#Kelly 600

[diabolus1exmachina]

Fiat 600 Jungla

The Jungla, Italian for “Jungle,” was designed at the request of Fiat supremo Gianni Agnelli who wanted a vehicle to compete with the popular Mini Moke, and perhaps to win the company some military contracts. Just 3,200 or so were made between 1965 and 1974. Emphasizing simplicity as a design criterion, the Fiat Jungla boasted a utilitarian, squared-off metal body, providing space for four adults and up to 40 kilograms of luggage, cargo, or beach equipment. Leveraging the mass production of the Fiat 600, a popular and affordable car in Italy at the time, the Jungla was based on the same platform to ensure cost-effective, efficient production and broad parts availability.

Powering the vehicle was a 767cc inline-four cylinder, overhead valve engine borrowed from the Fiat 600, with power transmitted through a 4-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. Despite its modest output of 32 bhp, the low curb weight of 578 kilograms allowed for a respectable top speed of 95 km/h, depending on the load. Though of course, it woulds take a driver with significant courage to actually achieve that speed on Italy’s twisting coastal roads.

While initially intended for military use, the Jungla only saw very limited adoption by the Italian armed forces. That said, it found favor with the Italian Forestry Service and the Carabinieri who ordered some for specialist roles.

Interestingly, the Savio Jungla became particularly popular among affluent vacationers in France, Italy, and Monte Carlo. With their open-top configuration, these four-seaters offered a simple means of transportation for short trips from their hillside manor houses to the waterfront. Notably, the Kelly 600 variant of the Fiat Jungla gained significant recognition. This special edition featured a tasseled folding fabric roof, woven rattan seats, and other rattan accents. Produced by a Fiat dealership based in Monaco, original examples of the Kelly 600 have become highly sought-after and valuable collector’s items.

To shield occupants from the sun, many of these cars were fitted with simple canvas tops as mentioned above, while rattan seats were often preferred for their ability to accommodate individuals who were still damp from swimming in the sea.

Similar to the Savio Jungla, the Mini Moke and the French sibling, the Citroën Méhari, were also commonly seen at waterfront establishments during that era. The Méhari bore a striking resemblance to the Jungla, leading many to speculate that it drew direct inspiration from the Italian vehicle, appearing on the market just three years later.

[hannahssimblr]

I open the envelope on the stairs. The same stairs I spent six years rushing up and down, going from class to class, that was always bustling with students, bumping shoulders, swinging school bags, yet here I am, on an empty staircase in the building I thought I’d never be inside again. All the people I thought I’d never have to see again are here too, milling in and out of the foyer, collecting envelopes, telling each other about their summer. Somehow I’d forgotten I would have to do this. 

I keep to myself, wishing to minimise any conversation. Get in, get out, that’s the plan. I slip my thumbnail under the lip of the envelope and pull my results out. 

Mathematics A1 English A1 Art A1 Biology B3 Geography B1 German A2

Oh, Jesus Christ. There’s a roaring in my ears. I shove my grades back into the envelope before anyone can see them, then add up the score in my head.

Five-fifty. Is that possible? I peek inside to check again. 

Yes. Five-fifty. 

I blow out a lungful of air. How can this be? I’m famously a fucking idiot. This is a disruption to my worldview. I hardly even studied towards the end of the year, so how in the-

“Jude?” Someone steps into my space, and I have to suppress a groan as Sam from the yearbook committee stands over me, looking completely misplaced without his uniform on. It’s like the freakish experience of seeing your teacher in the supermarket. Sam, without his starched uniform shirt and perfectly knotted tie, is hardly Sam at all. Perhaps he thinks the same of me without my tie, which was always hanging crooked with a blue ink stain on it that wouldn’t come off after a hundred washes.  

The smug look, however, is Sam all over. “Looking a bit glum. Are you disappointed in your results, or something?”

I pause. “No?”

“Oh, grand. Suppose you don’t need the marks anyway, do you? You’re off to art college in Berlin, so I heard.”

“You heard correctly.”

“Surprised to see you here at all, I have to say. I thought you might have been gone already, off to the continent and all that, instead of coming into school.”

“No, my flight’s Wednesday.”

“Ah. So soon.”

“Yes, I suppose it is.” He stands expectantly, hovering, and so, with a sigh, I ask him what he is frothing to be asked. “What points did you get, Sam?”

“Five forty,” he gloats. “I’ll be off to Trinity now, all going well with the offers and all that. ‘Twas an expected result, but I’m still thrilled with myself. Just goes to show that hard work and proper study really pay off.”

“Yeah. Well done. Lucky that points don’t count for me, then, hm?”

“Well, it’s only art school. It’s not like you need to be smart.”

“Yep, that’s true.”

Sam’s head swivels like a submarine periscope. “Oh, look who’s just come in.” His mouth stretches into an unsettling grin. “Sure, it’s the lovely Michelle Tengu. You should say hi to her.”

“Right, yeah.” I say, though my fight or flight has activated and my palms prickle with sweat.

Michelle crosses the linoleum floor in the chunky black boots she’s had since fifteen. She accepts her envelope from the principal and stands to the side where she tears it open and her eyes scan the page. It’s impossible to tell how she feels.

She looks the same, of course she does. Maybe her hair is longer, maybe her makeup is different, her skin a little browner, and I have this feeling as I see her, that I am looking at a picture of a person I used to know, someone whose name I remembered, but whose face I had long forgotten. This girl I loved, or thought I did. I don’t really know that person anymore, at least not how I used to. 

She sees me and gives a hesitant wave. 

I wave back. 

“You’re still here,” she approaches me with the caution one would with a spooked cat, emotions flashing over her face, like she can’t decide how to feel. Neither can I. She’s still blocked in my phone, from that fateful night in June, but now, on the cusp of September, those heavy feelings I had seem so melodramatic. I am just Jude, she is just Michelle, and somewhere along the way, without me even paying heed to it, a storm has passed. 

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

“I expected you to sneak off to Berlin under the cloak of night.”

“That’s the plan, honestly. I just needed my results first.”

“I see. Are you happy with them?”

“Yeah. Are you?”

“I got enough for NCAD.”

“Oh, Michelle, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for you.” An odd moment follows, where I am not sure whether I should hug her. I twitch toward her, then second guess myself, and then I just freeze there, halfway lifted from the step. I slump back down onto it. 

“It, um… Well. It sounds like you had a pleasant summer, and all that.” She says. “Jen was telling me all about it.”

“Was she? Yeah, it was fine. Did she really say it was pleasant?”

