#you coulda just said “can you give me something else to say”

[paper-mario-wiki]

do you still have that cameo of the guy you paid to say the penis box line but didnt even say penis despite being dirt cheap

of course i have the video of Justin Russo refusing to say Penis while giving me a smug look.

For context, a few years ago I had a running joke on my stream where I got different random voice actors to say "Sorry, looks like you cried to undertale music, that means you're going in the penis box". I don't remember where this sentence came from, but I've had the official voices of Jimmy Neutron, Wilt from Foster Home for Imaginary Friends, and Monokuma all say it.

Justin Russo is the only person who refused outright to say it (though Monokuma asked to say "punishment box" instead, which I let slide).

#the man with no face #in reality i understand why he didnt want to but still #you coulda just said “can you give me something else to say”

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

The Chapter 4 Essay Part 2: Gonta Gokuhara

A metapost on my thoughts on Kokichi’s overall motivations and Gonta’s actions during ch4. Split into two parts. You can find Kokichi's half here: (LINK)

This section is admittedly a little bit shorter than Kokichi’s, but that’s just because Gonta’s motivations are a lot more clear than Kokichi’s. That being said, I’m also worried that since I am so obsessed with Gonta I might forget something important that supports my point because to me its kinda self-evident. So if anything seems like it’s missing or doesn’t make sense, please let me know!

In my opinion, nothing Kokichi did to Gonta was personal, in both positive and negative ways. He didn’t target Gonta because he hated him in particular, but he also didn’t team up with him because they were already friends. Gonta was just an easy target for him to take advantage of, both for stopping Miu from killing him And in progressing his plan to stop the killing game. Gonta’s actions in chapter 4 are a combination of genuine manipulation by Kokichi using what made him an easy target, and motivation caused by Gonta’s desperation and preexisting insecurities that had been growing since the start of the killing game.

Throughout v3, the one thing that Gonta wants more than anything else is to protect his friends from the killing game. It’s pretty clear that he trusts his physical strength more than any other part of himself. The literal First thing Gonta says in a group setting with everyone else is this:

(prologue)

He doesn’t even know anyone yet! But he’s already prepared to physically defend them from the exisals! He also tries to stop Kaede’s execution along with Kaito and Tenko:

(post trial, chapter 1) (And- wait- is Gonta missing his bug box in this cg? Oh my god….)

Gonta is shown to be most confident when doing things that involve his physical strength. There’s less hesitation and uncertainty in his actions, unlike what you can often see in him during class trials or group discussions.

Gonta is also more than willing to give up his life for his friends, even as early as chapter 2.

(post trial, chapter 2) (he’s the first one to make this suggestion)

Outside of physical defense against active threats, Gonta really just wants to help his friends in any way he can. Here’s a couple examples:

(post-trial, chapter 1) (daily life, chapter 2) (daily life, chapter 3) (investigation, chapter 3)

On the other hand, Gonta has really bad self esteem issues. It’s telling enough that one of Gonta’s common floatlines is literally “Gonta idiot…” When he’s not casually calling himself dumb he’s apologizing for it. For this (and honestly, many other parts of Gonta’s character that I’m pointing out here) I really recommend just paying close attention to Gonta on a replay of the game. I could literally sit here for a week finding and listing all the times Gonta calls himself stupid, but it feels pretty self-evident considering how much he does it. Here’s just one example:

(investigation, chapter 1)

It’s the combination of his deep desire to be helpful and protect the people around him, and the repeated deaths of his classmates, that really start to wear on him as the game progresses. I think this mixes with his already present self worth issues to form a pretty nasty complex; Gonta explicitly blames himself for almost every single victim’s death in the game. Let’s walk through the chapters for a moment here:

Ryoma: “Gonta coulda saved him… No, Gonta shoulda saved him…! // When piranhas attack Ryoma… If Gonta had dived into tank… / Then… Gonta coulda help Ryoma. But Gonta got scared. Too scared to do anything. / Sorry! Gonta really sorry!”

In chapter 3, Gonta joins Angie’s student council out of his desire to protect everyone. This is made clear in how, before pulling him in, Angie compliments Gonta and calls him smart. She then says this:

(daily life, chapter 3)

This time, organized as a part of the student council and with Angie’s god on his side, Gonta hopes that he can finally be useful and successfully protect someone.

Angie: “Maybe Angie got attacked while she sleep in her room, and get brought there? / If so… Gonta coulda saved her! If only Gonta saw! / But Gonta was sleeping… Sorry, Angie… Gonta no could save you!”

…To quote my favourite V3 lets play (shortonegaming) on this moment: “He made up a version [of Angie’s death] so that he could blame himself.”

Tenko: “T-Tenko…! Gonta so sorry… Gonta no could protect you!” and then a little later “It’s all Gonta’s fault…! Gonta fail to protect friends again!” and AGAIN later “Gonta so ashamed…! Why Gonta no could protect friends!?”

That’s two deaths in a row that Gonta (at least believes) he was right next door to and failed to stop. You can see from how he says this repeatedly, with lots of dialogue from other characters in between, the sheer amount that this is impacting him.

Miu: “But… why this happen…!? Why… Miu killed!? / Gonta not understand… Gonta not understand anything… /…But Gonta frustrated and sad! Gonta no could protect Miu! // Gonta so sorry! Gonta sorry he no could protect Miu!” Even with Miu’s death, to which he’s waking up disoriented and confused, he blames himself for failing to stop it.

(Sidenote: Looking at all these reactions back to back makes Gonta’s disorientation after waking up from the virtual world SO much more visible. I left the beginning out of the quote I took, but when you first talk to him during ch4’s investigation, he doesn’t say anything for a few moments. This is very unlike his immediate, intense reactions in the earlier chapters. When he does start speaking it feels kind of disjointed, uncharacteristically calm, and confused before he starts riling himself up blaming himself for Miu’s death. I never really noticed it before looking into this. It’s kind of disturbing)

The only reason I personally think he doesn’t react this way about Rantaro immediately is due to being in shock that someone died to begin with. That doesn’t stop him from saying this not long after:

(investigation, chapter 1)

This complex- made of the desire to protect everyone, self loathing, and feelings of uselessness at being unable to help investigating due to being “stupid” and failing to protect anyone physically, the only thing he thinks he’s good at, every. single. time- only gets worse with each chapter. And in Chapter 4, Gonta finally reaches his breaking point.

At the beginning of Chapter 4, you can talk to Gonta as Shuichi is leaving to meet up with Kaito and Maki to train. He tries to stop Shuichi, worried about a murder potentially taking place at night (again), but Shuichi reassures him that he’ll stick by his friends and that he can’t break his promise to meet up with them. Gonta responds like this:

(daily life, chapter 4)

Which leads to him saying he’s made up his mind, and has a plan. Which is, of course, to try and take down Monokuma physically, even if it costs him his life. He initially drops the suggestion after Miu starts talking about the virtual world, but the day after, it’s still bothering him.

(daily life, chapter 4)

Almost every free time event you have with Gonta this chapter (except for like, one, where he talks about the “tiny bugs” he can barely see), Gonta is trying to think of ways to help.

(free time, chapter 4) His last possible free time event before Miu takes everyone into the virtual world has this dialogue, which is just so sad to me.

(free time, chapter 4)

“Helping everyone” and not being “useless” are almost the only two things Gonta talks about this chapter. It’s this mindset and motivation that made Gonta an easy target for Kokichi to take advantage of. He’s in a bad place mentally, and nothing he does seems to help anybody. Not to mention, with the student council gone, he’s suddenly just kind of… alone. There’s no one there (other than potentially Shuichi, during free time) to keep him steady.

And yeah, I am definitely not including Kokichi here. A strong reason I don’t think Gonta chose to go along with Kokichi out of friendship was because of this interaction early Chapter 4:

(daily life, chapter 4)

Gonta’s trust in Kokichi was broken because of the events of the insect meet and greet. The insect meet and greet’s implications for Kokichi and Gonta’s relationship are a bit strange, but since it’s not super relevant to chapter 4, I’m not gonna get into it. The point is, regardless of the nature of their relationship in chapter 2, it’s clear that Gonta doesn’t consider Kokichi a very trustworthy person in chapter 4. It’s likely that he doesn’t consider him a close friend either. I hesitate to say that Gonta didn’t consider him a friend at all, because he’s Gonta and he wants to have faith in everyone, but at the very least he was trying to be wary around him.

This explicit distrust in Kokichi might make it seem strange that Gonta went along with Kokichi at all in the virtual world. But in reality, Kokichi was very aware of Gonta’s distrust in him, and used it to his advantage in setting up his plot.

(daily life, chapter 4) (I skipped some dialogue in this exchange, but it hits the main points)

Kaito inadvertently eggs Gonta on here, but Kokichi literally drops the idea at Gonta’s feet. Gonta isn’t going with Kokichi to help him look, he’s going to make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble. And as Kokichi said, he knew Gonta would offer to do something like this if given the chance.

Kokichi uses Gonta’s distrust in him again when they encounter the flashback light holding the secret of the outside world together. Gonta’s immediate instinct was to go find everyone else, but Kokichi yells for him to wait, and then this happens:

(post trial, chapter 4)

He KNOWS Gonta doesn’t trust him, and with that distrust, he can make him doubt anything he says. I’ve already talked about how Gonta is ready to give up his life for everyone else, especially this chapter, so suggesting that he check if the light is a trap set up by Kokichi is guaranteed to make Gonta pause.

But it doesn’t stop there. Kokichi pushes harder:

(post trial, chapter 4)

Gonta thinks for a moment, but this is what made him choose to come back and look at the flashback light himself. Here, Kokichi uses the thing that has been haunting Gonta more than anything else all killing game, especially this chapter. He knows Gonta has tried and failed to protect people, he knows how upset it makes him. What better way would there be to convince him to do whatever he wants than to offer a way for him to finally be “useful” to everyone after failing them again and again?

Anything after this point and before Miu’s body discovery is purely headcanon, so I won’t get into my thoughts on that. But I think this moment shows that Gonta was under a lot more control that people often think. I don’t mean to say that Kokichi is entirely blameless, or that Gonta wasn’t manipulated at all. But AlterEgo!Gonta says himself, “No, [we] not tricked,” because he wasn’t. He made the choice to see the secret of the outside world on his own, and made every choice after that to continue with their plan. There was no trickery involved. It was Kokichi’s carefully chosen words that dug right into his insecurities, doubts, and hopes that directly influenced him into making the choice that he did.

You also have to keep in mind how absolutely unstable Gonta must’ve been at this point. He was already nearing a breaking point with his feelings of powerlessness before going into the virtual world, but then he got hit with the secret of the outside world. AlterEgo!Gonta openly admits that it made him feel suicidal. (“Cuz, when Gonta remember the secret of the outside world, Gonta think… /…it would be easier… to die.”) With the outside world and the killing game both inescapable hells, Gonta just couldn’t imagine any way out. And then Kokichi suggests the mercy kill plan. In his state of mind, Gonta truly believed that this could be the way to finally “save” everyone.

Of course, Kokichi had only just recently seen the secret of the outside world too. Even though he must have known it wasn’t true, he had no idea the extent to which it was a lie versus the truth. He probably wasn’t in a very good mental state either. But still, just like he would do again in chapter 5 to everyone else, Kokichi used the despair caused by the secret of the outside world to get Gonta to go along with his plan.

This is what I believe was the driving force behind Gonta’s half of the Kokichi and Gonta dynamic in chapter 4. Gonta’s self loathing, which was present before the killing game began, compounded with his desire to be useful and protect everyone else from the threats of the killing game. As more people died, Gonta became more and more desperate to do literally anything to help everyone else. Kokichi used these things about Gonta to push him to do what he wanted him to.

…To close off, there’s this moment right before Gonta and Kokichi leave to kill Miu that’s really stuck with me.

(daily life, chapter 4) (Read left to right, top to bottom)

It’s not common for the other characters to defend Gonta’s intelligence. But Kaito, unknowingly, says just the right thing to Gonta at just the wrong time. Knowing that Gonta was about to set things in motion to mercy kill everyone for this exact reason… I wonder if Kaito remembered this moment. Maybe it was just another reason he got so defensive over him during trial 4. I just wish he had said something like this to him sooner.

If you got all the way here and read all this… first of all. THANK YOU! Oh my god. I’ve been working on this essay for several days now between studying for my finals. It feels really great to have it all written out after literal years of loving V3 and loving this chapter. Please, please, please let me know your thoughts! Even if you disagree with me! Chapter 4 is so special to me and I love talking about it!! o/

(Screenshots taken on youtube from justonegamr, Bittersweet Gamers, ShortOneGaming, ProZD Plays Games, and my own copy of v3 on IOS. Thank you @/ishimaruhourglass for helping me find some of these!)

#gonta gokuhara #danganronpa #danganronpa v3 #drv3 #ndrv3 #gokuhara gonta #drv3 spoilers #ndrv3 spoilers #id in alt text #meta post #long post #(Again sorry for no readmore- in the event that I deactivate or change username I want this post to still be readable) #caveat again that this is based on the english localization only #Thank you for reading!! I'm pretty proud of this #shut up me

[layce2015]

Supernatural (Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Point Of No Return

Masterlist pt 1

Masterlist pt 2

Dean packs away his belongings in a box, including his leather jacket, his keys, his gun, and a letter. It had been a couple of days since Dean broke up with (y/n) and turned his back on this mission. He just had about enough of this crap.

He marks the box for Robert Singer after he tapes it shut. Dean walks up to the dresser in front of mirror and pours himself a drink and raising the glass to his lips. "Sending someone a candy-gram?" Sam asked, causing Dean to pause before he could take a sip.

