#Dude I remember seeing this as a kid and having no clue who this was lmao

[spence-whore]

Hii!! I don’t know if you take requests but if you do can you do a enemies to lovers fic with spencer? I would love if the person was best friends with Courtney too!

Summer Games

Spencer Agnew x Reader

A/N please keep in mind while reading this, I have no fucking clue how far things are in California from their office. I was just writing this as if they were traveling to somewheres that’s a good six to seven hours from where they usually locate for work. They wanted to pick up supplies and outfits for the videos but the shopping outlet that had everything they wanted was hours from where they were headed to. Also, I do not see Spencer as a dick lmao this honestly doesn’t match his personality from what we see. I don’t know if this is really an enemies to lovers but i hope this did your request justice <3 this one is a lil spicy, it alludes to smut but there isn’t smut.

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It was that time of year again that everyone loved. The entire office would make a trip out to a certain location and film the most out of pocket challenges for the Summer Games. This year they were all headed out to Bonnie Springs Ranch. Before heading there, they were all making a pit stop for the night and staying at a hotel because they all didn’t have the time to get some stuff from the stores. Their idea was that it would be easier to stay somewhere close to a shopping outlet than to go there then have to travel far the next day, to go to the store. You thought maybe, just maybe, you would get lucky and get to ride with Courtney, Olivia, Shayne, and Keith but nope. You were currently in the process of getting your stuff together, to be stuck in a car with Spencer and only Spencer.

“This will give you two the chance to talk everything out, you know?” You heard a voice say from behind you. You glanced around to see Courtney standing there, arms crossed, staring at you. You knew she was right but you did not want to admit that.

“I just don’t understand how I got stuck with him.” You said, turning around to face her. “Why couldn’t we have taken a car with someone else? Why do I have to get stuck with him and nothing else but camera equipment.”

Courtney just laughed and shook her head, “Why do you hate him so badly? He genuinely is not a bad guy. He is actually really funny and really sweet.” You just snorted and shook your head right back at her. “Okay, Court, I love you to death but you gotta remember, everyone loves you. You are such a sweetheart and so nice to everyone. So, of course, you have nothing but positive experiences with him. He just hates me and is rude towards me. I don’t know what it is.”

Little did you know, Trevor and Damien were currently having a similar conversation with Spencer.

“Dude, just admit that you have feelings for them. If you do, it will make your life so much easier.” Trevor said while spinning around in an office chair.

“I don’t have feelings for them. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Spencer said while gathering his stuff into his bookbag.

Damien scoffed and in a mocking tone said, “I don’t have feelings for them. Spencer, Brennan literally sat and showed me like five photos where you were looking at her like you were a child in a Lego store.”

“I just don’t understand how I got stuck with them. I literally said I would help with the vlogs on the way there.” Spencer explained, ignoring what Damien said.

“You’re gonna be real pissed whenever you hear the sleeping arrangements at the hotel.” Spencer heard from Shayne, who was approaching the conversation. No one knew who booked the rooms exactly but Spencer had a feeling that it was Ian. Ian had been on his back about admitting his feelings towards a certain someone. He had knew before Shayne had even said it.

“Please tell me you’re fucking kidding me.” Spencer said, flopping down into his office chair.

Back at your desk, Courtney and Angela, who had now joined the mix, were helping you grab your bags to put into your car. Angela was going on about how excited her and Amanda were to be apart of one of the summer games that the fans love so much.

The three of you were walking down the hall as you approach an elevator, you heard talking coming from the hall to the left of you. You glance over to see Trevor and Spencer walking and talking with bags in their hands.

“Can I please just get one break before this long car ride?” You mumbled to yourself as they got closer.

“Oh, uh, I’ll just another elevator.” You heard Spencer tell Trevor before they turned around and walked off.

“Y/N. You and him just need to make out and get it over with already.” Angela blurted out. This comment caught you so off guard and caused Courtney to lose it while walking into the elevator.

The three of you made it out of the building and made it over to your car before Spencer and Trevor arrived. The three of you were loading stuff into the car while making small talk before two cars pulled around to pick up Angela and Courtney.

“Please don’t kill each other.” Courtney whispered as she pulled you into a hug and gave you a soft smile.

You just went ahead and got into the car and waited on Spencer to get down there. A few minutes passed by and you hear two voices going on about some video game that was coming out soon.

“And yeah, they are supposed to have-“ One of the voice cut off and you realized it was because they noticed you were in the car and were waiting for you to pop the trunk.

“Oh, sorry.” You yelled back to the guys behind the car.

Spencer, Trevor, and Damien stood there putting a couple of bags into the trunk then filled the back seat with different bags of camera stuff, different laptops, and random supplies that had already been bought.

“Well, I suppose this is where we leave you two. Please don’t murder each other. Become like best friends or something at the end of this car ride.” You heard Damien say as he approached your window. He placed his hand on your shoulder and gave you a soft smile. “Drive safe, remember text if you have to make any stops or if there is anything wrong.”

Spencer got into the passenger seat and didn’t say anything to you. He just buckled in and sat back.

“Uh, you can play music if you want.” You whispered, awkwardly nodding towards his phone.

An hour passed by and the car ride was not that bad. The two of you had listened to some music till Spencer had fallen asleep. You were in an area where there wasn’t any traffic. You decided to grab Spencer’s phone to pause the music then turn on The Basement Yard’s new episode on Spotify. You glanced over at Spencer and he honestly looks kind of cute.

“What the fuck am I thinking?” You whispered to yourself and took a sip of your monster. “I’m just getting tired.”

The Basement Yard was only ten minutes in before you were losing it. You were having to constantly cover your mouth, trying to not laugh really loudly.

You heard stirring from beside you and could see Spencer sitting up slowly in his seat. “What are we listening to?” Spencer asked while rubbing at his eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I woke you up. It’s the Basement Yard,” You tapped your phone and held it up to show him. “If you want, I can disconnect this and you can go back to playing music.”

He shook his head no while grabbing his Mountain Dew Kickstart. “It’s okay, you didn’t wake me up. We can listen to the rest of this episode. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them before.”

There was something lingering in the air once he woke up. It went from really relaxing to really tense and awkward. It’s like the elephant of the two of yours relationship was sitting in the backseat.

Thirty more minutes had passed by and you couldn’t handle it. You just wanted to ask the question that had been lying on your chest. You just leaned forward, grabbed your phone, and paused the episode.

“Why do you hate me?” You asked bluntly before glancing over at Spencer.

Spencer looked like he had been shot at and was just staring at you blankly. He was quiet for a minute before speaking up, “I don’t hate you.”

All you could do was laugh. “That’s pretty funny because you are so nice to everyone else at the office. You crack jokes with everyone and everyone has nothing but nice things to say about you. You avoid me at all costs.”

Spencer took a big chug of his Mountain Dew Kickstart before turning in his seat to face you. “It’s because you honestly infuriate the shit out of me sometimes.” He says while staring at you, again with a blank expression.

“Please, tell me how I make you mad. If I’m being quite honest, I have been nothing polite to you till I got tired of your shit.” You said with a scoff and turning your head to make sure there was no traffic coming before making a turn.

“How in the hell could you not make me angry?” Spencer said before laughing. “You’re little miss perfect. Everyone in the office loves you. You could never do anything wrong. Hell, even the fans are absolutely obsessed with you.”

You were on a straight shot road, so you just turned your head to stare at him for a few seconds before shaking your head. “Little miss perfect? Seriously? Do I need to tell you how many times I hear about how much everyone loves you at the office? Don’t get me wrong, you are good at your job but oh my fucking god. It is praise after praise from everyone.”

Spencer just laughed before shaking his head and grabbing your phone. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Just keep driving.” He said and continues to podcast episode.

A few hours passed by and finally, you were approaching the hotel you all were staying at for the night. The second you pulled in, you jumped out of the car to see Courtney and Shayne standing by their car talking.

“Oh my god, hey you two didn’t kill each other!” You hear Courtney shout from across the parking lot. You just grabbed your bags and quickly walked towards them to head inside.

“Yeah, well I’m about to fucking wring his neck.”

You got inside and grabbed your key to your head then headed up the elevator. Before the door could close, Tommy and Ian were stepping in.

“How was your car ride?” Tommy asked with an innocent smile on his face.

“Oh, me and him are just absolutely besties now!” You said in a sarcastic tone and gave Tommy and Ian a fake smile.

“Hopefully it wasn’t too bad because you two share a room.” Ian said before giving you a soft smile and stepping out on his floor.

It was just you and Tommy left in the elevator as it went up a few more floors. “If it gets bad between you two tonight, you can always come to my room.” Tommy offered and placed his hand on your arm, giving it a soft squeeze.

“It’s just so tiring because I don’t understand why he hates me.” You said giving him a frown.

“Sweetheart, maybe you need to take a moment to think about why it bothers you so much.” He said before giving you a knowing look.

You would never admit it out loud but you had feelings for the person he is whenever he isn’t around you. How could you not? You see how he is with everyone whenever you aren’t in the room. He is always so happy and laughing. God, his laugh was like music to your ears. He is such a beautiful man. He is just so nice to look at. Whenever you enter the room, it’s like seeing a little kid who had their favorite toy taken away.

You and Tommy stepped out on the hotel floor and gave each other polite goodbyes before heading towards your rooms on the opposite sides of the hall.

You entered the room, looked around, then decided to get settled in for the night. There were two seperate beds and a bathroom. You placed your bags onto the bed you planned on sleeping on then grabbed your stuff you needed to shower. You figured Spencer wouldn’t be there for a while, so you would just grab your clothes whenever you were finished. You were wrong though.

A few minutes into you showering, Spencer entered the room and just flopped down on his bed. He laid there for a few minutes before sitting up and scooting to the top of the bed and got on his phone. Neither you or him knew the kind of night that was ahead.

You turned the shower off and dried off, standing there for a few minutes to see if you ever heard anything. “I guess he’s sleeping in another room or staying with someone till late as possible.” You whispered to yourself while wrapping your towel around you. You grabbed the door handle and swung the door open to see Spencer sitting on his bed, scrolling through an app.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t think to grab my clothes cause I didn’t think you would come straight here.” You said awkwardly apologizing while stepping out of the bathroom. You quickly shuffled to your bag to grab your pajamas for the night.

“Why did you think I wasn’t coming here? This is my room too, you know.” Spencer said, glaring over at you.

All you could do was laugh, “I’m not arguing with you while I’m naked Spencer. Can we actually have a civil conversation for once and figure this the fuck out?” You were so tired of him throwing hateful comments your way.

He didn’t say anything, so you went back into the bathroom to change into your clothes.

Little did you know, Spencer wasn’t saying anything because he was fighting not telling you why he couldn’t stand being in a room with you for more than a minute.

“Okay, can we please just talk about this?” You said turning the corner and sitting atop your bed.

Spencer felt like he couldn’t breathe. You irritated the shit out of him but god, there was something about the way you looked right now that was making him melt. The way your hair looked pushed back out of your face, the way your sweatpants hugged your hips yet were so baggy, the way your shirt was so baggy. You just looked so soft and comfortable. He was fucked.

“I’m really not in the mood to talk about this right now, Y/N.” Spencer said before rolling over and turning the light off that was sat on the table beside his bed.

Something just snapped in you and you started tearing up. You don’t know why but god, it made you feel like an idiot. “I just want to know what I did to you, Spencer.” You whispered trying to not start sobbing. You noticed whenever you said this, his entire body tensed up. “It’s so stupid but I have this thing where I want everyone’s approval. I know I shouldn’t care if someone doesn’t like me. I guess it’s just tied to my trauma or whatever.”

He turned around slowly on his side and he had some hesitation in his movement. He just pushed himself up and stared at you. The look on his face just made you ramble even more.

“I have never felt good enough for people. So, I put on this huge persona. I guess you could compare it to masking. I feel like I have to be this upbeat, perfect person that is never allowed to be tired or depressed. I always think maybe my personality will make up for my looks because I absolutely hate myself. Maybe if I always make others laugh or smilie, they’ll overlook my weight or my hair or-“ Spencer cut you off by laughing and you felt like a complete idiot.

