Quark has a competition going to see who can snag the most romantic-looking picture of Garak and Bashir together. It’s so popular that practically everyone on DS9 is getting in on the action. Bashir finds out, and convinces Garak to help him take the winning photo – cue fake-relationship flirtation to get in the mood, a late-night tailor-shop rendezvous to pick the right outfits, then the staging of a seductive, intimate moment in a quiet hallway… only to wonder if the relationship they’re portraying in their picture is exactly what they want in reality. Or even what they already have.
here’s a fic in which, when overwhelmed by Aziraphale’s unexpected affection, Crowley becomes a smol snek because big sneks have too many thinky thoughts
This cured my depression and made me whole
I cannot process the way this fic made me feel
Like
The longing Crowley feels, the gentleness Aziraphale has for his when he realizes why Crowley’s all worked up, Crowley getting embarrassed and becoming a snake and Aziraphale just cooing at him and???
I literally cannot process it all ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
(Totally looks like I’m just talking to myself but)
Like literally if I could buy and read a whole book written exactly in the style of this fanfic, I wouldn’t be okay for a very long time
a magical, domestic 32k AU wherein Dean accidentally moves in with his neighbour, Cas, who is surprisingly okay with it. (illustrated!!)
☆
“Idjit.”
“Don’t you ‘idjit’ me, Bobby,” Dean retorted, adjusting the Impala’s wheels as they drove over a bump, which could’ve been a log, or not. “My baby’s not built for these backroads.”
“This ain’t a road at all,” Bobby grumbled, one hand on his baseball cap so the car’s jumping and jumbling wouldn’t knock it off. “Last time I came out here, I swore I’d never come back. And you’re a damn fool for makin’ me.” The car hit a ditch, and Bobby spat, “Idjit.”
Dean carefully steered through the thick forest brush, angling the front of his Chevy into the clearest space he saw.
He let the car roll up to the cabin, backing up over overgrown weeds and parking before he looked up. He glanced towards the sky – blue and sunny now they weren’t under twenty feet of tree cover – and then Dean properly noticed the building.
“That’s not a house,” he said in surprise. “That’s a shack.”
“Told ya,” Bobby said gruffly, arms folded.
Dean popped the trunk, then opened up the driver’s side door and set his boots on leaf litter. Drawing a deep breath, the scent of mulch and flowers coated the back of his tongue smoothly.
Sam’s Jeep came up behind them, clearly not having run into any trouble on the bumpy ground. As soon as the Jeep halted, the two engines ticked out of sync, cooling.
Sam excavated his too-tall body from the Jeep, like a construction crane trying to set itself upright. His hands went straight into his windbreaker pockets, now followed out by Jody on the other side, who looked more at ease in a flannel shirt than she ever looked in a business suit.
“Well, there is is,” Sam grinned, looking around. “Bobby’s safehouse.”
“Nothing safe about it,” Bobby muttered, scowling in the shade of his cap. “Ain’t a damn good thing coming of this.”
“Hey, think positive,” Jody said, turning to smile at the old man. “Dean wants a break to get back to nature. What’s closer to nature than this?” She thumbed over her shoulder at the sun-dappled woodland, all the trees sparkling with gold in the breeze.
Dean stood glumly, trying not to speak. The house looked like shit. This whole time he’d thought Bobby was exaggerating.
“You want help taking your stuff in?” Sam asked Dean, already heading to the Impala’s rear. “We can get you all set up before we head back to civilisation.”
Dean took a moment to look around. The sun warmed his face, a warm gush of summer air rising over his gelled hair and tickling at the loose ends. He drew a deep, encouraging breath, then smiled.
“You know what? I got it,” Dean said, brushing Sam away from the trunk. “I got my fishing gear, I got my guns, I got firestarters and I got my music.” He opened the trunk and beamed at the guitars and the vintage record player sitting safely in the trunk. “So I’m good. You guys – head back to headquarters. Make sure Charlie lets everyone know—” He hesitated, then grinned, hands in the pockets of his jacket.
