his relationship with that and how his love of fashion now intersects with that will be discussed in the fic) and is overall still a kind-hearted and clumsy idiot. Jo is still brooding and confrontational, but, this will explored as a front Jo puts up in-order to protect herself.

If you did read my original post where I explained the potential for character development this concept provides, you know that the RR format is going to be essential for Jo's character growth. Since her and Brick are now a packaged deal, she can't get rid of him without compromising her need to dominate the competition. Along with that, the longer they stay in the race, the more her aggressive façade will fall and her true problems will be exposed and; Brick, being himself, is going to feel the need to help her through it. However, due to his time on Revenge, he also is not going to tolerate blatant disrespect or Jo's refusing to be cooperative. To overview: something's gotta give and both of these motherfuckers are as stubborn as hell.

Personal Life Head-Cannon Speed Round:

Brick-

[revised] His full name is Alexander Grant McArthur. (Brick is just a nickname he got from a Junior Army Boot Camp as a kid, shortened version of Brickhouse.)

[new] He is of Scottish, Romanian, and Turkish decent.

He has an older sister named Elizabeth (nicknamed Liberty), she lives in Toronto with her girlfriend Jordan (might be mentioned in story). He also has three little sisters and 1 little brother (I don't care about them. They just exist.)

His mother works at a nursing home (she used to be an Army Nurse before having her children) and his father is an active Army General. They're in their mid-to-late forties.

Due to both of his parents being soo busy growing up, both Brick and Liberty had to play a parent-like role for their four younger siblings. (The age gap between Brick and Liberty is much smaller than the age gap between Brick and the oldest of his younger siblings.)

[new] He probably grew up going to church (like, more than just the standard Sunday service) and watched a lot of Veggie Tales and other religious programs. I still think he went to public school and was allowed to watch secular media while at a friends' houses, it was just more of a "not in my house" kinda rule set by his parents.

He is heterosexual. (I honestly think he's just a straight guy who likes fashion and has unconventional taste in women. You can have whatever head-cannon you want about his sexuality, I don't care.)

Jo-

[revised] Her full name is Joanne Grace Snyder.

[new] She is mainly of Polish, Czech, and German decent.

Her parents are divorced and messy divorced at that. She lives with her dad, who has only dated since the divorce. Meanwhile, Jo's mom was remarried within a few years and hasn't been in regular contact with her daughter since. (Might be mentioned in story.)

She has two younger brothers who she doesn't know much about due to them being from her mother's second marriage.

Her main source of companionship is her pet pit bull, Bolder, who is actually a huge sweetheart. (Surprise, surprise, the "Take-No-Prisoners Jockette" has a pupper that people stereotype as being mean and overly aggressive.)

[new] She definitely grew up watching Adult Swim. Like, she didn't watch normal cartoons at all and skipped right to South Park and Futurama reruns.

This might just be me but I truly believe that 90% of Jo's energy comes from caffeinated drinks and pure spite (might be brought up in story).

Like Brick, I think Jo is straight. I also know that some people head-cannon her as trans, I do not (neither as mtf nor ftm). (Same disclaimer as with Brick, you can have whatever opinion you want. I just think she has anger issues and is insecure with her femininity, not a lesbian or transgender.)

What's Next for Ridonculous Race Season 2?

I will be illustrating a team picture and writing an info-post (like this one) for each of the 17 remaining teams before writing the fic. (This will give me time to pick locations, create OC's and plan out the season while providing content in the mean time.)

The next team to officially join the lineup will be two returning competitors to the Total Drama franchise. After that, they're will only be one more returning character, the rest of the 31 members of the cast (excluding Don and locals) are going to be my own original characters made for the purpose of this fic.

I have adding the tag #TDRR Season 2 to all posts currently found and to be found on this project, as well as a featured tag on my blog. (Feel free to use this tag when referring to this fanfiction and / or any original characters from it.)

Please be patient with me as I am doing this alone and have a part-time job (and, depending on if I move this summer or not, getting a full-time job and maintaining my own apartment may become a part of the equation.) So, yes, I have a laundry list of tasks to do all by myself so I just ask that you be forgiving of my productivity timeline. Thank you.

-Nessa Rose-

#TDRR Season 2 #total drama #total drama ridonculous race #tdi brick #tdi jo #jockjockjock #tdi #tdri #tdrr #my art #headcannons #long post #i blame my inking tool for how long this damn picture took me to finish #hope yall like it #hands are hard to draw #i just thought the tank top thing was funny

[aromanticannibal]

How Mineta (and y'know the others) got into the hero course (and other Entrance Exam thoughts)

So there's this pseudo-joke/"plothole" people in the MHA fandom talk about (seriously or not) concerning how some 1-A and 1-B students got into the hero course. I'll try to answer that here. (Because that joke annoys me to no end /lh).