“Do you realize how stupid you are?” Whenever he said this, it felt like someone stuck a knife into your chest. “Shit, I worded that so badly. You are not stupid. You’re actually one of the smartest people I know.” He started to stand up from his spot and come towards you, “Is it okay if I sit here?” He said softly, pointing to a spot beside you.

At this point, it was like the damn in you broke. You couldn’t stop crying. It was like seeing you cry made that spot soften up so much for you in him.

“I don’t hate you. I should’ve just swallowed my pride and just talked to you.” Spencer whispered before laughing.

“You don’t have to lie, Spencer. I don’t blame you for avoiding me and never talking to me. I’m literally the most obnoxious person. I’m just always so ov-“

Spencer didn’t think. He just grabbed your face and kissed you. You didn’t kiss him back, you just froze. You never thought there was at any point in this world he would do something like that.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have done that.” Spencer said standing up really quickly and grabbing his jacket off his bed.

You jumped up really fast and grabbed his wrist before he could run. “Please don’t leave me.” You whispered. You couldn’t get any other word out than that. He just stared at you for a minute before talking. “I think I’ve avoided you all of this time because I never wanted to admit to myself how in love I am with you, you know? I thought maybe if I avoided you, I wouldn’t have to face these feelings and deal with the potential heartbreak of getting rejected.” He said as he sat slowly on his bed with you still holding onto his wrist.

“Wait, what did you just say?” It was like your brain shut off the second you heard him say, “how in love I am with you.”

He started to repeat himself but he stopped talking because you couldn’t stop laughing. He was just staring at you like you were crazy. You were stood in front of him, just cracking up, still holding onto his wrist. You let it go and just stepped closer to him, between his thighs. He stared up at you with this confused look.

“Spencer?” You asked, still giggling.

“Yes?” He responded, scared of where this conversation was about to go.

“You’re telling me, we have avoided each other for years because we both started to develop feelings for each other. We acted like literal school children and became hateful towards each other because we have feelings for each other.” You explained still chuckling over the situation.

“Wait, excuse me?” Spencer asked leaning back a little to look up at you with this bewildered look.

You just did the only thing you could think of and that you wanted to do. You slowly tested the waters, placing one knee on one side of his thigh and looked at him. He realized what you were doing and his hand immediately went to the side of your thigh. You placed your hand on his chest and pushed him back on the bed before placing your other knee on the other side of his thigh.

“Say the word and I’ll stop.” You whispered looking down at him.

“Please don’t.” He responded, leaning upwards to wrap his hands around your neck and pulled you down on top of him.

Hours passed by and before you knew it, it was morning.

You were woke up to your alarm going off and you slowly sat up in your bed. “Noooo.” You hear a voice groggily say beside you before you pulled back down.

Spencer was immediately glued to your side and stuck his face onto the side of your neck, placing soft kisses down your neck and down to your collarbone.

You reached over to your phone while giggling, trying to push him on. The second your phone hit your hand, it started blowing up with notifications.

It flashed and all you saw was a text from Courtney

Courtbort

when i said become friends, i didn’t mean keep us up all night banging LMAO

[restinslices]

I hope you feel better soon (from ur posts about ur health). Could I request for Bi-Han with a 'Genius' daughter? Basically she has extremely high intelligence, can create artificial life (despite it not lasting long) and is an exceptional strategist.

Thanks for the well wishes! Hope you enjoy!

Bi-Han takes great pride in being a Lin Kuei, so just imagine how much pride he takes when his own child is a genius-

Bi-Han would definitely push his daughter when it comes to certain skills, so I think he'd catch on to her having high intelligence rather quickly

Notices that every challenge he gives her, she passes easily

We saw that there's a whole hologram type of area, plus there's already suits being created so there must be an area for that aswell

His daughter prefers to spend a lot of time there, and I think that's what would clue him in that something's going on in that brain of her's

He has her working with Sektor and observes very closely

"Impressed" isn't a strong enough word to describe how he feels

"Proud" doesn't scratch the surface either

How many people can say they have a genius child? One that can create artificial life? One that's an exceptional strategist? Some of these kids can't even read at their grade level-

No tea no shade, but if she's not his first child, he's making her the heir to the Lin Kuei anyway

Y'all remember how he complimented Sektor? He'd do the same to his daughter

"The improvements you've made to the suits have not gone unnoticed, daughter. Your intelligence is a blessing to all. I am proud to be your father"

Ik Bi-Han is this very tough dude who's hard on people but y'all gonna try and convince me he's not making his approval known?

Especially after the shit he's dealt with when it comes to different views with his dad and brothers, a daughter making his life easier is what he needs fr

I can see him watching her work on whatever it is even if he has no idea what's going on

This video is their dynamic

I think it's easy to be like "oh he'd be jealous of his daughter because he wants to have her intelligence and bring the Lin Kuei up in the world!"

No

I don't see it like that

I mean damn, Sektor is smarter than him when it comes to mechanical shit. He didn't seem jealous or angry. He was impressed and applauded her intelligence

There's just no way he's being a salty bitch towards his daughter.

"Your kid doesn't know the difference between their they're and there. My daughter builds android butterflies. We are not the same"

He wouldn't say it like that, but you get my point

All I see is a very proud dad. He has no idea why she's so damn smart but he's not complaining. I see a lot of admiring what she does and letting her put in her two cents when it comes to plans, which is something he does NOT let just anybody do

"I don't have a favorite child!" *only has her pictures on the wall*

Gods forbid he has other kids-

But this is a fluff ask so we will not be getting into that :D

[ghost-bxrd]

Hello. In the final end notes of ‘What You’re Longing For (you claim to abhor)’ you mention the goons picking up the wrong clues from the Entire Mess of the final chapter. Is there any chance you’d be willing to expand more on that?

Additionally, I find myself curious: in the time after the fic, would Talia ever kidnap Jason for a bit of family bonding time(probably murdering dudes in the middle of nowhere or something, but still.)

Thank you for your time,

Desire

Hi! I’m not sure if this is a follow up request you’d like to feature in Ghost Stories so I’ll just list some of my thoughts here 💚

So Dave, Jones and McKenzie are a very very tight knit little group that established itself after being hired by the Red Hood. Despite working as goons, they each have their own moral compass that perfectly aligns with Hood’s rules. Consequently, they ended up being Jason’s most loyal and trusted underlings.

Jason didn’t intend to get attached to the three but he did and as a result let slip some personal info form time to time. Jones, Dave and McKenzie all made a game out of collecting clues to Hood’s real identity and background to the point where they’d sit down after work and pool their information. They’ve got a pinboard and everything lol.

Sadly Jason’s life was depressing af for the most part so the things he accidentally mentioned didn’t paint a very pretty picture. And when he used typical teenage slang one too many times Dave correctly inferred that their boss is much younger than any of them originally thought.

So in the end they had hundreds of little clues that all added up to the following (in their mind):

1. Red Hood is actually anywhere from 20-28 years old (+/- a couple years) and not a fourty-something rogue with plans of grandeur

2. Hood was abused as a kid

3. Hood hates Batman

4. Hood hates Robin and Nightwing but not as much as Batman

5. Hood hates Robin but still mother hens him like crazy and seems reluctant to let him go back to the Bat every time

6. Hood is a young guy with better training and tactical thinking than a trained navy seals soldier

7. Hood is intimately aware of how the Bats operate,l fight, and think

Conclusion: Batman used to train Hood and was also the one who abused him—> he’s concerned the same thing is now happening to Robin.

So yeah, that’s pretty much the train of thought they’re having right now. So while Dave, Jones and McKenzie definitely won’t shoot Robin (or Nightwing), they’ll definitely try to gun down Batman.

At least until Jason remembers to retract the order lol. (After which they reluctantly stop shooting at Batman but still not-so-subtly drop hints that they’d absolutely have Hood’s back if he ever needs help with the asshole. Jason doesn’t know what all the fuss is about all of a sudden.)

As for the “would Talia ever kidnap Jason for family time” question:

Yes. Absolutely. And if Talia was busy Ra’s would show up and do it instead.

The al Ghuls adopted Jason into the family. No takebacksies. And while they think Bruce’s overprotectiveness of Jason is amusing (and totally warranted given Jason’s penchant for getting himself into trouble) they draw the line at being barred from seeing their precious sons/grandsons.

So yeah, Bruce and Dick have to deal with Damian and Jason disappearing for a couple days every two months at least.

The first time it happened Bruce, Dick and Tim all lost their minds with panic and when Jason and Dami returned it was to a frantic batfam and the entire JLA in Gotham, on the hunt for Hood and his assassin baby brother ksksks

[bichietozier-s]

🕷️Catch You On The Web!!🕸️

An Itafushi spiderman socmed au ❤️

In which Yuuji Itadori, newly a sophomore in college who still has not a clue what he wants to do with his life, gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gains new abilities, stats and powers. He's coasting on his raw athletic ability, a full-ride scholarship handed to him despite his less-than-perfect grades, when he realizes he's got way more ahead of him than he'd ever imagined. Including, but not limited to, a newfound crush that also throws him for a loop.

you are reading:

Prologue | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 (coming soon!)

notes:

teehee megumi crisis moment // tw: i think i put kms jokes in this part? i cant quite remember but i usually toss those in with megumi so just a warning 🫶🏻

edit: forgot to add that loml and kirbys gay friend are nobara pov, while the rest are all megumi pov 🙂‍↕️ should be obvious enough who were talking to though! :3

Megumi sat down on his lofted dorm mattress, out of breath, with slightly reddened cheeks and eyes wide. What the hell was that???

He posted his vague tweet and instantly flopped back onto his bed, still wearing his jacket with his shoulder bag still tucked around his body. He laid there for a while simply staring at his ceiling, catching his breath and replaying that moment over and over and over in his head.

Again… What the hell was that?????

He certainly got what he’d gone for, getting to witness exactly what the beefed-up jock meant when he said “superhuman abilities”. But, even though he had expected to see Yuuji there after Yuta let him know he was on the team, he truly hadn’t expected the interaction he’d gotten. 

Still, he finds the only thought repeating itself in his head to be, “what the HELL was that?”

The question repeats itself as a way to ask literally, what the hell did he just witness? But also, it functioned as a way for him to ask himself what happened to him. Why did he freeze up so badly? Did he make himself look like a fool because of that? He couldn’t stop staring at Yuuji, but somehow, he couldn’t even muster up a response.

Not even a thank you. 

Shit. Now he would have to seek the other boy out again just to thank him. Or, maybe just this once, he could hold up that facade that he was a heartless asshole who didn’t care about anyone or anything. Especially the guy he’d just met days ago and immediately found attractive despite the lack of a brain in his head.

Oh, yeah. He just thought those words. He found him attractive. 

This was something he could never share with the rest of the world. Under any circumstances.

After another 10 minutes of staring at his ceiling, replaying the scene over and over and over and OVER, still wearing his jacket and bag, he realized that he would never be able to keep this a secret, who was he kidding? Also, he would definitely be seeking Yuuji out on purpose again. Whether to Yuuji’s knowledge or not, he didn’t care.

Did that make him weird? Or a creep? It didn’t matter. 

His phone buzzed in his hand.

He had been laying here for a little over a half hour doing this. God damn he was pathetic.

Why did he have to find the way-out-of-his-league, no-brained-idiot jock attractive? He was doomed.

His phone buzzed in his hand once more, so he picked it up to see replies coming through on his stupid tweet. He huffed out a loud sigh, before hoisting himself up off of his bed, finally removing his bag and jacket, and then responding to them.

Nobara had expertly tracked down Yuta through the internet (read: found him through Yuuji’s private account on twitter) and got his number so she could conspire with him over Yuuji’s own love life.

She had little to no knowledge on this “pizza guy” who wasn’t even the pizza guy, and had never met Yuta before, although she’d heard plenty about him through Maki. From what she could tell though, he seemed like a fine dude.

After the brief introduction she offered to him, Nobara and Yuta began sharing their own stories on the perspectives they had to offer for each boy in question through a facetime call. Nobara needed to know more about this “Megumi”, how he truly fit into all this, and especially if he was even worthy enough to consider as a possible partner for her best friend. And Yuta was simply here to offer that information up to her.

He started from the beginning of this school year, telling Nobara everything he could offer up that might overlap for her. Anything that had to do with Yuuji, from the fact that he lives in the room above Yuta himself and his boyfriend Toge, all the way down to the last time he spoke to him, filling in all of the blanks that had to do with Megumi, as well.