Dean turn to look at him, shocked. "How'd you find me?" He asked. "You're going to kill yourself, right?" Sam asked, trying not to sound bitter. "Is that why you broke (y/n)'s heart and left her behind?" Sam asked, trying to hold back anger. "I'm not going to kill myself." Dean said. "No? So Michael's not about to make you his Muppet?" Sam asked and Dean shakes his head and took a swig of his drink.

"What the hell, man? This is how it ends? You just...walk out?" Sam asked. "Yeah, I guess." Dean muttered, pouring himself another drink. "How could you do that?" Sam asked. "How could I?" Dean asked, slamming the bottle of alcohol back on the dresser as he stares at his brother sharply. "All you've ever done is run away." He spat at his younger brother.

"And I was wrong. Every single time I did!" Sam exclaimed, Dean stares back. "Just...please. Not now. Bobby is working on something." Sam pleads. "Oh, really? What?" Dean asked, moving back over to the bed but Sam doesn't respond.

"You got nothing and you know it." Dean said, he scoffs and takes a sip of his drink. "You know I have to stop you." Sam muttered. Dean sniffs and sets his glass on the box, not finishing it. "Yeah, well, you can try. Just remember: You're not all hopped up on demon blood this time." He said.

"Yeah, I know. But I brought help." Sam said. Dean turns around to find Castiel standing behind him. Before he could react, Castiel touches his fingers to Dean's forehead, knocking him out. 

After returning to Bobby's house, Sam and Bobby were reading through books. Castiel leans against the doorway the leads into the kitchen, watching Dean pace like hawk. "Yeah, no, this is good. Really. You know, eight months of turned pages and screwed pooches but tonight, tonight's when the magic happens." Dean said, sarcastically. "You ain't helpin'." Bobby said. "Yeah, well, why don't you let me get out of your hair, then?" Dean asked, Bobby look up from his book to stare at him.

Suddenly, Ariel appears and she stomps over to Dean and slaps him. "What the hell happened to you? Why did you hurt (y/n)?" She asked him, angrily, while Sam, Cas and Bobby look on in shock. Dean shakes his head slightly at this then turns to face Ariel. "Reality happened. Nuclear's the only option we have left. Michael can ice the devil, save a boatload of people." Dean replied. "But not all of them. We gotta think of something else." Ariel said.

"Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say. But if Lucifer burns this mother down, and I coulda done something about it, guess what? That's on me!" Dean yelled. "So you are just gonna give up and turn on the people who love you?" Ariel said as she gestures to Bobby, Sam and Cas. "To the woman who loves you with all of her heart?" She asked. "What I did to (y/n) was to protect her!" Dean yells at Ariel. 

“You call that protection? She never asked you to protect her, you made that decision for her. You hurt her in a way that’s unforgivable and unfair to her. You think it was out of love but in reality it was selfish.” Ariel said and Dean looks at her offended. “Selfish?” He repeated, angrily. “You left her behind in tears not because you didn’t want her getting hurt. You left her because you didn’t want to risk the pain of losing her. YOU didn’t want to get hurt!” Ariel exclaimed and Dean glares at her. “You didn’t respect her or believe she was capable enough to fight along side us.” Ariel yelled as she steps closer to him. “You don’t know a damn thing!” Dean shouted. 

“I know that you’re being a selfish coward!” Ariel shouted back, her eyes glowing blue as her shadowy wings appeared, spreading out to make herself appear larger and more threatening. Dean, cautiously, steps back as he stares at the angry archangel right in front of him. Sam and Bobby look at the wings in amazement, while Cas steps froward. “Ariel.” He said, warningly. 

Ariel closes her eyes and calms down, her wings disappearing. When she opens her eyes, they're back to her vessel’s normal blue eyes. “And now you’re giving up. I used to respect that you were so resilient…but I can see now that I was wrong.” Ariel spat at him and Dean glares at her then turns his head away from her.

"Well, Ariel's right. You can't give up, son." Bobby said. Dean scoffs, shaking his head as he looks towards the floor. "You're not my father." He said, raising his head to look at Bobby, who stares back at him heartbroken. "And you ain't in my shoes." Dean said.

Bobby looks down, Sam turns to glare at Dean. When Dean looks over at Sam, Sam shakes his head at him. Bobby pulls out a gun out of his desk and sets it on the table. He takes a bullet out of his pocket and looks at it. "What is that?" Dean asked.

"That's the round that I mean to put through my skull." Bobby replied, setting the bullet down on his desk in front of him. "Every morning, I look at it. I think, Maybe today's the day I flip the lights out. But I don't do it. I never do it. You know why? BECAUSE I PROMISED YOU I WOULDN'T GIVE UP!" Bobby yells, angrily. Dean and Bobby stare at each other, no one saying anything. Then suddenly Castiel and Ariel grasp their heads and hunch over in pain. "Guys, you okay?" Sam asked, worried. "No." Castiel and Ariel replied, gasping.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked. "Something's happening." Ariel groans. "Where?" Dean asked. The two angels disappear and caused a gust of wind to throw papers around the room. 

Later, Sam and Dean went into the kitchen and Sam looks over at his older brother. "You know...when (y/n) called me to tell me what you did. She barely could get her words out. I asked where she was and she was able to get that out and Cas got me to her." Sam said and Dean clenches his jaw at this.

"Sam..." he mutters, exasperated. "No, Dean, quit making excuses! I know you thought what you did was right but Ariel’s right, what you did was selfish!" Sam said. “Not you too.” Dean grumbled, looking up at the ceiling tired. “Did you even know what you did? You took away her choices and pick what you think is best for her. That’s controlling and possessive.” Sam said.

“Oh it is?” Dean asked. “Yes it is! (Y/n) is a person not a piece of property. She has needs and as her boyfriend it’s your job to respect them and try to fulfill them.” Sam said. “What, you’re some relationship expert now, huh? No offense but I don’t really want advice from the guy who’s had every relationship with a woman end poorly.” Dean said and Sam glares back at him when another gust of wind blows papers around and Castiel and Ariel appear with a body.

"Help." Cas said and the two angels lay the body down on the cot right as Sam and Dean ran in from the kitchen. They look at the body and freeze when they saw it was Adam.

Bobby wheels himself over to the cot to look at him. "Who is it?" He asked. "That's our brother." Sam replied. "Wait a minute. Your brother? Adam?" Bobby asked, astounded. "Guys, what the hell?" Dean asked, turning to the angels who place two angel blades on the desk. "Angels." Ariel said.

"Angels? Why?" Sam asked. "I know one thing for sure. We need to hide him now." Castiel said, walking over to Adam and placing his hand to his chest. He brands the Enochian symbols on Adam's ribs to hide him from angels. This also cause Adam to wake up from the pain and sit up startled looking around.

"Where am I?" He asked. "It's okay. Just relax, you're safe." Sam assured him. "Who the hell are you?" Adam asked. "You're going to find this a little...a lot crazy, but we're actually your brothers." Dean said and Adam gives him a look of disbelief. "It's the truth. John Winchester was our father, too. See, I'm Sam..." Sam started to say, but Adam talked over him. "Yeah, and I'm sure that's Dean. I know who you are." Adam said then he looks around, as if he was looking for someone.

"Isn't there supposed to be a girl with you?" He asked and Dean turns his head away, upset. "She's not here right now. But...how do you know who we are?" Sam asked after everyone gave Adam a look of astonishment. "They warned me about you." Adam said. "Who did?" Dean asked. "The angels. Now where the hell is Zachariah?!" Adam asked.

After letting Adam clean himself up, they all sat down to figure out what's going on. "So why don't you just tell us everything? Start from the beginning." Dean said. "Well, I was dead and in Heaven. 'Cept it...it uh, kinda looked like my prom and I was making out with this girl, her name was Kristin McGee..." Adam explained, smiling a little. "Yeah, that sounds like heaven. Did you get to third base?" Dean asked. Sam clears his throat, shooting Dean a look. "Just uh, just keep going." Sam said to Adam.

"Well, these...these angels, they popped out of nowhere, and they tell me that I-I'm chosen." Adam said. "For what?" Sam asked. "To save the world." Adam replied. "How you gonna do that?" Dean asked. "Oh, me and some archangel are going to kill the devil." Adam said, nonchalantly.

"What archangel?" Dean asked, confused. "Michael. I'm his uh, sword or vessel or something, I don't know." Adam said and Dean scoffs. "Well, that's insane." He said. "Not necessarily." Ariel said. "How do you mean?" Dean asked, looking over his shoulder at the angel. "It sounds like they're moving on from you, Dean." Ariel said.

"Well that doesn't make sense." Dean said. "He is John Winchester's bloodline, Sam's brother. It's not perfect, but it's possible." Castiel explained. "Well you gotta be kidding me." Dean grumbled. "Why would they do this?" Sam asked. "They're desperate. They wrongly assumed Dean would be brave enough to withstand them." Ariel said as she gives Dean a hard look.

"Alright, you know what? Blow me, Ariel." Dean growled. Castiel stares back, confused, while Ariel looks at him in, shock horror. "Excuse me?!" She exclaims but Sam speaks up, trying to avoid another fight. "Look, no way. After everything that's happened? All that crap about destiny? Suddenly the angels have a Plan B? Does that smell right to anybody?" Sam asked.

"You know this has been a really moving family reunion, but uh, I got a thing, so..." Adam said, standing up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no, no, no. Sit down. Just listen, okay? Please." Sam pleaded, stopping him. Adam stares at him and shakes his head then sits back down. "It's unbelievable." He muttered. "Now, Adam...the angels are lying to you. They're full of crap." Sam said. "Yeah, I don't think so." Adam said. 

"Really. Why not?" Sam asked. "Um, 'cause they're angels." Adam replied. "They tell you they were gonna roast half the planet?" Sam asked. "They said the fight might get pretty hairy, but it is the devil, right? So we got to stop him." Adam said.

"Yeah, but there's another way." Sam said. "Great. What is it?" Adam asked. "We're working on the power of love." Dean said and Sam glares at him. "How's that going?" Adam asked. "Mmm. Not good." Dean said, smiling.

"Look, Adam...You don't know me from a hole in the wall, I know. But I'm begging you. Please, just trust me. Give me some time." Sam said. "Give me one good reason." Adam said. Sam thinks for a moment. "Because we're blood." He said and Adam glares at him. "You've got no right to say that to me." He spat, making Sam look at him confused.

"You're still John's boy." Bobby reminded him. "No, John Winchester was some guy who took me to a baseball game once a year. I don't have a dad. So we may be blood, but we are not family. My mom is my family. And if I do my job, I get to see her again. So no offense, but she's the one I give a rat's ass about, not you." Adam explained. "Fair enough. But if you have one good memory of dad, just one, then you'll give us a little more time. Please." Sam pleaded.

That night, Sam enters the kitchen and catches Adam trying to sneak out. "Going somewhere?" Sam asked. Adam stops making a frustrated gesture and turn around to face him. "Out for a...beer." He said, pointing to the door, and Sam claps his hands. "Great. We got beer. Have a seat." Sam said, going to the fridge. "Great." Adam grumbled, walking over to the table and taking a seat.

"You know, you pitched this whole dewy-eyed bromance thing, but the truth is, I'm on lockdown, aren't I?" He asked. "Adam, you may not believe it, but dad was trying to protect you. Keeping you from all of this." Sam said, as he walks over to the table, setting two beers in front of him and Adam then taking a seat next across from Adam.

"Yeah well, I guess the monster that ate me didn't get that memo." Adam said. "You remember that?" Sam asked. "Oh yeah." Adam replied. "Still, trust me. The one thing worse than seeing dad once a year was seeing him all year." Sam said.

"Do you know how full of crap you are?" Adam asked and Sam gives him a stunned look. "What?" He asked. "Really. You see, it was me and it was my mom. That's it. She worked the graveyard shift at the hospital. I cooked my own dinners. I put myself to bed. So you can say whatever you want about our dad, but the truth is, I would have taken anything." Adam explained and Sam nods his head a little. 

"Alright?" Adam asked. "Look, if we had known we had a brother..." Sam started to say. "Well, you didn't, so..." Adam spat. "We would have found you." Sam said. Adam scoffs and shakes his head. "Look, I can't change the past. I wish I could. But from here on out..." Sam said. "What? We gonna hop in the family truckster? Pop on down to Wally World?" Adam said, sarcastically, and Sam chuckles, lightly, at this. "Tell you one thing, with an attitude like that, you would have fit right in around here." Sam said.

In the basement, Dean was locked up in the panic room. He paces around, annoyed, when the door opens and Castiel and Ariel walk in. Dean turns around just as Ariel steps aside to reveal (y/n) standing behind her.

Suddenly, Dean felt his heart break as he sees her. Her eyes still looked a bit red and she had her arms folded across her chest, glaring at Dean. "Why don't you guys go help Sam to keep an eye on Adam? Dean and I need to talk." (Y/n) said, her voice sounding hoarse.

"You sure?" Ariel asked her and (y/n) nods and the two angels leave, shutting the door behind them. The duo stare at each other for a moment before Dean decides to try and lighten the mood as the air was thick with tension. "Well, (y/n), not for nothing, but the last person who looked at me like that...I got laid." He said as he points at her glaring face.

(y/n) scoffs at this but Dean could've sworn he heard a bit of amusement and laugh as she did this. Almost like she was hiding her laughter. Dean frowns slightly as (y/n) paces back and forth.