“Here.” He pulled out his phone, taking a few steps away from the car, stumbling over moss and weird mushrooms as he went. He unlocked the phone screen, and started up his camera to record, lifting the phone up to get a good angle on his face. “Hey, what’s up, guys. This is it! Day one of my, uh… sabbatical. Take a look. Got me some trees, got me a river. Lotsa sunshine. Good for the health. My team’s got you covered while I’m gone, so Sammy’s gonna keep the ‘gram updated, and Charlie – y’all know Charlie, my publicist-slash-remixer? – she’s still working on getting the next album out, so make sure y’all follow her for updates.” Dean licked his lips, lowering the phone.
He began a new video, but took a moment to speak. “Look. Uh. Don’t anyone worry about me while I’m gone. Okay? I just need some time to reset. Get my head on right. And who knows, maybe I’ll find some inspiration out here. And I’ll come back with something better than ever. Thank you guys for letting me do this. Seriously, bottom of my heart.” He patted his chest twice. “Stay lovin’.” He smiled, winked into the camera, then ended the video.
Sam came up beside him, just as Dean added his best filter and Charlie’s Instagram handle to the video so people would see it.
“You all right?”
Dean nodded. “Yeah.” He handed over his phone. “Don’t hit send until you’re at least fifty miles away. Don’t want anyone stalking me. As much as I love meeting music-lovers when I least expect it, I really just… need to be alone for a while. Y’know? It’s— It’s so much. It’s been so much for so long, I gotta—”
“Hey.” Sam gripped Dean’s arm gently. “I get it.” He cocked his head towards Jody and Bobby, who came to join the conversation. “We all get it.”
Dean managed a small smile. “Thanks for letting me borrow your house, Bobby.”
“Place is haunted,” Bobby said firmly.
“It’s not haunted,” Jody said to Dean. “You have a good time out here, Dean. If you need anything – well, I guess you’re stuck with sending carrier pigeons. We’ll keep our windows open.”
“You’re sure we can’t help you unpack?” Sam insisted, looking bothered. “It’s a lot of heavy stuff.”
“Nah.” Dean knocked his brother’s chest. “This is where the fun starts. Weight training! I appreciate you comin’ to see me off though.”
Sam pressed a smile between his lips, then sighed and brought Dean in for a hug. “Don’t fall down a ditch or something. Or get eaten by bears.”
“What bears?” Dean said, pulling back. “Only bear out here is me.”
This year at uni has been pretty busy up to this point. But this fic? It gave me some peace. I curled up with it in bed after a long day of stressing about group papers etc. It is such a feel good fic and I love how slowly and surely Dean’s and Cas’ relationship is built. They are so in tune with each other it is breathtaking. One of my favourite parts was Cas’ background story. It is really cool how you incorporated a bit of the growth we see angel Cas have in the show into an AU fic. Also again with the amazing descriptions:
“Dean ate his toast with disgruntlement sitting like a brick in his chest. But the brick grew old and dusty, and by the time they moved from breakfast to brunch, it was only a pebble. Sometimes people believed in things they couldn’t see and had no logical reason to believe in. As Dean had written before, while logic ruled his own inner kingdom, magic ruled Castiel’s. That was actually something that Dean enjoyed about him. By the time Dean went back to his hovel, stomach full from a hearty late lunch, the brick of disgruntlement had become a little red gem of helpless acceptance. It shone, and twinkled… and felt weirdly similar to love.”
If you ever make a printed version of this with the art give me a shout. I would put this into my self-care box in 0.001 seconds flat. <3
Dean was in half a mind - nay, three-quarters of a mind - just to turn back, go home, make coffee, call in sick and watch wrestling and porn all day, when the rain stopped abruptly.
He glanced around in surprise, then looked up.