First of all, what's the entrance exam like?

We're not gonna be talking about the theoretical exams or whatever the fuck, just the practical exam, aka the robots. That happens in chapter 3, which damn that was long ago, and is explained my favorite idiot, Present Mic. See :

The exam is 10 minutes long, it happens in a large fake cityscape. There's 3 types of robots that give more or less points when defeated and one robot that gives no points when defeated and "rampages when it's crowded". Students are allowed to bring whatever they want with them, but it's unclear if they can bring equipment unrelated to their quirks. I'd assume no, because otherwise Shinsou or Midoriya could have brought something to help them (but perhaps they weren't aware of this option - though All Might would have probably told Midoriya) :

On top of points gained by destroying robots, there are "rescue points" that can be acquired by saving people : as much as 60 points can be obtained for saving one person (see Midoriya saving Uraraka) even if the robot destroyed doesn't give any points.

Now, with the students.

I'll start with Mineta because he's the one I'm using in my title. Mineta, IMO, is more than capable of succeeding at the entrance exam. For one, his quirk is very useful in it : he can just drop sticky balls near robots, or throw a bunch near articulations, and the robots when break as they try to keep moving. He doesn't even need skill to do that, beyond aiming eventually. Additionally, Horikoshi apparently provided an explanation as to how Mineta could pass the exam (binding the robots to walls or blocking their cannons with his quirk) somewhere in volume 2. Finally, as much as I know most people in the fandom dislike Mineta, he is canonically an okay student, skills wise. He's cowardly and is distracted too easily and often, and that's his biggest problems. According to the Ultra Archive Book, he has a B in Technique and an A in Intelligence, and in the Ultra Analysis Book, an A in Technique and an A+ in Wits. He very much could have passed the entrance exam, and he very much did, and it's not hard to figure out why.

Now onto the less easily explainable character : Hagakure Tooru. This one, I understand where the confusion comes from. At first sight, her quirk isn't offensive at all, and just makes her invisible, which is as useful for fighting robots as Brainwashing is. Currently, Hagakure can reflect light well enough to manipulate things like Aoyama's laser, which is definitely offensive, but at the start of the manga she cannot do it : she learns this during her work studies, and refines it throughout the story : what she can do at the time of the entrance exam is refract light. My theory is that she would blind the robots with light, either making them malfunction and break just with that (either because their cameras break or because they like run into walls or something), or taking advantage of their blindness to attack them with a weapon. She could have also taken advantage of her invisibility to sneak up on the robots (somehow). Additionally, she could absolutely have gotten rescue points by saving other students.

Most other members of 1-A aren't really mentioned when talking about "how did X get through the entrance exam" as most of them have offensive quirks. If I have to guess who could have had trouble with the exam, Kouda is the first one that comes to mind - he would have had to summon birds, probably, as other animals likely weren't there due to y'know, the setting being artificial and contained, and he wouldn't be able to use insects as he's still scared of them at this point. I think it's likely he got rescue points too, as his quirk can serve as a distraction, which would allow him to help others escape certain situations.

For 1-B, I suppose most people don't question them because most people don't really... care about 1-B, which is fair given their screen time. However, I'll look into the students to see which ones would potentially have trouble with their entrance exam.

Shihai Kuroiro's quirk, Black, allows him to merge with anything that's dark, whether caused by circumstance (shadows) or naturally dark in color. At the time of the exam, this does not come with any offensive qualities (later he can move things he's merged with as long as they can move naturally). The entrance exam being set in a cityscape with tall skyscrapers implies that There Are Going To Be Shadows, like. Obviously, which definitely helps. Moreover, I'd assume the robots have at least some parts of them that are dark. Kuroiro can "half-merge" for lack of better words :

So I imagine he could merge into the robots, fuck around with whatever's available (either by punching whatever's there or by ripping out cables or parts) and boom, robot destroyed, points gained.

The only other student that could have struggled is Monoma, because he most likely didn't know the people around him nor their quirks, which must have slowed him down a bit, especially given the fact that if his body can't handle the quirk he copies, he could get hurt. However, Monoma is both smart enough to figure others quirks out, smart enough to have brought a weapon or taken a metal scrap or something if he was struggling with quirks, and enough of a dick (<3) to have no qualms about hitting someone behind the head to get their quirk if needed, so he's fine.

