#// seriously. these next two parts are gonna get a little... scary.

[pomefioredove]

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ snuggles for hire

summary: first years try helping you out with your touch-starved problem type of post: short fics (blurbs?) characters: leona, floyd, jade, vil additional info: romantic or platonic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu

"Really? That's it?" Ace scoffs.

"So, they haven't been hugged in a while. Okay? Neither has Deuce,"

Deuce glares. It's almost menacing. "That's not true, and you know it! I get lots of hugs every time I visit home!"

"I do, too. But that's just the thing, though, ain't it?" Epel says. "They don't have no home to get hugs from."

The huddle of first years goes quiet. Some days, you become such a part of their world, they forget you're really not from it.

"...Okay, point taken," Ace sighs. "But they have Grim! And he only stinks like, half the time!"

"If memory serves, Grim usually sleeps on the floor..." Epel says. "Poor prefect, all lonely. Now even their sleep is suffering 'cause of it!"

Jack rubs the back of his neck. "It must be tough, not having anything to look forward to,"

Another melancholy silence. Finally, Ace stands, hands on his hips.

"Well, let's do something about it, then. There are tons of boys at this school- one of them should be willing to help,"

It's eight in the morning after another disappointing attempt at rest, and now you can't even sleep in. Damn visitors.

You throw open the front door.

"What? What could you possibly- wh- Leona?"

The housewarden smirks. He looks a little too proud of himself for this early in the morning...

"A little wolfie told me you weren't sleeping well. Lucky for you, that's my specialty. Now, are you gonna let me in, or what?"

He doesn't wait for an answer, letting himself in and making himself comfortable on the couch in the foyer.

He pats the spot next to him.

"Listen..." you say. "I don't know what you heard, but I'm fine."

"Don't be proud. I don't pity you, I just... owe you. Now get your butt over here, yeah?"

Leona isn't so scary when he's asleep. He's more like... the world's largest pillow. Of course, you're at risk of being smothered until you crawl into a better position, but once you're on top, he's surprisingly warm and comfortable.

You can tell you're being watched before you hear anything.

And you think you might just know wh-

"Shrimpyyy!"

For two boys so tall, the tweels are awfully quiet. Especially when it comes to "surprising" you in random places. This time: the hall.

Floyd pulls you into a bone-crushing hug while Jade watches from behind, smiling subtly.

When he finally lets you down, you're dizzy. (Though, at this point, you'll take whatever physical touch you can get).

"Shrimpyyy, why didn't you tell us you were lonely? We had to squeeze it outta Spade," Floyd pouts.

"His face makes fascinating expressions when he's afraid," Jade says, merrily.

Before you can answer, Floyd's already got you under his arm (seriously? Where do they find the strength?) and is heading straight towards the hall of mirrors.

You already know there's no getting out of this one...

Floyd is, unsurprisingly, all over, from leaning his whole body weight against you to lying across your lap, to biting your shoulder (in his sleep...?) Oh, and he drools, too.

Jade sits on your other side, one hand holding yours, the other leafing through an almanac from twenty years ago.

You're almost hesitant to admit just how nice it really is.

"And nothing else has worked?" Vil says, throwing open the door to your bedroom with no regard for a "hello" or, "how are you?"

You blink. "...Hello to you, too. May I ask what you're talking about?"

He storms inside, standing over you with his hands on his hips.

"Just that I overheard Epel Felmier asking my vice housewarden if he would be willing to satisfy your need for physical affection. You've been struggling? With sleep? And you didn't think to come to me, first?"

He almost sounds... offended that you didn't.

"...Well... I wasn't making a big deal about it,"

"So, no teas, no vitamins, no pills- nothing has helped?"

You shake your head. He sighs.

"Perhaps it is purely psychological... very well. Get up. I hope you don't toss and turn much, I'm a light sleeper,"

Vil is completely still when he sleeps. No tossing, no turning, no drooling, no snoring. He also insists on sleeping on his back, you, clinging to his side, and a single arm around you. Just as elegant as when he's awake. He'd be a true sleeping beauty if not for the mumbles of nonsense that come from him every few minutes. You swear you can make out your own name, once or twice or three times...

He is warm nonetheless, and his mumbles and idle stroking of his fingers on your waist is enough to satisfy you for a night of good sleep.

[nerdy-novelist017]

https://www.tumblr.com/nerdy-novelist017/754460919348740096/benny-cross-is-the-definition-of-scary-boyfriend

Ok yes but also I wanted him to protect Kathy so bad and it just. Never happened 💔💔

We can fix it with fanfiction ;) Enjoy another one shot to pair with my Benny x Bunny series! Again this isn't the next part, just a little idea I had!

Word Count-2.2k+

Summary- Head wounds look a lot worse than they actually are, at least that's what you were trying to tell Benny, but he was so worried, you doubt he's hearing you.

Warnings- Blood, Violence

Broken Glass (Benny Cross x Shy!Reader)

The bar was crowded. You’d never seen so many Vandals gathered in one place in a long time. With an abundance of fresh faces wearing the colors, it was almost like a completely new club. 

Your knee bounced as anxiety manifested itself into your body. You weren’t so nervous of the familiar faces that sat around your table. Johnny, Brucie, Gail, Kathy, Wahoo, Corky — those people no longer made you nervous. They were family now. It was all the onslaught of new Vandals that cursed, shouted and drank across the room. 

A warm hand encased your knee, pressing down, firmly locking your foot to the ground. You smiled as Benny leaned into you, his lips softly touching your neck in a gentle kiss. His way of calming your nerves. And it worked every time. 

“Alright, I’m gonna break the bad news to ‘em,” Johnny announced as he stood from his chair. The bad news was that some new members of the Vandals had been running up the tab at the bar and not paying for it. An entire week had gone by without them paying for any of their drinks — and they drank a lot.

Brucie stood next to him, cranking his neck to the side with a pop. “This oughta go over well.”

“It doesn’t have to be a fight,” Johnny muttered with a sigh. Despite running one of the most revered motorcycle clubs in the midwest, Johnny was surprisingly non confrontational at times. He knew what needed to be done, he just didn’t like having to do it. “Not everything has to be a fight. It’s just going to be a conversation.”

“Good luck!” you smiled, giving him a thumbs-up. 

“Thanks, kid,” Johnny answered with his usual reserved patience for you and the two left, weaving their way through the crowded room. Benny started to stand too, but you grabbed onto his arm, tugging firmly at his jacket sleeve.

“It’s not gonna be a fight, Benny. Please don’t make it a fight.” You pleaded quietly, giving him your best doe-eyed look that you knew could get you almost anything you wanted. 

“I ain’t gonna make it a fight,” Benny argued but reluctantly sat back down next to you. “I can be civil.”

History begged to differ, you wanted to say but instead lifted your cold bottle of pop to your lips in an excuse not to answer. You laced your fingers with his as you brought his arm back around your shoulder, anchoring him to you.

Minutes ticked by and you fell back into a conversation with Kathy and Gail while Benny’s attention remained focused on Johnny and the conversation across the crowded bar. Voices rose in shouting and suddenly Johnny was shoved back by one of the new Vandals members. Then fists started flying. 

“Shit,” Benny cursed and, quick as light, slid out from your booth and rushed across the bar to join the fight. You called after him hopelessly, your pleas falling on deaf ears. 

“You think these guys will ever think with their brains and not their dicks all the time?” Kathy asked sarcastically as she casually sipped at her beer.

The fight grew larger as more members of the club joined in, and you lost sight of Benny in the tumble. You bit your lip, eyes surveying the crowd anxiously. You hated to see him fight, having cried the first time you witnessed it. It was unfair that he put himself into danger like that, without a care in the world if he got seriously hurt. But that was a part of loving Benny; He was always ready to fight with the drop of a hat. 

“Oh no,” you gasped softly as you saw a man twice his size suddenly appear through the crowd, slamming Benny to the ground.

Standing quickly, you barely heard the warnings of Kathy and Gail for you to stay out of it over the pounding of your heart. You pushed your way through the crowd, desperate to get to Benny, to help him. Bodies knocked into you, sending your hip clashing hard against the pool table, but you continued on, stumbling as you went. 

Finally you caught sight of him again, this time on top of the other Vandal member, beating down on him mercilessly.

“Benny!” You called out for him, but your voice was lost in the ocean of noise. Your fingertips just barely grazed his shoulder before you were knocked back. 

Suddenly something connected with the side of your head, a sickening crashing sound, and you were knocked off your feet. White hot pain shot through your elbow as it was the first to hit the floor below you. You landed hard on your side, the wind knocked from your lungs prevented you from crying out. The side of your head erupted in hot pain from the impact and it took you a couple of seconds to even register that you were on the cold ground now.  

Your ears immediately rang as if you were standing right below a church bell during Sunday service, drowning out all other noise. But the rest of the bar seemed to freeze in shock when they saw you go down, all stunned to see their youngest member’s girl caught on the losing side of a fight. 

You blinked hard, vision filling with stars, but you were able to make out the broken glass littering the floor around you. It took you longer than necessary to understand that you had been hit on the side of your head with a beer bottle. Attempting to look up to see the person who hit you, a cry left your throat at the pain of moving your head

Then that’s when all hell broke loose for the second time in a ten minute span. Johnny appeared in your line of vision, throwing a nasty right hook against the blurry figure of the man who hit you. He went down and a crowd gathered around him, legs kicking and fists flying. 

You blinked hard again, feeling something warm running down into your right eye as Benny’s face suddenly materialized before you.

“B—Benny?” Your voice sounded so small and you hated the way you couldn’t tell if he was real or just an illusion of the person you wanted most when you were scared. 

“Oh my god.” His voice sounded strained and you wanted to ask him if he was okay, if he was hurt, but your body felt oddly disconnected from your mind.

He moved closer to you, the glass shards crunching beneath his boots, and he slid one hand behind your back and the other under your knees. Then suddenly you were being lifted in the air, carried away from the chaos of the bar. Benny used his boot to kick open the back door and a rush of cool breeze greeted you first as he relocated you to Kathy’s pickup truck in the back parking lot. Pausing at the rear of the truck, he used the hand under your knees to lower the tailgate. He placed you into a sitting position on the bed of the truck, stepping between your legs, his face is right back in front of yours again. 

The afternoon sun hanging low in the west gave you enough light to inspect his face for any injuries. There’s a split forming on his bottom lip. You reached forward and touched the injury with a fingertip, trying to gauge the severity. He would need to put ice on it before the swelling started. Although you can’t find any other noticeable signs of injury, his face was so contorted in torment, in. . . something else you had never seen before. Not quite anger, you’ve seen that plenty of times (never directed at you).

You tried to catch his eye, but he was so focused on the spot above your brow where your hairline met your forehead. He retrieved a bandana from his jeans and moved forward. Instinctively, you leaned away, your own hand reaching up to touch the spot that drummed with pain. Warm, sticky substance covered that place and you pulled your hand back to discover deep crimson dripping from your fingers. 

“You’re bleedin’ real bad,” Benny said and only then did you realize that was your blood on your fingers. He tried again and this time you didn’t pull away as he gently pressed the bandana to your flesh. You gasped at the contact, squeezing your eyes shut from the sting.

“I know, baby.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “But you’re bleedin’ real bad.”

You knew that, you wanted to say. You could see it on your fingers, that awful deep red glistening in the sunlight. Your fingers blurred slightly and you blinked a few times to try to clear your vision. But it wasn’t your vision, you realized, it was your hands shaking. Suddenly aware of the sensation, you noticed your whole body was trembling. 

Another voice sounded beside you.

“Oh my god. Is she okay?” It was Kathy, you knew without even looking up.

“I need some water.” Benny said. “Please.”

That's when you realized it was fear in his voice. You’d never heard Benny sound so desperate, so scared. You wanted to grab his hand and tell him that you were okay, that you just needed a moment for the ringing in your ears to stop and then you’d be alright. Really, it was him that you were more worried about than anything else. You looked back up at his face, eyes falling on his split lip once more. 

“I–I’m okay, Benny,” you whispered, reaching for the bandana.

His free hand locked around your wrist, pulling it away from your head, stopping you from removing the bandana. “Don’t touch it, honey.”

The pain was subsiding, you wanted to say, even if it wasn’t really. You just wanted to calm him down. He let your wrist slide through his grasp and you reached out to gently touch his lip. “Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?” he repeated incredulously, brows knitted together. “Bunny, you’re bleeding like you just took on an army and you’re asking me if I’m okay?”

“Head injuries bleed a lot more . . . They’re heavy bleeders because of the blood flow to your brain.” You attempted to ease his worry with your fun fact. 

He looked unconvinced, pulling back the bandana to peek. “Yeah, where’d you hear that? One of your books?”

“Yeah,” you smiled sheepishly at him and Benny’s heart squeezed at the sight. You were so. . . small. So fragile looking sitting here with his bandana pressing against your pretty little head, legs hanging off the tailgate. Benny had to remind himself to take a breath, to focus on controlling his shaking hands. Had to tell himself to be strong for you. You needed him now. He'd be there for you.

Kathy returned with a bottle of water and Benny moved to the side a little, still firmly pressing his hand against your head. “For her hands,” he said.

She uncapped the bottle and gently pulled your hands out over the edge as she poured a stream of the cool water to rinse the crimson from your skin. You glanced down and made a sound. “Aww, no. My shirt. . .”

Benny followed your gaze to the once baby pink shirt now stained with booze and fresh anger coursed through his veins, setting his head swirling with images of strangling the man who touched his girl. You were one of the few good thing - pure thing - left in his world and the fact that someone dared to touch you, to hurt you, set Benny's jaw so tightly that he thought his teeth might crack.  

With the creak from the backdoor opening, Johnny and Brucie came out, rounding the truck. 

“How’s she?” Johnny asked and Benny glanced at his friend. Whatever expression Benny must have shot him caused Johnny to grimace. He moved closer to the two, putting a comforting hand on Benny’s shoulder. “Lemme see.”

Reluctantly, Benny lowered the bandana and Johnny hummed.

“Alright, ain’t that bad,” Johnny assured calmly and nodded at you as he spoke. “Ain’t that bad. The head bleeds a lot, always looks worse than it is.”

“See? I told you.” You quipped, fingers finding the beltloops of his jeans and pulling him lightly. Benny sighed through his nose. 

“She’s gonna need stitches,” Brucie spoke from behind. 

“Can you take her to the hospital?” Benny asked Kathy who nodded instantly as she stepped forward and replaced his hands as he moved back.

“Woah woah, what do you think you’re doin’ in the meantime?” Johnny questioned, already knowing what Benny planned to do.

“I’m gonna go kill him,” Benny declared as if it were obvious.

“No, Benny–” you started but Benny had already pulled away from you, making his way back to the door. He already planted the seed in his mind. He wouldn’t let anyone do anything to you and still have the ability to walk above the ground. This guy needed to be six feet under already. It was Johnny’s hand who grabbed his upper arm, Johnny who stopped him in his tracks.

“No, Benny,” he said quietly, leaning into Benny’s space. “You ain’t goin’ back in there.”

“He–” Benny started, unable to get the image of you laying on the floor of the bar out of his head. He wanted to kill him. He wanted him to hurt. He didn’t care if he’d be arrested for it. He’d been arrested for a lot less before. 

“No,” Johnny’s voice cut him off. “You go take care of Bunny now. We’ll take care of this piece of shit. Hey, you hear me? We’ll take care of it.”

Benny held Johnny’s intense gaze as he considered his next move. He wanted to be the one to take care of it, but the severity in Johnny’s voice, the rigid way his shoulders fell up and down with his breath, the carefully selected words– Benny knew that this man who hurt you would never be a problem again. Johnny wouldn’t let him be because you were an integral part of the Vandals. And they protected their own. 

“Okay,” Benny relented, taking a step back, eyes flickering to your small form still sitting on the tailgate. When he looked back at Johnny, the glint of his brass knuckles caught his eye as he pulled them from his pocket, sliding it snuggly over his fingers.

“Go take Bunny to the hospital. We’ll meet you there when we’re finished.”

"Okay," Benny repeated and he believed him.

-Tag List-

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[watchmegetobsessed]

JUST HOW FAST THE NIGHT CHANGES (part 5)

A/N: ahh we have reached the end!! thank you for coming with me on this journey, i hope you liked these high school sweethearts!

PAIRING: Harry x High-School-Best-Friend!Reader

WORD COUNT: 5k

SERIES MASTERPOST | SUPPORT ME!

“Are you okay? Are you hungry?”

“Harry, you’ve asked this like a million times in the past hour, I’m fine.”

You can’t hold back a chuckle as you pay with your water bottle’s cap. You feel quite out of place in the luxurious lounge you didn’t even know existed at the airport. You have only left Europe just once before and you did not fly with a private jet back then like you’re now. It’s a whole different world, Harry’s world that you now seem to be part of, though it’s gonna take a while to get used to it.

Maybe you shouldn’t. After all, this is all Harry’s, the attention, the money, the luxury, it’s all him, not you.

“I just want you to have a good time,” Harry mumbles beside you.

“I’m having a good time,” you assure him.

Things have been so different since the night he spent at your place. Waking up next to him was a whole new experience you knew you could get used to very quickly. Your feet were tangled together and he was lying so close to you, you could see every little freckle and blemish on his beautiful face. 

You spent a peaceful morning together, just making breakfast, drinking coffee and talking before he had to leave. Since then, you’ve been texting nonstop and even met a couple of times. Harry seems to be seeking every and any opportunity to see you and it’s hard, if not impossible to say no to him when he begs you to grab coffee with him when you’re on a break from work.

You’re falling for him. Seriously and undoubtedly. And it’s not a silly teenage crush anymore, the feelings you’re harboring for him are heavy and kind of scary. You still haven’t figured out how to deal with your own fears, the hurt from the past and the desire to be with Harry. 