"Look, I know you're pissed..." Dean said and she scoffs again. "Understatement of the freakin' century." (Y/n) said, in harsh sarcasm. "But this..." Dean said, gesturing to the panic room. "Isn't really necessary." He finished. "Well, we got our hands full, Dean...A house full of flight risks from what Sam told me." (y/n) said. "I'm not letting him do it." Dean said. "Who, Adam? No, I'm...I'm not, either. And neither is Sam." (y/n) said. "No, you're not getting me." Dean said, turning away.

"Oh, no, no, I get you perfectly. But I'm not letting you do it, either." (Y/n) said, in a harsh voice. Dean sighs then takes a seat on a table in the room. "That kid's not taking a bullet for me." He said. "Dean..." (y/n) said, exasperated. "I'm serious. I mean, think about how many people we've gotten killed, (y/n). Mom, Dad, your Mom and Dad, Jess, Jo, Ellen. Should I keep going?" Dean asked her. "It's not like we pulled the trigger." (Y/n) argued.

"We might as well have. I'm tired, (y/n). I'm tired of fighting who I'm supposed to be." Dean said. "Well, do you think maybe you could take a half a second and stop trying to sacrifice yourself for a change? Maybe we could actually stick together?" (Y/n) yells at him, angrily. "I don't think so." Dean mutters, sadly. "Why not? Dean, seriously. Tell me. I-I want to know." (y/n) said and Dean sits there, staring at her then turns his head away from her. "Don't you dare shut down on me! Talk to me, please!" (Y/n) pleaded.

"I just...I-I don't believe." Dean said. "In what?" (y/n) asked. Dean looks at (y/n), brokenly. "In Sam." He said. (Y/n) turns her head away, not wanting to hear that. "I mean, I don't. I don't know whether it's gonna be demon blood or some other demon chick or what, but...I do know they're gonna find a way to turn him." Dean said. "So you're saying Sam's not strong enough." (y/n) said, questionably. "He's angry, he's self-righteous. Lucifer's gonna wear him to the prom, (y/n). It's just a matter of time." Dean said.

(Y/n) shakes her head at this. "Don't say that. Not you...of all people. I mean, this is your own brother!" (Y/n) said, tearfully. "I don't want to. But it's the truth. And when Satan takes him over, there's got to be somebody there to fight him, and it ain't gonna be that kid. So, it's got to be me." Dean said.

"Dean, c'mon..." (y/n) said. "Well, what else you want me to say, (y/n)!" Dean shouts at her. “I want you to say you’re not going to leave!” (Y/n) shouted back and Dean stares at her. “The Dean I know would never agree to heaven’s plans. Never agree to be possessed by some dick archangel and fight Sam to the death.” (Y/n) said, getting angry.

Dean stares at her for a moment, then looks down. “I guess that Dean is long gone.” He mutters. (Y/n) looks at him, her eyes watering up a little. “I miss him.” She whispered and Dean nods, continuing to look at the ground.

That night, Adam was laying on the cot, asleep, and Castiel and Ariel watch him closely while Bobby and Sam sit in the living room area. At that point, they hear the basement door open and they turn their heads to see (y/n) coming in. "How's he doing?" Bobby asked and (y/n) shrugs and scoffs.

"How you doing?" Sam asked her and she nods slightly. Castiel and Ariel turn and walk to the basement door, heading downstairs. "I could be better." She sighs and takes a seat next to Sam. "Did he say anything? Like why he's suddenly changing his mind on this?" Sam asked her and she gives him a sympathetic look.

"He did but...I don't think you're gonna like what he said." She said and Sam's face turns serious. "What did he say?" He asked and (y/n) swallows before she goes to say what Dean said.

Meanwhile, Castiel and Ariel make their way down stairs when they heard a crash and the duo go to the panic room door. "Dean?" Cas calls out but no answer then they enter the room. "Dean?" Ariel calls out. "Cas. Ariel." Dean said as he stands by a cabinet with an angel banishing sigil drawn on the inside of it.

He presses his hand to it, sending Castiel and Ariel away  screaming, then Dean escapes.

*(y/n)'s POV*

Sam and I went down to the basement to check on Dean, Castiel and Ariel only to discover the panic room was open and a angel banishing sigil was painted on the locker door. We ran back upstairs to the library, grabbing our jackets.

"Where's Cas and Ariel?" Bobby asked. "Blown to Oz." Sam replied. "Look, we'll get Dean. He couldn't have gone too far. Just watch Adam." I said. "How? You may have noticed, he's got a slight height advantage." Bobby said. "Then cuff him to your chair. I don't know. Just watch him." I said and we leave to look for Dean.

Unfortunately, we were unable to find him, so we return to Bobby's where he told us Adam was gone. "Bobby, what do you mean, Adam is gone?" Sam asked him. "Should I say it in Spanish?" Bobby asked, sarcastically. "He's gone how? What the hell, Bobby?!" I asked, spreading my arms out in frustration. "Watch your tone, girl. He was right in front of me, and he disappeared into thin air." Bobby said.

There was a gust of wind follow by the sound of flapping wings and Castiel and Ariel appear carrying a bloody and battered Dean between them as paper falls down around them. "Because the angels took him." Castiel said.

"Oh God, what the hell happened to him?" I asked as I run to Dean and cup his face. Despite that he broke my heart, I do still care about him. "Us." Ariel replied as she gestures between her and Cas.

"What do you mean, the angels took Adam? You branded his ribs, didn't you?" Bobby asked as he looks over at Cas. "Yes. Adam must have tipped them." Castiel said. "How?" Bobby asked. "I don't know. Maybe in a dream." Castiel said. "Well, where would they have taken him?" Sam asked.

We take Dean back down to the panic room where we handcuffe him to a cot. Sam and I sit down and wait for Dean to wake. When he did, he jerk on the handcuff discovering his situation and turn his head to see us.

"How you feeling?" Sam asked as Dean sits up on the cot. "Word to the wise: don't piss off the nerd angels. So how's it going?" Dean asked. "Adam's gone. The angels have him." Sam said. "Where?" Dean asked.

"The room where they took us." I replied, remembering Zachariah kidnapping me and placing me in that room just because I was looking for Sam. "You sure?" Dean asked. "Cas did a re-con." I said. "And?" Dean asked. "And the place is crawling with mooks...Pretty much a no-shot-in-hell, hail-Mary kind of thing." Sam said. "Ah, so the usual. What are you guys going to do?" Dean asked.

"For starters...we're bringing you with." Sam said, getting up and walking over to Dean. "Excuse me?" Dean asked, confused. "There are too many of them. We can't do it alone. And uh, you're pretty much the only game in town." I said, unlocking Dean's handcuffs and releasing him. I walk back over to Sam and toss the key on the desk. "Isn't that a bad idea?" Dean asked. 

"Cas, Ariel and Bobby think so. We're not so sure." Sam said, nodding between me and him. "Well, they're right. Because either it's a trap to get me there to make me say yes, or it's not a trap and I'm gonna say yes anyway. And I will. I'll do it. Fair warning." Dean said. "No, you won't. When push shoves, you'll make the right call." Sam said. "You know, if tables were turned...I'd let you rot in here. Hell, I have let you rot in here." Dean said.

"Yeah, well...I guess I'm not that smart." Sam said. "I-I don't get it. Guys, why are you doing this?" Dean asked us, confused. "Because...you're still my big brother." Sam replied. Dean stared at him stunned, then looks over at me. "Even though, you can be an ass sometimes, I still care about you." I said, bitterly, as I fold my arms and Dean gives me a look that I could see is full regret then he looks down.

Cas and Ariel palce us outside to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. "Where the hell are we?" Dean asked. "Van Nuys, California." Castiel asked. "Where's the beautiful room?" I asked. "In there." Castiel said as he nods to the warehouse. "The beautiful room is in an abandoned muffler factory in Van Nuys, California?" Dean asked. "Where'd you think it was?" Castiel asked. "I-I don't know. Jupiter? A blade of grass? Not Van Nuys." Dean said. "I thought it was some dining room in Heaven." I said and Ariel chuckles and shakes her head.

"Tell me again why you two don't just grab Adam and shazam the hell out of there." Sam said to Castiel. "Because there are at least five angels in there." Ariel replied. "So? You guys are fast." I said. "They're faster." Castiel said, undoing his tie to take it off and wrap it around his palm. "Ariel and I'll clear them out. You three grab the boy. This is our only chance." He said as he and Ariel turn towards the door of the warehouse.

"Whoa, wait. You two gonna take on five angels?" Dean asked. "Yes." Castiel and Ariel replied. "Isn't that suicide?" Dean asked. "Maybe it is. But then I won't have to watch you fail. I'm sorry, Dean. I don't have the same faith in you that Sam and (y/n) does." Castiel said and a tinge of regret passes over Dean's face. "I used to but....I'm not so sure now." Ariel said as Castiel pulls a box cutter out of his trench-coat pocket.

"What the hell are you gonna do with that?" I asked him and Castiel hands Ariel the box cutter. The two share a look before Cas nods at her and she uses the box cutter to carve an angel-banishing sigil into his chest. Then the two go inside the warehouse.

We waited outside until we heard the sound of angels being banished, which was a pretty good sign that we can go in now. Dean went on in ahead and after a while Sam and I enter the warehouse.

On our way to the box in the center of warehouse, we found saw one slain angel on a floor and an angel blade with blood on it. I pick up the blade and we enter the room, seeing Dean holding Adam up with Zachariah in front of them.

"Dean, please. Did you really think it would be that easy?" Zachariah asked. "Did you?" Dean asked. Sam and I came at Zachariah from behind with our angel blades. But Zachariah knock out blades out of our hands and sent us flying across the room, crashing into a divider.

"Sam! (Y/n)!" Dean yelled. "You know what I've learned from this experience, Dean? Patience." Zachariah said. He waves his hand and Adam falls to the floor, coughing up blood. "Adam?" Dean said, concerned, then he turns to Zachariah. "Let him go, you son of a bitch." Dean growled. 

"I mean, I thought I was downsized for sure. And for us, a firing...pretty damn literal. But I should have trusted the boss man. It's all playing out like he said...You, me, your hemorrhaging brothers." Zachariah said. He turns his fist in our direction, causing Sam to cough up blood like Adam. 

"Sam?" I said, worried, as I place my hands on his shoulders. "You're finally ready, right?" Zachariah asked. Dean looks from Zachariah to Sam and I, then to Adam who was lying on the floor, still coughing up blood. "Okay then..."Zachariah said then his raises his left hand out and, suddenly, it was like his hand was a magnet and I was a piece of metal as I fly towards him and Zachariah grabs my neck.

Then he proceeds to squeeze my neck, making me gasp for air. "No! Let her go! Leave her alone!" Dean yells, fearfully. "You know there's no other choice. There's never been a choice." Zachariah said. "Stop it. Stop it right now!" Dean said, tearfully. "In exchange for what?" Zachariah asked as he squeezes my neck tighter and at this point I was gasping for air while Sam and Adam continue to cough up blood.

"Damn it, Zachariah. Stop it, please. I'll do it." Dean said and Zachariah loosens his grip on my neck and I was able to breath a bit better. "I'm sorry. What was that?" Zachariah asked, holding his right hand up to his ear. "Dean...don't..." I gasped out in a raspy voice.

"Okay, yes. The answer is yes." Dean said. "Dean." Sam said, painful. "Please...don't." I said but Dean continues. "Do you hear me? Call Michael down, you bastard!" Dean exclaimed and Zachariah lowers me down as he continues to stare at Dean, shocked.

"How do I know you're not lying?" Zachariah asked him. "Do I look like I'm lying?" Dean asked. Zachariah stares at him for a moment then tosses me aside and I fall on my side then cough and gasp for air. "(Y/n)..." I hear Sam said as he crawls over to me and gives me a look that asks ​Are you okay? I nod to him as I cough again and Zachariah turns and speaks in Enochian, summoning the archangel Michael. "Zodiredo...noco...aberamage...nazodpesade..." 

Sam and I give Dean, a questioning look while Dean looks at us, brokenly. "He's coming." Zachariah said, smiling. At that moment, Dean then smirks and winks at us and I furrow my brow, in confusion, at him. The room started shaking, causing the chandelier to chime.

"Of course, I have a few conditions." Dean said and Zachariah turn to look at him. "What?" He asked, confused. "The few people whose safety you have to guarantee before I say yes." Dean said. "Sure, fine. Make a list." Zachariah said. "But most of all...Michael can't have me until he disintegrates you." Dean said.

"What did you say?" Zachariah asked. "I said...before Michael gets one piece of this sweet ass...he has to turn you into a piece of charcoal." Dean said and Zachariah laughs. "You really think Michael's gonna go for that?" He asked.

"Who's more important to him now? You...or me?" Dean asked then Zachariah lunges at Dean, grabbing him by the front of his jacket. "You listen to me. You are nothing but a maggot inside a worm's ass. Do you know who I am...after I deliver you to Michael?" He asked. "Expendable." Dean replied, smugly. "Michael's not gonna kill me." Zachariah said, grinning. "Maybe not. But I am." Dean said then he stabs an angel blade, which he must've had hidden in his sleeve, into Zachariah's head through his chin.

Zachariah explodes into a bright light causing Dean to fall to the ground and then Zachariah lays on the ground, dead, with his wings burned onto the floor and wall.

White light and the ear-piercing noise that was getting louder indicated to us that Michael was coming. "Can you walk?" Dean asked Adam, helping him up. "Yeah." Adam replied. "Okay, come on." Dean said, running over to Sam and I. Dean helped us up and guided us to the door.

"Come on, move it!" Dean said to Adam, as we exit the room. The door slams shut behind us, leaving Adam locked inside. "NO! DEAN! HELP! IT WON'T OPEN!" Adam shouts and Dean leaves me and Sam on the ground and attempts to open the door from the outside but he is burned when he touches the knob.