That's it for this part. It still makes me so annoyed to see people being like "how did Mineta get into UA" "how did Hagakure pass the entrance exam" because like. Please put down your opinion of the characters for ONE SECOND and think with your brain for a minute. Mineta is a pervert and a coward but he is canonically smart (when no girls are around) and canonically is skilled using his quirk. Obviously he passed the entrance exam. And generally, obviously most characters passed the entrance exam, because they have good quirks (for the most part) and are trying to be heroes - our main cast (again, putting aside fanon interpretation or canon but unintended characters being shitty) is made of characters who want to help people, or grow to want to help and save and protect others : most of them are going to get at least some rescue points. Most of the characters whose points we can see are actually pretty balanced, ie: 39 villain/35 rescue for Kirishima, 36V/32R for Ibara... the characters with more villain points tend to have more offensive quirks, like Tetsutetsu with 49V against 10R, etc. Not every character is Midoriya (who struggled with his new quirk and needed his heroic instinct to flare up, 0V/60R), Bakugou (who is notoriously too focused on beating villains up and winning at the start of the story, 77V/0R), Iida (who was too focused on the instructions that were given and didn't act naturally, 52V/9R)... So most characters are going to get a more even score, where characters with offensive quirks will probably be more focused on destroying robots and helped a bit by rescuing, and characters with more defensive quirks will be carried by rescue points.

Finally, to end on my favorite guy Shinsou Hitoshi; he failed the exam for a good reason. No one "stole his place", he messed up; it's not entirely his fault, because I do believe the entrance exam is way too in favor of people with offensive quirks, but he still is partly at fault. His problem at the start of the story is that he relies way too much on his quirk, which is very powerful but requires many conditions being met to be activated. He isn't trained enough physically - during the Sports Festival, he basically has Midoriya's body type before he started training with All Might, aka, noodle arms. He's very smart and has no problem using other people to get what he wants, but that just didn't work during the entrance exam, because he can't attack other students (and brainwashing them to do the work for him works in no universe in this situation). I wholeheartedly believe he would have been able to enter UA's hero course if he was more trained physically and more skilled technically (after all, Aizawa has to have passed the entrance exam somehow, and I doubt he actually got in through the sports festival, because otherwise it would be mentioned, by Shinsou, Aizawa or anyone comparing the two). Moreover, he may have gotten rescue points, but either didn't get enough to pass without any villain points like Midoriya, or didn't get enough because he was too focused on his own success to help others, similar to Iida.

Anyways, mic drop, whatever, it's honestly too late to be still writing this. I hope this was useful to literally anyone.

#mha #my hero academia #bnha #boku no hero academia #meta mha #meta bnha #entrance exam mha #mineta minoru #hagakure tooru #cider's mha hyperfixation

[peach-and-bugs]

Thoughts on Yellowjackets 2x9

if you're here specifically to learn how this season is going to impact my fanfic, feel free to stick around! spoilers start after the cut-off.

So, that was a wild ride! I just wanna say before I get into my thoughts that from here on out unless otherwise specified/stated, my Yellowjackets fics will all be part of an alternate cannon where all the girls stayed a lot closer and had a lot more therapy after the wilderness because let's be real that would have solved so many of our current problems. they still have some fucked shit to deal with, but it's not as bad as it is in actual cannon because our cannon is making me so sad.

but anyways! thoughts and spoilers for the season 2 final start now!

Gotta say I was loving it till we got to the hunt. Though I absolutely didn't want it and knew someone would die, I was convinced either Natalie, Van, or Lisa. logically, those just made the most sense to me, so I wasn't surprised when it was Natalie. However, Misty????? You really had to do that to her, again. I'm horrified to see what's going to become of her in season 3. and Natalie's arch through this season is so heartbreaking. She was finally making progress! she was forgiving, working so hard to better herself and she was feeling better. after over 25 years of being on the downhill, she was finally finding her way up, only to be killed to further traumatize Misty.

However, I do know though that it's very likely Natalie was our victim because Juliette Lewis has been actively talking about getting back into film and tv takes a lot of time, especially for a main character, so they had to find some way to write her off. We don't know when this choice was made, so Natalie's rather strange arch was either a victim of a spur-of-the-moment change, or it's just frustrating writing. had the plan always been from the start of the season to kill Natalie, I'd be even more disappointed than I am because she had a really good setup for development! She was really starting to heal, and having the plan from the start be her death felt like a waste of all that development.

I really don't have much more to say about Natalie if I'm honest because I'd like to wait for more explanation on the creative choices made and if Juliette really did ask to be written off, but I have so much to say about Misty, because holy shit, what have they done.