For now, you’re trying your best to ignore these doubts and enjoy your impromptu trip to Palm Springs. 

This is your first real glimpse into Harry’s life. The jet, the hotel, the restaurants, it’s been all just like in the movies. You knew this was his reality, but living it through with him is a whole different story. 

You’ve been attached by the hip since the start of the trip, he’s been bringing you everywhere he could, though you still had some work to take care of, he tried his best to limit his meeting and work calls to those periods. 

Tonight is his first show out of the two birthday shows he is giving. It’s not officially his birthday yet, but you still want him to have a great day. So for a change, you take matters into your own hands. You started off with bringing breakfast to his bed, you woke up super early to catch him before his morning workout session, brought his pastries, fruits and coffee that you ate on his bed together before parting ways, only to reunite before lunch. 

You stay at the hotel restaurant, but you have the servers bring him out a cupcake with a candle on top to make it special.

“Y/N, my birthday is not until tomorrow,” he mumbles, but can’t tone down his goofy smile as he watches the light of the candle dance in front of him.

“You deserve a two day long birthday,” you chuckle. “Make a wish and blow out the candle,” you clap your hands in excitement.

He stares at you for a few moments before closing his eyes, thinking hard of his wish before blowing out the light quickly.

“Share it with me,” he says, pulling the candle out of the top and reaching for the butter knife he starts cutting it in half.

“Ah, no, I better not,” you shake your head, your chest tightening.

“Why?”

“I’m just… trying to… get in shape,” you say, feeling awkward that you have to say it out loud. It always makes you think of the comments Drew used to make on your appearance once you started putting on weight.

“In shape?” Harry asks, but still places half of the cupcake in front of you. “You’re in perfect shape, Y/N,” he says without even realizing how important the words are. 

You stare at him for a while, watching him lick some of the frosting off, oblivious how he just made your heart race in your chest. It’s been forever since a man made you feel good in your own skin. Drew made no effort to help you when your body started changing and when you gained all the weight you’re carrying now as well, he just worsened it with his spiteful comments about your looks. 

Now here’s Harry, who seems to be more than fine with your current looks and he just said your shape is perfect. And you finally believe it.

He looks up and finds you staring. “What? Did I say something wrong?” he asks, but you shake your head and before you could change your mind you lean closer and press a kiss to his cheek.

“No. You said the best thing. Now, let’s eat this cupcake,” you chuckle. 

In the afternoon, Harry spends some time in his room, relaxing before the show and you use this opportunity to do some work until it’s time to leave to the venue. You’ve been jumping from excitement inside, because this will be the first time you see him perform live. Of course you’ve searched up videos of him throughout the years, watched some of his performances, but you know those will never be the same as being there in person. 

It’s also your first experience being backstage at an event and it’s making you feel quite important, you have to admit. Harry hasn’t said anything, but you just know he noticed the child-like excitement in your eyes. 

You watch the soundcheck, walking around the arena he will fill up very soon with his screaming fans, but for now it’s just you. You sneak some videos of him, wanting to have physical memories of this moment and you’re so absorbed in the experience that you completely miss it when he snaps a picture of you as well from the stage, being his only audience. 

Once everything is set and done you mostly just chill backstage when they start to let the fans in, Harry does some of his usual rituals and you meet tons of new people, because he keeps introducing you to everyone. You don’t have the heart to tell him you stopped remembering all the names like thirty minutes ago, he seems so enthusiastic to show you around and tell people you’ve known each other since forever.

You’re hanging out in his dressing room, watching him get his hair done though it will be ruined minutes into the show and he also gets his nails done, which you have to admit is an amazing thing to see. A man, so comfortable in his masculinity that he just sits and watches someone paint his nails different colors. It’s something you never thought you’d find hot, but it definitely is.

When he’s not paying attention to you, you reach into your bag and look for the little gift box that’s hiding his birthday gift and you’re just about to give it to him once he’s done with his nails, but then some people from his crew come in and you’re quick to drop the box back into your bag. Maybe you’ll have a better moment after the show.

“So, where do you want to stand?” he asks, curling an arm around your shoulders as the two of you walk out of his dressing room when there’s not much left until start. 

“Can I go out?”

“To the pit? Yeah, sure,” he nods. “You want the fan experience?” he smirks down at you.

“That’s the real thing, right?”

“You should have made a sign then.”

“Who said I didn’t?” you tease him, making him laugh. “Well, I didn’t, but I might steal someone’s sign.”

“I’ll be looking out for it then.”

He soon has to leave your side to get under the stage. You watch him climb into his little box and you think it’s the funniest thing you’ve seen, you even snap a picture of him before it’s closed and he gets rolled out under the stage. 

Until the start you stay with Jeff and when it’s time he walks you out to a secluded area in the pit, right on time to witness the opening of the show. 

You knew he is truly in his element on stage, but seeing it with your own eyes is a whole different experience. It’s like a different version of him, yet you know it’s the same Harry. Everything he tends to hold back in his everydays he lets loose the moment he sets his feet on the stage. He’s breathtaking, the singing, the moves, the interactions, it all feels like magic and your heart is full every time you see him laugh up there.

“Okay, give me a minute, I’m looking for someone down there,” he speaks into the microphone as he is walking to the wing of the stage that’s closer to you and you already know you’re about to be in the center of the attention.

“Oh shit,” you shake your head and Jeff laughs beside you.

“Are you surprised?” he asks.

“Not really,” you sigh, just when Harry’s gaze lands on you.

“There you are!” he points at you, the fans start screaming as he stops at the edge of the stage. “Y/N, you promised me a sign, but I don’t see anything,” he scolds you, making you laugh as you bury your face in your hands. “Y/N is an old friend of mine, everyone, and tonight is the first time she is seeing me performing!”

The cheering washes over the arena as you feel the heat crawling up your neck and cheeks. 

“How do you like the show so far, Y/N? Enjoying yourself?”

“It’s good!” you hold your thumbs up, which earns you a round of applause and a cocky grin from Harry.

“Okay, cool, but I’m still waiting for a sign from you.”

“Maybe tomorrow!” you laugh and Harry joins in as he walks away, carrying the show on. 

By the end of the concert you’re jumping around and singing like the fans around you, having the time of your life. You catch Harry’s eyes on you several times and he can’t hold his own smile back every time he sees you. 

Jeff walks you backstage when the show is over, everyone is buzzing and you’re bummed it’s over but you’re glad you can watch it all over again tomorrow. When you reach his dressing room you hesitate, not sure whether he needs some time alone after such a long show or not, but at last you decide to knock on his door. It flies open moments later and he’s there, still wearing his concert outfit, a cheesy grin plastered across his face. 

“So, how did you like it?” he asks as he pulls you into the room, shutting the door closed.

“It was fantastic,” you smile at him, heart full of pride. “I never knew someone could be this good of a performer.”

“Aw, you’re gonna make me blush,” he grins, but you know how much he is enjoying the compliments. 

Looking around you make sure you’re alone and you decide it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for.

“I have something for you.”

Harry watches you with curiosity as you dig into your bag and grab the little box again. Your heart is hammering in your chest, you really don’t want him to think your gift is stupid or childish. It’s nothing fancy, he has probably gotten gifts that cost a fortune, but this one is not one of those. You can only hope he���ll find it just as special as you do.

“I know your birthday is only tomorrow, but I want to be early and give this to you. Happy Birthday.”

You hand him the box that he takes as if it was the most delicate thing he’s ever touched. 

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Y/N,” he smiles baskfully as he unties the thin ribbon on top of the box.

“It’s nothing big or extreme, just…  a little something.” You’re rubbing your hands together nervously as you watch him take the lid off and finally lay his eyes on the gift.

You made him another bracelet, to replace the one that was ruined all this time ago. It looks a tad bit cooler than the original one that you made out of the most random beads. This time you looked for special, one of a kind beads to make the bracelet and you think it suits his style and personality perfectly. 

“I just thought that you could have a new one, it’s a little more sophisticated than the previous one. Y-You don’t have to wear it, of course, I just–”

“I love it, Y/N, and I will be wearing it all the time,” he cuts you off, putting it on instantly before taking a closer look at it.

“You like it?” you ask quietly.

“No, I said I love it and I really do,” he corrects you. “Thank you so much.”

Before you could even get a word out he wraps you up in his tight embrace, his scent fills up your nose as your face is pressed against the base of his neck.

He has always been great at giving hugs, he uses almost his whole body and wraps you up in a way that makes you want to stay in his arms forever and it hasn’t changed a bit. You gladly circle your arms around his waist and hold onto him, melting against his warmth, giving yourself over to the feeling of being swallowed by Harry’s love and appreciation. 

At one point one of his hands comes up to the back of your head, fingers lacing through your hair as he is still hugging you with just as much strength as a minute ago and it seems like he is not planning to let you go anytime soon. 

“Y/N, you are…” he speaks up softly, but his words turn into an exhale you feel against your shoulder and a shudder runs down your spine. You wait and wait and then he finally speaks up again. “You are everything to me.”

Your heart grows three times bigger at his words, makes you feel like it’s about to burst out of your chest and right into Harry’s hands. As much as you want to keep hugging him, preferably forever, you know you need to see his face now. Mustering up all your will you pull back just enough to look into those breathtaking green irises and you see so much and even beyond that in them. You see your and his past self, your future, a life you could have if he never left and the one you’re possibly on the verge of.

And you love all of them. You love everything about him, every thought, every memory, every possibility you’re gonna face together.

“Harry…” you breathe out when his face is so close, your noses are almost brushing together. 

“Yeah?” he whispers, just when his eyes slip down to your lips. 

“What are we doing?”

“Whatever you want to do, Y/N.”

You almost whine at his answer, practically ready to beg him to never leave your side, but you manage to keep some of your dignity.

Taking a deep breath you close your eyes and try to think straight, because you know this is a moment there’s no going back from, but you need to make sure you’re fully ready for all of it. Harry doesn’t rush you, instead, he rests his forehead against yours and cups your cheek in one hand while the other one remains on your waist. 

The teenage girl in you is screaming right now, demanding to give your all to him, but the Y/N that went through the past through years is scared, because it’s pretty much a free fall into something that could potentially break your heart and that would be deadly this time.

“If I do this, I’ll give my all to you, Harry,” you say as a warning, but you’re also silently begging for him to be the change you need in your life probably more than anything.

“Y/N, I would take whatever you have for me, even if it’s the smallest crumble. And if I get to have all of you… God, that would be absolute heaven,” he chuckles, nuzzling his nose against your playfully. 

“So it’s not just a momentary thing, right?” you ask, holding onto the last bits of your self control before you let yourself fall completely.

“Momentary? I’ve… I’ve loved you since I was twelve, probably. My feelings for you are the least momentary thing in my life,” he breathes out the words as if he was in immense pain and you can feel the last string snapping before you push forward and your lips meet his.

Or maybe he is the first one to move, it’s hard to tell once your lips melt together and you kiss like there’s no tomorrow. You’ve never experienced a passion like this, the need to get closer and closer even when you’ve basically become one takes over your body, your mind is blank, Harry occupies all your thoughts, the way he is touching, you, his scent, the little noises he makes when you gently bite onto his bottom lip… You never thought kissing could bring this much excitement and passion.

It’s messy but simply perfect, Harry is pushing forward making you inch backwards and you bump into a chair somewhere in the way, which makes both of you laugh before you return to the demanding kisses. You memorize the way his hair feels between your fingers as you comb through them, how his fingers dig into your waist as he keeps you tight against him, the way his thigh ends up between your legs at one moment and your body moves against your will, grinding against him. 

Maybe you would have gone even further, but there’s a loud crash somewhere outside the room that breaks your little bubble and makes you realize you’re still in his dressing room and someone could walk in any moment.

Not too willingly, but you come to a stop slowly, your forehead resting against his as you try to calm your breathing. Harry goes in for a few more soft pecks on your lips and nose before he finally forces him to pull back.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower and then we can leave,” he murmurs, playfully nuzzling his nose against yours.

“Okay. I’ll be here.”

Harry nods and his arms fall from around you, already making you miss his touch as he disappears in the bathroom. 

You send out a few emails in the meantime and when Harry emits from the steamy bathroom in a pair of sweatpants and a simple white shirt, you’re ready to leave. He gathers his stuff quickly, throwing his Pleasing tote bag over one shoulder and he reaches for your hand, taking it gently before pulling you towards the door.

You walk out of the building hand in hand and suddenly you feel like a teenager again who is holding hands with a boy for the first time. But for god’s sake, you’ve been married before! What is happening to you?!

Harry is driving on the way back to the hotel and when he places a hand on your thigh over the console you almost start giggling, but you manage to keep a somewhat straight face. When you arrive he takes your hand again and as you step into the elevator, just the two of you luckily, he wastes no time to pull you into his arms and kiss you again, finally. 

“Spend the night with me,” he mumbles against your lips and you involuntarily stiffen for a moment. You’ve been yearning for him forever but you don’t want to jump into things too fast, you need some time to think and process.

Harry notices the change in you instantly.

“We don’t have to do anything, I just want to fall asleep and wake up next to you.”

“Okay,” you whisper when the elevator comes to a stop and the door slides open. “I need to grab a few things though.”

“Sure. Just come over whenever you’re done,” he nods, presses a kiss to your forehead and you part ways, going into your separate rooms for now.

You run around the room in a frenzy, you shower and do a quick shaving session even though you truly don’t plan to have sex just yet, but still, you want to be smooth. Then get dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and your sleeping shirt before heading over to Harry’s room. You barely just knock on the door and it flies open instantly, Harry pulls you inside and kisses you like he hasn’t seen you in ages when in reality it’s been only twenty minutes.

“You smell so good,” he hums, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck as he walks you over to the bed, unable to keep his hands off you.

“I just showered,” you chuckle at the tickling feeling of his breath on your skin. 

He kisses you some more before pulling back and approaching the mini bar.

“Do you want something?”

“Just maybe some water, thank you.”

He hands you over the bottle and he chooses to drink some orange juice. You make yourself comfortable on his bed, set your phone on the nightstand and watch him move around the room, throwing some of his stuff into his suitcase before he joins you on the mattress. 

Now that you’re settled it all dawns on you, the kiss, the things you both said and you realize you need to talk it out to make sure you’re heading in the same direction.

“So… That happened,” you say, nervously fumbling with the covers, but you realize how awkward it sounded the moment the words leave your mouth. Harry chuckles as he runs a hand through his hair.

“It definitely did. How do you feel about it?”

“I’m… nervous. But also… excited?”

“Is that a question?” he smirks cheekily.

“No. I am excited.”

“Good. Because I’m fucking ecstatic about it.”

“Really?” you smile sheepishly, resting your head in one hand as you lean onto your elbow on your side.

“Thought it was pretty obvious when I confessed to you earlier. I want whatever you have for me, Y/N. Truly.”

“So… we’re gonna do this? We’re… together?”

“Is that what you want?”

You take a moment to think about it, though your answer is already clear. 

“Yes,” you nod. Harry scoots closer and kisses you softly.

“Then yes. We are.”

“How are we going to do it? I mean… I can’t always just travel with you, I need to return home at one point.”

“We’ll figure it out. Don’t stress about it.” He traces the side of your face before cupping your cheek gently. “I’ve wanted this for so long, I will do anything to make it work.”

“Isn’t it crazy that we both had feelings all these years ago and… it only happened now?”

“Wait, you had feelings too? When we were young?”

“Thought it was obvious,” you shrug with a shy smile.

“Not really,” he chuckles. “Damn, I could have just made a move on you back then and we would have been together since then?”

“Maybe the timing would have been wrong. I think things happened this way for a reason. We had to go over all of this to reach this point.”

“You mean we had to stop talking and meet all those wrong people? I feel like I could have been fine without that,” he sighs, his hand resting on your waist as you lie facing each other. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You don’t have to answer, but… I noticed that your whole relationship with your ex was very… private. I didn’t even know you got married let alone had a divorce.”

“Were you spying on me?” you tease him and you notice the pink shade on his cheeks as he shrugs.

“Maybe.”

Deep down you kind of knew this would come up at one point, but you didn’t think it would happen so early. You had plenty of time to think about why you never felt the urge to show off your relationship with Drew and you always knew one thing for sure that contributed to the end of it as well along with the terrible happenings.

“You’re gonna think I’m insane,” you whisper, scrunching your nose as you pull your legs up.

“I’m sure I won’t. I could never judge you.”

Chewing on your bottom lip you muster up the courage to tell him the truth.

“I loved Drew but part of me always knew it wasn’t meant to be, I just ignored my instinct. There was this voice in the back of my head every time we reached a milestone and I tried not to listen to it, but it lingered there and it had an effect on my acts either way.”

“What was it saying?”

“That he was not you.”

Your confession seems to catch him by surprise, leaving him stunned and you wonder what’s going on in his head.

“I inevitably kept comparing him to you or… the idea I had of you. I always knew my feelings for Drew were nothing like the ones I felt for you, but I told myself it was silly, because at that point we weren’t even talking. But it didn’t feel right. That part of me always wanted to be with you and I kept my relationship to myself because it simply didn’t feel right in a sense. It should have been a red flag, I shouldn’t have stayed with him, but I didn’t think I would ever see you again and I was afraid of ending up alone so I just… put up with what I had.”

It’s probably the very first time you’ve ever said it out loud, it’s been a secret you kept buried deep down in your chest, but you feel like with Harry you can share anything. 

“Do you… Do you think it’s crazy?” you ask, not entirely sure what he is thinking but the fact that he hasn’t moved away from you is definitely promising.