"DEAN, HELP! DEAN!" Adam continued screaming. "Hold on! We'll get you out. Just hold on. Adam! Can you hear me?!" Dean asked but Adam doesn't respond. A bright white light illuminates from inside the room then it fades.

Dean test the doorknob then opens the door to find it an abandoned office. "Adam?" He called out, but he was gone. Dean looks around then looks over at Sam and I, lost for words.

Later, we steal a truck and were driving down a road at night. Dean was driving naturally, while Sam was in the passenger seat and I was stuck sitting in the middle between them. "You think Adam's okay?" Sam asked while I rubbed my neck. "Doubt it. Cas and Ariel either. But we'll get 'em." Dean said.

"So." I said, my voice still sounding a bit hoarse. "'So' what?" Dean asked. "I saw your eyes. You were totally rockin' the yes back there. So, what changed your mind?" I asked. "Honestly? The damnedest thing. I mean, the world's ending. The walls are coming down on us, and I look over to you two and all I can think about is, these stupid son of bitches brought me here. I just didn't want to let either of you down." Dean said and I scoff, lightly. 

"You almost did. But you didn't." Sam said, holding up his index finger. "Who are you calling stupid?" I asked and I see the corner of his lips twitch up. "I owe you guys an apology." Dean said. "No, man. No, you don't." Sam said.

"Just...let me say this. I don't know if it's being a big brother or what, but to me, you've always been this snot-nosed kid that I've had to keep on the straight and narrow. That goes for you as well, princess. I think we all know that that's not either of you anymore. I mean, hell, if you two are grown-up enough to find faith in me...the least I can do is return the favor. So screw destiny, right in the face. I say we take the fight to them, and do it our way." Dean said, firmly.

Sam and I smile confidently at Dean. "Sounds good." Sam said. "I'm always down to kick some ass." I said. Dean glances over at us and smirks.

Later, we made a stop to one of my safehouses, not the one Dean abandoned me at, and decided to rest there. But while the boys were asleep in the spare rooms, I was sitting out on the porch on the swing. I couldn't sleep so I decided to come out here and just look out at the beautiful view in front of me.

Just a large valley of green grass and some hills off in the distance, the inky starry night blankets the sky and the gentle cool breeze blowing through the air. I smile and take a sip of my bottle water when I hear footsteps and the door open.

I look over and see it was Dean. The two of us stare at each, an awkward silence loomed over us. "Hey..." he greets, softly. "Hey.." I said back, my voice sounding back to normal. "How's, uh...How's your neck?" Dean asked me and I rub it. "Well, besides having this handprint shaped mark on my neck for awhile, it's alright." I said and Dean nods.

"Which means I'm probably gonna have to wear a turtle neck sweatshirt to cover it up. And that sucks, I hate turtlenecks, they make my neck look fat." I said and Dean chuckles a bit. I smile alittle before I let out a sigh. Then Dean walks up to me and gestures to the spot on the swing next to me. "Is it okay, if I sit here?" He asked me. I nodded and he takes the spot and both of us sit there in silence for a moment, the awkward silence still looming over us.

"So..." He said.

"So..." I said, awkwardly, and we sit there for a moment then Dean sighs. "(Y/n), I am so, so, sorry for what I did..." he said and I close my eyes, hoping that'll keep any upcoming tears flowing, as I continue to listen to him. "It was a dick thing to do to you but I thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted to protect you and keep you away from the chaos that was going to happen." He said and I nod, slightly.

"But Ariel was right. I was being selfish and I took that choice away from you and I should've talked to you about it. I was being an idiot and a coward." He said and I open my eyes and turn to him. "You said it not me." I said, smiling a little, as he rolls his eyes at this. But he looks over at me and noticed me smiling and he gives a small smile before it fades.

"I-I know you put up alot with me and with everything going on, but I do want to say I am truly sorry about everything. And...if..." he stops and sighs, sounding like he was nervous on to say his next words. "I'd understand if you didn't want to be with me or around me again...so...if you want to leave, you can. I won't stop you." He said and I frown a bit at him as I notice his eyes were filling with tears.

"Dean..." I croaked then I felt tears building up in my eyes. I close them again and take in a deep breath then let it out, slowly, then I open my eyes again. "I'm not abandoning you. Like I said, I'm ready to kick this in the ass and help you boys any way that I can. But...us...I mean..." I said as I gesture between me and him. "What you did really hurt me and I was scared, confused, hurt and angry. I felt like the world had already collapsed." I explained and he nods, slightly, as some tears roll down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, tearfully. "I know you are, Dean. And I do appreciate your apology. But..." I said and I could see the look of fear on his face. "I-I need time to think about us. I think...for now at least...we need a break. So, I'll still be by your side its just...I'm gonna be getting my own room for awhile now." I said and he nods again. "Okay..." he whispered.

*3rd Person POV*

"I'm gonna go to bed." (Y/n) said and Dean nods. "Okay, I'll be in here in a minute." Dean said and (y/n) gives him a look before she nods and heads inside. Now all alone, Dean wipes away the tears then hunches over, places his hands over his head and let's out a heavy, shaky sigh.

"You stupid son of a bitch." He mutters to himself, berating himself. "You really screwed up now." Dean mutters and he runs his hands over his head back and forth. Then he sits up and looks out at nature view he has as fresh tears runs down his face. He wipes them away and huffs out a breath.

#fandom #fanfic #fan fiction #reader insert #x reader #supernatural #dean winchester #dean winchester x you #dean x you #supernatural dean #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester x female!reader #dean winchester x y/n #dean x y/n #dean winchester x reader #dean x reader #deanwinchtser #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fanfic series #supernatural fandom #tv show fandom #tv shows #tv series #fantasy #horror

[kittyball23]

Reconciled (a Trolls fanfic)

Summary: The brothers have a much-needed talk before proceeding with the rest of the journey

A/N: Follow-up to “By Your Side” with ideas from Fandom_Kingdom_ Girl on AO3 and @pixarchan

__________________________________________

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,” John Dory moaned, wincing in discomfort as Spruce applied the ice pack to the side of his face and held it steadfast.

“Chill, bro,” Spruce said, trying to keep JD’s squirming-self still.

“How can I not chill? That thing’s cold!” the teal Troll whimpered with his teeth chattering. He tried to move away when Spruce pressed it up tighter against him, and the purple Troll rolled his eyes.

“Bro, even my kids act better than this,” he said, and it was true. John Dory was being ten times more squirmy than they ever would be when being aided with an injury.

“Sorry dude, but, ugh, I can’t even believe that happened. He hit me! Hard! And it hurt!” John Dory blurted, and then shook his head in disbelief. “That was so weird!”

“It was a punch, JD, why wouldn’t it hurt?” Clay asked.

“It didn’t hurt before!” John Dory mumbled.

It took a sec to understand where JD was coming from, and when Clay did, he shook his head in disbelief. “Are you talking about when Branch was a baby?”

“Well, yeah, when else?”

“You gotta be kidding me. He was a baby, JD, of course it’s not gonna hurt the same way it does now!” Clay blurted. Did John Dory really not see that?

Spruce disregarded the obliviousness in his older brother. “I’m surprised Branch didn’t clock us either,” he said to Clay, shuddering to remember how difficult it was to get their youngest bro under control when his fists had been wildly flying out at JD.

“Well, you’re lucky he didn’t!” John Dory moaned.

Spruce snorted. “Y’know, it coulda been avoided if you’d just stopped talking. Didn’t you see how triggered he was getting when y’all were arguing? He was literally twitching.”

“No, I didn’t,” JD said.

The purple Troll sighed and looked at Clay. The two of them were thinking the same thing. How long had John Dory been alone that he’d forgotten how to read the most basic of social cues? Well, it didn’t matter now. What had been done was done, and JD was most likely going to have a bruise to show for it.

“Yo, when do you think Branch and Poppy will be back though?” Clay asked. “It’s been a little bit, don’t you think?” He grabbed a few more sticks, nursing the little campfire that he’d made in the meantime. The sky had been an orange-gradated twilight when Branch had stormed off, and it was now turning a deep blue, soon to be black and speckled with stars.

Spruce shrugged. “He could still be blowing off steam. But you know… a lot can happen between a guy and a girl when they’re alone, too.”

Clay narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean,” Spruce answered simply, giving his brother a look.

Clay suddenly understood. “Ugh, no, Spruce! Why you gotta think like that?” He shook himself. “You really think Branch is gonna be up for any frisky business after the way he was fuming?”

“Look, I’m just saying, from personal experience this time,” the purple-haired Troll replied.

Clay didn’t respond. Now THAT is weird, he thought to himself, because even thinking about Branch being old enough to have his own relationship was something he was still trying to wrap his head around. He sighed. I really can’t believe it’s been that long…

The three Trolls let some minutes of silence pass, each one wondering what they should say next, when they heard the sound of someone approaching.

Three sets of eyes flitted over to find Branch and Poppy, silhouetted by the firelight, coming toward them. Branch looked far more relaxed than he’d been previously, but the brothers could tell he still wasn’t feeling a hundred percent. There was tension still lingering in the air, crackling the same way that the flames were.

Even more silence passed, to the point where things began to feel a little discomforting.

“So… um… you good, bro?” Clay asked, in an effort to fill in the space with chatter.

Branch shrugged, not looking Clay or any of the others in the eye. He kept his gaze on the ground, arms crossed and a look of exhaustion on his face.

"We think so," Poppy answered for him. She quietly whispered "C'mon," to Branch, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and guiding him back to the caterbus. She'd just put a her hand on the door when both of them were stopped.

"Hey, guys," Spruce spoke up, causing the pair to turn around. Noticing Branch's apprehension, John Dory shot the purple Troll a look like, Let sleeping dogs lie! But Spruce paid him no mind. He had to say what he wanted to say if they wanted to get this situation under control for good.

“Y’know, it’s sweet and all how you two go off and have your little moment,” he said. “But… I think we should all have our moment, if you catch what I’m saying.” Letting John Dory take hold of the ice pack so he could nurse his own wound, Spruce sat down next to him, and gestured over to Branch and Poppy. “C’mon, guys. I think we need to talk. All of us.” He cut his eyes over at JD and Clay.

John Dory, still recovering from his shock of being attacked, looked like he wanted to disagree, but he didn’t. He said nothing, only pressing the ice pack tighter to his head and scooting a little closer to Spruce for protection should anything else ensue.

Clay looked uncertain, but knew it was best not to voice a disagreement.

Good, Spruce thought. In his family back on Vacay Island, he’d witnessed his children having plenty of arguments before. And as a father he’d learned that it was best to talk things out, before someone did something that they regretted. Like walking away and never looking back.

He breathed out a sigh, glad to see that his youngest brother had not protested in doing as he’d requested, and sitting down alongside his girlfriend. Awkward silence stretched out once again, filled only by shifting and some distant nature sounds.

Spruce clicked his tongue, suddenly second-guessing his idea. "Umm... anybody wanna start?" he asked tentatively.

No answer.

But then...

"Well, um..."

All eyes fell on Branch, who'd spoken barely above a whisper. He looked hesitant, almost scared, but knew he couldn't stay quiet now that he'd started.

"I'm just... just so... confused," he managed. Before he could help himself, Branch felt tears forming in his eyes and falling against his will. Hurriedly he spoke, frustrated, embarrassed, and overwhelmed,  the anger he'd previously lashed out with washed over with sadness. "I was confused when you guys left me… I was confused why Grandma had to die, why I couldn’t just get along with others, why I’d turned gray… why I was alone for so long… and then…” - he paused, trying to catch his breath - “Right when I think things are heading in the right direction for me for once… you guys come back…” Branch clenched his fists. “I’m just so confused…” he mumbled again. “I want to know why this is happening now. I want to know, and I want things to make sense. But they just don’t!...” He stopped, letting out an uncharacteristic sob. His shoulders shook and his hands were curled into tight balls, the knuckles whitening. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop crying, and before long he felt a familiar warm hand cover his trembling ones. Branch flinched a little, but relaxed when he saw that it was only his beloved Poppy. It pained him when he looked to see that she too was growing teary herself over the sight of him so broken.

Clay felt a pain in his chest, too. It was difficult seeing Branch like this. He could remember so many times when his pranking buddy had a great big grin on his face, right after they’d pulled a fast one on the others. He didn’t think about stuff too far into the future when he’d been a teen, but the few times he did, he figured that as adults he and Branch would still be up to their tag-team jokey antics. Clearly, that wasn’t the case.

“Look, Branch, I… I don’t want you to take this the wrong way,” he started cautiously, “but I can’t sugarcoat it, bro. When we left, we did mean it. Can’t say we didn’t, and I’m not mad at you for being mad at me. But that was because we were each thinking about ourselves. Me? I mean, I was just real angry that everybody was laughing at me that day when we’d failed. That’s why I wanted to quit. But y’know, looking back at it now, all this time later… that wasn’t such a hot move. Even if we failed, and got laughed at, that wasn’t a reason to just give up and leave. And I do mean it when I say that I’m real sorry.” And he was. Clay could never forget how aloof Branch had been on the trip so far. Anytime he, Spruce, or John Dory had tried to spark up some conversation, they’d been given either short, irritated replies or the full cold shoulder. It ate Clay with guilt to know that it was because of them that he’d behaved that way, and this was an apology that was long coming to his youngest brother.

Spruce gave a nod at Clay, impressed by his speech, and was soon inspired to take his own shot at it.