“She mentioned that you two had a bit of a falling out, to be honest.”

“Ah, yeah, we did.”

She gives me this awkward smile, and it’s instantly obvious that she knows. Jen, being Jen, has told her the entire story. She’s revealed every aspect of my summer - the festival, the conflicts, and its conclusion. She knows about Evie too. It’s in her eyes. It’s that hint of betrayal she knows she’s not supposed to feel anymore. In them lies the sting of an ex moving on and leaving her behind.   

“I’m, um…” I smooth the front of my hair. “I think things will be alright with Jen, probably. I just need time, you know?”

“Yeah. I get it.” She adds delicately, “though, like, you are leaving in about five days.”

“That’s true.”

“And you were really planning to just vanish?”

“Well, yes. I just don’t know how else to do it.”

“Usually people have a party or something.”

“No, come on,” I scoff. “I’m not doing all of that. It’s so much work.”

“Hm. I just think you’ll regret not saying goodbye.”

I can’t decide whether she’s right, and can’t think of what to argue in my defence, so I say nothing. A sympathetic smile crosses her face. It’s strange. She never looked at me like that while we were together.

“I can help,” she says. “It can be low-key, just a few people. I’ll send out a text and see who wants to come, yeah? Whoever wants to say goodbye?”

“Including Jen?”

“I’ll need to invite Jen.” she shrugs, “it might be a good chance to talk. To get it all ironed out.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I do. I think it’s best not to leave things unfinished.”

“Hm. That’s very philosophical of you.”

“Are you shocked?”

“Kind of.”

She huffs out a laugh. “Well I’ve been seeing someone.”

“A boy?”

“A therapist. I realised after we broke up that I had some things to work through. I had some… big feelings.”

“That’s great, Shell.”

I could swear that her eyes get a little misty as she inhales, as though to say something before deciding against it. She straightens her shoulders and smiles. “I’m happy you’re happy.” She says brightly. “With the Leaving Cert results, obviously.”

“I’m happy you’re happy, too.”

She glances toward the door. “Look, I better go, but I’ll text you about the going away party, right?”

“Yeah, I better unblock you.” It slips out of me before I can stop it, but to my immense relief, she laughs. “Good idea. See you Jude.”

“Bye, Shell. Thanks.”

“For what?”

“I dunno. For this.”

She just smiles. 

Beginning // Prev // Next

[displayheartcode]

Okay, I ran a bunch of errands today and yesterday. Tomorrow, I will force to myself to sit down, chill, and write

[deanstead]

Marry That Girl

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Requested: no

Word Count: 600+

Tags/Warnings: none

A/N: Short one because I haven't released something for Jay in way too long! This has been sitting in my WIP drafts for the longest time so I finally got it written! An anon requested something similar for Will but since I had a half-written fic, I finished this and posting this instead! As always thanks to bestie @seatsbythepit for being my beta queen~!

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

You hadn’t thought this through.

It sounded like an innocent enough date when Jay had asked if you wanted to go watch the game. You hadn't been dating for long, and every day felt a little unreal in a ‘I can’t believe Jay Halstead wants to go out with me’ kind of way, and you appreciated every opportunity you got to spend with Jay especially since you never knew if he would have to go undercover or spend nights at the district trying to clear a case.

But now that the game was approaching, you were in a bit of a panic.

You enjoyed watching a game, but you didn’t always know what you were watching or doing, and you weren’t sure you were ready to let Jay see that side of you.

“Y/N, everything okay?” Kelly’s voice interrupted your internalized panic and you glanced up.

“Ah, I should have thought of you!” You proclaimed, earning yourself an eyebrow raise from the squad lieutenant. “I need your help.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow but chuckled before nodding toward his office.

You thanked all the stars that it was a quieter shift. After all, an entirely quiet shift didn’t exist at Firehouse 51. But at least that’s the way you liked it.

Kelly gave you a crash course, but not without reminding you that you owed him one. You spent the rest of the downtime studying it so that at least you’d have something smart to say, even though there were a few times you wondered what the hell you were doing.

Hard work indeed paid off.

You walked out of the game, feeling a little embarrassed as Jay’s friends gushed over you.

“Jay, you got a good one. My girlfriend doesn’t even want to come to games with me.” One of his buddies quipped.

Jay laughed, putting an arm around you and grinning. “Hey, should I be worried? What if you guys just call her for the games instead?”

The laughter rumbled through the group as they all nodded, teasing Jay that they’d rather call you instead of him in the future.

You really did owe Kelly one.

As his friends dispersed, calling that Jay had better bring you out for the next game, Jay’s phone rang.

You nodded at him, telling him he’d better take it, assuring him that you and Will wouldn’t leave him behind.

Jay took the call from Voight, glancing toward where you and Will were talking as he nodded. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll be right in.”

Jay could feel the dread in his gut, that felt just a little too much like guilt that he had to blow off again tonight even though he’d promised a nice after-game dinner and maybe some drinks and cuddling.

“This is why you don’t promise anything, Jay.” He mumbled to himself, before he walked back toward the both of you.

“Hey, Y/N, I…”

You glanced at the look on Jay’s face and just smiled. “Gotcha.”

“Sorry.” Jay couldn’t even say anything more because everything else in his head sounded like an excuse.

“I’m not saying I’m not disappointed, because I kinda am. But I get it. And if these were bells going off for the ambulance, I’d do the same thing you’re doing now. So, go.” You paused. “But you owe me a mind-blowing date.”

Jay laughed and nodded. “That, I definitely do.”

You shot him a huge smile and headed off toward Jay’s truck to wait because you knew he’d at least take you home before heading back down to wherever he was supposed to go.

Will watched the exchange with a mix of amusement and awe before he glanced at his younger brother.

“Jay?” Will called, before Jay and him headed off in different directions.

Jay glanced up at Will and Will smiled. “You better marry that girl.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!

[hvaneyflowers]

Family *******

Fernando Alonso x femreader! family!

Instagram au | Part 2

Fernando and y/n have been married for 10 years, and for the last 9 years, y/n has been fighting against cancer. Because of this, they can't have children on their own, so they decided to adopt.