“Crazy? There’s nothing crazy about this, Y/N. If anything, it’s making me happy,” he smiles softly.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “Because I can absolutely relate to these feelings and thoughts. I felt like I was searching for you all my life, the way you made me feel… nothing compared to that.”

You’re on the verge of crying, hearing that your feelings have always been mutual is like a piece you missed all your life, but now he’s made you complete. 

With wobbling lips you scoot closer until you can wrap your arms around his neck and he doesn’t hesitate before locking you in his embrace.

“Don’t cry, this is a happy moment, isn’t it?” he asks with an airy laugh as he holds you tight. 

“It’s a happy cry,” you admit as tears start rolling down your cheeks, melting into his shirt. “God, I missed you. I missed all of you, all the time! I hated it when everything changed overnight and you weren’t here, but I’m so happy you’re here.”

The words are flowing out of you uncontrollably, but you don’t mind it, this is the moment when you know you can let it all out. 

“I’m here to stay. Forever. I’m never letting go of you,” he whispers and holds you in his arms until you both fall asleep.

And in the morning you finally face the start of the life you’re spending together. 

WEDDING SEASON IN STYLE

Harry Styles is kicking off the summer wedding season in style with his lovely girlfriend by his side. The singer was spotted at a high school friend’s wedding this weekend in the English countryside, having a blast at the party after the ceremony. A series of photos have surfaced of the special occasion where we can see the As It Was singer supporting his friends at the ceremony wearing a creamy colored suit with a baby blue shirt underneath, his pearl necklace spicing the fit up that coordinated perfectly with his girlfriend’s dress of the same shade of blue. 

The pair is known to make a habit out of color coordinating their outfits, they have proven to be the perfect match before on casual outings and their first official debut as a couple on the red carpet at the Grammy’s earlier this year. It is unknown how long they’ve been together, but devoted fans have pointed out they have known each other from before Styles’ X-Factor days. In the past few months they have been spotted together several times in different cities while Styles is on tour and the latest photos are proof of how happy they really are.

They were photographed slow dancing, goofing around with their other friends and mingling with guests, of course, holding hands the whole time. A source close to the pair has said earlier that the lovebirds are practically glued together, kind of in a honeymoon phase and the singer is trying his best to navigate his life on tour with his lover’s life back home in London. They are said to be devoted to the blossoming relationship and everything that has surfaced about them just proved how happy they are. Maybe soon enough it will be their own wedding they will be attending? The fans’ reactions have been mixed, but mostly positive, especially because it’s obvious the singer seems to be in his best shape and mood in the past months. 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Y/N Y/L/N holds up funny sign at boyfriend Harry Styles’ latest concert

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[halfetirosie]

▼✧♦ "Enter this contest!" they said. "It'll be fun!" they said. ♦✧▼

(Exercise 21 - 24 React-os!)

1) WILSONNNN!!!!!

Yes, I know I already made this joke, but I don't care. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Funny coincidence tho; Cast Away was actually playing on T.V a few days ago! I of course had to watch it---I realized I haven't actually watched it in probably over 8 years---and it's a good-ass movie, ya'll!!! If you ever get the chance to watch it, you should!!!!

I also think it's neat that Eiden has canonically seen Cast Away...Or at least, he's aware of its existence through memes.

2) Fuckin hell bro, Quincy is so endearing, I can't handle it!!!!

It's so Dad Energy™ to zonk out at the beach and get buried in the sand, tbh. ♡

And Eiden's really living up to his Little Devil nickname! 😈

3) Premium Sooley + 🐾 Cat Dad Dante 🐾 content!!!

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡♡♡♡♡♡

Dante: "Ha, look at you guys playing around! Pathetic!"

Dante: *Is literally playing with his cat*

Now watch, Dante's gonna claim this isn't "playing" but is just training Sooley to get used to the water---

PFFFT!!!! (≧∇≦) Called it!!!!

I mean, you do know it can be both playing and training, right, bub? 😅

He's such a prideful little stinker!!!! ♡♡♡♡♡

4) GUYS, IN THE AUDIO AT THIS PART

🚨🚨🚨DANTE LAUGHS!!!!!!🚨🚨🚨

*Obnoxious squealing*

*Swoons so hard I fall down the fucking stairs*

*static*

🎶 We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please wait for us to fix the problem. Thank you for your patience. 🎶

🎶🎶🎶

🎶🎶🎶

*static*

Dante is seriously having so much this event, and it's such a joy to see!!! This dude might have been borderline forced into participating, and he might be using "research" as an excuse, but this is the happiest we've seen him in, like, a long time!!!

No, seriously, think about it! The previous 3 event he featured in (Sunburst Fever, Blood Secret, and Desert of Dusk), Dante was busy with official business. They were pretty damn stressful for him.

But my mans has finally caught a break!!!

(⸝⸝o̴̶̷᷄ ◡ o̴̶̷̥᷅⸝⸝)

5) ASSIGNED DORITO AT BIRTH!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I know that the lil' symbol is probably supposed to actually represent Dante's tattoos, but I'mma just pretend that they're his sharp-chin head on a Dorito body:

6) This can be interpreted in two ways---

Extremely horny

Extremely threatening

7) A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO THE WORD "LUMBERJACK"

(⊙ ㅁ ⊙)

BITCH BE FELLING TREES WITH HIS BARE HANDS!!!!

😱😱😱😱😱

Sometimes I kind of forget that Quincy has the potential to be really fuckin scary... He's so likable, but he could crush somebody's skull without even breaking a sweat...

8) I also kind of forget how excellent all of the clan members are in combat scenarios...

These dudes are literally sending lethal attacks back and forth, dealing with them all seamless.

On the one hand, it makes me proud of our bois, being so talented and all. But also, seeing them go all-out against each other is kind of a harsh reminder of how, at least in this respect, Eiden really is the odd one out...

9) Wait, did he have his tail out during this event????

THEN WHY DIDN'T THEY PUT IT IN HIS SSR?!?!?!

WHAT THE HELL, WE WERE ROBBED!!! 😡😡😡😡😡

10) Oh, come on! Really??? (◔_◔)

Did they really need to turn this into an "everybody wins" scenario???

Look, I love a happy ending as much as the next guy, and I know that the stakes of this event weren't exactly high. But this ain't a kids show that needs a squeaky-clean non-controversial ending. I want someone to win! Give us a clear winner!!!

Fuck it, I'll say it;

🔥 DANTE SHOULD'VE WON!!!! 🔥

I mean, COME ON!!! He absolutely crushed it this event!!! And he wanted to win more than anyone else, too!!!!

My dude finally had a mini-vacation for the first time in ages---LET HIM HAVE THIS!!!!!

DANTE GOT ROBBED!!!!!

11) Damn, poor Eiden! :(

Our boi was so close!!! I was really rooting for him!!! (I know I said Dante should've won, and I still think so; but if anyone else were to be the winner, it should've been Eiden. He really put a fuck-ton of effort into this event; gotta love an underdog!)

😂 Eiden really is being a great sport about this!

(And that was probably the funniest way of congratulating those three on their great performance in the competition.)

⚠️WARNING: GLOOMY COMMENTARY AHEAD!⚠️

But idk, man...

Maybe it's because I get way too immersed/empathetic when reading, but I feel way more sad about Eiden's loss than I probably should be.

Like, obviously, losing doesn't feel good. Nobody likes failure. And since Eiden is the protag, we're all sorta on his side by default.

I guess I boils down to what I said earlier; in comparison to the clan members, Eiden really is the odd one out. He doesn't even come close to their power; and even when he was trying his hardest in this competition, the odds were so insurmountable, there was no way he could ever win.

🤷 It just pokes at an inferiority complex that feels shitty.

🌸 End of report! 🌸

[instead-of-sleeping]

Magical baker’s personality

IM SO SORRY TO THE PERSON WHO SEND THE ASK I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED IT AND I SWEAR I’LL BE FASTER NEXT TIME 🙏🙏

I loved your Y/N’s interpretations, they were so cute 😭 

Fan fact when Y/N was chosen, they asked the same question

“What kind of chosen one should I be? Should I be full of optimism and goodness? Or a bad chosen one with black nail polish and a mysteriously withdrawn attitude? "I act like I don't care, but I secretly do”.

Nevertheless they were excited, It was finally their time to shine!

You see Y/N was called “The Baker” for a reason and not because they make delicious desserts (well that too) but rather because you aren’t actually a witch, just a human, a really stubborn human, who somehow convinced the witches that they are worthy even without inner magic abilities. 

But for continue their study they have to cook and help with the cleaning 

This lead to some students to mock them and giving the nickname “Baker”but don’t worry the Baker perfcetly knows how to defend themselves, those brats have to think twice before getting another sweet  as long they don’t want a ridiculous new hair colour or keep telling the truth for a day.

(Y/N doesn’t know the recipe to make food come to live yet, that was lost in time, they just found a way to give their sweets magic properties for a small period of time hoping that it gives the expected result)

The years of rejection have left them with a sharp tongue and poor social skills and for those who are knowing them for the first time could come off as mean and selfish, even if it isn’t their intention, but more you know them more they show their true personality 

The Baker is optimistic and creative, two traits that will be important for relating with the cookies 

With also being clever and having an immense determination that help them overcoming the most difficult challenges

But having a stubborn personality that make Y/N stand for what they think is right it also makes them often break rules and when they made bad decisions aren’t willing to admit it unless under massive amounts of pressure.

So yes they are impulsive and overconfident, and they use humour as a coping mechanism.

If I have to describe their personality with one word would be: silly 

With this mission they could prove that they are strong as them, that they deserve to be taken seriously! How hard it can be, right?

They have the wand, they know the legends. How scary can little cookies be, they literally eat them for breakfast. 

They’ll go to EarthBread, find the problem, solve it like a boss, come back and get all the glory.

Quite ironically at first they will not take the mission seriously. Like in most isekai disney series:

Phase 1:“Wow this place is amazing, ahah talking cookies, so cool”😍

Phase 2: “Okay this place have some negative things and there are some cookies who are bad but everything is gonna be fine…” 😁

Phase 3: “…I want to go home…”

Some reactions will be based on the descriptions that the game gives cause I’m a nerd 

Anyways I almost finished the first draft of the first part, hope I post it soon  :D

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1216: Small Beach Crush (Sonic X SSBU)

4:42 p.m. at the Smash Local Beach..........

A race has been going on in the bright, sunny day at the Smash Beach, that specializes in Extreme Gears founded and provided by the Babylon Rogue Inc.

The two racers, Sonic The Hedgehog and Jet the Hawk, appear to neck to neck towards the Finish Line, in the last lap.....That is until the final racer swoops in outta nowhere, with more vigorous speed, sweeping both of his competition off their boards and onto the sandy ground, much to their surprise.

The crowd begins to roar in applause the very moment he crossed that Finish Line before sticking a gnarly, perfect landing on the ground. It wasn't long before a Shy Guy announcer runs in to announce the winner helping him holding his own arm up, which just so happens to be...I...

Announcer: The Winner of the 5-Lap Riders Prix.....FUUUUNKY KOOOOOOONG!!!

'Even More Applause'

Sonic: (Groans a Bit While Getting Himself Back on his Feet) Darn...... The folks weren't kidding when they say he's the Best Extreme Gear rider of this part of town.

Jet: (Sighs While Getting Up From the Ground as Well) The guy's a natural born surfer. He can make even the most uncontrollable board a cakewalk to ride on.

Sonic: (Begins to Stretch his Back Forward Befire Stretching his Arm Up Next) Welp! If that's the case, I'm gonna that means I gotta to work a little harder next time. Can't afford to be in 2nd Place forever, you know?

Jet: (Scoffs While Rolling his Eyes) More like 3rd Place...

Sonic: (Turns to Jet With a Raised Eyebrow) Pardon?

Jet: You heard me! 3rd! The place- (Points at Sonic) YOU are currently in!

Sonic: Oh get real. (Starts Butting Heads with Jet) I clearly crossed that line before you could even get close to me!

Jet: Big talk for a guy who's tip of his board Isa millimeter shorter than mines!

Sonic: Oh, so we're measuring boards now?

Jet: If it proves that I'm better than you, why the hell not at this point?

Sonic: (Shrugs) Alright. (Forms a Cocky Smirk on his Face) Still can't beat me in a fist fight though.

Jet: (Angrily Cracking his Knuckles at his Rival) Wanna bet? I been wanting to pulverize that stupid face of your some time now!

Sonic: (Waves Both his Hands Back to Him in a Very Competitive Fashion) Well, bring it then, Birdbrain. I ain't got all-

????: BOYS!

The rivals turns to see the Certified Moms giving both of them their collective Motherly Glares in the mid.

Samus: What the hell did we say about being civil?

Peach: This is a place for fun and relaxation.

Moms: NO. FIGHTING!

Sonic: (Sighs in Defeat Along with Jet) Yes, ma'ams......

Jet: Won't happen again.....(Turns to Sonic) Forgot how scary your moms are..........

Sonic: (Shrugs) They gotta take their jobs seriously somehow....

?????: Hey now!

The duo turns to see the winner of their race, Funky Kong, walk over to them along with the crowd, with a bright, chill smile on his face.

Funky: No need to fuss n' fight now. You both did great out there. Actually had me to workin' up a sweat just to keep up.

Sonic: (Smiles Softly at Funky) Thanks, man. Congratulations on the win.

Jet: Yeah, congrats. But uh...('Clears Throat') Who would you say is the fastest between the two of us here, hm?

Sonic: (Rolls his Eyes at Jet) Could you not waste his time asking that dumb question? The answer's obviously me.

Jet: (Glares at Sonic) Lies! It's me and everyone out here knows it.

Sonic: Yeah, keep telling yourself that you-

Funky: (Breaks Up the Potential Fighting Between Hedgehog and Bird) Hey-Hey-Hey! No more of that now. We're a the fastest here in this wicked beach time. (Holds Both Sonic and Jet's Hands Up) AM I RIGHT, PEOPLE!?

'Uproarious Cheers and Applauses'

Tails: (Watches the Crowd in the Distance With Amy and Coco Sitting Next to Him) Never thought I'd see the day someone would actually out speed Sonic in anything, but...here we are.

Amy: (Sighs Dreamingly at her Man) He may have lost the race, but he'll always be The Fastest, Most Handsomest Thing in my eyes and heart~ (Takes a Look at the Time on her Phone) What is taking Wave so long to get here? (Starts Pouting a Bit) If her boss starts picking fights with Sonic again, there's gonna be heck to pay!

Coco: You know Wave: Have to make extra sure her work is completely done before she could do anything else. (Notices Something) Ooh, speaking of which- (Points Tails and Amy to Their Swallow Friend Walking in the Distance) There she is right now. (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) Looking a lot more girlier than usual......

Tails: Girlier?- (Eyes Widened at the Sudden Realization) Wait s second! Is she looking pretty for someone?

Amy: (Happily Clasps her Hands Together as Her Eyes Starts to Sparkle) A secret admirer perhaps?~

Coco: (Casually Shrugs While Forming a Teasing Smirk on her Face) It's the only reason I can think of~

Meanwhile.......

Funky: (Happily Greets Wave) Yooo, Wave, you finally made it!

Wave: Yeah, sorry it took me so long to get here. (Smiles Sheepishly While Rubbing the Back of her Head Back and Forth) You know how I am when it comes getting everything done down in the workplace....B-But I was able to catch some of your racing highlights on stream. (Starts Blushing a Bit) You were.....pretty gnarly out there, I must admit~

Funky: (Chuckles Lightly) Appericate the wicked feedback, little lady. And here I was worried that I ticked you off for outstaging your boss out there.

Wave: (Playfully Scoffs) Please. There's a lot of things that would drive me up the wall. But winning a race against Jet is definitely not one of them.

Funky: Good, good. So, now that you're out and about, what you plan on doing from here on out?

Wave: Well, I-

???: Ohhh Waveee!~

Wave turns around to see Amy giggling softly and Coco and Tails waving at her with teasing grins on each of their faces before letting out an annoyed sigh and turning back to Funky.

Wave: I have a couple of twer-I mean-('Sigh') Friends I gotta to hang out with.

Funky: (Smiles Brightly) Nice! Friends are the one thing that could help build up your character after all, especially in an awesome place like this!

Wave: (Rolls her Eyes a Bit in Annoyance) To an egregious sense maybe.....(Puts on a Small Smile on her Face) Catch you later then?

Funky: (Happily Nodded) Sure thing. Go out and enjoy yourself, Wave! You've earned it after all the work you've done.

Wave: Thanks, Funky. You too. (Walks Away)

Funky: (Watches Wave Leave Before Going Back to the Crowd) Now, which one of you crazy people are up for a game of LIMBO!!?

'Even More Applause'

Wave: (Walks Ovver to the Trio, Already Annoyed) ('Sigh') Alright. Get it all out of your systems already.

Coco: Why hello here, Wave~

Tails: Whatever do you mean exactly?~

Wave: (Glares at her Felliw Tech Friends) Oh don't even try and play the innocent card on me, you little twerps! I can tell by the look in your dumb faces that you're gonna the annoy the hell outta me over this.

Coco: (Chuckles Lightly) Hey, considering all the times you tease us on being a potential couple, it's only fair we find some way to return a flavor~

Tails: All's fair in love and harmless teasings~

Wave: ('Ugh') Whatever. (Turns to an Giddied Up Amy Rose) And what are you smiling about over there?

Amy: Oho nothing too noteworthy!~ Just admiring the fact that a bookworm like you is having yourself a school girl crush~

Wave: (Was About to Ipen her Mou-)

Amy: Don't even try to deny it. (Forms a Bit of a Teasing Smirk of her Own) We seen the way you look and talk to him over there. You're in looove~

Tails and Coco hold onto to each other hands and starts making kissy noises just to get under Wave's skin.