“Imma tell you nothing but the truth here, bro,” he said to Branch. “Yeah, I left. And I left for selfish reasons, not to mention petty…” Spruce glanced down at himself, remembering those “rock-hard abs” that he’d fretted endlessly over as a teen due to thinking it would earn him girls, and seeing how pointless it’d been. He had a loving wife and family without the muscles he thought he’d needed, and he was happy with his appearance now. “I wish I had some more sense when I was that young… but what’s done is done, and we can move on from it. Put it in the past. Say sorry and just carry on from there. And Branch, I really am sorry, too. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there for you when you grew up. I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better friend to you, or a better brother. And I’m sorry that you got hurt.” 

Satisfied with his spiel, Spruce sat back and folded his hands over his lap.

John Dory looked as though something was clicking in his head. Suddenly, the throbbing against his cheek where he'd been nursing the ice pack wasn't bothering him as much as his need to say something to Branch as well (even if it was risking him another sock in the jaw). "Branch,” he sighed, “I guess you could say that I only saw things like black and white. All or nothing. Go big or go home. That's why when the band failed, I left. The way I saw it, it was either 'bro-bros' or 'so-lo.' But now... I mean, I guess it's not so black and white, is it? Turns out there's a whole lotta gray area!"

John Dory thought he was doing pretty good so far, until he saw Branch wince at the mention of 'gray.' He didn't understand why, until he remembered what Branch had said, about having turned gray. He'd heard stories about it when he was a teen, but they were just rumors and fables passed between Trolls. He didn't think it was actually real. But Branch didn't look like he was bluffing at all.

"I-I mean, not literally 'gray,' y'know, but uh... umm... well, you get what I mean, right?" JD stuttered, feeling the throbbing in his cheek again and almost certain he'd have a twin bruise on his other cheek if he didn't make things make sense.

“What I mean is, we’re brothers. And we’re always gonna be brothers. Even if we say things like we never wanna see each other again… which, I know, we did… and even if we fight.” JD added that last part a little nervously, having a bad feeling that he had asked for it.

But Branch didn’t make any advances to JD. He’d sat there, listening, as he had when his other two brothers had taken their turn talking to him. He had calmed from his crying, although he was still sniffling slightly. Branch stared back at JD, and Spruce, and Clay. Poppy's firm hold on his hand felt like the only thing still keeping him rooted to the spot, preventing him from acting on instinct and walking away like he’d wanted to earlier that evening. If he did that, he knew he'd be acting no better than they had when they'd left.

“You know,” Poppy said out loud to them, “I guess I don’t actually know a whole lot about families and stuff as I thought I did. All I’ve ever known is me and my Dad. Then there was Viva and I, and when we met, I mean, we were like besties.” She giggled a little to remember how enthusiastic the pink Putt Putt queen had been, and how sad she was to see her go. “You guys, well… you’re not exactly besties right now… and I don’t even think I can call you friends,” Poppy admitted. “It really confused me at first. You’re brothers - basically pals who can’t ever leave each other! And yet…” She let herself trail off, not finding it necessary to repeat what they already knew. “I can only hope that you guys become a big happy one again,” Poppy continued more quietly. “But I can’t force it to happen. That wouldn’t be fair to you guys, especially since I'm not exactly a part of your family..." She stopped herself, feeling funny about trying to tell them what to do when these were Branch's brothers, not hers. It was their business. She had only a smidgen of the situation in perspective compared to them. Which is why she was surprised at what her boyfriend, who’d found the will to speak again, said.

“You are family, Poppy,” Branch told her, squeezing her fingers a little tighter. "We're all in this together."

Poppy smiled softly, touched that he was so confident about their relationship and trusted her on such privy matters between him and his brothers. And his brothers didn't mind either. With the time they'd been able to spend with Poppy, they could see that she loved Branch deeply, and he loved her. Then, Branch looked at his brothers.

"Look," he exhaled, "I'll continue the journey. I'll come and help rescue Floyd. But I need you to see that things are different now. I'm not Baby Branch. I'm just Branch. I'm my own Troll. You guys are too. And it depends on us whether we make that 'different' a good or bad thing." He gauged their expressions, and John Dory, Spruce, and Clay all nodded seriously. Their baby bro was speaking words of an adult, and he was right.

The conversation felt conclusive, and the five Trolls realized that the tension that had been in the air before was no longer present, attempting to hover over them like a dark stormcloud.

This was the first step to a new beginning. A fresh start.

They would start over.

Branch tossed the idea around his head.

Yes, he thought. He liked that.

#trolls #trolls 3 #trolls band together #brozone #branch trolls #poppy trolls #broppy #john dory #spruce trolls #clay trolls #dreamworks #fanfiction #kittyball writes

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

"I bet, given the choice himself, Harry would have chosen Gordonstoun over Eton" Ehhh, in hindsight that's probably true. But at the time, would he have known any better? He would have been told "Your brother will be there, granny and grandpa are just down the road" etc., not "Hey, you're several degrees stupider than even the most privileged inbred first year currently attending and you're being set up for failure."

I get your point but that's a little extreme of an example. No one's going to a 12 year old who just lost his mother and saying "hey halfwit, you're not good enough for Eton so you're going to Scotland with the rest of the idiots." They're saying something more like "XXXX school is better for sporty outdoorsy kids like you that want to be in the military. Want to give it a go? If you don't like it, you can come to Eton next term."

It was pretty well-known when Harry was a kid that he wasn't academically-minded. Diana even famously said he was "thick like me," so everyone likely knew he wasn't going to succeed at Eton and would have been better off somewhere else. But then Diana died and they didn't know what to do so they stuck Harry at Eton because she wanted the boys to be treated equally.

(And frankly, if anyone ever wondered what the difference between equality and equity is, this is it; sending Harry to Eton to be equal to William even though it wasn't "his" environment. The equitable option is sending Harry to his "own" school, a place where he could've thrived without being second or the little brother or not invited to tea at Granny's down the road.)

But, like you said. Woulda coulda shoulda.

We can armchair-psychoanalyze the situation all we want but at the end of the day, all we can do is sit back and watch Harry perpetuate the same "genetic trauma" he thinks he's fixing.

#ask #brf #sussexes #theories

[adaptacy]

Can I request a Leland x reader going on a date? I feel like he would like either star gazing dates or going to get milkshakes. Or anything else! Whatever gets the write juice going thank you!!

ugh yes absolutely im so happy im getting leland requests <333 keep 'em comin!

GN!Reader, completely SFW, just Leland bein a cutie hehe <3

"Can't believe you've never been here," the brunette laughed, picking up his pace for just a few steps, enough to cross in front of you and grab the handle of the glass double-doors, opening it for you. You shot him a smile, and he dipped an imaginary hat at you as you entered the building. Leland followed you in, placing a hand on the small of your back for just a moment before he quickly pulled it away, not wanting to be too forward.

The building you'd entered was practically a pastel and neon heaven; a quaint café, with checkered floors, a bar lined with white lights, and a dining floor with purple and the closest thing to neon blue chairs. You watched Leland as he stepped in front of you again, beckoning you over to the bar.

"Best damn milkshakes in town. Seriously, you've been missing out," he laughed, hopping onto one of the black barstools and giving it a spin before planting an elbow on the bar. "You have had a milkshake 'fore, right?"

You chuckled, sitting next to him and nodding. "Yes, of course I've had a milkshake before. I don't live under a rock," you teased, looking at the cow-spotted menu and scanning the options.

"Coulda fooled me. D'you have a favorite flavor?"

"Hmmm.. Strawberry's always nice. Pretty, too."

"Oh, yeah. Mine is cookies 'n cream. Especially when they give me the big chunks of Oreo- Really hits the spot." Leland raised a hand as the waitress behind the counter looked in your direction, and she gave the two of you a smile, trailing over with a small notepad in her hands.

"What can I get y'all?" She asked.

"Uh, a cookies and cream, and..." Leland looked over to you, not wanting to jump to assumptions. Maybe you wanted to switch it up this time around. He shouldn't assume that you'd get your favor-

"Strawberry, thank you," you requested, and the woman nodded, scribbling down your requests.

"I'll be right out with that."

Leland turned his head back to you, resting his temple against his fist. "Keeping it classic. Respect."

"...You ordered your favorite too?" You laughed, shaking your head, a little confused by his statement.

"Yeah. 'ts why I respect it," he chuckled, awkwardly, and then cleared his throat. He sat up, laying his arm flat on the counter. He seemed to be thinking of something to say, and you tried to help.

"So, why are these the best milkshakes? What makes them so special?" You asked.

Leland thought about it for a moment, scratching his neck. "Well, they're super sweet, and pretty flavorful. And, uh... Just really good, I guess. You'll get it when you try it, I promise. And if you don't, I'll cover it." He grinned, and then his smile dropped, and he shook his head, his cheeks growing a small tint of pink. "I mean, I'll pay either way, I just meant-"

"Leland, it's cool, I got it," you chuckled, finding his clear nervousness rather adorable. He wasn't usually like this- he gave off a rather confident vibe, but you also didn't know him super well. You were sorta surprised when he asked you out, but you'd be lying if you said you weren't somewhat interested in him. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

Leland let out a breath of relief, and he nodded. "Sure, go for it."

"What got you into wrestling? You don't seem like a wrestler," you asked, leaning your head on your palm. He smirked, and it was only for a split second before his gaze wandered off to the side and he thought of an answer. Still, that smirk was definitely ingrained in your memory. It was a strange expression on someone so innocent, so vibrant- you wondered what it meant.

"Honestly, always been more of a football guy myself, but I got recruited by the Captain, and originally I just meant to try it out, but I actually ended up liking it quite a bit. And the schedule conflicts with football, so I chose wrestling, ultimately," he explained, still looking off in the distance as if in a different world completely. His gaze then snapped back to you, and he grinned. "You in any sports?"

"No, not me. Interesting to watch them, though. That makes a lot of sense, actually. You seem like way more of a football guy than a wrestling guy. Not in a bad way, just in a-"

"In a jock way?" He laughed. "I get that a lot. I was, actually, in football, all throughout high-school. Was a linebacker," he bragged, showing off his teeth once more. His grin was adorable, in a goofy, playful kind of way. And he grinned a lot. He was just nice to be around. Inviting, gentle, maybe a little dumb, but he clearly meant well.

"Yeah, yeah, in a jock way. I'll be honest, when Connie told me about you, I kind of assumed you were some playboy ass, but clearly you're not," you hummed, and Leland looked as though he wasn't sure how to take that. But after a moment of processing, and smiled.

"Yeah? Mkay, what am I then?" He asked, his tone playful instead of hurt.

"Hmm..." You murmured, looking him up and down. He wore a white button-up with red flowers embroidered on the shoulders, and typical southern jeans, along with... what looked like cowboy boots. You looked back up at his face, and he narrowed his eyes, curious. "You're friendly, and outgoing, but not in a playboy way. A little awkward, if I'm honest, but not in a bad way. In a cute way," you complimented.

Leland's smile looked a little more genuine, and he scoffed, his slight blush returning. "What a sweetheart," he hummed out.

"What about me?" You asked.

Leland looked you over, taking in your outfit choice, and he took a little longer to think. "Hmm... Connie told me a bit about you, too, and I kind of assumed she was just throwing people my way because she could, but I actually think she saw something. Potential, yknow?"

"Potential?"

"Yeah, like- Well, you aren't in sports, but you said you like watching them. That's one point right there. And... you like milkshakes. That's two. And you're definitely confident, from what I can tell, but... hmm.."

"...Buuuut..?" You asked, leaning a little closer.

"I think you're just tryin' to impress me," he chuckled, his eyes shifting over to the waitress as she emerged from the kitchen once more and presented the two of you with milkshakes. Sitting at the top of his whipped cream was half an oreo, and he smirked again. "Hell yeah."

"You sure its not just your ego talking?" You asked, taking a sip of the milkshake. It was definitely rich, and Leland wasn't lying- it was really good. Genuinely probably the best milkshake you'd ever had. You took another sip.

"My ego? I, uh, I don't think so. I was mostly joking, I don't mean that-"

"I am," you confessed, finding the guilt that covered his eyes cute. He really was trying his best to be a gentleman, and you had to commend his efforts. He was doing fine, but maybe overthinking things a bit.

"You are?"

"Well, yeah. From what I've heard, you're pretty popular. Plus, athletic. And attractive. 'course I wanna impress you."

Leland nodded his head, taking a sip of his milkshake. "Well, you're doin' fine in that department. To be honest, I was a tad surprised that you took me up on this date. Figured you'd have a boyfriend already, or something. Glad I was wrong."

"Might have one by the end of the night," you teased, and Leland took a second to realize what you were implying, and then the smirk made a return. And then it spread into a smile again. You really wanted to know what that was about.

"Yeah? I wouldn't be completely opposed," he hummed. "How's the milkshake?"

"Even better than I was expecting. You were right, I think it's the best I've ever had," you complimented, drinking down the sugary delight.

"What? You didn't trust my taste? C'mon now, sweetheart. Surely I get more credit than that," he laughed, taking another sip of his milkshake, seeming to not even notice the nickname he'd slipped in.

But you definitely did. And you wished you could blame your blush on the strawberry milkshake. You cleared your throat, nodding. "Well, you have my trust now. Hard not to trust a man with good taste in milkshakes."

"I'm honored. Just glad I could show this place off. Real underrated, if you ask me."

"Seeing as how I'd never heard of it before, I have to agree. Surprised to find it's not some hole-in-the-wall bar."

"You think I'd take you out to a shithole on the first date? And for milkshakes?"

"Hey, acquired taste. I'm pleasantly surprised. Take it as a compliment," you laughed, nudging his arm with your elbow, and he smiled at you.

"If you say so, sweetheart," he hummed, a little more flirtatiously this time. Right. Of course he'd noticed the blush. Would've been hard not to.

