© light beyond the frame
limonite mud and stalactites
-J.F.
today I took pictures of the inside of an Ox’s heart … It was bigger than my head
lately i have been making some absolutely hilarious artistic liberties
I'm currently watching season 12 of spn for the first time and oh my god, samdean are so married. Wow. Y'all were not exaggerating.
Do you have any late seasons (doesn't necessarily have to be season 12) wincest fic recs?
I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying the late seasons domesticity! I love them so much.🥰🥰🥰
Your ask has made me realize I really need to make a masterlist of my rec lists, because my tag is a mess right now lol. I do have some recs for you! IDK if you care about spoilers, but I tried to avoid s13-15 fics just in case. Many of these skew angsty with a positive ending, because that's my jam.
Let’s Do Some Living After We Die by AmyPond45 (post s11 canon divergence)
Darkness, Darkest by themegalosaurus (ep 11x13)
Bleeding Out by themegalosaurus (ep 11x13)
Wire Inside Me by merle_p (post 12x07)
Bullet for my Valentine by merle_p (ep 11x05)
the apprentice year by deadlybride (between s7 and s8)
what lasts by deadlybride (gencest s8 canon divergence)
Getting Down And Out by verucasalt123 (post ep 10x12)
timshel by deadlybride (ep 11x20 + early seasons retrospective)
a few things worth saying by hathfrozen (s10 canon divergence)
the blood in your mouth by hathfrozen (s11 biting, cannibalism kink, sweeter than that sounds lol; I recorded podfic for this)
Camp by LaughableLament (s11 era fake relationship case fic)
Summer Film Festival of Death by OldToadWoman (case fic, canon compliant through s11; includes a side pairing for Mary)
almost rosy by shiftylinguini (post-ep 12x02)
The Starving Time by Sintari (s12 case fic)
Memory Box by smalltrolven (post 12x08/12x09, Sam has powers)
presumption by deadlybride (post 12x05)
so let it out and let it in by nowhere_blake (12x02, I made podfic for this, too)
All Things Series by sonofabiscuit77 (s12, s12)
Caretaker!Dean in the Bunker is a rec list of bunker era hurt sam fic
Mary Finds Out is mostly s12, I think, but leans Mary critical due to the request.
his body is his but he gives it to me (11x09 pwp, possessive/protective exhibitionist Dean)
To Reclaim Love's Obsession (11x13/11x14 love spell)
I must ask how my Most Favorite Boys, Jushiro Ukitake and Shinji Hirako, are doing in AEIWAM?
When Shinji returns to his post as Captain of the 5th after his exile, he is DETERMINED to not repeat his past mistakes and actually get to know the shinigami serving under him. He needs... Some kind of event, something people will voluntarily attend, where they'll tell him about themselves, and with a bit of structure because he is an awkward sod, and social interactions need RULES, DAMMIT-
"Now hang on-" says Shinji after staring at the blank office wall in silence for the last thirty minutes. "-that's not a bad idea!"
"...Is he okay?" Lieutenant Momo asks quietly.
"Oh yeah, he's always a little freak. Talks to himself and gets a lot out of the conversation." Also Lieutenant Hiyori nods. "You don't need to worry until he breaks out the craft supplies."
"He just pulled out a bunch of markers and construction paper." Momo pointed to their captain as he scribbled furiously on the paperwork he was ignoring.
"Aw. Fuck." Groaned Hiyori. "Well this is gonna be cringe as hell."
***
A few nights later, most of the fifth division assembled in the auditorium, slightly confused, but they had been promised there would be no additional work from this meeting, and there was an open bar, so they were in figurative and literal high spirits.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Fifth Division, welcome to TONIGHT'S GAME!" A cheerful and showman-like voice called out over the speakers, and the stage curtain rose to reveal a brightly colored game show stage where there had not been one before.
"Tonight's lovely contestants are- all the way from payroll, it's Fifth Division Tenth Seat Tenya Danshin!" The voice called out as the familiar face of their payroll and scheduling manager trotted out onstage and took his place behind the first of three podiums. There was some scattered and genuine, if confused applause from the audience.
"He's Big, he's Bad, he's just a little Bizarre, he's Josuke Araki!" The voice continued as a notably tall and muscular member took his place behind the middle podium with a wave and broad grin. There was more clapping and a few cheers this time.