***************

yourusername

liked by fernandoalo_oficial, astonmartinf1, and 400.634 more.

yourusername: First time flying for Matías! ✈️

view all 400 comments.

username55: So, it means we're seeing Matias in the paddock this weekend?

username33: I hope so! I'm dying to meet him!

charles_leclerc: YES! Little Alonso is coming! I'll have his gift prepared!

astonmartinf1: Can't wait to meet our new crew member!

carmenmmundt: yeah!!!!

username65: Do you think Nico's daughter will be there? I heard he is a little bit jealous hahaha

username910: What about K-Mag's daughter? Or Kelly's daughter? Hahaha username1938: a grid of little babies! I love it!

yourusername

liked by fernandoalo_oficial, f1, charles_leclerc, and 500.000 more.

tagged: fernandoalo_oficial, f1, astonmartinf1, charles_leclerc, lewishamilton

yourusername: First race ever! Matias enjoyed every second of it and was very surprised to find out his new dad was a superstar! Thank you astonmartinf1 and f1 for making this a very special moment for my baby. Also, thank you lewishamilton and charles_leclerc for the gifts! Matias loved them, but he named them lewusoso and charlitosrojo (lewusbear and charlitosred) ❤️🛣️

view all 500 comments.

fernandoalo_oficial: the best fan! Mi pequeño! (my little boy)

yourusername: Fan number 1! I'm number 2 now hahaha fernandoalo_oficial: In my heart, there's enough space for both of you being number 1❤️ yourusername: ❤️

username124: OMG! Look at that cute pie!! He's too cute!

username57: I don't know which is cuter., little Nandito or Lewis and Charles' teddy bears?

username78: Don't forget the names he chose for them!

lewishamilton: what a little boy you have! He's amazing! Very happy for you! Roscoe loved him and me too, he's incredible. Bring him back anytime! pss. I love my new name, I think I'm going to change my real name for that one 😉

charles_leclerc: LOVED THAT LITTLE KID!!! HE'S TOO CUTE AND THE WAY HE PRONUNCED MY NAME!!!

astonmartinf1: Loved having little Matias aka future World Champion in our garage! Looking for seeing him around more!

f1: Future world champion in the making! Come back anytime!

danielricciardo: He's too cute! I hope he loved my giraffe!

yourusername: Believe me, he adored it! It's name is Dani. danielricciardo: cool!

username23: I want to know what the whole grid gifted him!! @.yourusername make a post with all the presents!

username98: Yes! I'm dying to know!!!

landonorris: my gift was the best! 😚

carlossainz55: shut up!

yourusername

liked by landonorris, jensonbutton, kimimatiasraikkone, and 600.00 more.

yourusername: Because you asked for it! Here are the gifts my baby received from the whole grid, and some more! Thank you for all!! pss. Landonorris Matias crashed the car the first time he used it, sorry.

view all 600 comments.

landonorris: NOOOOO!

carlossainz55: I told ya! hahaha, he's too young to know how to drive! charles_lecler: and that's why a teddy bear was a good idea! alex_albon: and cars, too.

estebanocon: glad he loved the horse!

username44: OMG! Little Matias received so many things! He's so lucky!

username89: imagine going from being a little kid with nothing in the world to having Fernando Alonso and y/n y/ln as parents and the entire F1 grid as uncles? So happy for this little one! username788: he deserves the world!!

kimimatiasraikkonen: So happy for you guys! And glad little Matias loved my gift. Bring him to meet Mintu and the kids anytime!

yourusername: He adored it, but Fernando... he's another story. Anyway, we're hoping for him to meet your kids and Mintu! fernandoalo_oficial: I hate you Kimi. You, and Kevin. Why did you gift him musical toys? He never stops playing them! NEVER. kevinmagnussen: welcome to fatherhood, Fernando. Believe me, you'll get used to it. kimimatiasraikkonen: I second that. maxverstappen1: me too.

username990: I'm jealous of a 4-year-old boy! I can't believe it!

username787: I know! Me too!

fernandoalo_oficial

liked by yourusername, astonmartinf1, and 1M more.

tagged: yourusername

fernandoalo_oficial: first date night since becoming mom and dad! Missing our little boy made us end the night very early. Love you nena!

view all 1000 comments.

yourusername: Te amo mi amor!

fernandoalo_oficial: yo te amo más!

yukitsunoda0511: I need a girlfriend, ASAP!

danielricciardo: don't worry little man, I'll help you! yukitsunoda0511: no way! yourusername: don't worry Yuki. I'm sure you'll find the correct one, just be patient. When you find her, you'll know! yukitsunoda0511: ❤️

username88: couple goals!!!

username919: @.yourusername always so sexy!!!

username7188: Fernando has good taste!

username819: power couple!!

username189: Both of them are so good-looking! I hope they'll never break up!

username919: If that happens, I'd never believe in love again!

carlossainz55: a beautiful young woman... and Fernando.

yourusername: Oh, come on! I'm 32! landonorris: you look like a 20-year-old schoolgirl next to Nando! yourusername: come on, gusy! He isn't so old! He's just... 50? fernandoalo_oficial: I'M NOT 50! NEITHER OLD! landonorris: yes, you are. carlossainz55: Yes, you are. You were my idol when I was young, now, I compete against you... do your math, old man! yourusername: OMG! I'D FORGOTTEN THAT! Yes, you're old, baby. fernandoalo_oficial: That's not what you say when I'm on top of you, nena. 😉 landonorris: 😮 carlossainz55: 😮 yourusername: I don't know what you're talking about. fernandoalo_oficial: oh, really? I recall last Sunday when you were screaming my name, "Oh, Nando, please, more, more!" landonorris: 😮 carlossainz55: 😮 charles_leclerc: 😮 danielricciardo: 😮 yukitsunoda0511: 😮 maxverstappen1: 😮 yourusername: well, I need to remember... Do you want to help me remember? 😏 fernandoalo_oficial: of course, nena! I'm heading to the bedroom! roscoelovescoco: 😮

[crystaltreebee]

And so the Strike begins

“I think we’ll win this fight all right. I ain’t made 20 cents this week, but I can stand a heap of that and so can all the Brooklyn boys. Don’t you touch Worlds or Journals until they give us a decent deal. We’re putting them out of business fast and they know it.” -Race Track Higgins at the Strikers Rally, July 24 1899

Today 125 years ago the Newsboy Strike in New York began.

Prominent leaders include

Race Track Higgins leader of the Brooklyn boys, who spoke commonly in horse and race metaphors,

Louis ‘Kid Blink’ Balletti, an 18 year old Italian American who was later accused of scabbing (he wrote a Newboy poem because of this),

David Simmons, a 21 year old who’d been selling papers since age 8 who stepped down as union president after being accused of betraying the strike,

Morris Cohen, little is known but he stepped up after Kid Blink and David Simmons were accused of scabbing,

Henry Butler, leader of the upper manhattan Newsies after Kid Blink, was arrested for blackmail for telling executives at New York World he wouldn’t stop the strike for anything less than $600

Annie Kelly, one of the few Newgirls loyal to the strike, she spoke at the rally after being pulled on stage by other newsboys.