The pieces were already falling into place for Nobara. She was seeing how they were all somehow connected to one another without even knowing or realizing it. 

After Yuta had wrapped up his storytime, Nobara shared hers, which as she had expected, was minimal in comparison to what Yuta offered for her (especially considering she needed some extra intel on who Megumi even was, whereas Yuta at least knew Yuuji pretty well). 

Where Yuta explained the progression of events with Yuuji acting odd, not being able to sleep and all of that, Nobara was able to offer insight on those things. She also was able to connect things Yuuji had told her about with things that Yuta knew of Megumi and what he’d been up to.

And then came that tweet from Megumi, not even an hour before Yuta and Nobara had their girl talk session. 

“So, obviously since you don’t know Megumi, you wouldn’t know about this, but…” Yuta trailed off as he ran to grab a screenshot of Megumi’s recent tweet to send to Nobara. “Look at what he tweeted a little while ago,” he said, the sound of a shit eating smirk evident in his voice.

“Oooooohhhh, interesting, okay,” Nobara hummed out, pursing her lips, her face showing her deep, deep thought process. “And this is after he supposedly went to a practice for the football team?”

“Yeah, and like, he said he only wanted to go because he’d heard some other dude from the team talking up this other guy who apparently had superhuman strength or some shit,” Yuta said, not realizing exactly who the “guy with superhuman strength” was. 

But luckily, Nobara was a professional at gossip. So she caught on incredibly fast. 

“Oh! So he was going to specifically check out Yuuji, got it,” she laughed, saying it sarcastically and assuming they were both on the same page. Well, they certainly were now. 

“WAIT-” Yuta yelled. “NO WAY.” 

Nobara looked back at him through her phone screen with raised eyebrows.

“OH MY GOD, YOU’RE RIGHT! HE WANTED TO GO TO WATCH YUUJI! TOGE!” Yuta looked off to the side of his phone screen where Nobara couldn’t see, or hear, Toge. Soon she was watching Yuta communicate with his mute boyfriend, signing out of habit even though it wasn’t necessary as he yelled about Yuuji being the reason that Megumi wanted to go watch the football practice.

He finally came back to the phone screen, a huge grin plastered on his face. “I can’t believe I didn’t catch on to that before, but I guess I didn’t really have all the details on Yuuji’s weird increase in strength,” Yuta said to Nobara. “But, do you think he even knew it was Yuuji? I mean, I hardly knew anything about Yuuji’s strength and shit, Megumi definitely wouldn’t. They only met for the first time a few days ago, and clearly Megumi was as disinterested in Yuuji as he is with anyone else. If not moreso. He also told me he didn’t even know Yuuji was on the team, I suppose…” He trailed off at the end, realizing that Megumi definitely didn’t know it was Yuuji prior to going.

Nobara thought for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you have a point. He probably didn’t know it was all Yuuji they were talking about, but if he didn’t know then, judging on that tweet, he definitely knows now,” she stressed the word ‘definitely’, laughing as she finished her thought. She was right on the money with that one.

After the two talked for nearly two hours, they finally ended the call with Nobara needing to get started on her hour-long-before-bed-self-care routine, promising Yuta an exciting update by the end of the night.

“What are you gonna do??” Yuta asked, morbidly curious of what this devious girl he just met was capable of.

“I’m requesting assistance from the queen, of course,” she wiggled her eyebrows, before bidding him goodnight, and telling him to extend that to Toge as well. 

As soon as that call ended, she flew to text her girlfriend, roping her into this wildly massive scheme she was planning.

author's note:

SO SO SORRY FOR THE LONG PAUSE BETWEEN UPDATES GUYS AAAHHH i got super duper sick (i had pneumonia 🤪) and then i just have been lazy and keep putting off actually formatting the post for this bc it takes me like a good 20 minutes at LEAST bc of how i do it eugh BUT ITS HERE NOW!! next part is not yet in the works but it wont be as long of a break inbetw i prommie 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

and as a reminder pls just ask to be added to the taglist if youd like 🙂‍↕️

jump to:

Prologue | Previous | Next (coming soon!)

taglist:

@meme-ty7 @runfrme @poemeater @gemicorn

[ryleektv]

Lorenzo Berkshire Headcannons

Part 2

Warnings: suggestive content (i think?? i don't remember), language, diving deep into toxic Lorenzo, not proof read

again, don't come after me if you don't agree

WC: 646

• quidditch keeper. practices a pretty normal amount unless he makes some stupid mistake during a game, then you best believe his ass is out there forcing theo to help him practice for the next 3 days

• definitely plays football (soccer 😔✊) and is actually good at it

• thinks he is the shit. this dudes ego is dangerously inflated and someone desperately needs to tell him no, reject him, lead him on, literally anything to humble him because he truly thinks he can just play God

• however i solely believe someone will at some point manage to somehow break his heart and that all will come absolutely crashing down

• ofc that'll only last about 0.02 seconds and then he'll be in his rebound kick and worse than ever but at least there was a small sliver of time when he realized that he is not in fact the shit and he's actually just a hot wannabe frat boy that got semi lucky in life

• also somehow really good with kids?? and obviously that's really attractive but how is he good with kids?? why does it make sense?? 

• gives off the kinda vibe of finding him holding some random baby at a family reunion (fuck knows not his family 😬) and having no clue who's it is but lowkey enjoying the baby snuggles (as he should) 

• will not admit to enjoying the baby snuggles.

• if he wasn't attractive, your mother would hate him, but he also has a major flirt personality and knows damn well he's gorgeous therefore is great at faking the niceties for parents so your mama won't bat an eye at the total asshole aura

• 50/50 chance your dad hates his guts and sees right through him (if you have no dad though you're just shit out of luck in terms of getting actually good relationship guidance because there's no way he's not making a "i didn't know you had a sister" comment.)

• Knee Socks is actually him???

• would own a blue lacoste?? would be attracted to the knee socks?? yes

• i feel like he would suffer from major summer depression. being away from school distractions, away from school in general, away from his friends, stuck in a gloomy ass manor, constantly surrounded by reminders of his shit parents. bud is not doing well

• more than likely has issues with attachment too (huge contrast to the commitment issues). does not do well being away from his close friends but would rather cut off his dick than admit it

• cannot be alone. lonely is no go. he is a people person, he doesn't have to like you to need some company and use you for it 

• this does in fact feed into his whole womanizer persona 

• off of the sad bit, he is a real genuine sweetheart to Narcissa and Narcissa only. 

• cissy may not always be the best parental figure, however compared to his other options it's like comparing shit to candy. candy is a million times better even if its not always good therefore he definitely emotionally attached himself to her

• yelled at her once and had a mental breakdown

• maybe if you're dating him and you're lucky, she might talk a little sense into him and make him just a smidge less of an asshole

• speaking of, buddy has flings and situationships. dates for a few weeks at most every once in a while but it's mostly that ridiculous unofficial dating situationship that makes you want to bash your head in 

• it gets talked about a lot too, specifically around the girls because they all think they're smart enough to be with him without getting caught up in his messy self

• king of manipulation and surprisingly doesn't realize it half the time. he knows he's outstandingly good at manipulating everyone he just doesnt always notice when he's doing so 

• overall just a toxic babe

[bi-bard]

Scrapbooks - Bobby Singer Imagine [Supernatural/Criminal Minds Crossover]

Title: Scrapbooks

Pairing: Father Figure!Bobby Singer & Winchester!Reader

Word Count: 824 words

Warning(s): mention of John Winchester, unhealthy family dynamic

Summary: [During Season 1] (Y/n)'s reconnection with their brothers leads to them wanting to rebuild some old bridges.

Author's Note: Y'all remember this oc? The one that started as a joke but then became a serious thing that allowed me to talk about found family/trauma bonds/etc.? I remembered it.

Also, this story is kind of a sister story to this part of this oc. Wanted to compare similar events ;)

Dude. The Bobby gifs are disappointing, not gonna lie.

More of this OC!

----------------------------

After I found out that Sam was out hunting again, I found myself calling him a lot more.

I don't know what I wanted to be for him. I don't know if I wanted to protect him or if I just wanted to make sure he knew that I could help him escape that life if he needed to.

I always knew that Sam was the best of us.

He deserved more than the hand he had been dealt. I don't think he ever knew that or would ever believe it if someone said it to him, but it was true.

He had fought so hard for some kind of normal life.

Maybe I just wanted him to know that there was a door to one.

Sometimes I wondered why I didn't do the same thing for Dean. I think that I wanted him to be what I had tried to be for Sam. I wanted him to be there. To support me in running away from that life. I wanted to know that he never hated me for it. But I couldn't believe that.

I knew that my dad had gotten into Dean's head more than Sam's. I knew that I was called selfish and cowardly and ungrateful. I knew that if I ever had to look my dad in the eye again, he would see nothing more than a traitor. I knew that he would do anything to convince Dean that I was one.

There weren't many connections in the hunting world that I felt guilty about losing. So many of them were purely professional or momentary.

My brothers were obviously an exception.

And so was Bobby Singer.

He had been the first person I talked to when I realized that I didn't want to be a hunter anymore. I sat on his couch while my brothers were upstairs. I cried and begged for some solution or forgiveness or just anything.

He just handed me a wad of cash and said that when I ran, I needed to run like Hell was at my heels.

I didn't call him after that night.

I think I just wanted to make sure that my dad wouldn't be pissed at him for what I did. Bobby had done enough to protect me. It was my turn to protect him.

It took some time after reconnecting with my brothers for me to ask Sam for Bobby's number.

He chuckled at first, jokingly asking "Which one?"

"Whatever one will get me an answer," I replied simply.

I scribbled down the number I was given before giving Sam a quick goodbye and hanging up.

I stared down at my phone as if I was waiting for the number to dial itself. It didn't matter how many deep breaths I took. I was still just as nervous as before.

"Fuck it," I mumbled, rapidly dialing the number.

It rang a few times before I was met with a very familiar, very gruff voice. "Agent Kayser."

"Hey, Bobby," I said.

"Who is this?"

"It's... It's (Y/n)... (Y/n) Winchester." I held my breath for a moment, tears welling in my eyes as I waited for him to hang up the phone. He didn't. "I... I know that I'm probably one of the last people that you wanna hear from-"

"Shut the hell up," he snapped at me. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you to call me?"

I let out a breathy chuckle, letting my head fall forward.

"Dammit, kid, you just about scared the life out of me when you ran off," he continued. "Didn't have your number. Didn't have a clue where you went. You popped up in the paper a few years ago. Hold on a second."

I heard some ruffling in the background.

"I started keeping track of the articles that mentioned you," he explained. "Got 'em all here in a scrapbook. Saving kids and stopping some real bastards."

I wiped my eyes. "You kept them?"

"Of course I did! Are you kidding?"

"I guess... I guess I just assumed that you hated me."

"What, because you didn't want to be a hunter anymore? Kid, I'm not that much of an ass."

I chuckled.

"Listen," he said. "I don't know how much time off you get with that big FBI gig, but... I have an extra room for whenever you need it."

"I would really like that," I replied. "I've missed you."

"Missed you too, kid," he muttered. "Try not to go years without calling this time."

"I'll do my best."

Hanging up was almost bittersweet. I had established contact. That was good. But ending the conversation made my heart drop slightly. I knew how quickly each of our lives could change. Every phone call could be the last.

But all I could do was take a deep breath and push that thought away.

I didn't have time to think like that.