Misty is already so broken. having her kill Natalie with her hand isn't going to change her character. this isn't going to result in any positive development for her. it's literally just going to crush her. Misty killing Natalie is 100% a callback to Christen/Chrystal and I think we all know that, but the issue is that there is no growth between those two events. it would be one thing if Misty had felt no remorse for Christen/Chrystal back when she died only to kill Natalie and really realize what she's done and is capable of, but she did know and she cared.

They took the time to show it in 2x7 when she has to step away from Shauna, blood on her hands to sob and cry because she knows she did something wrong. At that moment, she realizes everything she's done wrong, and she is fully at her lowest. She beats herself up, cursing her hand because she's fully realized the situation they're all in is, in fact, her fault. I think the only way Natalie's death could have any "positive" impact on her growth would have been had she not had that meltdown in 2x7. Had she stayed completely focused and diligent, more concerned with keeping the truth behind Christen/Chrystal's death than thinking about her fault or blaming herself, then she could have had that breakthrough as an adult after Natalie dies. At this point, Natali's death is only going to force her down under the water more than she already is.

I think all this is going to do is have Misty drastically pull away from her friends. Misty is a caretaker. No matter how unconventional her methods may be, ultimately that's the role that she plays, or at least tries to play. She puts others' concerns and needs above her own and goes to any extreme that she needs to because her friends are her priority and she thinks they're worth taking that extreme action if it means they're safe.

But, try as she might, her friends still die, and she keeps finding herself at the helm of those deaths, but not on purpose. She repeatedly finds herself with a hand around her wrist, forcing her to push the big red self-district button flashing in front of her. But she ignores the hand that's forcing her. She eliminates the middleman and decided those tragedies are her fault. because she is there and trying to help, any harm is ultimately a result of her failure. And a lot of her more drastic actions are extremely logical, literal, and calculated to her. In her mind, they're completely foolproof, so when they fail it's directly because of her. (Personally, I think an argument could easily be made that she's autistic, but that's for another post. If anyone is interested please let me know! I'd love to talk about it).

In season 3, we're going to see a whole new side of Misty that I don't think I ever wanted to think about. She's going to be broken and a shell of herself, more so if Natalie had been killed in any other way. Had Lisa shot Natalie herself, sure there would have been some grief and self-blame, but not at the same level as this. She's going to completely retreat into herself, removing herself as much as she can because she feels everything is her fault, and Natalie's death is just the nail in the coffin driving that "fact" home for her. Our sweet, bubbly blond who is always readjusting her glasses, who loves her bird and is a proud citizen detective is gone, and I don't know how else they can move her story forward.

#◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡ kay's at it again♡ #yellowjackets #yellowjackets thoughts #yellowjackets final #yellowjackets 2x09 #yellowjackets spoilers #misty quigley #natalie scatorccio

[alpacasandwine]

I have always thought it just feels so unfair that out of nowhere we become in control of Kris, like, the dude isn't enjoying it, and because of the narrative, you can't enjoy the game without forcing kris to do stuff you want to to, even the good stuff

So I have beeen coming out with possible headcannon solutions/explanations to this, We'll probably got a cannon answer sometime in the future but until then I'll brainstorm a bit, relating it a bit to Dess because I believe that Kris does care a lot about Noelle

So, what if Kris became possesed because they were trying to find Dess? Like they saw her last time near that bunker, and feeling bad for not doing anything at the time, they went to that bunker to try to find her, but something else came out of it? Or perhaps they did indeed checked inside and didn't found her, and that's why they are trying at a dark world now that they know how to open a fountain thanks to Queen

Another idea I come up with would be a way to make less shitty the whole using Kris thing. What if Kris was the one who summoned us? They felt they weren't able to do much to find Dess, so they asked for help, the help of someone who would be able to done a lot more than what they would be able to because we aren't bound by the same rules. However, just because it wasn't Kris's plan, that doesn't mean they are ok with everything we do, not only in the Doing bad stuff department but also in the not concentrating to find Dess, so they tried to force us to search a bit more by creating a new Dark wold, or maybe even that could have been an attempt to open a new are to search Dess in

Even thought I love the narrative of Kris being our Puppet, I feel bad that, at least based on what we know until now, we simply started to control them and ignore their feelings one random day. Making it so it is somewhat Kris's decision/fault would be the way I'd like to explain why they can refuse, it's like a "Wow wow buddy, my turn on the controller ok " at the end of each Chapter(?

I should refine this idea more, it is still a bit too vague to be a fully fleshed theory

#deltarune kris #kris dreemurr #kris #deltarune theory #deltar #deltarune chapter two #deltarune dess #deltarune december