[themultifandomgal]

Kelly Severide- Wasps

"Good morning love birds" Gabby shouts as Kelly and I exit out of his Mustang, my new epipens in hand as the one I have at the firehouse is now out of date

"Morning" I reply. Kelly places his arm around my shoulders as we enter the building "I'm going to let Boden know that I've got new epipens"

"Ok" Kelly leans down and kisses my lips before I make my way to Bodens office. I knock the door and boden nods to say come in

"Hey chief. Just wanted to let you know I have my new epipens. I managed to get enough for one to stay here and one to go on truck with me as well as having one at home"

"Fantastic. Just be sure you're carful, it's the season for wasps and bees"

"Of course. I'll take the old ones and get rid of them properly"

"Not a problem YN" I walk out of the office and replace my old epipen with the new ones.

I'm sat next to Cruz about to tuck into my lunch when the alarm goes off

Ambulance 61, Truck 81, Squad 3, multi car pile up I-55

I jump up from the lunch table

"Don't go anywhere" I point to my sandwich making Joe chuckle. We all get ourselves suited up and get into our trucks. When we arrive I jump out of the truck, a car is wrapped around a tree. I hear buzzing and look up, shit, there's a huge ass wasps nest hanging from the tree "err Lieutenant, kinda got a problem" I say out loud not taking my eyes off the nest

"What's the... oh. Chief YN is sitting this one out. Huge wasp nest, potential to get stung" Matt says into his radio "go sit in truck" I nod my head and sit in truck watching the others. Annoyed that I can't do much, but I would just make things worse if I get stung. Thankfully everyone involved was ok, just minor injury's.

We arrive back at the firehouse and I can't wait to eat my sandwich! I get out of the truck and strip before running to my sandwich. I hear Kelly chuckle behind me

"What I'm hungry?" I shrug

"Nothing, your just cute"

"I know" I reply. Kelly sits down next to me taking my other half of my sandwich "hey" he takes a bite of my sandwich "your lucky I love you"

"Love you too" Kelly smiles at me as the others all join us at the table

"Sorry to break this all up as sweet as this is, but there's a wasp flying around here" Otis tell us all

"Seriously? It's like they somehow know I have new epipens, $600 each" I sigh

"I'll try and kill it" Casey says getting up from his chair

"I guess I'll shut myself in a room" I sigh getting up. I then hear buzzing around me and the next thing I know is I feel a pinch "shit" my hand instinctively goes to my arm where the pinch happened

"Did you just get stung?" Kelly is standing up immediately

"Errm" I look at my arm and see a red spot "I think I may have been"

"Epipen?"

"It might not have been the wasp. I feel ok at the moment"

"I'll get it just in case" Brett gets up and walks over to the cabinet when I put one of the pen

"Got it" Casey says hitting it with a fly swat. Kelly hasn't taken his eyes off me. I start feeling a little off

"Kel. I'm not feeling so good"

"Brett!" Kelly shouts. I start feeling worse and worse as the seconds go by

"Here"

"Babe do you want to do it?" Kelly asks me. I shake my head now struggling to breathe. Kelly opens up the epipen cap and immediately puts the needle in my leg. I then can take in a breath

"YN we have to take you to Med" Brett says

"Yeah I know" I pout slowly standing up

"Hey woah steady. Let me carry you" I roll my eyes at Kelly who's scopes me up in his arms

"My knight in shining armour" I joke as he walks to the ambo with Brett and Borelli walking behind us. Kelly gets in the back with me and Brett

"I hate wasps" I frown crossing my arms pouting making Brett and Kelly laugh.

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

It is obvious to me that Zeb Wells is only writing ASM because no one else wanted to. I'm old enough to remember the early 00s when Wells first started writing Spider-Man. He was essentially a fill in guy even back then. He was never deemed good enough to get an ongoing to himself. His stories back then were mediocre at best, the one exception being the origin of Jameson, which was legitimate good but also notably not actually about Spider-Man himself.

Then he was one of many rotating writers during the Brand New Day era of 2008-2010. In theory this was a promotion of sorts as he was actually writing ASM. But the nature of the tri-monthly set up sort of meant that inevitably there were gaps to be filled, they just needed material. Roger Stern himself did a few issues here and there in that era, but not many. Yes, Wells was working alongside people who (at the time) were either big names (Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Bob Gale) or (again, at the time) fan favourites like Dan Slott, so in theory he was being elevated. But to my recollection they tended to give the BIG stories in that era the other writers. Slott opened BND, did the first event story New Ways to Die and did ASM #600. Joe Kelly reinvented the Rhino, reintroduced Black Cat and (ugh) resurrected Kraven the Hunter. Fred Van Lente reintroduced Chameleon and Mary Jane. And Waid did...I forget but he did something significant.

In contrast the only BIG story I recall Zeb Wells taking point on was Shed, which was to the Lizard what One More Day was to Peter. The absolute character destruction wherein the Lizard (in his lizard form) is at least implied to have raped a human woman and is confirmed to have eaten his own human son. The story concludes with Spidey being shocked that the Lizard is capable of talking even though he's been able to do that since the very first Lizard story. It was such a catastrophe that Marvel had to steadily walk it back through at least 3 different stories, two of which were by Slott. When even Slott is like 'um...this went way too far', you really went too far.

By rights Wells should have been in Spider-Man writer's jail forever after that, but instead he got to be a lead writer on an era where ASM was again tri-monthly, except this time with only 2 other writers, none of whom nowhere near the fan favouritism nor had the Big Name clout of the original BND era. And to top it off, it wasn't even about Peter it was about Ben Reilly who was suddenly Spider-Man again, following a run by Nick Spencer which had blatently tried and wanted to undo One More Day but was forced to awkwardly change direction. It was obvious that this was thrown together last minute out of desperation, Ben Reilly was basically just Peter Parker's understudy.

Then after all this Wells, the old man (at least compared to the other writers from the Beyond era), the guy who's most famous contribution was something Marvel walked back, a guy's who's best contribution was an obscure story and from 15ish years ago gets the top job? Meanwhile the former writer goes off and starts a substack?

It reeks of desperation. It reeks of 'No one but this guy WANTED the job'. So, ironically, despite it being over 20 years, even when Wells gets the biggest job in Spider-Man you could have, one of the biggest jobs you could ever have in the industry, he is still just a fill-in writer. The fact that his run' is incompetence at best, cynical spite at worst, speaks to why he wa not deemed good enough for the top job until the point where no one else wanted to do it.