Wave: (Comically Glares at the Duo Again) Will you cut that out!? I'm not crushing over Funky!....At...least not completely!

Amy, Coco, and Tails stares at their blushing swallow friend, unconvinced on everything she's telling them.

Wave: ('Sighs in Defeat') Okay, so maybe I do have a tiny bit of mushy feelings for him these days. We've been working together on a few business projects as of late. Didn't care for him at first glance, but the more days we work, the....(Starts Blushing a Bit) More I started to enjoy his company a bit. He nice, compassionate with his craftsmanship and profession, and a lot more intelligent than I gave him credit for. He's incredible~

Amy: And just your tyyyyype?~

Wave: ('Sigh') I dunno. Maybe? He's a lot more laid back and outgoing, despite him not being a fan of going out on adventures all that much, oddly enough. Meanwhile, I'm as boring as they come, or as Storm would irritatingly put it...."A Killjoy".

Tails: (Gives Wave a More Reassuring Smile Along with Coco) Come on, Wave, you're none of those things.

Coco: Yeah. I mean, you can be a real pain sometimes, but you're still cool be around in our books.

Wave: (Turns to Coco With Genuine Surprised on her Face) Wow. That.....might be the most nicest thing you've ever said about me yet, kid. Thanks.

Coco: No problem. Don't expect this to be a recurring thing though. (Smirks Again) You're still a nagging know-it-all in my eyes.

Wave: (Smirks Back at Coco) ('Hmph') And you're still a half pint brat.

Coco: Better than being bossy.

Wave: Better than being annoying.

Coco: Better than being an eyesore.

Wave: Takes one to know one, brat.

Coco: Hey, I am PLEASANT to be around!

Wave: Could've fooled me.

Coco: Yeah, well....(Continues Arguing with Wave)

Tails: (Sighs While Watching his Two Tech Friends Bickering With One Another Again) It was fine to see two get along while it lasted, albeit a few seconds. (Turns to See Amy Writing Something Down on her Mini Notebook) Whatcha writing over there, Amy?

Amy: A few confessional and romantic ideas. I'm gonna help make Wave's dating dream come to reality and I want you and Coco to help me.

Tails: (Gives Amy an Uncertain Look on his Face) You sure you want our help on this? We're not really that knowledgeable when it comes to anything romance related.

Amy: Yeah, but you guys know Wave way better than I do these days, so you're crucial for this operation. (Gives Tails the Sad Puppy Dog Look) Plus, I really want us to spend more time together these days~ I miss you-

Tails: ('Sigh') Lower those eyes, Ames, we'll help out. Just.....don't expect this operation to go as flawlessly as you hoped.....Also, I missed you too.

Amy happily pulls Tails into a loving hug as they continue to enjoy their time at the beach together.

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

@caleb13frede

@bestpony666

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 1

Episode 13: Spoiler Alert

~Henry's house~

Henry, Jasper and Charlotte had all gathered at Henry's house to watch their favourite show. They stared intensely at the TV screen as sirens and shouts blared out from the speakers. A gunshot fired, making them all jump back in fright. A scene where a car crashed and a machine gun fired made them wince for the characters that were onscreen. However, they all giggled when a guy was killed.

"AHHH!" A man growled on the monitor suddenly, giving them all a huge scare. Jasper jumped on Charlotte as they all screamed.

"Get off." She deadpanned, not thinking that it was that scary. Jasper decided that Henry would be a better person to hold onto as the zombies groaned on the TV.

"Piper, please keep it down in there!" Henry managed to say on Jasper's head whenPiper began rattling around in the kitchen.

"Don't tell me how to live my life." She sassed him, so Henry shrugged Jasper off and continued to watch the TV show.

"That show is intense." Henry looked at the other two teens, his adrenaline still high. He had switched off the programme once it had finished.

"My heart's all cramped up," Charlotte said, massaging the part of her chest over the organ. 

"I'm sweating...more than usual," Jasper told them as he rubbed his fingers together. 

"Use your rag." Henry reminded him.

"Oh yeah, my rag." The curly-haired boy pulled a cloth from his pocket and began to wipe his hands dry.

"Seriously, you guys, that was, like, the best episode ever," Henry told them, and they both agreed. After all, who doesn't like an adrenaline-inducing, zombie-filled thriller?

"Oh yeah."

"Totally. But I'm so sad." Jasper said as he tucked his rag back into his pocket.

"Why?" Charlotte asked him.

"Only one more episode left of Walking Orange. And...I don't want it to end." The boy answered emotionally.

"Are you crying?" The girl next to him asked, not believing that he was crying over a TV show.

"No, my eyes are just sweating." Jasper quickly lied, walking away from the couch so they wouldn't see him cry.

"Rag." Henry reminded him again.

"Oh yeah, my rag." He took the material out and used it to dry his eyes.

"Hey, I read online that next week's episode is going to--" Charlotte began to say, but the boys shouted over her, not wanting to hear any spoilers. They each picked a cushion and pushed her into the couch to shut her up.

Please, don't tell us anything about the series finale." 

"Don't spoil it!"They pleaded and released her from the soft prison.

"I was just gonna say that after the series finale, they're gonna rerun the first episode." Charlotte held her hands up to shield herself from the cushions.

"Ohhhh..." The boys said together.

"So you can put the pillows down." Charlotte hissed at them and made them drop the pillows to the floor.

"Hey! I need one of you to be my cameraman." Piper shouted at them from the kitchen bar, so the teens walked to the kitchen to see what she was up to.

"What kind of video are you making?" Charlotte asked the little girl as she analysed all the junk she had on the island.

"The kind that gets me into the Man Fans," Piper replied excitedly. She had been wanting to get into the number one fan club of Captain Man for ages, and now she had her chance.

"The Man Fans?" Henry asked her. It seemed that despite his status as Captain Man's sidekick, he had never heard of the club.

"It's a club. A bunch of fans of Captain Man." Jasper told him.

"And Kid Danger," Charlotte added, inflating Henry's ego.

"It's really hard to get in. I tried to join and they wouldn't even take me." Jasper said, making Charlotte raise her eyebrows.

"Hey, everyone who's surprised by that, raise your hand. Ooo, look, no one." Piper retorted sarcastically.

"Just be careful." The dark-haired teen walked over to the little girl as she set up her video.

"Why?" Piper asked, not seeing what could go wrong.

"Because that girl who's president of the Man Fans, uh, Paula Macchiato, she's mean," Charlotte warned her, having heard of the things the child president had done.

"Well, she said I could join the Man Fans if I pass my initiation," Piper explained.

"Which is?" Henry asked as he and Jasper munched on grapes.

"I gotta make a video of me eating hair soup." Piper moved a bowl of dark, thick sludge into their view, and the look of the slimy hair made them all gag.

"What kind of soup?" Jasper exclaimed, thinking he had heard her wrong.

"Hair! I got this big bag of it fresh from a barbershop floor." Piper lifted a sack of different shades of hair.

"You can't eat soup with a bunch of hair in it," Henry told his sister. As annoying as she was, he didn't want her to get sick from eating hair and messing up her intestines.

"Okay, first, the things you say don't matter. And second, I am going to eat the hair soup so I can join the Man Fans." His sister stood firm. She wasn't going to pass up the chance to join her favourite club.

"Hold my phone." She passed the device to her hesitant brother, who began to record the setup.

"Hi, Paula Macchiato. I want to join the Man Fans so much, I'm going to eat a bowl of...hair soup." Piper said to the camera and lifted up a spoon full of hair. She looked disgusted but put the spoonful in her mouth as Henry, Charlotte and Jasper started to wretch.

Piper gave a thumbs up to them as she struggled to swallow the hair, her expression miserable. 

"Can I have some?" Jasper asked, curious to see what it tasted like, which made Henry and Charlotte looked at him in bewilderment.

~The Man Cave~

Schwoz was setting up the TV for viewing, as Ray, (y/n), Henry and Charlotte grabbed loads of snacks from the auto-snacker. It was finally time for the series finale of Walking Orange and they were so ready to see how the show ended.

"Yeah, baby! Series finale of "Walking Orange." Henry exclaimed in excitement as they brought the food to the couch.

"I can't believe we're about to watch the last episode ever." Ray shared his eagerness as they all climbed over the back and settled down. Henry passed the sodas out as (y/n) put a large pizza in her lap. Ray sat down on the floor between her legs after taking a slice and she rested her arms around his neck. The TV began to play some random Awards show and they all began to panic as they realised they were on the wrong channel. 

(y/n) put the pizza behind her as Schwoz scrambled to find the remote. 

"I put it on the wrong channel." Schwoz cried as he jammed the station button with his thumb. 

"There, there, I fix it, I FIX IT!" He yelled at the shouting group and sat back down once the show came on, just in time for them to watch it.

"Previously, on Walking Orange..." The man on the TV recounted the story. They all squirmed in excitement at the prospect of seeing what was going to happen.

"I'm so excited!" (y/n) squealed in Ray's ear.

"I know!" He said, just as all their phones dinged from receiving messages. They all pulled their cells out and checked the message, but what they read freaked them out.

"Ohhhh, nooooo" Henry screamed at his phone and they all got up from their seats in anger and frustration. Ray beat a pillow against the ground, as Henry and Charlotte threw the skeezits and pizza in their hands. (y/n) ripped her popcorn box in half, the contents spilling over her lap, but she didn't care. Schwoz watched them all in confusion as they threw their tantrums.

"Just turn it off," Ray said in a strained voice. Schwoz switched off the TV in confusion.

"What happened? Why do we not watch Walking Orange? Why you heave your pizza and your poopcorn?" He asked the all, as (y/n) hugged herself into Ray's back in sadness. The evening had been ruined.

"Because The Spoiler ruined Walking Orange," Henry told him in anger.

"Stupid The Spoiler," Charlotte said in a sulk.

"Who is The Spoiler?" Schwoz wanted to know.

"He's this jerky teenager here in Swellview. He finds out what's gonna happen on TV shows and movies..." Ray stood up swiftly, his hair messed up from beating the pillow around.

"And then he tells people the ending." (y/n) ended for him, lying back on the couch and speaking in a whiny voice.

"He ruins it for everyone." Charlotte pitched in.

"Not for me. I am smart. I turn my phone off." Schwoz bragged to them, annoying his friends.

"Well, yip-dee-doo for you, Schwoz." Henry shouted at him in annoyance, and the alarm started to sound. Letting out a groan, (y/n) and Charlotte walked to the computer and opened the camera link.

"Wat, Gooch?" Ray asked the man up in Junk-N-Stuff.

"Do you know what The Spoiler did?" The Indian man asked them, and Schwoz covered his ears against the spoilers.

"Yeah, he texted all three of us," Henry replied.

"No, he texted everyone in Swellview and told them the ending of Walking Orange," Gooch revealed, as Schwoz pressed his hands even harder against his ears.

"No, don't tell me!" The little genius cried. 

"He said that Rodriguez killed Mallory," Gooch told the story, torturing Schwoz.

"Tell him, let him suffer like us!" (y/n) smirked in her seat at the computer.

"And that he's really a cop!" The storekeeper spilt the biggest secret and Schwoz fell to the floor dramatically, feeling the same anger that the others had felt. 

"Thanks for the info, Gooch," Ray said and closed the link. 

"Okay, how'd The Spoiler figure out how to send a message to everyone in Swellview?" Charlotte asked as she picked up the little man on the floor.

"Oh, I don't know." Ray sighed.

"How smart does someone have to be to pull something off like this, Schwoz?" (y/n) spun around to look at the two.

"Anyone with level five computer knowledge could figure out how to do it." He explained.

Well, somebody's got to stop The Spoiler." Charlotte said, and the young woman nodded and stood up to Ray.

"Good thing we know a certain superhero and his sidekick." She hinted.

"Right, that person is us." He said huskily.

"You mean...those people...are us. You used bad grammar." Henry corrected him, but it didn't sound as cool. Feeling miffed, Ray shot a quick laser at his shoulder.

"Okay, do I have to confiscate that?" (y/n) looked up at him with a frown and a stern voice, similar to a teacher's.

"No, mom." Ray groaned.

"Don't call me that, you're so much older than me." She teased him, wanting to ruffle his feathers.

"Hey!" 

~The next day~

(y/n) was sat with Ray and Henry as the two males played cards and ate chips. She wasn't particularly interested in the game, she was just there to eat their food and scroll through her phone.

However, to Henry and Ray, this wasn't a game, this was a battle to see who could come out on top. They stared each other down as they crunched on the chips in their mouths.

"Only one chip left," Henry mentioned, eyeing the lone snack at the bottom of the bowl.

"Race you for it," Ray said, determined to get that damn chip.

"Okay, I'll try," Henry said, putting his hands down. (y/n) looked up from her phone and saw that they were taking it way too seriously.

"Hands on the table, On three," Ray said, and Henry tapped his fingers in preparation.

"One--" Ray started to count, but (y/n) reached across the table and ate the chip for herself, smirking in her victory over them.

"Come on!" Henry yelled."

"You. Little. Chip-snatcher." Ray spoke slowly at her, but she didn't care. 

"Sorry, the testosterone levels between you two were pissing me off." She said as an incoming alert sounded. The three of them scrambled to the supercomputer. The woman slammed her hand against the panel to open up the Gooch camera.

"Hey, Gooch, what's up?" Ray asked as he stood next to her.

"Spoiler alert," Gooch said, and Henry put his hands on his ears.

"Wait! Don't say anything about The Good Wife, I'm not caught up yet!" He pleaded with the shopkeeper.

"Er, I think he means The Spoiler." (y/n) said, but the boy couldn't hear her, so Ray forced Henry's hands off his head, and pointed to the screen.

"What do you know about The Spoiler?" Ray asked.

"We received a tip that's he's planning to show up at the Swellview Monoplex tomorrow at midnight," Gooch explained.

"Hmm, I wonder why," Ray muttered himself, as they all thought about what The Spoiler would be interested in ruining.

"Tomorrow night is the worldwide premiere of Galaxy Wars 9," Henry remembered that the geeky movie was one of the biggest releases of the year.

"Oh god, yeah. I'm taking Charlotte, I'm so excited and that damn Spoiler guy better not ruin it." (y/n) told them.

"Oh my god. Thanks, Gooch." Ray breathed out and ended the call. He stood up and walked to the middle of the Man Cave.

"The Spoiler must have had inside information about what happens in the movie." The superhero theorised.

"He's going to ruin it for everyone." Henry agreed, knowing they had to stop him. 

"Not if you two stop him." (y/n) encouraged them. 

"Yeah, you and me." Ray nodded at his sidekick.

"You and I." Henry corrected him, annoying Ray.

"That's what I said." The large man said back.

"You said "you and me"." The teen liked to be correct with his grammar, but it really wasn't the time for an English lesson.

"Okay, who cares?" (y/n) butted in, being the referee for them as usual.

"Okay, we have grammar rules for a reason." Henry protested at her.

"Okay, guess what?" Ray said reaching into his jean pocket.

"What?" Henry asked, as Ray pulled out his laser remote and fired at his chest, the child inside him coming out to play.

"Yeah, there you go." He said with a proud smirk on his face, as (y/n) growled at the males in frustration.

"Raymond!" She barked, reaching for the remote, but Henry joined in too.

"You know, I got one, too." He said and used his whiz watch to fire a green laser at the man. They started to engage in a laser fight, (y/n) stepping back to avoid getting hit.

"AH! Not the face!" Henry yelled as Ray got him in the eye, so he began to rapidly fire his laser back at his boss.

"AHHH! Not the butt!" Ray ran around the Man Cave to avoid getting hit. (y/n) was crouching next to the couch, and stood between them when the fight began to get serious.

"OKAY! THAT'S ENOU---OW!" Her loud voice was interrupted as one of the lasers hit her, but she couldn't tell who fired it. The pair of superheroes ceased their fire as she rubbed her arm and glared at them.

"Oops." Henry laughed nervously.

"Sorry, (y/n/n)." Ray tried to give her a hug, but she just snatched the remote from his hands.

"I accept your apology." She smiled at him sweetly, making them think that she wasn't angry. Oh boy, they were wrong.

"Now, I'm going to kill you both!" She raised Ray's remote and shot lasers at them both, chasing them around the Man Cave.

~The next day, Henry's house~

"But I tried to get a selfie with Captain Man! I had a great plan, but it didn't work." Henry walked into the kitchen and heard his little sister talking to someone on her PearBook. She sounded really upset, and at the mention of his boss, Henry was more than intrigued.

"If you want to join my club, then get a selfie with Captain Man!" A rude, little girl said from the speakers, causing Piper's face to crumple with sadness. Whoever this girl was, Henry did not like her.

"But, I don't know where he is. How do I find him?" Piper asked her in distress.

"Wahh. 'How do I find him?" Wahhh. That's how you sound!" The girl snapped at Piper and mocked her. Henry normally didn't care about what Piper did, but he didn't like it when brats bullied her.

"Sorry, I didn't realise." The youngest Hart apologised, not wanting to upset the president. 

"You see this? That's how much time you have to get a selfie with Captain Man, or else you'll never join the Man Fans." The mean girl raged at her and ended the call. Piper slammed her PearBook shut and ran to the sofa to cry. She jumped face down onto the cushions and Henry decided he should talk to her.

"Hey, Pipes. Everything okay?" He asked, acting like he hadn't just heard everything.

"Yes, I'm not upset. Now, shut up." Piper wiped her eyes and tried to appear fine. But Henry could see she was anything but okay.

"Uh, I overheard you talking to that girl from the Man Fans." He told her, switching to his caring big brother mode.

"So?" Piper asked in an uncharacteristically sad and quiet voice.

"Why do you join that club so bad?" Henry questioned, sitting down on the couch arm.