----------------------------

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[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

idk if it was answered before, but why would Yves even be interested in a cringe fail reader like us lol. Like the guy literally is perfect in every way, it doesn't make any sense. He deserves better 😔

Its like asking why a mother would still love her son even after he killed everyone around her, steal her car, rob a bank and call her a stupid fat bitch, like how a baddie would do anything for a stinky dusty man even tho she's a 10/10 and he's a 0/10, like how u see these women would go far beyond what was needed for a man who doesnt even remember her birthday,

its like asking why my mother decided to stay with and love a shitty ass man like my dad, telling me that he's a good man even tho he literally insults her every 5 seconds, makes her pay the bills and why she stayed and still love me the same even tho my dad made me treat her like subhuman/portray her as dumb and worthless for 10 years too. The answer is: i dont fucking have a clue

It's that unconditional love that i cannot understand but i find extremely hot, like i cannot get why do parents love their kids/sacrifice so much even tho their kids are fucking cringefailures and/or stay as cringefailures until they die, i cannot get how women love the way they do, they love so strongly and intensely, its also the same severely tight love petowners have for their pets (ie, paying so much money for food and vet bills, even being homeless the money goes to their pets, rushing to the vet and getting arrested because they're speeding, dying for their pets etc)

Like, i dont get that AT ALL, i dont have such strong feelings for children, family or pets but i know these unconditional love do happen time and time again.

and thats basically Yves- the stereotype that women love a lot more and blindly and assumes the role of the caretaker. but im leaning my attraction towards men, so even tho he is traditionally feminine in every way, he identifies as a dude

Yves has his own reasons, and those reasons are the ones that do exist irl, but i cannot fucking understand and its so fascinating and delicious to me

Remember, Yves is an allegory of the perfect parent

[ilrjsm]

My best friend is no longer my best friend! (he’s my boyfriend) 

pairing - bff!renjun x reader

synopsis - You've known him for most of your life. And truth be told, who wouldn't have a (major!!) crush on this pretty boy? Out of all the instances you’ve fallen in love with Huang Renjun, you've never once regretted it.

warnings - profanity, reader & renjun being awfully dense, nothing that serious

wc: 1.7k+

There were four times you fell in love with Huang Renjun all over again and each time, you fell harder than before.  

i. Van Gogh in the 21st century!

You met Renjun when you were about 5. back then, he was nothing but a timid artsy kid who refused to show you his sketchbook. Of course, provided your natural talent towards convincing people, it was merely a game for you to acquire (read: snatch) that book. You very well recall how he had glared at you, snatching the book back just as quick and flicked your forehead as he did so.

Ever since then, the little timid kid had grown up to absolutely not permit you in his room until and unless he hid his stash of sketchbooks. Which in your honest opinion was a blatant waste of time.

Okay, maybe you felt a bit offended by his actions. Was he hiding a whole Van Gogh in his sketchbooks or what? Why, just why couldn't he let you peek into them at least once? You took the challenge of finding his cherished artworks upon yourself one fine day. It wasn't as easy as you thought it would be, but with the handful of flatteries you gave Mrs Huang, she was ever ready to lead you to this stash. 

You were dubious at first, as the first few pages you turned looked nothing different than overrated paintings. But then you found the real deal.

That was the first time you realised your love for him - at a raw age of 15, you were heads over heels for this boy who had his sketchbooks filled with candid portraits of none other than you.

You wished you could look at yourself from his eyes because you were nowhere close to being this stunning.

ii. Huang renjun was p(r)etty as fuck.

You see, Renjun wasn't quite the bright, excited boy ever since he turned into an adolescent. He laughed at your lame puns, sure, but only you knew how painful his forehead flicks could be if you ever did something reckless.

Like that one time when you were at a party at Donghyuck’s (some guy from your statistics class who just turned 18), you figured Renjun wasn't invited - naturally, given he had absolutely no clue who this Donghyuck dude was and vice versa. However, when he realised you’d probably be intoxicated as hell by the end of it, he immediately dragged you out, albeit a little too late. 

You had very obnoxiously protested (“Do you not trust me, Renjun?” You dragged out each syllable, a prominent pout on your lips. Renjun deadpanned and scoffed, “No, actually.” a long whine escaped your chapped lips, and you licked them before hanging your arms around his neck, his own tracing oddly comforting circles on the small of your back. “You know what?” you were already tipsy, Renjun noted, “i hate you.” he froze. Scanning his flabbergasted expression, you laughed loudly, only pressing your body closer to his. “I hate how you act so rough on the edges, c’mon Jun, let loose!” he sighed, using his free hand to push away your self-cut, grown out bangs aside. “I’d rather not, y/n,”)

According to your shitty memory, you blacked out after that, but Renjun's pink ears, when you asked him if anything had happened, begged to differ. 

All you remembered was how attractive he looked under the dim moonlight that night, his damp hair moving with the wind. Oh, you remembered his gaze averting from your lips to the dark surroundings, you remembered tuning out Donghyuck’s distant voice calling out for you while you stared at his lips. You remembered the glacial breeze capturing you both in its hold, causing you to shift closer to him. You remembered nothing from that night, but falling for Huang Renjun all over again.

iii. you + donghyuck = renjun’s obvious jealousy

You didn't need to hide your self-proclaimed infatuation for Renjun, as it had occurred to you that:

1. Renjun was so dense (you were probably denser, give or take).

2. You’d grown accustomed to masking your obvious attraction towards him with time.

At one point, you even forgot that you liked (read: loved) Renjun. In your defence, it had been finals week.

But you were harshly reminded of that fact when Donghyuck had asked you out on a date, and you felt too bad to reject him right away. 

No, that wasn't a reminder for you that you had a massive crush on your best friend, it was when donghyuck took you to the same cafe the said best friend worked at for the date. He, more than hurt, was baffled. He had mouthed to you, I didn't know about this? And so you mouthed back, Sorry, it was impulsive.

Renjun nonetheless took your order, and pointed at an empty table right in front of his sight, just to be on the, quote unquote, safer end. 

Donghyuck was a funny guy. His jokes and perfectly timed flirtatious comments made you giggle like a teenager who was talking to her crush.

Now was when the vile jealousy and hurt pooled in Huang's gut. Donghyuck brushing back your hair just like he would was his last straw. Time was fortunately on his side, and his shift hand ended. So, he spammed your phone with calls and texts, causing you to pick it up in a final defeat, with a long sigh of aggravation. “I’ll be right back, sorry.” (That was lie, you eventually forgot about him)

As soon as you exited the cafe, and stormed to the back of the cafe where Renjun would be, you were greeted by a bitter looking Renjun. “What?” you’d asked him, folding your arms over each other. “What?” he mimicked, scowling. Groaning, you threw your arms up in exasperation. “Renjun!” 

He incredulously glowered down at you, “one date and he already seems in love with you!” he exclaimed. “Isn't that good? I'm finally scoring myself a boyfriend.” you teased back.

To anyone else, it was painfully obvious of the lingering feelings you both had towards each other. Apparently, everyone but both of you could make that out (even Donghyuck). Renjun had never looked scarier as he gritted his teeth, a muscle in his jaw inevitably twitching. “Fine… fine! Whatever! I don't care.”

“I never asked if you did- OW!” 

That was the hardest forehead flick you had received from him.

iv. 23 things you liked about him.

One of the many things you loved about Huang Renjun was his music taste. It was one of the most beautiful things that just screamed… Renjun. You both had had a tendency to visit the record store often during high school, but not so much anymore provided you both were on the verge of bankruptcy and you had little to no time to spare as you were in the final year of uni.

For you, it was a long forgotten hobby, but for Renjun, it was a place he’d constantly confided in, and now that it was gone, it left an empty hole in his heart (which, for the record, was mostly filled with you). 

You knew his favourite albums, all his favourite tracks from over the years. Just like he had a couple of sketchbooks filled with you, you had a whole shelf dedicated to the albums he had recommended you and somewhere in there, you had a book filled with his likings, mainly songs.

He was once again laying on your bed, head propped against his folded arms as he stared at the ceiling. “You study too much, it's boring.” his gaze stopped at the white cupboard beside your bed, the top two shelves packed with vinyls. He was surprised by how your collection kept growing, a part of him also envied how you bought so many of them while he usually just borrowed them. 

Standing out from the rest was a sage green, hardback book, and curiosity got the best of him. The male sat up with a grunt, proceeding to make his way to the furniture. As soon as he got a hold of the book, he flipped through it carelessly, his eyes catching his name being written in bold on the very first page.

RENJUN

what he likes <3

Every other page had something similar, and if he weren't your best friend (who reciprocated your feelings) he’d think this was borderline obsessive.

He read each one of them intently, eventually reading through all of it until he reached the part of the book where you wrote what you liked about him. 

There were many, but he counted them to be twenty-two. He shut the book with a cocky chuckle, moving towards you - who was yet studying diligently. He smacked your head (gently) with the book, catching your attention. “What is it now?” You grumbled, eyes unmoving from the book in your hands. He hit your head with the hard book again, and this time around you actually looked up. “Hey, Huang Renjun, what if I get a concussion?”

That’s when you spot it. “Wait, shit, where’d you find that book?!”

He pointed towards the shelf with his thumb, placing the book down on your desk instead. “I must admit, you know about everything I love,” You had the urge to yet again dig a hole for yourself, “but you missed out on one thing.”

Your eyebrows raised, “What?”

He placed both his hands on either side of the chair’s armrest, effectively caging you. “You.”

Your knees went weak, and you could practically hear your heartbeat drum in your ears at his words. A fresh glow coated your cheeks, and you had to look away from him to not collapse then and there. Good lord, you seriously needed to get a hold on yourself. Just how many times had you fallen in love with him over and over again? Because you just did again.

Clearing your throat in pure discomfiture, you gathered any courage you had left and looked straight into his eyes - why did he look at you like you saved the damn world? He had a pretty smile adorning his lips, and you noticed how his own ears were red. Unable to take his strong gaze, you looked away again, neck hot.

23. There were 23 things you liked about him - you liked that he loved you back.

That was the biggest achievement in your life.

Huang Renjun, your sole archnemesis from kindergarten, your artist, your best friend, your crush, loved you just as much as you loved him. You couldn’t ask for anything else.

…Okay, maybe you could ask for some courage.

[hils79]

Hils Watches Lovely Runner - Ep 15

Wait, what? She was totally fine at the end of the last episode

Ah, it's so he can be the hero and carry her to safety. Where did this crowd come from, though? The amusement park was deserted when they got on the ferris wheel

Of course he took her to his place instead of the hospital. Not sure where the IV came from though.

Aww it's a reversal of the time he was passed out in her brother's bed and grabbed hold of her hand

Good old drama medicine. One IV and some sleep and you're totally fine the next day

See! She's asking the same questions as me. This is why I love her.

Oh well that explains the IV

Is he seriously going to suggest that to thank him for 'saving her life' she should let him be in her movie?

Wait, they didn't immediately claim their prize money???

Look at him sitting in his car rehearsing what to say like a nerd (affectionate)

How does an only child who has no kids of his own know so much about how to take care of a baby, but Im Sol who has multiple neices and nephews has no clue?

Ehehe! That's what you get for being so smug about your childcare abilities

Oh hello

Aww and this is like the time he made her hide in his closet. Everything is in reverse in this timeline.

I feel like I recognise those posters behind him but not sure what they are

Oh sweetie...

You know, 15 episodes in and he still really looks like someone I know but I can't put my finger on who. I think maybe it's an amalgam of a few different idols. Like a bit of Jin and a bit of Taemin

I love that the two of them are literally idols and Inhyuk is like 'remember that super hot and popular boy we went to school with'

Ooh he's having flashbacks again. I'm curious which version of events he's remembering. Because she travelled back 3 times and changed different things each time before the 4th time where she made it so that they never met

I mean I have no idea how much houses cost in Korea but even if you blow it all on a house you still have your incomes and no mortgage or rent to pay

LMAO the reason they got such a low prize (it's just over £200k for me) is because he got drunk and told everyone in line the numbers so 50 people won the jackpot

Dude as been begging to do this movie for ages and as soon as he signs on he immediately wants to change the ending. Like I know we, as the audience, understand why. But to anyone else this just makes him look like a diva

Oh no it's sad Jongho song time

Poor Im Sol. Two confessions in one day. One from a person she can't be with, and one from a person she doesn't want to be with

Ooh is he starting to remember the previous timelines too?

Okay, I love this idea. I'm getting all emotional.

Aww he wrote the song about her again even though he doesn't have the experience of meeting her in the rain. Because his memories are part of his soul.

6 years for attempted murder seems very low. Now I'm looking up the average sentence time for attempted murder and I'm probably on some sort of watch list now. Obv I don't know what it's like in Korea but in the UK you would only get 6 years if it was something like self-defence

Well that was very dramatic. I was so invested in what was happening I forgot to pause and liveblog

Ah, he does remember everything. All versions of events. Well, no wonder he fainted. That's a lot to take in.