"Currently being dragged onstage by my lovely assistant, it's my second favorite Lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki!" The voice continued as Hiyori was wrestled onstage and behind the third podium by Momo. The audience whooped and snickered at the spectacle.
"FUCK YOU, YOU FREAK!" Hiyori roared, flipping off the audience and the figure behind the final podium on the other side of the stage.
"I'm your host, ME! I've been here the whole time!" Grinned Shinji, dressed in a rather snappy three piece suit and holding a microphone. "WELCOME, all my lovely division members and Hiyori, to Tonight's Game! Now, you all know how to play, right?"
"Um. No. Sorry sir." Muttered Tenya as Josuke shook his head.
"You didn't tell us shit!" Hiyori growled.
"That's RIGHT!" Shinji's Cheshire Cat smile shined under the spotlights.
"You see, I wanted to get to know everyone in the 5th a little better, and there is nothing quite like a game show to get people to reveal some truly startling sides of themselves, but playing the same game over and over would be boring! So, every night we play Tonight's Game, the game is a different game than last time, and the contestants will all start with blank slates!" He explained, entirely too pleased with himself. "So- the only way to win is by learning, the only way to learn is by playing, and the only way to begin is by beginning, so without further ado- Momo, will you please bring out THE LIE DETECTOR."
The small curtains at the back of the stage opened, and Momo rolled out a cart with a strange device covered in dials and switches with a long antenna and a large lightbulb on top.
"Thank you Momo! Now, the clever bastards in the 12th whipped this up for me so I have absolutely no idea how it actually works, but I am assured this is the latest cutting-edge in Veracity Technology. Let's turn it on and try it out! Tenya-!"
"Yes, sir!" Tenya snapped to attention. "No need to be formal, I'm only your host, not your captain right now." Shinji waved. "Tell me Tenya- Do you have any children?"
"I- Um, my wife and I have three children, two little boys and our infant daughter?" He stammered, confused.
DING! The Device charmed, light bulb lighting up bright green.
"That is CORRECT!" Shinji grinned. "You get a point!"
There was another chime as the screen on the front of Tenya's Podium lit up and displayed a "1".
"Oh, I see!" Laughed Tenya.
"Josuke!" called Shinji.
"Capt- Host?" Josuke stopped mid-salute.
"Very good! Tell me Josuke, do you live in the barracks?" Shinji asked with genuine interest.
"Uh, no. I live with my Mom." Josuke shook his head.
DING! Said the device.
"That is Correct!" Shinji nodded approvingly. "You get a point as well!"
"Oh, so, every time we tell the truth, we get a point?" Asked Josuke.
"Very quick on the uptake my friend!" Shinji winked. "Of course, as the game goes on, the questions are going to get much harder to answer Truthfully..."
Oooooooh! Gasped the audience, invested now.
"What happens if we lie?" Wondered Tenya.
"Even if we did- how would he fucking know?" Hiyori rolled her eyes.
"You can try it and find out!" Shinji grinned with more than a hint of Menace. "Hiyori! It's your turn!"
"Ugh. What?" She groaned.
"Tell me, When is my birthday?" Asked Shinji.
"I don't know and I don't care." She smirked, sticking her tongue out at him.
BZZRK! The Device buzzed angrily, and the light flashed red. OHH! laughed the audience.
"What the FUCK?" Yelped Hiyori.
"Ooh!" Shinji winced, thoroughly enjoying himself. "I'm afraid that is INCORRECT! According to the screen back here, you spent the better part of THREE MONTHS tracking down a specific part to repair my sound system and traveled halfway across the planet to deliver it personally to me on my birthday. So not only do you know, you DO care, and for that I'm afraid I'm going to have to dock you two points."
Hiyori's screen lit up and displayed a "-2"
"WHAT THE HELL?" Hiyori wailed. "You didn't even see me when I gave you that Banana Plug or whatever-!"
"I did not!" Shinji grinned. "-but The Device knows, and is infallible!" "That's terrifying!" Tenya laughed nervously. "Alright contestants, the questions are going to get harder now, so consider your answers to them carefully." Shinji warned, a finger up to his lips. "Contestants- does any of your underwear have holes in it?"