"Well, I just think Kid Danger's really cute," Piper told him, not realising she was saying these things about her brother.

"Ughhh, kill me." Henry gagged at the thought but carried on listening.

"And every week, the Man Fans get together and talk about stuff that Captain Man and Kid Danger are doing, and I just wanna be a part of it. But how am I going to get a stupid selfie with Captain Man?" Piper said rhetorically. She'd never find the superhero in time.

"All right, listen." Henry probably shouldn't have told her this, but he could see how much this meant to his little sister, so he rationalised that a little hint wouldn't hurt. He sat down next to her and leaned in close.

"I read a rumour online that Captain Man might be going to the Galaxy Wars premiere tonight," Henry said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Really? Where online?" Piper asked, grabbing her phone to search for the information.

"Oh, uh...they took it down, but I saw it and it said he was going to be there." He lied, but it was enough to get her to stop typing.

"Wait. Where am I gonna get a ticket?" Piper said sadly, knowing that they'd all sold out months ago.

Uh. My boss, (y/n) is taking Charlotte, and she has a spare ticket. I could ask her to take you too." Henry smiled at her, knowing that the woman wouldn't mind taking Piper along too.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Piper asked her brother since he didn't usually help her out. Normally, they were always at each other's throats.

"Because...you're my little sister and I...I don't know, shut up!" Henry said, getting up quickly and walking away from all the mushy, sentimental stuff. He walked to the kitchen and saw Jasper through the kitchen window. He was dangling upside down and waving a sock around.

"Henry, look! I got your sock!" Henry looked at Piper, who just shrugged her shoulders in fake innocence.

~The Man Cave~

Charlotte and (y/n) were waiting for Ray and Henry to get ready for the movie premiere. They were sat checking the criminal records on the computer as they waited. The door next to the computer opened and the two males came out chattering to each other. 

"Hey," Henry said through his costume's mask. It was a red, futuristic set of armour that appeared in the movie and at a geeky premiere, he'd fit in.

"You find anything?" Ray asked her, also dressed up. His costume looked more medieval, but it was still in line with the film's lore. Even dressed as a nerd, he looked hot.

"Yeah, we found a great pic---" The girls turned around and burst out laughing at how they looked. It was pretty funny to see them fully geeked out.

"What's funny?" Henry asked Ray, he thought their costumes were good.

"All right," Ray said with a bored tone.

"Seriously? You're gonna make fun of us?" Henry looked at the two girls, who were holding their stomachs from laughing so hard.

"Knock it off. Come on. Enough." Ray said to them, feeling uncomfortable that his crush found him hilarious in the dork costume.

"Ok, ok." The woman and the younger girl breathed in deeply to calm themselves down.

"So, you're a skynaught?" Charlotte asked Henry, having seen every Galaxy Wars movie, she knew every character.

"A red skynaught." Henry lifted his mask so he could speak clearly.

"And I'm Duke Starjacker." Ray said and (y/n) admired how accurate the costume was.

"I can't believe you chose my favourite character. You even got the gold necklace right." She smiled at him and suddenly, the costume didn't seem so bad to him. Charlotte, though, found their lack of knowledge of the film amusing.

"Yeah, yeah. You won't be laughing when we catch The Spoiler." Henry snarked at her.

"Oh, right, about The Spoiler. Here's a new pic of him from a month ago." Charlotte brought up an image on the monitor and showed a cocky-looking teen's mugshot. Ray and (y/n) took a photo of the boy's face so they knew who they were looking for.

"Got it." He said.

"Hey, and you're going to take Piper to the movie tonight?" Henry asked (y/n) as she looked up from her phone.

"Yeah, I got an extra ticket from one of my nerd friends. I'll even buy her popcorn." She smiled at the boy and checked her watch.

"Oh, it's nearly eleven, we should go pick her up, Char." She said to the girl, and they both grabbed their purses.

"Okay. We'll see you at the monoplex." Henry said to them.

"Yep," Charlotte replied and they walked to the elevator.

"Bye!" (y/n) waved as the doors slid shut and Ray turned to look at her from the auto-snacker.

"Stay safe!" He shouted. He ordered some popcorn from the machine and poured it into the satchel on his costume. 

"Uh...what you doing with that popcorn?" Henry asked him in confusion.

"Putting it in my adventure sack," Ray told him and closed the bag.

"Y'know they sell popcorn at the movie theatre." His sidekick said to him, wondering why wouldn't just buy it when they got there.

"Yeah, for like a billion dollars," Ray replied, thinking he was a genius. 

"Okay, let's go, corn smuggler," Henry said as they walked to the tubes together. Ray tucked his gold cloaked behind his back as the tube came down and Henry brought his mask back down.

"Up the tube." His filtered voice said, and they shot up the tube. Sadly though, the suction caused all of Ray's popcorn to fall out of his sack.

"No, my popcorn!" He cried.

"Ha! Your sack has a hole in it." Henry laughed at him. Looks like he'd have to buy some at the cinema after all.

~Swellview Monoplex~

(y/n) led Charlotte and Piper into the movie theatre and stopped at a food kiosk.

"Hey, Piper, do you want some popcorn?" She smiled at the little girl and pulled her credit card out. Even if she didn't, the young woman definitely wanted some of the sweet, corn snack.

"Yes, please. Can I have a soda too?" Piper asked her in a polite voice. She was too excited to see if Captain Man was here to be her usual rude self.

"Sure. Char, do you want anything?" The woman joined the queue and looked at the teen.

"Just a soda for me please." (y/n) nodded and ordered two large popcorns and three large sodas, quickly paying for them so they could get to the movie room. She spotted Ray and Henry walking through the doors and nudged Charlotte, who also saw them giving their tickets to the man at the entrance. 

"Can I go to the bathroom?" Piper tugged her sleeve, not realising that the two other girls wanted to meet up with Henry and Ray.

"Sure, sweetie. Take your popcorn and drink. Do you mind going with her, Charlotte?" The woman jerked her head and winked at the two males to give the dark-haired girl a hint. Luckily, she picked it up.

"Yeah, sure. You go get some seats." Charlotte gave her the chance to get away and walked off to the toilets with Piper. Once they had disappeared into the crowd, (y/n) made her way over to the two disguised superheroes.

"Hey! You made it!" She greeted them and they smiled when they saw her.

"Where are Piper and Charlotte?" Henry asked some concern in his voice for his little sister. 

"Bathroom, I told them I'd meet them in there." The woman pointed to the room where the movie was being shown.

"Let's go then," Ray said, guiding her in with a hand in the small of her back.

The viewing room was filled with animated chatter from countless Galaxy Wars fans, some dressed as their favourite characters.

"You see The Spoiler?" Ray asked them both, all three pairs of eyes scanning the rows.

"No, not yet," Henry said, as an overenthusiastic dork came down the steps and spoke to them, 

"Red Skynaught. You are the sworn enemy of Mento." The teenager spoke, confusing the two males, but since she'd watched all the movies with Charlotte, (y/n) got his references.

"Sorry. We don't speak nerd." Henry said to the boy.

"He's talking about the war between the warriors of Mento and the Red Skynaughts in the Years of the Ethereal Light." (y/n) explained and the nerdy boy smiled at her knowledge. Her friends, however, just looked at her with confusion.

"Tranya! You have insulted my tribe and the fair maiden in your company! Now taste the Tassel of Tinklon and I shall claim her for my people!" The dork slapped Henry across the face with his 'tassel', as Ray put (y/n)'s hand into his. No nerd was 'claiming' her on his watch. The fake weapon in his hand didn't really hurt Henry, it just really annoyed him.

Henry grabbed the boy's glow bat and broke it over his knee. He handed the two pieces back to the teary-eyed boy.

"Why'd you do that? Mom! A kid just broke my glow bat!" The teenager ran back to his mother on one of the back rows.

"How about those two seats right there?" Ray said to Henry, pointing to the seats.

"Cool." Henry agreed and (y/n) let go of Ray's hand to wait by the doors.

"I need to wait for Charlotte and Piper, you two go ahead." She smiled at them, but Ray didn't want to leave her. Henry shoved him up the stairs.

"Dude, she's a grown woman and we can see her from our seats." He hissed into the older man's ear.

"Ugh!" Ray groaned but carried on walking until Henry spotted the mean girl who had been bullying Piper.

"Hey, hey. See that girl over there?" Henry subtly pointed at the girl in the pink shirt.

"Mm-hmm, the one wearing the me button?" Ray asked when he saw the girl's page with his face on it.

"Yeah. That's the president of our fan club, the Man Fans. She's the one who's being really mean to my sister." The boy explained the backstory to his boss.

"Wow." Ray breathed out.

"What?" Henry looked at him in confusion.

"Her button. That's a fantastic picture of me--" Ray said, his ego showing.

"Oh, let's just sit down." Henry pushed him into their seats.

Charlotte and Piper walked in and met up with the woman who was looking after her.

"Hey, everything okay?" (y/n) smiled at them. Charlotte saw where Ray and Henry were sat and nodded, both at her words and at them.

"Um, where do you wanna sit?" Charlotte asked Piper, wanting to keep the temperamental girl happy, but she just gasped and started to jump in excitement when she saw the girl on the back row.

"What?" (y/n) asked, wondering what had gotten her so excited.

"That's Paula Macchiato." Piper cried, and ran up the stairs to where the girl was sat.

"Hi, Paula." She said happily, thinking that the president of the Man Fans would also be happy to see her. However, Paula lolled her head into the headrest and rolled her eyes.

"'Sup, Paula?" Piper reiterated her greeting when the girl ignored her.

"Until you get a selfie with Captain Man, don't talk to me, don't look at me, and don't even think about sitting with us." She yelled at Piper who looked like she was gonna cry. Henry, Charlotte and (y/n) looked on in sympathy and anger at how horrible the girl was. Not even Piper deserved to be spoken to like that. 

"Okay, sorry." Piper sadly plodded back down the steps to where the two girls were waiting for her.

"Hold my popcorn, Charlotte, I'm gonna go say something to that brat." (y/n) said and rolled up her sleeves with a huff.

"Shhh. Don't upset her, please. I need her to like me." Piper stopped her from going anywhere.

"Okay, but if she looks at me, I'm gonna give her one of these," Charlotte said to Piper and pulled an angry face at the girl at the back.

"And I'm going to give her this." (y/n) went to stick up her middle finger, but Charlotte held her hand down before Paula could notice or Piper could tell what she was doing. She let out a sigh and took the younger girls to some free seats before she could swear in front of more children.

"Hey, I want popcorn," Ray whined to Henry as he watched (y/n) and Charlotte sat down with his sidekick's sister.

"There's none left in your adventure sack?" Henry asked him, still looking through the crowd.

"You know there's not! Be right back." The large man snapped, knowing that Henry was teasing him. He stood up to go to the foyer and grab a box.

"Keep an eye out for The Spoiler." The boy reminded him.

"You too." Ray left him and walked down the steps next to their seats. He had only been gone a minute when a man emerged from the crowd and started to speak.

"Uhhhh. Excuse me! Hey, people, listen up!" He shouted to everyone, and everyone fell silent. Henry looked at him in suspicion as he knew The Spoiler had made himself known.

"It's The Spoiler!" Charlotte cried and pointed to him, sending the room into a panic.

"He's going to ruin everything!" The dorky boy from before shouted from the back. 

"I got some information about the movie!" The Spoiler addressed the crowd.

"Ray?" Henry needed his friend with him at a time like this. If only he hadn't been thinking of his stomach. He got up from his seat and ran to go find him at the popcorn kiosk.

"So, get this..."The Spoiler started, but (y/n) was quicker than him.

"Quick, everyone do this! La, la, la, la, la." She told everyone with her fingers in her ears to block out what he was saying. Everyone copied her actions, and the noise they made together meant they couldn't hear what the cocky teenager was saying.

"No, don't do that! Hear me! Hear me!" The Spoiler shouted, agitated that the crowd had some power over him. 

Henry walked back into the room as Kid Danger, ready to fight the guy who was a menace to everyone in Swellview. 

"Hey, you!" He shouted.

"What?" The Spoiler wasn't scared of some sidekick.

"Shut up!" Henry told him, as Piper noticed the new presence in the room.

"It's Kid Danger!" She yelled in happiness, as Charlotte and (y/n) breathed a sigh of relief that The Spoiler was about to meet his match.

"Oh my god, we love you, Kid Danger!" She yelled and grabbed onto her companions' arms as Henry stalked towards The Spoiler.

"Spoiler alert, I'm about to spoil you." Henry sassed the dude.

"Yes! That was the perfect quip!" Piper said fangirling over the boy she didn't know was her brother. 

"Get outta here!" The Spoiler hissed at Henry and shoved him back onto the floor. The crowd 'oooh'd at the attack. Kid Danger got back to his feet and tackled the other teen to the floor. The crowd cheered and clapped as the two brawled and Henry got a few punches to the guy's stomach. However, the older teen was stronger and he managed to twist Henry's arm until he was pinned on the floor. The audience was in horror as the sidekick struggled against the criminal. 

"Maybe I'll just break your arm and ruin the movie for everyone." The Spoiler said as he held Kid Danger's arm over his knee and gripped his throat harshly. Sensing the gravity of the situation, Piper ran from her seat, stealing a glow bat on her way down the stairs.

"Get your hands off Kid Danger!" She yelled at the thug and began whacking as hard as she could on the man's back. He fell to the floor in pain, letting go of Henry, but she carried on her attack. The crowd applauded her brave actions, especially Charlotte and (y/n). It seemed that courage and selflessness ran in the family, even if Piper rarely showed it.

Ray ran in as Captain Man to see his sidekick on the floor, wide-eyed at how viciously his sister was hitting The Spoiler. 

"It's Captain Man!" The nerd boy said, and the crowd cheered even louder. Ray helped Henry up and lifted Piper away from The Spoiler. 

"Calm down." He told her, but she went back to hitting the teen on the floor, making him pick her up again.

"Go, Piper!" Charlotte yelled as she clapped.

"Hit the crap outta him!" (y/n) joined in, loving the way the child was taking down a criminal for Captain Man. Having gotten Piper to calm down, Ray picked the teenager up by the scruff of his neck.

"Well, The Spoiler...I'm about to spoil..." Ray lifted his fist to punch the guy.

"I already quipped that." Henry chipped in, so Ray just chucked the guy to the awaiting cops instead.

"Kid Danger, can I have a hug?" Piper asked, but Henry freaked out at the idea. He couldn't get close enough to his sister that she recognised him.

"Uhhh, not right now, I need to go stand over there." He excused himself in a fake voice, so Piper turned to Captain Man instead. However, Paula Macchiato wasn't about to be outshone by her rival.

"Move!" The president ran down the steps and pushed Piper into the free seats at the front. (y/n) and Charlotte frowned and crossed their arms at the girl's spiteful actions.

"Captain Man, I'm Paula Macchiato, the president of your fan club, the Man Fans. I'm awesome." She said, which made Ray briefly look up at (y/n) who was pointing at her and mouthing the word 'bitch'. 

"Yeah, I heard about you." He said, whilst also looking at Henry who shook his head at the girl.

"What's your name, little girl?" Ray asked Piper, knowing he had to be nice to her and not Paula.

"Piper Hart. Remember? One time you shot an alien off my face with Exterminator Phalange?" Piper said to jog his memory.

"Oh yeah. Well, Piper Hart, you showed extreme bravery by using this glow bat to beat The Spoiler nearly half to death." The superhero praised her.

"Thanks. I loved it!" She said in jubilation, as Paula Macchiato frowned next to her.

"And you...you just sat there, like a pile of nothing." He said to the brat.

"But, I was going to do something." Paula whinged. 

"Wahh. But I was gonna do something. Wahh. That's how you sound." Piper spat the words the girl had said to her earlier on back at Paula. The crowd laughed at her joke and Henry looked on proudly.

"And now, I, Captain Man, declare you, Piper Hart, the new president of the Man Fans." He told Piper, which the Man Fan members in the crowd loved to hear. Paula, however, did not. Walking forward in front of Ray, she punched him as hard as she could in his stomach, however, the girl's measly strength meant that it was more of a tickle. (y/n) snorted at her pathetic attempt.

"I'm okay," Ray said his catchphrase sarcastically, and Paula just stormed off in anger. 

"Now, what do you say we all watch Galaxy Wars 9?" Captain Man shouted at the cheering crowd, as Piper ran back to where Charlotte and (y/n) were waiting for her.

"Wait, wait!" The geek said, quieting everyone down.

"As guardian of the Throne of Krandor, I challenge both Captain Man and Kid Danger to the duel--" The two superheroes didn't want to hear anymore nerd-talk from the boy, so they just stunned him with their lasers. They began to walk back to their seats when Ray spotted that a woman had a carton of popcorn.

"Hey, what's that?" He pointed at something on the wall and took her box when she wasn't looking and rushed to join Henry, where they could enjoy the movie together. 

~After the movie~

"Oh man, that was so good!" (y/n) said to Ray, Henry and Charlotte as they drove home from the movie. Piper was asleep on the back seat, so they were driving her home as quickly as they could.

"I know! Especially when Duke Starjacker blew up the space station!" Charlotte quietly geeked out with her. Ray and Henry liked the movie, it was good enough to satisfy their love for them, but for two fans of Galaxy Wars like the girls, it was out of this world.

"Aren't you glad you chose to be the best character now?" (y/n) poked Ray's cheek in her teasing. He smiled at her quickly but looked back to the road again.

"Yeah, yeah. It was a good costume." He said to keep her happy. They pulled up to the sidewalk outside Henry's house and Henry and Charlotte gently picked up Piper, him holding her head, and her taking her legs. The boy had transformed out of his super-suit after they left the movie theatre, meaning he could sneak back into his house and if his parents were awake, he wouldn't have to answer any hard questions. 