[harrywavycurly]

You’ve always been one of my fave writers, and I just have to know—in the “It was just one night” series we know Eddie keeps getting jealous of Steve—is that because it’s Steve? Or would he feel that way with anyone flirting with us?Especially in the early stages of pregnancy when it’s not too noticeable yet.

Hiiii babes!! Awe you’re so sweet😭 so in this series it doesn’t matter who it is flirting with you especially in the early stages, Eddie doesn’t like it😂 in his mind it’s because he doesn’t want random people around his baby even though it’s not born yet🙈 but I’ll happily give you some examples of how he handles other dudes flirting with you!💖

-find all things One Night Stand Eddie here✨

*Eddie is over seeing guys flirt with you while you’re about ten seconds away from punching him in the face*

“You have really pretty eyes.” “Thank you…so what movie did you need tickets for?” “Whatever movie you want to watch with me sweetheart.” “Dude..word of advice…she snores and chews with her mouth open…she’s like a damn pig at the water trough.” “Uh…you know what? I think I’m good on a movie right uhm…now.” “Eddie what the actual fuck?” “What? I just did you both a favor.” “How the hell was telling him I snore and eat like a pig at a trough doing me a favor?” “Because you’re pregnant and he never stood a chance.” “He stood a chance…he was cute.” “Okay but you’re still pregnant with my child and I don’t want my baby around that douche.” “You’re so annoying…what are you even doing here?” “It’s your lunch break…so I brought you some food.” “Oh…thanks.”

“Hey you know her?” “Huh? Who?” “That girl that’s with that kid at the pac man machine.” “Oh yeah I know her…I heard she just got out of prison.” “Prison? What…for? She looks so….” “Normal? Yeah that’s how she gets you…she lures you in with her looks and normalcy and then next thing you know you’re talking the last nap of your life and all your money is gone.” “Holy shit…” “yeah…wanna meet her? I’ll call her over here if you want?” “No no I’m uhm…I’m good.” “Whatever you say man…have a good night.” “Who was that you were talking to? He was looking at me like I was…crazy.” “Oh him? No clue don’t know him….here’s your water and Dustin you get three more quarters then we are out of here.” “I don’t like water…” “and I don’t care…now drink it.”

“Edward Munson I’m about to kick your fucking ass.” “Uh…why?” “You told Rick I was a high profile escort?” “Did I?…hmm don’t remember telling him that…I thought I told him you were a recovering kleptomaniac.” “What is wrong with you? Why are you running around Hawkins telling every dude in the city limits horrible lies about me?” “Uhm let’s be so fucking real with ourselves sweetheart you have a stealing problem so…that’s not a lie.” “I stole a shot glass from the hideout because I didn’t realize I still had it in my hand when you walked me out to your van…” “ah so you also have a drinking problem?” “I’m going to kill you one day…I just know it.” “Besides you don’t need all these gross dudes hitting on you…while you’re in this..condition.” “This condition? You mean knocked up with your baby?” “Yes…that’s exactly what I mean.” “News flash Edward I am just carrying your baby…we aren’t together so I can flirt and be flirted with by anyone I want okay?” “No…not okay…i don’t want my baby to listen to you flirt or be flirted with by a bunch of assholes.” “Why? It already listens to you talk…might as well add some variety in the voices of assholes it has to listen to.” “You wound me…now go drink some water and have a snack.” “Don’t tell me what to do jackass…” “yup that’s the mother of my child right there…the picture of niceness.”

[knickynoo]

Back to the Future Part II, The Novel by Craig Shaw Gardner: Thoughts, commentary, and general ramblings

Part 2: Marty McGamblerPants

Previous posts here

• As Marty ventures into the Café 80s, a lot of what unfolds is pretty close to the movie, so not much to say there. There is an interesting line as Griff and Biff exit the café, though, where Biff says, “Listen, Griff, don’t you go loanin’ that McFly kid any money—even though he probably needs it, him and his old man both.”

I wonder: is he saying that just because he wants to take a dig at the state of the McFly family’s finances or because Griff has loaned money to Junior before? If he has, that’s quite the interesting thing to ponder considering I don’t see Griff as being the type to do much of anything out of the kindness of his heart, but I absolutely do see him loaning money to Junior just to be able to use it against him and force him into doing things.

• If I’m remembering correctly, Junior doesn’t actually say no to Griff in the café. He mentions it being dangerous, says he should discuss it with his father, and then eventually says okay once he’s thrown over the counter. Book Junior does say no, though, and he says it like this:

You know that’s Marty’s boy; he’s got nice manners just like his dad. I love Junior so much.

• When Marty gets approached in 2015 about saving the clock tower, the book notes that the guy asking for the donation is Terry. When Marty won’t donate the hundred dollars, Terry goes on to talk about how, back when the clock was struck by lightning, “—a hundred bucks was worth something.” He then points to Biff (who is across the street) and starts to talk about how Biff, “—tried to shaft me out of three-hundred bucks for fixing his car.”

I kind of wish they had included this context in the movie because it was only a handful of years ago that I realized the guy asking for the donation is Terry the mechanic from 1955. And while that information isn’t important, it would have saved me a good deal of confusion in those hundred or so watches growing up when I had no clue who he was. And the thing is, I could see the obvious old-age makeup, so I knew he was supposed to be someone, but I didn’t know who until I read it online after starting this blog. Before that, I was always like, “Why did they go through the trouble of badly doing old age makeup on this random guy for this one scene? Why didn’t they just hire an old man?”

• The discussion about the Cubs between Marty and Terry just reminded me of the unnecessarily long Dudes Talking Sports conversation between Marty and Doc in the novel for the first movie.

•The book makes it very clear that Marty’s motivation for buying the sports almanac is due to his anxiety over finding out his future self is a “loser.” Like…there is no other reasoning—not even the general lure of wealth—noticeably at play here. Marty just desperately wants to avoid being described as someone who “flushed his life down the toilet” and he sees the almanac as his guaranteed way to prevent that fate.

Why wasn’t this included in the movie?? All my times watching it, and I’ve NEVER gotten the sense that buying the almanac is the result of Marty being afraid of what he learned in the café. It always just seemed like Marty was simply being impulsive, irresponsible, and greedy. And frankly, it also has always struck me as a little out of character for him. He’s impulsive, yes, but good-hearted, honest, Marty McFly wanting to cheat at gambling for fun? Never seemed quite in line with who he is.

The way the book frames it changes it so much though! It’s so much easier to be sympathetic toward Marty buying the almanac with the context that he’s doing it to save himself and his family. Kind of flabbergasted, honestly. This would have been a great detail to have in the movie. Imagine seeing the excited grin and the “I can’t lose!” and him telling Doc with a mischievous grin, “Maybe we can place a couple bets?” replaced by a Marty who’s conflicted about his decision but desperate not to become someone everyone around him is ashamed of. Because there is no sense of that in Movie Marty. He just sees the almanac and does this

Now I’m wondering: is there anyone who watched the movie and DID conclude that Marty bought the almanac specifically to avoid being a loser? Is it only me who thought he was just chasing easy fame and fortune for funsies??

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 26: WE SAY GOOD-BYE, SORT OF

Let’s all just pause and take a moment to exult that I’m done with one set of books! This is an accomplishment I will never fail to revel in no matter how many more I have to go! It’s been a ride I wouldn’t trade a word for!

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Alex, who had started all of this by picking up the first book she remembered fondly, took it from Magnus casually with a hopeful smile as she read, "We Say Good-Bye, Sort Of. That's just like you Percy. Gods forbid you commit to anything."

"I commit to important things," he promised with a casual kiss on his girlfriend's temple.

Camp went late that summer. It lasted two more weeks, right up to the start of a new school year, and I have to admit they were the best two weeks of my life.

Alex couldn't help but read that with a tinge of confusion to her voice though. She had about as much clue to that idea of a solid length of time being happy as Percy had to a normal life. She liked it better when he was killing math teachers, at least that she could wrap her head around.

Of course, Annabeth would kill me if I said anything different, 

"For just a moment I thought you were done holding people hostage at knife point Annabeth," Thalia said with, wagging a 'for shame' finger at her. "Let the poor boy go this instant!"

“I’m relieved, can’t let her go getting soft now that she’s in love,” Jason snorted.

"A lesser person would hold you to saying that as some kind of blackmail Thals," Annabeth chuckled.

but there was a lot of other great stuff going on too. Grover had taken over the satyr seekers and was sending them out across the world to find unclaimed half-bloods.

Jason felt a giddy sense of pride that his reaction all the way back at the beginning of this hearing how unorganized they were had been given its own resolution. Gods he wanted to shake Grover's hand and meet him so bad to see what his chart looked like covering all of this.

 So far, the gods had kept their promise.

"For all of two weeks," Will nodded seriously. "Yeah, we were shocked too."

 New demigods were popping up all over the place—not just in America, but in a lot of other countries as well.

"We can hardly keep up," Grover admitted one afternoon as we were taking a break at the canoe lake. "We're going to need a bigger travel budget, and I could use a hundred more satyrs."

Alex resisted the urge to joke about an orgy with great restraint. Grover was a real person to Percy, not just an abstract joke.

"Yeah, but the satyrs you have are working super hard," I said. "I think they're scared of you."

Grover blushed. "That's silly. I'm not scary."

"You're a lord of the Wild, dude. The chosen one of Pan. A member of the Council of—"

"Stop it!" Grover protested. "You're as bad as Juniper. I think she wants me to run for president next."

"And I'd vote for his hindquarters!" Nico snorted. "He'd do wonders for environmental issues."

"Given you and Thalia are the only one's here old enough to vote, I guess we'd just help put up campaign signs," Percy chuckled.

He chewed on a tin can as we stared across the pond at the line of new cabins under construction. The U-shape would soon be a complete rectangle, and the demigods had really taken to the new task with gusto. 

Nico had some undead builders working on the Hades cabin. Even though he was still the only kid in it, it was going to look pretty cool: solid obsidian walls with a skull over the door and torches that burned with green fire twenty-four hours a day. Next to that were the cabins of Iris, Nemesis, Hecate, and several others I didn't recognize. They kept adding new ones to the blueprints every day. It was going so well, Annabeth and Chiron were talking about adding an entirely new wing of cabins just so they could have enough room.

Jason felt like getting up to high five Chiron. Of course Percy had been right, change was happening!

The Hermes cabin was a lot less crowded now, because most of the unclaimed kids had received signs from their godly parents. 

"What a concept, all the kids having a bed and a whole foot of space for themselves," Nico said dryly.

"I hope you're not expecting a thank you card," Percy rolled his eyes.

It happened almost every night, and every night more demigods straggled over the property line with the satyr guides, usually with some nasty monsters pursuing them, but almost all of them made it through.

'Almost all of them,' Magnus shook his head sadly he couldn't even feel real surprise and shock at how casually that was just put down.

"It's going to be a lot different next summer," I said. "Chiron's expecting we'll have twice as many campers."

"Yeah," Grover agreed, "but it'll be the same old place."

He sighed contentedly.

I watched as Tyson led a group of Cyclops builders. They were hoisting huge stones in place for the Hecate cabin, and I knew it was a delicate job. Each stone was engraved with magical writing, and if they dropped one, it would either explode or turn everyone within half a mile into a tree. I figured nobody but Grover would like that.

"Define, everyone?" Alex asked clinically, wondering if it would work on the cyclops, who were already nature spirit adjacents.

"Been there, done that, don't recommend," Thalia huffed.

"I'll be traveling a lot," Grover warned, "between protecting nature and finding half-bloods. I may not see you as much."

"Won't change anything," I said. "You're still my best friend."

He grinned. "Except for Annabeth."

"That's different."

"Yeah," he agreed. "It sure is."

"I miss him," Percy needlessly told her. "We need the three amigos out in the world!"

"I have a feeling you'll get your wish soon," Annabeth promised, but with the kind of smile that at least made him hope it would be fifty fifty on the fun/ death scale.

In the late afternoon, I was taking one last walk along the beach when a familiar voice said, "Good day for fishing."

My dad, Poseidon, was standing knee-deep in the surf, wearing his typical Bermuda shorts, beat-up cap, and a real subtle pink-and-green Tommy Bahama shirt. He had a deep-sea fishing rod in his hands, and when he cast it the line went way out—like halfway across Long Island Sound.