An umbrella. Someone had put an umbrella over him.
hey, i just wanted to thank you. it's been a year or so since i left the supernatural fandom, because it ended up being a really bad environment for me and reminds me of bad experiences, but i was talking with a friend tonight and they mentioned one of your fics, (roost, specifically) and we were discussing how much we both love your work and i'm just really overwhelmed right now thinking about how much your writing has impacted me. try something tuesday will always hold a special place (1/?)
in my heart as the fic i always reread when i was having a bad night or just wanted to remind myself that life isn’t always bad and thing will work out eventually. i read foxfire blossom downloaded on my computer at a camp where there were no other gay kids and i had no internet or cell service. it left me screaming into my pillow at two am and brought me so so much joy, not to mention how much it taught me (a young, impressionable child) about proper communication in relationships and how (2/?)
no matter how much it felt like i had to grow up and marry a man and have babies and be the perfect straight cis woman that society wanted of me, that didn’t have to be the end, and i could be in a gay relationship and still have a home and be happy. again, young, impressionable kid - the honest and real and beautiful way you wrote about lgbt people and the love we have for each other probably impacted me even more than i can tell. and hart of the storm. oh my god, hart of the storm. i have (3/?
no words to describe how much that story blew me away. it left me completely shaken and emotional and was one of the most powerful things i’ve ever read. i remember how excited i used to get when i got an email from ao3 that you’d posted something new. my time in the fandom coincided with a really rough period of my life, and to be completely honest, there were times when one of the only reasons i could think of to stay alive was that you were going to post a new fic soon, and i wanted to (4/?)
be able to read it. your writing brought light and hope to some of my darkest days, and it gave me something to look forward to when i felt like there was nothing left that could make me happy anymore. when i first figured out that i was autistic, and i went online and saw that you’d written fics with autistic cas, being able to have other experiences that i could relate to, in a format that i was able to understand, and by an author that i’d always admired, it helped me gain the confidence (5/?
to stim in front of my friends and explain to them why i sometimes had trouble speaking when it was too loud in the room and begin to learn how to work with my brain, and not against it. you and your writing have had such an incredible impact on my life, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. (6/6)
//
this message has me shook, in the literal sense. i’m trembling. i just read this 10 times over. i have no words, friend. i can’t think past the haze of emotion to express how utterly i appreciate this and how much it means to me, and how much i want to never, ever, ever forget this message so i can remember it every. single. day. and use its power to keep going in my own fight, and always keep creating.
i’m so glad your friends are so understanding and accepting!! (you bonding over my stories is so cool to me??? so cool.)
this is gonna sound internet-person cliché, but sometimes it’s hard for me to visualise the folks who are reading my stories - i know whatever i say or share is impacting someone in some small way, but even the messages i get from friends are still pixels on a screen, y’know? i always feel kinda distant and removed from the people as opposed to the statistics, as much as i try not to be. but your words are so important to me, you are important to me, and i’m so utterly grateful you shared this ;u;
thank you for the honour of letting my stories help you, anon. i appreciate that you chose life, firstly, but i’m extra glad you used my upcoming works as an incentive. (even more reason for me to carry on writing, right? i may never know who’s counting on it.)
the fact you mentioned ‘hart of the storm’ is especially exciting to me, since that one is akin to the novel-like stories i dream of writing in the future, and i wasn’t really sure if many people liked it. it feels good to get some feedback.
i hope you find yourself on the path that’ll lead you to more happiness and healthy relationships with friends and fandoms. i wish good things your way, indefinitely ♥
Castiel is a bad influence on Dean. Okay, they’re only six years old – but when they join forces, they’re Mary Winchester’s idea of a parenting nightmare. In theory, Dean and Cas live in hotel rooms opposite each other. But in actuality, Castiel lives with Dean. Shares his clothes, his food, his bed. That sort of thing. Dean might like the colour pink more than society says he should, and Cas has the same problem with petty crime, but there’s one attribute they have in common: neither take well to being apart.
Three new writers!
One of which is an openly gay man who’s written a lot of M/M romance. That’s…
interesting, to say the least.