"...Can we refuse to answer on the grounds it might get us in trouble?" asked Josuke.
"Yes! But you won't get any points for that round, and you may not win our Lovely Prize this week. Speaking of- Momo! Will you please show our contestants what they're playing for this week?"
Momo emerged from backstage with a large, blank sign, which she turned over and held over her head for all to see.
AN EXTRA WEEK OF PAID VACATION
OHHH! exclaimed the audience, with a few audible mutters of Damn, a whole week? and How do you get on this show?.
"ALL MY UNDERWEAR HAS GOT HOLES IN IT!" Shouted Josuke, now with heavily-motivated enthusiasm. Laughter exploded out of the audience, thoroughly entertained.
DING! chimed the device, and the score on Josuke's podium went up.
"Josuke taking an early and shameless lead!" Beamed Shinji, delighted that his plan was working. "Tenya?"
"I-ah, I don't think so?" Tenya blushed. "I bathe the kids and get them ready for bed while my wife does the laundry." He tried to explain.
BZZRK! The Device contested, red light flashing and the audience howled with laughter.
"Uh-oh, that's Not Correct!" Grinned Shinji. "According to the device, a significant amount of your clothes have holes in them, and you don't notice because you get dressed in the dark. You didn't outright lie though, so you will only not get a point instead of a deduction."
"WHAT?" Yelped Hiyori, outraged.
"Yeah, that's fair." Tenya winced. "Seriously though- where does this thing get it's information from?"
"...Hiyori?" Shinji leered playfully at his lieutenant.
"Yeah, it's all got holes. They come that way- Two for my legs and one for my torso." Hiyori snarled.
DING! agreed The Device.
"That is *technically* correct, which is the BEST kind of correct! You get a point!" Shinji cheered, and so did the audience.
"FINALLY!" She shouted, but her eyes narrowed with competitive enthusiasm.
---
The game continued for an hour, with a mix of group and solo questions, but equal chances to score points awarded to all contestants. Josuke was shameless but ill-informed, causing him to fail several rounds, Tenya was honest even as his face flushed red and he crumpled behind his Podium. Hiyori did her best to be only as honest as she had to be, and as the game continued, they came to a three-way tie.
"Before we begin the final round-" Shinji said, intoning a gentle sincerity. "Contestants, you've been so honest with me. Like. Alarmingly Honest with me. So I need to be honest with you- I do know how The Lie Detector works."
There was a scandalized gasp from all three contestants and the audience.
"Okay- I *sort of* know how The Device works." Shinji admitted. "I don't know what 'Wiffy' is-"
"YOU MEAN THE FUCKING WI-FI?" Howled Hiyori.
"Oh, like you know how it works!" Shinji glared.
"It's using a radio frequency to transmit Data instead of an electrical pulses like internet usually does." She scoffed. "-AND I KNOW HOW TO PRONOUNCE IT!"
Shinji glared. "...I should deduct a point from you for insubordination."
"You can't do that, you're the Host, not the Captain!" Said Josuke cheerfully.
"Yeah, unless Host is a Military rank, it's arguing, not insubordination."
DING! Agreed The Device.
"DON'T GANG UP ON ME!" Shinji wailed. "Fine, fine. Anyway, I might not know how Why-Figh works, but I *DO* know how the device knows if you're lying or not. Would my Lovely Assistants please come to the stage?"
Momo emerged from backstage, wearing a labcoat and holding another device with an antenna that matched the Lie Detector, followed by a middle aged woman holding a Baby, an older woman, and Mashiro Kuna.
"Akkiko?" Tenya yelped, and his wife laughed manically.
"MOM??" Wailed Josuke.
"MASHIRO??" Hiyori bellowed, jumping up onto her Podium. "YOU SOLD ME OUT?!"
"FOR A BAG OF CORN CHIPS!" Mashiro cackled.
"YOU DIDN'T EVEN PAY HER?!" Hiyori howled at Shinji.
"She was gonna do it for free! I talked her UP to a bag of corn chips!" Shinji protested. "But YES! You've all been deceived! Hoodwinked!Bamboozled, even! Which brings us to our Final Question!"
The crowd roared with excitement.