"Hey, Dad," I said. "What brings you here?"

He winked. "Never really got to talk in private on Olympus. I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? You came to the rescue."

"Yes, and I got my palace destroyed in the process, 

Percy sighed loudly, he just knew that was going to come up again!

but you know—palaces can be rebuilt. I've gotten so many thank-you cards from the other gods. Even Ares wrote one, though I think Hera forced him to. It's rather gratifying. So, thank you. I suppose even the gods can learn new tricks."

"Yada yada old dogs," Magnus nodded.

"I'd leave at least half of them at the pound," Thalia smirked, causing Percy to laugh hard in agreement.

The Sound began to boil. At the end of my dad's line, a huge green sea serpent erupted from the water. It thrashed and fought, but Poseidon just sighed. Holding his fishing pole with one hand, he whipped out his knife and cut the line. The monster sank below the surface.

"Not eating size," he complained. "I have to release the little ones or the game wardens will be all over me."

"Little ones?"

"Game warden?" Jason felt he was asking the far more important question.

"I'll bet it's Grover," Will smirked.

He grinned. "You're doing well with those new cabins, by the way. I suppose this means I can claim all those other sons and daughters of mine and send you some siblings next summer."

"Damn," Alex snorted, "your dad is ice cold for that joke."

"He had to have that side of him somewhere, the ocean isn't all dolphins and maytai," Annaebth shrugged without surprise. Percy was to busy sitting in nervous silence to answer.

"Ha-ha."

Poseidon reeled in his empty line.

I shifted my feet. "Um, you were kidding, right?"

Poseidon gave me one of his inside-joke winks, and I still didn't know whether he was serious or not.

"He, wouldn't, have," but Jason sounded as confused and unsure as Percy did, and when this guy was on the same page as him, they were all in trouble.

Percy loved his little brother in Tyson, but a small, secret part of him had also kind of enjoyed the idea his mom was special. That it was Sally Jackson herself that had made Poseidon break his oath and sort of regret him being born until he proved otherwise. 

...besides, no way could other half-blood siblings have been out there all this time, still alive and awaiting to be discovered. They were supposed to be extra monsterlicious or something. Right?!

"I'll see you soon, Percy. And remember, know which fish are big enough to land, eh?"

With that he dissolved in the sea breeze, leaving a fishing pole lying in the sand.

"Did you keep it?" Alex asked casually.

"It was probably cursed," Percy said like that was an answer.

"And?" Alex spluttered in disappointment. Percy gave her a tragic look that he felt spoke all he needed to about enticing such ideas.

She turned grumpily away and muttered some more curses, though Percy wasn't quite sure if he meant the artifact kind or the cussing him out kind. He had a feeling Alex could manage both equally well at any rate.

That evening was the last night of camp—the bead ceremony. The Hephaestus cabin had designed the bead this year. It showed the Empire State Building, and etched in tiny Greek letters, spiraling around the image, were the names of all the heroes who had died defending Olympus. There were too many names, but I was proud to wear the bead. I put it on my camp necklace—four beads now. I felt like an old-timer. I thought about the first campfire I'd ever attended, back when I was twelve, and how I'd felt so at home.

That at least hadn't changed.

It was one of those things Percy hoped never did. His love of the color blue, how much he loved going fast on his pets, how much he looked forward coming to camp every year. He expected his feelings for Annabeth to change and reform, he accepted he'd keep feeling like a freak in his own head around all these different people who saw him as something special, but it felt good to fall back on simple things too.

"Never forget this summer!" Chiron told us. He had healed remarkably well, but he still trotted in front of the fire with a slight limp.

"Errr, Percy, he's always had that limp," Annabeth told him kindly.

"What? No he hasn't," Percy frowned. "I'd notice that."

"Yeah, sorry Perce," Will agreed. "It's not super obvious, but it's there. He got it from that Hercules incident."

Percy looked at them dumbfounded and was pretty sure they were pulling his leg...but he also still couldn't prove there wasn't some secret play they put on every year he'd never heard of so he was kind of at a loss.

 "We have discovered bravery and friendship and courage this summer. We have upheld the honor of the camp." He smiled at me, and everybody cheered. As I looked at the fire, I saw a little girl in a brown dress tending the flames. She winked at me with red glowing eyes. No one else seemed to notice her, but I realized maybe she preferred it that way.

"Yeah, I think Hestia is my spirit goddess," Magnus grinned. 

"We can throw you in the fire?" Alex asked with mild excitement.

"You're going to save the world by being handed a jar?" Percy asked blankly.

"Screw both of you," Magnus chuckled.

"And now," Chiron said, "early to bed! Remember, you must vacate your cabins by noon tomorrow unless you've made arrangements to stay the year with us. The cleaning harpies will eat any stragglers, and I'd hate to end the summer on a sour note!"

"Do we taste sour?" Nico asked, unimpressed.

"Don't say it like that," Will whined. "Chiron doesn't join in them eating us!"

"Well I'm so sorry I didn't get the correct interpretation out of that death threat," Nico rolled his eyes. He'd left this night, it had been the last thing he heard Chiron say. It had been a pretty memorable last stance.

The next morning, Annabeth and I stood at the top of Half-Blood Hill. We watched the buses and vans pull away, taking most of the campers back to the real world. A few old-timers would be staying behind, and a few of the newcomers, but I was heading back to Goode High School for my sophomore year—the first time in my life I'd ever done two years at the same school.

"In the sea of your life, that is a particularly depressing statement my friend," Jason said with a strange feeling of not being able to relate to Percy on that one. It was nice, he supposed, not to have a deep rooted parallel lodged in him about such a sad thing to hear, but somehow made Percy's life even more tragic than his own blank one for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah, news flash at ten, traffic or whatever," Percy shrugged, but it was still a good feeling. To smile and hope that they were just on winter break and he'd be able to actually continue this trend. The world wouldn't end because he'd accomplished something, it was all he'd wanted once upon a time.

"Good-bye," Rachel said to us as she shouldered her bag. She looked pretty nervous, but she was keeping a promise to her father and attending Clarion Academy in New Hampshire. It would be next summer before we got our Oracle back. 

"You'll do great." Annabeth hugged her. Funny, she seemed to get along fine with Rachel these days.

"Very, very strange, yes," Alex said in a posh, scholarly voice. "Next he'll sit around and ponder the existence of bread or something."

"Well documented history of something all human civilizations create," Annabeth helpfully said to his blank look.

"Ah, thanks," he said.

Rachel bit her lip. "I hope you're right. I'm a little worried. What if somebody asks what's on the next math test and I start spouting a prophecy in the middle of geometry class? The Pythagorean theorem shall be problem two. . . . Gods, that would be embarrassing."

"I think that would make her the most popular girl there though," Thalia grinned. "Teachers would never understand how the kids keep cheating, she wouldn't charge anyone for free answers to the test, just works out for everyone really."

"Don't get me started on how our education system is trash," Annabeth said with a sharp look at the book like Rachel was in front of her to debate this with on whether that would be of any help.

Annabeth laughed, and to my relief, it made Rachel smile.

"Well," she said, "you two be good to each other." Go figure, but she looked at me like I was some kind of troublemaker.

"You can't say anything Percy, you called yourself a trouble maker first," Thalia grinned.

"It was shocking I tell you, I'd never been labeled as such before," Percy insisted wide eyed, causing them all to laugh lightly again.

 Before I could protest, Rachel wished us well and ran down the hill to catch her ride.

Annabeth, thank goodness, would be staying in New York. She'd gotten permission from her parents to attend a boarding school in the city so she could be close to Olympus and oversee the rebuilding efforts.

"Guess that living in Cali. thing didn't stick?" Magnus asked, one part nervous for her, one part hopeful she'd just finally decided where she wanted her home to be.

"Not so much," Annabeth agreed, but the sad smile didn't linger as she turned back to the book casually. She'd keep in contact with her dad as long as he wanted to. She'd even offer to say hi to her step mom if she wanted to stop and chat on the phone. She'd come around for holidays or birthdays even. It just wasn't a necessity to her. She finally had her question answered of her place in his life.

"And close to me?" I asked.

"Well, someone's got a big sense of his own importance." But she laced her fingers through mine. I remembered what she'd told me in New York, about building something permanent, and I thought—just maybe—we were off to a good start.

"Well the bones of your relationship are at least well set in good sediment," Nico tried to say that in a complimentary way, but Percy just got another 'over my head' look and Nico shrunk in his seat rather than admit he'd spent hours in a museum once looking up niche facts of where dinosaur fossils were usually discovered.

The guard dragon Peleus curled contentedly around the pine tree underneath the Golden Fleece and began to snore, blowing steam with every breath.

"You've been thinking about Rachel's prophecy?" I asked Annabeth.

She frowned. "How did you know?"

"Because I know you."

Annabeth gave a mock, tragic sigh. "Am I already that predictable?"

"I don't mind a little calm and steady see-thoroughness right now," Percy promised. He could see that feeling hadn't faded at all with time too. She hadn't stopped studying Jason with those intense gray eyes every time she was sure he wasn't looking. A lesser guy would have been jealous. Percy was secure enough to know better it wasn't that blonde hair and blue eyes holding her attention after quoting that prophecy.

She bumped me with her shoulder. "Okay, so I have. Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. I wonder who they'll be. We're going to have so many new faces next summer."

"Those poor suckers have no clue what they're in for," Magnus said with experience.

"I'm still trying to hold out hope it won't involve us," Percy groaned.

"Well then, don't give the jar to Magnus," Alex reminded with an impish grin.

Annabeth chuckled along quietly, her eyes still darting between Jason, her cousin, and Alex. To much of what Artimes had said made sense with her dreams.

"Yep," I agreed. "And all that stuff about the world falling in storm or fire."

"You don't get a choice about the world ending that time," Jason agreed sadly. "You pick your poison and you like it."

"Bet I can find a loophole where one of the poison's tastes like blue-raspberry at least," Percy offered half-heartedly.

She pursed her lips. "And foes at the Doors of Death.

"Which is a particularly strange line," Nico nodded. "The Doors of Death are always moving, they're set in no spot, in Tartarus! No half-bloods would survive down there to bare arms against each other long enough."

"Not a theory I'd like to start beta-testing," Annabeth reluctantly agreed, though it was a soothing feeling for a moment to have a niche expert on at least one line at minimum.

 I don't know, Percy, but I don't like it. I thought . . . well, maybe we'd get some peace for a change."

"What on earth gave you that strange thought?" Thalia asked her in concern.

"My recent visit to the delusional land of Olympus where everything was sunshine and rainbows by design," Annabeth sighed.

"Wouldn't be Camp Half-Blood if it was peaceful," I said.

"I guess you're right . . . Or maybe the prophecy won't happen for years."

"Could be a problem for another generation of demigods," I agreed. "Then we can kick back and enjoy."

She nodded, though she still seemed uneasy. I didn't blame her, but it was hard to feel too upset on a nice day, with her next to me, knowing that I wasn't really saying good-bye. We had lots of time.

"Race you to the road?" I said.

"You are so going to lose." She took off down Half-Blood Hill and I sprinted after her.

For once, I didn't look back. 

Alex smiled as she closed the book to finally indicate she was done, this one was done. It was a strange feeling of relief and accomplishment when it had nothing to do with her in particular, just one that always came with finishing a new story. Having someone else's life given a tangible place in her world was usually such a fleeting thing.

Percy jumped up and did a lap around the room, arms up in a delirious victory. He would have been shouting like a loon at the top of his lungs if he wasn't worried about drawing the cranky Titan back.

The others couldn't blame him in the slightest, letting him work off his energy as they waited for Jason to stretch and offer, "don't worry, I can wait one more day to deal with the next stretch of my mess. We can all hit bed for the night."

"Thank you," Annabeth said politely, though she and Thalia exchanged almost disappointed looks. They almost didn't want that. They'd known everything of their past, but there was a hunger in them to get a look at the other side of a gods face and see just what Jason had gotten up to. 

Alex, Will, and Nico were already walking off however, talking about death auras and color theory in a disturbing crisscross conversation, and Percy was starting to slow his frantic run and rubbing his stomach, so they weren't going to argue the point tonight and let it go to take a breath at minimum.

Magnus lingered on the couch where he'd been sitting by Alex, head tipped back and staring at the ceiling with a forlorn expression.