"Ok, I can walk back to my house from here guys," Charlotte whispered to them through the Man Van's open window.

"Okay Char, have a good night," Ray said, and (y/n) waved to her as he pressed down on the gas and they drove off. The woman leaned back into her seat, the long and exciting night making her feel sleepy. The heater made her feel even drowsier, so she closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against the window.

"You getting tired on me?" Ray spoke up, noticing down she had fallen silent. 

"Mm-hmm." She gave a small nod, and the man smiled at her. She was adorable when she got tired, as she clung to him and instinctively sort out his warm body. He knew that they were about fifteen minutes away from the Man Cave, enough time for her to doze.

"Sleep tight, princess. I'll be here when we get home." He put a hand on her knee and she fell into her dreams, imagining Ray as Duke Starjacker and her as a warrior of Mento fighting the galaxy side by side, her love for him burning as bright as the twin suns of Krandor.

[babacontainsmultitudes]

In Defense of the Other Teens

Hello besties :)

SO how about that last episode huh? I've certainly seen a lot of interesting takes and cool art and all that come from it!

And I'm... Here to offer my two cents.

Alright y'all, a few things before we actually get into the meat of it. First, this is a long post. Like, even by my standards this post is pretty fucking long. I hope that I'll be able to keep you entertained throughout at the very least, but maybe grab a cup of tea or coffee or the like before venturing under the cut.

Second, my stance on things will become pretty clear I think fairly early on, if you haven't already put two and two together from the title of this post. That said, there are some fairy bold claims I'm gonna make here, and the fact of the matter is some of them may very well be disproven as soon as today's Teen Talk drops. But I wanted to get this out beforehand, partially as a show of faith in a certain someone, and partially cause honestly I think it's good to practice giving oneself room to be wrong about things. That said, there are still many other points that I think remain important regardless of what we find out next episode (or in teen talk), and I hope you'll find those interesting as well.

Next, honestly, the first few chunks of this little essay really start out as more of a rant/vent than a tight analysis, and I kinda start things in a weird spot if I'm being frank with you, so maybe just try to bear with me for the first few parts, ok? They're still important for the bigger picture I'm trying to paint.

Finally, if I come off as a little extra salty and sassy in this one, I am, but I *promise* it's all in good fun. :)

Alright, so let me tell you my thoughts about Lincoln.

You know what I think? What I honestly, genuinely think? Linc is the most selfless of the teens by a long shot. Like, there's literally no competition. Enough "all he wants to do is help other people and all they ever do is betray him" with respect to Mr. TalkedGrantIntoAPanicAttackThenLeft and more appreciation and recognition for Lincoln Li SayHiToYourDadForMe Wilson, I'm begging you. I could sit here and start listing examples of Linc's selflessness to you for a good long while, but really no set of examples could better illustrate what differentiates Linc from the rest of the teens than this exchange:

**

Scary: "Chosen one…""

Jodie: "Bat’tholemew, we don't use those words." 

Scary: "Somebody they wouldn't expect."

Taylor: "It's me. It's got to be someone that they don't expect."

Scary: "Yeah." 

Taylor: "Yeah." 

Scary: "It's got to be somebody who's really earned—"

Taylor: "Somebody who’s really earned—" 

Scary: "—the respect."

Taylor: "—the right to... And all the knowledge of all the animes together…"

Scary: "Somebody with more knowledge than anybody else."

Taylor: "Someone with— who knows what to do. S… "

Scary: "Somebody who knows what to do to step up."

Taylor: "Somebody who can step up and be the chosen one."

Scary: "And be the chosen one."

Link: "Hey…"

Normal: "Guys, I think… I might be the chosen one…"

**

Yes, funnily enough, it's Linc's absence here that says a lot about him rather than his presence.

What's more, I frankly just don't think it's fair that Linc can do *so much* for the people around him but the *one time* he decides to do something that (seemingly) goes against Normal's plan, it's depicted as some ultimate act of betrayal or Linc "giving up". I feel like we significantly understate how much the other teens *have* done for the sake of Normal's plan (seriously, are we actually gonna ignore Linc stabbing his leg on a candy cane- TWICE??), and how much they've lost in doing so. If every time they fuck something up undoes everything they've sacrificed or done right, well, that's quite the negativity bias!

So why don't we talk about Linc's decision, actually. Did we just witness Lincoln finally snap? Has he given up on Normal's plan to help the doodler? Has he given up on using empathy? Did Lincoln Li Wilson choose the easy option? I would say no! No to all of those! And I think especially upon a relisten of the final moments in the last episode, Linc's train of thought when he breaks the pic is actually quite clear. And yes, this is about Linc showing empathy towards Scary, but I want to talk about the actual implications of that a bit further as well. Let's start by looking at the final bits of dialogue leading up to the breaking of anchor:

**

Linc: "Scary, what are you even doing?"

Scary: "You gotta destroy it"

Linc: "We can't- you just heard the Doodler's gonna make the world worse it's gonna kill we just gotta find something, why do you have to destroy it-"

Scary: "You don't know that!"

Linc: "I mean you don't know it's not that way we can find another way to destroy it"

Scary: "No, Willy said that it's easier to control if we destroy the anchors"

[ANTHONY EXPLAINS THE SPECIFICS OF WHAT WILLY WOULD HAVE TOLD SCARY]

Linc: "Well we're not gonna do it that way okay, come on like, the easy way is-"

Scary: "Who died and made you the leader?"

Linc: "The easy way is usually the bad way right? Sometimes the better thing is harder."

Scary: "This is easier what you're just gonna tell the pic 'Oh I love you I'm so nice to you' and it's just gonna give you all its secrets that's not how life works."

[LINK TRIES SAYING I LOVE YOU TO THE PIC AND NORM EXPLAINS THAT HE ALREADY TRIED THAT]

Linc: "Okay well like you're right it's gonna be hard but- I know it's not a person but I don't want more people to die we've already killed enough people like can you just do one thing with us and just try to find a way to make this-"

Scary: "The Doodler is gonna kill more people you're not seeing the bigger picture!"

Normal: "What no, Linc don't listen to her!"

Scary: "Listen to me!"

[AND THEN LINC SNAPS THE PIC]

**

Okay there's... A lot to unpack here. I'll start by pointing out what I think are a few key things to take note of:

- Linc is seemingly adamant on choosing the empathetic route and not letting any more people get hurt

- Linc affirms that sometimes the harder route is the better one

- Scary rejects the notion that simply saying "I love you" or otherwise being kind in words could actually do anything

- Norm says "don't listen to her"

- Linc's decision to break the pic only occurs after Scary says what she does (above point), seemingly in conflict with what he himself said only moments prior about not taking the violent route.

What I think needs to be understood about Linc is that, more than anyone in the group, Linc's decisions are calculated. Yes they often catch us off guard (seriously the amount of times Linc has done something that's made me actually gasp in shock is a bit crazy), but once the dust has settled, his decisions are always clearly consistent with who Linc is as a person and his philosophy, and accordingly, never come from a place of selfishness. The humor of it aside, when Linc says that he never misses any shot that he takes (:( Can't find the exact quote), he is entirely correct (and admittedly while I probably should gather various examples to show you what I mean, Linc swapping places with himself and Nicky really is the most perfect demonstration I could possibly ask for, as it showcases both Linc's aforementioned selflessness and how Linc's seemingly shocking decisions are never actually accidents or executed with uncertainty on his end). Try to keep these above points in mind as we move forward.

Next, let's consider the pros and cons for Linc of breaking or not breaking the pic, as seen from Linc's perspective. I suppose the general impression I've gotten thus far is that many people seem to be interpreting Linc breaking the pic as a likely (or sure) sign that he has "given up" on Normal's plan, and given in to choosing the "easier" route. This, I perhaps a bit boldly argue, raises a number of questions and ultimately implodes in on itself as an interpretation after even a brief consideration of them. At the most basic, and perhaps least interesting level, it's not like it would be that hard to search a little bit for some demonstration of love (especially with a certain pair of will-they-won't-they partners not too far away... Though I feel like the pic also could have been interesting as applied to some of the other characters around right now? Anyways...) You could say then, that maybe Linc simply doesn't care about using empathy, and has ultimately lost confidence in Norm's plan by this point, so he takes the path of absolute least resistance cause, well, whatever. But wait, didn't Linc *just* say that they weren't going to do things that way, and that he doesn't want more people to be killed? (You might say then that he thinks Scary has a point on "not seeing the bigger picture" and believes that choosing violence here will result in less deaths, but frankly I just don't think there's anything promising or compelling enough about Scary's argument here for Linc to have any real reason to believe it, all the more so given Willy’s involvement). Are we to think, then, that Linc changes his mind purely on a whim, and a whim influenced by Scary of all people no less? Frankly, I see this as a severe underestimation of Linc's strength of character, and this is where we really do need to consider the degree of calculation and confidence that goes into Linc's decision making and risk taking. What I'm saying is, Linc simply doesn't fall victim to selfish impulses that way (and within the group this is a quality unique to him!). Moreover, even if Linc might have his doubts in Norm and his plan, he still has significantly more reason to go with that than to listen to Scary. Seriously, Linc has every reason to not listen to Scary here. When it comes to what Linc cares about the most, Scary has without a doubt harmed Linc more than the Doodler ever could (The significance of Tony Pepperoni being stabbed in Linc's home in front of his dad  c a n n o t  be forgotten or understated!!!). Even if Linc didn't care at all about showing empathy to the Doodler, if he were acting purely out of selfishness he would still have more reason to do so if only because it means not giving the satisfaction to or otherwise helping Scary (and Willy).

But Scary is confused, and Scary is lonely, and from her perspective she probably does feel betrayed. We (and Linc) are given some important information regarding Scary in this episode. Firstly, we get a glimpse into how Willy has twisted things and convinced her that violence is the better option (not because it's easier per se, but because more people will apparently be saved in the long run). Second, Linc finally understands what Scary needs... Or at least what she doesn't need. Specifically, he understands that simply saying "I love you" isn't enough. He understands that Scary will never believe it no matter how many times it is said, and that to really prove to Scary that she is loved and get through to her, he needs to show her, has to prove to her that, despite everything, he is still on her side.

Linc, I dare argue more than any of the teens, has so much reason to leave Scary behind. But he understands her now, and, against Normal's wishes, listens to her. In a weird way (if I'm not dead wrong about this whole empathy thing), this kind of is Linc's "throne of the doodler" equivalent. It would be so easy to not break the pic, to not choose to (help and) empathize with Scary after all the pain she has caused him, but that's not the kind of person Linc is, and I hope the points I raised earlier make that reasonably clear.

So no, I don't think Linc chose the easy option. I think he believes himself when he says that sometimes the harder route is the better one, and followed through on this when he took his shot.

Sincerely, if you think the Doodler is just a scared teen deserving of empathy and sacrifice and making tough decisions, but Scary isn't, then I think you've missed the point. The Doodler is just acting out and needs help, but when Scary or Linc break an anchor through violence (be it violently empathetic or not), we give up on them? We hope for Normal to abandon them when they're hurting and depict it as deserved or even righteous? I can't get behind that, I'm sorry. 

Furthermore, whereas Norm would certainly be justified in feeling concerned for the Doodler's sake if Linc's actions count as an act of violence, apart from that like, if Norm chooses to interpret Linc reaching out and showing support to someone as lost and alone and in need of help as Scary as a personal attack against him, either as a betrayal of their friendship (Norm is very jealousy-prone we’ve known this from the start!) or as a direct attack against Norm's perfect little violence-free narrative that lets him be the hero regardless of who gets left behind wait does he actually just hate Hero cause of her name hm, then that is, respectfully, completely a problem with him, and not with Linc. I think if Normal actually snaps from this, then his entire philosophy of choosing empathy is based on a lie, and Norm just wants to follow the narrative that allows him to be the hero on paper, so that everybody finally loves him.

Well that's a bit harsh huh. Believe it or not, I'm genuinely not trying to throw Norm under the bus here. But... I am trying to expose his flaws and shortcomings in relation to the other teens. This is important moving forward, because in refusing to seriously acknowledge the fact that Norm, while still having plenty of good in his heart, is someone who can be quite self-centered, and ultimately cares about being well-perceived and loved first and foremost, we become blind to the ways in which Norm, like Scary, is vulnerable to future instances of manipulation. That bit on appearance vs. true compassion isn't mere interpretation, by the way, Will has stated this quite clearly in episode 27 of teen talk (and in general I'd really rather not rely on that kind of bonus content in these sorts of posts but, well, it's hard to ignore this):

**

Will: (In reference to Norm's scene in the pride layer) "I feel like I understand Normal better now, like a kind of darker side of his psyche that's different from Henry... Like Henry's very concerned with being a good person but I don't think is super concerned with whether people like him or not, whereas Normal is like a little concerned with being a good person but *mostly* concerned- it's two different ways to solve love [he explains what it implies for Henry], the other is 'if everyone else likes me, that means I can take that in as well'."

**

I need to stress that I am not trying to imply that Norm is anywhere close to being a bad person, btw. Normal, like everybody else, has his flaws, but has proven that he has plenty of good qualities as well. What I *am* trying to imply is that Norm does have a tendency to put himself at the center of things, and is from a more meta standpoint benefiting from a narrative that puts him at the center of things (more or less guaranteeing that he will be seen as a hero of sorts no matter what- evident even in how fandom largely depicts him vs the other teens), and I'm just saying that if ever he found himself in Oakvale by some chance he might really appreciate the enforced anti-violence initiative put in place by the town's noble leader who really just gets him and praises him and-

I know (almost) nobody wants to hear this, but if Normal actually had a villain arc, it would most likely consist of him falling down the same path that Barry did. Barry was a hero, on paper. And the people around him certainly saw him as such, and loved and accepted him in some sense of the word, which is what he truly wanted at the end of the day. And he got rid of all the violence!!! 

But none of that makes Barry a good person.

*sniff sniff*

Hey... Has anyone else noticed the distinct lack of stinky weebs in this post?

As much as I myself am a bit more interested in the Linc side of things right now, I do need to talk a bit (or a lot) about Taylor too. My little guy! You haven't even had a proper, serious character arc yet and people have already decided that you don't have a shot vis a vis the upcoming anchors, despite easily being the most emotionally resilient and stable of the group. You know what, I'm gonna throw in most loyal too. If you'll humor me...

Taylor may not be the most empathetic of the teens (in fact, he may very well be the least), but this doesn't mean he doesn't care, and doesn't mean he isn't kind in his own way. What's particular about Taylor's brand of loyalty compared to the other teens that I think might make it a bit easy to overlook is that it while it is very strong, it tends to be reserved only for the people he chooses to call his friends (oh, and his mom!). There's no question of Taylor's choice to disregard what Nick tells him and go back to save Linc from the FBI, it embodies some of the most fundamental parts of who Taylor is as a person. Which I guess is to say that, there are ultimately only so many people Taylor chooses to have in his circle, but those bonds are extremely important to him, and he really is ride or die about them. I think that this aspect is most obvious when looking either at Taylor's relationship with Linc or Cassandra, but also with Hermie actually! Oh, and similar to the example with the FBI, Taylor's response to the whole Tony situation is perfectly consistent with this aspect of his character as well. Tony was not part of Taylor's circle, not someone he chose to let himself get attached to (because when Taylor gets attached to someone, it is indeed a very deliberate choice), so no, he's not gonna care that much about Tony's death. But he is bothered by Scary's betrayal. He is bothered because, even if they weren't the closest, Scary was, I would argue, still part of Taylor's circle. And yes, he is bothered by Linc leaving him alone in the last episode for the same reason, except that in this case it's probably worse actually. I know I'm straying pretty far from the original topic here, but still I think it's worth exploring the interesting position this puts Taylor in going forward, especially with respect to Nick. 

("Seriously baba when did this become about Nicky literally what are you talking about right now?")

Thus far, Taylor has made it very clear that no, he is not going to allow Nick to be someone he becomes attached to. There's a risk, in loving and becoming loyal to someone as strongly as Taylor does, and Nicky has not yet proven himself to be a risk worth taking. So what happens next? Nicky is (finally) around after all, so what might the future hold for little Taylor? On the one hand, Nicky's "words of advice" might begin to get through to Taylor, which could leave him in a pretty dangerous position. Taylor takes a big risk every time he lets someone in (everyone does but Taylor more than all the others because of how fully he loves and trusts and protects, is what I'm saying- er... He's a lot like his dad that way actually!), so what if Nick convinces him that nobody is worth that risk, and that everyone you hold dear will ultimately betray you? Well, I think we'd be left with a very lonely Taylor! Conversely, what if Nicky decides to prove himself worthy of Taylor's love? What if Taylor comes around and lets him in? ahaha shit I feel like there's a bad joke to be made about Taylor keeping his dad at arms length and his dad not having any arms right now god fucking damn it what even is this post. Will Nicky be able to maintain that trust? If he abandoned Taylor again, after Taylor has allowed himself to become attached (or if something happens to Nicky cause lets face it horrible things tend to happen to Nicky), I think Taylor might finally have a hard time getting back up.