Dabb loves Cas
very much and is clearly into Team Free Will interactions, too. So I assume
there will be more TFW scenes and all three of them working together.
British Men of
Letters vs. American Men of Letters. I guess this could mean we get more
background story for the MoL and the Winchesters’ family history, too?
Possibility of Sam
getting the huntress love interest he has been set up for?
Dabb is likely to
have his own Destiel story to tell, refreshing and different from Carver’s, and
I can’t wait to see it.
Badass lady
characters surviving / resurrected: Billie, Mary, Toni, Rowena…
Basically what I’m
saying is: CAN IT BE OCTOBER ALREADY!?
@almaasi basically besides the whole “Bugs are gross and forcing me to look at huge masses of them is Rude and I Don’t Like It,” i’m pretty sure I remember the bugs were a consequence of a ~~ancient Indian curse on the land~~ activated by the White People developing it into suburban subdivisions which is appropriative and just plain icky. Mark Oshiro (@markdoesstuff) discusses it well (tho still from a non-Native perspective i believe?) in his review here.
Also my own personal gripe with that episode is that it is supposed to take place in Oklahoma but obviously the site scouts (or whatever they’re called) have never been to Oklahoma because there is almost no forest there. There’s a reason it’s called the “Great Plains” and that is because it is F L A T and also mostly wheat (and wheat byproducts). Oklahoma is scorched red clay and oil rigs and beef cattle. It is definitely not lush green forest and cool black dirt and Fern Gully or whatever the fuck. Anyway. There you go.
Hi so with the new cockles video I would just like help and clarification to if they were acting awkward like that as a joke or if they were being serious? I tend to take things too seriously so I don't really know the difference
I’M NOW CONVINCED IT WAS FULLY PLANNED AND DIRECTED BY EITHER ONE OR BOTH OF THEM. AWKWARDNESS INCLUDED.
AND THERE’S SYMBOLISM.
fasten your seatbelts, because I’m about to do some hardcore analysis.
for instance, take the kettle. granted, it was probably the only shiny thing Misha had in his trailer that was suitable for children to see - but it’s also a symbol of welcome and acceptance. Misha’s a big fan of green tea. hell, there’s boxes of tea visible on the bottom-right corner of the video. Misha handing Jensen a kettle is like “here, have something that means a lot to me”.
and that’s not even mentioning the whole domestic symbolism of a kettle. the heart of the home is a kitchen, right? Misha could’ve chosen a spatula or a frying pan or a toaster, but he picked up the thing he really connects with, emotionally. at VanCon Misha once said three things he couldn’t live without include: porn, running, and tea. the kettle makes hot water to make tea. the kettle represents things near and dear to Misha’s heart and he’s giving it to Jensen.
now, I want to compare the first frame, the middle frames, and the last frame:
it begins with Misha being the centre of attention:
and honestly, the way it starts, kind of sounds as though he’s thanking people because he won. he pats his heart like it means a lot to him. (which it does, obviously, but if you didn’t know he was about to announce Jensen, you might assume it was all about Misha himself. that was precisely what I thought the first time I watched this.)
then Jensen comes in and there’s the hand-off. Misha doesn’t wanna let go of his kettle for a bit. he touches it a few times, grabbing and petting it. he wants to hold it while Jensen’s holding it. Misha and Jensen were both up for this award, they were pitted against each other. Misha won this award previously. he’s acting like he’s not quite ready to give it up.
this is all super subtle, so if someone is only watching because Misha and Jensen are in the same frame and making eyes at each other, then it’s easy to miss the bigger picture. it’s been over 6 hours since I first saw this and only now am I figuring out exactly how choreographed it is.
I feel it’s important to note that this was not a spur-of-the-moment “let’s just turn the camera on and see what happens” video. Misha and Jensen are both directors, and actors, and very aware of how they have to present themselves to their audience. (which of course makes it extra special that they’re making hearteyes at each other in this because THEY’RE DOING IT ON PURPOSE.
this is the spn mockumentary, part 2. they’re playing themselves but with a little mask over it.