And why does no one want one of THE biggest jobs you could have in comics, arguably in American literature?

Because of One More Day.

Because Marvel's narrative that writing a married Spider-Man was just soooooooo hard and such a turn off to potential writers was probably lie back in 2007 and definitely an exaggeration.*

Because it has been close to 20 years since One More Day and these all time great Spider-Man stories have not materialised. And even the ones people (rightly, and imo generally wrongly) regard as really good (like Superior) either didn't require Spider-Man to be unmarried/single or they would've likely been better if he had been married.

Because making Spider-Man unmarried did not attract back lapsed readers who disagreed with him being married.

Because making Spider-Man unmarried did not attract new readers in significant numbers, indeed the scant new/younger readers they got were happy to read about him being married (as evidenced by Renew Your Vows and the current USM's success).

Because One More Day and their anti-marriage agenda is SO bad that the fandom has NOT let it go all these near 20 years.** And never will. We have, and we will continue, to bring it up, complain about it and that wound will only be reopened every single time anything like Dan Slott or Zeb Wells run crops up.**

So, Marvel are in a lose-lose situation.

The pro-marriage writers (of whom there will likely be more and more as the younger generation who grew up with it roll in) do not want to write ASM because they will not be allowed to undo it and their work to even alleviate it will either be derailed during their run, or else reset ASAP, as happened with Nick Spencer.

Meanwhile anti-marriage writers (of which there were not that many and their numbers ever dwindle) do not want to write ASM because they know their work will also likely be interferred with and more poignantly they will have to deal with us fans very loudly (and louder than ever thanks to modern technology) yelling at them for reinforcing the anti-marriage/anti-Mary Jane agenda.

Simply put, most writer's, especially if they are talented, can make an easier buck on anything other than Amazing Spider-Man, regardless of whether that is one of the Big Two or indie.

And so, what Marvel are left with is desperation cases like Wells and Slott or talented people who come in for short bursts like Joe Kelly.

That is, of course, unless they give their customers what we have wanted for over 16 and a half years!

*As evidenced by the fact that in 2007 we had THREE Spider-Man writers, Straczynski, David and Sacasa, who were all pro-marriage and wrote generally good stories, often leveraging Mary Jane and her marriage with Peter in the course of doing that. In fact one 2007 comic specifically about their marriage was nominated for an award.

**And, in fact, many writers for Marvel (like Nick Spencer) can be counted amongst those fans unhappy with it.

***Indeed, for those younger fans who maybe knew little of pre-OMD Spider-Man or only know about Spider-Man comics from Youtube and social media, Wells run has them believing and perpetuating that Spider-Man has now been ruined. It was ruined long before now of course, but Wells via Paul and the rest of his run has spawned a new generation that despises Marvel's treatment of Spider-Man. Paul has essentially become a meme!

[sprinkler-ashes]

gorgeous // aaron hotchner x reader

gorgeous

pairing: aaron hotchner x fem!reader

in which you’re jack hotchner’s teacher, and you are utterly enamored of his dad. loosely based off of taylor swift’s song “gorgeous.”

words: 2.4k

warnings: everyone thirsting over hotch lmao

a/n: thank you all soooo very much for 600+ notes on my last fic!!! here’s another small taylor-inspired fic. It’s short, sweet, and i left it open for a part 2 in case i want to write it – we’ll see. i really wanted to get more out for you guys, but spring semester started, i fell back into constant work, and now am getting over the flu, which totally sucks, but is giving me a slight break to write. thanks for reading <3

you make me so happy, it turns back to sad

there's nothing i hate more than what i can't have

you are so gorgeous it makes me so mad

On most days, you loved your job. You were a first grade teacher and truly loved all the kids you had as if they were your own.

However, on some days – you really despised your job.

Dealing with the parents was sometimes your least favorite part of your job. It was usually mind-boggling to you at how some of these people had the sweetest and smartest kids, but they, the parents themselves, could be absolutely awful. It wasn’t all of the parents. In fact, there were some you really liked, but there were definitely a couple bad ones.

As much as you didn’t like dealing with some of those bad parents during conferences, you weren’t a fan of days like today – a Saturday bake sale at nine in the morning to raise money for an end-of-the-year field trip coming up at the end of the school year in just a couple months. The PTA was over the bake sale, which meant you had to deal with some of the most insufferable women you had ever met on what was supposed to be a day off.

“I told you, Stef, she’s just with him so she can get that life insurance check when he finally kicks the bucket – you watch and see if I’m not right,” the woman next to you, Kelly, said. “Poor Charlie, I hope he gets away from her before she snatches every penny he’s got.”

You wanted to scream. You weren’t sure how you were going to deal with this for another – you checked your watch – two hours and thirty-eight minutes even though the bake sale was only supposed to be three hours long. How had it only been twenty-two minutes?

 Kelly was the resident gossip while Stefanie, Stef, was her best friend and head of the PTA. Kelly’s son wasn’t in your class, but Stef’s twins were both in your class. Even though you didn’t even teach Kelly’s kid, you saw her often because she was always at every single school event.

“Stef, are you listening to me?” You heard Kelly ask.

“Did you know Mr. Hotchner is here?” Stef asked excitedly.

Your head perked up at hearing that. You pretended to fiddle with the homemade brownies wrapped up in front of you while you listened.

“That man is so beautiful. I just want him for myself,” Kelly replied. “I’m glad he made it today, so we have something nice to look at.”

You couldn’t disagree with Kelly there. Aaron Hotchner was the dad of one of the kids in your class, Jack, and a member of the PTA. He was the Unit Chief of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and was often gone on cases. Jack’s mom had died a while ago, close to two years prior, and Jessica, Jack’s aunt, was usually the one who would drop him off and pick him up.

In fact, you had only met Jack’s dad a couple times – three, to be exact. The first time you met Jack and Aaron was at the school’s open house event right before school had started. The second time was the first parent-teacher conference of the year. The last time you had seen him was purely by luck in the grocery store one evening.

Kelly wasn’t wrong – Aaron Hotchner was insanely attractive and every woman in the PTA knew it. It honestly seemed like everyone knew it except for Aaron himself. You watched as he helped Jack give change back to a man who was buying a cookie at the booth he was at. You couldn’t help but smile as you watched him give his son a high-five after the man had left.

Truthfully, you hated him. Not because he had ever done anything to you – actually, it was because he hadn’t done anything to you.