What the fuck was I talking about? Oh yeah, so I guess going back to Norm, on the one hand, I guess on the more extreme end Taylor could actually take Linc's actions very hard, in which case I actually could see him sticking with Norm as an act of self-preservation. That said, I don't personally feel that this will be the case, that Linc is still ultimately in Taylor's circle, and accordingly Taylor's loyalty towards Linc will persist, albeit perhaps with a seed of doubt sewn at the back of his mind. And I don't think in that case that it's fair to frame this as Taylor betraying Normal? As others have pointed out, Norm frankly just hasn't really earned much in the way of Taylor's friendship. Really, as far as I'm concerned, Taylor doesn't really owe Norm much of anything at all. From the very beginning Norm has made it clear that he doesn't particularly care for Taylor, and ultimately has let his own jealousy and desire for attention (especially Linc and Hermie's attention) get in the way of ever really getting to know or appreciate Taylor beyond the surface level. Would I call it betrayal for Taylor to choose to continue to support his best friend instead of the guy who told him that anime isn't real? No, and I think the double standard is pretty obvious if we consider the reverse. That is, if Taylor chose Norm over Linc, after everything he and Linc have been through, would we be framing Linc as the victim of some grand betrayal? I genuinely don't think we would, at least not to the extent that we would with Norm. I suppose I'm saying all this, because well as aforementioned I just find there's been a lot of undeserved cynicism towards Taylor, and I think a lot of it does genuinely come from Normal's privileged position within the narrative as its de facto "hero" and what is most convenient for maintaining that image (and when I say "hero", that does include "righteous villains" who "deserve(d) to snap", just so we're clear on that).

Hmmmm I kinda wanna talk about Taylor and Normal as each other's foils but this post is getting a bit long isn't it... *Sigh* Not today, no, not today.

......Okay but still I have to say that if Taylor actually does finally get his "main character moment" I actually think that would be a great opportunity for Norm to acknowledge, reconcile, and learn to cope both with his jealousy and the parts of himself that are self-centered. Conversely, if Taylor does for one reason or another stray a bit too far into the habit of keeping people at arm's length out of fear of abandonment, betrayal, or the like, I think he could learn something from Norm too (having trouble phrasing exactly what I mean here, so perhaps I'll save the full notion for another time!)

So that's... Yeah, I think that's the most important stuff. I debated on sort of elaborating on examples of Norm's major character flaws, but despite everything my intent here was first and foremost to offer a "defense of the other teens" more than anything else. Though I will say that I think there is something to be said about how Normal's self-centeredness gets in the way of his ability to actually help those around him (Grant and Taylor both being great examples in "The Staircase"), how this contrasts with Linc's willingness to actually listen to and figure out what Scary needs in this most recent episode, and accordingly what Normal could potentially learn from Linc about not just choosing the route that's easiest for you.

[andromebaa]

The Big Just the Two of Us Post

In February this year, I started writing a little silly fic for funsies. Well actually, I literally posted a chapter I wrote a year ago on my brand-new AO3 account. I thought, hm, maybe someone might be interested in this? I'm gonna be real with you all - I had literally no plans. Like, none. It was just a one-off chapter. Just a silly concept - what if Kaito and Kokichi got stuck in a simulation? Wouldn't that be hilarious? What kinda silly shenanigans would these two guys get up to? They'd probably just keep killing each other lmao. Nine months and over 140,000 words later, I churned out the longest piece of writing I have ever created. Ever. I'm not even joking.

Did I ever know that my magnum opus was gonna be a horror/sci-fi Oumota fic? No. Am I glad it is? Surprisingly, yes. There is so much I want to say and I don't even know where to begin. Massive shout-out to everyone who has been reading since the beginning. I can't believe you still stuck around even when the fic took like several shocking swerves. All of those kudos and comments meant so much to me too. The actual joy I got every time my comment notification went up by one is a type of euphoria I'll never get over.

Also another shout-out to the people who unbookmarked en masse once it got real messed up I'm so sorry but yeah I totally get it. Trust me I was not expecting it to get so dark lmao. Thanks @theskix for putting up with me talking about this goddamn fic for nine months straight (cheese forgive me) and being a fantastic springboard for ideas (brain fuzzy but I'm pretty sure he's the guy who came up with Miu eating cereal while walking in on them say thank you) Shout out to the concept of Oumota and every single Oumota fan in existence cuz like holy crap apparently people who like scary stuff and suffering just gravitate to these two guys apparently. Like I don't think I can begin to stress that I was never an Oumota fan. This fic turned me into one. I literally cannot stop thinking about them my brain is full of worms (or leeches I'm funni). Now for the fun part - what's coming up next? Well I'm planning on taking a break from any massive projects for the next month and a bit so I can participate in NaNoWriMo. May as well keep riding the train while it's still running, right? Once we get to December, I'm hoping to start the next fic in what I want to call my Dangan Horror trilogy. I'm also wanting to start writing a fic set in the Just the Two of Us universe from Miu's perspective. I may do these both at the same time, but I'll see how I go. I may do some smaller fics from time to time, especially if any fun-looking writing/themed events pop up, but I'll get to those when they occur. As always, my ask box and messages are open so please feel free to ask me anything about Just the Two of Us. I'm happy to give more info on my writing process, inspiration, headcanons, or anything you're dying to know. Thank you so so much for your continued support! It seriously means the world to me and provides me the motivation to continue to write. Until next time! ~ Mosey/Andromebaa

[hotchlove]

Baby Names | Reader X Aaron Hotchner

i take requests! plsss dm me or leave them here if u have anything fun you'd like me to write. it can be angst, anytype of trope, smut, etc. • PLZ NOTE: i ONLY do oneshots. they differ from long to short depending on the character and story. i do not write series! • baby names - 696 words • desc.: - so much fluff!!! - pregnant y/n

• • • • ~ ʚĭɞ ~ • • • • ~ ʚĭɞ ~• • • • ~ ʚĭɞ ~• • • • ~ ʚĭɞ ~ • • • •

i'm on the last trimester of my pregnancy, only two more weeks to my due date. i'm nervous and anxious and scared, sure, but aaron has been so supportive. he's been staying home with me for the past week and will continue doing so till the baby is here. he does go to work when there are emergencies - like special calls, stuff he needs to be there for. which i understand of course, his job is so important. but i'm really glad he can be here for me. it's not easy carrying a child for nine months, alright? but the sight of sweaty, angry aaron whilst struggling to assemble a crib makes it all worth it. "can i help you, honey?" i ask whilst flipping through a baby name book. it's gonna be a baby girl, we found out three months ago at the tiny gender reveal party we hosted together with our family and aaron's team, they are family too. everyone came with gifts, so we didn't really have to buy much for the baby ourselves. not even the crib, dave got us that. i almost jumped up in his arms out of happiness. and now i'm about to jump into aaron's seeing him so sexy assembling it. "no- no, i got it." he exhales, "you found any good names yet?" he asks and grabs his screwdriver. "clementine?" i joke and aaron scrunches his nose, "no, that's too corny." i nod in agreement and flip through more pages. "what about.. priscilla?" aaron freezes and gives me one of those scary profiler looks, "perfect, let's find her an elvis to marry too" he scoffs. i grin and bite my lower lip, "alright, so not priscilla." "halo?" "where are you getting these horrible names from, y/n?" aaron laughs and comes to take a seat next to me, looking over my shoulder into the name book. "horrible? okay then agent, you try." i place the book in his hands and he chuckles, placing a kiss on my cheek then flipping through the pages. "here's a good one," he smiles "genesis." he grins and my mouth parts open.

"help me up, i'm filing for divorce." i tease him and grab his hand to stand up. he laughs, "alright, alright. so not genesis." he grabs me and drags me to sit on his lap. i play with his hair as he continues flipping through the book, "angelina?" aaron mumbles, i nod at first. angelina is cute, it's girly, it's murdery. "that sounds like a serial killers name. next." he scoffs, "seriously? serial killer?" "don't know, you tell me, mr. profiler." "so not angelina." i make a 'hmm' sound, like i'm thinking, when a good name finally pops into my mind, "cora." "hm?" aaron asks and looks at me, closing the book. "cora. what do you think? cora hotchner." i grin and he looks up to the ceiling, like he's trying to convince himself, but then he smiles and nods agreeingly. "cora hotchner," he says, sounding proud. "i love it, honey." his lips touch mine for a brief two seconds. "what about a middle name?" i ask, "i feel like we should give her a middle name, no? you have one, i have one." "sure. but let's do a better job than my parents did." "whaaat? i love yours. benjamin. it fits you." i peck his lips and he shakes his head, "what about grace?" "grace?" i ask. i like it. "grace. means blessing." he places a hand on my round belly, "our little blessing." i smile, "i love when you say goopy stuff." i kiss him and he smiles. "cora grace hotchner." he says like a proud soon-to-be-girldad. "i love it. i love her already. so much." i place my hand on his cheek. "so do i." he looks me in the eyes and his soft gaze melts my heart, "i hope she gets your eyes. if she does, she'll be the most beautiful girl in the entire world. just like her mother." i blush a little as he says that. "i love you, aaron." "i love you too, y/n." he kisses me, then looks down to kiss my stomach, "and you, cora grace."

[seaside-writings]

Hello, hello, all you holly jolly people! It is the first day of my “12 Days of Prompts” event and we're starting off with something a little scary.

Every Christmas season there are two horror movies that my family and I watch over and over again. The first one as you can call see is “Krampus” and the second you’ll see later on!

Krampus is by far one of my favorite Christmas movies, I know that sounds strange, but it’s the truth. I love the monster designs, how the characters a portrayed, and how it still feels more like a Christmas movie than a horror movie, even during some of the actual horror parts. Plus, I like that it doesn’t try and take itself too seriously.

So if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it!

Like always if you do use these prompts please tag me so I can see what you’ve made!

I hope you all stay blessed and safe throughout your day.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays: Celia ❤💚❄⛄🎄

“It started with the wind, on a cold night, much like this,” - “It's Christmas. Nothing bad is going to happen on Christmas!” - "That's what a family is, baby. People you try to be friends with, even when you don't have a lot in common,” - “You're not thinking of going after that snowplow alone, are you?” “A Shepherd's gotta protect his flock,” - “It's the blizzard, honey, nothing's working right now,” - “They can see dust specks on Mars, but no one noticed a giant blizzard hurtling towards us,” “Well, as soon as the power's back, you can write an angry e-mail to the National Weather Service,” - “I would just be calmer if I knew how we were gonna survive Christmas with 12 people stuck in a house with no hot water, no heat, and no electricity,” - “You know, she and I, we butt heads, but I can't imagine life without her,” Yeah, I know what you mean,” _ “And that night, in the darkness of a howling blizzard… I got my wish,” “Oh, lay off of him! The kid deserves a prize for telling the truth!” - “It's just a scratch,” “Oh, my gosh,” “It looks like something bit you.” “Nope! Probably a bear trap under the snow or something,” “We don't have bears here,” - “Dear Santa, I know I haven't been great this year and I'm sorry for that, but I was really hoping you could help out me and my family this Christmas,” - “So, where’s the nog? I need to get merry,” - “Come on, kids, I'm gonna teach you how to make peppermint schnapps,” - "A little sugar, a little spice, makes everything nice." - "I haven't been this hungover since the Pope died." - “But Krampus didn't take me that night… He left me, as a reminder of what happens when hope is lost, when belief is forgotten… and the Christmas spirit dies,” - “They too had given up. And eventually, so did I,” - “What’s she saying?” “This… This is all our fault… he’s come for us all... He?” - “And for the first time, I didn't wish for a miracle, I wished for them to go away… a wish I would come to regret,” - “I'm old enough to know when life is coming at me with its pants down,” - "Listen, why don't we just leave? Right? We can all pile in the truck and we'll just see as far as we can get, and we can pick up-” “The truck's gone,” - “And I just wanna say I’m sorry for… thinking you’re such a spineless dick all these years,” - “Poor bastard must have sailed clear through,” “Looks more like the opposite,” “What’d you mean?” “The glass is punched in,” - “Don't suppose you got me a backup generator for Christmas, did you?” “Yeah, it's under the tree next to your ties and underwear,” - “Blah blah blah. Bullshit, bullshit. Ah, here we go, the wishlist!” - “Enough with the sappy crap, let's open up the damn presents,” - “See? Let them out of your sight for one second, and boom, shotgun wedding,” “Can you not, please,” “Well, you ought to know,” - “What did you see up there?” “You don't wanna know, sweetheart,” "Honey, I just got my ass kicked by a bunch of Christmas cookies, so trust me when I tell you I can take it!" - “It's not starting! It's not starting! Why isn't it starting!?”

“I think our best bet is to stay put, board up all the doors and windows, and as soon as the weather breaks, we'll go find her,”

“Hey, asshole! I take back my wish, I take it all back! Give me back my family!” - “I, um-- I just wanna say thanks for, uh, you know, saving my ass back there,” - “Twisted fairytale horseshit!!” - "I've hunted a lot of game in my day, those are hooves. Big ones too. Could be an elk or a goat,” What kind of goat walks on its hind legs? - “How much ammo do you have?” “A couple shells still loaded, maybe a dozen in my pocket. Why?” - “What? “She said we're screwed,” - “They had forgotten the spirit of Christmas, the sacrifice of giving. And my family was no different,” - “And as he had for thousands of years, Krampus came not to reward, but to punish, not to give, but to take,” - “I tried to help them to believe again, but we were no longer the loving family I remembered,” - “I knew Saint Nicholas was not coming this year. Instead, it was a much darker, more ancient spirit. The shadow of Saint Nicholas. It was Krampus,” - “I just wanted Christmas to be like it used to be, but forget it! I hate Christmas! I hate all of you!” - “Evil Santa? She’ll be yammering about a rabid Easter Bunny come Spring,” - “What are we gonna tell the kids?” “I don't know. The truth?” “Sure, which version of it?” - “Yeah, well, you know-- she always gets a little weird around Christmas,” - “Baby, please don't do this, listen, we can figure something else out,” “This is how I figure things out,” - “You had mom's angel this whole time?” “Yeah, I thought you knew,” “No,” - “It was almost Christmas, but this Christmas was darker, less cheerful. But I still believed in Santa, in magic and miracles, and the hope that we could find joy again,” - “I'm sorry, I just wanted Christmas to be like it used to be,” - “Our village had given up on miracles, and on each other,” - “Remember we used to fight over who got to place her?” “Yeah, you fought dirty, I still have the scars,” “Where do you think my girls get it from?” - “I don't like this,” “Whoever did this is a demented son of a bitch,” - “Come on, come on, please,” “I'm trying! I don't even know how to drive a stick! We have a hybrid! - “The snowplow?” “The keys were in the ignition-” “And it was beat to hell!’ “But if it runs, I drive it back here, and then everyone piles in the car and follows while I clear a path in front of us,” “And go where?” “The mall doubles as an emergency shelter, and if it's empty, we'll try the police station,” “And what if they're gone too?” “Then we keep driving till we see lights or people, plowed road, somewhere safe for the kids,” “And then we bring help back here,” - “I think it's panicking, trying to get outside,” “Well, we boarded everything up,” - “What are you doing? We've got four other kids here to protect,” - “It's not what you do, it's what you believe, and what you've given up," - “I think all this might be my fault,” - “What are we gonna do now?” “We keep the fire hot,” - “Oh, hey, there you are! Hey, kiddo. we thought the sugarplum fairies may have gotten you,” - “Everybody, hold on to each other,” - “Be good,” - “Wow, what's this all about?” “It's nothing just… merry Christmas,” “Merry Christmas to you too, baby,”

[currentlyfckingurmom]

Her Song part 25

"Momma, I don't wanna go. Please don't make me go," Sydney begs in a whisper as the nurses prepare to take her into surgery.

"I know it's scary and I know you don't want to do this, but I need you to be strong okay? You are the bravest person I know, and when you wake up, I'll be  right there with you holding your hand."

"You promise?"

"I promise. Are you ready?"

"Am I gonna be better after I wake up?"

I hesitate. I can't lie, but I can't tell the truth. "You're gonna feel tired, and you might have a little headache. You'll still be a little sick, but you'll be much closer to getting better. Does that make sense?"

"I guess so."

The nurse unlocks the wheels on the bed and I walk with them as they roll Syd down the hall. When we reach the red line beyond which I cannot stay, we pause to say our temporary goodbyes.

"I love you more than anything, Sydney. I'll see you in a few hours, okay?"

"I love you, Mommy. I'll see you soon." I press a gentle kiss to her forehead and they wheel her away. The tears begin to fall softly, but I don't have the energy or the strength to wipe them away.

I trudge to the waiting room where Florence is waiting for me. I sit down next to her and she pulls me into her side, protectively wrapping an arm around me. "She'll be okay," Flo states quietly. "She has to be."

I say nothing in response.

TWO HOURS IN

Flo leans forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her knees and staring holes in the carpeted floor. I sit next to her, bouncing my knee up and down and constantly checking the screen in the corner for updates.

But there's nothing. I know there won't be, but I keep checking anyway. They said it would take at least four hours, and I've already grown impatient.

There's a loose thread on the chair I sit in. It's pissing me off.

THREE AND A HALF HOURS IN

I'm growing impossibly anxious now, biting my nails as I pace back and forth in front of Florence's chair. She could be done surgery soon. Or she might not. Hell, she might not even make it off the table.

No, I can't think that. That can't happen.

Florence grabs my arm to stop my pacing. She doesn't say anything. She doesn't need to. Her face says it all.

FIVE HOURS IN

I have to know what's happening. Why is it taking so long? Why isn't she done yet? Did something go wrong? Is she going to make it? Is she going to be the same kid she was before?

Why is it taking so long?

My phone vibrates. I was going to ignore it, but it keeps vibrating. It's the group chat.

Lizzie: Are you alive? I haven't heard from you in forever. How are things with Flo? Scarlett: Yeah, seriously Did you fall off the face of the Earth?

Me: Sorry, everything's been hectic lately. I've been at the hospital. Syd has cancer. Florence has been here with me.

The typing bubbles pop up and disappear several times.

Scarlett: What hospital are you at? Me: Why? Lizzie: Just tell us Me: NY Presbyterian

SIX HOURS IN

The door to the waiting room bursts open and my head instinctively snaps up. Scarlett and Lizzie storm in with their faces flushed, as if they had just run a marathon.