"I started this game because I wanted to get to know everyone better- but I have to ask, how well do YOU know each other, and so I must ask you all if you know these people as well as they know you?"
There was a loud OOOH! of intrigue from the audience.
"Just to make it extra-exciting, all of these questions will be worth up to three points!" Shinji grinned, then slowly turned to the first Podium. "Tenya."
"Oh god." Tenya laughed nervously.
"Your lovely wife. You've been married for ten year now, so you theoretically know what she looks like, right?" Shinji teased. "So, for a potential three points and week of paid vacation- Do you know what color Akkiko's eyes are?"
Akkiko giggled, turning around as Tenya leaned as far forward on his Podium and squinted at her. With a deep sigh, he slumped over the podium in defeat.
"...I do not." He groaned and Akkiko cackled.
"That is CORRECT!" Shinji cheered.
"I'm not good with colors." Tenya tried to explain. "-this morning I actually asked her what color MY eyes are."
"YES! That's what I was waiting to hear!" Shinji shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "All three points!"
The audience cheered loudly.
Shinji turned to the next contestant. "Josuke."
"Oh no." Josuke giggled.
"What is your mother's favorite food?" Shinji asked.
Josuke stared blankly.
"SURELY you are not living in your mother's house and NOT COOKING FOR HER, are you?" Shinji asked with no small amount of menace.
"You're never going to get married if you can't cook!" Tenya nodded in agreement.
"I COOK!" Josuke protested. "...sometimes." he added, cringing.
"-So. What do you make for your beloved mother, who works so hard taking care of her adult son?" Shinji teased.
"LOTSA STUFF THAT'S WHY I DON'T KNOW!" Josuke wailed. "I COOK KATSUDON, I COOK RAMEN, I COOK CURRY, I COOK OMURICE- I EVEN LEARNED HOW TO COOK WESTERN FOODS LIKE LASAGNA AND CHILLI CHEESE DOG-! DING! Went the device, Josuke's mother holding the radio.
"Was your favorite in there Mrs. Akari?"
"Yes! I like Chili Cheese Dog." She smiled. "I always eat seconds!"
"YOU ALWAYS EAT SECONDS OF EVERYTHING I COOK I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE YOU LIKE THE MOST!" Josuke wailed.
"That is also true! He is a very good cook! And single!" She nodded up at Shinji.
"-And he's single!" Shinji grinned at the audience, some of whom whistled back. "Three points, for your culinary skills! Which means we have a Tie!"
The audience tittered with speculation and excitement.
"...Hiyori." Shinji grinned.
"You're a dead man as soon as you sign off on my vacation time." She glared.
"I mean, I can end the game right now." Shinji wagged his finger at her. "-But I can't resist the opportunity to humliate you. Now, You and Mashiro have been living under the same roof for longer than Josuke and Tenya have been alive, so to be fair to them, I'll ask you about someone you've met more recently but should still know pretty well-"
Hiyori squinted at him.
"-What is Momo's Favorite Animal?"
"What?" Hiyori laughed. "-Everyone knows it's Penguins!"
"Really?" asked Josuke. "I didn't know that."
"Yeah, I didn't know that either and I've served under her for decades now!" Said Tenya.
"What? How do you guys NOT know that?" Demanded Hiyori. "Her phone background is a Rockhopper Penguin, she's got a Fairy penguin squeeze toy in her desk for really long phone calls and she's always talking about wanting to go to the Tokyo aquarium in the living world to see them in person! She's even got a HUGE collection of penguin plushies in her r-" DINGDINGDINGDINGSING!! rang the Machine as Momo furiously pressed the button, face red as a beet.
"Wow!" Shinji smiled. "I'm surprised! You seem to know Miss Hinamori really well!"
"Uh, duh? We're colleagues." Hiyori rolled her eyes.
Momo sighed with relief.
"Interesting! Follow-up question- What's Mashiro's surname?" Shinji asked.
Hiyori blinked. "...uhhhhhhhh..."
"You heard Kensei yell it at least six times a day for the last century you jackass!" Laughed Mashiro.
"UHHHHH..." Hiyori paled, and the audience roared with laughter.
"Hmm... I seem to remember you pretending you didn't care about my birthday, and yet, you do- For you to remember her favorite animal and in such detail, Momo must be VERY IMPORTANT to you!"