“Do you think he’ll ever remarry?” Kelly asked Stef. “If so, I hope it’s one of us.”

“You, me, and every woman here,” Stef said with a laugh. “Oh my goodness, Kelly, he’s coming over here. Fix your hair! It looks like a bird’s nest.”

You felt your pulse start to race as you glanced up to find that Stef was, indeed, right. Aaron was coming over, his eyes trained on you with his hands in his pockets. He was dressed casually in jeans and a crewneck sweatshirt. It was different from the usual suits you saw him in. Seeing him without a tie felt almost criminal.

“Good morning,” he told you, not paying attention to the other women near you, his eyes trained solely on you. “I’m sorry to bother you, but Jack wants to know if you’ll come join his booth for a moment. It won’t be long.”

You silently it wasn’t obvious that his gaze on you was affecting you the way that it was. His job was literally to profile people – you just hoped he wasn’t profiling you right now. “Yeah, I’d love to. Do you mind taking over this booth while I go over for a bit?”

“Go right ahead, honey,” Kelly told you. She lowered her voice, “I’d go anywhere with him, too.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m just going to see Jack’s poster.”

Kelly grinned. “Whatever you say.”

You shook your head, avoiding eye contact with Aaron and watching as both the women gave him a smile and little wave while you maneuvered from out behind the table you were standing at. “Lead the way.”

He gave you a small smile as he removed his hands from his pockets and led you over to the table him and Jack were assigned to. “I know you’re miserable, so I thought I’d help you escape.”

You were about to ask how he knew you’d rather have been doing anything else other than Stef and Kelly gossip, but you closed your mouth as soon as you opened it. “Really? You were profiling me? Here?”

That earned you a laugh out of him, which you now claimed as your favorite sound you’ve ever heard. “I don’t think it would’ve taken a profiler to see that you weren’t enjoying yourself.”

“Did you guys not get assigned with anyone else? It was supposed to be three to five people per table,” you mentioned as you two had finally reached the cookie booth that Aaron and Jack were over.

“We did, but they didn’t show,” Aaron replied to you, his hand lightly touching your lower back as he guided you behind the table where Jack was awaiting, causing you to elicit a sharp intake at the contact. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” you said in your best attempt at a nonchalant tone. If he doubted you, he didn’t press further. “Do you want me to ask around and see if I can get someone to come work the cookie booth with you guys?”

Aaron shook his head. “We’re holding up fine. Right, Jack?”

“Miss Y/L/N!” Jack shouted coming towards you as he held out his poster board that was just about as big as he was and filled with hand-drawn pictures of cookies. “Look at my sign! Daddy let me stay up late to make it.”

You crouched down to his level. “It looks awesome, Jack!” you told him excitedly, gaining a smile of your own as you watched his spread wide. “You did a great job!”

“Thanks! Can you put it back in front of the table, please?” He asked you politely. You nodded and took the poster back from him and placed it back in its rightful spot in front. “Daddy, can I go talk to my friends? I’ll be really quick, I pinky-promise.”

“Yes, but don’t be too long. We have cookies to sell,” Aaron told him.

You both watched as Jack’s little legs carried him just right in front of the table you were at. He was only a couple feet away, but you noticed Aaron’s eyes watching him, making sure he got there safely and that the adults working that table saw him.

“He thinks the world of you. I think you’re his favorite person,” Aaron told you.

That made you grin. You weren’t supposed to have favorites as a teacher, especially with kids as young as the ones you taught, but Jack was definitely one of your favorites. He was a sweet kid and was even reading on a fourth grade level. He caused no trouble and was a friend to everyone.

“He’s a great kid. I think the world of him also,” you said, your eyes locking with Aaron’s. Your breath hitched. How was someone this gorgeous? “But I actually think you’re his favorite person. He tells everyone about you and what you do. You’re his hero.”

Aaron grinned, and it was a sight you hadn’t seen before. You’d gotten smiles from him before, but never anything this big. You refrained from quite literally melting onto the floor. To be honest, you weren’t sure how you were going to last another minute standing here with him. He was so attractive you could barely even look at him.

If you said you didn’t have a teeny, tiny crush on Jack’s dad, you would be lying, but he was off-limits. For one, you were his son’s teacher. You’d really convinced yourself that there was no way he would want someone like you. There was nothing wrong with you, but you two were supposed to have a strictly professional relationship.

“Have you tried one of the cookies?” Aaron asked you, motioning to the cookies that laid on the table in front of the two of you.

“I haven’t,” you replied. “Did you bake all of these?”

“I had some help,” he sheepishly admitted. “Penelope, one of my co-workers, she helped me. As soon as we got back from a case last night, she came over. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to bake this many cookies by myself.”

“You made all of these last night? And after a case?” you asked incredulously. The entire table was covered in cookies of various different flavors. You were seriously impressed.

“Yeah, but it was no big deal,” he brushed it off. “I didn’t want to miss the bake sale. Plus, like I said, I didn’t do all of it.”

Was there anything this man couldn’t do?

You laughed. “I’m sure you’re probably wishing that you did miss the bake sale.” You gestured around the school parking lot that was set up. “I can count on one hand the number of things we’ve sold. I told Stef that a chilly February bake sale wasn’t a good idea, but she doesn’t really listen.”

“No, I’m glad I’m here. I really wanted to be here,” he said, looking directly at you.

This man knew how to take your breath away without even touching you or really even saying anything. You really understand now why all the PTA moms spent so much time gossiping about him.

“We’re glad you could make it,” you said breathlessly, offering a smile. “Really, Mr. Hotchner, I know how busy you are, so all of us are thrilled that you could find the time to help out.”

“Call me Aaron.”

This man was genuinely going to drive you crazy. You were an adult, so why did talking to Aaron Hotchner almost make you drop to the ground?

Before you could say anything else, Jack was back. “Did we get any more customers?”

“Not yet, buddy.”

Jack frowned. “Ah, man. But the cookies are so good!” He turned to you. “Miss Y/L/N, why is no one buying anything?”

“I’m not sure, Jack. Hopefully, we’ll get some more customers later.”

“I hope so,” he said sadly. “I really want to go on the field trip.”

You once again crouched down to his height – something you did often when talking to any of the kids. “We’re working really hard to make the field trip happen, so don’t give up hope, okay?”

Before Jack could reply, you noticed people coming towards your table, so you motioned for Jack to look. “Look! There’s some customers coming. You ready?”