Lizzie mutters an 'I'm so sorry' and Scarlett says that everything will be okay, but nobody says anything else. They sit down next to me and we wait in silence.

SEVEN HOURS IN

I rub my temples to try and calm the ache that's built up over the hours. I hear my name called, and I look up to see Dr. Shepherd standing there looking at me.

I jump up and stand in front of her. "Is she okay?"

Dr. Shepherd breathes deeply. "There were a few complications, which is why it took so much longer than expected..." She gently grabs my hand. "We'll need to watch for any speech impairments but she should be awake in a few hours."

"She's alive?" I breathe.

"She's alive. Come on, I'll take you to her."

I let out a watery laugh but hesitate. I turn around, knowing that we won't all be allowed in post-op. I meet Florence's ready eyes and she mouths 'go.'

I nod my head in a silent thank you.

THREE HOURS LATER

Scarlett, Lizzie, Florence, and I sit around Syd's bed in the hospital room, waiting for her to wake up. I hold Florence's hand tightly, and Lizzie smiles slightly when she sees it.

Syd's face scrunches up and she begins to mumble something incoherent. I lean forward and take hold of her hand.

"M...Maman? Où suis-je? J'ai mal à la tête." Mom? Where am I? My head hurts.

"Tu es à l'hôpital. Pourquoi parles-tu français?" You are at the hospital. Why are you speaking French?

"Je ne parle pas français." I'm not speaking French.

"Florence, can you go get the doctor?" I ask quietly.

"I'm going."

Scarlett and Lizzie exchange worried looks as I rub Syd's hand. She looks so small. Her head is wrapped in white bandages. Her eyes are glossy and tired. She continues to mumble to herself, blinking groggily.

Dr. Shepherd walks in with Florence close behind. "What's going on?" Dr. Shepherd asks.

"I don't know. She woke up and started speaking French. She thinks she's speaking English."

Dr. Shepherd checks Syd's pupils and heartbeat as she speaks. "But she understands you? And she's speaking clearly?"

"Yes. But she's speaking French."

"We're obviously not out of the woods yet," she says, looking at me, "but this is good. Better than I expected. Your daughter is a fighter, Y/N."

"Non, je suis sataniste," Syd mumbles. No, I'm a satanist.

~

I hope you know, As I wait, I suffocate

[tsaritsa]

tagged by @fullmetalscullyy, @firewoodfigs and @littlewitchbee for the greatest hits of 2023. ty all for the tag!!! i admit, it did take me a little bit to think of 10 diff things that i found good, so a new addendum to my usual 5 new years resolutions is to make a point of noting down these good things, lest they be lost to the ether like the others haha

my beloved eri came to visit me and it was such a joy to welcome her into my home and just talk and gossip. we got to feed penguins!!! i got to show her the milky way!!!! we got drunk and watched hunger games with emma. i'm so blessed to have friends that are so dear i want them to come crash at mine and i want more of these sorts of things to happen (as best we all can in a cost of living crisis lmaooo).

speaking of friends, i'm pleased to say that i was able to grow my small group of friends -- online and off -- to slightly-less-small! y'all know who you are, and i'm grateful to each and every one of you <333

i got a lot of tattoos. they're dope. my artist is like my tumblr feed personified. she just Gets It.

i built my own pc!!! it was a very scary and intimidating process, but she runs baldurs gate 3 like a CHAMP. (anything for my astarion).

i successfully finished nano, and now this month i'm basically doing another nano as i try to finish up this new fic. i cannot believe that i've broken 100k words and i'm STILL not done. maybe with a 150k draft i'll have a story in a coherent plotline (doubtful. i waffle a lot. rip moobeam who promised she'd edit it for me).

i've also gotten back into reading fiction a little more seriously -- entirely because of emma, but i am very grateful for her reccomendations. there's a few of us doing a bookclub and i cannot wait to have a discussion this month when we're all at the halfway mark!!! it's gonna be lit.

in other real life stuff, i worked really hard to build up my savings. hopefully 2024 will bring more money to me, or at least i'll get a better handle on my spending. (she says, despite booking flights and holidays HAHAH).

part of that ethos was investing in pieces of clothing/accessories that would stand the test of time, and i want to continue these kinds of purchases into the new year. i think the next big purchase for me will be a replacement pair of leather boots -- my current ones are getting towards the end of their life with the inner sole.

despite working full time, i also completed two seperate courses for study! one was directly related to work, but the other was for purely personal pleasure: an introductory course for tikanga māori. the next step of the tikanga course wasn't avail for me this year, so instead i've signed up for night classes for te reo māori instead. i want to incoporate more reo into my work and feel more confident in conversations, so this was a natural step. i've also got another work-related course on my plate too, so i will be a very busy bee for 2k24 hehe.

in 2023 my health had to take a bit of a backseat but in the last few months i was able to get back on top of it! this year is already off to a great start for me: i'm getting back down to a more comfortable weight, my strength is still improving, and my mental health and sleep hygiene are feeling more... within my control??? i've sorted out my priorities a bit there. turns out living on 4 hours of sleep on the regular isn't healthy lmfao

tagging @beesbeesdragons, @mountainhaunt, @liquorisce, @soufflegirl, and @dairogo -- only if y'all want to!

[quaranmine]

Utah Resident here- I’ve lived p much my whole life in Utah, and nearly every summer here has had one bad fire or another. I have vivid memories of watching smoke billow over the tops of the mountains I lived next to, or driving past massive columns of the stuff while on the way to a trip in southern Utah (we lived in the north, but have a cabin in the south and visited frequently). The Brian Head fire was just over the mountain from our little cabin, and I remember having to leave a trip there a few days early for fear of our whole campground being overtaken by the fire. There were a lot of evacs that year, and a lot of the trees on the north side of the Brian Head Ski Resort are still charred black from where the fire hit the worst.

There was another time a few years later, back in Utah valley this time, where we had to evacuate for a night bc the mountain that was just behind our house caught fire. It was much smaller, and the evac wasn’t official, but it still scared me. The fire had gotten under control before it really took hold thankfully, but it really scared me at the time.

There were another two massive fires that happened at the south end of Utah Valley, near Nephi and on the west side of the lake. They happened on separate years but I have vivid memories of both- even a picture floating around somewhere of my little brother and I watching the west lake one burn from a healthy distance.

Not to mention all the days I’ve seen where the sky was completely clouded over with smoke from massive fires in California. It was terrifying to wake up to the smell of smoke and a gray fog that persisted for days, covering up the sun enough you could look directly at it without hurting your eyes.

I’ve seen…. So much fire, and I’m not even that old (early 20’s). I’m thankful most of these fires were put out within a couple of days/weeks, but I think these kinds of fires always gonna be part of living here tbh.

OUGH i'm so sorry you had these experience but also so many of these experiences. you need a break! that sounds so scary!

anyway i looked up the Brian Head Fire and HELLO??? I DID NOT KNOW THIS WAS A THING????

Unbeknownst to Lyman, the fire he started wasn’t just burning the pile of branches above the surface of the ground, it was also spreading underground, creeping through what’s known as duff, a thin layer of composting organic material just above the mineral soil. Lyman said he noticed the “weird looking” burn, which he described as “kind of a drippy burn, like oil or kerosene.”

(source) i've unlocked a new fear lol. no but seriously, despite doing sort of research on the subject for a few months now, I didn't know until I looked up the fire in your ask that fires could burn underground. Even when I googled it, I got a lot of articles about coal seams burning, which I did know about. But I found this article out of Canada that explains the phenomenon well. Basically: "When this happens, it's because there are just enough tiny spaces in the soil and between pieces of wood material to hold oxygen and keep the combustion going. These fires can smoulder metres below the surface."

Fascinating. Some fires can survive the winter like this and pop back up the next season and keep burning.

Anyway, I'm sorry you've had to experience so many fires. I think you are right, though, that fires are always going to be part of living there. Utah is geologically, geographically, and ecologically part of the region that experiences wildfire as a regular part of its natural life. There's a lot of dry montane forests, basin brushland/plains, etc. Now, humans certainly exacerbate this in more ways than one. Humans can cause out of control wildfires through negligence or arson, and humans can more indirectly impact wildfire prevalence through climate change. As the seasons get hotter and dryer, the more severe and common fires might be. But yeah, fires in general cannot (and should not) be eliminated completely. So fire management is a complex task in order to balance natural ecology with (unnatural/extensive) human impact.

in other news, big fan of your state's geography and nature by the way. utah is devastatingly beautiful and i haven't seen enough of it! i also headcanon utah to be basically the same environment as the badlands biome in minecraft, and therefore base my headcanons about Tumble Town in ESMP2 off of it.

[duhragonball]

Goku’s Fire Brigade

Folks, it’s the 2023 Dragon Apocrypha Liveblog, and it’s starting right here, right now!  

If you’re familiar with this blog, I liveblogged all of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z in 2019.  Naturally, a few people asked if I would be doing GT and/or Super next, but I had to tell ‘em no, because I just didn’t have the time or motivation to extend it out that far.  Later, I sat down and counted out all the specials and extra stuff and things like that, and as it turns out, when you add it all up, you get a pretty big chunk of material.   Not as big as DB(Z) but comparable to it. So I decided that it needed to be a separate liveblog for a whole other year, and that year has arrived!

I don’t want to give away everything I’ll be covering, but rest assured that Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super will be a part of it.   Beyond that, this is mainly a chance for me to sit down and check out a few things that I’ve never watched before.  And so I’m gonna start things off with Goku’s Fire Brigade, a public service video from 1988.  There’s another one about traffic safety, and as far as I can tell, they both aired on the same day, so I have no idea which one came first.   But this one has fire in it, so it seems like a better choice to kick things off.

Since it’s New Year’s Day, let’s set the mood with some cool music.

Okay, so this is a ten minute video that you can probably find on YouTube just as easily as I did, but here’s the story: Goku hates fire.  I don’t mean he’s afraid of it like Frankenstein, I mean Goku’s gonna kick fire’s ass.  This video opens with a couple of kids setting off fireworks on a playground, and one of them falls over where Goku is doing martial arts stuff.   He sees it and quickly stomps on it to put it out.  Then he notices...

OH SHIT.   Yeah, another firecracker fell into a wastebasket and ignited all the trash.  Luckily, Goku just pounces over a bush with a bucket of water, and dumps it all over the can to put it out. 

Then Goku lectures the two kids about fire safety.  I really thought this would be a boring little PSA, but I am blown away by Goku’s all-business approach to this role.  When we first see him, he’s just wearing his fighting clothes and doing his usual training stuff, so he’s the same character we know, but in this world, when it comes to fire, it’s on sight.  Goku’s not here to clown around, which is aces with me, because I love me some Serious Goku.

Let’s go over all of Goku’s advice, because some of you may need to know this stuff.  Hell, I bet some of you are on fire right now. Look, I’m flattered that you want to read this, but seriously, stop, drop and roll.  Those of you who are not currently on fire, consider the following fireworks advice:

Have an adult present.

Prepare a bucket of water.

Do it in a spacious area, not on a crowded playground where you’re liable to hit Goku with one of those damn things.

Don’t set off fireworks near flammable things, like that trash can from a minute ago.

The kids wonder how Goku is so knowledgeable about fire safety, and he explains that he’s with the town’s fire brigade.  Today’s his day off, but fire never takes a day off, as we learn when we hear sirens in the distance.  Turns out Goku’s buddies are responding to a blaze in another part of town. 

Turns out this fire was caused by the father of the household falling asleep in his chair while smoking.   The kids observe that cigarette butts can be scary, but Master Roshi points out that there are plenty of other things that can cause fires, like forgetting to shut off a stove burner or an iron, children’s mischief, or even being careless with fireworks.   The kids are still embarrassed about that one.

That night, they read the riot act to their parents, who smoke in bed and neglect to shut of the gas valve on the stove.  Goku’s no-nonsense attitude is rubbing off on them.

The next day, we check in on Bulma, who is rocking a hot pink shirt with neon green pants.  Wait, this isn’t Capsule Corp., what’s going on here?

She has a cat in this apartment, which she calls “Tama”, just like the black cat Dr. Brief has in the main show, but this one looks different.  It’s like they redesigned Puar to look more like a regular cat. 

I should pause here to discuss the continuity here.  This video aired on June 8, 1988, the same day as Episode 115 of the Dragon Ball anime.  That would be the one where Goku and Yajirobe set out to find the sacred water Goku would use to increase his strength to defeat King Piccolo.  So the characters in this video look a lot like they do in the King Piccolo saga, but obviously the details don’t line up.  This isn’t West City and it’s not clear that Bulma even knows the others.  It’s more like a dramatization with the DB cast performing their assigned roles. 

So Bulma’s in her apartment cooking breakfast, when she steps away to feed her cat.  That’s a bad move, but it gets worse because an earthquake suddenly hits, and she slips on the cat food and hits her head on the way down. 

And Bulma didn’t close the lid on the bottle of cooking oil she left on the counter, so the earthquake causes it to spill onto the stove, where it ignites. 

Fortunately for Bulma, those same two kids are passing by on their way to school, and they know to call 119.  I should point out that the translator’s note in this screenshot isn’t entirely accurate.  I looked it up, and while 119 is an emergency services number in Japan, it’s only for fire and ambulance services. For the police, you have to dial a different number, 110.

Here’s a cool shot of Krillin to the rescue, but it turns out the ladder on his fire truck isn’t long enough to reach Bulma’s apartment, so Goku steps in and uses the Nyoibo.

He joins Bulma on the balcony and tells her to climb on the pole while he saves her cat.   There’s a dirty joke in there somewhere but I can’t be bothered.

Speaking of dirty jokes, Master Roshi is very excited to catch Bulma on her way down.  Because she is a pretty lady, and catching a person is sort of like fondling them for like a second.  How does he even know she’s pretty?  He couldn’t have possibly seen her from all the way up there.

Anyway, Yamcha shoves him aside and makes the catch instead.  Kind of looks like Bulma might have broken her neck there, but this is a video about fire safety, not how to catch people.

As for Bulma’s cat, Goku finds it and just jumps out of the apartment and onto Krillin’s ladder, like a badass. 

Then he helps put out the fire.  I really like this shot of him with the hose. 

Once the day is saved, Bulma is told to be more careful, and the kids thank Goku for his help the other day, but the others weren’t there for that firecracker incident, so they have no idea what they’re talking about.  And the kids are too embarrassed about it to explain, so Goku just has a laugh to himself.

After that, we get an outro which is just “Mystical Adventure” with different vocals.  The lyrics have been modified to include fire safety tips, and there’s clips from this video interspersed with the usual OP animation. 

And that’s all.  Not a whole lot to this one, but it turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected.   Next, we’ll tackle the traffic safety one, but I gotta say, the bar has been set awfully high...

[marthawrites]

Yelling about my September reads now! My general spoiler free thoughts below the cut ♥

His Black Tongue: When I first jumped into this I didn't realize it was short stories! I love short stories though. The first one was DEFINITELY my favorite by far. I was really hoping the next "part" would be a continuation of it because whoa - it gave me chills. It was very much religion based, but with the horror of vampires and demons on top of it. UHM, YES PLEASE. Overall I enjoyed the wording, style, and atmosphere of this author. If short stories and creepy vibes are your thing, I recommend this (esp the first story, but the rest are pretty good too!)

The Ritual: This book was turned into a movie and I've been meaning to watch it forever! So when I saw the book pop up I knew I had to give it a read. Started off, imo, really good, then there was a lot of bullshit in the middle, and it ended WILD. I'm not too familiar with British slang and stuff, but the way the author wove it into the dialogue in this was so much fun! I did watch the movie after reading, and I think it was a good adaptation of the book! If creepy, unsettling, deranged cult members in the middle of BFE woods is your thing, check this out!!

Blood and Steel: I can't remember where I saw this book/series recommended, but I'm so glad I started it. The world building, lore, and style is great! Sexual tension (and tension in general) is my JAM and this DELIVERS. I dove right into the 2nd and 3rd after finishing this one

Vows and Ruins: Second book following the above. Loved it! Tbh I wasn't expecting it to get so "spicy" (smutty, who are we joking), so that was a little surprising. I feel like the spice became repetitive and I think it would have hit better all around if there was less of it. BUT overall it was an awesome story! Kip and Cal are a blast!! The banter between them and Althea (the main character) is chefs kiss. Seriously

Fate and Furies: Third book to the two above! This story keeps getting better and better. Wilder (the main male character) is complex and seeing his character unfold is so much fun. He has lots of cards up his sleeve and I love all the surprises! There's one more book to this series and I'm not sure if I'm ready to say bye to them yet!

Stolen Tongues: I've seen this book EVERYWHERE so I had to finally give it a read. AND WOW IT'S FREAKY. It started off SO FREAKING GOOD. What is it with horror/thrillers having weird endings though? Ugh. Apparently this book started off as a reddit thread and it does read like a reddit thread. Imo it got repetitive and the characters could have been... better? more well written? more well rounded? i guess? Idk, I try to not put spoilers in these, but some of the characters who have no rhyme or reason to be STUPID end up being very stupid and it was... a challenge. For me, personally. But overall spooky book with some SCARY shit. If you wanna get freaked out and maybe sleep with the lights on (or an extra nightlight), check this out!

We Used To Live Here: Again. This started off really good. Then the ending??? Really? That ending? Idk man... I wanted to love it - and I still want to love it - but THAT ENDING? It gave me a hundred more questions and almost NOTHING was answered UGH. I really hope there will be a second book or something because WHOA. All I'm gonna say is if anyone came to me house and said "hey I used to live here and I'd really love to show my family where I grew up. Can we come in? It'll be 15 minutes tops. Promise." I would have said "NO." And closed the door. That's it. The end. This book had me STRESSED