Annabeth sunk down uneasily beside him and asked, "thinking about Hearth?"

He nodded, an uncomfortable position for his neck for sure at the awkward angle as he didn't look around. "I feel like such trash, he's my friend, and here Percy just went and made sure the world was safe for all of his, and I waved mine goodby on the word a Titan wouldn't just chuck him off the planet by accident."

"Percy isn't perfect," Annabeth corrected with a fond smile. "I know you know I once jumped on the back of a manticore, and he beat himself up over it too."

Magnus finally turned to face her, waving his hand around in the water to show how much that comparison didn't work.

"I know," she agreed. "Just, I know you're going to beat yourself up, but try to leave some skin unbruised too. If Hearth left of his own accord, I can't see him blaming you."

Magnus sighed and nodded in agreement. He wanted to believe that, at any rate.

Annabeth watched, seeing him now studying the empty seat with a faraway look in his eyes she knew all to well, the lost expression of not knowing what to do about a situation wasn't just for his friend.

"You like her," Annabeth said astutely, tucking her legs underneath her and studying him, "I could tell that after being here half a day. Have you said anything to Alex?"

Magnus bit his lip and wasn't sure how to say it.

"Is it because you're only attracted to her, half the time?" She kept fishing.

"No, no," Magnus quickly corrected. "I, find her just as intriguing on her he days. I mean, I've never been attracted to a guy before, but it's not, I mean, I like Alex, no matter what gender she or he is."

"So what's the problem?" Annabeth repeated, pure sympathy in her tone.

He clasped his hands and tapped his fingers against his chin, there was no nice way to say it. "Not sure what's going to happen when we get back. I'm still, I'm not sure if you're camp, well, up there-"

His cousin's eyes filled with regret, she leaned forward in her seat, feet spilling back onto the floor to support her weight as she automatically went in to hug him, before she hesitated and leaned right back. He smiled at her in relief and forced himself to relax, not even realizing he'd tensed up until she'd sat back in her seat, but still leaning on the edge.

"You're homeless." She said it as a statement, not a question. He didn't bother to deny it. What would be the point when she'd find out the second they got out of here? Her face flooded with the one thing that didn't send him running away though. Understanding. "Magnus, I am so sorry about that, if I'd known-"

"How could you," he brushed off any responsibility on her part. "As bad as things apparently are between your dad, if he even knows, you've had your own troubles going on-"

"I asked about you though," Annabeth insisted, she was twisting her hands up in her lap and he smiled to imagine her Yankees cap there. "When he told me about Aunt Natalie, that first summer I'd seen him in so long, I cried all night. He said he tried to find you but the system had no record of you, and my step-mom was just in the kitchen the whole time making her kids lunch like nothing was wrong, well, it didn't set a good precedent for that summer. I just thought, I don't know, you were living with Uncle Randolph, safe, I was still fighting with them so much-"

"I don't blame you," he insisted to her guilt ridden face. 

"I should have looked for you," she insisted too. "You could have been at camp with us all along."

"I don't know about that," he frowned and looked up at the ceiling again, then reluctantly, the door. "That's why I'm, well it doesn't help I'm a tongue tied idiot around her, but I don't know what's going to happen when we get back. The last thing I should be worried about is a crush when, well I have no clue about my parentage and," he trailed off with his face burning red and his own hands gripping painfully tight to each other.

Annabeth bumped their knees together as she leaned forward without being forceful about it, her tone dead serious. "Chiron will not turn you four away. You'll have somewhere safe to be Magnus." Then she looked over her shoulder, and back to him with a promising smile. "I can tell you really have feelings for Alex, and you shouldn't wait on something like that."

He was blushing again even as he answered, "it's not like it's just me. Alex is, so confident, about everything! I still think she's just been messing with me! If she did like me, I think she'd say something about it, she's so bold." He was smiling by the end, he could hear to his own ears how gently he spoke of her and couldn't even find the blush to be embarrassed about it anymore, even as Annabeth's smile increased.

She still spoke candidly, but there was a hint of worry for the first time. "Maybe, well, she has feelings for somebody else up there right now."

Magnus's heart plummeted, he hadn't thought of that.

"Maybe there's, other things going on in her circumstances," Annabeth relentlessly went on, "but Magnus, you'll regret it if you don't at least ask. Trust me."

He did trust her. He didn't envy the two living through the end of the world before finding peace in each other. He didn't want total destruction to get up the courage to say something to Alex and wondered what other obstacles between near constant death by monster and kidnapping's might circumvent them giving each other a chance. 

Magnus knew the moment Percy must have walked back in the room by watching her face light up, shifting around in her seat as if her first reaction were to go to him. She stopped herself and smiled back at him.

He nodded to be left alone,  so Annabeth just gave him a promising smile as she stretched and stood up, going over to Percy and putting her hand in his like it was the most natural thing in the world as they discussed what they wanted for dinner with Thalia.

His mind was so preoccupied trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say to Alex on the way to her door, he had no clue how long he was standing in front of it only to see it was open. Wrapping his knuckles sharply on it anyways and very cautiously easing his head around, he called out for her with no answer. 

It was as bland as everybody else's, if he hadn't subconsciously noted which one she'd come out of yesterday he'd never have guessed who's it could be, but there was also something so uniquely Alex about it he was sure he wasn't wrong. The smell of wet clay lingered in the air, there was a sewing kit resting beside the pillow, and a plate of Hershey's Kisses on top of the fridge, all unwrapped and arranged in a nonlinear way. 

His first impulse was to swipe them into his mouth and book it, but this was Alex's room, and he'd never stolen from someone he wasn't pretty convinced didn't deserve it, so he instead opened up the door below.

Instead of food, what he found was a bowl. A beautiful work of pottery with intricate, almost 3D looking designs all along the side of a caterpillar weaving itself into a cocoon and coming out, only for its wings to beat for all of one image and begin withering in the very next to turn to dust, a telling story all the way until he spun it back around to start. 

The kind of thing he would have scoffed and been disgusted at the price of, only someone living the lap of luxury could afford in a window. His hands felt grubby holding it.

He swiftly set it on her bed before the worst could happen and bumped into the fridge door, closing it to hide the evidence he'd found such a thing while the chocolate all moved around on the plate.

Then his mind seized in a panic, wanting to put it back before she found he'd saw it, and he had to grab something else out to prove he hadn't of course! But what- his eyes darted to the chocolate, and he frantically slammed and yanked the door too quickly, the universe glitched as it delivered so fast, but a bag of Kisses fell onto his shoe. He ripped the bag open and hastily shoved one in as he kicked the door back shut, feeling the strange crinkling sensation on his tongue and realizing he'd forgotten to unwrap it- 

"Magnus?" 

He choked, his hands fumbled, and for some reason his brain screamed at him to hide the evidence. The rich chocolate fell to the floor, scattering to every corner as the half-unwrapped one sat on his tongue as he whirled around to see her dark brown and amber eyes were glittering at him from across the room as she sauntered over. She stopped right in front of him, eyeing his lips clinically.

Magnus swallowed and knew he should open his mouth, say something, like why he was invading Alex's privacy and something else very important, he was sure he'd come in here to say something but really couldn't remember right now as Alex leaned in.

Alex planted a hand firmly on his shoulder and kissed him.

It was not gentle, but neither was the way Magnus's knees literally gave out on him and he fell back against the wall, his hands had pulled Alex's shirt with him, so that Alex was fully pressed into him and her lips were still a tantalizing breath apart.

She braced her other hand against the wall right by his head, he felt her shift her weight and his eyes snapped open as he began to apologize and let go only to see her nose to nose with him and smiling, not leaning back an inch. "I'm homeless," he blurted out, and gods he was the most idiotic person on earth as he licked his lips. He was surprised he wasn't choking on that wrapper and probably dying and hallucinations all this.

"I guessed that, I am too," she nodded. Some of her hair had fallen out of the updo, curling back around her shoulders. They were so close, his golden strands were twining together with hers. "I'm a child of Loki."

Judging by her reserved tone, how she was still shifting her weight around, he probably should have had some revelation to that. Even he'd heard of that god. "The god of trickery? Thor's brother?" He was running his tongue over his lip still where they tingled and had never wanted someone to move away less. Maybe he had a chocolate allergy he'd never known of.

She gave him a joyless smile, the nails on his shoulder digging in just a bit, for all the world like she was still fixing to lean back but had yet to do so. "How those Greek kids speak of children of Hades, as outcasts, untrustworthy, that's how our kind will see me Magnus."

"You're not seeing anyone else are you?" He blurted, again. He wasn't touching her anywhere but where his fingers were still holding onto the edge of her odd shirt, the material crinkled like she’d wrapped herself in foil, just the tips of his fingers.

Her smile was very sad as she leaned in and kissed him again, fully capturing his lips. The world might have actually ended by the time she leaned back again, his protection had possibly evaporated into her he was left breathing so shallowly like all the oxygen had been deprived from him. "No," she finally answered in the gentlest voice Magnus had yet heard from her. Her eyes were closed as she stayed right where she was. "Give me time to tell you about Adrian." Her breath caught on the name. Then she opened her eyes, and finally pushed off him and took a step back.

There was chocolate smeared across her lips now and he found himself swallowing none left in his mouth.

"Okay," he promised, thinking Percy would have to come in here and pry him off this wall before he figured out how to move again. "I, um, you're gorgeous," he finally, stupidly, remembered what he'd wanted to come in here and tell her, and the compliment seemed very underwhelming now.

She laughed, that same crooked smile playing across her lips he didn't think he'd ever want to look away from. "And you're an adorable goof."

"I can work with that," he nodded so much he may or  may not have broken his neck.

***

Percy finally held her tight that night.

“All coming back to you?” She couldn’t even put a tease in her voice as she lovingly curled into his chest without hesitation and his arms just circled her tighter.

There was comfortable silence for a while. But they both knew. It was a pause of their earlier fight, and they were both testing the waters to see who would break it first.

Percy did, cutting right to the heart of it. He’d seen that look on her face and known what it was. “I got lost, and it wasn’t your fault.”

She said nothing, her nails digging tight into his back. He could feel the hitch in her voice as she fought back a sob.

“The day you can tell a god or goddess or Titan what to do with me is the day you get crowned Queen of Olympus, and Zeus is doing a shit job too, so, I actually like your odds better,” he concluded with the contemplative simpleness she adored about him so much. He had a very black and white view of the world, one she didn’t share but admired.

“I think what’s killing me is, that Artemis had to help,” she admitted. She could only admit this to him, since she was being honest here. 

He nodded, because he understood that too. “I’m sure your mom would say good counsel isn’t unwise?” He tried and failed to offer, knowing the answer. “Your mom might never have liked my help, but she can’t claim to have never needed it. She has demigods to do her bidding too.”

“Her counsel, perhaps, but I, I don’t know Percy. I hate the idea, of not knowing what they have planned for you. Of what they’ll ask you to do before this is all over.”

“What they’ll ask us to do,” Percy reminded, she could hear the grin of his voice from the comfort of his beating heart in her ear. “Oceanus might be an idiot, but he made it pretty clear he didn’t pull all of them in here by mistake. Now, you are a part of it, and we’ll make the right call.”

“I hope you’re right,” she murmured. Her mind was on Jason, and her cousin and Alex. Her mind was on those books, and how no god’s gift came without a price. Her mind was on Artemis still, and what she’d ask of them too when they got out of here.

And that would only be the beginning.

PJOPJOPJO

I don’t want to promise when I’ll start the next set of books. I want to get into a new fandom I’ve never explored before and really get invested without fretting in the back of my mind about writing. I want to say I’ll start posting the first chapter around the end of December with a possible first bonus chapter early that month, but if I wait a bit into New Year’s don't be alarmed either. My heart is SET on finishing these, I just don’t want to force it when I’m still playing around with a few ideas.

I will give the minor spoiler and promise I’m kicking around some new characters to bring in, but I would have to take some out too, I won’t go over my limit of eight. 

Tell me which you’d prefer? I’m angling to bring in Leo and Piper or Reyna and Frank, both have merits, but I know you all have your own ideas.