"You're still paying."

"I know, I know. Can't go back on a promise."

#tcm game #tcm #leland mckinney #Leland mckinney x reader #Leland mckinney x reader fluff #Leland mckinney fluff #adapting to leland mckinney

[palestporn]

Gamzee: Say it

"For my own fucking good, he said," you say, and the words you had said at you so many times taste like rotting sopor in your mouth, sugar and cold motherfucking comfort. "All the reason any motherfucker would ever give, just. Better if you stay here, for your own good. Better if you hush up and watch your mouth and dull your claws down and mind your manners. Better if you don't try to sneak your sign on shit, little dumbass like you are you can't tell what's not safe--better if you can stop flashing your fins when you're worked up--"

"So you did have--" Karkat says, quiet, and thank fuck he doesn't make like to touch the scars again, because if he tried you might not be able to stop from biting him this time. You're already mangling up your own words, on growls and the flex of your jaw trying to snap at something.

"--Not safe if you can't keep your shit under wraps, motherfucker, if they're gone you can't fuck up anymore and it'll be good, that's why he won't see you and it's not fucking good yet--"

Karkat's growling a little too, quiet echo under yours, and his fronds knead at you as helpless as your jaw cramps to bite.

"Do you still...want him to--?" he says, and your claws drag blunt at his back.

"I'd tear that motherfucker in half if he fucking tried it," you say, and then catch up with the words and cringe down on yourself, freezing still. In his descendant's claws, half-grown and already a warlord like old trolls used to be, and you making threat at the emperor--

"Yeah," says Karkat, and squeezes a hand up to find your jaw, steers clear of the scars and rubs strong and deep at meat of snapmuscle, soothing the cramp, humming low in his throat. "Yeah, I bet you would. I mean, I'd have to pull you off, but. I'd let you get a good hit or two in."

Gets a laugh out of you enough to break the growling a second, and his hand softens, palm and callus petting at your cheek and your posture-column, making long sweeps down. Playing cautious not to touch the gillslits you've not got anymore.

Fuck, but that feels nice. You've felt little hints and hums of how it's meant to feel--that deep-down-inside warm shiver-purr when another troll touches you soft and talks to you gentle, how your pusher slows and everything gets easier. But it's been all just fast touch and pulled away, to make instruction at you how good you might get to feel somenight. Seems like "somenight" is tonight.

Your eyes got wet and you don't remember when. But the growling's dying off for now, even if the rage stays burning.

"I'm not letting him sneak something like this past me again," Karkat says in your hair, determination like a troll twice his size and four times his age. "He's not figuring out this haunting situation by himself. I'll kick the fucking door down and scream my throat bloody if I have to. We're going to be there." He rumbles discontent. "We can go talk to him in the evening."

The evening is too long to wait and not nearly far enough away, both at the same time. But it simmers the rage back on down some more, at least the tiniest of bits. How he says "we'll talk to him".

"Real tired," you say, muffling off in his shoulder, so you don't have to hear your own self. "--Real damn tired of big motherfuckers putting me down, and going 'stay there, be good, pupa' and fucking off, and not telling why. I coulda been plenty good. Motherfuckers just never told me why."

"Well, when you're good for me," says Karkat, firm little general voice, and comes up to your cheek again, pap pap. "You'll get my phenomenal natural talents in a pile that definitely won't be shown up by actual sweeps of professional training. So that's 'why'. Briefing for future situations pending what kind of bullshit we're wading through that night." He coughs, looks away from you like he can't leave sweet-talk like that in the air. "So. What non-bullshit stuff did they teach you? And. Did they teach you how to teach somebody else."

Gamzee: Hands-on scholarly demonstration

==> Nerve distribution of caudal sensory protrusions ==> Auditory sensory stimulation and autonomia ==> Standardized somatic intimacy scale

[START OVER]

#CYOA: Imperial Favor #I see that plenty of other people share my deep baggage about the concept of ''I Know You Hate This But It's For Your Own Good'' lol #you're valid we're all valid #plus that kind of encompasses the other choices tbh so good general coverage #I have to go eat dinner so take your time deciphering that nonsense

[siriuslysatorusimping]

I'll Take Care of Her (Another Level Extra)

Summary

He couldn’t stop the small grin from forming now. “She’s my favorite person,” he admitted proudly. “My best friend. And- she’s- I love her. More than I thought I could love someone, honestly. She’s special. I think- I’m sure you already knew that, though. You fuckin raised her. Made her the stubborn menace that she is. And I’m grateful.” Gojo has visited Yuzuki's grave once without Rinko Set on Rinko's birthday, which is why he was running late in Trust and Traditions.

If you haven't already, you can read Another Level on AO3 💕

I'll Take Care of Her

2018

Shuffling uncomfortably, he let out a heavy sigh as he placed the small container down.

“I’m, uh, s’not homemade, but-” he cut off, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t think you’d want something I tried to make, honestly. Probably wouldn’t be edible-”

Like it fucking mattered to a dead person.

He felt awkward.

He’d never actually visited a grave before.

Sure, he knew what he was supposed to do, but he had no fucking idea what to say. Or how to say it.

Removing his glasses and tucking them in his shirt pocket, he let out another deep sigh before kneeling down and staring at the stone in front of him.

“Anyway,” he drawled, clearing his throat. “I know she usually brings some, and- kinda partially my fault she isn’t here today. So, I figured- yeah.”

He rubbed his eyes for a moment, still feeling like a dumbass, as he wondered what the hell he was thinking coming here.

“Fuck,” he muttered, blinking slowly as he forced himself to stay put. “Just gotta fuckin- spit it out.”

Taking another breath, he stared at the name, wondering what the woman would think, seeing him like this. Wondering if she’d ever even known he existed. He had no idea if Rinko ever even mentioned him to her mother beyond maybe saying he was who recommended her Grade 1 promotion.

“I- I know I don’t deserve her,” he finally said, ticking his jaw to the side. “In any way. I don’t deserve her friendship or her love. Not after everything I’ve put her through. But- she’s giving me that chance to try and- I don’t even know what she expects of me, honestly. ‘Cept maybe just to be a dumbass. She’s right, too. Usually is. She’s- from what I’ve heard about you, she’s a lot like you. Forgiving. A bigger heart than someone in our world has any right to have, honestly. Something she likely got from you. Sure as hell didn’t get it from that old bastard.”

Taking another breath, he let his head fall for just a moment.

“I’m- I never thought I’d meet someone who- cared about me the way she does,” he whispered, running his hand through his hair again. “Something else I think I have you to thank for. I’ve- I’ve put her through a lot of bullshit over the years. She’s- she’s definitely loved me through them. Even if- even if she doesn’t tell me that’s why she’s stuck around. It took me too long to- realize that about her. That she- still sees any good in me at all. She’s- fucking incredible. Strong. Stronger than she thinks she is. More- more important than she thinks she is, too.”

He couldn’t stop the small grin from forming now.

“She’s my favorite person,” he admitted proudly. “My best friend. And- she’s- I love her. More than I thought I could love someone, honestly. Gonna- I wanna spend the rest of my life with her. Forever, really. I wanna spend forever with her. And I’m gonna ask her eventually. Once I know she’ll believe me when I ask. But- thank you. For- her. For being the reason she’s someone I- sure as hell don’t deserve, but who loves me anyway. Deciding to stay by my side even after- everything I’ve done. She’s special. I think- I’m sure you already knew that, though. You fuckin raised her. Made her the stubborn menace that she is. And I’m grateful.”

The grin on his face grew a tiny bit as he stood again, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“You did a really fucking good job with her,” he told the stone. “Wish- wish I coulda met you. You must’ve been a real menace yourself if she’s any indication. But- yeah. Thank you for her. I’ll- she doesn’t need me to, not really. But I’ll take care of her. Love her. In every way I can. In every way she’ll let me.”

He did a quick once over, making sure he’d picked everything up before tapping the stone lightly.

“I’ll take care of her.”

#gojo satoru x original female character #gojo satoru fanfic #gojo fanfic #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #jujutsu gojo #another level #another level extras #goinko fluff #gojo and rinko #gojo is rinko's biggest simp and we love it

[tarnishedinquirer]

Case: The Groveside Cave

I stopped at a ruined church and got some supplies, then continued down the path.

Note: Profile merchant later

Seems Godrick had his soldiers out in force. They were all over the road. Looking for me? Shouldn't assume.

Sure enough, caught one of them off guard while he was looking at a wrecked cart and some dead noble. Can the unalive really die, or do they just get tired of getting back up again? Not relevant, just curiosity. Dead nob held a bunch of kukris, a great weapon for causing bleeding. Associate of Varré, perhaps? Can't jump to conclusions.

You think maybe the trail of debris and soldiers leading to the cave has something to do with the wrecked cart? Master detective at work here.

The cave was dark, but after the first bend, I found signs of habitation. Small candles like this wouldn't shed enough light to be seen from outside, even if they were all lit. Which they weren't.

Someone lived here, and didn't want anyone else to know.

Living wolves and dead soldiers. Soldiers would have no reason to keep this cave hidden, and wolves don't have fingers. Neither one set out the candles. But the way the wolves curl up next to the fire tells me that the wolves had a master who could start campfires and set out candles.

There we go. It's almost sad the way the wolf curled up next to its master's corpse, but there's no room for sentimentality here. The wolves would be at my heels soon as they caught my scent, so I made sure to strike first. A bit of the old Carian magic made quick work of them, and they never even figured out where the swords were coming from.

The corpse was half-naked, skinny as a rail. At first I thought its neck was too long, but on closer examination, that was an optical illusion. Instead, its shoulders were too low. Plain damn weird. The pot they were carrying was also weird, the voice telling me it'd mend itself and return to me if I put stuff in it. Didn't have anything to put in it, but useful information.

There were more of them in the back, and a couple wolves I missed. Same pattern though. Wolves mourning the long-necked dead, staring warily at the soldiers' corpses. One of the dead had a bundle of runes, the other some glowing rocks. These guys were clearly hard-up.

Scratch that. Wolves can have hands.

In the back of the cave I found what the voice called a "Beastman of Farum Azula." I'll deal with that when I get to my closing questions. I walked in on him butchering a dead soldier, and I woulda left him to it but he seemed to resent the interruption and I suddenly found myself unable to leave. It felt like the same magic that brought me back, so I guess having to stand my ground is part of the price.

They say any fight you walk away from is a good one and, well, you shoulda seen the other guy. I wish I coulda gotten a better look at him, but he just dissolved into runes as soon as he was dead. The only thing left behind was a talisman that he had been wearing around his belt.

Voice told me that it depicted a dragon but I don't see it. Looks like a continent to me. Said they ruled in a prehistoric era before the Erdtree, that big shiny tree that dominates the entire landscape. That gives me a lot of new information to work with, such as the fact that this land wasn't always dominated by that tree, but none of it seems directly relevant to this particular case. Time will tell how it fits into the bigger picture.

There it is. The last bit of evidence I needed. A cache of weapons. Pitted and worn, but still sturdy, all under a tent with the sigil scratched out, and surrounded by the bones of a hundred kills.

Conclusion: This is a pretty open and shut case. The long-necked folk had taken refuge in this cave, forged some sort of pact with the beastman and his pet wolves. But they got greedy and raided a wagon carrying weapons. While the wolves were out, the soldiers descended and made short work of the long-necks, but weren't prepared for what happened when master returned.

A few questions remain:

Where were the weapons originally headed? Either the tomb or the ruins. Either way, doesn't matter.

Who or what is Farum Azula?

What's the connection between beastmen and dragons?

What were the long-necks fleeing?

#elden ring #elden ring lore #elden ring tarnished #in character #in character post #in character blog #let's play #farum azula #beastmen #dragons #godrick

[scover-va]

I need to know more about Michael's mom... Is she a cool mom?

SHE IS A VERY COOL MOM janet afton you will always be famous. to me

Im taking this as a chance to finally ramble abt her anyways so Janet's core inspo when designing her was to avoid 2 key things. Don't make her like Immortal & Th Restless's Clara (due to clara representing michael, not mrs afton, so i wanted to avoid that), and don't base her too heavily off of Ballora. I still have ties to Ballora's character (a music-based theme, blue-centric colour palette, im sure there were more basic ideas but everything else is more hc than themes to keep up) due to my hc thingy of each Funtime having ties to William's wife + kids, but yknow.

But yeah. Funky lady who played bass guitar + did backup vocals in a band during her high school and college years. Literally her and William dating can be summed up by "Seriously, what do you see in that guy?!" "He makes me laugh." bc she was and is WAY out of his goddamn league. Not just bc of the whole serial killer thing he was just an even bigger loser in college. Normal people dont develop a crush on a woman after she nearly breaks your nose and makes you bleed, William /j

But yeah uhh. I also dont like the idea of her being absent or neglectful purely because I got way too attached to her (i was originally gonna do that just to make things easy for myself but. Pretty lady,,, I am a very simple lesbian what can i say) so like. She obviously wasnt the greatest, most fantastic mom to ever exist given she was kinda maybe sorta well aware William was making some weird fucking clowns, but like. Hey. She tried. Also side note my reasoning for her being absent during the whole. Yknow. '83 event (and just evan's bday in general) is bc Evan + Elizabeth are twins and Elizabeth demanded a girls-only trip for her bday, and Janet promised Evan she'd do something just as special for him when she got back. That never happened bc he died lmao loser /j

But yeah uhh. Shes got a lot of regrets. Wishes she coulda done a lot of things better. Kinda dies with those regrets. Ive seen people say that one of fnaf's charms is that no character is 100% good and i LOVE that, and wanted to keep it up with Janet. Good mom and overall a good person, however made some bad decisions along the way and whatnot.