The audience giggled Momo turned scarlet again and slowly crumpled into a ball. Mashiro vibrated with excitement beside her.
"Yeah?" Hiyori glared at Shinji. "She's the smartest person in the whole damn division and does half your job for you? If I win, I'm giving the week off to her just to watch you flail around without her! No wait- I'll set up the webcam and we can split the week off, go to the aquarium AND watch Shinji squirm like a worm an a-! Uh? Momo? You okay there?" She asked, finally noticing Momo laying on the floor, borderline catatonic with embarrassment.
"This is FASCINATNG!" Shinji grinned. "You are apparently so immune to embarrassment that you have somehow made it bounce off you and target Momo!"
"What's to be embarrassed about? I like her okay?" Hiyori blinked. "She's great! I wanna work with her forever!"
Shinji leaned forward on his elbows, chin in his hands and stared at Hiyori, positively vibrating with excitement.
"What?" She glared.
"You are. SO CLOSE. To comprehending something." He said, wide-eyed and delighted. "It's fascinating to see someone on the precipice like this."
Hiyori stared blankly at him. clueless.
"So you like Momo. We've established that." Shinji said, attempting to throw her a bone. "H- how do you think Momo feels about you?" Hiyori slowly lowered her gaze to Momo. The entire audience watched in hushed fascination as Hiyori frowned at the situation, thinking hard-
"...Momo?" Hiyori's voice was suddenly nervous. "Do you- have I just been annoying you? Becuase I can stop-"
Momo Hinamori was abruptly on her feet, crouched atop the Podium, fists balled in the front of Hiyori's shushako, pulling the blonde's face up so it was mere inches from hers. "HIYORI SARUGAKI YOU ARE THE MOST INFURIATING WOMAN IN THE UNIVERSE!"
"Fuck!" Hiyori yelped. "I'm really sorry, I'll- I'll leave you alo-"
"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO, MISSY!" Momo continued, grabbing Hiyori's face. "YOU'RE WINNING THIS GAME, YOU'RE SPLITTING THE WEEK OFF WITH ME, YOU ARE GETTING A HOTEL IN THE LIVING WORLD AND THEN *I* AM GOING TO-'
In the videotape of the game that mysteriously appeared in the ninth division later that week, the next forty-seven seconds of sound had been obscured by a single, loud, continuous "BLEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" sound, but Mashiro was visibly looking up some of the terms being shouted on her phone, Josuke's mother sprinted up to cover her son's ears to no avail, Akkiko was pointing between herself and Tenya with excitement, and Shinji's jaw fell so far open it looked like it had become unhinged from his skull.
"-AND IF EITHER OF US CAN WALK IN THE MORNING, THEN WE'RE GONNA GO SEE SOME PENGUINS!" Momo finished, staring Hiyori down with a terrifying blend of romantic fury and bloodthirsty lust.
Hiyori stared up, wide-eyed and expressionless, face clearly offline as she underwent several psychological and spiritual awakenings before her she slowly broke into a slow, stupefied grin "Oh you like-like me!"
"...Yes." Momo sighed, deeply pained and affectionate at once as the audience howled. "You're okay with... all that?"
Hiyori saluted Momo with an enthusiastic "-Yes, SIR!"
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M FUCKING TALKIN' ABOUT!" Shinji whooped with joy, jumping up and down, the audience on their feet with applause. "POINTS AND VACATIONS ALL AROUND, AND FOR BEING THE *MOST* HONEST, THE WINNER OF TONIGHT'S GAME IS MOMO HINAMORI!"
The audience cheered wildly as Momo scooped Hiyori up like a princess and carried her backstage.
"THAT'S IT FOR TONIGHT'S GAME!" called Shinji over the din. "GOODNIGHT EVERYONE, AND GOOD FUCKING LUCK!"