[velarisdusk]

im bored tell me a random life story of yours

deciding if i go for meaningful or interesting....

my sophomore year of college, my boyfriend and i went on a halloweekend bender with a bunch of his friends. also bender is a bit generous of a word for it, we just went to our janky college club (RIP Pub, you will be missed; they tore it down to build apartments) 3 nights in a row. night 1 was fine, night 2 was questionable. but night 3? let me set the scene. (also putting this under the cut bc kinda long)

im dressed as a sexy german barmaid. obviously. the club is a quick hop skip and a jump from where my bf's dorm was on campus, so we walked bc who's gonna pay for an uber, it's right there. so a group of like 15 or so college kids who are like, 18-20 years old, are laughing and stumbling through campus (bc we pregamed. obviously.) and everything is going great until we walk by campus cops and everyone goes quiet. like why would you do that thats so fucking suspicious.

n e way, my bf and i were towards the back of the group so we kinda walked around and waited for them further up bc we weren't getting a citation goodbye. they ended up fine, so we all get to the club, have our fun, i have no clue how much i drank that night but it was more than enough. my bf and i tell everyone we'll meet them back at the dorms, and walk to the mcdonalds a couple of streets down from the club. we eat, whatever, walk back.

something abt me is i either wear a push up bra or no bra. you'll see me one day with C's and the next with A's, that's just how it is and idc. sometimes outfits need more or less boob and i can accomodate that. so i take off my VS bombshell bra bc its tight, and ask my bf to hold it bc his costume had big ass pockets. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW, THIS BRA IS SEVENTY DOLLARS. we get back to the dorm and he realizes its not in his pocket. this man lost my seventy dollar bra. and we'd only been dating for a month atp so he was like, sweating.

we retrace our steps and we're abt to give up hope (just remembering rn that this is the night i peed in a bush by the campus gym bc i could not make it to a bathroom), when on this very lowlight street, we're abt to cross paths with a dude who looks like hes tweakingggg, but my bf goes ahead and asks "yo bro, you seen a bra on the ground" and im rolling my eyes bc this is so stupid im ready to cut my losses and go home

"actually yeah bro wtf, it was right on that corner" points behind him

we thank him, we're laughing, we go get my bra, it's all nice and pristine, all good, and then the campus cops show up. different ones from earlier but they were driving by and they slowed down next to us and basically asked why we were picking a bra up off the ground. cue us trying to casually explain what happened without baiting them into asking our age bc underage drinking is very very bad

[pocket-lin]

Hey!! 💕 for the fandom ask game, 5, 9 and 20? 🤩

hi!!! thank you for sending me this ask!! once again apologizing if the format for this is all janky, assume I have no clue what I'm doing 80-90% of the time!! also I found out so many of these writer's have tumblrs that I wasn't following so that was exciting!!

please note: this is all about the harry potter fandom so if you don't follow me for that, please look at my pinned post!! tldr is fuck jk and fuck terfs, I won't let her steal our joy!!

5. something I see a lot in fics and love

hmmmm... this is hard to narrow down!! so here's a few things I've been enjoying in hp fics I've read lately!

harry potter who is just so fucking earnestly in love. like, he's tripping over his feet so he can hold the door open for draco and looking at him with big heart eyes from across the pub. harry's got draco's order memorized from that takeout place he loves and he's been pining for draco for years in such an embarrassing way and all his friends are rolling their eyes and placing bets on when harry will finally make a fucking move.

adult ron weasley taking after his mother!! he makes delicious food and makes people scarves and shows his love through his actions!!

draco being absolutely rocked when he finds out that harry is queer! especially when harry is confident and completely unashamed of his sexuality. also throat goat harry

magic being tangible in some way!! like, a strong spell giving off the smell of ozone, being able to feel it in someone's hands, everyone's magic having a unique vibe.

harry as the ultimate dad. like, that dude 100% has so many complicated feelings about family and his kid(s) would be everything to him.

9. a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy

I've been dipping into alllll kinds of ships lately. I love to just go look at individual ship tags on a03 and read the stuff with the highest kudos and then some of the most recent fics. I think you gotta do both to understand the ship!! here's some I've been vibing with lately (also realizing how many of these are drarry+someone else hahaha)

harry/draco is my otp BUT harry/ron and harry/ron/hermione are tied for second. that's harry's family!! they were his first friends and the first people to show him love and they literally went through war together. they know each other!! two favorite harry/ron fics of mine are Sun Kissed by @static-abyss and A tangled mess by @orange-peony! two harry/ron/hermione favorites are nineteen years later by wendydarlings and try to fix you by @maesterchill!

snarry - I was sooooo not into this in my early fandom days because so much of the ship stuff I saw was underage teacher/student stuff and that's very much not my thing. the first dip into this ship was actually through @writcraft's harry/draco/severus fic, A Life Worth Remembering, which is almost a complete subversion: Severus gets de-aged to 25 through a potions accident and has to stay with draco and harry, who are middle-aged and in an established relationship. its a gigantic change for everyone involved and the way their all find their way to each other is sooooooo good. from there I read all their snarry stuff. one of their other snarry fics I love is How We Were Warriors. I've actually been back into this ship the past few weeks and have loved On the Deficiencies of Translation Spells and old fires and phantom limbs by @liladiurne, as well as A Turn of the Page and Severus’s Story (or, A Hero’s Tale) by avioleta!

neville/harry and harry/draco/neville - I think about @kittycargo's Love to Give soooooo often. also absolutely love When it Returns by @academicdisasterfic and Touch Your Lips Just So I Know by @saxamophone!!

harry/draco/charlie - everyone go read Licurici by @lou-isfake and tell me you aren't a changed man!!!

ron/draco/harry. I can't even begin to talk about this one because we'd be here for a million years!!

20. your very first fandom!

I started doing irl fandom things for harry potter with my mom and sister when I was a little baby (I learned to read with the harry potter books!!) but my first solo (and almost exclusively online) fandom was the the teen titans!! I was obsessed with the marv wolfman and george perez comics from the 80s and completely lost my shit when they announced the teen titans animated series. that show cancellation still hurts 😭

[quibbs126]

For the fan kid thingy, can I get a velvetgatto? (Affogato x red velvet)

Finally…after an eternity (about 6 months, which Jesus that’s a long time), he is finished. Zuccotto Cookie

So his name. Zuccotto is basically like an ice cream cake, so a combination of Red Velvet’s cake and Affogato’s ice cream. Also, it’s Italian, like affogato. I vaguely recall the name giving me trouble at first, until I realized cake and ice cream was a valid combination and got this

Zuccotto:

So I had his design sketched out like a month ago, and I think I recall telling you all that I couldn’t figure out how to make his design work. I had left the design I made and just went and did something else, and then today I was looking for something to draw and I said “yeah the design looks fine, don’t know why I didn’t like it” and just drew that

But also this means that I don’t remember all the reasons for his design details, most notably the staff

I mean, I know I based it off the staffs some of the Cake Monsters have, specifically the Pomegranate shamans or whatever they were called. I also know originally I was trying to make it a spork, but I couldn’t get it to look good, so I switched to the other staff. But I admit, it looks a bit out of place. I mean, I changed some of the colors at the end to match it, but I think it still looks off. But I’m not going through the effort of making a new one, I remember that staff being a pain

Anyways, so I think I was trying to give Zuccotto a style more befitting a shaman, but also with a more modern twist to emulate Red Velvet. I think I did it well

But one thing that was a real struggle was the colors, because I had no clue what to do for them. In my mind he had a black and red color scheme, and that’s how I had it at first, but I was having difficulty with putting the reds next to each other, and I changed some of the colors at the end to match the staff, and I think it worked out fine in the end

I feel like he looks too similar to Affogato, at least without colors (I felt that when I was drawing the sketch). But maybe I just need to take some time away from him and come back to really know. He probably doesn’t look as similar as I think

Also I’m just realizing that considering he’s not made of a food that contains coffee, he probably shouldn’t have dilated pupils, but like, both Red Velvet and Affogato have some form of them, so shhh

Anyways, so let’s move on to him

So Zuccotto is part of the Cookies of Darkness (assuming they stay for a long time and/or there’s a new group), and he’s some sort of Cake Shaman, summoning Cake Monsters to do his bidding. Though he has a great respect for Cakes and see them as equals. He’s not necessarily a bad guy, but he’s very loyal to the Cookies of Darkness and has no inclination to leave, feeling that normal Cookies have no respect for Cakes

I can imagine him playing cards or chess with the Cake Monsters, or at least the ones with hands

Now one of the other main things I have for him is his relationship with Licorice Cream, a darklico fankid I did some time ago, and whom you can see in the sketch (it’s supposed to be a recreation of that Toy Story meme). Basically my idea is that they’re both part of the CoD and they’re this duo within the group. Zuccotto is the straight man that gets dragged along into Licorice Cream’s antics and tries to stay the voice of reason. I said in my head that they have a dynamic similar to Mule and Sonia from Berserk, but also it’s been a while since I’ve read the chapters with them, and my mind may have branched off from that initial dynamic. But basically it’s “weird girl and normal dude who has no clue what she’s on about”. Actually that’s probably not accurate, I just don’t know how to describe Sonia, so sorry to those who haven’t read Berserk and don’t know what I’m talking about

Zuccotto’s also generally the more mature of the two, despite Licorice Cream being older (Zuccotto’s like a teenager while LC is an adult)

I feel like I should have more, but really those are the only two bits I have on him, I don’t think he’s that complicated. But I might have more to say about him when I redo Licorice Cream, since I have a better idea of what to do with her now, and they are rather close

But yeah, that’s Zuccotto Cookie, hope you like him and that maybe he was worth the wait!

[afurtivecake]

Neil's so funny fr cuz what other character looks at a countdown to their own demise and has the attitude of "I didn't ask for a secretary 🙄" or who isn't fun to torture cuz of his laissez faire attitude to it. nobody doing it like him.

do u have any opinions on neil? or andreil?

yes. because i'm obsessed with those two assholes. next.

sorry, i'm only kidding, of course i will talk about it in detail and at length because i'm incapable of shutting up once you get me going.

wymack (in one of the short stories) says neil is "ragged around the edges and ice all the way through" and i think that describes him perfectly. dude is seriously unhinged and a bit of a sociopath and he doesn't even realize it. he's out there thinking that he has a bit of a temper issue but that's it. and then he'll say things like how he wasn't paying attention to what people were saying cuz he was too busy taking in riko's agonized screams or how he no longer cared what the psychiatrist has to say because he's already served his use in getting andrew clean. and that's all just normal to him. he doesn't really mind using people, he's kind of bloodthirsty, he'll cut people where it hurts (verbally) and he genuinely doesn't feel anything for any of the deaths that happen. none of that is insane or troubling behaviour on its own, but the fact that he doesn't seem to think it's particularly troubling behaviour is what's troubling. when he does care, it's about what other people will think of his reactions. ice all the bloody way through.

sometimes i feel so bad for andrew like, "this??? THIS is what you want???" but alright, to each their own. i love that andrew probably has more natural empathy than neil and that neil probably has more practice at finding empathy and utilizing it than andrew. between them, they might scrounge up enough functional empathy to nearly make up one full normal person. then i remember that i, someone who isn't ever 100% sure i'm showing my empathy correctly and doesn't know what to do when other people react with strong empathy, happen to be friends with a lot of the same sort of people...................so i'd be lying if i said i don't understand why they feel comfortable around each other.

yeah but my main opinion is that i'm pretty happy for them never to say 'i love you' or marry or even acknowledge their relationship openly. they just go home to the same home, do their share of tasks and chores, hang out in each other's company, wait for each other, do things for each other, give each other casual gifts, fuck, wake up next to each other, and if anyone asks them if they're together, they shrug and give the simplest, barest version of the truth: they live together.

personally i find this headcanon nice and reassuring because, if you did not grow up hearing affection and love expressed in words, the words 'i love you' can feel really empty and uncomfortable to receive or use. (a thing i did not realize myself until i had to give a speech at a wedding and choked on using the word 'love'.) to me, it's reassuring that they can just exist together as they are. I don't see it as a sign that they need more healing, necessarily. idk, at some point, how much of your personality is your trauma and how much of it is just you? if you fully heal from everything, would you still be yourself? no bloody clue. but hey, i like that people do head canon them being really soft and gooey and nice. i think it says a lot about who they are as people and i'm glad for that.