Misha’s possessiveness of the kettle? acting. Jensen’s fluttery nervousness? acting. Misha yelling “HE’S THE MAN” and whacking Jensen’s arm? my guess is that that was ad-libbed. Jensen blinks a lot after that, trying to keep his place in the script. that’s him thinking very quickly after Misha caught him off-guard.
Misha is absolutely stealing the show. I had to watch it three times before my eyes even moved from Misha to Jensen. despite Jensen taking up the space front-and-centre, Misha’s bold movements and the full focus of the camera make him the object of the video. if the video was completely about Jensen, then Misha would have left the shot when he handed over the kettle. at this point, this video is about Misha.
imagine for a moment that Jared was there instead of Misha. what would he do? I know exactly what he’d do. he’s stand right next to Jensen and look proud and tall and moose-like. he’d smile and nod along, and right at the end he’d say something like “thanks for all the support you’ve showed Jensen these past few months, guys, it means a lot to us both” and he’d be Jensen’s equal in every way. that’s just what they do when they’re in videos together, no matter who the video’s about. but with Misha? not so much.
Misha is putting himself in a position of rivalry and playful nudging. sure, he’s clearly really happy for Jensen, and I have no doubt that in real life he’s genuinely over the freaking moon that Jensen was the one who won. but his character in this video is the supportive-but-jealous boyfriend who wants the limelight. he’s mockumentary!Misha.
then Misha switches sides. he goes from stage right to stage left. that’s him backing down. that’s him taking a step back and letting Jensen take centre stage. but does he leave? does he stay quiet? oh no. very much no.
[distant sound of Misha playing percussion on the kitchen cabinets]
[slightly closer sound of Misha dragging a drum set out of his kitchen sink]
[very nearby sound of Misha switching on his megaphone and preparing to sing Peaches’ “two guys for every girl”]
Misha acts all awkward and defeated and so done with this whole thing but you just know he’s got the warm fuzzies inside, and he’s trying his best to stay in character and not look at Jensen. that easygoing smile from earlier is gone and he’s straight-faced now. no lines left to say. Misha’s body language says “don’t look at me”, so this is the part where Jensen’s actually allowed to shine.
now the video is about Jensen.
in all seriousness, well done to Jensen. he deserved that kettle.
now, the last frame. the video ends with Jensen in the same place Misha was standing at the start.
Misha’s self-character has been thoroughly usurped, and his place has been taken. but he’s still there. lingering. for support - because he’s the most loyal of partners when it really matters - and he’s waiting for his chance to shine again next year, at the next PCAs. (he’s also the angel on Jensen’s shoulder. just a bit.)
and, as soon as the camera was turned off, there’s a 100% chance Misha slapped Jensen’s butt.
I agree with “supportive-but-jealous” when it comes to Misha’s character in the video but I don’t think that “boyfriend” part or especially the “heart eyes thing” were intended. The first one is rather fans’ interpretation and the second… I find it natural for them to look at each other like that (when they’re both being happy or on emotional high). Also that is the part you can’t basically play. The reason why actors who intended to play a couple in the movie or tv show are always invited for the special casting is because producers need to see if there is that kind of natural interaction between them. The chemistry need to be real and natural, and only if it is you can start to play with “the chemistry” on screen. It’s like the first casting rule :) Of course having the chemistry doesn’t necessarily mean that actors are having crush on each other or smith because gay man & gay woman could interacting so well on the screen that we could easily misreading their chemistry with them being in love. But making hurt eyes on each other?… hm ;) It’s a little diffrent level of interaction between actors&people ;) but also not really possible to fake.
What I mean is that it was probably only partly scripted but in 70 -80% looks like the total improvisation. Maybe Misha was supposed to be the jealous guy but instead he looks like the proud boyfriend because you know…. Cockles ;)