Im still working out specifics (ive been slowly working on a lil private fic abt her and william meeting + their early relationship) but uhhh. Minor notes that dont get their own paragraphs is that William sampled her voice for Ballora so yay easy voice claim, she had an on and off relationship with her band's lead singer (her name's Bev), her birth name is actually Janice Schmidt but if you call her Janice she'll knock at least 2 of ur teeth out, she's a runaway teen and got adopted by this older couple bc her home life kinda sucked (idk specifics yet), and also girlie has an extensive criminal record of minor angsty teen type charges. Also teen Mike dying his hair and then 2020's Michael's hairstyle are both kinda references to Janet's hair because he wnated to look less like his father. Thats all ty. No read more bc you WILL look at my mrs afton post, boy /j

Actually no theres more that im remembering as i write the tags and edit a few details. Back to her and William because god im insane about them. So for starters it. Well i was gonna say Janet was def the first to flirt but i think William definitely developed a crush first and they only kept talking bc of said crush so its kinda up for debate. Anyways yeah at first it was a HUGE sorta like "Well he's funny especially when I fluster him so this can be just a fun lil thing" but because they chatted more they def kinda like. Clicked more. William was a huge fan of listening to her music (from. a distance. he looked kinda like a creep but at least janet only misinterpreted it once) but like *specifically* janet he didnt give a fucking shit abt the rest of the band. Uhh. They had their first run-in and janet kinda. Well. Punched him in the nose before he cleared up that he is NOT a pervert or anything weird like that (bc a guy that looks older than he is staring from a distance when there is a clear crowd he could join kinda gave janet the Wrong idea), then they later bumped into each other in the hall and chatted for a bit, then they kinda just kept "accidentally" running into one another. Uhhh. Some cigaerette-themed flirting and a house party later, yay dating :] can you tell where the current cut-off of the fic is /j Also idk how to put this down properly but they are both runaways and can kinda. Get that vibe from one another. Literally Michael is like some fucked up abomination of the both of them between the troubled past + weird situationship thing + runaway stuff + a lot of minor details that arent important rn. I just. Yeah Janet means the world to me go thru her tag on my blog for some art. Not all of my janet art is posted but the non-posted stuff is all concept work/doodles or just. Shit im too embarrassed to post lmao. Anyways NOW im done ty for reading

#scov.txt #janet afton #fnaf: hauntings of the past au #scov.ocs #it goes into the oc tag bc fuck you thats why #RRAUAGAH I AM. SO INSANE OVER HER #afton family and their weird gay situationships. aka will + henry and mike + jeremy and janet + bev #IK A LOT OF THIS ISNT EVEN ABT HER KIDS im so sorry #i dont have a lotta thoughts on evan and honestly i domt have a lot of family details figured out #like. everything is kinda just. general basics #plus also i dont wanna give janet too much focus on account of shes not. extremely important #she has her role to play in the au but theres far more influential characters yknow?? #anyways for those of you who have read this far both w/ post and tags. i have one last thing to share #my gf and i have a spinoff au and she and henry are currently dating (both got divorced long in advance dw) #(like. several decades ago. bc this is ghost shenanigans in the sb era) #thats all ty and gn (<- not sleeping its just night where i am)

[boilompiz]

Dragon oc rambles part 1 - Krovin!!!

Welp it’s about to be my birthday in like two days so it’s probably about time I post this next ramble DBFJFJ sorry again that this took forever ive been grinding on Pokémon Violet/j

Anyways Krovin

Strange Homosexual man‼️🇺🇸

a helper around the refugee camp area ig! He helps with food stuff mostly but occasionally helps with like medical stuff n all that jazz,, when he’s not doing that he’s just kinda helping individuals with whatever they may need

YET this man refuses to care for himself in the slightest like sir please sleep for more than 3 hours☹️‼️

He constantly busies himself by helping around the camp however he can when he can because,, well I mean people are losing their homes and families and it’s just a BAD TIME.

So if he can help people and make it so life is SLIGHTLY less shitty then he’s doing good,, and he’ll feel selfish and awful if he stops take care about himself for even a minute

He gets it from his childhood 😁😁 yeah I know an OC with a troubling childhood !! Who coulda seen this coming!

Basically his mother had lost her first son before having Krovin which was already bad enough,, and then her husband went and died after getting caught up in a fight during this one dragon civil war typa conflict,, as you can imagine her mental state kinda went down the drain <33

She wouldn’t leave her bed,, she wouldn’t eat, she kinda just let herself rot away in her room for like several weeks,, eventually Krovin decided to try and take care of her FOR her, so starting when he was around 13-14 all the way up until he was like 26 maybe, he’d make food, he’d make sure she bathed, he’d try to help with her all mental issues and grief and all that jazz

He even started helping around town for some extra money ‼️🔥🔥💰💰🗣 yknow to buy more food and stuff,,

No matter what Krovin did though his mom just couldn’t seem to get better,, mentally at least. Even after years and years of him trying to help her she couldn’t move on

So yeah not a good time for Krovin

Eventually his mother died from a sickness plus her age in her sleep,, which Krovin ended up blaming himself for

Did he not try hard enough? Should he have done more? Maybe he should’ve gotten more money to afford medicine ,, maybe he should’ve BEEN A BETTER SON 🗣🗣🗣🗣 sorry I love that song/j

But yeah all of that is kinda why Krovin refuses to take time to properly care for himself,, he had this mindset that if he didn’t give the whole world for someone he cares for, they’d leave, disappear, say byebye or something like that!!!!!! He’s a lil messed up!!! Traumatized man☹️☹️

Anyways when the whole unicorn takeover thing happened he volunteered to help around and stuff, he hit the jackpot with this one/J

This is when he met Norva. She’d frequently turn up with them dragon refugees and occasionally visit from time to time,, checking in on everyone n all. Krovin liked that she was strong and brave, but was also real damn upset that such a young gal had to go through this situation with everyone else,, and she actually reminded him of when he cared for his mom and that like, REALLY upset him

So during one of her visits he’d approached her and they got to talking and soon became besties ‼️‼️

As I said Krovin admired her strength and bravery, and she appreciated his help around camp,, so yeah they became pretty close. Fatherless gang!!!!/J

And that’s all I have to say about Krovin for now sorry this was such a long ramble OUGH he’s just really neat to me,, dad figure man!!!! Who doesn’t love those dad figures am I right

Anyways next ramble will be forrrrr Treya! Hopefully his ramble will come out quicker this time RDHFGCU

#dragons #dragon oc #oc #oc story #oc rambling #saviors of vanriah #krovin #he’s so messed up ^_^ #punches him <3/j #Norva replacement dad/j #don’t worry he learns to care for himself eventually #if you were even worried about that! #his backstory was actually kinda inspired by The Old Sugarman Place from Bojack Horseman #blehg anyways bye !!!!4)3&:&:! I’m tired of typing

[notinthislife50]

Chapter 30

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

After gathering your bearings,  the five of you stood in the living room listening to Dean’s self-pity speech.

“You’re not helping Dean” you snapped at him.

“Yeah, well, why don’t you let me get out of your hair, then?” he snapped right back at you.

“What the hell happened to you?” Bobby sadly asked.

“Reality happened. Nuclear’s the only option we have left. Michael can ice the devil, and save a boatload of people.” Dean angrily replied.

Before you could shout at him again,  Bobby spoke up “But not all of them. We gotta think of something else.”

“Yeah, well, that’s easy for you to say. But if Lucifer burns everything down, and I coulda done something about it, guess what? That’s on me.” Dean argued.

“You can’t give up, son.” Bobby pleaded

“You’re not my father. And you ain’t in my shoes.” Dean spat

“Fucking asshole“ you shouted at him.

“ What did you say?“ Dean stomped over to you.

“ I said you’re a fucking asshole ever the fucking martyr” your both now standing toe to toe, glaring at each other.

Bobby pulled a gun out of his desk and slammed it on the table. He takes a bullet out of his pocket and looks at it then looks at you both.

“What is that?” you asked.

“That’s the round that I mean to put through my skull.” Bobby sighed “Every morning, I look at it. I think, Maybe today’s the day I flip the lights out.” But I don’t do it. I never do it. Do you know why? Because I promised you I wouldn’t give up! “ he shouts at Dean

As you were about to rip Dean a new one Cas fell to his knees screaming in agony

“Castiel,” you shouted dropping to your knees in front of him.

“Somethings happening,“ Castiel said.

“Where?” Dean asked.

But there was no answer Castiel disappeared,  making you all look at each other worried.

A few hours later you still hadn’t heard from Castiel

As you sat on the sofa with a very large glass of wine you saw Dean head toward Sam, “trying to get a beer do you mind,” Dean scoffed without even looking at Sam. Sam sidestepped out of the way and you sighed in annoyance.

“Got something to add there Y/l/n” Dean turned to face you.

“Not at all bulldog,” you smiled sarcastically raising your glass at him in mock cheers. If Dean Winchester could annoy you,  you sure knew to annoy him right back.

Just as something smart was about to leave his mouth Castiel arrived back into the room yelling for help and carrying someone.

“ Who is that?” Bobby asked.

“That’s our brother,“ Sam says in surprise.

“What?” you choked out “You have another brother?”

“Adam “ yelled Bobby

As Castiel tried to explain about the angels and Adam and how he needed to hide,  Adam woke up in shock.

Adam yelled out,  asking where he was and who everyone was, you approached Dean “You got this or do you want me to talk to him?” you whispered.

“I got it thanks,” he sighed sadly.

“Okay,“ you squeezed his arm in reassurance “I’ll give you all a minute if you need me I’m in the kitchen,” you replied softly.

After a few minutes, you heard Adam shout about Zachariah and how he knew where all of you were, you cautiously walked back into the living room as you saw the men try to calm him down.#

“Do you want me here?” you asked Dean, and he nodded.

Finally, when Adam was calm and had a drink in his hand he started to explain how he was in heaven and with a girl.

“You get to third base,” Dean asked smirking and raising his eyebrows, Sam coughed and you throw a pillow at him.

“What?” Dean asked smirking that smirk at you.

And all you could do was shake your head smiling your face turning red.

But all smiles turned to shock when Adam announced he was Michaels's vessel.

Castiel explained how maybe the angels maybe have moved on but you and Sam weren't convinced.

As Adam tried to leave,  Dean and Sam tried to explain to him how angels are full of shit but it went nowhere.

As Adam argued back Sam intervened “Yeah, but there’s another way.”

“Great. What is it?” Adam scoffed

“We’re working on the power of love.” Dean nodded condescendingly resulting in a smack on the back of the head from you.

“How’s that going?” Adam laughed.

“Mmm. Not good. “ Dean answered.

Sam looked at Dean disapprovingly.

Sam turned back to Adam and begged him to give him time. You stood and watched the boys arguing about being blood and johns sons and you couldn't help but feel sorry for them al. God you hated John Winchester he really did screw everything up.

@mikaylalala13 @jackles010378 @deans-spinster-witch @foxyjwls007 @deansgirl79 @suckitands33 @deans-baby-momma @dragony937 @linzerrr @fraidoftedark 

#dean winchester #dean #Dean Winchster #deanwinchester #dean fluff #dean smut #dean winchester supernatural #dean winchester fic #dean winchester fanfic #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x you #dean winchester x #dean winchester x y/n #supernatural #Supernatural fanfic #supernatural x reader #supernatural x you #supernatural x y/n #dean supernatural

[masterwords]

destruction

Just an image that's been floating around in my head today. It's not even a story. Derek having angst and feelings at Hotch. I wrote this in 10 minutes so forgive the quality. (~870 words, Hotch/Morgan)

**

It's late, Hotch can't sleep. That in itself isn't surprising, especially given the circumstances, but he's still frustrated by it. The pain is a slow burn in his belly, the kind that improves when he paces and intensifies when he stops, so he's wearing a track in the carpet from the couch to the kitchen and back.

A knock at the door startles him. They haven't been home long, no way there's another case. His mind flickers over Foyet's face, each knock screams danger.

But he opens the door anyway, because he's too tired to do much else. “Derek?” he asks, staring down the man in the leather jacket who looks like he's seen a ghost. His eyes are raw and red and there is a bottle of bourbon hanging limp in his hand. “Are you alright?”

“We need to talk,” he drones in a quiet monotone. “You know, earlier Rossi told me to tell you I didn't think you took enough time off and I thought nah...you know what's right...I trust you...” Derek brushes into the apartment like he owns the place and throws himself down on the couch, right next to what he can only assume has been Hotch's bed. He doesn't know, he hasn't seen this place in weeks. “But after today, I'm not sure I do.”

Hotch looks at the clock and grunts. It's too late to have an argument. “Can this wait?”

“For what? Never gonna be a good time, Aaron, you know that...waiting's only gonna let you come up with ways to brush me off.” Derek takes a sip of the bourbon. He isn't drunk, he's barely had any but it seems to be amplifying whatever he's feeling tenfold. Hotch brings him a glass and sits down beside him.

“Okay.”

He can see the tears in Derek's eyes but can't fathom why he's so upset. Not right now. In truth, he's finding it hard to see past the pain and the exhaustion.

“You walked into the house with an armed murderer today without any protection.”

Hotch hums and nods. “I can't explain why, but it occurred to me that wearing the vest may be a sign of hostility. I wanted Call to trust me.”

“Yeah. Sure. Right.” Derek's voice is grim and he pours the bourbon into the glass this time, setting the bottle down on the table. He doesn't drink it though, he just swirls it around and around and loses himself inside the ripples. “Look man. I'm not gonna tell you how to do your job, but I am gonna tell you what I saw. I saw a man who thinks he's got nothing to live for walking into a situation that he knew was likely to end in gunfire. Without the only small amount of protection we have. That about right?”

