In A Better World, Or Perhaps Just A Well-written Fanfic, Dan Doesn’t Die And Lucifer Doesn’t Go

first post hai.... castiel ily

Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu in THE BEAR (2022-) 03x07 | "Legacy"

road-trip stop

TOM HOLLAND in UNCHARTED ( 2022 )

Daniel watches the smoke fade into the air with shadowed eyes, purple smudges underneath too purple and prominent to be anything other than from a lack of sleep. His fingers itch to grab a cigarette of his own, but the inevitable crash out from his dad if he went home smelling like smoke (again) wasn't worth it.

The teen sighs, fingers picking at the worn sleeves of his shirt. " Just family stuff. Arguing, y'know – and dad's got a lot going on at work so it's... yeah. " Daniel clears his throat awkwardly. The divorce wasn't his favorite subject - and going between two households was proving difficult. Didn't help that his dad complained about every normal teenage thing Daniel did – the joy of having a cop for a father.

@fracturals gets a starter :)

Michael sat down, cigarette between his lips as per usual. " You look terrible." He said, blowing smoke out into the cool night air. " I told you not sleeping would catch up with you." He skipped sleep sure but at least he had eyeliner to cover up with. " What's going on with you anyways?"

EMILY PRENTISS Criminal Minds 3.03

When Hannah takes her hand, Ellie squeezes. Offers a reassuring smile. At this point, Ellie refused to let anyone else stop her from getting the experiences she'd been deprived off growing up in this world, and she was extending that to Hannah. If people were going to stare, Ellie wanted it to be from jealousy because they were having fun.

" Eh, most people would say that it's unnecessary anger or something instead of being cool – but I like that you think so, " Ellie shrugs, huffing out a laugh. She'd never considered herself cool - Ellie had always been the awkward kid, the weird kid, different from everyone else – literally, it was in her blood. Hannah thinking she was cool? That was fucking awesome.

" Come on, Han. Let's get our groove on, " Ellie wiggles her eyebrows at the other teen as she starts to pull her towards the dance floor. Could Ellie dance? Absolutely not. But she wanted to make Hannah feel better, and she'd read about dances before. Proms and parties and weddings - things she'd never get to do. It sucked.. but maybe this would make life suck a little less.

Ellie sounds so genuine - she'd say her friends had sounded genuine when accepting to spend the weekend with her, but had they? Maybe Sam, and just how much she had been involved in that prank was unknown.

The fact that she doesn't give a damn about what anybody thinks is obvious, so that's a point in her favor, but Hannah still hesitates, squeezing her eyes close for a moment to erase the flash of a camera recording her at her most humiliating moment, forget that day that led to the worst night of her life. "Okay," she murmurs, opening her eyes again. They come and go, these flashes, and all she can do is push them away. At least when she's awake.

"Okay," she repeats. She knows how to dance, she and Beth danced and sang together a lot, sometimes Josh would join in for laughs - oh, bad train of thoughts - and people aren't even looking, it seems, so she decides to take Ellie's hand. It feels so nice to touch another person, one she trusts, and her expression softens, even if she can't find in herself to smile. Not ever, if she's honest, but even less so after such a scare. Still, being able to soften up and not panic is a win that she owes to Ellie. "You'd really punch people for making fun of you, wouldn't you?" she asks with a hint of regret, or maybe jealously, because that certainly was not her reaction.

"You are always so cool, Ellie."

<I loved being a witch>

When he found Tommy again, the last thing Joel expected was for his brother to have a teenage stray of his own by his side. It had shocked him, sure, but it also made his situation with Ellie seem less strange. The girl, Hannah, was clearly going through some shit – it was far too familiar. Joel remembered having the same dark disposition for a hell of a long time after losing Sarah.

Hell, if it weren't for Ellie he'd still be like it now. But she'd managed to slip under the barricades he'd spent years forming, become as close to a daughter as another child ever could. It would be impossible to ever replace Sarah, but Ellie had carved a place next to her in his heart

He was glad that, hopefully, Ellie and Tommy could do the same for Hannah. Joel knew they'd be good for her - and him? Well, he'd probably be better off supporting from the sidelines.

" I know how you feel, kid. " It's easy to admit, his voice soft. Just for her, a private conversation. " It doesn't feel right - how at ease everyone is. Like they don't know what's out there. " It was all a big game of pretend, the man knew that. Behind big walls and lacking weapons, it was easy to pretend things were different. That the world hadn't ended, that infected weren't roaming outside, and that the people out there weren't WORSE.

" If you ask me, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Your body's survival instincts will wake you up - comfortable or not, we can sense danger, " Joel turns to look at Hannah, aware this was the closest he'd ever stood to the girl. It was certainly a sense of discomfort for the both of them, neither were eager to let people close. He shifts slightly, creating a little more of a gap as subtly as could.

@fracturals asked: ❛ can’t sleep? ❜ ( joel )

"Too much noise. People here aren't scared enough." She knows it's a weird answer the moment it comes out of her mouth; she hasn't been in Jackson long, but it has been enough to start reminding her of what it's like to be among regular people and how most of them, while careful about infected, don't have to live in fear every second of the day here. She was like that, once. Now it feels weird to sleep too many hours straight. It feels weird that she didn't pull a gun on Joel just because he came too close - she almost did, she always touches her knife or whatever weapon she has when someone besides Ellie does. But she's getting a bit used to him, at least. Something about this man feels safe - same with Tommy. Not creepy at all. "I keep thinking... if I get used to... to the noises and I sleep through them... some day a bite will wake me up. I won't be here forever, I can't... I can't get comfortable."