---
As for Jushiro Ukitake, he appears on a special guest episode of Tonight's Game with fellow Captains Soi Fon, Byakuya Kuchiki and Retsu Unohana to play "Never Have I Ever" and *that* episode is widely considered to be one of the most scandalous and unhinged of all the games on Tonight's Game.
ngl smile for the paparazzi is a genius song and I'm tired of pretending that cobra starship wasn't a genius band at times
on AO3
“You’re listening to KZSU Stanford at 90.1 FM. I’m Nicole and I’ll be your host for the next hour as we open the lines up for some dedications. This first one is going out to Brad from Angie…”
The coffee shop nearest to his dorm catered mainly to the college crowd and played the campus radio station at a volume that was loud enough to hear when the ambient clatter and hiss and chatter didn’t drown it out.
Sam had developed a habit of studying at a table in the corner, where he had the wall at his back and could see the entire place easily. His father’s voice was still too loud in his head to ignore, barking at him about situational awareness.
But the noise, rather than being distracting, made it easier for him to focus. Like the act of filtering out the activity around him opened his mind up to remembering, cataloging, making connections in the information. Something about habits developed through childhood made them especially hard to shake, and even when he wasn’t trying to read or do school work in various cafes, diners, and restaurants, he would still need to tune out his brother. Dean who’d always had the tv or radio on, laughing or singing along, or sitting silent and brooding (which somehow was always louder to Sam than anything else).
“We’re dropping way back into the 70’s on this next song with Foghat’s I’ll Be Standing By for Samantha from an anonymous caller. Ooh, watch out Samantha, this one’s giving off creeper vibes.”
~~~
“It’s Tuesday again, so you know what that means! Got a special song for that special someone? Our phone line is open for the next hour, 855-723-9010.”
“Triple shot, soy, flat white!” the barista announced as he slid a cup onto the pick-up counter.
Sam scooped it up and headed back to his regular table. Sitting down he pulled out his class notes and laptop. He popped the lid off his coffee, so it would cool faster, and got to work. Handwriting in class then transcribing later into a Word doc helped cement the information in his memory, and digital notes were so much easier to search when he was studying for tests. By the time he was finished, he slugged down the rest of his coffee, which had been room temperature for a while now, and started to pack up to go to his next class.
“For our final dedication today Samantha’s anonymous 70’s rock fan is back! This time he’s requested Zeppelin’s Out On the Tiles. So, Samantha, this one’s for you.”
The driving opening riff hit hard and familiar as Sam pushed through the door and strode out onto the sidewalk. A surge of nostalgia smacked a smile on his face as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and tried his best to look like he fit in.
~~~
“Third Tuesday in a row, we’ve got ourselves a regular caller. Samantha, if you’re out there, here’s Telegram Sam by T-Rex.”
~~~
“Oh, Samantha, we’re back in maudlin territory this week. Your anonymous friend requested Dylan’s If You See Her, Say Hello. Maybe check on the people you know, 10:15 in the morning seems a little early to be that drunk.”
Sam was taking both Latin and Greek this semester since he already had a solid grasp of basic Latin and he was taking it because it was a requirement for more advanced classes. He hadn’t been as well versed in Greek so he spent more time going over his notes and working on his translations.
“Two requests in one show? I think I touched a nerve when I said he sounded drunk. Sam, Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd.”
~~~
“Another Tuesday, another dedication to Studious Samantha from your 70’s classic rock fanboy. So here’s Paranoid by Black Sabbath. Sam, your creeper’s got a nice voice but he seems to be going through a manic phase, watch out.”
~~~
“Okay, Samantha, this is the sixth week in a row and I gotta admit, I’m intrigued by your man’s musical choices. This week he’s dedicating Shame on the Moon by Bob Seger to you.”
Sam’s eyes went wide. It was the Seger song that finally made the pattern click. It had to be. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in a number he knew by heart. It rang twice.
“Heya, Sammy.”
“Your mix tapes? First and last song on each?”
“Took you long enough. Hey, that Nicole sounds hot, think it’s just her voice or…”
“Jesus, Dean. Did you need something or have you really been calling up a college radio station DJ for a month and a half just to get my attention?”
“Just trying to have a little fun, shoulda known you be pissy about it.”
Sam rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while Dean was quiet on the other end of the line.
Finally, Sam heard an irritated huff and then, “Whatever, man. Get back to studying, wouldn’t want to bother you.”
The call disconnected.
Sam sighed and looked at the phone, like he couldn’t believe that was it. He dialed again and it went right to voicemail.
At the beep Sam simply said, “Jerk.” and hung up.
strawberry winter