Jack nodded excitedly as he turned around and eagerly started to await the arrival of the people nearing. You smiled at his excitement and took a step back, letting him take control, but you were going to keep watch to make sure he was doing everything correctly.

 “I can see why Jack likes you so much.”

You smiled. The greatest compliments you could receive was from parents telling you their kids – the kids you spent more time with than your own family — liked you. Some days were tough, and it would feel like you weren’t in the right profession, but that feeling would go away any time a parent was able to confirm that their child really enjoyed you teaching them.

“Thank you, Mr. Hotchner, but I should probably get back to helping out Stef and Kelly,” you told him as you looked around to see more people filing in. “It seems we’re starting to get a little busy.”

“Yeah, of course, sorry to keep you busy. Jack just wanted you to come over.”

Jack turned around. “Yeah, I did. Daddy wasn’t happy that we didn’t get to work a table with you. He called Miss Stef a-”

Aaron’s eyes went for a split second before he said, “Jack, turn back around and sell your cookies.”

Jack did as he was told and Aaron awkwardly ran a hand through his hair as you replayed what Jack said back in your head. Aaron wanted to talk to you. He wanted to work with you today. It could’ve meant anything, but you were currently feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.

Aaron cleared his throat. “I guess Jack wasn’t the only one that wanted to talk to you.”

You suppressed a grin, gaining the courage to look Aaron in the eyes. “And I guess Jack wasn’t the only one I came over here for.”

[usafphantom2]

☝️ good heat absorber; it was also a good heat emitter.” Ben said to Kelly Johnson, “Think of how much easier it will be to build the airplane using a softer titanium, which we can do if we lower the heat friction temperature on the surface.”

The black paint would actually radiate away more heat than it would absorb through fiction. I calculated that at the color would lower the temperature by 35°, which would make it possible to use the more pliable soft titanium. Titanium is so hard that in the right thickness, it is bulletproof. When you add alloys with the titanium ( making it softer) and lower the heat on the skin of the SR 71 by adding black paint, this is a win-win solution. The heat generated by the high friction of flying Mach 3.3 causes a 3.6 Celsius or 600 Fahrenheit surface heat on the SR 71.

The early days at the Skunk Works. Fortunately, they documented, and catalog everything. Through the documentation, it was discovered that spot-welding parts made in the summer were failing, but those welding in the winner were just fine. Why? The water supply used chlorine during the summer. They discovered cadmium tools were causing corrosion, which caused the bolts to fail. All Cadmium tools were replaced, and distilled water was used instead of the local water supply.

The people that worked at the Skunk Works were geniuses that worked together to overcome the problems that occurred during production. This, along with the work ethic maintained by the Skunk Works, was how they were able to make the Blackbirds on schedule years before technology caught up with their methods . Written by Linda Sheffield Miller

[vintagetvstars]

James Arness Vs. Robert Fuller

Propaganda

James Arness - (Gunsmoke, McClain's Law) - TALL MAN (OVER 6'6"!!). Was used to measure the ocean in WWII- as the tallest person, he got to be the first to jump off the boat, and if he vanished well they weren't close enough to the beach yet. Was also wounded in WWII and had issues from it for the rest of his life. Mostly known for Westerns and his Matt Dillons incredible chemistry with Amanda Blake's Miss Kitty. Truly the most sexually tense relationship on television in the 50s. And 60s. And possibly the 70s too. Great voice, calming but authoritative presence. Worked for John Wayne, and played Matt Dillon for 20 years on TV as well as in a series of movies, which is simply unheard of. I mean over 600 episodes of anything is madness.

Robert Fuller - (Laramie, Wagon Train, Emergency!) - I have loved this man ever since I was a teenager and first saw him in Emergency! There are so many fanmade music videos on youtube dedicated to this man and how hot he is! Everytime he says "good girl" on emergency I go weak in the knees! I adore this man, he's so hot!

Master Poll List | How to submit propaganda | What is vintage? (FAQ)

Additional propaganda below the cut

James Arness:

Robert Fuller:

just a short blooper clip because he has a lovely laugh.

A short clip of him in Emergency!

[awakenthemusic]

Threshold

Summary: Cas is gone… again. That doesn't mean he's not still haunting Dean's dreams, though.

Tags: Destiel, Short fic, ~600 words, Angst, Grief/Mourning

For Suptober 2023 Day 1 - Liminal.

Under the cut or on Ao3

Dean woke with a gasp, the stench of singed feathers clogging his nose and coating his throat with ash.

The smell of burning wings.

His heart pounded as he fought the bed sheets tangled around his legs where they clung to the sweat that drenched his skin. He wrestled his way out enough to turn on the bedside lamp and searched his surroundings with frantic eyes.

He was in his room at the bunker. There were no sunny green fields with the grass scorched black. No tang of char and lightning. No angels.

No Cas.

Dean buried his face in his shaking hands and tried not to scream.

The dream had felt so real and so hazy at the same time. He’d seen so many angels, recognized them and known that they were kin. He’d stared them in the face as they’d burned.

Even now, the guilt and the fury and the godawful smell made his stomach roil. It took him back to kneeling in the dirt outside the house where Kelly Kline was giving her life to bring a possible monster into the world. Took him back to the paralyzing grief that had reached into his chest and ripped out his heart only to grind it into the ashes left behind by Cas’ wings.

A vicious voice in his mind taunted, You don't even have a body to burn this time.

Dean wrenched himself from his bed, stumbling over to grab the bottle of whiskey he'd left on the table by the door. He held it for a long moment, his shaking arms screaming with the impulse to throw it, to smash it against the wall and watch it shatter, to grind the broken glass under his feet like he’d been walking on the shards of himself ever since Cas had said… had said goodbye in the fucking dungeon.

He squeezed the neck of the bottle so hard, he started to lose feeling in his fingers.

“You son of a bitch.” The words wrenched out of him, jagged and ripping at his throat. With sudden clarity, he knew he had to get himself somewhere else before he lost the ability to bite them back entirely.

He threw on yesterday’s clothes and grabbed his keys, tearing out of the bunker’s garage like he had hellhounds on his ass.

Baby flew down the highway, eating up the miles as Dean’s thoughts spun faster than Baby’s tires. Emotions twisted up in his gut so tight, he worried he’d never get the knot to come loose.

He angrily scrubbed away the tears that itched as they flowed down his cheeks.

He drove to a field outside town, one with a brook, a little garden, and a windmill nearby, all bathed in moonlight.

He skidded to a stop, uncaring of the way the tires tore into the grass on the side of the road. He marched out into the field and screamed.