“I didn't give it that much thought. It was a decision made in a split second. Maybe if I'd taken another moment I would have made a different call but it turned out as well as I anticipated. There was no way Call didn't shoot his father, no matter what I said or did.”

Derek laughs and sets his glass down on the table, swiping at the tears in his eyes. He doesn't cry often, and Hotch wants desperately to reach out to him but this feels like the wrong time to even try. There is something Derek is dying to say and it's right there, hanging by a thread. “I watched my dad bleed out on a city sidewalk because he didn't...he just made a decision and went for it. I watched him die right there, Aaron...it was senseless! It didn't need to go down that way. But it did, dammit, and I'll be damned if I watch that happen again without doing something about it.”

“What happened to your father was not your fault, Derek. You were a child.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I know all of that. You think no one's ever said that to me before? But I watched you walk into that damn house today and I coulda stopped you. Rossi held me back and I shoulda fought him but I didn't. And that's why I'm here now. You pull another stunt like that and...” He's about to make a threat, but with what he's not sure. He doesn't want to threaten Hotch, he just wants him to listen.

Hotch sighs and scoots closer, a little hesitant, and rests his hand on Derek's leg. He's silent for just long enough to watch the anger pulse and then fade to some kind of almost tangible sadness. “I'm sorry,” he says finally, grabbing Derek's hand and wrapping it in both of his. “I will do better. I promise.”

“Don't make promises you can't keep, man.”

Hotch nods solemnly. “I'm not promising that I'll be perfect, Derek. I'm in a bad place right now and I might make mistakes, but I promise to do my best.”

Derek sniffles and leans toward Hotch, lying heavily against him. Hotch presses a soft kiss to the top of Derek's head and rests his cheek there.

“Just keep your fucking vest on next time. Okay?”

“Okay.”

#derek morgan #aaron hotchner #hotch x morgan #hotchgan #self-indulgent mini story #wanted some derek feels...made some very dramatic derek feels #criminal minds #fanfiction #ANGST #and feels

[barry-j-blupjeans]

16 taakitz 16 taakitz bls for my soul <3 ~argonaut--keene

16. “I think I’m falling in love with you.” “I think I’m okay with that.”

--

It wasn't that Taako was avoiding Kravitz. Because he deffo wasn't. No, he was just... busy. With, y'know, rebuilding the world after the Hunger. And starting his school. And doing lots of cool things because he was a cool, very busy person, with little time to sit down and think about all the things wrong in his life.

Not that Kravitz was a bad thing. No, no, no, Kravitz was actually a very good thing. Person. Human? Skeleton? He was a good living being. No, that didn't fit either. He was a good Kravitz. Taako appreciated many things about him including, and not limited to, offering Lup and Barry jobs so they weren't put in death jail. The way he texted Taako random emojis because he thought they were fun. His stupid goddamn work accent. His eyes. His voice. His-

But as stated before, Taako was a very busy person. Between all his savior of the world things and Lup and trying not to talk to Lucretia whatsoever, he had very little time to be in lo- be a boyfriend.

Unfourturely, Kravitz had nothing but time to be a boyfriend.

"Taako?" Kravitz said after Taako had come into the room and planted himself face down in the bed. "You good?"

"Peachy," Taako said, his voice muffled by the sheets. He felt the bed dip a little as Kravitz sat down.

"Therapy session go that bad?" Kravitz asked. Taako made a so-so motion with his hand. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

And there was the crux of his problem. Talking about it. Taako groaned, flipping himself over. Kravitz shifted slightly to give him space and laid down on the bed himself, turning to look at Taako. He had stubble growing along his jaw. Taako brought a hand up to feel it and Kravitz smiled slightly.

"I probably should talk about it, I guess," Taako said, dropping his hand onto the bed again. Kravitz caught it with him, squeezing slightly.

"If you want to," he said. "I'll listen."

"Why are you so-" Taako made a sound, gesturing to Kravitz's face with his free hand.

"Handsome?"

"No. I mean, yes, but not that." Kravitz was definitely smiling this time. "You're just... really nice. And that's not fair."

"I'll try to be meaner?" Kravitz said, his eyebrows scrunching up.

"No, it's- ughhhh. You're just. Nice. And good. And really handsome." Taako took a deep breath. "Please stop looking at me, I can't focus."

"Of course," Kravitz said, turning onto his back. He trained his eyes up at the ceiling.

"You're a good person, I think," Taako said. "So I don't really get why you'd wanna, uh, be with me?" Kravitz opened his mouth to say something, but Taako hurried on. "Like- like I'm sure there's a lot of hot death criminals or whatever that you coulda chosen but now your kinda stuck with me, or at least stuck with Lup and Barry, because, y'know, coworkers and shit, but-" Taako groaned again. He wasn't getting anywhere with this.

"I'm not a good person," he said. "Like, chaotic neutral at best, babe. And I just... I'm. Scared? Of messing shit up. Or being vulnerable, in general, which you mighta noticed by now. Uhm, yeah. That's the Taako-sitch. Thanks for listening. Please like and subscribe or whatever."

Kravitz was silent for a while, still looking up at the ceiling. Taako was just about to get up and try to say he was joking, but Kravitz just squeezed his hand again.

"Can I look at you now, Taako?" he asked.

"If you really wanna, I guess," Taako said.

Kravitz turned his head. He was still smiling slightly, though it had taken on a more melancholy look than anything else.

"I think you're worth my time," Kravitz said. Taako scoffed, but Kravitz shook his head. "It's my turn to talk, just give me a second. I think you're worth my time and I think that you deserve a lot more credit than you give yourself. I- if there is anything I can do, to help you be more comfortable, or less scared, or whatever, please let me know, babe." He turned back to Taako completely, squeezing his hand again.

"I don't care if you don't think you're a good person," Kravitz said. "'Cus I know you are. Sure, maybe a morally ambiguous person-" Taako chuckled, but it sounded sort of pathetic. "But when it comes down to it, you're good nonetheless. You know I love you right?"

Taako felt the words get stuck in his throat and he nodded, swallowing around them.

"You don't have to say it back," Kravitz said gently. "Is... is that part of what scares you? Me saying that? Because I can stop, if you need me to-"

"No," Taako said. "Don't- don't stop. I'm just-" he sighed, wiping at his eyes. "Sorry, uh, I'm not great at this part-"

"It's o-"

"I think I'm falling in love with you," Taako said, quickly, quietly. Kravitz shut his mouth. Taako shut his eyes, not wanting to see any of his reactions. "And I- I guess that makes me scared, 'cus the last time I let myself love someone, someones, they fuckin' beefed it every other year, y'know? So I'm just kinda like- hey! Maybe if I don't admit it, then it's chill! Can't kill him twice over, right? So I don't really wanna like, say it a lot. Because it's... weird."

"I think I'm okay with that," Kravitz said. Taako peeked his eyes open. "You're not a super verbal person with your emotions and I know that. I know you love me because of the things you do. Like letting me help you cook, even though I'm awful at it. Or hugging me when I get home."

"I haven't done that in a while," Taako said, feeling a little more than guilty.

"Lup said to give you some space," Kravitz said. "I'm alright without a hug every day, Taako. Though I do appreciate when I get them. I just... I wanna make sure I haven't done anything wrong? To make you sorta..."

"Avoidant?"

"I was gonna say closed-off, but that works too," Kravitz said.

"You haven't done anything," Taako said, scooting forward to bury his head in Kravitz's chest. "I'm just like-" he blew a raspberry. Kravitz laughed, wrapping an arm around him. "Y'know?"

"I think I do," Kravitz said. "I'm here for you, okay?"

"Okay," Taako said.

"I love you," Kravitz said, dropping a kiss on his head. Taako's ears flushed a bit.

"Right back at 'cha," he said and Kravitz held him just a little tighter.

#taakitz #taako #kravitz #taz #mine #asks #ise cube writing #a soft lil thing :O #argonaut--kenne

[wonderlandleighleigh]

lenny surprising midge at yom kippur dinner or something? maybe she’s sad bc he’s been on tour for a while and today is harder bc she hasnt been able to talk to him all day but he shows up to dinner?

(Fashionable People)

She shouldn't have fasted, but Joel had needled her about being spoiled and not fasting with the other adults, so she decides to suck it up and she doesn't eat the entire day.

No one else seems to notice. Lenny is out of town. Joel certainly doesn't seem concerned, and Mei is working a shift at the hospital today, and her parents and brother and sister-in-law are busy. And she's done good job so far of managing things.

It feels good to take part. To feel normal, if dizzy.

But she does miss Lenny terribly. He's got shows in DC and Chicago now that his convictions are overturned, and that's wonderful, but her heart aches without his presence sometimes, though she doesn't talk about it with anyone but Imogene.

There's a flurry of activity when they get back to the apartment on Riverside Drive. It's got the bigger dining room after all, and it feels too strange for Joel to be in Lenny's apartment, specifically when Lenny isn't home.

Midge takes a seat in the living room on the couch, lounging back, chatting with her family.

"See?" Joel says to her. "You're fine. You coulda fasted last year too, I bet."

she gives him a tepid smile, but doesn't respond, She shouldn't have let him get to her. She should have told him to go away and eaten some crackers, or an apple.

It's just hard not to feel normal.

Midge frowns when she notices another knock on the door, and she wonders if maybe Mei cut out of work early, but when her father opens the door-

"Lenny! Just in time for Break Fast."

When he appears into the doorway of the living room, Midge lights up and gets to her feet, a little shaky, but smiling.

He gazes at her softly, and nods to everyone else. "Surprise. I wrapped up early in Chicago and hopped an early flight."

"Wonderful!" Rose beams. "There's plenty of food, as always."

"Can I talk to this one for a moment?" Lenny requests, taking Midge's fingers in his - a lot like the way he did at Carnegie Hall three years ago, and leads her towards the kitchen. He doesn't let goo this time, though.

"You fasted," he says, turning to her when they step into the kitchen. "Midge, you're not supposed to, you know what the doctors said."

She nods, looking down at their joined hands. "I just- I wanted to feel normal. And Joel called me spoiled, and I just...I thought I could handle it."

"You're about to drop," Lenny notes.

"I know. But we're eating soon."

"What if you'd collapsed at services?" Lenny asks, worried etched into his face. "I thought we talked about this. I know it's hard work to keep track of your health but you said you would while I was gone. You promised me."

Midge swallows and shrugs. "I don't know why I let Joel get to me. I just-" she closes her eyes, feeling a wave of dizziness again. "I'm sorry, Lenny."

"I'm only going to forgive you if you eat some challah and right now," he tells her, leading her over to sit at the kitchen table.

So she does, munching quietly. "I really missed you," she says softly. "I'm so glad you're home."

Lenny sighs and leans down, kissing her gently. "I missed you, too."

#fic #au #tmmm #Fashionable People (Very Blue Rooms) #Midge/Lenny #Midge x Lenny

[wwinterwillows]

having a blast with armored core 6, but after playing through chapter 4 i’m having some thoughts on some of the gameplay elements (specifically in ch.4)

if you’re turning away to avoid spoilers the gist of it is that i’m really looking forward to ng+ and ng++! i think that i’m maybe just missing a couple puzzle pieces for my preferred melee playstyle and chapter 4 has some very mobile enemies

(spoilers ahead)

i’ll preface this by saying that this might just be a skill issue on my end, but i also don’t have enough time in a day to bash my head against a wall trying to make my silly little lightweight melee build work against every major enemy

my specific hangups are with the enforcer and with ibis, although michigan is not off the hook

all three of those fights i tried with my ‘normal’ builds that appeal to my two mech fantasies (lightweight melee rushdown and then walking tetrapod armory) and was just completely overwhelmed

then, after getting fed up with the enforcer, i looked online.

‘i took the stun needle’, someone said, and i thought ‘huh. i thought that was just a story weapon for the ice worm in particular and nothing else. might as well give it a shot.”

i equipped the stun needles on my shoulder slots. i swapped out my pile bunker for a laser lance because it’s better at closing the distance. i replaced my trusty napalm grenades with that one energy shotgun that kind of looks like a katar (i refuse to use the zimmermans on principle). and i instantly lost half of the grey matter in my brain

the stun needles really are a “i want this enemy out of my sight NOW” type weapon. it sends any staggered enemy to the principal’s office and has them expelled. who thought it would be a good idea to give these things so much direct hit damage

and that coupled with the frustrating bosses in chapter 4 kind of cheapened my experience, i think. i would get frustrated by a boss, and eventually i’d go “alright. i have half an hour left before i need to get off and get other stuff done. let’s just… be done with this. i’m tired.” and bust out the win button

in an ideal world i would have found some middle ground between “this boss is wiping the floor with me” and “damn. didn’t even get to see all of their moves that run”, which is where i think the options in ng+ will come in handy. something stronger to bring me to the point of ‘still a challenge but it feels like i can make progress’

i do wish that the enemies were a little less mobile, or at the very least moved more predictably. that, and making hard lock-on better. my god was losing lock-on on ibis annoying

to end on a positive note: i am still having a lot of fun, and really do look forward to future playthroughs where i’m a bit more familiar with the game! once i get more parts every enemy will know the wrath of my pile bunker

also arquebus couldn’t you have sent like a couple more guys to help me take out michigan? like if you really wanted him gone you coulda spared a couple bucks to send my boy rusty in there with me (and what if we kissed in front of the wreck of liger tail and we were both mech pilots, haha jkjk… unless?)

#armored core 6 #rambling