All of the pain, all of the turmoil raging in his head, poured out of Dean, burning his throat like acid as it went.

“You SON OF A BITCH!”

He paced the clearing like a wild animal, uncaring if the town’s newly-returned residents heard him. “You fucking asshole! You were supposed to be here! Paradise on earth, that was the plan! How can I— How could you—“

Dean screamed wordlessly at the sky, falling to his knees in the soft grass.

The fight left him in a rush, nothing but empty ache left behind. He sank back onto his ass and buried his face in his hands. His voice cracked as he whispered, “There’s no paradise for me without you.”

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 72

Vlad propaganda:

“Dracula: A Love Story (DALS) is split between the present day and flashback's to the Ottoman Empire 600 years ago. The characters from the past are reincarnated in the present, except for Vlad who is immortal and has been alive the entire time. Vlad has been in love with the MC for the past 600 years (bro...) and his romance is an extreme slowburn, because the two cannot touch because the MC's inner light literally causes Vlad to burn and bleed. So the two can only yearn for each other until this is resolved. I also did not romance Vlad and am submitting him for funsies.”

Quinn propaganda:

“Quinn is a bubbly and cheerful girl, who is kind and rarely ever loses her temper. Now you might be thinking, OH. BORING, another nice girl with hardly any personality, but Quinn has is dying and has known she was dying since she was a child. She underwent many different treatments as a kid, her illness bankrupted her family and her parents got divorced, but Quinn is still relatively happy, well adjusted and loves being alive. She's always looking death in the face and choosing to be strong and kind. She gets sicker as the game progresses.

And when the friend group tries to cure her, she gets possessed by the heart of the island (this makes sense in game...) and gets glowy eyes and flies around, but she manages to contain the power and still be herself. You can get married to Quinn in the last book.”

[incognitajones]

*hands you a cup of tea* what is one book, one tv show and/or movie, and one fic you think more people should try?

(taking advantage of my one night off in three weeks to peek in on tumblr)

Book: I was in a terrible reading slump lately so I'm going to go with the find that broke the slump: The Book of Love by Kelly Link (her first novel). Indescribable like all of Link's writing but I devoured all 600 pages in two days.

TV show: Slings and Arrows (I feel like this was well-known once upon a time but is now obscure). Three short seasons, each centred around the production of a different Shakespeare play: shenanigans, romance, comedy, pathos, and the tragedy of making art in a capitalist culture. It's equal parts hilarious and sad, and if you enjoy Shakespeare, Paul Gross, or playing Canadian actor bingo you'll appreciate it.

Fic: chaos yet harmony, the rarepair epic that sold me on Jyn/Ahsoka (as I don't know or care much about any of the animated SW series, that's quite a feat).

(and now I disappear for another two weeks)

[frenchcurious]

La Mercedes Benz 600 1966 de Grace Kelly. - source Cars & Motorbikes Stars of the Golden era.

[maoisarap]

COMPARE; no au

Mao Isara centric oneshot

WARNINGS: none. :) it's fluff.

PAIRS: trickstar

WRITTEN: 13/9/23

REPOSTED: 24/10/24

WORD COUNT: 600-700

"I'd say he's more like a home-cat."

"Right idea, but wrong theme Hokke!"

"I didn't know there was a theme, I thought we were just comparing him to things in our opinions?"

Mao's hearing wavers in and out for a moment as his mind awakened. He blinks his eyes open, still with a slight daze of exhaustion as he glances around. He sees that he's in a room of sorts — a hotel room, more likely.

The atmosphere felt warm and calming, the right aura for a few hours of relaxing himself before heading back to Ensemble Square and going back to his usual everyday duties.

A sudden yawn escapes between his lips, a small noise emitting from him as it happens, which catches the rest of Trickstar's attention.

"Isara, are you awake?" Comes the question from Makoto.

Mao nods and replies with a deep hum as he sits himself up. The thick winters duvet once wrapped around his shoulders now pooled in his lap.

He reaches a hand up to his eyes to swipe some of the dry sleep dirt out of the way to clear the blurry haze from his eyesight.

In the meantime, Hokuto walks over to him with a small plastic bag of food. It was nothing much, just a sandwich and a snack bar featuring a bottle of raspberry milkshake. "Here, it's nothing as good as we had for dinner last night, but... it's all we could get when spending our money."

A smile of gratefulness reaches Mao's features. "I understand. Thanks, Hokuto." He replies as he undoes the boxing of his sandwich and immediately takes a bite out of it.

He then notices that Hokuto, Subaru, and Makoto were all dressed in day clothing, minus for their shoes that still sat by the wooden door of the hotel room.

He swallowed the small bite resting in his mouth and glanced between the trio who now sat on their own respective beds. "I heard faint talking from you guys... something about a cat?" He tilts his head to the side in thought as an idea hits his mind, his kelly greens widening to show so.

"Is there one around here?!" He hoped as he dropped his sandwich back into its box and glanced over the edge of the bed he lied on, eyes frantically clocking back and forth to look.

"Sorry, Sally! There's no cats around here." Subaru replies with shaking his head no. "We were just... playing a game whilst waiting for you to wake up!" He grins at the younger.

"A game... like the one's Makoto plays?"

A nervous laugh comes from the mentioned blond, "it's a different game we were playing. We were comparing each other to things. I can't remember how we even got onto that subject. It's odd but very fun!"

"Which reminds me," Hokuto coughs, "I still stand where I am with my opinion."

Mao quirked an eyebrow towards Hokuto in wonder.

"No!" Subaru suddenly whines then huffs, "like I said before: there's a theme! And this round is food!"

"You didn't say that before!"

"Yeah, I did!"

"Since when, Akehoshi?"

As Hokuto and Subaru argued together about the 'game', Mao looked away in awkwardness and carried on eating his late brunch.

The arguing goes on for a few minutes extra until Makoto seems to break it — not by interrupting the duo but because he spoke a thought out loud.

"If Isara was a food... I'd say he's a marshmallow."

Mao looked on in confusion, "what...?"

"Ooh yeah, I agree! Because Sally is so sweet, cute, and squishy and..." Subaru goes into a rant, technically complimenting Mao along the way, which the mentioned boy couldn't help but feel flattered and yet embarrassed at the same time.

"I can see that, actually." Hokuto announces.

"Huh?! Wait, guys-"

Subaru then suddenly gasps, "and his name is 'Mao'! If you combine them together, you get Marshmaollow~!"

If Mao ever had to admit something about his friends... it is the fact that they can all be odd at times.

But he wouldn't trade them for the world.